Met a coworker for breakfast. The diner was pretty empty when we arrived early on a weekday…read more Space has vintage diner vibes. The server was attentive and brought menus and coffee quickly. After ordering our food also came out very quickly. The food was good and definitely met my coworkers food expectations and mine.

My coworker and I head over here every now and then because you can get breakfast for lunch and we…read morelove that. We both got omelettes. Mine was mushroom and cheese, with a side of bacon, and it comes with home fries and I got rye toast as well. Their coffee is delicious and hot! You can even buy their coffee! Super friendly and fast service. The place is clean and so nicely decorated.

Great friendly service Food comes out fast and hot…read more Lots of tables so doesn't feel crowded Eggs Benedict was delicious Wish they had Coke products and hashbrowns shredded

Just be warned. Food was just ok but they add several hidden charges. I had a small Greek salad…read morethat ended up costing $26.00 Waitress was miserable. I will no longer dine in an establishment that makes you feel like you are imposition. Also, several small flies making you feel like we was eating outside.

Live in the area my entire life and went to Iron Gate for the first time, sorry I've missed it!…read more Food was delicious, table of 5 and everyone loved everything, pancakes, omelet, sandwich, all yummy! Our server was sweet, attentive and easy to talk to, she shared some history of the building. Now, the building, absolutely beautiful! The architecture is stunning, perfectly decorated and used in a way to preserve the look of the mansion! Will definitely be back!

Very busy spot. Would not recommend for a large group as they only take reservations day of which…read moremade planning a bit harder to do. Service was okay, they were definitely a bit overwhelmed and thus we didn't see our waitress a ton. Food was good, everyone loved the pepper jack hollandaise but the cornbread was very dry which was a let down. A solid spot for breakfast. Would probably come back for a 2 or 4 person outing.

What a cool spot! First time visiting Cafe Madison! We called ahead and got our names on the list…read moreahead of time! Highly recommend otherwise it would be 15-30 min wait time. Service was great! The cafe itself is super cool and open on the inside. Ordered a water and coffee to start. No issues at all. For the first brunch meal we ordered the fried chicken sandwich with fries. It was delicious and well balanced though a bit messy! Ask for extra napkins! The other brunch meal we ordered was the eggs benedict special that had a spicy sauce and prosciutto as well. It was delicious! Though the sauce was a bit separated. That's an execution issue and not a flavor issue. The flavor was there! If you are in the area. Call ahead get on the wait list and give this spot a try!

I'm so sad because this used to be one of my favorite brunch spots. Ordered the steak and eggs…read more Asked for the steak medium rare. It came out of the kitchen burnt crispy and cooked past well done. They said it was a NY Strip but I wasn't sure if it actually was because it was so overcooked. The egg whites weren't cooked all the way which was kind of gross. The stuffed croissant Benedict had so much Swiss cheese in it I couldn't really taste the rest of it. Also wondered if it had sat out for a bit as it wasn't very hot. French toast bites were good. Was on a date and they put us at a table for five even though there were a bunch of more intimate two tops open which was a bit odd. Only three others tables were seated but it was really hard to get service. Four or five servers were just chatting by the bar. I think they knew our food wasn't good because no one offered a to go box for the leftovers. Just a really disappointing experience.

Place is either to popular for their own good or way understaffed. Wait times are long. Place an…read moreorder and expect another 20 minutes on top of that. Food is decent. Well worth a try. But sometimes even the bartender is waiting tables outside their area. Always packed. But because it's usually that people are at their tables longer. If this place wants to exceed...hire more people!

Any time we visit our daughter at her nearby college is a great time, Illusive made it even…read moregreater! We ran an errand nearby and I found Illusive on Yelp. We approached just as they were opening for the day on a Saturday. (Slightly after noon) Not seeing many cars in the neighborhood and having the gps seem to "arrive" outside of an empty lot was an inauspicious start but when we pulled fully into the lot, we saw that they had put some work into the place and it had a nice modern look. Didn't get to take advantage of the nice outdoor seating area because the weather was rainy. We were greeted by friendly staff and seated at a comfortable table. Our timing was impeccable because the place was full within the next half hour. Our waitress deserves her own paragraph! She knew the menu inside and out and had tremendous pride in the food served and the awards they've won! Illusive is a "foodie" restaurant, every dish is elevated yet remains unfussy. For appetizers, we shared the street corn dip and tater tot poutine. The street corn dip was creamy and zesty. The tater tot poutine was revelatory, the cheese was melted perfectly, the gravy wasn't some jarred nonsense, and the tots themselves were crispy. I enjoyed the different textures of it, some more cheesy and some more gravy. My wife enjoyed a chicken Caesar salad and my daughter enjoyed a grilled chicken pesto sandwich. Her sandwich was a nice enough portion that she finished it leftover for dinner! I enjoyed the buffalo lemon pepper wings, the sauce was a nice blend of heat and zesty flavor. I appreciated the amount of wings they served, some restaurants are going for "shrinkflation" but Illusive provides a full portion! We received quality and personable service throughout a delicious meal, we will gladly return!

When a friend and I were going to have breakfast in Albany, she told me that I had to try the…read moreSkinny Pancake. Didn't need to convince me! Admittedly I'm a bit delayed in writing this review so some of what I tried was seasonal dependent as I got a hot apple cider for a drink. To eat, I got a crepe and side of sausage! Just a few short minutes later, the food was ready to go. Everything was really delicious. The sausage provided a perfect savory balance for the sweet crepe that I got. The restaurant was really spacious and had lots of natural light which provided a lovely ambiance. Despite growing up in upstate NY, getting to sit at Skinny Pancake felt like a nice, peaceful perspective I hadn't received before. The food being delicious was the cherry on top. I highly recommend!

First time, got a savory crepe the cheesy chicken pesto. Was pretty good! Crepe had a great…read moretexture. Probably a 8/10. The Johnny crepe was also very good, would want to get that again next time. Service was quick and friendly. You order your meal and there is self service coffee and water which is great. Second visit, came with a group of 7. And one party of 3 before us. We all were standing around for 5-10minutes before anyone greeted us. Unfortunately they were short staffed, and many people were sat at tables and still waiting for food. We were told it was going to be a 10-15minute wait and that we cannot be seated (although it is a self order type of thing?) We were not allowed to sit at the table just to sit. We were offered the couch until they were ready. However as we were waiting, other parties came in and directly walked up to the register? And so we were kind of turned off by that...There has to be a better system :/. Was super excited to eat here again. Hopefully they will improve

Waffle House aspires to be be Dan's place. Unassuming hometown diner where everyone knows everyone…read moreand you get what you ordered and it's spot on every time. Cash only. Beat the lines and fights for street parking and get you an omelette made by Tommy with fresh eggs right in front of you while you wait. 10/10

I'm a sucker for family owned/run businesses. This is a brother/sister running/cooking and daughter…read morewaitress. It's small and and intimate. Everyone at the counter seem to know each other or if they don't are friendly enough to be all talking together. Food is made to order. They are very willing to work with dietary needs. There's no short cuts going on I just love it. The feeling here is very retro and brings me back to my youth and great times. I will come back when I'm in the area. Food is very good and pipping hot!

I'll lovely cafe near home with an even lovelier owner…read more A girls lunch with one friend. I've been here before and got a sandwich which was good but the pancakes were outstanding, a family recipe and I ordered a side which was a sausage patty. A very good experience. They were short on help, but the waiter was good, and it really wasn't that long of a wait. My friend enjoyed her salad. We both had coffee and were good. After eating we went and looked around their little gift shop. They also have a little dessert and candy area. If you want a treat to go.

Let me begin by mentioning that I am a degreed chef, I worked for 12 years as a flight attendant…read moreand Purser for Pan American World Airways, almost always working the First Class Galley, I have chaired many Tea Gatherings for my local CT Church and entertain frequently by serving an authentic English Tea to friends and family. I have earned and wear with pride my nickname of "The Tea Lady". I have taken Tea Ceremony classes in Tokyo Japan and have enjoyed afternoon tea service at 5 star properties from Manhattan (The Russian Tea Room) to Dacca in Bangladesh. I have enjoyed Tea at The Churchill Hotel in London, The Breakers Hotel under their hand painted ceiling and most recently I reveled in a cherry blossomed Tea Room in Edinburgh at the famous Palm Court of the Balmoral Hotel second only to the Palm Court at The Plaza in NYC. I say this only to provide context to what I am about to say concerning a tea spot in East Greenbush which until recently was one of my favorite upstate NY places to have Tea and escape for a few minutes from our bustling, noisy, distracting world. Just last week I invited a friend to come to tea and lunch with me since we had not seen each other in a very long time and she had had surgery a short time ago. I called Roots at 1PM and asked if their tea service could be ordered for one hour hence. I was told: "Oh no that takes 3 hours to prepare, sorry you can't order Tea now". So I settled on lunch and made an appt for 2PM. (they advertise that they are open until 3PM.) We arrived on the dot of 2, only to be reminded that they close down the kitchen at 2:30 so we should order pretty fast, in addition the kitchen was 112 degrees and the cook wanted to be out of there! We ordered and the meals came out very fast but not before we were asked 3 times by the very loud and frankly intrusive server "were our drinks ok?", "did we want to order NOW", and again, how are your drinks?" My friend and I were talking in a very soft lady-like manner and this person's tenor and intrusions into our conversation was very un-welcomed. My sandwich had mustard slathered on it, so much that I had to wipe it clean in order to eat. My tea had been served w/o the milk I requested and w/o benefit of a spoon with which to stir it when I finally was given the milk. Thereafter there followed an annoying uninvited "visit" by our server approx 4 more times to interrupt the important conversation I was trying to have with my guest. When the cook came out and pulled the money out of the register, and when the server yelled across the large room to someone who had entered the front door, over our heads, I asked my guest: "what time is it?" "2:30" she answered, we were being told it was time to leave in no uncertain terms before the close of their published business day! Then the coup de grace... the lights were turned off! Frankly I was surprised that the vacuum cleaner was not also engaged at that exact time. I stood up and said " Well I gather we are being told to leave?" No answer from either the cook or the server. I asked for the check and shared with the server ( in a very calm demeanor) how she had broken every rule of gracious dining in the 45 minutes that we had been their "guests". I left but not without leaving a generous tip even though she told me since we had had such a negative experience that I did not need to leave a tip. After all it is not her fault that her employer has not trained her in the finer points of hospitality...which is by definition "the friendly reception and treatment of guests or strangers". We were neither treated or received in a friendly manner. I left saying: "Goodbye for now and forever". I went home dreaming of the next time I would be at The Reading Room Cafe in Cos Cob, Greenwich where the customer is treated with the most gracious hospitality ...even if I were to arrive just before closing time at 5PM. Instead of leaving the world behind for one hour we were instead bombarded by the world outside being inside Roots... noisy, distracting and utterly w/o even the semblance of good manners and dining etiquette. Sadly and Sincerely, Mary Howard

I first went to Mr. Bumbles Cafe when they originallh opened and had a fantastic experience…read more Now, after a several year time period of living out of state, I have returned to try them out again and I was not disappointed. The service was warm and friendly. The food was outstanding, utilizing fresh sourced produce and baked goods. The cafe was spotless, as was thd rest room. The decor is friendly and inviting. I will definitely be back!

Mr. Bumbles had been on my radar for a while, so when I had an appointment not too far away, I knew…read moreI had to visit. I can find a lot of good words to include here: Cozy, charming, unique, friendly, welcoming. I could taste the freshness and quality in my made-to-order breakfast sandwich. That was a small coffee?!?!?! The decor is fun. Street parking is very convenient too. Similar types of stuff I could get at fast food places closer to my home just can't compare. If I lived closer, I'd be here all the time. Even with a slightly longer drive, I still want to come back here more often.

I stayed one night at the Renaissance because I was overnighting in Albany and it looked close to…read moreCity Beer Hall which looked good on Yelp. Well that's a confusing sentence. I walked the half block from my hotel room and saw the lighted sign on the building drawing be to City Beer Hall. The bar is old school wood, long tables, and people generally having a good time. I was alone so chose the bar for sitting because that is more convenient for me and the wait staff. The beer menu was long with a few regionals new to me. Too many sours though for my taste, but those are popular now. I am not going to talk about the beers available because those will surely change by the time you read this. I ordered a beer and checked out the food menu. There were some good looking items on the menu, I really wanted a good pizza after my earlier airport pizza debacle, but a whole pizza was too much for one guy. I discussed the food choices with my friendly bartender and settled on the chicken nuggets and a side of fries. The nuggets are hard breaded from thighs and pretty good. The fries were crispy, well seasoned, and overly abundant. Overall the meal was great! It was Thursday night and they had a trivia-like game that was related to Family Feud so I played that. Might have stayed a little later than I should have but the beer was good. I was looking at the beer refrigerator and saw Fiddlehead IPA and asked my bartender about it. He was not really keen on it but that is the best beer they had there, but that is one really good beer. Later I notice that was the beer they were giving you if you ordered the $8 beer and a shot, which is an excellent value! There was some kind of drama this night. There was a lady who first tried to order Jager Bombs for her table and the bartender told her sorry we don't do those so she ordered Tito's shots instead. Well this ended about how you would expect with her losing a credit card and blaming everyone in sight for her problems. The bartender and manager were S-tier professionals managing her and keeping the food and beer flowing to the rest of us. Guys, thank you for your service! If you are in downtown Albany and you are hungry or thirsty hit up the City Beer Hall.

I was staying at the Renaissance down the street for a conference at the Albany Capital Center. I…read moreneeded a quick dinner before I went to do more work in my room. The City Beer Hall fits the bill. Located on Howard Street, the City Beer Hall has the local hangout vibe for professionals in town like me and locals wanting a beer and a pizza and fun times. The building at one point housed the city's old telephone company, and now is a cool pizza bar joint with a speakeasy that wasn't open when I went. The large room that houses the bar and long communal tables with high ceilings and large windows is like a Biergarten that is works great for happy hours and evening hangouts. Pizza wise, I was pleased with their Hot Honey Pizza that balances sweet, savory, and spicy flavors between its delicious crust, pepperoni, creamy ricotta, tomato sauce, mozzarella, fresh basil, and a lovely drizzle of hot honey. I enjoyed the pizza with a Ommegang Blueberry Falls that was a "Blueberry Kolsch" whose crisp and slightly sweet flavors balanced well against the spicy and savory I was noshing. The only downside was I found the service behind the bar to be a bit slow and distracting from conversations with other customers. I felt I was forgotten until I finally flagged for the check. But overall, the City Beer Hall was a solid experience highlighted by their hot honey pizza.