Alex's Restaurant — Restaurant in City of Poughkeepsie

I just want to give a little backstory before sharing my review for Alex's Restaurant in Poughkeepsie.

Growing up in a small town of Ridgefield, Connecticut, my family and I went out to a small breakfast place downtown called Gail's Station House every Sunday morning. Their decor was all "shabby-chic" with mismatched old fashioned wooden chairs and tables. The walls were dressed with old antique hats and classic black and white vintage photos of the town from way back when. The waitstaff would always wear an antique hat while serving patrons. There was a high rustic wooden bar with a brass metal pipe where people could rest their feet while dining. Pastries and baked goods were always on display on the counter. A huge chalkboard hung on the wall of all their specials and hot beverages. The place was always very busy and the aroma that traveled from the kitchen to the dining area was always very inviting. The flooring consisted of primed wooden planks that creaked when walking in between the tables. During the arrival, you would breathe in a primitive and savory smell that was combined with whatever the other diners were eating. This is, without a doubt, certainly a favorite childhood memory of mine.

As soon as my husband and I walked into Alex's Restaurant this morning (12/30/23), I was instantly brought back to my childhood. I felt like my heart strings were being pulled. I looked around and had the same feeling from when I used to step into Gail's Station House. We were greeted right away and given menus. Even the menus at Alex's were the same color paper and they were printed, laminated and double-sided the same way as Gail's! Our breakfasts were delicious and very reasonably priced. The service was above and beyond impeccable. You have a wonderful operation with amazing people serving customers. I want to say a huge "thank you" to the very lovely staff at Alex's Restaurant for being so inviting, cordial and personable during our visit. We were absolutely delighted to meet Michelle and Denise as we felt a friendly and welcome connection with them. I also want to give an even bigger "thank you" to the owner for taking me back to a time from my much younger years in a way that I didn't think would be possible. As I come to a close with this review (and tears in my eyes), I promise we will be happy to go back to your establishment not just as customers, but as friends. We look forward to seeing you soon and thanks...

Worst restaurant experience of my life -- Today I visited Alex's with my husband, and 4 and 7 yr old visually impaired children. We arrived at noon and were seated shortly thereafter. However, an hour later our food had not yet arrived and my youngest was starting to cry due to be tired and hungry, and sitting in a loud, busy restaurant for so long. I then complained to the restaurant manager/ owner about the the lengthy wait. They got our food out soon after but it was too late and my daughter was already in full meltdown mode. I went to pay and mentioned the extensive delay created an unenjoyable meal and that it was too long to have a bored, hungry preschooler wait. He then snatched the receipt out of my hand and sarcastically said that he would comp it if I would just go away adding that I clearly didn't have a handle on real life problems. There was a line of people waiting to be seated and I was stunned at how he had just spoken to me. I stood there for a second and expressed my disbelief at his words and actions and he just kept saying "GOODBYE! GOODBYE!" loudly, shooing me and my children out of the restaurant. As I was escorting my children out, our waitress, Karen, came up behind me and apologized for his behavior. When asked is there was anyone to complain to, she said, "No, he's the boss." I then called about 30 min later to get his name. He refused (I now know his name is Demitrios Pertesis) and then said, "Not you again!," and proceeded to insult me several more times. I said I was calling to get the info so I could file a complaint with the BBB (which I did). He then told me I was not a credible source and was delusional. I informed him that, in fact, I am a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and am indeed credible. At that point, he said "We don't care, no one cares. We've been here 110 years. Good luck with that." He then told me the call was being recorded, which I was fine with, and continued to berate me. I'd like to point out that my husband had stepped out and did not witness any of this, but I am confident this owner would not have spoken to him this way. I remain stunned and have never been treated so poorly in the...

My experience today was horrible!!!!! We made a reservation for 11:00, we arrived on time and was seated by a young man. Our waitress made the experience horrible!!! She was flustered, not friendly, and rushed us during 3 exchanges that did not include taking our food order. It took almost 40 minutes to get drinks, and 2 tables of guests who arrived after us were served before our order was even taken. One hour later we asked about our food and questioned why we had not been served and were told that it had nothing to do with when you are seated it depended on the complexity of our food. Our order included 5 hotcakes with sausage or bacon and an omelette no brainer!! The male who seated us and whom I assumed was the manager by this time came over and explained that our order had been placed at 11:55. THAT was the problem!!!!!!! We were being told that at that point our food would be out in 20 minutes. We made the decision to leave and see if another establishment wanted our business! We will never go to that restaurant again and caution anyone else to not sit and be patient for an hour like we did. Try...