Padrona - City of Hudson

More folks need to review Padrona on Yelp because it's a super fun spot with great drinks and a truly unique food menu. I've been here twice and both times were enjoyable. The second time it was oddly empty, but I generally have few complaints. The cocktails are delicious and original, and the list of tinned fish is unusual and vast. Sure, the food menu might not be for everyone (the few other reviews mention that the food is strange and/or unapproachable), but if you put aside your reservations what's offered really is quite good. I hope Padrona picks up in the coming months/years, because it's got great energy and has lots of potential.Most recently, we came here around around 8:30 on a Thursday night. As I mentioned, it was pretty empty. A few parties inside, a few outside. Not sure if it was just a down night or if people haven't discovered yet, but no matter. The place certain has potential for great vibes: good music, beautiful decor, nice feng shui. We ended up sitting at the bar just to get a front row seat to the action, which is always fun. I would say Padrona is much more of a drinks destination than a food destination, but we wanted to get a sense of the full menu so we ordered both, Drinks wise, we like just about everything we tried. I started with the Haus Martini (olive oil washed gin, cocchi americano, salers, pickled tomato), which was such a smooth and elegant martini variation. I then tried the Pretty Hot Thing (mezcal, ancho reyes, yellow bell pepper, serrano pepper, honey), which had all the right components of a good mezcal drink spice, smokiness, and vegetals notes. I finished with the most nightcap worthy drink on the menu, the Smoke Gets in Your Eye (scotch, amaro china china, porter syrup) which was smoky, rich, and just delicious. My partner tried the OG Slush (mezcal, thai chili infused aperol, smoked agave, lime, sumac) and the French Gold (cognac, ginger liqueur, oro blanco grapefruit, honey, preserved grapefruit), and he preferred the flavor profile of the French Gold.The food here is fun and unique. I wouldn't recommend making a dinner out of it as we did (more on that in a moment), but I don't regret our approach. We ended up getting the English Pea and Mint Hummus, the Charcuterie and Cheese Board, the Nuri Spiced Mackerel, and the Razor Clams. I would say our favorites were the hummus and clams, but everything was solid. What I did not expect was the sheer amount of bread/crostini we received for dipping. Nothing could have prepared us for that! We ended up taking the leftovers home but in retrospect perhaps we could have ordered one fewer thing.

First visit was a two thumbs up experience! Relatively quiet night with less than 20 patrons, so service wasn’t compromised. We were even warned our dishes might be a little late due to the kitchen accommodating an allergy request! BIG kudos on both fronts for that level of service. Will definitely return!

Spent a great afternoon evening here recently. Lovely bar, great staff, yummy cocktails. What’s not to love!

Fantastic time on Sunday nite. great food, big crowd, terrific atmosphere and feel. Best spot in hudson!!

Love the music and the frozen drinks are great. Will be back.