Hudson Farmer & The Fish Restaurant — Restaurant in Town of Mount Pleasant

Avoid! Seriously. The worst experience EVER at a restaurant. I would give them negative stars if this was possible. First, the food. I ordered the shrimp cocktail which was just so-so. The shrimp should be crisp and fresh. These were somewhat mealy and a couple of them were greyish on the tips. I trimmed this off before eating them. Probably should have sent them back but they smelled OK. So, it takes more than a couple of sketchy shrimp to make me recommend that no one should go to a restaurant. The worst part was the horrendous way I was treated. When we walked in there was no place up front so this woman - they told me later her name is Melanie - seated us in the back. We said we wanted drinks and an appetizer, and as we were walking toward the back as she led us, I mentioned we'd likely order dinner there, too. The teeny tiny back room was clean but smelled a little musty. This was off-putting but not enough to leave. I ordered a cocktail, which was pretty good by the way, and my husband, an iced tea. He left to take some photos. I explained to our waiter that he would be returning later. I ended up ordering a shrimp cocktail and later, a second cocktail. Almost as soon as he delivered the 2nd cocktail he returned and laid a bill on my table, then rushed away quickly, saying as he scurried along, "Let me know when you're ready to pay." Excuse me? I hadn't even taken a sip of my 2nd cocktail yet and if the waiter hadn't literally run away to another room, I was going to order a pizza and a main for my husband with an oyster starter. I tried to order when the waiter returned and he instructed me the management said I had to leave because they had reservations for that table. What? When this Melanie seated us she definitively DID NOT mention we could only stay a short time due to reservations, and there was no reservation card on the table. The waiter was apologetic. Honestly, I felt bad for him because he was simply the messenger. I conveyed my shock and said I wasn't aware that we would have to leave. He kept apologizing. I conveyed in a measured voice how upset I was and I'd be giving the restaurant a negative review. I gave him my AmEx card and told him not to worry, I'd tip 20% because it wasn't his fault. Then this Melanie comes back and says something about me wanting to order like she had no idea. She tried to tell me I was wrong and that we hadn't told her we'd probably order dinner, too. IDK. Perhaps she didn't hear me. As a customer, my take is that's her problem, not mine. But my reply to her was that I was instructed to leave and I've never been treated so poorly in a restaurant in my life... that I've traveled the world dining everywhere from ultra high-end restaurants (Michelin stars) to casual eateries, and this kind of treatment was appalling. I indicated she didn't inform us when she seated us that we couldn't stay. Then SHE LIED STRAIGHT TO MY FACE. Unbelievable. She said she informed us, which was totally untrue and I'm darned sure she knew it. I don't like ineptness but when you lie to me, you cross a line. I replied, "I'm an honest person and I don't recall this." I exercised restraint. (I later confirmed with my husband that she did not tell us the table was reserved and that our seating was only temporary). I told her I was going to write about my experience in reviews and she said, "Do what you have to do." She did not care one iota about me, the customer. Thankfully, I learned how bad this place is before I made reservations for 8 people the following week. I was scoping it out to see if it would be OK for a group of us who get together at different restaurants in Westchester every few weeks. I would never recommend this joint to anyone and will tell everyone I know in Westchester and Rockland Counties about my experience at Hudson Farmer & The Fish Restaurant. They don't deserve anyone's business based on the appalling way they treated me. No waterfront location can make up for outrageously horrendous treatment of customers. Sorry for the rant, but they made me...

I had one of the worst dining experiences recently.

From the moment we walked in, I felt unwelcome, and it all started with the waitress. It was clear from her expression that she was irritated as I tried to place my order. I understand that English is not my first language, but that should never have been a reason for the poor attitude. Her displeasure was obvious from the very beginning, and I could immediately sense the negative atmosphere. Later, I read reviews about this restaurant mentioning discrimination, which unfortunately, confirmed what I had already felt. But even without knowing that beforehand, her attitude made it clear that she lacked professionalism.

Our food was another major disappointment. We ordered a $40 steak, and what we got was a piece of meat with a single sweet potato cut in half and two small mushrooms. The steak had no seasoning, the potato was bland and old—not even soft. When I asked for salt and some sauce, only then did she bring a small cup of sauce and some salt. It was shocking that she didn’t even ask us how we wanted our steak cooked. What we received was a rubbery, undercooked steak, leaking juice, and impossible to chew.

We also ordered two other dishes, which were passable but not great. While eating, I checked the reviews and found others mentioning hidden fees and additional charges on the bill. Sure enough, when we got our check, there was an unexpected charge labeled as something like a “chef’s compliment” fee. I don’t understand why we should pay an extra fee for the chef, especially when we already left a tip—the bare minimum, because honestly, if I could have left none, I would have.

This experience was far from what I expected, especially in a city that welcomes so many tourists, especially during this busy fall season before Halloween. I’ve never encountered such an unprofessional waitress in all my dining experiences. In a city known for its diversity, I would expect staff to treat everyone equally, regardless of where they’re from or how well they speak the language.

I’m extremely disappointed and would rate this restaurant 1 star. If I could give it negative...

I booked a recent Saturday evening reservation for my family of 4. I was excited for the evening, but unfortunately we had several problems with our dining experience and food quality.

First I was surprised to be initially led to the back claustrophobic, enclosed, windowless room which was almost fully occupied by a large party. However when my wife asked to be moved to the more open front where the views are, they obliged.

I decided to try the yellowtail Fish of the Day as I usually gravitate towards specials. When the fish arrived it was such a tough, rubbery consistency that I literally couldn’t get a knife through it. I’ve never seen a piece of fish like that at a restaurant (or anywhere). I brought it to the staff’s attention and our server said she fully agreed that something was wrong with it. She took it back and substituted an order of the salmon for it at my request. However the salmon did not arrive until after the rest of my family finished eating, so I just had them put it in a box to go. Our waitress apologized, acknowledging it took too long and removed it from our bill.

While I was waiting for the salmon, I tried some of my son’s steak and I was surprised how flavorless, gamey and chewy it was. It was also undercooked from my son’s requested medium, but he was too embarrassed to send it back after what happened with my fish. Especially for $42, it was another setback.

Finally, when I tried the salmon at home, I was shocked how small and overcooked it was. For the price and given nothing else came with it, the salmon was another let down (and of course, I had to eat it at home and not with my family during dinner).

So this restaurant fell well short of expectations, especially based on the publicity this and the Purdys location have received. Spending $300 here...