Blue Mountain Lake is home to charm, stellar lake and mountain views, and amazing food and drinks. Just down the road from the Adirondack Experience, stands a quiet and calm main street, home to coffee shops, locally sourced brews, and authentic eats. Growing up around Blue Mountain Lake in the summers was always special, and a great excuse to frequent the waterfront street and pick up a cozy cup of coffee or a bagel. While it might sound odd, places like School House Grounds Café pair perfectly with a rainy day in the Adirondacks. Most activities I venture out on are paired by what food or snacks I can snag after, which may be one of my shortcomings, but who’s judging?
Especially with all the varieties of things to do in Blue Mountain Lake, who wouldn’t get hungry after? Here’s a summary of my perfect day in Blue Mountain Lake: Start off the morning with a delicious pastry and coffee at School House Grounds Café , go for a hike or a swim, swing by Chef Darrell’s for a quick burger and fries, lounge by the beach reading a book and sipping on another iced coffee, and when dinner time comes around, pair the perfect campfire meal with a pack of craft beer from Strong Rope Taproom. Needless to say, Blue Mountain Lake's dining options will keep you circling back all day long.
Before you venture out to these iconic local spots, let me give you the rundown on what to expect, before you decide on your next meal.
Blue Mountain Designs' Coffee Shop
OK, so I’m a little biased when it comes to discussing Blue Mountain Designs’ coffee shop, only because I’m a sucker for good coffee and a cute pastry. After walking through the lively and decorated art shop, filled to the brim with unique art, furniture, and clothing that’ll be hard not to purchase, you’ll find a bright open room, the home of School House Grounds Café. The shop is stocked with a coffee bar, locally owned snacks, bagels, root beer, candy, and (my favorite) the pastries!
The shop has as many options for coffee as your local Starbucks, think of them as the Starbucks of Blue Mountain Lake, if you will. Choose from lattes and cappuccinos, to double shot espressos and their delicious vanilla jade matcha latte. Their food options range from cookies and scones, to lunch and dinner options as well, featuring soups and sandwiches. Just for the record, these aren’t just any sandwiches. Try croissants filled with bacon egg and cheese, ham and cheese, or spinach and ricotta. Bagels with cream cheese or butter! School House Grounds Café will soon become your favorite, as much as it’s become mine.
Chef Darrell's Blue Mountain Diner
After you’re done exploring around the acres of the Adirondack Museum, just down the road stands a sparkling 1950’s style diner, brought to the area in 2017. You might be thinking, “Wow! How did they get a new building to look so authentically 1950’s?” That’s because the building is from the 1950’s, well, 1946 to be exact. Built by the Silk City Diner Company in Paterson, New Jersey, this little diner has been all over, from New Jersey and Maryland, and now here, in Blue Mountain Lake!
And with an authentic diner comes authentic diner food. Chef Darrell’s serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, perfect for all day adventurers. For breakfast, try traditional favorites like pancakes, eggs benedict, and French toast. To break out of your comfort zone, try a grilled cinnamon roll, all accompanied by unlimited coffee. For lunch and dinner, try options like the cowboy burger, chicken parmesan, salads, and soups. After a long hike or a swim in the lake, Chef Darrell’s offers all sorts of refreshers to recover from the day’s fun.
Strong Rope Taproom
Last but not least, we have Strong Rope Taproom. This isn’t any taproom however, Strong Rope is a satellite location for Strong Rope Brewery, based in Gowanus, Brooklyn. The company is family owned and operated, and is proud to be a New York Farm Brewery. This means that all their ingredients for beer, wine, spirits, and ciders are cultivated and maintained by local New York State farms!
To enjoy the unique flavors of the Adirondacks, Strong Rope offers three signature beers on tap, cans and bottles to go, as well as local spirits, wines, and ciders. Strong Rope is the perfect taste to bring back to your campsite, or park yourself at the bar and stay a while. Leave your mark by writing your name on the wall or bar, as many passersby have done before. Can’t make the trek to Blue Mountain for your favorite craft? Strong Rope is also located in Gowanus and Red Hook, Brooklyn, so make sure to stop by when you’re in town! They also offer great online ordering options, so you can get your fix wherever you are!
Experience them all today!
Now that you've been introduced, you can take that leap and explore everything Blue Mountain Lake has to offer! The beauty of all-day dining options is the opportunities to venture out and see the sights at any time, and never have to worry about missing a meal. Worried you'll get hungry on a trail or after you're done cruising around the lake? Prep before by stocking up on sandwiches, salads, pastries, and of course, Strong Rope beer. (Speaking from personal experience, collecting some bites from all these places makes for a pretty great and tasty picnic by the water.) Blue Mountain Lake's dining options can give you the experience to fully immerse yourself in the area, get to know the locals who live here, and experience the tastes and blended cultures of the Adirondacks, so get out there!
