Essie's Restaurant

Very nice restaurant, want to be back and enjoy food again. Nice atmosphere and service.

The food and service were above my expectations. We truly enjoyed the environment of this spot. Excellent place to take the family out for lunch.

Big city excellent food in a cozy Hudson Valley restaurant. Great chef!

Very nice quant place- beautiful fresh flowers on every table. Chef was friendly, personally went to tables to introduce himself. And the food was delicious!! I went for brunch and I will def return for dinner.

Delicious food. Good wine selection. Great service. Reasonable pricing. Would definitely recommend stopping by for dinner. The flavors are great, the chef uses many ingredients to create unique and complimentary textures. Will definitely come back when passing through town.

Pleasant surprise on way to walking the bridge, nice brunch delicious and satisfying.

Came to town for CIA alumni weekend and this was the highlight of our trip! Fantastic food and whiskey sours. Highly reccomend the Jerk Ribs and fried plantains! Ivan also took great care of us.

Great environment and the food is amazing.keep up the good work

Excellent food, nice cocktails. Food with a Southern touch, like black eyed peas soup. Seasonally changing menu. One of the best places to eat in Poughkeepsie.

Food was very flavorful and we had wonderful service. As a vegetarian from the south, this has been one of my favorite dining experiences. The meat-eaters with me were equally impressed.

Went here on a whim with my wife and was pleasantly surprised by the warm and welcoming staff and interior. After a little back and forth we got our drinks (the server had a hard time telling me anything about the TWO beers available..) and ordered dinner. My cod dish arrived 5 minutes before my wife’s main course salad (that’s 101, guys!). Both dishes were good and the portion sizes as to be expected these days. However, $37 for a piece of cod?? I can only surmise it was hand reared. For that price, in Poughkeepsie, I expected perfection. That it was not.

We just hosted a family event at Essie's last weekend, and I cannot recommend it enough! We had 40 people for a reception with passed hors d'oeuvres, beer, and wine, and every thing about it was perfect. Brandon, the head chef, was a delight to work with and made several different delicious hors d'oeuvres that accommodated several dietary needs, and the service was exceptional (one particular waitress noticed I was particularly fond of the vegetable samosas, which honestly I could eat for the rest of my life, and would always bring them straight to me!). I can't recommend Essie's highly enough. We'll be back!

Trendy restaurant on an otherwise quiet block in POK. We came for an early brunch and it was empty but when we left, the place was filling up! Chicken and Waffles was worth self-indulging on! I'd be happy to come again to try something else!

Fabulous food from a very creative chef.

Hello! HI everybody!! )Just returned from Sunday brunch and it was delicious! Essie's is truly one-of-kind; you can tell that Brandon really cares about his food and cocktails! I don't know how so much scrumptiousness can come out of that tiny kitchen! Toast of the day was sooo good, as was my orange daiquiri! Fried chicken and waffles: best fried chicken I've had since my Nanny died (sounds morbid but it's true.). My friend loved her steak and eggs; no one disappointed! Great service, great atmosphere, great music! Note: if you're in a hurry or are always in a rush, please realize that eating at Essie's is not an experience through which you should be rushed. CHILL AND ENJOY!The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because (full disclosure) you are charged for coffee refills. I understand that this isn't IHOP, but (especially at brunch) I think you should be allowed a 2-cup max for the price. Gotta have my morning fuel!Always nice good!!