WHAT BROUGHT ME HERE Located in the heart of downtown Troy,…read moreEmry's Garden stood out to me as it sits on the corner of an intersection in direct view of cars passing over the bridge into the city. I decided to eat here in celebration of getting a new job in the city. THE ATMOSPHERE Arriving at 8pm on a Friday night, the whole restaurant was packed. I made reservations so we were seated immediately. There was almost no overhead lighting- instead, most of the restaurant was lit by downward-lighting lamps at each table. Each table had a jar of flowers which added nice color to the environment; it was woodsy, but not in the polished, laminated sense. It felt more natural, cabin-like, combining well with the shrubbery, paintings with big frames, natural lighting from windows, and giant mirrors. The place was small, packed, and loud with people and background music. That's my only minor complaint; it was quite loud from all the people and everything was tight together, and I think the music was good, but would be even better with some more abstract, atmospheric score. This isn't the place to watch the game; there's no TV's. But it is the place to order a fancy cocktail or a Banana Bread Old Fashioned. And there is a bar. THE SERVICE I happened to know our waitress from high school on accident and she was wonderful. We were checked up on frequently, our food arrived fast, and the conversation was enjoyable. THE FOOD I ordered the Mickey's Riggies, a Rigatoni dish in marinara sauce mixed with peppers, chicken, mushroom, and Parmesan cheese. Flawless. My friend & I also got Bavarian Pretzel sticks as our starter and man, that buffalo sauce was good. Costed $60 without tip. THE BATHROOM My design professor once said if you want to understand the personality of a restaurant, check out its bathroom. Well, that didn't really apply to this place. The men's bathroom was a little jank, unlike the great atmosphere of the restaurant itself. It wasn't disgusting, just a little jank. BONUS: THE SPEAKEASY Yes, there's a speakeasy, but you're not going to learn about it on this Yelp review. You should visit it yourself if you get the chance. Dress up.

I love this place . I love the space. I love the ambience. I love the music. This is a really chill…read morebar with food that we've been coming to, on and off for a couple years, even before it was Emery's (The Beer Garden)- it's just a great spot. But today we came in for happy hour and had a perfect margarita and an Aperol spritz, which gave me a renewed appreciation for Aperol. To tomato off I had the most awesome delicious shrimp tacos that I've had in a very, very long time. It's worth the trip just to the shrimp tacos. Trust me people. This shit is the real real. The bomb!

Good place. Lived in, and feels like your own neighborhood bar. Good selection of beers, and…read morefriendly mindful service.

Overall a good experience! The Ruck has a great beer selection and a convenient beer menu that also…read moregives untapped ratings which was a helpful addition. The drinks came out quickly after we ordered them. The food took a decent amount longer. While we did wait 30 minutes for our food when it wasn't very busy , when it did come out it was hot and delicious. Flavorful wings, yummy disco fries/tots and some of the most well seasoned onion rings I've ever had. The atmosphere of the restaurant is classic pub food bar place but was well cleaned. Other than having to wait a little longer than usual for our food it was a great experience. We were so excited to eat by the time it came I did forget to take a photo of the food but it was all portioned well and well seasoned.

Ambiance food and service. The bar tenders are great. Food is delish and plenty of it.read more

What a great find! Great food, very friendly staff! Must have a great reputation because it was…read morereally busy. We sat at the bar so we didn't have to wait for a table. The bartender was awesome and earned a large tip from us. Both of our sandwiches were enormous and neither one of us was able to finish it. Delicious! Looking forward to the next time we are in the area.

We popped in to Ya Hala randomly after having to run a few errands in the area. There was ample…read morestreet parking so we were in no rush. The owner, Sal, came over to our table while we scanned the menus and introduced himself. He gave us a complimentary taco each and said "these are the best tacos you've ever had." I loved the confidence and I loved that he was right. It was love at first bite. We ordered a quesadilla, a chicken salad, a plate of fries, more tacos and a gyro (assuming we would be taking most of it home and eating it for dinner over the week) The quesadilla & gyro were delicious and fresh. They were still tasty as leftovers 2 days later. I wasn't crazy about the salad but that's probably my fault. Ya Hala does comfort junk food - this is not the time to be calorie-conscious. Sal checked in on us a number of times while we were eating. The restaurant is a small hole-in-the-wall with a few booths and a bathroom. I assume most of their business comes from people doing take out at the end of their work day. If I lived or worked closer, I would be a regular customer here. In the end, Sal packed our food in to-go boxes and gave us a free gyro as a surprise. At some point during dinner, my husband mentioned I was Yelp Elite. In the interest of full disclosure, at no point did Sal ask me to leave a favorable review or use his free food as a bargaining chip. This review is done without taking the free gyro into consideration.

These tacos are HEAD AND SHOULDERS above any Mexican restaurant I've ever tried! Not only is this…read morethe best taco/halal spot in Albany, it may be one of the BEST HIDDEN GEM spots in all of upstate NY. The portions are huge, the flavor is incredible, the food is real, fresh, and extremely high quality, fresh off the grill. The workers are the nicest guys and pride themselves on elite service. It's a nice small restaurant, perfect to bring a couple friends for great eats. Do whatever you can to get here!!

Pretty much the most amazing waffle I have ever had. Want this place at my house on command, just a…read moreridiculously tasty waffle. These are special waffles, liege, see here for more detail- http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2011/09/08/pikas-liege-waffles-at-the-troy-farmers-market They are so worth it, get one of the $1 mini's if you just need a snack!

Best Belgian waffle I've had outside of Europe. I've been craving them for months, and my patience…read morewas rewarded tenfold when I stumbled across Pika's Farm Table at Troy Farmer's Market. The Farmer's Market is great, and this, in my opinion, is the crown jewel among other truly fabulous vendors. 11/10 recommend

Love it here. It's a hidden gem in Cohoes, and small enough so not many people know about it just…read moreyet. I'm sure that will change in coming months/years though. They have an extensive wine list with something to please everyone, as well as some draft beers. Their food specials are always mouth watering, but their regular menu items are delicious as well. Check their facebook page for specials. Don't expect to go here looking for large portions and dinner sized entrees. This is a tapas restaurant...meaning you should go with friends and sample one of everything! I have never been disappointed in anything I've eaten. You can just tell that the quality of the ingredients is amazing, because everything is just SO GOOD!

When we went on yelp to look for a place to go and have a relaxing glass of wine, we saw that…read morespindles is a "wine" bar. Far from being a wine bar. It's probably one of the most fun "Dive" bars I have been to in years. If I was a local in the Albany area, Spindles "Wine" bar would be my go to place.

Service was great - looked liked the one employee was handling both bar and seated tables…read moreflawlessly. Recognized her regulars and was welcoming to all. Sat at the bar and all was very organized and neat. We've been to the 3 locations in the area and always enjoy the food / the tipsy chicken sandwich is a delectable combination of flavors. Onion rings were great. I ordered one of the specials - cheesy double crunch wrap - unfortunately was not crunchy (at all) and could not taste the habanero aioli - and I really wanted to. We will be back - hopefully for a crunchy crunch wrap next time. Thanks.

I had an overall ok experience here. It's a fun scene with plenty of TVs for sport viewing and…read moreseems like an enjoyable place for young and old alike. The service was also really pleasant. The waitstaff was quick, friendly, and professional. My biggest gripe was the food itself. My mother ordered the onion soup and it was...made wrong. It tasted alright but not like you would expect. It was wrong color, even, almost like they used chicken broth instead of beef. It lacked the depth that you expect with this dish. I ordered the Adirondack dip sandwich and this was also made wrong. The beef was under seasoned and over cooked. The sandwich was also missing the onions and the horseradish sauce they said it was served with so it was just meat and cheese. Overall the experience really wasn't awful, but I wouldn't choose this place myself.

Awesome local tavern with friendly staff and delicious eats!…read more I stopped in on a weekday for lunch and was immediately greeted by the bartender who was also the waitress for the whole place. Despite her being the only person up front, she warmly welcomed everyone and the service was great. I met a friend of mine who was craving wings so she ordered some hot wings and I got the Turkey Brie sandwich, which had turkey, brie cheese, apples and cranberry mayo on ciabatta bread with a side salad. The sandwich was delicious and piled high with turkey. My friend loved her wings too. Overall, the food was great as was the service. Definitely recommend!

After finally trying the Beef on Weck sandwich from the recommendation from a friend I was really…read moreglad I had. I ordered this as takeout and just had to take a couple of bites in the car before going home to try it nice and warm. This kind of sandwich is hard to find. A special roll needs to be used for this called a kimmelweck roll. A kimmelweck (or kummelweck) roll is a crunchy, Kaiser-type bread roll topped with coarse salt and aromatic caraway seeds, primarily known for defining the Buffalo, New York, "beef on weck" sandwich. Originating from 19th-century German immigrant traditions, they are usually filled with roast beef and soaked in au jus. The sandwich was loaded with juicy flavorful roast beef. The bun had caraway seeds and coarse salt all over the top of it which complimented the beef deliciously. It also had a horseradish sauce on the sandwich, so good. It was served with tasty fries and two little cups of au jus. I would definitely order this again.