Story

KINGSTON’s oldest and finest seafood restaurant and steakhouse.

Serving the Hudson Valley since 1947.

With fine dining upstairs, and casual atmosphere downstairs, there's plenty of room for everyone, and we have ample parking facilities. We're easy to reach from all the major thoroughfares and highways in the area including the NYS Thruway (I87), US Route 9, Route 209, Route 28, and Route 32. And by the way, we're open for lunch Tuesdays though Fridays.

Dinner is served each evening except Monday.

For information or reservations call
(845) 331-7200.

The Bowery Dugout started back in 1947 when John Narolewski and his wife purchased the building and converted an old boarding house into a restaurant called The Rainbow Inn, and then the addition of the dining room in the basement that became the Bowery Dugout after a fire severely damaged the building in 1953.  When the Bowery Dugout first opened, it was little more than a clam bar with soups, a steak sandwich and a few other items and complimentary peanuts and popcorn.  The restaurant was booming, John hit lightning in a bottle.  The opening of the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, the NYS Thruway and the IBM plant down the street made the Bowery Dugout a happening place.  Business was growing so much that they expanded to 3 other restaurants; The Sawdust Trail in Hyde Park, The Saratoga Winner in Saratoga and The Officers Club in Fishkill.  The Bowery Dugout however for many reasons was the most successful.

In 1978 my cousin Bruce Paley and Uncle Harold Lipton took over the business.  Chef Bruce graduated from NYCCC with honors and was “Top Chef in Class”.  He had worked for The French Gourmet Caterer and Bakery, the Manhattan Market and then with his uncle and brother opened The Hurley Market.  He ran the market for a few years and then the opportunity came around for Bruce and Harold to purchase the Bowery Dugout in 1978.  The Bowery was Bruce’s passion, he turned the Bowery Dugout into the best seafood restaurant in the area.  Bruce put over 40 years into the business, which as a chef translates into approximately 140,000 hours of his life in the kitchen.

After 40 years, Bruce was finally ready to retire.  Not wanting to lose his legacy, Bruce gave me the opportunity to keep his life-long passion alive.  After working the past 20 years in Kingston restaurants, 9 years at Ship to Shore and then the past 11 years working for the Guido Family, I was ready to take the leap and do this on my own.  I learned everything there was to learn about the restaurant business from Frank Guido.  He was my mentor and treated me like part of the family.  When Bruce gave me the opportunity to take over, he also took me under his wing and helped to teach me how to work in the kitchen, taught me tricks of the trade and shared his excellent, loved recipes, such as the coleslaw and Bruce’s Famous Bleu Cheese.  Still, not being able to just walk away, Bruce helps out when we need it, giving me lessons, showing me tricks and sharing his wealth of knowledge with me whenever he can.

It has been a great honor for me to be entrusted with keeping the Narolewski’s and my Cousin Bruce’s legacy going. Hopefully we will be able to continue for another 40 years.

Thank you to all our loyal customers that continue to support us, and thank you to those of you that are here giving us a try for the first time, we hope to see you again.

Thank you for all of your support!

Jeff Lipton, The Bowery Dugout