Ilium is another name for Troy. It's a new brewery located inside the Ilium building on Fulton…read moreStreet in downtown Troy. Even though it was a weekday, it was hopping. The Ilium has a nice vibe. It attracted a young crowd. An employee at the door was ready to card some of them.The place was packed. All of the seats at the bar were filled by women who came as a group. Others, a mix of young men and women, filled the booths. I like their specialty cocktails. I think that's what brought many women there. But on this evening we ordered Guinness and pretzels which were very good. Between the seating, lighting and music, it's a comfortable place. As a pre-diabetic, I wish there were more food offerings with protein. That's my only criticism. I know they have really good pizza because I sampled some at a Yelp event. Adding real protein to the menu would help to slow the absorption of alcohol so that customers could stay longer. As for me, it would keep my carbs from spiking especially if I have their yummy cocktails.

While on a brewery crawl with friends in Rensselaer County, I made sure we stopped at Ilium, mostly…read morebecause of the current Yelp buzz there. Make sure you follow the street numbers, because the doorway to the west says "Ilium" above it, but the tap room is next door. The interior is very inviting, with many comfortable bar stools and seats on the first level, and a lounge upstairs which will seat about 20 people with an assortment of tables and lounge chairs. We were able to chat with the owner/brewer, Mike, for quite a while, he's very outgoing and great for chat. There will be about a dozen pours available on tap, with approximately half of them being their own brews, and the other half being a combination of beers from neighboring breweries, hard seltzers, and ciders. Pours will change about every 2 weeks. There is also a short homemade cocktail list and a reasonable amount of liquors available to make good, basic, cocktails. They will let you sample anything on tap prior to ordering it. I don't know if flights were available, we didn't ask and didn't find out if short pours were available. As someone who likes some carbs and salt as I'm drinking, I really appreciated the warm mid-sized complimentary pretzel that came with each beer. You'll have to check their calendar of events to find out what other types of foods may be available on any given day. Ilium's location in Troy is very convenient, and this is a great add to the list of breweries in the area.

Always great food and service! Never disappointed with either! Highly recommend anything on their…read moremenu!

It's a classic Troy staple. You can't miss it!! The wings are great. The atmosphere is what you go…read morefor.

Very nice spot conveniently located in town. We were there late afternoon on a weekend. Folks kept…read morecoming in to enjoy a few beers. Brought a nice energy to see older and younger people hanging out. Comfy seating, lots of tables, good list of beers. Very happy we picked this bar purely for the Simpsons reference. (This as not a seedy bar, not in one bit)

My wife and I went here years ago and had a great time. But be warned, unless things have changed…read moreMoe's doesn't serve food. I think they will sell you a bag of chips. On the good side they let you bring in your own food, so grab a pizza down the road bring it in to Moe's and have fun !!

This place has the reliable small cozy dive bar feel that you want. Great spot to catch a game with…read moresome drinks and classic pub food, plus poutine! Food was great, service was great, everything was great. Not too long of a wait for the food, presentation was nice, I did not manage to capture our hefty cast iron of poutine in time before we finished off the order. Looking forward to my next stop in, hopefully soon!

Tipsy Moose is a small and cozy tavern serving up comfort foods and drinks to go with it. Sit at…read morethe bar with all the barrels or the dining area with sports playing on TV, or out on their patio. There is limited parking on the premises but always parking on the street if you don't mind some walking. The slightly rustic, lodge type of interior matches the friendly vibes as well as the interesting drink selections, including a side menu filled with signature coffee whiskey cocktails! Their tipsy cocktails and beer menu is also quite attractive. My group and I were able to walk in on a weekend evening for dinner with no wait and while it was packed inside, it still felt roomy enough. However, the surrounding tables were rowdy and the noise was reverberating. Our server was attentive though she did admit it was busy and the wait time for orders would take a bit longer than usual. The menu has plenty of starters that are highly shareable, poutine, salads, soups, mac and cheese, burgers, pizzas, sandwiches, wraps, and quesadillas. Haven't had real poutine in ages so I decided to try their gravy fries with smoked cheese curds and added bacon. It was a good portion for the price ($15+) and came out hot on a cast iron skillet. The cheese curds weren't the type I expected and melted down too much, and did not have that squeaky cheese bite one would want in poutine. The gravy and the bacon worked well with the fries though! The smoked brisket French onion soup ($8+) was extremely hot when it first came out and I had to let it cool down before taking a spoonful. The cheese was so bubbly and delicious and the soup itself was flavorful (maybe a tad too salty), and had a balanced amount of onions and brisket. I would definitely get the soup again. Their barbecue pulled pork quesadilla ($15+) was also a bit too salty and meat was more tough than preferred. We also tried two of their mac and cheese selections, which came in a small cast iron pot each ($17+). The bacon chicken ranch mac and cheese was good but the jerk chicken mac and cheese was not as memorable (not much jerk flavor). Kudos for having a build-your-own mac and cheese option as well as a mac and cheese flight if you want to try more than one flavor. I'm glad to return to try other menu items at this tap and tavern and see what else catches my eye. While this visit wasn't spectacular, it also wasn't bad. The French onion soup is one thing I know I'd get over and over again. Oh, they also have a credit card transaction fee that you will see once you get the bill. Pay in cash if you mind said fee.

This restaurant is everything I don't really like, but I still had a good time. We arrived after…read moremaking reservations the day of on a Saturday evening at 7:45PM. It was darkly lit inside (with pinkish/red lights no less); it was extremely loud to the point that I had trouble understanding what my wife was saying (which might not be the background music!); and the prices were expensive. The entire night they played 1980s New-wave British music which I don't mind, but had it been something I detest I would have lost my mind. We were seated at a tiny table with a small candle which provided some actual heat on the cold winter night. Our server was extremely helpful and though he didn't have all the answers he did offer to go and find out. They have a long menu but it doesn't have a lot of food options on it, with most of the pages devoted to alcohol. They had only one dessert option when we were there. My wife and I both ordered the Hanger Steak with fries, mushroom sauce, and green salad (about $40 each). Hanger steak is my favorite cut and hard to find so I jumped on it. Food came out in about 25 minutes, which is amazing considering how small their kitchen is. The steak was cooked perfectly (they didn't ask how we wanted it), smothered in a lovely mushroom sauce, and covered an ample portion of crispy homemade fries which were so good I would have thought them bagged frozen items. Even the basic salad which was just various types of lettuce was great. They aren't cheap, but they are focusing on "farm to table" and that means quality food at commensurate (fair?) prices. Burgers and chicken sandwiches are $15, so if you want something lighter but still tasty you can go that route. Speaking of light, if you go into the bathroom on the right you will find a cold, dark, tiny room lit solely by a PINK bulb. It feels like being on a spaceship (as if I know what that is like), and after when you leave seeing the main light in the restaurant is very jarring. It was a fun experience but not inexpensive and not one that checks the boxes that I look for in a restaurant. Dark, loud, and cramped might be hip for the young or "save the earth" crowd, but I am too old to give up creature comforts for such things. The food, though expensive, was absolutely outstanding in every way though and I won't forget that steak for a long time.

We stopped in to celebrate a new graduate in the family. The drinks were so-so. Just not boozy…read moreenough. If I'm going to pay about $15-$18 a cocktail--it better be good! The food here is delicious, three of us ordered the burger and fries and one of us ordered the fettuccine with crab meat. The fries really stood out. My daughter was afraid to order the fettuccine but she was so glad she did. The waitress was super nice and it is cozy inside.

Burger was great .. music was just as good ! staff was excellent! I'll be back !! !!!!!!!read more

I did not want to knock back my star rating (and I am really holding back by not giving it 2 stars)…read morebut I had such a let down of an experience the last I was there over the summer. My original experience was tons of fun, loved the laid back vibe, bartender was great, bathrooms were some of the cleanest I've ever seen and overall.. I was in love. Shoot to a return trip two years later.. bartender could not have had a worse attitude. I would have felt better if she just screamed and got her anger out or whatever was up her arse and just be free of it. Everything I asked, I was given a look of annoyance and given back one word answers. It was as if I offended her lineage in asking if they only took cash and if they had redbull. When then asking for a Tito's and seltzer she proceeded to ask, tonic or soda... um, I said seltzer so obvi that's not tonic.. YOU are the bartender and should know that. We stupidly asked for fries and mozz sticks and I wouldn't have been surprised if she poisoned us at that point.. I want to return and bring back the fun I once had here, and hope to zarmin this angry-at-life chick isn't working that day

We spend lots of time here every time we visit. All the employees are great, the beer selection is…read moreoutstanding, the atmosphere is fun, and the outside seating is the keyest people watching. Looking forward to going back yet again!

Saw the tap list on Untapped and had to make a quick stop for a drink and to get some work done…read more Actually insane tap list and selection of beers in cans. Also they have a N64 setup with Mario Cart!

Very good friendly feel to this large space, food was very good and a nice variety of their brewery…read moretap beers

I absolutely think this place is great!…read more I was introduced to Fallside through a Yelp Event earlier this year. I talked about it so much at work my friends begged to go. We met up for 50 cent wings on Sunday. Yeah, that's right, what is this 2006? 50 cent wings, and they are no joke! Big plump and juicy wings cooked perfectly crispy and generously tossed in sauce with was was described as house-made ranch or blue cheese dressing? My friends really enjoyed them. I had the fried vegetable gyoza and I can't say I've ever had them deep fried before, more like steamed or pan-fried, but this was a game changer! I was really looking forward to the Imposter cheezy jalapeno bites but our server informed us they were out. I love that they have several vegan options on the menu. At the Yelp Event we were fortunate enough to try the vegan pizza and it was honestly one of the best vegan pizzas around the Capital Region. They use Imposter plant-based cheese which is a local product made by a small business in Troy. I love that small businesses are supporting each other like this. The beer is excellent too, we were looking forward to having the red ale since I spoke so fondly of it but it was tapped out. I had a really good mango IPA which hazy doesn't even begin to describe! It's really nice inside and on Sunday it had just become warm enough by mid afternoon, they opened the big garage door and let some fresh air in which was no nice after such a long winter. I think I can speak for my coworkers and I that we will be coming back again soon so please keep those vegan options stocked up!

We stopped at Speckled Pig brewery on our way to Saratoga. Why not try another new to us brewery,…read moreright? Speckled Pig was a great find! Easy to find, friendly staff, a good beer menu, excellent beers, and pizza! We didn't try the pizza, but it looked delicious and others sitting at the bar gave it a thumbs up. We really liked their beers. One of the beers in our sample was their blueberry beer which was indeed blueberry! It's a nice space with a good amount of searing and they have a separate event space. This is a place we will recommend to others and will visit again! Second visit: the pizza is excellent!

Really wonderful experience. Service was nice, we just went in for three pizzas for lunch and did…read morenot need a reservation. The food was delicious and the vibes inside are very fun and casual. They just don't have any parking so be prepared to walk a little bit.

This place has become my usual spot for lunch when I'm in Albany area. There's parking lot next to…read morebrewery. I had raspberry and dragon fruit hard seltzer. It is very refreshing. Not overly sweet. I could smell the raspberry when I was drinking it. It has vibrant raspberry color too. My favorite dish here is the chili. Not too salty but well seasoned. Perfect consistency. Brussel sprouts are great appetizer. Crispy, not bitter as it is drizzled with balsamic vinegar. My husband had Reuben sandwich. It's good but greasy. You order the food and drink at the bar area. You are given a buzzer that you put on the table. The waiter will come to deliver the food. There's misunderstanding about our salad order. We ordered regular salad but were given a side dish size. The waiter quickly told the kitchen to make regular size salad.

Food is back on the up and up. Menu is gaining depth and creativity once again. Execution this…read moretime was as good as you'll get at a brewery. Well done! Beer was terrific as always! See you all in a few months.