Driving through Utica and decided to try one of the locally known breweries. There was no off the street parking so we parallel parked on the side road. Walked into a gated open patio area with picnic tables and a small bar. There was a couple of couches with pergolas in the back grass area. On the opposite side of the bar was a window to order food. They did provide menus at the window. Grabbed a drink from the bar and sat down at one of the picnic tables. After a little while we ordered food from the window, didn't really like this concept as you had to get up and order it, pay and then go get it yourself when the beeper went off. Luckily it wasn't busy so our table and drinks were untouched by other patrons. Ordered the Dooley and the turkey BLT, got a choice for a side dish opted for fries and tots. Food didn't take long and was good. After you're done they have a trash can and an empty tray station to return too. No one came to clean the table, no one picked up empty glasses so we put ours on the bar when leaving. Staff was friendly. Cool little spot to pop into for a drink. They had big jenga on some of the tables and cornhole in the back. read more

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They only have tours on Fridays and Saturdays. There is a charge for the tour. I was there on a Wednesday so no tour. I did visit the gift shop and I went upstairs to the barn restaurant. I tried a couple beers. They were both OK. Nothing that blew me away. It was a little bit nostalgic since I used to live in northern New York and Saranac beer was probably my gateway into craft beer. I got a 12 pack to go and a sticker. Very cool ambience of a very old building. I walked around the tour area a little bit. Free parking on the side of the brewery. In nicer weather they have an outdoor beer garden. The bartender seemed very busy, she was serving the entire restaurant. read more

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The decor of the building is so unique! We had a party of six. We were greeted and seated promptly. Our drinks came out quickly. Our food was delicious. Can't wait to my next visit! read more

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This place is awesome. The bar/restaurant is in an 1800s brewery and doesn't disappoint. Bar/wait staff were friendly and informative. The Big Matt burger tasted great and as imagined, the beer selection had something for everyone. It was a little cold in dining room. read more

Saranac Brewery - Big Matt Burger and fries - Beer Bar Near Me - Utica, New York

Highly recommend brewery tour. Our group of 8 all loved it. Tour guide was very knowledgeable! read more

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We were a group of about 18 people and we all had an amazing time. The Saranac Brewery was a five minute walk or three minute drive from our hotel. We drove and there was plenty of parking. We all had different beers and I know that everyone enjoyed their excellent drinks. It was a beautiful day and a fun-relaxing time. The staff here is an extremely friendly group and was looking forward to the questions of the guests. The only food we tried was the pretzel. Yum.... It was soft-warm-tasty delicious. When we weren't drinking or eating, I was running around taking pictures. Loved the peach and blueberry beers. Super tasty and smooth. Besides the great food and drink, the venue here is great for pictures. As a photographer I was really enjoying the backdrops. Beautiful building, great gift shop and an overall fun place to spend some time with friends. KUDOs to the team at Saranac Bewery. read more

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Stopped into the 1888 tavern at the Saranac Brewery for a draft and a bite to eat. It was almost empty when we arrived - the decor hasn't changed and brought me back to my youth - the bar, walls and architecture hasn't changed in 50 years - it's spectacular. Bartender was also our waitress and she brought us drafts (Uncle Charlie of course) but there were many other types to order as well. Ordered the Reuben sandwich and when the chef delivered it she said...enjoy your happiness....now I'm not sure if that was intended for the food alone because having a brew in a bar that I wandered around as a toddler was good enough for me... I was in my happy place. The Reuben was good, fries very good. Can't wait to come back - please bring back the brewery tours! read more

Saranac Brewery - Reuben and fries - Beer Bar Near Me - Utica, New York

We hadn't been on the tour in years, so we figured why not revisit. It was a little more informative than I remembered. We had a great tour guide who told us some interesting stories about the brewery. It was a nice surprise to get a full cup sample of one of the beers in the tank. And it was good! Just wish I caught which one it was. We ate at the 1888 Biergarten after and the food was so good! It's always been a hidden treasure in West Utica. read more

1888 Tavern event Friday night for prohibition. Place was packed. 1 bar tender upstairs. 4pm ran out of beer and food. Very unorganized. No glasses available for flights and some of the beers AT A BREWERY tapped out. Fish was ok nothing great. Goulash was served earlier to someone sitting at our table very large portion. Mine portion dry, limited meat and 1/3 the size. Mostly Mac and cheese. Bread toasted one side only. Table by us had large pretzel looked great. Ordered one got sticks. They ran out. Never told by server or offer to cancel. Downstairs speak easy. Separate deal. Selling beer tickets, ran out of beer. Tickets had to be used upstairs which was a zoo. Service very limited. Note to management. You are a BREWERY how do you run out of beer and flight glasses? Run out of food!!! Stop serving. Very poorly organized and unprepared. read more

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I stopped into the 1888 Tavern for some food and drinks. They have a nice Biergarten, but it was pouring out, so they had the inside open with full service. It was my first time there since they have food service and serving liquor. The Tavern has always been nice--a rusty and modern look. The area isn't big, but it is big enough for a decent-sized group. Our table ordered loaded Nachos, salt and vinegar fries, Nashville fried Chicken, and a Burger, and it was all delicious especially the loaded nachos. It was overly loaded. The prices for food and drinks are reasonable. Fast forward to October; they had Oktoberfest that month. The weather was perfect, so I stopped by their Biergarten. They had music playing, traditional German dances, and games, and were serving their whole food and drink menu. Children and dog-friendly area. It was a good time and an excellent addition to the Utica area. read more

3.5 rounding up. My biggest thing is that there needs to be more shady spots and different types of conversation pockets/seating. The beer is good and the staff is friendly. read more

Stopped here before heading to the Adirondacks for a weekend in a cabin and I'm thrilled I did. Fantastic beer with a robust selection. Food was solid. And the beer garden was incredible. read more

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This is our 3rd or 4th visit to Saranac when we are in the area. We had a great time. The tavern upstairs is odd. We didn't have cash so purchased tokens downstairs. Can't leave a tip when trading tokens for drinks so it's bizarre and feel bad for the bartenders. Bartenders were fabulous and loved the variety and selection. We did a brewery tour a few years ago and loved the history and ambiance of the building. read more

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Burgers were great. Beer was great. My dog had a fun time walking around. Very relaxed atmosphere.

It was a hot summer night in Utica and the beer garden at Saranac (the old Utica Club brewery) was a great place to try some beer, get sandwiches and listen to the live music coming from across the street! A diversity of ages and groups were gathered at the picnic tables sprinkled around the "garden." The shop inside sells beer, Saranac Sodas, merch and more. An enjoyable stop on our eastbound NYS Thruway roadtrip. read more

Was home for a quick visit and was lucky to stop by the brewery store while the brand new beer garden was open and the weather was a perfect Upstate NY Fall day. Great service, amazing beers, food available, plenty of seating and an excellent new spot on Varick St. I can't say enough about the kindness and superior customer service shown by every single employee we came in contact with. From the merch shop to the beer garden staff. Great people with smiles and bent over backwards to make sure we had a good time. The brewery's Vice President (Mr. Dan Voce) even came down and bought me a beer. Can't ask for more than that. Don't miss this place if you're visiting or if you live nearby. Good time GUARANTEED. read more

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Had an amazing time. great food, excellent drinks. Was there with my cousin and some friends for a little winter fest. I'm happy to say I won at the Stein Holding contest haha! Awesome time, Great staff! read more

Saranac Brewery - Beer Bar Near Me - Utica, New York

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Such a beautiful, historic building. The staff is always friendly, and the beer selection is fantastic. We're usually here as a pit stop during a road trip so we always buy a few cases to bring back home. The gift shop has items for every price range (stickers, drink coozies, clothing, collectable drinkware). The bathrooms in both the gift shop area and tour area are always clean and well stocked. read more

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Tucked away in the downtown, this brewery had a nice parking area and very friendly employees. It looks like they operate brewery tours but we just went into the store. Tons of Saranac merchandise including a fantastic selection of quirky steins. Prices were really high though. The clothing was just too much for me to buy (maybe for a real fan it was justified). They even had an older bin of on sale clothing and that was still expensive. They had a good selection of beers - we picked up limited edition s'mores and I can report it really tasted as advertised so that was nice. I also got a cool pumpkin print (overpriced but figured why not). Fun to look around and get some beer to take home. read more

Went here on a Thursday, the bar tender Dom was so nice! Made you feel very welcomed. Can't wait to go back!! Hoping they get better hours l, especially later in the week. read more

Never failing to experiment, Saranac has created 100 Series IPA, a summer session "swiller" ...4% alcohol (Miller & Bud light have 5%+) and only 100 calories, but who's counting when the unique IPA hop flavor allows this lean liquid to have a great presence. Don't compare 100 to a big bold major IPA, but enjoy the summer guzzler for what it is. PROOF: My son had a party and someone brought PBR. "Certain people" unexpectedly drank all my 100 stash; the PBR is remaining... read more

Wasted trip. They don't have anything on tap and the only 6 packs they have you can find in stores. Nothing special. Might as well just go to the store. read more