Panzur Restaurant and Wine Bar

Panzur is, in my opinion, the best restaurant in the area. Flavors can be very bold, so bring a friend to share dishes with! Chef does incredible things in the kitchen, and the staff are friendly and attentive. We eat here 1 – 2 times a month and are consistently blown away by the quality.

I contacted the manager to see if he could help arrange a fixed price menu for a group of 11 of us. He did an outstanding job. The communication over email/​phone was prompt and friendly, and the menu he created was SUPERB. The food was AMAZING and every single one of my guests was impressed with the restaurant’s aesthetics, and definitely with the food.

This is one of the best restaurants in the entire Hudson Valley. The food is fantastic and flavorful and brilliantly conceived by Chef Rei. He uses the finest local produce available and prepares it with care and creativity. This is not your basic HV farm to table menu. The chef pushes the boundaries and it is never precious or overly cerebral. He brings out the best in ingredients that you will recognize and others you’ve never imagined. It’s as great a dining experience as you’ll find in NYC.

Do NOT miss this gem — the food, the décor, the staff, the location; all 5 stars!
When we made our reservations they inquired of any food allergies — I am allergic to mushrooms, so it was nice that they cared, AND followed up with me when we arrived to make sure I knew there was nothing on the menu that I should stay away from; amazing — a staff who seems to truly care. Our server was incredibly knowledgeable and just lovely. She recommended the specialty Coca, which is a flatbread, in the shape of a french baguette sliced in half longways like a french bread pizza — but the most amazing french bead pizza you have ever tasted. It was a duck confit w smoked aioli, pickled tomatoes, mustard seed and scallions — I could’ve eaten the whole thing myself; pure perfection!
We moved on to the croquettes, which were stuffed with jamon serrano and melt in your mouth delicious. Followed by a mustard green salad — not my fave as I’m not a cherry fan, but my husband loved it, and we ended with a burrata that was served over an eggplant caponata (sp is prob wrong), and a slice of fried eggplant — amazing, amazing, amazing.
Cannot wait to go back and try everything, including making Wednesday night a habit as they serve «staff meal» — everyone eats the same thing; $ 25 per person for an entrée, two sides and dessert — count me — this place is definite DON’T MISS and KEEP GOING BACK!

A marvelous Spanish restaurant we went to in the tiny town of Tivoli, NY before attending the Bard College Summerscape arts festival. Delicious and unusual food. We shared the appetizer of chicken sausage and duck egg with kale in a cast-​iron little pot. My main course was a soft-​shelled crab on a spicy baguette with spinach. The drink was white sangria which I told the nice waiter tasted like summer. Dessert was a chocolate pudding with hazelnut and candied kumquats.

We were upstate this weekend for a graduation and came up the night before and were looking to try something new in the area; Panzur did not let us down. This place was a diamond in the rough! Great wine list, interesting cocktail menu, and nice beer selection.
The menu changes pretty often apparently but on our visit (Fri May 22) we began with an order of burrata and an order of serrano ham. The burrata was creamy and soft in the center, served on top of a bed of refreshing guacamole, topped with pickled ramps, grilled ramp leaves (?), and fried bread crumbs. It was also topped with «ramp flour», a soft green powder that they had made from ramps which was better than I think I could describe. The serrano was melt in your mouth but may have been sliced a little too thick (1^st world problem haha).
Next we shared the gambas de plancha and some marinated olives & peppers. The shrimp were tiny and steeped in a fragrant oil packed with pimenton peppers and garlic. (Sidenote: don’t eat a whole pimenton… it contains the seeds and pith and was really hot and I made that mistake for you) The olives and peppers were served in an orange oil marinade; the citrus oil really shone though on the olives and the peppers were pickled.
We rounded out the meal with an order of the pork belly and the patatas bravas. The pork belly was a generous portion (5 – 6 oz easy). It was crispy on the outside and coated in a complex hoisin like glaze which was amped up with sweet cherries and sherry. The potatoes were sliced into thick slices, fried until crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside; and not greasy at all! They were topped with a chili laced aioli.
We’re looking forward to returning if we are ever in the area!

Amazing restaurant, unsure why it wasn’t packed. Pork belly was the stuff dreams are made of, as were the fries and slaw. Can’t wait to go back. Better than many NYC restaurants.

Dined on a cold, slow Sunday night. Service, food & ambiance all 4 stars. The food stole the show for me. Some dishes were better then others. Pork belly amazing, sauce to die for. Croquette was unreal, best I’ve ever had. My advise skip dessert, great presentation less then thrilling flavors. The menu was very confusing, could be laid out more simply. Will be back many times to come. Highly recommend

Wonder food. The flavors were amazing! My mouth was so incredibly happy. Without a doubt, I will be back.

Amazing food! Amazing Service! Amazing Chef! Dine here if you want to be wowed with flavor in a great beautiful space and treated like royalty. Thanks Chef Rei!

Just had another great meal. Creative dishes, well executed, elegantly presented. Nice cocktail program too. The steak was very nice! Don’t overlook this gem when you’re in the area.

Panzur is one of those unique and awesome experiences that lingers on in your memory long after the plates have been cleared and the check has been paid.
The first time I ate here I was quite literally blown away. In one meal I was able to try 3 things I had not only never tasted, but never even seen on a menu before. One of these being an incredible beef heart tartare dish served in a closed jar with smoke held in it. When you opened the jar the smoke dissipated and the flavor was imparted into the dish. It tasted insane! Another time I had pig-​ears that were prepared in a buffalo sauce!
I have been back two times since and have never been disappointed, and certainly never left hungry. The chef and his wife who own the place are incredibly nice and passionate people. You can tell that they really love what they do and a lot of care goes into the products and preparations of their food and drinks.
Each of the times I went there I was with different friends who could all be described as food-​lovers. These are people who have a lot of knowledge about food, have eaten at top restaurants in NYC, and definitely have high expectations. Every single one of them agreed that this place is an absolute gem!
During a dinner here you will try unique flavor combinations, strange but incredible preparations (A chocolate fudge «bar» dessert with a tobacco caramel sauce and tobacco ash which was out-​of-​this-​world.), and possibly some ingredients that you have only seen on one or two other menus.
From the staff, to the food, to the drink list (inventive cocktails with flavor combinations crafted by Chef Rei), this place is definitely deserving of 5 stars. It is hands down one of the top restaurants in the Hudson Valley.
I will say though that this place is definitely not for everyone. If you are squeamish about certain foods, a picky eater, or someone who likes to try and create their own dishes when they dine out then stay away. The food here is made a certain way for specific reasons. You dine here to eat the food as prepared by the chef, not to try and substitute ingredients and craft your own plate.
That said, if you are open-​minded and love food that is made with passion and precision, then I highly recommend taking the beautiful drive up to Tivoli to dine here!

The flavors were amazing. We told them when we arrived that we had a concert at 7pm and they were careful to make sure that we got out by 6:30. As a vegetarian, I was limited but still had many choices. Fingerling potato pancakes were wonderful, the mozzarella stuffed with cream — yum. My family had the flatbread with pork and they loved that. So I think that this is one of the best places in the area.

Ok, the full five may be a bit premature since I’ve only been to Panzur’s «family night» Wednesday specials and not eaten off the regular menu, but tonight’s meal was a grand slam. When the chef wandered about the dining room at the far end of the evening, what I most wanted to tell him was that a meal like he had just cooked for me made me feel as if the only thing I could do in return was to feed him. It’s the highest form of thanks I can think of.
Here’s what we ate: succulent roast pork with mojo criollo, yucca fries, black beans and rice, and a salad of tomato, avocado, and pickled onions. All served family style: a pile of food for 25 bucks apiece. (Oh, and passion fruit sorbet for dessert.) On top of that, we had a round of cocktails (including my fab Hemingway daiquiri) and some yummy torrontes. It was a perfect meal, and beautifully composed, with expertly cooked, juicy pork complemented by the zippy sauce, the crunchy fries, and the fresh salad.
On top of that was totally sweet service, and an overall lovely vibe in a warm and inviting room.
We can’t wait to go back and sample the regular menu. And, frankly, with this «family night» special as a weekly fixture, we just might be eating at Panzur every Wednesday for the foreseeable future.
Go.

Everything was amazing! The service and especially the food! Definitely recommend it!

If you like food with a Spanish base (or even if you are new to Tapas — meaning appetizers or snacks) this restaurant is a must. There were three in our party, and going a little bit overboard we had 7 Tapas to share. More than enough, as we left completely stuffed and had to skip dessert. Next time we will stop at only 5, although it will be hard to choose. The Tapas we chose were Croquettes, Red Beet with Cheese and Chocolate Sauce, Burrata, Spicy Garlic Soup, the Coca, Gambas di Ajillo, Black Squid. These were served with a baguette and oil on the side. All of these were excellent, but our favorites were the Beet, Burrata and Soup. The service was excellent and timely, with the Tapas arriving at our table individually or in pairs, just as we were finishing up the previous dish. The menu changes seasonally, and we will definitely be back.

I’m going to make this review quick. Here are the top six things I’d like you to know about my recent visit to Panzur:
1.) The service was slow.
2.) The service was slow.
3.) The service was slow. I wanted to drive this point home. The staff seemed overwhelmed but the place was probably only ¹⁄₃ filled. It took a long time to get our drink orders and an eternity to get our entrees.
4.) I ordered the Ribeye. Very flavorful but the cut was horrible. I’d expect something more tender for a restaurant of this caliber.
5.) Despite being slow our waiter was nice and was extremely positive the entire time.
6.) My friends that ordered other dishes seemed satisfied with their meals.

My friend and I were excited to try this restaurant, especially after reading reviews.
The service was friendly but extremely slow. We found this silly as we were one of two tables on a sleepy Sunday night. Forgivable, although by the time the food came, it was cold. I am not a picky person, but serving cold food seems like an avoidable and unfortunate mistake for a restaurant of this calibre. Nothing like eating a cream-​sauce chicken dish and trying to figure out by candlelight if it is raw.
I will not return, but I encourage others to give it a shot. The menu was very imaginative and exciting and the atmosphere was lovely.

We heard about this restaurant from a friend and made the drive up from Poughkeepsie, and OMG are we glad we did!!! the food is AMAZING! it is both refined and playful, sophisticated and straight forward– in one word Perfect. We shared the Black fried squid — burgers, because, well– we were craving burgers. (Seriously the best burgers we have ever had on planet earth!!!) and the (must try) coffee and a smoke desert! chocolate coffe bar, tabacco caramel, coffee praline ice cream ice. The wine list is great, the wait staff was awesome and the atmosphere relaxed…
Can not wait to come back!

If you are reading this review… you should be making a reservation at this restaurant. The food is out of this world. We’ve been to Panzur 5 times in the past 6 months. And each time the food exceeds our expectations. Tonight we had the Fried Squid, the Chicken Pave, and the Arroz Cremoso, and the Chocolate Dirt for dessert. The food is innovation and fresh, not your typical upstate NY restaurant. The flavors are so complex that it is difficult to describe them. (We once had a dessert that had olive oil powder sprinkled on top, and it was delicious!) You must go here!
In addition to spectacular food, the service is impeccable. All the servers that we have encountered have been warm, friendly, and accommodating. And super helpful with menu descriptions, food allergy information, and menu choices. We always walk away feeling extremely satisfied and very happy. Not to mention the wonderful atmosphere, warm low light, great for romantic dinners, and nights out with friends.
*The menu has lots of options for people with gluten allergies.
*Great beers on tap, and awesome cocktails.