Simply sensational food, service, and experience. Voted capital regions best chicken wings and they were by far the best I've had. HUGE portions and incredible food. Can't go wrong with anything on this menu. The BEST 518 restaurant in Albany I've tried. Perfect atmosphere to bring some friends/family. Good amount of parking and I recommend reservations the closer you get to the weekend. They offer take out as well but you should definitely eat in if you can. read more

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This is a private locally owned business with exceptional food and service. It recently changed ownership and was purchased by Lee the bartender who worked there for many many years. He has made changes with decor, sprucing it up a bit and now is carrying on the same service, menu, cooks & wait staff. I have been coming to this place for about 30 years and it hasn't changed much just a great place for dinner, a great chance of meeting up with an old friend, just a excellent down-home restaurant. The same locals show up for their great food and the pizza is just the best... check out my pictures! read more

take out order-picked it up myself I ordered there because it is my wife's 80th birthday and she loved (over 16 years ago) their home caesar dressing. I also ordered 4 (feeds 4) dishes. 1. eggplant parm-on a bed of spaghetti(a real waste of money) my wife ate a pieve and someone took a little piece. 50$- half was fat spaghetti(I like angel air) . but 50$ with not much parm. 2.chicken parm -$50. on a bed of fat spaghetti it would feen 4 without the big bed of spaghetti! No one complained or praised. It was eaten. 11 people. 3. sausage and peppers- on a thick bed of spaghetti another 50$ for half of the dish being spaghetti but called called sausage and peppers. 4. lasagna- I know like others, we all have our personal likes. The worst I have had except in Alaska where they were big on using SAGE. I thought I was eating turkey dressing. 76 dinner- they put a layer of ground beef with no sauce or ... to hold it together. When you try to cut it, the layers slid off! I have made my own for years. The Kraft recipe using uncooked noodles. Description. a giant noodle 2x longer than the contained, some filling(ricotta, ...?) a part of a slice(loaf) of meat with the huge noodle folded back over the lasagna? I got a part with what looked like a half a slice of a giant meatball. the rest of my small square -had no meat. From what I hear, the loaf-slice of meat-may be a part of their big meat ball. Image slicing a meatball and putting 4 slices inside, serves 4 -$50. It was what I really wanted. I was not happy. I want ground beef and sauce in there. Not meatloaf!. I am 81, dont eat much, so I ate salad. The good part of the meal I can generally say, is the salads that came with each, choice of salad dressing and italian bread. Hard to screw up. 239$ plus tip-I picked it up. Nice people carried the food to my car. So, for me, other than the low amount of sausage and peppers, I t was not for me. I once had lasagna (Cohoes)that have chunks of sirloin in it instead of ground beef. Waitress said people loved it. Right, chewing lasagna. Not for me. So, whether you agree or not, I should have ordered only the ceasar salad for my wife. I will not order there again. read more

Excellent place for some good food and drinks. The customer service was amazing. Even on snow days this place is packed. It's a nice quant spot. The only downside was the parking, very hard to find parking especially in the winter. But once inside great atmosphere. Some of the best fries I've ever tasted. read more

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Last night my wife and I stopped in for dinner -. I was craving a meatball sub and she likes their Veal Sorrento. My first complaint is with the chairs in the dining room, they are the single most uncomfortable chairs I have ever sat in. I don't remember them being that way in previous visits. My second complaint is with my entrée., calling it lukewarm would be being generous, how difficult is it to serve a hot entrée? I don't know what went wrong why mine was cold when my wife's was just fine. I didn't send my meal back because I was hungry and I didn't want to my wife to have to sit there and watch me eat. I don't know what the bill was as it was her turn to pay, but I'll tell you this neither one of us will be back. In the future if I want Italian food, I will go to Track 32 in Feura Bush, their food is delicious and they have mastered the art of serving it hot. Oh I forgot to mention the fact that the meatball sub I ordered was just that a sub which should have been served on submarine roll, not open face. Fire the cook and replace the waitresses with people who actually know how to write things down properly., read more

Ralph's Tavern - They barely look warm, meatball sub which was supposed to be served on a sub roll not open face. - Italian Near Me - Albany, New York

An oldie but greatie! For some unknown reason, we had let Ralph's fall off of our radar. We decided to change that and make a visit. Goodness! We are so happy we did. Ralph's is not your average tavern with standard fare and middling drinks. The place is large, the service is outstanding, the food is phenomenal (and generous of portion) and the cocktails are fantastic. We went back with friends for a celebratory dinner that started with martinis. Well, I was blown away. That martini was as good, if not better than would be found at a fancy cocktail bar. It was perfectly crafted and icy cold. Wow! For dinner, hubby had veal and peppers with pasta. I had spaghetti with garlic and olive oil. Absolutely perfect. And, the portions allow you to be well satisfied and still have leftovers for the next day. The kicker? The prices are very reasonable. This is a place with great food and drink and still is casual and family friendly. read more

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This is my 4765 time eating here. But this was my first time having lunch. I love the food. You have to try the mozzarella sticks with the raspberry dipping sauce. It is the best!!! My French dip sandwich was very good. The waitress was great and provided very good service. The portion sizes are gigantic. The only issue I had is I came alone and didn't have anyone to share with. Lol read more

Ralph's Tavern - Mozzarella sticks with raspberry jam dipping sauce! Delicious!!! - Italian Near Me - Albany, New York

Ralph's is still going strong after all these years! The service today was exceptional. Aleah took care of us! She was courteous, polite and helpful. She knew just when to check on us without being intrusive. When she offered to wrap our leftovers up I was flabbergasted. It's almost always the guest who wraps up the food these days. The young host who seated us was very helpful and friendly as well. As for the food it was delicious! The homemade Mozzarella Sticks with Melba Sauce are so good! The texture is perfect and they arrived at the table warm. My mom loved her Veal and Peppers and I enjoyed the stuffed pepper soup which was just spicy enough with a good pepper flavor. The ambiance is relaxed family style tavern. Really enjoy coming to this Colonie staple. read more

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Ralph's has absolutely fantastic Italian food!! We love their eggplant Parm, spaghetti with marinara sauce, ziti with meat sauce, oh chef's kiss !!! The meat sauce is SO meaty, I really didn't have to get extra meatballs . Got about a loaf of bread for 2 of us. This meal lasted thru 3 dinners!! Would definitely recommend if you like pasta! Oh and there was a beefy vegetable soup as well, SO good ! read more

Never tried this place before. The food was good even though I did not get what I ordered. I'd give it another chance though. read more

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I visited this establishment for takeout on Saturday evening, 12/27/25, after reading several positive reviews. We ordered a corned beef Reuben with sweet potato fries, a fish sandwich with fries, and a chicken parmesan with pasta. The total on the order was $54.00, which was pretty decent. Unfortunately, the meals were very disappointing. We placed our order by phone and were told it would be ready in 25 minutes. When we picked it up, the food was cold, lacked flavor, and was poorly presented. Neither order of fries was crispy, no sauce was provided with the fish sandwich, and the rye bread on the Reuben was greasy, possibly from butter. The chicken parmesan was cold, extremely tough to chew, and appeared to have warm sauce simply poured over it. The menu listed garlic bread, but instead I received cold slices of Italian bread. I called the following morning specifically to address the chicken parmesan, as it was not edible. The hostess who answered only offered an apology. She did not take my contact information or notify a manager, which was especially disappointing given that I explained this was my first time visiting the restaurant. Overall, the experience fell far short of expectations, and if I am ever in the area again, I most likely will not return. read more

We were so fortunate to have Ralph's Tavern cater my son's Celebration of Life gathering. The catering team was kind, sensitive, and more than fair with their pricing. Our guests--around 100 people--truly enjoyed the taste and quality of the food. The portions were generous, and they even provided takeout containers so guests could bring food home (which they gladly did!). Joe helped me plan the menu and portions, and he was absolutely wonderful. Lee was kind and helpful over the phone, even coordinating meals for my elderly parents. Norm delivered and set up everything beautifully in chafing dishes. The food arrived hot, fresh, and absolutely delicious--it was amazing. Ralph's has always been a family favorite. My son, myself, and many other family members make a point to eat at Ralph's whenever we're back in Albany. It's truly my all-time favorite Italian food, and I HIGHLY recommend them--both for catering and dining in! read more

We were fortunate to use Ralph's to cater my sons, Celebration of Life gathering. The catering team were kind, sensitive, and more then fair with their pricing! The guests (roughly 100 people) really enjoyed the taste and quality of the food. They provided our take out containers so guests could bring food home (great portions)! Joe helped me with my menu and portions, And was wonderful! Lee was very kind and helpful over the phone and helped get meals to my elderly parents. Norm delivered and set up the food in chaffers. Hot and delicious, It was amazing!! My son, myself and other family members always eat at Ralphs when I come home to Albany and visit. Its my all time favorite Italian food! I HIGHLY recommend!! read more

This is a very quaint restaurant and bar located on central avenue not far from Colonie Center. The menu includes all types of bar style food dinners and pizza. The bar is on one side and restaurants on the other. The food is very good, reasonably priced and good portions. Like many other restaurants around, there is a staff shortage so the poor waitress worked very hard keeping up. Our KUDOS to Katie for a job well done considering how much she had to deal with. With their late hours, it's a must for late night snacks also read more

I wanted to like this place alot, I read a lot of reviews. I ordered the chicken parmesan with spaghetti. Unfortunately, the sauce was very bland. My noodles were very overcooked, so they were mushy. The chicken was fried to perfection, but did not have any seasoning. The mozzarella sticks were great though! read more

Once again, I have gone to Ralph's and left happy and full! We had a lovely waitress named Amber, she checked in on us at perfect times. Jason the buser even packaged our food for us! Tom the owner checked in multiple times too and seemed greatly appreciative. It was a busy Saturday and we were greatly taken care of! The food was delicious as well, chicken parm and steak for the table! I'd highly recommend! read more

Ralph's Tavern - Chicken Parmigiana - Italian Near Me - Albany, New York

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Pizza is awesome! Friendly staff. My granddaughter always says Let's go see Ralph for supper

I feel like I've been punked. They don't give you ketchup with to go orders. I had to pay $2.50 for 11 ketchup packets. They did not give us any butter to go with our bread & the salad dressing container was upside down in the salad, it leaked all over our "family sized" salad. Ordered mild chicken wings, they were plain. The chicken is tough. Nothing like my previous experiences at Ralph's. Best part of tonight's dinner was the salad, although some of the tomatoes appear to be old & wrinkly. I would not serve them at home. read more

Ralph's Tavern - $2.50 for this ketchup. - Italian Near Me - Albany, New York

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I was staying a hotel across the street and wanted a snack for my room. I noticed this place when I arrived at the hotel and decided to give them a try. They had a good crowd at the bar so it took a minute for the bartender to get to me. I ordered mozzarella sticks to go. I sat at a bar table and waited. And waited. And waited some more. It was just over 20 minutes for them to arrive. I went back to my room and opened them up. They looked terrible. They were clearly overcooked, with visible burn marks on the crust. They all stuck together in the container and had to be pulled apart. Then, the marinara sauce was inedible. I dunk the first stick in it, tasted the stick, gagged and threw away the sauce. It was that bad. If my travels bring me back to Albany, I know to avoid this place. read more

Living in ATL, I always look forward to traveling anywhere in the Tri-State area for authentic Italian. Ralph's didn't disappoint! Definitely more of a mom and pops restaurant from the decor as well as the crowd that seemed to be regulars. I had the cheese ravioli which was delicious! Unfortunately, servings of ravioli are typically small these days (with 6 or 8), and you're left hungry. I'm unsure how many were in my serving, but it was at least 12. I was full and took a To Go box. Both the salad and the warm bread were good as well. My server Charlene was bustling all over the place but managed to get me everything I needed promptly. Great service. I highly recommend this spot! read more

Ralph's Tavern - House Salad - Italian Near Me - Albany, New York

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Go to Ralph's whenever we are out in Albany. Establishment is not very fancy and has a very homey feel. Looks like it was updated on the inside since the last time we visited. Great place for a quick bite. Went at lunch and had two sandwiches portions as always were very large. Wasn't as happy with my choose as the meat was dry but they do have so many other delicious options as I have tried many of them. Service is always good and ample parking. Food is reasonably priced and if you are not wanting some place fussy this is the place to come. read more

Ralph's Tavern - Open face Hot Turkey Sandwich - Italian Near Me - Albany, New York

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Couldn't make up my mind so ordered a variety through grub hub and pretty solid home run on all. I knew I wanted fried calamari and was please to have both rings and tentacles and not overcooked or rubbery. The sauce spilled a bit and could definitely use more so packaging could be improved. I love that they offer 1/2 plates of pasta and ordered a 1/2 portion of linguine Alfredo. Delicious! The real show stopper here is the French dip au jus sandwich. That au jus - omg. The flavor is amazing. Nothing special about the fries but they aren't greasy or too salty so that's a plus. Overall very pleased! read more

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Great service and the BEST garlic Parmesan crispy chicken wings. Really good garlic bread with mozzarella it just needs to be crispier. Unfortunately the clams casino as they were labeled weee stuff clams with a wet stuffing; really disappointed on those but pitchers of beer were just what the two of us needed for our pre-trip dinner!! read more

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I used to live behind Ralph's tavern. I grew up with their pizza,wings, and mozzarella stick with raspberry sauce. I live in Texas now and the first thing I wanted to do when I went home and visited my family is RALPHs. New owners I grew up w Sean and Dick. The place still seems great prices a little higher which isn't cool. You don't have to make Ralph's fancy anyone who knows the place knows the food making it fancy just takes at the local vibe! I was 7 year old drinking Shirley temples while my uncle was at bar drinking 7 and 7 again history !!! read more

We celebrated my grandmothers birthday here this evening and Tom made sure to make it extra special for her! The whole restaurant sang happy birthday to her and the food and dessert was amazing! We will definitely be back, great atmosphere and amazing staff. read more

They have the best wings I ever had. The server was very nice and fast to get drinks and bread.

I'm really surprised that I haven't written about Ralph's before because I've been here a couple of times with some other Yelpers over the last 4 years or so. On those trips we shared pizzas and lots of not-so-healthy apps. Which is one of the reasons I made this most recent visit to simply get a pizza to go. One of my measures of a traditional pizza is to compare it with our favorite combination at The Fountain in Albany. So, this order was for their Pizza Supreme ($18.95 + $0.75 for takeout) which is a 10-cut rectangular with a choice of 5 toppings. Ralph's offers a good selection of over sixteen regular toppings and five premium toppings. Our choice of five toppings was sausage, mushrooms, peppers, onions, and meatballs. Their sausage is only available as a "hot" variety, but it is not very spicy, even though it is still flavorful. The mushrooms are fresh, not canned, I chose sweet peppers over hot peppers, onions were sweet red ones, and meatballs are good quality. The red sauce is not overly sweet with good flavor. The mozzarella is distributed right to the edges of the pizza allowing it to caramelize a bit giving some added crunch to the edges of the dough. The dough is neither too thin nor too thick and allowed to crisp on the bottom just enough to support all the toppings. This is truly the classic pizza that I grew up liking, and it is full of flavor. The phone order process was efficient and my request for a specified pickup time was honored to the minute. read more

Ralph's Tavern - Supreme w/ sausage, pepper, onion, mushroom, & meatball. - Italian Near Me - Albany, New York

What we had & rating: Garlic bread w/mozzarella - bad - barely tasted the garlic and the cheese wasn't even fully melted. Chicken parm - mid - for the price we kind of expected better, this you can definitely do at home Pizza w/ red sauce & ham - great - 14 bucks for a good size pizza with nice crust and more topping than your typical chain pizza place, A+ Pizza w/ white sauce & ham - mid - I guess the white sauce was supposed to be garlic sauce but it just didn't taste that great, sticking to normal tomato sauce next time Caesar salad- bad - idk what the dressing was but it tasted nothing like normal Caesar dressing which kinda sucked, again this you're better of making and enjoying at home. Tiramisu - good Service was chill at pickup, the lady at the entrance was polite and helped me out bc it said the order didn't go through online but it came in on their end. Idk about ambiance, the restaurant looked nice from what I could see and everyone seemed to have a great time there so take it for what it is. I would come back for the pizza mostly because it's pretty good for what it is and the price is okay. Food & service & stuff all together 4/5 stars is fair, just hope they make the necessary changes to really make the food stand out. read more

I just got my Uber Eats delivery from Ralph's Tavern. I'm always afraid to order wings for delivery because they usually come soggy, but these were not soggy and they were just as good when I order them when I am at the restaurant. I always order them crispy, but I think they're always crispy anyway, because I've also had them in-house, but they were crispy and they were good! They come with a generous side of celery and carrots. The blue cheese container is large enough to dip your wings. No skimping here! I ordered extra and don't think I needed to. I also got a pizza. Sausage and mushroom! So good! I'm so glad Ralph's has delivery. This restaurant is such a staple in our town and a great place to stop for a meal or just a pizza. read more

Here's the situation: My wife and I we're Christmas shopping and I really needed a beer and the wife was hangry. So why not have have a drink and some food? So we searched up Yelp and ended up here. So we walk in and our first impression is it's traditional and looks very nicely decorated. We sat down and the bartender greeted us extremely warmly and immediately. She was super friendly and very attentive, drinks came quick and she wiped the bar and we had coasters, napkins, silverware and menus all in the first minute. She was on it from the jump called us honey and was super warm, she had candles on the bar and was interacting with everyone. They need to protect her at all costs! On to the food! I got a 10 cut pizza with a bunch of meats and it was really good. Super crispy crust nice sauce and cheese and all of the toppings were fresh especially the hot sausage which was top notch. Another nice touch by the bartender was she gave me shakers of cheese, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper dedicated to me which I used and it really just put the pizza over the top. The wife ordered a French dip and that too did not disappoint! The meat was tender and she was offered a bunch of cheese options but settled on provolone. The roll was a show stopper, it tasted like it was fresh baked in house. If it wasn't kudos to whoever sourced the bread because it might be the best roll I have ever eaten in a bar/restaurant and I've had many. We both had draft beer and the bartender never let my glass get to the point where I was worried about the next sip. So I hate to be a downer but the only thing I can say we didn't like was ... and I say this with reservations ... there was a smell every time the water was used. It was slight at first but every time the bartender washed a glass or wiped the bar it became more noticeable. In the end I don't think it was a big deal because the beer tasted good and we didn't have any reactions but it was noticeable. I would go back and I recommend trying this place. They have an extensive menu and the staff seemed very engaged which for me always makes food taste better. Thanks for the fun afternoon and making Christmas shopping not suck! read more

Ralph's Tavern - Ten cut pizza with sausage, meatballs, and bacon. - Italian Near Me - Albany, New York

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Greeter 3/5- wasn't all that pleasant Waitress 4/5-that high pitched server voice is annoying Ambiance 2/5-Need a Chef Ramsey makeover. Very dated. Food 3/5- soup, potato, broccoli with nasty cheese...looked and tasted old. Watch out for the mice in the end. Won't be going back or ordering from there. Waitress knew about the mice issue which means the owner knows. Sad. read more

We placed an order for 4pm pickup, it wasn't ready until 4:15. Got the food home and the food was disappointing...cold, very small portion (2 small pieces of chicken) and lacked flavor. The salad was wilted and the cheesy garlic bread looked as though it had been prepared hours ago. Very disappointing for $53 read more

We love coming here for a nice Italian dinner. Tom Pleat is one of our favorite people to run into when we decide to pop in on a weekend. Don't have anything bad to say. read more

We celebrated my nephews graduation from Siena here last night! It was so delicious! I had the chicken French so good! Service was as amazing! Steph and Tom were so friendly and ensured we had everything we needed. It was a little loud inside but cozy! read more

If you dig family-owned Italian-American restaurants, there's none better than Ralph's. Tommy and Char treat us like family every time we stop in, and they treat everyone else the same way. We've tried everything on the menu and it's all fantastic, even the desserts. If you're in the Capital Region, absolutely give Ralph's a try. read more

Stopped in friday May 16 for celebration dinner for ACPHS graduate. Tom was outstanding and gave us VIP treatment after recognizing our daughter, Jessica. It's busy there so plan ahead. read more

Everything was super great! Food was amazing, service was amazing, and the ambiance was family friendly. Amber and Tom were great to have!

Very nice Italian restaurant! My dish was delicious! The shells were perfect! The sauce was perfect! The sausage was perfect! I recommend this restaurant for great Italian food! The staff was attentive and very friendly. read more

Ralph's Tavern - Shells and sausage. - Italian Near Me - Albany, New York

The food was delicious! I had the spaghetti with marinara Alfredo. The price for how much food you get is great! definitely could have share but I'll be having them as leftovers! Tom was super nice and funny. He felt bad for how long our food took, i honestly didn't think it was that long, and he gave us three free desserts, which were also very delicious! I'm not from around here and was recommended to come here. I will definitely recommend to others! read more

Everytime I'm near Albany, I eat here at least once. The food is always excellent, the staff is friendly and the atmosphere is local. I love this place! read more

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