Excellent lunch menu! Food was FIVE Stars. Moderate, fair pricing for the good quality of food served and for the skilled preparations. Ordered: *Calamari app with marinara sauce --average; crispy coating was light and bland. Salmon with white beans, rice and vegetables -- *Salmon was cooked perfectly, moist not dry, fresh veg. Medley was not overcooked, flavorful. $20. *Strip Steak with mushrooms, baby potatoes and veg. -- Steak was cooked medium as ordered. It was tender and juicy, not fatty or tough. Liked it very much. The fresh mushrooms on top were good. The sauce/gravy was plentiful, a little too much for my palette. $25. White cloth tablecloths and cream cloth napkins on tables were very nice and elevated the dining experience. There was one pleasant server who did everything. She was very busy, so it took a little too long to pay bill. Warning to anyone with mobility issues-- There are eight steep steps to reach the front door. There was a good railing on one side. The restroom is up a long flight of stairs on the second floor! Happy I did not need to use it. read more

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The food was not impressive and the menu had many similar styles of food and preparation. Service was acceptable after a long wait to be seared. Tnę noise level in the main dining area was very loud. It was impossible to hear other persons at our table speaking unless they shouted. I should have turned my hearing aids off. To label this atmosphere romantic is inaccurate. Shopping malls are more quiet and possibly romantic depending on your age and relationships. read more

We have eaten here before several times and very much enjoyed the food and atmosphere. We tried to get a table tonight and they had absolutely no interest in walk-ins, and walked away from us before we could answer if we were willing to wait 24-30 minutes. Seemed like they were just sooo busy they didn't want us there. Too bad, we went elsewhere to a friendlier environment. read more

The service is always superb when we come here. Today, although there was a bit of a wait to get food items, I happened to be with dear colleagues and the time flew by. Barcelona is quite romantic. My meal was delicious. Just look at the pic! Yum. read more

Barcelona - Fish Special: Salmon, Mashed Potatoes, and Escarole - Mediterranean Near Me - Albany, New York

Tapas without the signature papas bravas? Never seen it not on a tapas menu. Guess bruschetta is more popular.

Went there last night for the first time. The bartender mentioned that they cut all their meats there while he was tending to our drinks. We both ordered the Barcelona steaks,14 oz strip with onions and roasted peppers on them. We ordered them rare and they were both overdone, tough and tasteless. Shrimp cocktail was on their special list and it was mediocre. The calamari was bland and tasteless like the steak. The service was very good but we won't be returning. read more

Barcelona has been on my list for a very long time, mostly because it's one of the very few places in the area serving escargot. When I was invited to join someone for dinner here, I jumped at the opportunity. I was pleasantly surprised at the inside, I was expecting an old school, outdated dining room for some reason. It was nice and bright inside with comfortable seating and tablecloth settings. I probably passed this place 100 times and I actually didn't know it was so close to me. The service was pretty slow for my table, but I don't mind a slow paced dinner so it's not a big negative. Took a while to get our drink order in and for the wine to arrive. After that, everything was paced well for a relaxing dinner. As mentioned, I had to order the escargot. I love it and order it at any chance I can, so I was excited to try their preparation. "Caracoles" on the menu, Spanish for snails, served in a pesto sauce with peppers, a top a piece of toasted bread. It was a great dish, the snails were plump and delicious, the pesto was a perfect match, and a bite of everything was perfectly balanced. It was a fun dish and would be good introduction to escargot for anyone. The entrees are served with a side salad and bread so that came out next. It's a treat to find restaurants that still include bread and salad with entrees, however I will say this course left a lot to be desired. The greens were a little limp and warm, and the blue cheese seemed bottled. The bread was warm but I do not believe they make it in house, and the olive tapenade was maybe 3 pieces of olive in a bowl of olive oil with no seasoning. Not really an issue but a chilled salad plate and house dressing would have went a long way. I ordered the Veal Daniel, and my dining partner ordered the Tilapia Perez. The tilapia dish looked great and was enjoyed, it was a really nice Maine lobster tail on top, which is great because other pictures I saw it looked like it was served with warm water lobster tail which is no comparison to the real deal. My entree, Veal Daniel, while it was delicious and prepared very well, was not what I expected. It was similar to a creamy tomato vodka sauce when it was described as a Jack Daniels cream sauce. Maybe I misunderstood the menu, as I was expecting more of a mushroom cream sauce. That being said, it was delicious. The linguini was perfectly al dente, the dish was very well seasoned and the veal was super tender. I love veal and I order it whenever I can. Both dishes were presented nicely and the portions were perfect. I took half of my entree home. Over all, I think my experience was really good and exceeded my expectations. This place is not talked about too often, maybe due to the old school dining perception. I will note that the dining crowd was on the older side and it's not a new, modern dining experience like other trending spots. But it was really good for what we got and the prices were fair. The woman at the host station, who I assume is the manager or owner, was very welcoming and gracious during the visit. They have a large menu and I wouldn't hesitate to return and try another dish. Solid spot. read more

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This place is definite go to the food is fresh The owner is pleasant and the bar is nice to sit at certain changes over the years but still a great place read more

Amazing!!! I was with a party of 12 and to my surprise EVERYONES meal was hot and amazing. And desert was amazing read more

Barcelona - Chocolate Tres Leches - Mediterranean Near Me - Albany, New York

Our hostess found a quiet table so we could discuss business. Our waiter was very attentive and personable. Loved the swordfish puttanesca!

Went to Barcelona for the first time after 8 years and was very disappointed by the service we received. Had a reservation for a party of 16 When we asked the owner/manager (Minerva Perez??) if we could split the check she said we can't because it's too busy and would take too long for the waitress to do this and they are down one waitress (not our problem as customers) . Mind you we were told BY HER on the phone that we could do this so she was not blindsided by this at all. Instead we had to all give separate cards with ONE check. Which ended up taking a significant amount of time, and led to her wasting more time with various members of my family trying to figure everything out due to the chaos. She didn't even comp us for any of the inconvenience even though she admitted she told us one thing and did another. Then had the nerve to try to tack on 20% tip. Food was sub par. Spaghetti was very watery, rice seemed like "boil on a bag rice" and chicken was quite tough. Very sad because I had an amazing time in 2016 when I went, and the food seemed authentic, and portions were larger. Also seems like she was micromanaging our poor waitress who was very nice, but gradually got more stressed the more the "manager" came into the room. Seems like this place needs better management to bring it back to what it used to be or it will run itself into the ground. Word of caution: DO NOT come here with a large group. Owner ruined a nice going away dinner. read more

I went to Barcelona for my birthday back in October (It's February, so this review is belated). We had reservations for a party of four and we were sat just about on time. We split the bruschetta bites while we tried to figure out what to order off the menu. In spite of looking at the menu in advance online, I was overwhelmed. The bruschetta bites were crunchy and delicious and held us over while we chatted about meal options. I had the steak and potatoes. The steak was well-seasoned and cooked to a medium-rare perfection with a red wine glaze over it. I enjoyed every bite of my meal and was definitely sad when my plate was empty. My sister had the pollo citron which came with a generous portion of yellow rice and veggies all in a zesty, citrusy sauce. I had a bite (for yelping purposes of course) and was impressed by how juicy the chicken was and how well the flavors complimented each other. My fiancé had the lamb which was probably my favorite of the meals. I don't know what was in the sauce but I wanted to bottle it up and take it home and cuddle with it every night. Avoid the FOMO, friends. Order the lamb. My brother in law had the oysters in a sangria sauce. I had never tried oysters until my Barcelona experience so I have nothing to compare them to. He enjoyed them, so do with that what you need to. Our waiter was lovely and attentive. Our water glasses were never empty. He brought out a cold beer in a chilled glass for extra enjoyment and recommended a glass of red wine to go with my steak. His recommendation was spot-on. I loved Barcelona and would love to go back to there for a special occasion. read more

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We arrived almost at closing, the staff were able to accommodate us and didn't rush us into taking our order. Both the entrees we ordered were good. However,the tres leches was nothing special. Have had better. read more

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My husband and I was ignored at the bar by the manager/owner. She ran to serve everyone but us. We asked one of the new servers what type of rye whiskey do they have on the shelf. She was new and didn't know, she tried to ask the manager who was a few feet away but she was so busy talking about nothing with another patron that happened to arrive after us and when another new couple arrived she skipped over us at the bar to serve them club soda. We tried to eat there a several months back and she did the same thing. So now we know that we are not welcome. Great way to go out of business. We will let others know. read more

Excellent food and service. I don't usually go down to Albany but this was so worth the drive

The seafood Alfredo is to die for!! The chocolate martini is on point. I love coming to Barcelona.

Everything! The restaurant has a ambience for a date night that my wife and I enjoyed. The meal was amazing, stuffed salmon that the waiter recommended! The service was on spot and or waiter was very pleasant! In all a great place to have dinner!! read more

Barcelona - Red Snapper Veracruz - Mediterranean Near Me - Albany, New York

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My wife and I came here with our young toddler to celebrate her birthday, and the funny thing was that this place had been both of our "restaurant bucket lists" for a while. The clincher was that it was open on Mondays, and most other Italian restaurants were closed. My wife made some last minute reservations and we were able to sneak in for a 6:30PM dinner. The only kicker was our toddler, who normally isn't up late, and is starting to develop "toddler tendencies" and we didn't have a lot of time available. We were shown up the stairs through a busy eating area into a smaller room and seated directly below the A/C unit, which was a wonderful change of pace. The outside eating area was pretty empty, which was great as Sarah and Harrison were able to go outside and burn off some energy while our food was coming. The room wasn't too loud, or too hot, and for an upstairs eating room in the summer that is saying something. There were several good Italian dishes that interested me but I settled on the Veal Parm. I asked for sauce on the side but was told that this wasn't available so I instead asked for light sauce. When it arrived 45 minutes later, it was hard to say if the kitchen complied with my request as there still was a lot of sauce. It was good sauce, though not as good as my grandma's (sigh). The veal was nice, thin, and crispy and stayed that way through the 10 minutes I wolfed down the meal (our toddler was getting antsy), but the side of linguini was small and uninspired. I am glad they don't give out huge portions, but this seemed to swing too far towards the other end. Pasta is cheap. My wife ordered the Chicken Riccollano which was a fried cutlet topped with ricotta, spinach, tomato sauce & mozzarella served with linguini. I was going to order this but she picked first, and that was okay. It was very good, though I preferred the veal more. As it turns out, when both dishes were placed on the table they looked identical except Sarah's was a little bit taller. I assumed the kitchen made a mistake and talked it over with the waitress, who spun my wife's plate around to reveal the spinach and cheese. From my side of the table, it was all hidden under a pile of sauce. We did get two small salads with our meal, but I am unsure if they were included with the entrees or only served because my wife requested them. The waitress never mentioned them until asked and I don't see on the menu where it discusses it. When I paid the bill at the end of the night we were in a rush to get home so I didn't look to see if it was itemized or not. But, they were okay salads. It was a nice meal. If we had not been in a rush we would have enjoyed it more, and I would have liked to explore the Spanish part of the menu. But as it was, we enjoyed our time. At the table next to ours was another birthday celebration too, so apparently this is a great place to go with family. I hope we can make it back soon. read more

Excellent! I would have never guessed with the location, and it took me years to finally stop here. The ambiance, music, service, cocktails and food were all amazing! You would think it would be loud w/ road noise but surprisingly it's very quiet in the restaurant. Very quaint inside, and the music is relaxing. The seafood paella was delicious! I love the tapas menu at the bar, the portions are perfect! Definitely worth the stop. I highly recommend this establishment. read more

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Anniversary dinner for someplace new, with reservations ended up on second floor and service was erratic. 2 weeks later cannot remember what the appetizer was, it was that memorable. Chicken paella was okay but bland and only a bottle of tabasco helped there. Wife had a seafood special which was adequate. read more

Barcelona - . Chicken Paella - Mediterranean Near Me - Albany, New York

Really cute restaurant, shared the caprese salad with a friend and had the paella which was delicious! I usually don't order paella because I don't care for shrimp, but Barcelona doesn't put shrimp in theirs, that was a win! Service was good, we were able to eat and take our time, she wasn't rushing us. Will definitely go back. read more

Three of us went to Barcelona overall it was great. The waitress Liz was fantastic The food was really excellent but the salad was ridiculously small. The filet was also a small cut for the price But overall we enjoyed the meal and the ambiance we will be back read more

One of the best dining experiences I've had out in a while. We started with the escargot and mussels and had the zuppa di pesce and red snapper with clams. Also tried some cocktail specials and finished with the chocolate tres leches. Service was great, food was great, atmosphere was cozy and romantic. Will be returning! read more

I rarely order a steak in a restaurant, no pun intended. Just too many disappointments over the years the special for the evening at a recent visit was ribeye au poivre. Turned out to be the best steak I have ever eaten in a restaurant, including some very good local steakhouses. Perfectly cooked, medium, rare, perfectly balanced light sauce absolutely delicious. And a perfect martini to chase it. Nice job. Ambience is always nice there and our server was very good. Our last visit we had a waiter who was too lazy to share the evening specials. He's gone. That's good. read more

Barcelona is a very welcoming venue; the ambiance is cozy and the staff was very attentive and efficient.  Even better - the food is good and their prices are surprisingly reasonable :-) Tip: Whatever you decide to eat here, you'll find that the wine selection is quite broad and their cocktails are both delicious and strong To sum it up, Barcelona is just the right kind of place to head for you want to catch up with friends, or take the family out for a really enjoyable dining experience! read more

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This was my second time here, first since covid, and I was more impressed this time! The tapas menu is usually for the bar only, but we were able to order from it on the balcony. Although the traffic on Western Ave isn't great, the balcony is lovely and when the traffic is quiet and it's sunny, it transports you to Spain! Some of the dishes have a strong Italian/American influence, but overall the food is delicious and there are still some classic Spanish dishes. My favorites were the gambas al ajillo and tres leches cake! Our waitress Mallory was also wonderful and very helpful! read more

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The more I have dined at Barcelona, and the more I have sampled their various entrees, the more I have enjoyed it. The red sangria I almost always order now when I start a meal there is a big plus as well. Service, presentation, and quality of the food have all always been good quality. I've still not sat at the bar to order from their tapas menu, probably because I've always gone there for a full meal. I'm very glad I continued to frequent Barcelona to find foods I have found to be very satisfying. read more

Wow was this an off night... we sat at our table for 20+ minutes no one paid any attention. Drank our waters while waiting had a waiter walk past us TWICE WITH WATER- nope none for us!!!!!!! Still sitting with menus. Then we gathered our glasses put them at the end of table and all 4 of us stared at the wait staff and hostess..... after easily 20-25 mins some one came over offered water and to take a drink order and tell us the specials. Then we waited more while they grabbed a bottle of wine! After wine was poured they took an app order. Waited more time (we were there almost 3 hours from reservation to check.) AFTER THE APPS CAME OUT we were told he would get us bread. I asked for suggestions (I have been here many times but love the servers suggestions) he said the specials were the recommendations WOW OK WORKED HARD ON THAT DID YA??? 1/2 way thru the meal we ordered ANOTHER BOTTLE OF WINE AND THAT CAME ALMOST AS WE FINISHED EATING!!!!!!!!! Poor poor poor service. No apologies no making up for the wait -no EFFORT read more

This is one of the greatest places that I have been to for Spanish food. The service is awesome. The servers are very attentive to clients' needs, and very careful in the serving, seating, pouring wines, and suggesting process. Definitely worth my praise The food is superb. We had: Complimentary slices of bread with sipping oil, Fried Calamari, Salad with choice of sauce: blue cheese, ranch, and other, White wine, Seafood Paella, Rack of Lamb, and Pasta with Clams They were all great. We asked for more complimentary bread to mix with all the leftover sauces. It made the bread even more tastier and the evening enjoyable It is definitely worth coming to dine in this amazing place for all the great services that it offers. 5 Stars!!! read more

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Service is bad even if you made a reservation you can wait up to 40 min we did We waited for a straw our wine our server it was amazing. Our paella was just red rice with 3 mussels and 2 clams bad read more

Food is delicious. Service is excellent- ambiance is welcoming. The owner is very accommodating! Our go to place for celebrating!! read more

From the moment we ordered Paloma's at the bar, I knew something was wrong. Too sweet and no grapefruit taste. First we entered they told us there were people ahead of us, and we could just sit at the bar, I said how about upstairs~we finally got seated on the lovely balcony, but I never saw the people who were supposedly ahead of us & why we couldn't be seated. It wasn't that busy for a Friday night. The house the Restaurant was in was beautiful, great ambiance, beautiful wood details. I'm sure the place was much better at one time. We ordered one appetizer Calamari $16. And one Seafood Paella $35. The calamari was just a few light colored pieces. Not much taste. It says entrees come with salad and bread~never got any bread. Before getting our shared Paella (we were not starving) the waiter asked what kind of dressing we wanted on 'Our Salads' and we said Vinaigrette. Assuming salads were included, or split. When we got the bill, we realized they charged us an additional $7. for one of the salads, never just mentioning it out if courtesy. It was 3 pieces of lettuce. (See pic) It said the entrees come with salad, but the waiter did not explain they'd be charging for it. It's an awful thing, but it was the guy's attitude. He should have let us know this. Not right. At the end when I mentioned it, he said I don't make the rules. The Paella was nothing special, small and lacking flavor. Only 2 shrimps? It is shown to be a Spanish/Mediterranean Restaurant, but they've added Italian pasta dishes to cater to everyone. The $4.00 Iced Teas tasted like Lipton. I think this place is very pedestrian being near the Albany Malls. Maybe I'm picky, but every meal we eat out we are usually impressed. Guess we didn't investigate it first. For a building so beautiful, it could have been in a mall storefront with the food quality. Sorry to rant, but something really pissed me off about the attitudes. The balcony we ate on was splendid Everything else was inferior. On a Friday night they should have had their 'best chefs'. Ambiance is a 10~nothing else was. Food and drinks were mediocre. No one said goodbye on the way out. A weird vibe of not being friendly. Thx read more

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Restaurants please price the food was great. The service is wonderful. I recommend anybody going to.

Here's the scene - post Christmas shopping with the family. Kids wanted to do their own thing so I took advantage and the wife and I grabbed a bite. The place was full and we didn't have a reservation but they did offer us to sit at the bar to eat. Seeing as we have both worked in the industry and tended bar we feel right at home there! Anyway we started with an app of artichoke hearts stuffed with goat cheese and roasted red peppers. It was severed on a bed of baby spinach and was really good. We also had some of the great drinks they offer and they too were really really good. The bartender was really nice and his interaction was genuine and warm. We actually talked to a couple of the staff seeing as we were at the bar and they all seemed very friendly and it wasn't just a show. For me it spoke to a larger feeling that this place has an amazing culture. Nothing but smiles and honest interaction and the place was immaculate. Onto the food. The menu was very tantalizingly with so many options I wanted to try them all. I felt like I never really made a decision because I was undecided right up until the end lol. I ended up ordering a swordfish dish with rice and veggies and a tomato sauce over the fish. It was amazing and the wife had the seafood Alfredo which had large shrimp and scallops throughout and crab meat mixed in too. She said she loved it. The only small issue was we did wait a little longer than seemed normal. However we were warned there was no where to sit other than the bar, the drinks were great, and the bartender brought us a second round of bread with a dipping oil which was amazing too. And honestly the food came out so fresh and hot I was glad the chef decided to make sure quality was more important than speed. I will highly recommend this spot and I will be going back soon! Ps-no pics on date night. Sorry read more

We'd been fighting. A lot. My husband and I. Things were stressful, sure. But for some reason this time it felt different. Like we weren't fighting to stay together, but fighting to get apart. Any way, I thought I would try something. A last ditch effort. Something that would tell me for once and for all if he really had nothing left to give this relationship. So we went to dinner. Our hungry hearts and empty stomachs pulled into Barcelona, hoping to satiate each. I had no idea what I was in for. It was like seeing the worst parts of my relationship with him, manifested in culinary form on the plates before me. Hopeless and clingy mozzarella glommed onto firm and stoic tomato slices. A salad so perfectly personifying his total lack of effort lately. And for our main, the bland monotony our lives together had become. I don't regret this meal. It was a epiphany. I'll never be going back to Barcelona. And I'm getting a divorce. read more

Barcelona - Free bread - Mediterranean Near Me - Albany, New York

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Paella was good, but a vodka water with fruit wedges, first asked for a double, tasted no alcohol Asked for an additional shot $25 drink in a glass smaller than a pint glass. Was stunned when we got the bill, 2 entrées, caprese salad, one wine, one 10oz mixed drink that didnt even give me a buzz, with tip, $140. I wont be back. read more

Came for here for my birthday lunch. Such a warm and clean environment. Presentation was amazing. Waitress was so sweet and kind. Food was delicious - filled with such flavor. Highly recommend! Will come again for sure :) read more

Barcelona - Salmon ala Barcelona - Mediterranean Near Me - Albany, New York

Had a very nice dinner at Barcelona. Food was good. Despite having an unseasoned waiter, he was friendly and had a good sense of humor. Nice place to have a good meal and chat with friends. read more

Lovely fresh food in a house being renovated into a charming restaurant. Reservations recommended. Ambience was quite noisy but food was great. read more

First time trying this spot out. I'd say it was pretty decent. I was confused a bit by the name of the restaurant vs the menu. It was nice inside, staff very attentive, and good options. I do think the food service takes a little bit of a while. I was not impressed with the salad given; it was like someone reached into a bag of romaine lettuce, picked a few pieces to plop on a plate with a thin slice of a tomato. The bread was good but received this later. Typically places have bread readily available soon after you get drinks. I would have wanted softer butter to spread on the bread easier. The food was pretty decent. Also got a Sangria. Not impressed with the drink. Received a half wine glass of Sangria with crushed ice & a piece of orange in it. Taste was okay but not worth price. Overall- an option to visit if you want something more "upscale" I guess but I probably won't return unless someone invites me to go. Good to experience though. read more

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