Leeds, N.Y. — A restaurant with a “moan-inducing” menu at a revamped Upstate New York motor lodge has been dubbed one of the nation’s best new eateries.
Casa Susanna, an eatery at the Camptown retreat in the breathtaking Catskills, made Esquire’s list of the 50 best new restaurants in America in 2023. Run by chef Efrén Hernández, the restaurant offers a bold take on modern Mexican food and dishes complimented by tortillas made from scratch in-house.
“Let’s just say it: Nowhere on the East Coast will you have better Mexican food than what Hernández is cooking at Casa Susanna,” Esquire wrote of the restaurant. “His menu (the squash-blossom tetela, the mackerel al pastor, the tamal de chocolat) is a moan-inducing marvel.”
Casa Susanna, a restaurant at Camptown in Leeds, N.Y. in the Catskills, has been named one of the best new restaurants in America by Esquire. It offers a unique take on modern Mexican food complete with homemade tortillas.Courtesy of the Casa Susanna team
Camptown, the 50-room hotel in Leeds that Casa Susanna calls home, is a 5-minute drive from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. Formerly known as Carl’s Rip Van Winkle Motor Lodge, the boutique hotel made up of 24 hotel rooms and 26 log cabins opened in March, Travel + Leisure reported. It sits on 22 scenic acres and boasts a saltwater swimming pool.
The hotel has received praise from local and national publications, including Condé Nast Traveler and Hudson Valley magazine. But Casa Susanna and chef Hernández have captured critics’ and locals’ foodie hearts.
A reviewer from Condé Nast Traveler called the restaurant a “total stand-out” and said the brunch and dinner she ate at Casa Susanna were among the best meals she ate in 2023. The staff of Eater NY said their “favorite” tetelas, delicious triangles made from corn masa and typically filled with beans, were made at the Catskills restaurant. And Hernández’s visionary, caring cooking earned him recognition as Esquire’s “Rising Star of the Year”.
If you decide to reserve a table, here’s a bit of advice from the restaurant staff: Order plenty of tortillas.
“Our version of modern Mexican food is made with sharing in mind,” Casa Susanna advised on its website, “so please order for the table, get lots of tortillas, and taste different dishes!”
Casa Susanna is located at 800 County Road 23B (Main Street) in Leeds. It is open for dinner on Thursdays through Mondays and for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.
To book a table or check out Casa Sunsanna’s menu, which regularly changes, visit the restaurant’s website.
Casa Susanna, a restaurant at Camptown in Leeds, N.Y. in the Catskills, has been named one of the best new restaurants in America by Esquire. It offers a unique take on modern Mexican food complete with homemade tortillas.Courtesy of the Casa Susanna team
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