On May 20, 2026, Gaetano Nardi, 93, made the first pizza at a shop in Ardsley that wasn't his. The shop was Baci in the Square. Its owner, Chris Weisman, learned to make pizza at Nardi's pizzeria in Ardsley 35 years ago and asked his old boss to make the first pie. The Journal News photographed the moment, and Baci in the Square opened to the public on July 15.
That story repeats up and down the river villages this year. In Hastings-on-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Tarrytown and Ardsley, most of the new counters belong to people who were already feeding these towns. Some sold from a smaller room, some from a farmers market tent, and some from a coworking café counter. The biggest share of 2026's openings are operators who were already here growing into bigger spaces.
Wildly Cakes Moved Into a Bigger Room on Cedar Street
Wildly Cakes has been baking in Dobbs Ferry since 2020. This fall, owner and baker Maria Ramirez moved into a larger storefront. The Courier listed the new address as 10 Cedar St. and said the bigger space would add coffee, conchas, croissants and cinnamon rolls to the cakes, cupcakes, macarons and cookies, plus Mexican-inspired touches in both the menu and the room. The Courier also reported that Ramirez wants to work with other local small businesses, especially women-owned ones.
By October 24, The Journal News was photographing an apple cupcake in the new shop and described the bakery as having recently moved to a new storefront in the village. The bakery's own website still lists 218 Ashford Avenue, so go by the Cedar Street address when you head over.
The HudCo Café Counter Keeps Producing Cafe Owners
HudCo, the Dobbs Ferry coworking space, runs its café as a rotating coffee residency. That setup is producing cafe owners.
Austin Furnas, a longtime barista, used to run Boxing Day Cafe at HudCo. According to The Courier's fall preview, he is now opening Aussie's, a cafe built around his Australian background, at 579 Warburton Ave. in Hastings-on-Hudson. The planned menu covers coffee, matcha and all-day breakfast: avocado toast, scrambled eggs and French toast sticks. It was slated for mid-September.
The Warburton Avenue space has its own Hastings history. It was home to Wild Culture Waffles, which closed on June 28 after eight years. The Journal News reported that Gabriela Montiel and Miguel Lacruz had launched it there. A local café goes out, and a barista who learned the trade one village south comes in.
Back at HudCo, the counter has a new tenant. In an August 2 profile on HudCo's site, Carla Sanders was introduced as the person behind Eyes Closed, the space's "newest in-house coffee residency." She told HudCo that her own order there is the EC Egg Cream, which The Journal News describes as a caffeinated take on the New York classic. In the same profile she named another Dobbs Ferry business, Climbing Wolf, as where she goes after the morning rush for a drink and a long board game.
DoughCo Bagels Is Leaving the Market Tent for Buckhout Street
DoughCo Bagels follows the same pattern from the farmers market side. Brothers Jacob and Josh Small sold at farmers markets for four years. The Courier reported that two things pushed them toward a storefront: customers kept asking where to find the bagels during the week, and the brothers needed more production space. Their first brick-and-mortar shop is at 50 S. Buckhout St. in Irvington. It was announced for late September to mid-October, with about four tables and a standing bar.
The menu sticks with what market customers already know: plain, everything, onion, poppy, rosemary salt, cinnamon raisin, pretzel and za'atar, all made with flour that is never bleached or bromated. Breakfast sandwiches and about six cream cheese spreads are also planned. The brothers told The Courier they will keep their usual market spots. DoughCo was on the Irvington Farmers Market vendor roster for October 11, and the market runs Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Where Each Operator Started and Where They Are Now
| Operator | Where they started | New address | Status heading into November |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baci in the Square | Owner trained at Nardi's, Ardsley | Ardsley | Opened July 15 |
| Wildly Cakes | Dobbs Ferry since 2020 | 10 Cedar St., Dobbs Ferry | Moved into the larger storefront this fall |
| Aussie's | Boxing Day Cafe at HudCo, Dobbs Ferry | 579 Warburton Ave., Hastings-on-Hudson | Announced for mid-September |
| DoughCo Bagels | Farmers markets | 50 S. Buckhout St., Irvington | Announced for late Sept. to mid-Oct. |
| Rosie Bella's Italian Kitchen | Louie & Johnnie's, Yonkers | 1 Southfield Ave., Dobbs Ferry | Announced to open July 20 |
Even the Dobbs Ferry Newcomers Have Local Roots
The village's other summer openings also come with a local story. Rosie Bella's Italian Kitchen took over the former Scaramella's space at 1 Southfield Ave. The Journal News reported that owner Johnnie Greco knew how hard it is to replace a longstanding Italian restaurant with another one. He renovated the room completely, with an open kitchen, an expanded bar with more counter seats, new lighting and flooring, and cushioned banquettes. It was announced to open July 20. Johnnie and Rosie Greco ran Louie & Johnnie's in Yonkers for three decades before this. The menu centers on house-made pasta and personal pizzas.
DrySpace Beverage opened July 17. Matt and Molly Ferguson own it, and The Journal News calls it Westchester's first and only non-alcoholic bottle shop and tasting room. CBS New York described the shelves as zero-proof beer, wine, bourbon and gin, with samples available before you buy.
Tarrytown Local Sources Its Shelves From the Hudson Valley
Tarrytown's big opening of the season opened on October 1 at 57 N. Broadway. The Journal News described Tarrytown Local as a combined grocery, bakery and restaurant, and its sourcing follows the same local thread. It was founded by Fox Schanzer, who spent ten years cooking in farm-to-table and fine dining kitchens, and Steve Wazny, a lawyer who became a line cook. The front of the store is a grocer. Behind it is a 25-seat cafe serving breakfast and lunch, with dinner planned. The Courier reported that all beverages come from the Hudson Valley and that the bread is hand-milled daily from locally sourced grain. Katrina Poulin runs the bakery and was photographed on October 7 milling Redeemer wheat. Green Walk Hatchery trout was photographed at the store the same day.
Just up the road, I Scream opened in Sleepy Hollow on October 12. It's a self-serve frozen yogurt and ice cream shop with 48 toppings, owned by Cristian Carrion and Lanissa Quezada.
Not every room made it through the year. Besides Wild Culture Waffles, Fiamma in Ardsley closed after two years, according to The Journal News closings roundup.
Still Announced, and the Dobbs Ferry November Calendar
Three more openings along this stretch were still listed as coming soon when this was published:
- Iguanarita, 39 Main St., Tarrytown. A Tex-Mex spot with tableside guacamole in a former art gallery, from James Shallo, whose résumé includes Jean-Georges in Pound Ridge. It was pegged for late September or early October.
- Pakal, 473 Ashford Ave., Ardsley. A Mexican restaurant from sisters Joana and Meto Herrera, formerly of Mariachi Mexico in Armonk. The focus is hand-pressed heirloom corn tortillas, in a building dating to 1926. The Courier called it likely "sometime before the end of the year."
- Bobo's, 45 N. Broadway, Tarrytown. The breakfast-and-lunch cafe already has locations in Somers, Baldwin Place and Chappaqua. The Courier gave late 2026 or early 2027 for Tarrytown, and The Journal News put it at late fall or early winter 2027.
Aussie's and DoughCo were also announced with target windows, so check each shop's own channels before you make a trip.
In the meantime, the Dobbs Ferry Library has two big community dates this month. A community Diwali celebration on Saturday, November 7, will feature family-led stories, snacks, henna and a group poster project. The library's annual FerryCon runs Saturday, November 21, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's free for all ages, with a suggested donation.
If you own a home in the river villages and these new storefronts have you thinking about what Main Street and Broadway mean for your property's value, Bianca D'Alessio - Nestseekers Masters Division can take you through it street by street. Request a private consultation.
