SOLD: Hudson Valley’s Favorite German Restaurant Closing Forever

In some of the "wurst" timing ever, one of the Hudson Valley's favorite German restaurants will be closing its doors just before Oktoberfest season kicks off.

Fall in the Hudson Valley just wouldn't be the same without German beer, sausages and that cozie Bavarian feeling known as "gemütlichkeit". The region comes alive during September and October with local celebrations at Bear Mountain, the Poughkeepsie Germania Club and, of course, the Hudson River Craft Beer Festival.

There are also several legendary Hudson Valley German restaurants that welcome German food and beer lovers this time of year with the sounds of oompah music and the aroma of sauerkraut. Some, such as Gus' in New Windsor and the Mountain Brauhaus in Gardiner have been around for generations, while others like the Jaeger Haus in Tivoli are just beginning to make a name for themselves.

Sadly, one of the Hudson Valley's favorite German restaurants recently announced that it was closing its doors forever.

Hudson Valley German Restaurant to Say "Auf Wiedersehen"

This weekend, the owners of The Gunk Haus in Highland, New York announced that the restaurant would be closing forever. The news was greeted by disappointed customers who were devastated to learn that their favorite restaurant was closing. Many lamented the loss of the Gunk Haus' delicious goulash, spaetzle and award-winning burgers.

Over the years, the German restaurant has had its fair share of challenges. In 2020, a car crashed into the building, setting it on fire and closing the business until a year later. Soon after, the business was put up for sale and after a year of negotiations, the building was finally purchased.

While there is no official announcement from the new owners as of yet, they appear to have a plan to run the restaurant as an entirely different brand than the Gunk Haus with a whole new menu and theme.

We reached out to the new owners they declined to make any comment. However, the local business owners indicated that an announcement would be coming soon. We will update this story as more information is released.

For now, you can still make plans to visit the Gunk Haus one final time. The restaurant will remain open until September 1.