Griffin House — Restaurant in Town of Catskill

Not bad but weird! My husband and I stayed in the hotel for a weekend getaway. We were on an email chain with the other guests staying that night that told us to let ourselves in through a code. We came into a completely empty building and had to call someone, who told us just to go up to our room and let ourselves in. Everyone's keys were hanging out in their doors and it kind of could've been a free for all.

The rooms aren't bad but very sparse - no TV, no fridge. I'm a new mom and luckily it was cold enough overnight to store my breastmilk in the car. We had to turn the heat on ourselves when we got in. The rooms are very close together and you can hear into other guests' rooms. They had free snacks and beer in the fridge, which was a nice touch, but in general it is bare bones and not a $250/night experience.

The grounds are really nice, but it would've been a perfect night for a fire and I wish the hotel provided more amenities to hang out outside like blankets. Also because the restaurant and bar were closed we were literally the only people on the grounds and it was nice that it was private but felt kind of spooky.

Lastly, there's a fire station across the street and the alarm was blaring for 45 minutes at 1:30am. Obviously not the fault of the hotel but worth noting.

In general, it's a nice space that it obviously brand new and still in growing pains. We could've benefitted from more communication/availability of the hosts. This feels way more like an Airbnb than a hotel - honestly it feels more like you and 5 strangers are crashing at an acquaintance's house but they're not home to host you. Not a deal breaker, but you're definitely not getting your money's worth at this place right now. Nice but not welcoming. A good place to lay your head after a day in the Catskills, but not an experience in...

If you're looking to eat a once great grilled pastrami sandwich from the Circle W general store, good luck! You will be directed across the street to the Griffin House, where the Circle W crew allegedly moved into to continue to make great food that was once at the original Circle W. We were told the menu remained the same and the quality was just as good. Not true....... the sandwich had risen in price, there was a couple of slices of pastrami on it, it had a rainbow color, which is normally indicative of cheap cold cuts, and the pickled cole slaw was completely red (beet colored) and extremely sweet. It tasted nothing like the grilled pastrami sandwich from the old Circle W.

So, you must order food , your beverage and pay as soon as you walk into the Griffin house. After paying, they allow you to be seated, at which point you wait for your beverage and food to be delivered. My wife and I ordered a dark stout, which was sweeter than a Coca-cola! Horrible! When the food came out, my wife asked for utensils, and the waitress told her she could help herself at a counter which had utensils, and napkins. She did, and we ate was a pretty bad grilled pastrami sandwich!

If your thinking that your getting a pastrami sandwich that you were used to getting at the general store, you will be sadly disappointed! This is what happens when you change a very good thing.

Won't...

I recently visited Upstate NY for the first time and was lucky enough to stay in Palenville at my boyfriend’s childhood home, literally a minute walk from the newly opened Griffin House. I’ve heard so many stories the past couple of years about this place that was a part of my boyfriend’s childhood and was so excited that we were able to dine here. The staff, the owners, the atmosphere, the food, the drinks are so outstanding! I started with the espresso martini, which was absolutely perfect. For food, we ordered the wings, fish & chips, chicken curry, and shepherds pie. The menu was carefully curated and food was a testament to it. Everything was delicious! Even though we were stuffed, I had to have the bread pudding - especially since this one has my favorite accompaniment - WHISKEY SAUCE. This seems so rare to find on a menu anymore. It was so good that I had to come back two nights later and make the bread pudding my last meal before heading home. Griffin House made our trip extra special, such a great gathering spot for locals and friends and I cannot wait to go back, hopefully in the fall. Until then I’ll be trying to recreate that whiskey...