The Gilded Otter

The atmosphere makes you feel like you are in a factory. It’s noisy. You have to yell in order to talk to the people at your table. My quesadilla was falling apart. I couldn’t eat without it falling on my lap practically. The beer is heavy on your stomach. My waitress was rude and I could tell she wasn’t having a good day. For a college town it’s in a good location. Nice view of the construction of the bridge.

Despite the appearance, I am sorry folks but i cannot recommend the Gilded Otter.
The place looks nice and has the craft brewery atmosphere. It is lively, sunny, and appears fun. However, the food and service matter and here neither is terribly good.
My rare burger was well over done. It appeared to be the victim of a nuclear blast. I had ordered a burger rare — bloody rare! What do I get: A dried over cooked 8oz piece of burnt cow on a roll.
This leads to quality… The meat did not have that quality taste that a good good cut of beef would give. For the price it should. In fact, I kid you not, in my opinion the taste and texture was about the same as what you can get at McDonalds or any of the chains. I was really disappointed.
You might ask: Why not send it back? It is a summer Friday night in a college town. Would you really trust sending back two plates to get a 20 something kitchen staff in trouble and then have to eat what is brought out new? Seriously, I am a bit cynical in this area, but would not trust the result. I like when a restaurant in which I am paying over 12USD for a burger is going to get it right from the git-​go
One bright point is the fries. They are nice.
Can I have mustard? Sure an empty bottle. No wait person to get me a new one.
The beer is real good. I found it not to be chilled enough, but I suppose that is my own preference.
Finally, cost: with tip I gave over $ 70 for this garbage. It is really not worth it! If the rest of the food is like the burger — it is awful!

Save your money and goes anywhere but here the food was not worth the money and our sever was so slow waited 15 min to get my drink and 15 mins for him to get are order in he was rude and when asked about a peanut allergy he said not sure I will have to ask had to ask 2 more times and he said no I think it’s a mixed oil? Really dude know your shit in total came to 250 with a 35 dollar gratuity tip included to be honest as a sever he was lucky if I left him 5 I will never return

The beer is pretty good, and the space is nice. The food, however, is abysmal. Everything I’ve ever ordered from here tasted like it was out of the box or frozen. The prices aren’t cheap either, which makes it a terrible value. If you’re coming here to sit and have a few pints, I guess it’s ok (although beer prices for a micro brewery are high as well). Other than that, I wouldn’t waste my time or money here on a meal, there’s better places in New Paltz or the surrounding areas to eat.

Cool place. Never seen something like it and I like that when you sat outside you had a great view of the mountains. Beer was good, tasted like blue moon, I believe it was called Koch. Didn’t eat anything really just a few nachos which were ok, nothing special.

I have to assume that the Gilded Otter was amazing years ago since it remains a staple of New Paltz. But over the last several years I e been consistently underwhelmed by this place. If it were a new restaurant I doubt it would have much success. But since it’s paved into the bedrock of new paltz it gets away with mediocrity.

I really tried to love this place but I can’t. Three visits over two years and they just can’t seem to get it right. Service is inconsistent. It’s slow usually even when they aren’t busy but servers are cheerful enough. Food is uninspiring at best and concerning at worst (extra rare burger when we ordered «medium»…no thanks). They do have a decent beer list and it’s not an unpleasant place to sit outside and imbibe.

I really want to like the Otter, but it never fails to disappoint — mediocre food, slow inattentive service, and boring atmosphere.
If you’ve spent time hiking in the area, and need a place to cool off (or warm up), stop by, but don’t expect much to be memorable.

The food is food — nothing fantastic but nothing horrible.
Service was slow. One of our beers was absolutely flat. We couldn’t flag down a server to replace the beer so my husband had to go up to the bar to request a new drink. The beers are good, so long as they’re not flat (and shouldn’t the bartender notice the absolute lack of head when pouring?).
Husband ordered one thing, got another. It was replaced and we had a bit of a discount for it but by the time he got his food, I was done with mine.
Kinda sucks that he got the short end of the stick the entire time he was there.

Came here for a New Paltz bday trip and had a round of drinks and some apps.
The beers aren’t bad but its disappointing when my friends and I read the huge selection on the wall, and then are told its the ‘other’ wall with about 10 choices that are on tap at the moment. Sigh.
Anyway we had some fries and calamari and that Mediterranean platter. Idk what is going on in the kitchen but half of the items on the hummus platter were going bad. The baba ghanoush and tapenade had that weird fizziness and sweetness to them like when a can of tahini has gone off. It was easy to tell it was not fresh nor had been checked for freshness in a hot minute. Since it was a app platter and by the time all four of us had a try of it to confirm it was indeed bad, it looked like we ate half of it so unfortunately we didn’t say anything for fear of getting the stink eye and being questioned. Calamari was ok but the dips were lacking hardcore in flavor.
I want to like this place more bc I like otters. If it had been the Gilded Ghoul, then I probably would say meh, not going anymore. Also, with SUNY being a literal hop away, you would think they have a Digital Arts and Media Student that could vamp up their website. Come on Gilded Otter, it reminds me of the Magic School Bus Inside the Earth computer game I used to play circa 1999… speaking of, I could really go for playing that right now. I wonder if they have it in the app store?

I love beer, especially brewpub beer which is oftentimes unique and full of local influence. I should have loved this place — but I don’t. Why?
It’s not the beer, it’s quite good actually. It is the absolutely horrid service. I have given this place many chances over the years and they flat out suck. Unprofessional and uncaring servers are the norm and not the exception here. I have seen it all: waiting 20 plus minutes at a table just waiting for someone to say «hello.» Waiting another eternity after they take your order, only for them to come back and ask, «what did you want again?» And forget about getting another beer (at a brewpub, how ironic.) The last time I was there the service was so bad, I actually got up from my table, multiple times and went to the bar for my next round — served myself! When our clueless server returned she had the nerve to ask «how is everything?» I told her it was great… aside from having to fill my own drink orders! A few minutes later someone identifying himself as the manager appeared with an apology. The resolution was, «next beer is on the house.» When my bill showed up (an eternity later) we were charged for it.
Good Riddance… never again.

Nothing special. But then, I’m not a big hophead. I like beer but I’m not geek about it. I don’t get all tingly over milk stout. I can usually find something to drink but, in truth, I’d rather just have a cold Pilsner. Having said that, I think most people like the beer and they have a lot of options.
The bummer about this place is the service– it’s always a drag trying to flag down your waiter for the ketchup you asked for 10 minutes ago (the ketchup he should have brought when he dropped the fries). Like, craning your neck in hopes that someone – doesn’t even have to be my server — will see me and bring me some water or salt or something. The food is not great. Chicken wings and burgers, a decent caesar salad. I only ever come here with large groups because it’s one of the few spots in New Paltz that can accommodate a big party.

The first time I ate here I didn’t have a problem with the food or the atmosphere (though I was a freshman in college and was eating a steak for the first time in months!).
The second time I ate here I noticed that there wasn’t much of a menu selection and found myself disappointed with my selected entrée.
The last time I ate here I went with a large group of people. We ate upstairs and order a few appetizers. After waiting awhile, the waiter informed us that he had forgotten to put in our appetizer orders. Finally, our appetizers came out with our dinner and we were stuck eating both at the same time!
Also, a member of my party found a piece of plastic in her food.
Never again!

Culinary they are not.
We came to the Guilder Otter about a year after they first opened in the late 90s and weren’t impressed. Against our better judgement, more than a decade later we went again: it’s the same: yawn! How can a place, in a village with so much rich history not improve in 20 years?
The waitstaff is nice, but they aren’t attentive or trained well and the overall cleanliness of the restaurant isn’t too great.
We have said it in other reviews: we take design seriously and when we see a poorly designed logo, menu, webpage, interior etc. that usually translates to lack of overall attention to detail and for the Gilded Otter that’s food and beer.
We recently read that in 2014 they had $ 3MM in sales (80% for food) which sounds like an inflated figure for mediocre fare: burgers and the like. But more importantly, why just 20% for their micro beer? That to us speaks volumes that the beer isn’t a very good seller which in a era of food/​drink content awareness is a shame for a micro brewery.
We know the owners are hardworking, however we’d love to see them step up their game, maybe in a decade or two we’ll return and be pleasantly surprised.

Big, fun place that often has live music.
In a sweet location by the Wallkill & Rail Trail.
Cocktails are awesome and heavy on the booze ;)
Kinda pricey, but fun for large groups.

Fantastic. I went years ago but at the time, it was rightfully branded the best brew pub in the Hudson Valley, The Gilded Otter, is not simply a brew pub; The Menu is devine, and certainly shines. From the burgers to the brew, you will not be let down. Thoroughly enjoying your beer sampler and your meal, you wont be able to find a downside; you will find yourself immersed in the atmosphere as well as being overjoyed by the excellent service. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the live music, the nice views, and the company you desire in this fun, laid back establishment with an understated charm, yet will overwhelmingly make you want to return.
PS — I strongly recommend you try the chili & beer sampler for an enjoyable late lunch.

Not terrible but not great either. I was passing through town and decided to stop here for lunch. It was lunch time (mid-​week) and the place was pretty empty. The service was horrific. The hostess did not even look at or acknowledge us when she took us to our table. Our server was even worse, he only showed up twice, once to take our order and once to give us the bill.
The beer was okay, there are so many good microbrews in the surrounding area that I would not make a trip here for beer. The food was something that resembles cafeteria food. I started with the nachos which tasted like a store bought bag of chips with some cheese on it that was melted in a microwave. The toppings were just poked on top with a inedible «salsa». The «salsa» tasted like a super chunky tomato sauce/​paste. The chicken sandwich was fairly decent. The bacon was rubbery and the chicken to bread ratio was way off. This could have used a smaller bun. The best part of the dish were the fries, they were crispy, hot, and not over seasoned.

If you like being served cafeteria food in a fly-​infested mess hall by college students, by all means come here. I’ve never met more incompetent children posing as waiters in my entire life. Did no one ever teach you to serve a platter of steaming hot jambalaya by walking over to that person’s side of the table or did you just want to practice lowering that hot soup with your shaking left hand? Maybe provide some suspenseful entertainment for the table?
Also, over-​fried hard fries, tiny shrimp in the soup, «hot» wings that were super mild. Everything here is a failure. I guess stick with the alcohol and you’re fine.

Thoroughly enjoyed this place! I’m not sure why the reviews aren’t all 4 – 5 stars.
We came here for a bachelorette dinner and were given a lot of attention by the servers.
Cheese curds were great. I also had the big bowl of chili which was amazing. Lots of meat and cheese and simply delicious.
Would definitely come here again. Menu is great and has a nice variation of foods
Drinks were good and strong. All
The girls were happy with their meals and drinks.
Thanks!

Brewery and Restaurant.
This place looked popping from the packed parking lot and being famished and thirsty after a 5 hour hike, we were ready to chow down and drink some cold brews.
Here’s my 2 cents for giving them 2 stars:
Décor:
Like you’ve entered a brewery cabin in the woods. The stainless steel kettle, vessels, and fermenter were all noticed right away as they take up a good amount of the restaurant.
Decent sized bar area with some TVs for game watching.
Service:
Fast and friendly. We were able to get a table for 6 right away and our cute server was welcoming.
Food:
Lots of food options here. Typical diverse menu… American, Mexican, Cajun, Mediterranean. salads, sandwiches, entrees, apps. soups.
The bf and I decided to share the Shawgunk Jambalaya. For 18 $ we were hoping for a really filling and tasty dish. The sauce lacked flavor and spice, was soupy and not like thick like a stew, and they were frugal with most of the ingredient components, except for sausage. Where was the shrimp and chicken? *sad face*
Hey G.O.!! Maybe try serving the rice separate and just fill the deep plate entirely with Jambalaya!
Our friend ordered the Mediterranean Platter, and I had one of those «I should’ve gotten what he got» moments. ARGH! This was worth getting. And for 11 $ it satisfies both tummies and wallets.
Drinks:
8 $ Beer Flights! Yes I was super excited to hear that they serve up an 8 beer tasting flight! And love how they serve it on carved wooden trays that are numbered in the order of the menu.
Mmmmm… That’s about all I could get excited for with this flight.
Was there something in the water? There was something funky that mucked up most of the beers in the flight. The one beer that stood out and would definitely get a growler of is the Stone House Cream Stout.
Other than that, I was not pleased.
Unimpressed and unsatisfied. Sorry G.O., we won’t be returning here even after a long day of hiking. We’ll trek further for food and brews.