Dylan Hinds' 'kind of weird' local celeb turn
Wait until you hear Henry Street Taproom bartender's backstory.
He’s warm and chatty when there’s time, and stays perfectly collected during the rushes — at Henry Street Taproom, there are plenty of those.
If you’ve ever stepped foot in the popular bar with the most underrated food menu in town (I said what I said), you know I’m talking about Dylan Hinds, who holds court at the bar.
And while handling a crowd of squirrely patrons jonesing for a hazy IPA would ruffle a lot of us (raises hand), Hinds takes it all in stride. Maybe that’s because his authentic charisma that guests are drawn to is the kind that was earned.
Yup, he’s been through it.
Imagine your best year ever — and then your worst. Now imagine those happening at the same time.
Hinds got together with his now-wife, Sarah Lopez-Hinds, in 2018. That same year, his mother’s beloved Emerald Restaurant in Ticonderoga burned down. A few months later, the Lopez Saratoga Springs family home was destroyed in an electrical fire.
“It was an intense year,” Hinds says, with the kind of characteristic understatement that has made him a bastion of generous, calm hospitality.
While Sonja ad Ryan McFadden own and run the show, Hinds stars in it. Chances are, you’ve seen him (reluctantly, “It’s kind of weird”) pop on their social media feeds.
“My first job was at my mom’s restaurant as a dishwasher when I was 15,” he says. “Working in hospitality is just fun. You become friends with the people who come in all the time, because they’re good people and you want to hang out with them.”
And when he doesn’t recognize a face at the bar, it’s usually because they’re on a first date.
“Henry Street is casual and un-intimidating, but we’re known for our great beer and food, so it’s kind of the perfect spot for a first date,” he says. “They’re really easy to spot. Generally, people come to the bar and they want to chat. These people do not want to chat with me.”
Local lore has it, Henry Street has been the site of many a love story, including for a time, his own.
“Yep, it does seem to be a place where a lot of people fall in love,” Hinds says. “Sarah and I worked together here for a year. And we actually had Ryan officiate our wedding. He had to get ordained.”
Wait … did they get married at the bar?
“No, on top of Gore Mountain,” Hinds says. “Ryan is a great talker, so it just made sense to have him officiate our wedding.”
You know you’ve got a sweet gig when you not only want to invite the boss to your wedding, you ask him to essentially bless it.
Visit Hinds—and the rest of the Henry Street Taproom crew—at 86 Henry Street. And if you get thirsty for beer’s more buttoned up brother, head next door to Kindred, where the same ownership team runs a wine bar that is as delightful and creatively curated as Henry Street—but with vino.
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