Port Chester, NY
Alex Finkelstein
When I think of Port Chester, I think of all things autumn, and the beginning of another year at college.
Even as a 27-year-old who hasn’t been inside a classroom for six years, there’s still a strong association in my mind. Needless to say, being in school for 20 years has surely left its mark on my psyche. While attending SUNY Purchase for four years, and living there for three years afterwards, I became well-acquainted with the village of Port Chester and many of its charms and eccentricities.
An old ship-building and immigration hub became a quaint, multiethnic working-class locale with lots of character, interesting architecture, and a bustling food scene.
You may know Port Chester due to said food scene, or its proximity to several colleges in the area, or maybe you’ve seen a show or twenty at the historic Capitol Theater, which, legend has it, was Jerry Garcia’s favorite venue, as well as the site for many other notable and historic performances like Parliament-Funkadelic, Traffic, Bowie, Floyd (Janis Joplin wrote and debuted her song “Mercedes Benz” there) etc. There are a lot of 70’s-era rock and roll (primarily Grateful Dead) easter eggs in town, including but not limited to the jam band stickers on basically every street sign, as well as a giant Grateful Dead steal-your-face logo on one of the trucks at the local fire department. Today, the mixture of Central American, South American, Irish, Italian, and Mexican cultures and food establishments in such close proximity is a phenomenon usually limited to medium and large-sized cities, but is alive and well in this small waterside town in southeastern Westchester.
If you arrive by train, the first thing you’ll see is some iteration of the Village Beer Garden which shares the station building. I say some iteration because every year or two it seems to change hands, though nothing notable changes. When it’s in operation, however, it looks and feels like a proper German beer garden with a solid menu (pretzels, spoetzals, schnitzels, etc.), a solid beer list, complete with an outdoor ping pong table and a train passing through the back every 20 minutes or so.
If you find yourself in Port Chester at the right time of the day, you’ll notice the sweet smell of Neri’s Bakery, an industrial bakery situated across from the capitol theater, whose bread is distributed throughout the state, mostly in lower Westchester and NYC. You’ve probably eaten Neri’s bread without even knowing it (Ba Xuyên, which was featured in our previous issue, uses their bread, just to bring things full-circle).
If you look across the street, you’ll see a landscape of Salvadoran, Peruvian, and Colombian takeout spots and restaurants, some of which turn into lively night clubs after hours. Next to these is Texas Chili; one of the two (yes, two) infamous 24/7 chili spots in town, where I once asked for water and was served a large styrofoam cup of what they call “Texas water”–pink liquid dispensed from a poorly-cleaned slushee machine with a single hair on the rim-I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Almost the entire wall in TC is a shiny photo display of their insanely large menu. The chili here contains no beans, just ground beef, chilis, onions, and maybe some secret ingredients.
Turning from Westchester Ave onto Main Street, you’ll pass some dollar stores, bodegas, the old theater, a grateful dead themed taqueria, and a movie theater. The village becomes a bit more walkable and lively here. You’ll find more sit-down restaurants, bars, markets and clubs. Hubba’s (also known as “Texas Quick Lunch” or simply “Pat’s”), is the second and original late-night chili spot in Port Chester. Close to the aforementioned intersection, Hubba’s is basically a long and narrow diner counter with stools, dollar bills all over the interior, and menu items written in marker on paper plates pinned to the wall, complete with a television playing telenovelas or music videos via YouTube. Hubba’s is a self-described “greasy spoon” where you won’t get particularly warm service, and that’s just fine. Legend has it that the chili pot has never been cleaned. Legend also has it that two former employees of Hubba’s left and opened Texas Chili, which began an eternal feud between the two chili spots.
To be honest, if you presented their menu items next to each other in front of me, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference, but the magic of these places is the atmosphere, the characters, the folklore, and the context in which you visit. Maybe it’s 3 AM, maybe it’s 3 PM; maybe you forgot what day it is. Either way, you’ll sweat yourself into a spicy, psychedelic experience.
Farther down Main Street, you’ll see the waterfront of the Long Island Sound with a dock where bartaco lives. You’ll happily pass right by without missing much, as you make it over to Sin Dulce Bakery, which is not so much a bakery as a Mexican takeout spot. I was first introduced to, and afflicted by a serious cemita addiction here. There are a few variations of this traditional sandwich, but they’re all meat-centric and served on a sesame roll with avocado, some sort of meat, white cheese, onions, pápalo and chipotle adobado, or jalapeño. Other standards are also available; tacos, burritos, huaraches, tortas, breakfast, etc.
A few doors down is the Peruano Pollo A La Brasa spot “El Festejo” where I discovered another unhealthy addiction; this time with lomo saltado, a traditional peruvian dish consisting of stir-fried sirloin steak, onions, and tomatoes, served on french fries with rice and topped with cilantro and aji verde sauce. Many Peruvian eateries are easily identifiable by the words “Pollo A La Brasa” (rotisserie chicken) somewhere on the signage or window. It is a staple cuisine in Peru along with ceviche and salchipapas, and is usually a good omen for anyone looking to eat something tasty.
For desert, among many options like a classic Carvel ice cream stand and other independent ice cream shops, you have Paleteria Fernandez, a smoothie and fruit pop shop with wooden booths, fresh-frozen fruit pops and great flavor combos on the menu. I used to load up on their pre-packaged pops every so often for my freezer stash.
La Placita is one of my favorite markets. It’s bright, well-stocked, small, inexpensive, organized, clean, and friendly. It has fruit you can’t find for miles in any direction piled up in their respective sections, looking inviting and colorful. Plantains, coconuts, papayas, cactus, and many more. There were a few things which I personally hadn’t seen before my maiden voyage here sophomore year of college. Cheap housewares, lots of authentic Latin American products hard to find anywhere else. Dried and canned goods, spices, sodas, frozen and fresh seafood, and the juiciest butcher counter ever, stocked with large Mexican and South American chorizo sausage selections, pigs feet, tripe, as well as more low-key meat counter basics. Don’t expect anything to be organic, however.
Varmax is a worthy mention, my go-to liquor store with regular tastings and a live, sometimes-caged parrot inside. That’s about it for Varmax, it was close to my house, and the prices were reasonable. We also got to know the staff a bit, as well as that parrot.
This rounds out Port Chester’s impeccable takeout game and market scene from my humble perspective. Of course you have a few pizza spots, and their patrons’ respective arguments for them being the best (shout out to Roddy’s Pizza for their self-proclaimed best salad in town), a classic Diner, cafeteria-style pay-by-weight Brasilian Barbecue, some chain establishments, fast food, and many more super casual amazing restaurants that you’ll have to go and see for yourself. It’s hard to go wrong.
Village Beer Garden • 3 Broad St
Texas Chili • 36 Broad St (Cash only)
HUBBA • 24 N Main St (Cash only)
Sin Dulce • 146 N Main St (Cash only)
Neri’s • 31 Pearl St
La Placita Supermarket • 155 N Main St
Paleteria Fernandez • 33 N Main St
Varmax Liquor Pantry • 16 Putnam Ave
El Festejo • 140 N Main St
International Brazilian Bakery and Cafe Inc • 103 Adee St
Alex Finkelstein is a managing editor of Digest Magazine
