What do you do when your wife has a craving for a piece of carrot cake from the Blue Rose Cheesecake & Bakery Shop on a Sunday, and when you look online you see that it closes in fifteen minutes and you are thirty minutes away? You go to plan "B." The Blue Ribbon Restaurant and Bakery is a "sister" to the bakery next door and is open on Sunday for five hours after the bakery shop closes. We might as well have dinner too while we are at the restaurant. Starting with cups of better than average diner coffee ($2.99/bottomless cup) my wife chose a Reuben with coleslaw and pickle wedge ($14.99) and added fries ($3) while I decided to have the Shredded Short Rib Sandwich ($14.49) which included fries, coleslaw, and a pickle wedge. We both agreed the fries were best while they were nice and hot but otherwise typically average once they cooled. Our respective sandwiches, however, were outstanding. The Reuben was the traditional corned beef on grilled rye with sauerkraut and melted Swiss cheese. It was large enough that half came home for the next meal. My Short Rib sandwich was too full of meat in a fresh and soft bun for me to chance picking it up to eat by hand, so I resorted to using a fork and knife. Regardless, it was really tasty. Now we were ready for the main event. My wife got her slice of Carrot Cake ($7.49) while I selected the Italian Rum Cake ($7.25). We both left totally satisfied and smiling, but on overload. This diner is very clean and staff are efficient. read more

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I am in town visiting friends and we came to The Blue Ribbon Restaurant for dinner. It has been years since I have been there, and it nothing has changed. As always, the ambiance is warm and welcoming. Our waitress was very friendly, attentive, and helpful. I have some unique food allergies and they were able to accommodate my dietary needs. I got the Chefs Macaroni and Cheese. It was as good a my mother's homemade macaroni and cheese. For dessert I had the tapioca pudding. The presentation in the sundae dish with the whipped cream made it more appealing. It was delicious! If you are in the area, I highly recommend you check them out. read more

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Classic diner experience with quality delicious food, sizable portions, friendly staff, and a relaxing atmosphere with beautiful dark wood decor. I order a breakfast sandwich and spanikopita, pictures attached. This place is a nice reliable place to get breakfast and lunch. Next door they make amazing cheese cake so be sure to check them out my family has bought a pistachio cheese cake every year. read more

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We stopped in here for a late lunch and it was busy even at that time. I think people were there for their lunch specials. Portions were large and I ended up taking half of mine to go for later. I ordered the Crispy Chicken on Chiabata bread special. It came with fries and a small cup of coleslaw. Food was ok. Service was quick but we were forgotten a few times. We had to flag our waitress a few times. read more

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This place is great for an impromptu lunch on the road. I got the chicken Souvlaki wrap which was alright. It was a bit bland for being marinated and the chicken was a little dry. I know it's not Greek but I would have been thrilled if they served it with garlic aioli! The fries were nice and crispy and the Cole slaw was really good. A little pricey for what you get at $17 but since I don't eat large portions it was okay. The waitress that served us was super nice, I wish I could remember her name to give her a shout out! But thanks tall pretty lady! Lol Also if I'm not mistaken they have an integrated Bakery business here too. I believe they make most of their stuff in house. I know for a fact it was like that many years ago, because I knew Cheryl the previous baker. Nobody could make cheesecake like her! read more

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This is a review just for their black and white cookies, available in both vanilla base and chocolate base. AMAZING soft, moist cookie cake base, light and fluffy, soft and flavorful chocolate and vanilla frosting. I am always looking for a great black and white and this place delivers!!! read more

Blue Ribbon Restaurant & Bakery - Amazing black and whites - American Near Me - Schenectady, New York

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I want to like the Blue Ribbon because it's convenient and close to my house but I've been disappointed whenever I get a meal. I like their soup and desserts but everything else has been underwhelming. My most recent trip I got an open faced turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes. I was surprised when they served me instant mashed potatoes. They tasted like the inside of a fridge and chemicals. I couldn't bring myself to eat more than a few bites. The turkey was nothing special but edible and the gravy was blehh. The time before that I got a chicken gyro which tasted alright except I noticed something that looked like a fruit fly on the pita after I had already eaten about half of it. I should have said something at the time but I just cut that part off. I understand things beyond your control can happen sometimes but I was a little grossed out after that. In the past I've also had their fried seafood platter and gotten breakfast so I've given them multiple chances before deciding it's sub par. The prices also seem higher than other diners in the area. Personally, I would rather travel a little further and go to Broadway Lunch for better quality and lower prices. read more

Blue Ribbon Restaurant & Bakery - Hot turkey sandwich - American Near Me - Schenectady, New York

Got invited by my friend to have dinner. The place looks nice and with baked goodies when you come in. Their menu is overwhelming, so much to choose from. I ordered the salmon it taste good but not liking how they serve the veggies and rice. Just so watery. My friend ordered the pasta. It's a huge serving but nothing special. This restaurant is pricey too. We ordered the carrot cake. Dubai pistachio cake and napoleon. I love the carrot cake and dubai cake. I would give their cakes 5 stars! read more

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Blue Ribbon has some of the most delicious food in Schenectady. Amazing food, excellent desserts, visiting the bakery right next door is also a must. read more

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I've been coming to Blue Ribbon since I was a kid, and it still feels just as comforting and familiar. The food is classic and consistently good -- no frills, just solid diner-style favorites done right. The service is always friendly, and the atmosphere has that timeless, welcoming feel. One thing that's never changed? The cheesecake. It's rich, creamy, and hands down one of the best I've had. Blue Ribbon is the kind of place that quietly becomes part of your story -- and keeps you coming back. read more

Fresh food and decent coffee, in a shop with dozens of waitresses, all bumping into each other, shouting, running etc. It is a very busy restaurant! I suggest table service not a bite at the bar. Ambience is fun, it's very loud but the prices are very well-done. Big portions in family atmosphere. Review: 5 read more

Blue Ribbon Restaurant & Bakery - The Blue Ribbon Diner & Restaurant Reuben sandwich w. sauerkraut: very TASTY! - American Near Me - Schenectady, New York

If I lived close by I would be a regular! Beautiful combination of Greek and Italian specialties in addition to a full menu of specials, salads, sandwiches, entrees. Complimented by a terrific assortment of pastries, cakes, pies, and all kinds of wonderful cookies and cheesecakes (see Bavarian cheesecake dessert which fed three of us!!). We had a Greek salad with grilled chicken, turkey Reuben, and Moussaka which came with chicken orzo soup and a Greek salad. All for $74 plus a tip. Staff are very friendly and professional. It is very family friendly with a comfortable "Cheers-type" environment where "everyone knows your name". Clearly a local favorite. read more

Blue Ribbon Restaurant & Bakery - Bavarian Cheesecake - American Near Me - Schenectady, New York

I recently tried the Blue Ribbon (diner food has been my latest fixation for some reason) and really enjoyed it! Loved the coffee, the western omelette was delicious, and the toasted cornbread--ugh, so good. The staff was warm and welcome, and the service was efficient. I'd definitely visit again--still need to check out the bakery across the diner! read more

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I'm a diner guy, always looking for the next amazing place. I've been known to travel great distances when I hear of a good one. So...when a friend recommended it (albeit for breakfast), and I saw good reviews on Google and Yelp, and I was in the area, I had to try it. It was lunchtime on a Sunday. Parking lot was pretty full (always a good sign). Was greeted and seated pretty quickly. Maureen was my server. I ordered a turkey club on white toast, w gravy on the fries. I was absolutely amazed at how fast the food came out of the kitchen on a busy day. It seemed like mere minutes! And Maureen checked on me regularly. Unfortunately, comparing the TC / fries with recent other eateries, I was unimpressed for several reasons. The turkey itself was shaved extremely thin, unlike any other place I've had it. The brown gravy was very good, although the fries, I'm sure, were sitting under a heat lamp for a while. Also, the price was on the high side, at $17.95. This compares to $10.99 at a place in Southwick MA, and $15.99 at a diner in Yonkers NY. I'd rate the food / value a "3", but bump the review up to a "4" based on the superb service, and the fact that they're open 7 days / week, for 14 to 14 1/2 hrs / day. Also, all baking done on premises, and the cakes and pastries really looked incredible. If there is a next time, it will be breakfast (but not the CBH, which is from a can). read more

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Food was delicious, service friendly and prompt, ambiance like a 60's diner but very clean. And prices are reasonable for the portion size which r hefty. Always enjoy going there. Take guests there and they always r very satisfied and happy read more

Busy but quickly seated. Food arrived quickly and accommodated a request to bring a second plat for a split meal. Fish sandwich was delicious and fries hot and crispy. Clean table, good server. They did not bring water to the table. I did have to ask for this. read more

It was delicious, the service was stop not and everyone was super friendly! Would highly recommend!! Try the moussaka!

Amazing restaurant. Food like heaven . Cheese cake to die for. Staff was very pleasant and respectful. read more

My family of 4 (2 adults, two teens) had breakfast here when were were in the area for a baseball tournament. Usually when we travel for tournaments we look for *well-reviewed* local diners to try because they typically have reliably good food with LARGE menus - something for everyone. Blue Ribbon was a bit of disappointment. I think traditional breakfast fare is something they do well. The French toast was good. The meats we tried were all tasty and of good quality (we had ham, sausage & bacon at the table as part of the various entrees we ordered) The more brunch-y items we ordered were not good. Blue Ribbon cannot make eggs Benedict, mainly because their hollandaise sauce is awful. I'm guessing it's purchased from a food service company. They cannot make decent avocado toast, because they do not use freshly cut avocado. Final note: the Smuckers pancake syrup in the single serve plastic cups is unacceptable! The State of NY is a *huge* producer of real maple syrup. It is a gigantic MISTAKE to create so much plastic trash as you inexplicably fail to take advantage of a locally produced, natural product that is FAR superior. read more

Blue Ribbon Restaurant & Bakery - the avocado toast is not good; it's not even ok. - American Near Me - Schenectady, New York

Wow! Service was great and I had the best burger I've had in years! Interior of the restaurant is amazing with comfortable seating and stunning stained glass! read more

It seems to be hard to find a real family operated diner in the US today. But in Schenectady, New York the Blue Ribbon is alive and well serving complete diner-style meals as well as popular fare like burgers and fries. As an added bonus, they run a "made from scratch" Italian bakery right next door and have a wonderful assort of fresh Italian baked goods for desert. Their cheesecake is legendary in the Albany/Schenectady area. On this trip we enjoyed a delicious and hearty breakfast. And that superior service that you say vanished after the COVID pandemic? Well it didn't vanish here at the Blue Ribbon. Busy though they were, the service was amazing and the waitress checked back with coffee refills several times throughout the meal. If you're looking for the "Good Old Days" family diner food, this is the place to come! Or just come for the New York Cheesecake. read more

Blue Ribbon Restaurant & Bakery - Great Italian desserts! And blue ribbon New York cheesecake. - American Near Me - Schenectady, New York

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Ordered broiled haddock meal and ziti w/meatballs/extra sauce on side. Received a small piece of broiled sole. Received spaghetti and had to pay on the spot for the extra sauce. Do not like spaghetti. Wanted ziti that I chose. For $72 + 10% tip....not going back. read more

Excellent food , Excellent service, Great Baked Goods, this place has been here for decades and is a wonderful place to eat and visit you will not be disappointed. read more

Clearly a popular local place, lots of regulars. This place was much bigger than I realized from the outside. Everything was totally fine diner food. Nothing amazing, I personally thought everything would've benefitted from some salt! The real standout was the cheesecake! It was an ENORMOUS piece for the price, and as someone who doesn't like cheesecake, I had a couple bites. The service was EXCELLENT. From seating to paying, all involved asked if there was anything else they could do, and the waitress checked on us often. read more

Blue Ribbon Restaurant & Bakery - American Near Me - Schenectady, New York

I wasn't as happy eating here as I have been in the past. I'm not sure why. Just didn't feel the Rueben was fat enough for the cost. At least the dessert is always good and dependable. read more

We were on the Thruway headed west and my wife brought up this restaurant on her phone. A quick review of some of the reviews and we thought we'd give it a shot. They had us of the word comfort! The restaurant was quiet on a Wednesday afternoon so we were seated right away. I had the Reuben sandwich in my wife had the western omelette sandwich. My oldest had the penne vodka in my youngest had the Pastitsio. We're all very pleased with our meal and the service was great! We skipped dessert here but went to their sister bakery right around the corner. read more

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We ordered some sandwiches to go here during a local baseball tournament. While the sandwiches were pretty good, they were incredibly expensive -- close to $40 for two sandwiches with fries (which we didn't order, apparently they just assumed). Unfortunately this won't be our first choice for takeout in the future. read more

The food was good, cooked just right, service was excellent, and the environment was clean. Baked goods look real good, too bad. I'm on a diet! Definitely add it to your list. read more

Food is always decent. Parking is fine. Service medium waitresses dour as opposed to friendly.

Surprised breakfast could be so bad here since it used to be better. The hash browns if you could call them that were terrible. See photo please. Appeared as if they were purchased frozen and then not cooked until crispy. They had little flavor and did not meet standard of homemade home fries/hash browns. Not eaten. Not worth the calories. I had the Vegetable Omelet which was overcooked and flavorless in spite of the overload of cheese. The broccoli was two large tough stems. Mushrooms were barely there. Onions? My husband had the Italian Omelet which was also a sad excuse for an omelette. Summary--Overcooked, too much cheese and greasy tasting. Not finished. No need for take home container. Coffee at $2.19 was very good. The bill was $28. with tax which would be fine and fair if the food was good. Service was adequate. There are so many better places for breakfast in the area that we will not be back. The breakfasts we had recently at the Colonie Diner and at the Union Cafe were excellent compared to here! Reason for few photos: I like to take photos of food, but this breakfast was so weak, it did not deserve to be photographed. read more

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Food is usually very good..atmosphere pleasant..service excellent..plenty of parking...also senior discount in evening time...staff is friendly... read more

Food was Absolutely Delicious!! Waitstaff was friendly! And the quiet atmosphere! 100% recommend his restaurant! read more

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Phelps is "the sauerkraut capital of the world", which is evident in Blue Ribbon's Rueben. The fries to accompany this excellent sandwich were crisped to perfections, and the sandwich itself was served oily on deliciously crispy marble bread-- would absolutely recommend exploring the charming Main Street area and popping in here! read more

Blue Ribbon Restaurant & Bakery - Taco salad - American Near Me - Schenectady, New York

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I just love this place! Good food and the servers are always wonderful. I recently ordered the stuffed French toast with blueberries and it was sinfully delicious. I also love the fact that they serve hash browns. Real hash browns!! I seldom can get these anymore. The price is right and the atmosphere is one in which I never feel rushed. This is why Blue Ribbon will always be my go to for breakfast! read more

No! No! Nooooo! We attempted to go there a few days ago. We were quickly seated, but then waited almost 20 minutes for a server to come over to the table. Yes, the place was busy, but the server walked past us a number of times and didn't even acknowledge us. Once they finally came over, they INSTANTLY insulted my young child, who almost immediately started to cry and felt beyond horrible about themselves. We sat there for a few minutes to calm down and then I told the server that we'd be leaving due to their treatment of my child. The server apologized and said "what if I buy your meal?" I suppose this is a nice gesture, but it certainly does not change the fact that you hurt a small child. I said thanks but no thanks. As we were TRYING to leave, the Manager or maybe one of the owners, attempted to give me a gift card for our next time there. I thanked him, but said we wouldn't be back, so we didn't need the gift card. We TRIED to keep walking, but he followed us, getting a little louder, causing a bit of a scene, asking a multitude of questions and trying to prevent us from leaving. I TRIED at least 4x to end the conversation and exit the restaurant with my child, yet he continued to persist, to the point where I needed to turn toward him and firmly tell him to "STOP!" It was getting scary and turning into an unsafe situation. He continued to persist and be aggressive, so I grabbed my child's hand and rushed us out of the restaurant. He tried to follow, but thankfully for us, there were other customers coming in as we exited, so they prevented him from following us any further. Once outside, my child, semi hysterically, said "Mommy! That was so scary! He was stalking us and wouldn't let us leave. It was so scary!" As a parent, I do everything possible to protect my little kid.....this includes insults from a grown adult and most certainly stalking and aggression from anyone. We will NEVER go back and I encourage others not to go there either. read more

When looking for a good home cooked meal without messing your kitchen blue ribbon is the place! Very good food and awesome desserts. Service is always friendly and the ambiance is low key and relaxing read more

Found this place during a drive and stopped for dinner because the parking lot was full. 1st observation was the server really loved her job! She was happy and answered all our questions! After ordering, my husband's soup came out immediately and as soon as he was done, his bowl was switched out with his salad. He enjoyed both! NE clam chowder was thick and creamy as he likes it!! Not long after our food came out. My burger was very tasty and cooked perfectly, my disco fries w/gravy on the side was perfect! The mozzarella cheese was perfect ans not rubbery as I get most places! I will be back! My husband's broiled seafood platter was tasty and cooked perfectly! After our meal, we talk to our server and Ibwas right!!! She really loves her job!! We will be back and will take our family!! read more

Good local eatery with some interesting selections from breakfast items to dinner items. These guys are famous for their desserts including their cheesecakes. We came out here traveling and with no idea where to go we rolled up into this place. Service was very nice. Pricing was reasonable. Portions were good size. I tried half a dozen items on the menu. The Boston clam chowder was really nice and had some good chunks of clam. The Manhattan chowder was equally tasty and was the winner between my choice. The Reuben sandwich was really yummy but it would have loved to have seen a little bit more meat included. Fish and chips was really good. Greek salad was massive and very tasty. The cheesecake selection was huge and we tried two different cheesecakes both were excellent and it seemed that none of them you can go wrong with. In no ways was I overly thrilled with everything but I really enjoyed my meal and it was definitely a good find on my way to Boston. read more

Our lunch was unrelentingly mediocre. The French toast was soggy; the clam sandwich looked as if it was thrown on the plate; the French fries were under-seasoned and, as a result, bland. The hash browns were pretty good. In short, our meal, of which the 3 of us ate less than half, was not good. Expensive (esp. considering the poor quality) and instantly forgettable. Go somewhere else. read more

The customer service is top notch! My family and love love bringing our uncle. The food is real comfort food. The staff makes it feel like home. I highly recommend it! read more