Universal Cafe & Bar — Restaurant in Town of Germantown

Lovely restaurant, cozy with enough people to feel like it's lively but quiet enough to have a conversation with five people around the table. The food was well prepared, garden fresh, and locally sourced. For me the standouts were the organic chicken liver parfait, with grilled bread, and plum & shallot jam. Every bit of it was fabulous. I have never had liver that consistency and I truly enjoyed it both in texture and flavor. Even my suspicious tablemates enjoyed it. Also really well crafted and exceptionally tasty was the apple-fennel salad, with butter lettuce, almonds and, blue cheese. For me the only misstep was the honey nut squash puree that came with my pork roast (fine but never is a slab of meat my favorite thing to eat, though everyone else enjoyed their meat courses). The puree was way too sweet for me but everybody else at my table competed to eat mine as it was adored by the rest of the group. The shared apple crisp with french vanilla ice cream was also enjoyed by everyone and had enough tartness in the apples to satisfy me as well. Attached a photos of what the place looked like. As I said interesting (even the bathroom), and...

The four of us had a wonderful evening at the Universal Cafe last night. Dinner was absolutely delicious, creatively composed, and I can’t wait to return. Located in Germantown, NY only 30 minutes away from Rhinebeck, it’s a hidden gem that was the perfect spot on a cold Winter’s night. I started my meal with thinly sliced sweet Cara Cara oranges on a pool of peppery olive oil with crushed pistachios served ice cold… so refreshing after the decadent pâté appetizer. My cod entree was beautifully cooked and served with a silky root vegetable purée. The chocolate pot de crème finished the meal and was so good. The portions were generous, the prices very reasonable, and our server was super charming. Thank you for a...

First time diners and we loved it! The bar and the dining area are beautifully put together. The space is comfortable and elegant. The service was attentive and friendly. The food was simply amazing! It is down to earth food but with a unique twist that totally works. Everything we had was delicious and beautifully presented. Starting with the chicken liver parfait appetizer, the moussaka and spicy chicken main courses and finishing with the steamed fresh pumpkin cake dessert. The portions were just right. We thought that it was very reasonably priced for the quality of the food and the overall experience. I would have given it six...