The Best Rest Stop on the NYS Thruway
If you’re taking the New York State Thruway out of the city, there’s a perfect spot to stop just 2 hours north of Manhattan. We’ve been raving about Gracie’s Luncheonette since it opened in 2016, and it just keeps getting better. Whether you’re taking the thruway up to the Catskills, Windham, Saratoga Springs, Lake George, or beyond, this modern diner is the ideal stopping point.
Since the beginning, Gracie’s has been serving top-tier burgers, dreamy milkshakes, and crazy-delicious hot chicken biscuits, but the menu has expanded to include some lighter options — which helps if you’re trying to stay focused and avoid a food coma during a long drive. Like, when you want a milkshake but you need a coffee, treat yourself to Gracie’s iced coffee fizz (pictured above). The coffee is brewed strong, sweetened lightly, stirred with a little seltzer, and topped with a mound of whipped cream. And oh my gosh, it’s the best. (P.S. if you’re not driving, they also have super good cocktails and a great beer selection featuring local brewers like Suarez and Sloop.)
And say hello to another new-ish item, the Gracie’s stuffed hot pretzel. The stuffings rotate, but ours was filled with broccoli and cheese. Chewy pretzel dough. Crunchy chunks of salt. Roasted broccoli. Melted mozzarella. So delicious it’s ridiculous, really.
Now, Gracie’s also has something that most diner-style spots are missing: A fresh and inspired salad. Get the bright, herby house vinaigrette and then spend the rest of your days trying to recreate its magic in your home kitchen. My go-to order is the $9 half-sandwich and cup-of-soup lunch special, plus $2 for a side salad. Get the tuna melt and the French onion soup, and you just might be able to survive another 2 hours in the car without tossing any children out the window.
Speaking of children, they’re very welcome here. Mine are experts on milkshakes, mac and cheese, chicken fingers, and French fries, and they agree that Gracie’s has superlative versions of all their favorite items. However, they will not touch the ketchup. Real talk: The ketchup is a little weird! Like pretty much everything else, it’s made in-house. It’s jammy and tasty, but it’s not what most kids are used to. Here’s my 5-year-old, Ramona, after she realized that her dad squirted a bunch of Heinz into a Tupperware and took it on the road. #bestdadever
Gracie’s Luncheonette is located at 969 Main Street, Leeds NY; (518) 943-9363. Open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday 11am-9pm; Saturday and Sunday 10am-9pm. CLOSED TUESDAYS!
