Do you adore zucchini as much as we do? Enjoy the in-season vegetable in style at these Hudson Valley restaurants.
We are spoiled with in-season fruits and vegetables during the summertime in the Hudson Valley. All at once, fresh favorites like corn, cucumbers, peaches, pears, and tomatoes are at their peak, making for incredible salads, side dishes, desserts, and more.
One of the unsung heroes of late summer is zucchini—it is delicious on its own, and it elevates meats with a light, yet savory flavor. If you don’t know any recipes that call for zucchini, take a trip to one of these Hudson Valley restaurants and enjoy the long green veggie as prepared by local chefs.

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Aroma Thyme
Ellenville
This green certified restaurant serves up farm-to-table goodness and is well worth a trip out to Ellenville. Opt for the hot pot—you’ll have to choose between shrimp and tofu as the crux of the dish—made with broccoli, local onions, mushrooms, herbs, organic brown rice, zucchini, and either Thai peanut sauce or Szechuan sauce. After all those savory flavors, treat yourself to a sweet in the way of a warm chocolate brownie à la mode.
Billy Joe’s Ribworks
Newburgh
Zucchini makes a very special appearance in the eponymous “Joe’s Bowl” at this Newburgh waterfront restaurant. The bowl also includes quinoa, sauteed onions, carrots, corn, celery, green peppers, broccoli, roasted red peppers, honey-garlic teriyaki sauce, and your choice of grilled chicken, grilled shrimp, or extra vegetables.
Good Night
Woodstock
We wrote about this Woodstock eatery when it opened, and it has continued to wow us with excellent bites, superlative cocktails, local beers, and even a robust selection for those who want a sip sans alcohol. In that vein, order a ginger beer—complete with house-made ginger syrup, lime, and soda—to go with the seafood green coconut curry. It’s a squid dish with shrimp, mussels, hake, green tomato, and zucchini. If seafood isn’t quite your jam, you can still enjoy the green vegetable as a side; Good Night offers it grilled with scallions, black vinegar, Sichuan oil, shallots, and cilantro.
Ole Savannah
Kingston
This Southern-style restaurant and bar serves up zucchini as a delicious garnish to its herb-crusted Atlantic cod. The dish—which happens to be gluten-free—also comes with roasted tomato coulis, oyster mushrooms, and baby bok choy. Pair the cod with Mill House Brewing Company’s Kold One, a German-style kölsch made locally in Poughkeepsie.
Primo Waterfront
Newburgh
Once you’re seated right beside the Hudson River, pick a drink from Primo’s list of cocktails, specialty gin and tonic drinks, sake, beer, and wine. Be mindful to choose one that will go nicely with the brick chicken entrée, served with charred zucchini, golden raisin-caper agrodolce, and parmesan polenta. The dish is excellent alongside the Gather House wheat beer from The Drowned Lands Brewery—it’s so light, you might help yourself to a second.
The Roundhouse
Beacon
Start off your meal at Roundhouse with the burrata appetizer, which comes topped with zucchini pesto, baby zucchini, balsamic caviar, grilled red onion, tomato, olives, crostini, and balsamic reduction. Complement this dish with one of the signature cocktails—we tend to go bold with the passionate lemonade, which features tequila, passionfruit liqueur, lemonade, and cherries.
Tramonto
Hawthorne
The zucchini-based dish you order at Tramonto depends on whether you come for lunch or dinner. If you’re dining earlier in the day, snack on the fried calamari and zucchini. You can order that as a starter at dinnertime, too, but save room for the veal scallopini in creamy pesto and melty fontina with zucchini and potato wheels. A cool glass of a dry Riesling goes well with zucchini, and the “fragrant and sweet” Casa Larga fits the bill.