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    First Prize Mike's

    3.9 (128 reviews)
    Closed 6:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    First Prize Mike's Photos

    Business Info

    FIRST PRIZE MIKE'S ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Divey
    Casual
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - First Prize Mike's

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    George the local dog.
    Sonya R.

    We went for breakfast. Food was quick, tasty and inexpensive. The servers were super nice. It's a local dive and, if you go with the right attitude, you'll love it. If you go expecting a traditional breakfast place (eg no fancy coffee or tea options) you'll be disappointed. PS LOVED George the local dog.

    Outside
    Winnie C.

    Just had breakfast, and passed by the famous Mike's hot dog, the people there were so friendly, since I wasn't hungry, so I ordered only one hot dog, and they were happy that we came with a big smile. The hot dog were so delicious, finest hot dog as they said!

    Menu
    Melinda R.

    The place was packed when we went inside. The menu is pretty limited. We ordered a large fry and 2 hot dogs. We did not get the meat sauce but was given a sample, which I was good with a little spice kick. The staff was friendly and knowledge. The hot dogs were ok and the fries were hot. I would go back but would choose other places to eat first.

    Been going here for years. It's still good but just not the way it used to be. No call ahead ordering because the phone never works. Prices much higher like everything these days

    Hand cut fries? Yes please!!!
    George L.

    I really dig this place. It's an old Schenectady staple and the fact that its been open for over 70 years is impressive. The staff is genuinely friendly, and not that "fake friendly" you get because a modern business is afraid of a bad review. It's kind of refreshing. The environment inside has that old school vibe that takes you back in time, but not too far back. And the food is not only cheap, but actually better than what you would expect from a local greasy spoon. In fact, I specifically get the occasional craving for their hand cut fries, their little double cheeseburger, and the fantastic breakfast they serve. From reading other people's reviews, some people really dislike whatever changes were made to the hotdog meat sauce. Personally, I don't think it merits an overall low score, because it's a single element of a main dish. So it just comes across as unnecessary bashing and makes the reviewer look petty. But then again, I really dislike meat sauces in general. So what do I know? In any case, I'll be regularly enjoying Mike's food (without meat sauce) for as long as they stay open. =)

    That magical griddle

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Best dogs, steak sandwiches burgers and breakfast served by friendly folks. Come back and you'll feel like family.

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    11 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Best breakfast deal in town. Get a #6: two large pancakes, eggs, bacon and coffee for only $7.49. Awesome!!!!

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    15 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    11 years ago

    Best Coney dogs I've found. I live in Michigan now where Coney Island restaurants are as common as a Starbucks, yet none compare to Mikes.

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    7 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    8 years ago

    Old fashion place has not changed in 60+ years. Great dogs. Spicy sauce makes my head sweat. love it.

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    10 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    11 years ago

    Best breakfast sandwiches in town. My office will call in to order 12-15 at a time. Gratis food, great value

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    11 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    13 years ago

    wow this place has been open forever! if your looking for a quick grub this is the place to be.

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    10 years ago

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    12 years ago

    Had a #6 breakfast: scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon and coffee for $6.99. Was perfect!!!!

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    10 years ago

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    16 years ago

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    Page 3 of 4

    Ask the Community - First Prize Mike's

    Review Highlights - First Prize Mike's

    They have a homemade meat sauce (think chili) that has a little spice to it and is delicious.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    What an awesome place! From the outside it may not look very flashy but the service and food was…read moreamazing! We stumbled across this little place and it was just what we were looking for. Crystal made sure our drinks were always full and we exchanged stories and laughter about living in Florida. I wish we had a local place like the River Road House where we live, love that local feel! The steaks, burgers, quesadilla's, and chicken salad were all fantastic. Highly recommend stopping by for a beer, some great food, all in a low key and down to earth little restaurant. And..as a side note, the ladies room was so clean! That is so appreciated! Thank you Crystal and all the staff at River Road House!

    After a wonderful first experience at River Road House, we were looking forward to visiting again…read morefor lunch. Unfortunately, this visit didn't match the high bar that was previously set. I still really like this place, but the service was way off on this particular day, even though they were not busy. We ordered three Road House Burgers, two with sweet potatoes fries, and one with regular fries. We were only served one burger w/ sweet potato fries, but we were charged $3 extra for each burger! And one burger was missing bacon. The amount of blue cheese crumbles and caramelized onions was minuscule. The burger patties themselves are unseasoned, so the toppings are key. Overall, it's a decent burger and I like their fries, but it's hard to overlook the mistakes with our ordering, especially when we were overcharged because of it.

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    After our last experience - which was not great - we decided to give this restaurant another try…read more Glad we did. The Hostess was SUPER friendly and she never stopped working - cleaning tables and checking with guests to be sure everything was satisfactory. The waiter, Gregg, was very attentive and friendly. He did a great job The food was terrific! I ordered Pasta Bolognese and it was absolutely the best I have ever had. Magnificent sauce. My wife ordered "street tacos" and they were great. stuffed with wonderful ingredients - including shrimp. This trip as a perfect experience and we shall return. (sorry the pasta photo is not great. It looked so good I ate quite a bit before I remembered to take a photo)

    For context, I rate products and businesses on a simple scale: 5 stars means I love it, 4 stars…read moremeans I like it, 3 stars is okay, 2 stars means I didn't like it, and 1 star means I hated it or think it's unsafe. I've been to Innovo Kitchen in Latham several times over the years and I've enjoyed it every time. They have a unique menu that changes periodically, but I always find something that catches my eye. The interior has an industrial feel which I like, with a lot of exposed brick. The tables are made from old bowling lane wood, which is a really cool touch. When you walk in there is also a bowling pin displayed in a glass case. I remember there being a bowling alley somewhere in that plaza when I was a kid, so it seems likely the building has some history tied to that. The tables are also nice and large, which makes the dining experience more comfortable. Tonight I ordered the Monte Cristo burger which is described as battered Buckley's Bread sourdough, a 6 oz special grind burger, Taylor pork roll, Swiss, and Twin Leaf Farms maple aioli. It was quite tasty and I really enjoyed the hint of maple syrup flavor on the burger. The crinkle cut fries that came with it were also very good. Another person in our party ordered the White Chicken Parmesan, described as a crisp chicken cutlet topped with ricotta and garlic spinach and fresh mozzarella, with garlic parmesan cream and lumache pasta. They said it was delicious. Someone else had the Crispy Skin Salmon and enjoyed that as well. A child at our table ordered macaroni with red sauce. The portion was surprisingly large and they liked it, which is impressive because they are particularly finicky. For dessert we ordered something we've had here several times before, the peanut butter mud pie. It's basically ice cream in pie form with an Oreo cookie crust and chocolate fudge. It's very tasty and also a generous portion. At the end of your meal they also offer everyone at the table a tasty piece of gourmet chocolate. One thing that really stood out tonight was the attentiveness of the management. Two different managers stopped by our table at different times to check and make sure everything was good. I recognized one of them because I've seen him there before and he always seems to make a point of checking in with guests. The other person had seated us so I initially thought she was the hostess, but after she stopped by during the meal I asked if she was a manager and she confirmed that she was. I mentioned that I was impressed that two different managers had checked on us, and that every time I've dined there a manager has stopped by to make sure everything was good. I thanked her and told her it was appreciated. During the summer and fall they also have a very nice patio area for outdoor dining. On cooler nights they have heaters and a fireplace which makes it a great place to sit outside. I will definitely return here again in the future. 5 stars

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    Ember & Cork - The duck with pear and rice. Sorry it's half eaten. It just smelled too good to take a picture of it before I started eating.

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    Had an incredible dinner here the other night. The…read morerestaurant has a wonderful wine list - varied by region, lots of price variety. They had one of my favorite wines by the bottle (Alto Reale from Sicily) and it was reasonably priced! For food we had oysters and the octopus appetizer. The octopus had a wonderful char and the perfect texture. We ordered the duck and salmon entrees - both cooked and seasoned to perfection. This may be my favorite duck dish I've ever had. And for dessert the bread pudding with salted caramel ice cream was recommended by our server and was excellent. Really just a great dining experience overall'

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    First Prize Mike's - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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