Food saved the day at this Italian restaurant. This is easily one of the best Italian foods I have ever tried. Just the food alone it's worth 5 stars. So kudos at the kitchen staff. As for the front of the house service...it was just disappointing. If it wasn't for the great food, I would not consider a second try. We had reservations for 7 but were seated at 7:30. A table for four of us was ready but a simple request to move to a booth was not welcomed. The booth was rearranged for us but left with breadcrumbs on the seats from the previous patrons. UN-dried glasses and very poorly arranged silverware. Our server did her best. If I find myself in the area, I would probably give it a second try. read more

My girlfriend ordered from here tonight as a shot in the dark. I spent about an hour ripping on ordering from "Duh Raymonds" and then spent 20 minutes eating my words while also eating one of the best pasta dishes (Rigatoni con Salsiccie alaa D'Raymonds Pasta) I've had in the Capitol Region. read more

Solid old-schoo red sauce Italian restaurant. This place I decent, but I don't understand all the raves. It is no better than Villa Italia, Cafe Capriccio, V&H, or any of the dozens of Italian restaurants around here. It is always crowded, and you definitely should make a reservation. And crowds mean it can be loud. Big menu, so something for everyone. The multiple toppings for the bread is a nice touch. read more

The food was absolutely amazing!! I had the chicken frangelico so so good and so much food!! Just delicious and so glad I went and tried it out! read more

Excellent real Italian food, & fine dining service. Need reservations , so good & so popular

Friends of mine suggested this place and opening weekend of Saratoga made reservations difficult. Fortunately a 9pm for 4 was available and I sat down for a late meal. The service was prompt and the waiter had a smug yet like able charm about him. Appetizers consisted of the lobster ravioli and lump crab stuffed mushrooms. Yelp reviews had me excited about the ravioli and I was not disappointed. They were fantastic. The accompanying scallops were also perfectly cooked and terrific. The mushrooms were equally tasty, although I was slightly disappointed by the size of the caps. The mundane table bread was brought to life with the three dipping sauces, a nice touch. I sampled 2 entrees aside from my own. I ordered the veal saltimboca. It was fantastic. The Marsala wine sauce was mediocre but the dish overall was great. I also had my wife's gnocchi with pesto and lobster. They went a bit overboard with the pesto, but the abundance of lobster within the enormous platter made up for it. Yes the serving sizes are ridiculously large, but that to me is not a negative trait as a couple reviews have suggested. Although they were large, I do not feel as though quality was comprised one bit. Lastly, I ate some of my fathers dish, which was the veal around lump crab in vodka sauce. Unreal. Rich and flavorful, it was the best item I sampled that night. All in all, the entire meal was phenomenal and well worth the reasonable price. If you go, bring your appetite and still be prepared to have leftovers. Enjoy. read more

This place is usually busy so be sure to make reservations. Went here with coworkers and the VP of my company We stopped at the bar and had a few drinks. The service at the bar was great. The had a decent selection of beers and we enjoyed ourselves. The hostess seemed annoyed when we were seated about 20mins after we got there. They jammed us (7 adult men) into a corner area. It was a bit tight for everyone but manageable. The waiter promptly came over and took drink orders. He took our app order and was able to explain anything we had questions on. The apps were good and dinner came out in a timely manner. The waiter was attentive but a little bit stiff. We tried to joke with him and he didn't even crack a smile. Outside of that, we enjoyed our meals and I'd go back again. read more

The food was good, not great, but the service was actually quite poor. Our waiter smelled like cigarettes, which I don't even expect at Applebee's. We tried ordering our food twice after sitting, and the waiter walked away from us. It was right after the place opened, and it didn't seem terribly busy, though. First I tried to order, after he dropped off our drinks, and he walked away. Maybe he didn't hear me. But then my wife tried to order, as he was standing right there, saying "Sir, we are ready to order ", and he just walked away. He had to have heard us. We were sitting beyond half an hour before we got to order. He never refilled our drinks, I had to flag down another server to do it. He never spoke to us, and actually seemed annoyed that we were there. It was kind of bizarre. Then, my wife's meal was a little spicy. Not too bad, but a bit. He came to us at the end, as we were ready to bring at our bill because another server had cleared our table, and he said "Do you like spicy food? A lot of people say that dish is too spicy." Well, because he didn't talk to us AT ALL, my wife didn't know that. He could have passed that warning on before she ordered. Anyways, we won't be back. There's a lot of nice, upscale restaurants in the Capital Region to try without repeating this encounter. read more

This was an excellent recommendation. I asked a coworker where i can find great Italian cuisine and he highly recommended this place. As a first time visitor and patron to the area it didnt let me down. I had a small house salad and the Veal Parmigiana. Excellent sauce tremendous cut of veal, tendor enough I cut it with my fork. The bread basket was served with three dipping oils which was a nice classy touch. Everyone one was friendly and outgoing. Reservations are highly suggested as i didnt make one and ate at the bar, but Mike was entertaining and working like a machine behind the bar. I will not hesitate to go back. Fantastic meal! read more

This is my favorite Italian restaurant in the area bar none. The quality of my meal was outstanding. You will need to make reservations if you want to get a table on the weekend and you will wait a bit even with the reservations. Would have given 5 stars if the service was a bit quicker. Our waitress seemed to disappear for 30 minutes while we were looking to order dessert but since it took so long we asked for our check which took another 10 minutes to produce. The cuisine was excellent and will entertain this establishment again in the future. read more

After calling 39 times to make a reservation, I got through! Was disappointed from the last time I ate here. Also no more fried dough. I watched a young man walking around while we could see the phone ringing endlessly. Food was ok but won't spend hours again calling to get a reservation for. There are many other fine Italian restaurants around who answers their phones. read more

I was in the neighborhood on business, and consulted my GPS for a place to have lunch. This place was close, and I thought I'd give it a try. Am I glad I did! I sat at the bar with a few regulars and a very personable bartender. Had a drink and a wonderful sandwich. Yesterday, I was in the same area, with my wife. We arrived a little after 12:30 and found a bustling lunch crowd, being very professionally served by the staff. I had the filet/portobello salad, and she had once of the specials, a pasta and sausage dish. Both were outstanding, as was the Chicken Florentine soup (another special). Our server was friendly and extremely efficient. Prices are extraordinarily reasonable, and portions are generous. If we didn't live 2 hours away, we would be regulars here. Do yourself a favor and visit. read more

We got there early on a Friday. Staff was attentive and friendly. Stuffed pepper app was good. Table was tight, had to keep my elbows in 7 of us at a table for 6. The stuffed veal chop was heavily breaded and greasy. For 30$ it seemed a little overdone as in too much going on. It had a glob of mozzarella in it although I asked to go light on the cheese. I was thinking I should have ordered a different entre. The others at the table loved there food. Everything was hot and fresh. I guess I'm a little picky, but I am a fan of "less is more"...less sauce, less cheese..... Everything seemed to be swimming in sauce. I would say average food but not below or above average. The service was great and the food came out fast. Too fast actually. read more

While I would put D'Raymond's just a hair behind Caffe Italia in the running for best Italian food in the Capital Region, I would put it ahead in terms of menu and dining experience. The veal dishes and red sauce are just incredible. They also come out with a mid-meal zeppole (fried dough) which is a unique touch. Years ago I also used to do a lot of catering with D'Raymonds and Greg (owner) and his staff always took great care of me. I highly recommend! read more

I wish I could leave a zero star review. Our party of ten was told it would be 5-10 minutes to be seated for our 7:30 reservation. Around 7:55, the hostess and I spoke about which tables should have been ours. The couple that were still there had been enjoying their dessert for over 30 minutes. Now, I have been in the Service industry for over 20 years. When there is a large party waiting and there are other smaller tables available, it is very easy to nicely ask the guests to move to a different table. Perhaps even offer to buy them another dessert or after dinner drink for their inconvenience. None of this occurred and my party waited over 45 minutes only to finally get frustrated enough to leave. The manager took my name and number, but I have a hard time believing that D'Raymonds really cares. It's really sad that an establishment ranked one of the 'best Italian restaurants' by many capital region publications repeatedly shows a blatant disregard for the people who make reservations. This is not the first time I've been inconvenienced by the restaurant, but it is the LAST. read more

I have only had bad experiences when I've spoken to anyone at D'Raymond's. I've been to the restaurant twice, I've called about catering orders on a few different occasions, and I've gone into the restaurant to organize a very large $600 office catered lunch. The staff was rude and dismissive. I was yelled at while placing my order, and was hung up on when I later called to get a total. The food is actually decent Italian, albeit over priced for the offerings. At the end of the day, the food at a restaurant can be tasty, but if your experience with the staff is terrible, that's not a place I would return to. read more

We have been here many times and it was always perfect with excellent food and drinks. Today we visited and were less then satisfied. My husband ordered the filet (med rare) with lobster and had to send it back twice. The first time it was well done and gray and the second time was overdone and the cut of meat was of poor quality. The lobster was way over cooked and dry. Worst filet and lobster ever. At this point we had been there over an hour and the place was closing down. All they offered was free dessert and to take the meal off the check. Having to leave without dinner is very disappointing. The waiter was super apologetic and nice, and my pasta dish was very good. However the overall experience was very disappointing and based on other reviews it looks like something has changed with the food. I hope they address these issues soon because they are going to lose a lot of business. read more

I ordered takeout for friend and I. This is my first experience with D'Raymonds but have been told by several people that it is the best! I ordered Stuffed Mushrooms, Meatballs, Eggplant Parm Dinner and Cannolis. The food was ready when I arrived, packaged well & hot. Unfortunately the good things ended there. The mushrooms where drowning in butter and had much to much garlic (it was over powering). The meatballs were over salted. The eggplant that was used had been frozen previously and tasted as such. The cannoli tubes were soft, not crunchy. I had high expectations and my friend and I were deeply disappointed. I will not order again. Perhaps it is the current Covid situation that is affecting things but for the price I would not risk my money again. read more

Service ruined whole evening. Never asked if I wanted another cocktail ( does your owner know waitress not asking? ). Served their complimentary pizza fritta ( like it was a big bonus it's 50 cent worth of dough ) with our appetizer. Please it's a dessert and should be served after dinner. Plates cleared with out asking if we were done. Rushed totally not that we were lingering type reservation at 730 done by 830. Won't return based on service. Yes still gave over 20 percent tip but not deserved. Never have I felt the need to review a restaurant but while experience very upsetting. Food not worth the agita. read more

Great service. Old time Italy atmosphere with amazing food! Everything we had from the calamari to the pasta to the fried dough was to die for! read more

Brought in business associates from Cincinnati and New Jersey. Very disappointed, wait staff acted like we were an imposition, Had to ask for wine menu, ask what the other people were having on next table , it was fried dough, which he never mentioned. Brought that to us, waited extremely long for food at least an hour, on a Tuesday nite!Just disapointing for such a well known established restauraunt, for a dinner that occurs once a year. Not next year. read more

I have no qualms with the food at D'Raymond's, but the service is terrible. We waited at least 25 minutes after being seated for our waiter to acknowledge us, at which point he did not take drink orders or reveal any specials. The waiter was clearly having a bad evening and took it out on us. This was a special occasion and the poor service ruined our evening. D'Raymond's seems to rest on the laurels of its reputation and has 'fussy' policies like not allowing shared dishes or ordering an appetizer as an entree. read more

I have not been there in quite a while due to the fact that it takes quite some planning to get a reservation. We went there on St. Patrick's day for my birthday. I ordered butterflied shrimp over a bed of escarole with a side of pasta with marinara. The dish came out and it smelled horrible! Even my son said it smelled awful! I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt and taste the shrimp. I have never in my life tasted something so awful! I had to spit it out! It left an awful taste in my mouth for quite a while! I mentioned to the waiter that their was something very wrong with the food! He said "well you do know it's egg battered?!" I was floored! I said , "oh nooo it's not the egg!!!" I felt like we were being treated like second class citizens! I ended upgetting the eggplant dish instead. That was not great either. It was so soggy! When the waiter brought the eggplant out I asked him if he had mentioned to the chef that there was something very wrong with that shrimp, that it was definitely bad! He told me that he just said that there was something wrong and then ordered the eggplant. I told him that he really needed to tell the chef and the manager that there was something very wrong with that fish and they should look into it! I don't know if it was bad or what was wrong but I've never tasted anything like it! So we received the bill and not only did they not compensate us for anything but they charged us for the shrimp dish instead of the eggplant. The shrimp dish was four dollars more. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to make a scene. I realize that times are very difficult and this whole situation is very hard on the restaurant workers. But regardless they cannot be serving bad food! So that being said I will NOT be back there! read more

Warning - don't go unless you have a reservation. Generally excellent Italian food, fair portions, decent service and reasonable drinks are served up here in a somewhat old fashioned yet comfortable seating space. We'll pay a visit every few months or so. read more

Fabulous food and atmosphere! My favorite place to celebrate birthdays and any other special occasions!

Don't Bother. Yes the food is fine, however, trying to get a reservation is not worth it. They truly come across as pompous and arrogant, and your presence is a bother. There are so many other Italian places in the area that I can get better meals with out the hassle. So Hard pass on this strip mall, Rao wannabe. read more

Wow! Don't call here before 4 and try to get take out! The rudest guy I ever spoke to! Done with this place!!! read more

We keep coming back again and again. This is our absolute favorite Italian restaurant in the capital region. The vodka sauce is my favorite and this is my go to place when friends visit. You must make a reservation in advance though because it is always busy! read more

Hidden gem! Stumbled across this place with a co worker and I most certainly will be back when I'm in the area! Huge portions for your $$, service is great, food is delicious as well. I had the tortellini alfredo and my co worker had the veal which he said was very good and he's had veal in a lot of other places. Definitely recommend!! read more

I'm a fan of italian and this place has the greatest around, that's why I give them 5 stars. I've tried lasanga, the best!, the manicotti, fettuccine, almost every place and the service is excellent, fast and efficient. read more

First and foremost , a restaurant is usually almost always judged off your initial encounter with your waiter / waitress . Unfortunately , our waiter last night - a bald older gentlemen ( didn't get his name because he didn't give it to us along with many other things he didn't offer ... ) was absolutely awful , no introduction, no offering of specials , pretty much left us out in the middle of outer space to fend for ourselves to the point that I got up and went to the bar to get my own drinks ! Absolutely awful and was literally going to leave ! Thankfully , the manager - Chris , saved the day along with the meal and the experience we were looking for in the first place . He was on point , courteous, out going and focused on customer satisfaction as everyone in service based industry should be whether it's $1 hamburger or $100 filet . Our meals were absolutely amazing and Chris even included a wonderful dessert on the house for my daughter which was appreciated beyond words . Whoever owns this place , give Chris a raise and send the "bald man " packing because your establishment deserves better . Looking forward to returning and dealing with Chris again , we will ask for you by name my friend . Salute' Derek , Amanda & Zoe read more

While my husband love the food, the take out service is horrible. I called for take out at 4:38 and drove all the way home, 43 minutes, and no one took my order. The hostess said our normal wait person, John, was running late and could not help me, that I had to wait for another waiter to take my order. I could hear every conversation of the wait staff, bar and hostess while on hold, and yet no one ever took my order. I put that number on hold and called back and got a busy signal. We're done. No reason to fight to give you our money. read more

My mother flew in and we wanted to take her for a fantastic dinner and welcome her to our new area. I have wanted to come to this establishment as it seems like one of the best Italian establishments around! Couldn't get a reservation for my birthday (2/13) as it was on Valentine's Day weekend but got one in for a Wednesday evening. Arrived at 7, everyone was so accommodating. Sat in our booth and Eric then approached us about the menu. He gave the specials and told us about his personal faves. My mother and I opted for the Pesce Alfredo, it's divine and full of flavor. We could have ordered one dish for the three of us and still went home with leftovers. My husband had the gnocchi with the pesto cream and lobster chunks. The food was 5 stars, Eric was our waited and we'll be sure to ask for him next time as well. They made or night very special and you feel like family when you're dining there. There's maybe seating for 40-50 people it's very cute and intimate and they have a full bar for those who are not interested in the huge vino list they have to offer. The complimentary bread is wonderful, my favorite dipping sauce/spread was the roasted red pepper aioli, so so good! read more

D'Raymonds - Pesce Alfredo! And you get leftovers for days :) - Italian Near Me - Albany, New York

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I called D'Raymonds and asked if I could order a bottle of wine for a dinner that I couldn't attend. The man who answered the phone said yes, took my credit card information down along with my name and said he would take care of everything for me. I added a gratuity on top of this, which he asked if I wanted to add. I called an hour in advance of the reservation to do this, assuming it was ample time for him or whomever to make a note of it at the host station or wherever it would be necessary. I told one person in the party that I had done this, and when she told me that the waitress had come around twice asking for everyone's drink orders, I was enraged. Not only did I order a bottle of wine, but I tipped on this one bottle, expecting it to be brought to the party's table. What exact was my tip for? For them to completely forget about my order? If one of the members of the party hadn't specifically asked the waitress about this pre-purchased bottle, it would have never been brought to them. Whoever answered the phone assured me he would take care of this, but he definitely did not. read more

Excellent Italian food. We went for lunch and it was crowded. Service was excellent and food was good. I wish they had some lighter fare on the menu. But definitely worth visiting. read more

I'm undecided on this one. I have been on two occasions and had very different experiences. The first time I went I loved it and could not find a single complaint, the second time the service was slow and the food was average. One thing I can say with confidence is that the prices are very reasonable. I will update this review when I go back again. read more

AMAZING food, drinks, and service. Not a ton of vegetarian/vegan options but the staff is fairly accommodating on how to modify dishes to remove the meat. A definite hidden gem in the capital district for good Italian food! read more

My Finance made us a reservation here for my birthday for 9 people and we were seated right away. We were also able to bring our own cake and they put candles in it and cut it for us, no extra charge to my knowledge. We ordered some Appetizers and we actually had to get some wrapped, they were huge! We got 2 Antipasti's for 2, defiantly enough for 4 people (one of them,) and they were wonderful. The Bruschetta was also amazing! We also got 2 Mozzarella Affumicala Con Pomidori's (fresh mozzarella and tomatoes.) Not to mention they give you bread and Zeppoli's ::thumbs up:: Portions were huge, and I enjoyed the marinara sauce. I'm never a fan. I got the Chicken Sorrento and enjoyed it, although I felt like with Spinach it would have been even better. Also came with a side of pasta. Everyone loved their food. My aunt commented a few times how she's never liked anyones Italian food other than my moms, but thought D'Raymonds was amazing and glad we found it. Service was very attentive, always making sure if anyone needed refills. Will be returning! read more

D'Raymonds - Petto di pollo sorrento - Italian Near Me - Albany, New York

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Great evening. We got great food (especially for what we paid). Super affordable for those on a budget. The atmosphere and our waitress were wonderful. Highly suggest it!! read more

This is by far the best Italian food I have ever had! If you are in the Albany area and in search of Italian food, stop your search...THIS IS THE PLACE!! read more