I have found the best restaurant-made potato chips at Common Roots Brewing in Albany. The thing is, I wasn't even looking for them. They came free with my Nashville fried chicken sandwich order.They do great deep fryer food. My sandwich was all sorts of crispy, spicy and tangy fun. The space, however, has changed a lot. I remember when it was the Pump Station several years ago. The late owner, Neil Evan, was a fixture there and his seafood Mac & Cheese was something to rave about. By contrast, Common Roots has a more limited menu and plainer furniture. A lot of pizza varieties, tacos, salads and burgers. Decent bar food. By contrast, Common Roots flagship in Glens Falls appears to have a better menu with more variety. I generally eat healthy. I can't eat bar food regularly. The meal was great for a Friday night out. There's also a very good non-alcoholic beverage and drinks menu. I was happy to see all of varieties of stout. The snowy stout was delicious. So was the kombucha. The bar where I sat was clean, sleek and modern. The bartender, who took my order was helpful with suggestions. The main dining area looked a bit sparse for 8pm on a Friday night but the business is still relatively new. I'd like to see an expanded menu with at least a few more healthy choices and some family-friendly selections. Meanwhile, I'll know where to go if I get a craving for awesome freshly made potato chips. read more

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Great beer and great food. Stopped here after touring the capital and it was a fun,delicious spot. read more

Common Roots Brewing - Great IPA - Breweries Near Me - Albany, New York

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I'll start by saying they were short staffed because people called out apparently. Every person working was hustling. They were serving, bussing tables, bartending, and serving as host. The place was packed, they had a party, and take out was going strong. Waited an hour for our food. No apologies. No here's free chips while you wait. Nothing. We were super hungry as we just got off a 6 hour train ride. The pizza was really great. A tad bit greasy and it really is a lot of garlic. But I'm so happy they offered another option besides tomato sauce. The pretzels were good but the cheese sauce was ice cold. Straight out of a fridge. read more

Common Roots Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Albany, New York

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Great selection of beers and food. Really like the porter, the 5% one. But they have something for everyone even non alcoholic. Highly recommend. read more

Common Roots Brewing - Porter - Breweries Near Me - Albany, New York

Man did I feel bad for the only bartender/host/waitress (coming from a 10+ year restaurant/catering chef) who had to handle almost an entire restaurant by herself. Manager? Very poor at staffing in regard to scheduling. She was running around doing her best and even an entire 8-party group walked out from waiting; as a manager I would have been livid and had to revaluate the GM's staffing standards immediately. To the GM, please learn to run a proper schedule and revenue won't plummet. Again, service on this ladies behalf was fine but it puts a huge damper on the restaurant itself. Will return if there are enough staff! read more

I really wanted to love the location because I love the beer. It was a very weird experience there. You walk into the old Pump Station and it's very much the same. The beers are delicious. The food is interesting. It was a few staff members and how "sterile" of a vibe this place felt. One of the bar tenders was kinda rude. At one point he either looked not ok or over it. I asked if he was ok as he stood there staring into space right in front of us. He was appalled I asked and rudely said he was fine and walked away. I will buy the beer, but I won't go back there. Fidens and Nine Pin have a way better vibe and staff. read more

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Last night I hosted a surprise birthday party for 40+ people. I cannot say enough of the ease from planning to execution, the staff are so attentive and friendly. Ashley the event coordinator was easy and helpful to work with. She was responsive to texts and emails for any of my questions that rand came up. My guest's raved at the atmosphere and food. we chos the pizza and handhelds with an optional Charcuterie board. Our bartender was friendly and provided quick service with no lag time for drinks. 10/10 across the board!!! Service, Food and atmosphere!! Thank you so much for helping me make my event successful !! read more

Before a show at The Palace, I used this opportunity to check out the new Pump Station under Common Roots. The entire back lot is now metered. Paid to park for dinner and the show, pricing isn't horrible at $1 an hour, easy if you have the app. Walking in, I was hoping common roots transformed this space into something special, but I do respect maintaining the historic elements. The bar area looked nearly the same, the main dining room changed from mostly 4 tops to picnic tables, which fits the brewery vibe but is less inviting for comfortable seating. I came solo, so I opted for the bar. I often dine alone and I think places need to be more open minded about single diners. I was assumed to be associated with the people next to me by the bartender, cleared that up quickly. I enjoy Common Roots beers! They make great hazy IPAs, which is right up my alley. They do not offer flights on show nights, which was a bummer, but I did enjoy a few of their DIPAs while I sat at the bar. They were all great beers, especially the Peak Obsession (I think? I don't see it online) the 13oz pour glasses were also nice, which is something I like to pay attention to. A great glass can make a drink even better. I was interested in the pizza because the Glens Falls location uses an open hearth. The Albany location just uses a regular pizza oven so I skipped it and went for a buffalo chicken salad, upgrade to wrap, upgrade to fries, upgrade to blue cheese dressing. I think a buff chicken salad and wrap should be served with blue cheese dressing but they offer a lemon vinaigrette. It was a good wrap, good fries, great house blue cheese. The menu selection is really basic and simple, but I was happy with this choice. It would be great to see more variety in the future. I had an issue where I went to the bathroom really quickly after notifying the bartender I would be right back. I had already cashed out because I was running later than planned, but I still had half a beer and half my meal remaining. The bar back assumed I was done and I exited the bathroom to find him clearing my seat. I caught it just in time but, I was only away two minutes and felt really awkward about the situation. More thought needs to be given to people who dine alone, this isn't the first time this has happened. One of the managers noticed I was feeling a little irritated and rectified the situation. I appreciate the kindness of the management after an annoying encounter. Although I left annoyed by the situation, mistakes happen and I appreciate the management addressing it. The beer and food was good, I have no reason to not return. read more

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They're doing really excellent beers here at the Albany outpost of Common Roots brewing. High ceilings give the brewpub an airy comfortable feel. Communal tables in the back room make it a good meet up spot for larger groups. They have a range of styles from hazy IPAs to sours to Smokey dark brews. All the styles I've tried have been delicious. Common Roots is a great choice for beer lovers or an after work pint! read more

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I enjoyed my first visit here very much, and I expect to come back here with friends often. The paid parking is a nuisance but worth it if you want the convenience of a short walk to the place. There was something for everyone on tap, and additional beers were available by can. It's spacious and can easily accommodate groups of any size. The food is well-made upscale pub style food. My fried chicken sandwich was well made, though the batter/crust was a tad too thick. A companion at the table enjoyed her pizza, but the crust was very soggy, and she had to use a knife and fork to eat it. None of these were enough of an issue to not come back here. This is yet another great brewery in the Capital District area to which I'd enjoy bringing others. read more

Common Roots Brewing - Fried chicken sandwich with a side salad ($3 upcharge) and my double coffee stout behind it - Breweries Near Me - Albany, New York

The best part was the beer they have flights. We were there for a comedy show and I just couldn't appreciate sitting at a picnic table. The Pub fare food was average if not subpar. Unfortunately, I think this is slide backwards from the pump station. read more

Excellent food service and beer. Parking wasn't that bad, it's Albany after all. Park in the quakenbush square for 1$/hr. Finally a beer menu that is more than IPAs. Enjoy the open concept and old world building ambiance. Very good date spot, family spot. The food is as creative as the beer. I can't believe how large of a portion the crispy chicken bites they served. Beer prices are very fair. Bartender Andrew has been fantastic! read more

I will start by saying I waited for 30 minutes to be served at the bar, but the place was very busy on a saturday night. The citrus IPA I ordered was outstanding, the fries were a decent size plate but nothing special. Im sure if I ordered an actual meal it would have been better. This is a buisness, not a bar, if you go in with that mindset you will be better off. read more

Common Roots Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Albany, New York

Cannot say enough good things about this place. It was next door to our hotel, which made it very convenient. The atmosphere was a typical brewery, with some nice historical touches. The service was great. Our waiter, Eric, was knowledgeable about the beers, and nice to have a conversation with. He even opened a canned beer for me so that I could try it without charging me. The manager came over to offer us a free drink on the house for my fiancé's military service. Food was fantastic and I appreciated the amount of vegan/vegetarian options available. We had a simple salad with a veggie patty, and a localvore pizza. Both were delicious! We also ordered two flights of beer. The sour beers were my favorite, and my fiance loved the sun garden beer. Would absolutely return. Make sure you check them out! read more

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I was ecstatic when I found out that Common Roots was taking over the Pump Station. They did a great job with renovations, we ate at the bar but I look forward to eating in the more traditional dining area. I always enjoyed them in Glens Falls but it was a trek. My husband and I both got flights, which is my favorite way to enjoy beer. Common Roots has a decent selection of beers, they are a little IPA heavy, but their sours and dark beers are great. I really like their Party Shirt Friday line, the lactose helps cut down on the hoppy taste . I liked both that they had on the menu. I'm not a huge stout fan (my husband is), but the Snowy Night Coconut is excellent. For a snack we got the pretzel, which came with mustard and a cheese sauce. My husband and I both liked the cheese the best. read more

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It was sad to see what happened to the very nice Albany Pump restaurant . Saturday early evening and it was almost empty. The menu is one of the worst I've ever seen. The only advice I can impart is don't go there. This location is begging for a new owner. read more

Beer list was phenomenal and food was even better! Staff was awesome and helpful when selecting beer. Was just expecting "bar food" but got much more than we expected! House made buffalo sauce on the chicken and blue cheese is to die for! Honestly best sauce and blue cheese I've ever had. Pizza we got was also so flavorful and delicious! All the beer was really good. Wanted to try more beer but was just stopping in our travels to lake George. Very cool warehouse converted into a brewery. Plan to go to the original location on our travels home. read more

Common Roots Brewing - Beer flight - Breweries Near Me - Albany, New York

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Ehhh the fries weren't all that amazing. The home cut chips were lacking . The honey lemon ranch?? You gotta leave ranch to be ranch . But the burgers were good . Not amazing but good. We both had the beef smash burgers . Service was ok . Basically just took the order no small chit chat. That was a bummer . Miss the personal touch . Nice on the inside but basically read more

Common Roots Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Albany, New York

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Just as good as the Original! Beer is always on point and the food was delicious. Definitely a must-stop when in Albany!

So excited to have a common roots location Albany! The beer is fantastic, one of my favorite breweries for the actual taste and quality of the beer. The brewery backs to a pay parking lot so it's easy to get a spot, and there is plenty of space inside for big or small groups. Food is good (the Nashville hot chicken sandwich set my mouth on fire!). I think i still prefer the glens falls location, but this is much closer to home so I will definitely be back to try new beers. read more

Common Roots Brewing - Beer flight - Breweries Near Me - Albany, New York

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Both the food and the beers were OUTSTANDING. The service was excellent as well. Wish we visited Albany more often to hang out there!

Grabbed a drink and food before a concert at the MVP. The food was very good. The servers were very nice and I'd definitely go back.

A huge selection of beers to choose from that are made right in house and several great food options like pizza, salads, and sandwiches. They don't have a huge menu (and no kids menu but waitress mentioned they can do a kids cheeseburger) but what we had was delicious. The fried chicken bites are a must have- lightly fried and well balanced seasoning and high quality thigh meat. Plenty of regular seats, high tops, and bar seating and friendly staff. read more

We were greeted and helped by such lovely people. Love the vibe. The food was yummy. They had cool merch to purchase as well.

Stopped in to check out the newest location, housed in the former Pump Station building. The beer menu leans heavily into IPAs and dark brews. Food is somewhat limited beyond burgers and pizza. Decor is uncomfortable picnic table spartan with a wood paneled high school cafeteria vibe. With all the brewery and pub options in the area there isn't really anything that sets this place apart. read more

My wife and I haven't been to the Albany Pump Station in a while, but I loved their hefty, juicy burgers and great beer. Upon finding that Common Roots had taken over, we thought we'd give them a try. I had the imperial stout. It was very good but the serving could have been micro-pipetted. - it consisted of barely half a small glass. The burger was also good, but about half the size of the burgers we used to get when the place was the Albany Pump Station. Everything seemed kind of pricy. At Common Roots you order at the bar, and then a waitress tries to find you with your food. It seemed a bit chaotic, even though the dining room was almost empty. Overall, the model seems to be a fusion of fast food at high prices with less than generous portions and a less-than-adequate approach to service. I think they can do better. Albany needs good restaurants. read more