Gracie’s Luncheonette in Leeds, New York, is worth going out of your way for. They make nearly everything on the menu from scratch and source locally. Owners Allyson Merritt and Andrew Spielberg went to the Culinary Institute of America, where they met.

My friends who frequent the place knew to ask for the table with the view of Catskill Creek, where you sometimes spot bald eagles.


At first, I couldn’t decide between the fried green tomato BLT made with house-cured and smoked bacon and the tuna salad sandwich, each with a side salad or fries. I chose the latter after learning that they even make the American-style cheese for the tuna salad sandwich made from fresh, not canned tuna, on toasted white bread ($18). I would recommend it for those with a big appetite, as it was so large that I took half a sandwich home.

One friend ate their turkey club with freshly sliced meat, lettuce and tomato on toasted bread along with a fresh salad seasoned with tarragon ($16), the other the beer-battered pollock with lettuce and pickles on a tartar sauce-spread house-made sesame seed bun ($16) also with a side salad.

I highly suggest a stop if you’re in the area.

Gracie’s Luncheonette
Hudson Valley
969 Main Street
Leeds, NY 12451
518.943.9363
graciesny.com