First time but I will be back...fresh fish, good service, excellent tasting combinations, and ample parking in the back. Give it a try for sure. read more

It's been too long since my last review. I regularly order from here, Dave knows my name and my home as well as work addresses where I often have lunch delivered. I love Sake Café. The sushi is never over the top and is always fresh. Dave is always friendly and attentive, you really can't ask for better management. I haven't dined in in quite some time, but the last time we did, Dave greeted my party with a "We missed you, glad your here" shot of I think, quail egg, sea urchin, and something else. Horrifying to look at, I begged to pass it on to someone else, but to no avail... I have consumed sea urchin and lived. I will continue to dine here. The Tuna Dumplings are delicious! read more

Really good for both sushi and thai in the capital district. Food would be above average even compared to NYC standards. Nice atmosphere, and the owners seem to know alot of their clientele. The thai seems to be overlooked here. We've found Sake to have the best thai curry in the area. Really tasty. read more

Great food, chill servers, amazing place to drink with friends, and the sushi is as good as it gets in this region.

WORST EXPERIENCE & FOOD! I ordered take out and one of the containers was not properly closed so my sushi was hanging out the side (gross esp. during corona). One of the other containers also had a huge hole in it (gross again). Then my eel avocado roll had NO eel in it. When I called the restaurant to let someone know they VERY rudely tried to explain to me how sushi is made and that I essentially don't know what I'm talking about. Never again. I told my entire college to never order food from here. read more

I used to live down the street from Sake both on New Scotland Ave and in the Slingerlands P-Chopper plaza. Both places do not know how to use the deep fryer-every single time I have ever ordered crab ragoon they come out with a frozen center...I don't mind it because it is the only place in the Albany area that offers Snow Chicken (Since moving to CT-anytime I am home in the area I try to stop in to get this since I cannot find it anywhere else). It is good food-but they just don't heat it up enough, which makes me wonder how much of it is frozen and not made fresh, or made there at all. Try it out, it's pretty good. But I will agree with the other yelpers, the waitstaff is not friendly and they are very cold and can barely speak English. read more

I've had the general tso chicken at more than 10 Chinese restaurants in NYC and the one here was out of the world. For $8, you get a large portion of chicken, broccoli, rice, and a soup or salad. I tried the sushi here and I didn't like it too much. It is the largest sushi I've ever had and it too much of the sauce. The waitress was very nice but she her English wasn't that strong. Definitely a place to stop at if you are in Albany. Good quality food for a reasonable price. read more

I must say I want to really like Sake. I work a minute away and their lunch specials always sound good but judging by other Yelpers and the pictures this place is definitely not on the top of my charts when I want a tasteful lunch. A coworker of mine said lets skip sushi and get their Thai food. We called placed and order and they definitely get two stars for always making orders on time and packing the salads, soups and utensils in a proper fashion. I ordered the red chicken curry, not good. I knew it would be a hit or miss with chicken at a sushi place, these were flattened slivers of chicken breast (artificial tasting). The curry yes was red and had some heat, but pretty watered down, and soaked up everything the broccoli was cooked well and I wish I just ordered their vegetable option . I don't recommend the meat here Or the Thai curry in general. Maybe fried rice next time or the pad Thai, but by the reviews I don't want to try the Pad Thai either. I am disappointed in a sense of you have certain specials on the menu for lunch and make it often I think they should be done properly. I don't know if the sushi (lunch is so so average) will bring me back. Blowfish is still my go to for all those appetizer and sushi cravings. read more

Not only is Sake Cafe the best sushi resturant in the area, the hot entrees are phenomenal. The resturant carries a wide selection of Asian crusine, but are most well known for their Japanese food. I've become a regular customer since I discovered this tasty gem in Albany. My personal favorite the Drunken Noodles and the Ocean Rainbow Roll. I've attached photos of the latter. Whether you are looking for a delicious meal or just want to sit at the bar and watch your favorite sports team, you will have a splendid time. The ambiance is pleasant, suitable for almost any occasion. If you eat there during the summer, you can opt to eat streetside as they have seating there. Parking is never really an issue. If you can't find street parking in the front, there is a parking lot in the back. The staff are welcoming and I find very enjoyable to talk to. If you are of age, I would reccomend you try the various niche sake flavors that the resturant carries. read more

Sake Cafe - Sushi Bars Near Me - Albany, New York

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I used to live in downtown Albany, so I went there pretty often. I liked the food. Their sushi was ok.. compared to most of the places in Albany. (Try the "Tuna Dumplings"). BUT I stopped going there after an incident that happend about 4 months ago. I don't drink soda, so I always order pineapple juice or hot tea as my drink. That day, I ordered a glass of pineapple juice and the waitress looked confused. She said, "we don't serve pineapple juice." So I ordered green tea instead. Then, she came back from the kitchen and told me that they actually have pineapple juice and suggested me to change the green tea to pineapple juice. So I did. BUT my mistake!!!!!!!!!! When the "pineapple juice" came out, it was clear, viscous juice with alot of PULPS in them. It clearly wasn't pineapple juice. I have always ordered pineapple juice, and never in my life have gotten anything like this. Actually, it was the left over juice from a can of pineapples (which is used for preserving purposes). Before this happened, I went there at least once a week. BUT I haven't returned since. Ugh. read more

Sake Café. My saving grace. My guilty pleasure. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays their delivery drivers from bringing me piping hot bags of take out Asian cuisine. Nothing in the fridge on Tuesday? Sake. Work late? Sake. Lazy? Sake. It is embarrassing to admit, but I have never actually eaten inside their restaurant. But on the (rare) occasions that I've picked up my food, I've noticed that it's nice inside, and always populated by a diverse crowd. The restaurant is small, and dim, but nicely appointed and comfortable. You can also watch them make your sushi, which is always fun. That said, I've ordered from them on at least 30 occasions. Easily. The real number is probably, embarrassingly, even higher. I resort to Sake on the laziest of occasions. I know that to truly enjoy their food, I should have it served to me immediately after it's cooked. But on a snowy Monday night, ain't nobody got time for that. Sake Café attempts to, like many Asian restaurants in Albany, encompass many varieties of food. They have the standard Chinese fare (Sesame Chicken, Black Pepper Chicken), and Thai standards like Red and Panang Curry and Drunken Noodles. They also have, in my humble opinion, by far the best Hot and Sour soup that I've ever had. Fresh mushrooms of several variety. Generous portions of tofu, delicious slices of pickled cabbage and bamboo, and a not overly thick broth. There's no mystery meat, which is an excellent omission. It's the best, and the size you get as a side to an entrée is commendable. Personally, I would recommend that people stray from the "classic" Chinese entrees that they are most comfortable with and try their other offerings. They're better. I really enjoy the Red Curry, the Nebeyaki Udon, and Sunny Side Thai. That said, I do have a soft spot for their Black Pepper Chicken, which is a wonderful combination of sweet and spicy and savory, and somehow, no matter how long you take to open it up, is always steaming hot. The star of Sake Café for me though, is their sushi. They have a huge selection and variety of sushi. Proudly featured on their website is a (relatively dated) review by Steve Barnes proclaiming that they have the best sushi in Albany. And in general, I'm in agreement. To date, I have yet to find fresher fish at an Albany sushi joint. There are those who order sushi to enjoy fried things dripping in sauce. That is not really my style. And their Maki combo is the antithesis to such complicated monstrosities. No spicy mayo accoutrement, no fried crumblies; just rice, fish, and seaweed. And man, is it some tasty fish. Some outstanding salmon and tuna, and I have never once been disappointed by a suspiciously fishy piece. And they are so liberal in their use of it. There are plenty of times that the piece of fish is separated from the nori by only the thinnest layer of rice, sometimes just two grains. So often you'll order sushi and the piece of fish is the size of a pencil wrapped in old sticky rice and stale nori. Not here. It is consistently excellent. With that said, for those who do like those elaborate massive rolls, Sake Café has you covered, with more than a dozen varieties. Rating Sake Café is difficult for me. It's a place that I love and rely on, so it gets an extra star for that. Some of their standard Chinese options are pretty basic, and would get 3 stars. Some of their offerings are better, and I give them 4 stars. The sushi definitely gets 5, because as far as value and freshness goes, it's unbeatable. I think I just have to average them, and go with 4. TL;DR? I love Sake Café. It's my go-to takeout spot. There are probably "better" Asian restaurants in Albany, but not are as reliable, consistently delicious, and happy to deliver to my lazy self. And none of them have sushi that is as tasty and fresh. read more

The ambiance of this place is more rustic Italian looking than a Japanese restaurant. It's still cute though and the lighting is romantic. The staff is very nice as well.The spinach soup was thick and tasteless....the rolls though...they are best rolls I've ever eaten. The fish taste fresh and they fill them generously. They also aren't overloaded with rice on the outer part of the roll so it feels lighter. I ordered the Malaysian eggplant and Drunken noodles as well...both excellent. read more

My favorite place for sushi in Albany very reasonably priced. All of the fish is fresh and delicious and if i had to choose a favorite entree it would definitely be the duck. It's outta this world. read more

I came here only once and I'm sad to report that I had a very 'meh' experience. I had heard such good things and I was eager to give it a shot. But you let me down, Sake Cafe. You let me down. My co-worker and I happened to be in the neighborhood, and I'd been wanting to check the place out, so we stopped in for lunch. I have a few gripes, but some positive things to say also, so I'll start with the pros. The waitress was very attentive and friendly, quick to refill water glasses and had us in and out within our allotted 30 minutes. Not too shabby. The atmosphere is casual but nice. The quality of the food seemed pretty good, but for purposes of full disclosure, I was in recovery from a sinus infection so my taste buds weren't really on point that day. Now for the cons. Before I go on, I should say that I'm not cheap by any means, but I also don't like to feel like I've been duped. When my friend told the waitress which two sushi rolls she wanted, the waitress asked if she also wanted soup or salad, pleasantly pointing out the lunch special which offers two rolls and a salad/ soup for $8. The regular price for the rolls she picked was $4 apiece, so the lunch deal essentially meant that the salad was free. So I then ordered my two rolls and also asked for a salad, figuring I'd take advantage of the special as well. Unfortunately, when the bill came, it turned out that because one of my rolls was $4 and the other was $4.50, my order did not qualify for the lunch special. I was charged full price for my meal, which came to $10.50, while my friend's was only $8. Maybe there is some fine print explaining this detail somewhere in the menu, but I didn't see it, and I felt like I was misled because the waitress didn't point it out to me. I'm really not losing sleep over $2.50, but I would not have otherwise ordered a small $2 bowl of iceberg lettuce. The other annoyance was the small size of the rolls. I know they're inexpensive, and I would have been happy to order three instead of my usual 2-roll lunch portion, but it was too late to add to the order given our previously mentioned short time frame. They give you six pieces instead of 8, which is fine, but they are rather small bites. The amount of rice in the rolls was laughable. Really, I don't think my rolls had 1/3 the rice as those pictured in the shot posted by Audrey K. I should have taken a photo, but it didn't cross my mind at the time. There was a single layer of rice around the seaweed, but it was so sparse and spotty that it didn't even fully cover the seaweed. Maybe this had something to do with the fact that the sushi chefs seemed distracted by the TV behind them while they made our rolls... I'm not sure. So in conclusion, I'm not in any real hurry to come back to Sake Cafe. I suppose I'd be willing to give it a second chance if someone I'm dining with wants to eat here, but I'll definitely be ordering some extra food next time... just in case this rice situation was not a fluke. read more

Solid sushi and Thai food here. My favorite special rolls are the Monkey Roll, Crazy Couple Roll, and Spicy Girl Roll. The curry portions are huge when you order take out, they come in the big rectangular containers. Good quality food and good prices. read more

Seriously the best food and best prices around. Their lunch sushi menu is very inexpensive and incredibly tasty. I will drive from Schenectady to Albany to get their food. Chicken Pad Thai is so yummy too!!! read more

Granted, it's not as amazing as it was when it first opened, but I only drop by to get my sushi lunch fix. You can't go wrong with 3 rolls for $10 with soup or salad for a very filling and satisfying lunch. I don't know about anything else, because I only get sushi lunch there now. It's definitely worth the stop for lunch, although they can be a bit slow. read more

Sake is delicious for both sushi & hot food. The pineapple at the end of the meal is a nice touch too.

Really good sushi! Hard to compete against the all you can sushi place next door but if that place is packed, walk two doors down and go to sake cafe! The ambiance is a bit dark but the service was good :) read more

Sake was excellent; I had great tofu spinach soup (huge portion), tender shrimp shumai that melted in my mouth, a Rainbow Roll that tasted as good as it looked and a very attentive waitress who always seemed to be there when needed. My one complaint: I didn't notice the chalkboard with specials until I left and wasn't verbally offered them; they looked very interesting. I seem to remember that's typical in a Japanese restaurant, but it was slightly annoying. Now I have to go back! read more

Got sushi delivered from Sake Monday night. Got such terrible food poisoning I missed a day and a half of work. And the rolls are very small and the prices aren't exactly a bargain. Sake Cafe? I think not... read more

I love Sake Cafe. I have been to others in the Capital Region and they always use too much rice. The sushi rice at Sake is much more flavorful and they don't use to much. You can taste everything. They make rolls to order and are very reasonable. They now have a bar with wine, sake and beer if you like. Service is personable without being cloying. The owner is wonderful and can't do enough for you. Both locations are simply and tastefully decorated. read more

My colleagues and I went to Sake Cafe after a long day of work. We really wanted an awesome meal to help us relax, but Sake didn't quite cut it. We got a variety of appetizers, which no one was too thrilled with. One person got the fried dumplings which she said were good, but everyone else was just kind of meh about theirs. The appetizer I got was spicy tuna rolls. They were fine. I guess if you don't eat sushi often they would be ok. But really they were just fine. For dinner I got the Thai Basil with Chicken. It was pretty good - lots of fresh veggies and a good flavor. We had to ask for extra hot sauce though because it had nooo spice to it at all. The miso soup that came with the meal also had no flavor. Overall if you're in a bind it's fine. Just fine, nothing else. Don't get the sushi if you've ever had sushi before in your life at a nice sushi place, you will just be underwhelmed. Definitely won't be dragging the co-workers back here on our next trip. read more

This is a solid sushi restaurant. They have good sushi at standard prices for the area. It's always fresh and they serve good sized portions. And I like that it's kind of a hole in the wall type place, but is still very good. The staff has been friendly every time I've stopped in. I've only ever ordered sushi here, but whenever I look at the food on other tables, I instantly crave what they're eating. Everything looks so good. I'm looking forward to trying more than just their sushi. read more

Ordered to go last night for the first time. Came up to visit my boyfriend at Law School. Food was pretty good and good portions. We got Beef Pad Thai- though there could have been more beef and not sure it was not mixed. There also was hardly any sauce. We also ordered the Godzilla roll which was delicious as well as the Crazy Monster. Overall good. read more

Lovely sushi! Service was prompt and staff were friendly. Would definitely want to come here again the next time I visit the area.

Sushi, Chinese food, and Thai food...everything on the menu was delicious! We had the Gozilla roll, monkey roll, seaweed salad, and drunken noodles. I want to go here every night so I can try everything on the menu. The staff was so nice and even though the place was packed they seemed to sit everyone quickly. read more

Although I don't claim to have visited every sushi place in the region, this is the best one I've come across. Everything is delicious and prepared with obvious care. The ambiance is tasteful. My only concern is that the service is *sometimes* sub-par... there's sometimes a language issue (wrong food comes out after pained attempts to communicate what I wanted), and I've had one outright rude server. But the quality of the food more than compensates for the occasional blips with the service. It's by far my favorite place for sushi. read more

This is our neighborhood sushi place, but it's also worth a trip! There's a great selection, the sushi and other entrees are terrific -- all very fresh and tasty, the servers are all really nice and appropriately attentive, and I find the prices are lower than other local (nice, sit down) sushi/Asian restaurants. read more

Co workers swear by this place and boy were they right !!! Asparagus roll and Thai. Red curry with chicken was enough for dinner and tomorrow's lunch ! Chicken was perfectly cooked ... Red curry spicy but not overwhelming .. Lots of fresh veggies delicious !!!! read more

My favorite sushi place in upstate NY. Love love it. Always fresh and delicious. Only one concern - I feel like their tuna dumplings are getting smaller and smaller :( But price stays the same read more

Mike and I have been going there for years it seems. We live in Catskill and take the drive. The staff are the best and treat us like family. LOVE THEM and the FOOD!!!! read more

Our go to place for sushi. Warm saki....cold fish. Nothing better.

Dave and his staff are so attentive and remember all their customers :) amazing selection of rolls and the fish is very fresh :) prices very reasonable and outdoor seating is great! read more

Food was good, prices were above average. Interior space was small and cozy, but that is about the only compliment I can give this place. About an hour after getting home my wife and I both got horrible stomach pain. I will spare everyone from the rough details, but let me say this, If you want to spend the rest of your night living in the bathroom, then rush over to this place! All the money we spent immediately went down the toilet and our nice relaxing evening turned into anything but that. read more

Service was kinda mediocre, my waitress was just too busy I think. She needed more help. The waiter was better, he didn't serve my table but came by to take my additional order and inquire about my friend's appetizer since it wasn't out yet and the rest of our party's food was. I really enjoyed the dessert - mango mochi, and fried ice cream tempura in chocolate. It was tasty, and plated very nicely. I would definitely come back for this! Do arrive early if you want Mango Sticky Rice, since it was sold out by the time I got there. Overall enjoyed the ambience and I highly recommend this place. read more

Best sushi in Albany by far. The price is very reasonable, and the fish is the freshest I've tasted by far. The atmosphere is very inviting for a date, or a casual meting with friends. Service was very good, and drinks were always refilled promptly. Makes for a great night out. Parking is also very easy to find nearby. read more

I was really disappointed when Totem on Lark St closed so much that I rarely had the sushi in Albany because I was just too frightened. Albany, raw fish...just didn't seem like a convincing combo for me. I decided to check out Sake after a couple of folks raved about it on Facebook. I can now eat sushi in Albany again. Amazing sushi, excellent quality and BYOB to boot!! The service was fine...nothing horrible nothing amazing. The variety and quality is more than enough to make me go back again...and again...and again. read more

Been there a few times Good sushi, especially the snow mountain & the new Scotland rolls But the Thai food is sub par As for appetizers, Don't get the fried oysters nor the mussels... read more

The sushi I had was absolutely amazing. The servers were nice and friendly. The atmosphere was really comfortable and I loved it.