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    Ria's Bistro

    4.5 (53 reviews)
    Closed 8:30 am - 4:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    Ria's Bistro Photos

    Business Info

    RIA'S BISTRO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Good for kids
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    The Roast Beef Grilled Cheese Sandwich Aka Lark Sandwich
    Sovy M.

    This place is it. There is no going further. Remember when Lark Street neighborhood was bustling with great food and then the pandemic hit and it was hard to find any good food to eat? Without paying an arm and a leg. This place on State Street is all about bringing business and money back to Downtown Albany. I had the best Roast Beef Grilled cheese. I am a Desi person (Pakistani) so I very rarely eat sandwiches but you know when I do decide to get one, it has to be the best kind, oozing and hot and all. This was the Best Roast Beef Grilled cheese sandwich I had, with cheese, horse radish, mayo and banana peppers for the sizzle. It was mouth watering, I am drooling just reliving that memory of my lunch I had there. They call it "Lark" Sandwich. Which I thought was so cute. *there was no strings that normal cheap roast beef has, also the bread was super fresh and toasted. Plus the best part was they let me wash my hands. Which was their sweetest gesture after I begged them, because I had a rough day and needed to wash my hands. They don't have public bathrooms but they made an exception and they didn't know that I am a reviewer and YouTuber as well. I am in Love with this place. They have a lot of baked goodies too. The YouTube review link is below, if you care to check it out. https://youtu.be/njVufz8LZmQ

    Menu
    Louise K.

    Ria's Bistro is a tiny space with epic sandwiches! (I haven't tried breakfast..yet!) We happened upon it and are quite happy we did! My husband got the State Street- Roast beef, white cheddar, lettuce, tomato, horseradish mayo on a ciabatta roll. You also get a side of chips. I had the capitol. Basically an Italian with an olive spread on a French baguette. (I am posting a picture of the menu). Both sandwiches were amazing! The bread was fresh and the meats were exceptional. The portions are quite big in my opinion. I couldn't finish the whole sandwich. Rest assured, I took it home with me! Highly recommend this spot! The staff was friendly and helpful!

    The Assembly Grilled Chicken Sandwich sooo good I swear you won't regret it.

    The place is going somewhere, I love it. Food is good, customer service 10/10, I don't know what else to say. Try it and you won't regret it

    Capitol Sandwich

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    2 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

    The food is so delicious and cooked perfectly. The staff are friendly, and it is such a cute spot right downtown

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    3 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    Maria L.

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great food, awesome service, lovely lunch spot near the Capitol and the concourse. Good sized servings too.

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    3 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Straight gas. It's so good. Def would recommend. It's all good. I want more. Mmmmmmmmmmm

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    2 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Amazing sandwich! I have a recommend this place. The bread was fresh baked this morning. The Service was fast and the coffee was strong.

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    7 years ago

    Great little cafe in Albany. Bread is great. Fresh mozzarella. Friendly staff. Great cappuccino.

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    8 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

    The sandwich I had was different from the norm and very good - an excellent lunch choice.

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    4 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Small, but with a wide variety of breakfast and lunch options. I got the barge sandwich minus bread and cheese... perfectly done!

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    5 years ago

    Delicious sandwiches and friendly people. Next time I'm in Albany I'm going to eat at Ria's

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    Ask the Community - Ria's Bistro

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    Herbie's Burgers - Fries

    Herbie's Burgers

    3.9(11 reviews)
    0.3 mi

    Place is interesting & possibly a local chain but they do good & opted for "The Herbie" which is…read moretwo patties smashed with onions & ketchup & fries side. Service was swift/efficient/notify when it's time.

    While attending the Train Extravaganza at Empire State Plaza we took a break for lunch at Herbie's…read moreBurgers. First of all, let me tell you, this little food court in the Empire State Arterial Mall is cool as all get out!. I had no idea there was anything inside this structure other than the parking garage because most of the time I am hanging on the roof which is the ground level of Empire State Plaza with reflecting pools and this time of year, an ice skating rink. Now back to Herbie's, nearly every on the menu has a vegan counterpart. The burger patties are homemade and really good, no processed Impossible burgers here! The shake was really good, the birthday cake flavor was a special this month and although they ran out of rainbow sprinkles the flavor was still delicious. I love that hint of tahini! The cashier was very apologetic about not having sprinkles but it was totally cool. You can't go wrong with shoestring fries and the large size is enough to share. If you have never been, check it out. This location also offer new chicken bites and has a coffee bar.

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    Herbie's Burgers - Vegan double and a birthday shake for me with fries and a traditional double and coffee for my friend

    Vegan double and a birthday shake for me with fries and a traditional double and coffee for my friend

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    McDonalds

    McDonalds

    2.0(7 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $

    The nugs were horrible under cooked!!!!! and the service…read moretalked back to me!!!!!!! to noisy in there !!!!!!!! in a summary HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    This is your typical McDonalds. It mainly serves state employees and visitors to the plaza. At…read moretimes it can get super busy (like, 20-40 people in line busy) and at other times there is no one at all in the lobby. The cafeteria adjoining it is used for all restaurants in the concourse, and it is a decent place to eat even though it is really dark (lighting wise, and color choice wise). They have your usual suspects that are found at most McDonalds. However, my favorite item (the McChicken sandwich) is not available. Not even at a marked-up price. They just don't offer that size chicken patty at this location. If they did, it would likely sell too fast to keep up with demand. As a result, my diet has gone a lot better than expected. You can order on your smartphone via an app., but since I have a flip phone I can't. That's okay with me, as I pay them to take my order. When they pay me to take my order, I will consider using the app. It opens early (6:30) and closes at 6PM. Those hours are for all seven days of the week, though I am not sure if they are accurate. I have seen them open on weekends during special events at the plaza, but never came here during a normal, non-event weekend. Fun fact: If you go to the McDonalds website and look up this location, it lists drive through hours. If you try that, the Police Department located next door would arrest you on the spot.

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    McDonalds
    McDonalds - Btw this is me

    Btw this is me

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    Cornerstone at the Plaza

    Cornerstone at the Plaza

    3.7(3 reviews)
    0.3 mi

    I had a work conference here and had the pleasure of having both a buffet style breakfast and a…read morebuffet style lunch. Breakfast was basic, but good. Eggs, potatoes, bacon, bagels. A few other pickings, but I don't remember. Potatoes were seasoned well and bacon was super crispy, just the way I like it! Lunch was different kinds deli sandwiches. Italian, tuna, and turkey. Chicken noodle soup, salad, chips and cookies. I had the turkey sandwich. It was tasty, until I had a bite of what I suppose was raspberry spread/jam? I felt it was out of place and not necessary. The chicken noodle soup was delish! Hearty and big pieces of chicken. Definitely made my insides warm on the cold day that Albany had yesterday. Service was great. Waitress made sure to clear out table of plates and utensils as soon as we had finished our meal. My only complaint that I have is that the bathrooms are all the way downstairs. So technically it's not fully part of the restaurant space as a whole.

    I came here with coworkers while celebrating a special Office occasion. It was an interesting…read moreexperience that I might be willing to try again. First off, we made reservations and had our own table but I don't think they were entirely necessary as we saw lots of people come and go without them. Dress is very relaxes, with some people coming from work for lunch in suits and others in torn up jeans and t-shirts. Getting here was odd. It is off of a hallway off of the concourse, and though there is a sign it isn't obvious and I was glad I came with friends who knew the way. Upon entering the elevator, there were two options: restaurant (floor 2) and bathrooms (floor 1). Yup, they are on separate floors. The elevator dumps you in the very middle of the restaurant which I considered awkward. Leaving to use the restroom involves waiting in the middle again for the elevator, and then returning via the same manner. The buffets were wooden boards that were set up on saw horses in the middle of the room with power cords to the heaters and heat lamps. It seemed a bit amateurish but I suppose since they only do the buffet once a week they have to keep it easy to set up and break down. Every Thursday they do an Italian buffet lunch (and I don't think they do any other regular meal service) which apparently has various items that rotate. Today it was: Appetizers: Caesar Salad; Chopped Garden Salad; Grilled Vegetable Salad; Frittata with Four Cheeses; Eggplant & Tomato Compote; Crusty Bread Main dishes: Penne Primavera with Oil and Garlic; Rigatoni Bolognese; Chicken Parmesan; Porchetta; Grilled Vegetable Medley Desserts: Assorted Italian Desserts & Pastries (They had about 6 different dessert options.) The food on average decent. It is all served buffet style so dishes may get dried, sauces will congeal, and vegetables will weep water. I thought the chicken parm. was decent, I enjoyed the rigatoni Bolognese, and considered the frittata a standout dish. I took what I thought was a cream puff for dessert but it was filled with chocolate chip cannoli filling instead (I think). The staff were pleasant and frequently refilled the buffet. However, they kept taking our plates but wanted us to keep our dirty silverware which we had to put on the table cloth. By the end of the meal service, that cloth must look pretty bad. Prices were fair, I think $13 a person. However, it just felt really awkward at times. It felt like a restaurant was being crammed into a space that didn't really work (and at one time this was a really nice restaurant so I have been told). While it has the luxury of boasting the only buffet at the Plaza, I don't think I would come back unless there was another special Office function.

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    Cornerstone at the Plaza
    Cornerstone at the Plaza
    Cornerstone at the Plaza

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    El Mariachi Mexican Restaurant II - The first hair we found in our lengua tacos.

    El Mariachi Mexican Restaurant II

    3.6(240 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    We had a large group head to El Mariachi to celebrate a friend's engagement and they absolutely…read morehandled it like pros! From the moment we sat down, the staff was incredibly attentive--our drinks arrived quickly and they were right there to take everyone's orders without missing a beat. What really impressed us was that all of the food came out at the same time and piping hot, which is no small feat with a big group! I ordered the chicken tostadas. I personally thought they could have used just a little more flavor, but they were still good and I definitely enjoyed them. If you're in the downtown Albany area and looking for a place that can handle a crowd while keeping service quick and friendly, I would absolutely recommend El Mariachi. Managing a large, celebratory group like ours isn't easy, but they did a fantastic job!

    Stopped at El Mariachi before the MVP Arena show with my esposa, mi suegra, and a mutual friend who…read moresomehow knows everyone and no one at the same time. Weather was solid, so we sat outside -- big win. Sunshine, cold drinks, and a light breeze carrying the scent of sizzling carne asada. Chef's kiss. First off -- the drinks hit colder than your ex's last text. Margarita was so cold I think I saw it shiver. My wife said, "Is this lime fresh-squeezed?" I said, "Mi amor, I don't care if it was stomped by angels -- it's delicious." Food? Traditional Mexican, not that drive-thru Tex-Mex confusion. Real-deal tacos, cheesy enchiladas, fresh guac so creamy it had my suegra nodding silently like it was church. If she approves, it's legit. Service was quick, chill, and friendly. Our server hit us with the perfect combo of "do you need anything?" and "I'll leave you alone to vibe." Respect. She called my suegra "señora" with such grace I swear the tip doubled on impact. Pro tip: go early before a concert. Parking was a breeze, we were in and out, and still had time to people-watch all the chaos downtown. By the time we got to the arena, we were full, feeling muy bien, and ready to scream along to songs we only halfway know. Final thoughts: El Mariachi isn't just dinner -- it's a vibe. A pregame party with tamales instead of tailgates. Good prices, cold drinks, and tacos that'll haunt your dreams (in a good way). ¡Dale! Don't sleep on this place.

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    Au Bon Pain - Pecan croissant and coffee

    Au Bon Pain

    2.7(7 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $

    I have eaten from here on occasion and it is pretty good. They mostly do sandwiches and salads, and…read morethe sandwiches I have ordered were freshly made and not skimpy on the fillings. Prices are equivalent to the other areas around the ESP- not cheap, but not expensive. My favorite things that they have are their baked goods (cookies, brownies, croissants, etc.) I don't have them often, but now and again something sweet isn't a bad thing. There are many places in the ESP that have coffee, including DD, here and McDonalds. I don't drink coffee so I can't say which is best. They close mid-afternoon, and the two other areas do the same, so if you get a hankering towards the end of the day you might be out of luck.

    Use to be my favorite place to stop in NYC for some treats to bring home but been going now near…read morehome and I'm loving it. A great place to stop in for lunch. Many sandwiches, soups and treats to pick from. My favorite things are the jalapeno bagels and the chipotle turkey and avocado. Oh my is it so good. Don't get me wrong the other stuff is just as delicious too but we all have our favorites. Occasionally they will run out of the roasted tomatoes used for the chipotle turkey and avocado and am very disappointed to get regular tomatoes on my sandwich, and it's never a good surprise when I get back to work to eat lunch. The prices are on the higher side but once in a while it's a good splurge.

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    Au Bon Pain - Chipotle turkey with avocado

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    Chipotle turkey with avocado

    Ria's Bistro - delis - Updated May 2026

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