We just had a get together with over 2 dozen people , pizza, wings and drinks. I am amazed at how…read morewell it all went. Hot food and drinks always. The staff was super and we will be back.

Food and staff are amazing. The portions and their pizza/wings are award winning. Like the…read moreatmosphere and they are one of only a few that have beautiful outdoor patios

What a find! We had tickets to see a show at the Cohoes Music Hall and found a Groupon for…read moreSpindles. Since the weather was iffy, we didn't purchase the Groupon ahead of time...but the nice young man that was both bartending and waiting tables gave us a heads-up about it. We purchased it prior to the end of our meal and saved a few bucks. Spindles is a small, intimate space with a lovely tapas menu and a few regular sized meal choices. There's a nice wine and beer selection as well. Service was good. We decided to try a few different items to share as much as we could possibly eat. We ordered rather rich, winter-centric (IMHO) food: Bacon wrapped dates, Chicken Pot Pie, Warm Baked Brie and Rosemary Cashews. There were several other tapas that looked appealing (ahi tuna, for example), but they were out of a few things (including the tuna). The Bacon wrapped dates (that include some chorizo) were sweet and savory - just as expected. They are drizzled in honey with plenty left over on the plate for additional slathering. The brie is almost like a dessert - the brown butter whiskey sauce is super sweet. The walnuts add a nice crunchy texture and the bread was served hot. We started with the rosemary cashews and a couple of glasses of red wine (Malbec...from the tap!). The chicken pot pie sealed the deal. I thought it was excellent, but if you are not into black pepper, this might not be the right choice for you. Very peppery pot pie (say that three times fast!) with big chunks of white meat chicken and veggies without excessive creamy richness. We enjoyed our meal and would definitely return when we are back in the neighborhood.

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.

Made a reservation for 5pm dinner a week before and after we were seated the bar tender notified us…read morethat the cook had just gotten there and we wouldn't be able to get food until 7pm?? We had tickets for a show @7:30 so that definitely wasn't gonna work. Why would you accept reservations if you don't have a cook on staff? I don't recommend this restaurant. They should get zero stars in my book!!!

Formerly Parish Public House, Ophelia's on Broadway opened recently at the corner of Broadway and…read moreHudson Ave in Downtown Albany. This casual bar, restaurant and night club was originally going to be named Nanola South, a sister restaurant to Nanola in Malta, but the place was named Ophelia's instead. The owners wanted a different vibe at this location. The place has a full service bar with stools, flatscreen TVs, and tables and booths and a small spot in the front window for band/musicians to perform in the front section and the dance floor/entertainment area is in the back room. They have live bands, DJs, and karaoke here. I stopped by Ophelia's for a bite to eat after a long day. I took a seat up at the bar as there was a band already here doing soundcheck. The food menu has been simplified offering burgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, salads, wings, mac & cheese, quesadillas, loaded nachos, chips & queso, loaded fries, and fried pickles. There was no cajun/creole dishes and no po boys on this menu (in April 2024), which is offered at Nanola in Malta. The bar had 14 beers on tap, cocktails, and mixed drinks. I ordered the Ophelia's Burger ($14) which took about 25 minutes to to come out. This thick burger had a grilled beef burger patty topped with lettuce, tomato, onions, and melted cheese (pepperjack) on a toasted artisan egg bun from Rock Hill Bakehouse. The burger could've been a bit hotter. The side of golden fries (not salted) were firm and not greasy. The side of Homemade pickle chips was a nice touch.  After I was done with my food, the bartender refilled my water and brought out the check. Overall, I enjoyed my food and was able to watch the NFL Draft on TV (muted) because of the live music getting underway in the front window. The service was laid back here. Took note: the customers next to me enjoyed a few drinks, but their quesadilla never arrived, so they eventually headed out. Not sure if they were understaffed in the kitchen, but other than the temperature of my food, I enjoyed the burger. I will hopefully get to try the msc & cheese next time.

What a fantastic find!…read more The bar is cool with vintage tin ceilings and Art Deco, which provided a homey, lived in feel that is both comfortable and relaxing. I don't say this often, but Loch & Quay has a great vibe. I sat at the bar and Nicole G. took care of me by crafting a perfect Hendrick's Gin martini. Soon after, I dined on their Cottage Pie: potatoes, Guinness broth, cheese, scallions, corn, and celery, and great seasoning in the tender meat. It was fun. Such a delicious and overly satisfying meal. The service is excellent and even though there were only a few people inside at the time, the atmosphere was neighborly. Many thanks to Nicole G. for her kindness, positivity, and exceptional customer service. Loch & Quay is highly recommended!

Great place! Come on a day that starts with "T" and you get to eat some tacos. I had the shrimp…read moretacos done Cajun way with corn tortilla. Dang! They were awesome! Our server/bartender was incredibly helpful and kept our drinks full. Loved the setting too. Definitely and place to come back to.

Pretty uncrowded before 7 PM. Definitely picks up the later you go in the evening. We were able to…read moreget a table easy. But the tables were practically all full when we left. Good menu with plenty of options. And the portions are large. Not incredible, not bad. Just some middle-of-the-road tasty food. The service is...not great. Unfortunately, I think they were understaffed? After we ordered, we didn't really see our server again until it was time to get the check and leave. Has a nice dive-y feel to it. Chill vibe. Definitely a decent spot to spend an evening.

So so good! Savoy is such a great place whether you're coming for drinks or dinner for a date or…read morefor a group! They have 2 separate rooms both with great moody and fun ambiance that are more tailored to dining or just drinks. As a group of 6, we were easily sat for dinner. Our server was super nice and attentive and everything came out timely. The food was awesome! The Mississippi fried chicken sandwich was deliciously done! Our group also enjoyed the fried pickles, crispy chicken wrap, and grilled chicken sandwich. The portions were perfect. They also have great cocktails, the seasonal mule was amazing! Will definitely be back!

I was on the hunt for a Garbage Plate in my new home of the Capital Region; this is the only place…read moreI could find one on the menu...and I looked all over. I spent way too much time toiling with the prospect of not being impressed by a plate 200+ miles from Rochester. In my head, I said to myself, there are plates in Rochester that don't even impress; why should I give the time of day to someone so far removed? It took me over two years to finally pull trig. In retrospect, I am kicking myself. Portions aside, the plate here is absolutely fantastic, like wtf. The meat sauce seems to keep the obligatory warmth of nutmeg and cinnamon, but has a delicate spice that absolutely delights in its own way. The mac salad lights up my tongue with the zest of celery and the home fries give me the crunch that I deserve. The burgers are the greasy vessel that I have come to expect, but offer much more cohesion than a typical plate. I am barely exaggerating when I say this might be Top 2 plates of my lifetime. Couple that with an awesome atmosphere and an amazing happy hour and you've got gold. Thank you guys for scratching my itch.

Loved this spot. I can't lie they didn't pay as much attention to us cause we weren't like regulars…read morewhen we went on a weekday but the staff is incredible so kind and amazing but def wish we felt more welcome hahah. i loved how they theme the menu different foods from spots around NY. we had the rochester garbage plate and the mozz sticks with raspberry melba sauce. loved it! drinks were interesting my whisky sour was pink??

I stayed one night at the Renaissance because I was overnighting in Albany and it looked close to…read moreCity Beer Hall which looked good on Yelp. Well that's a confusing sentence. I walked the half block from my hotel room and saw the lighted sign on the building drawing be to City Beer Hall. The bar is old school wood, long tables, and people generally having a good time. I was alone so chose the bar for sitting because that is more convenient for me and the wait staff. The beer menu was long with a few regionals new to me. Too many sours though for my taste, but those are popular now. I am not going to talk about the beers available because those will surely change by the time you read this. I ordered a beer and checked out the food menu. There were some good looking items on the menu, I really wanted a good pizza after my earlier airport pizza debacle, but a whole pizza was too much for one guy. I discussed the food choices with my friendly bartender and settled on the chicken nuggets and a side of fries. The nuggets are hard breaded from thighs and pretty good. The fries were crispy, well seasoned, and overly abundant. Overall the meal was great! It was Thursday night and they had a trivia-like game that was related to Family Feud so I played that. Might have stayed a little later than I should have but the beer was good. I was looking at the beer refrigerator and saw Fiddlehead IPA and asked my bartender about it. He was not really keen on it but that is the best beer they had there, but that is one really good beer. Later I notice that was the beer they were giving you if you ordered the $8 beer and a shot, which is an excellent value! There was some kind of drama this night. There was a lady who first tried to order Jager Bombs for her table and the bartender told her sorry we don't do those so she ordered Tito's shots instead. Well this ended about how you would expect with her losing a credit card and blaming everyone in sight for her problems. The bartender and manager were S-tier professionals managing her and keeping the food and beer flowing to the rest of us. Guys, thank you for your service! If you are in downtown Albany and you are hungry or thirsty hit up the City Beer Hall.

I was staying at the Renaissance down the street for a conference at the Albany Capital Center. I…read moreneeded a quick dinner before I went to do more work in my room. The City Beer Hall fits the bill. Located on Howard Street, the City Beer Hall has the local hangout vibe for professionals in town like me and locals wanting a beer and a pizza and fun times. The building at one point housed the city's old telephone company, and now is a cool pizza bar joint with a speakeasy that wasn't open when I went. The large room that houses the bar and long communal tables with high ceilings and large windows is like a Biergarten that is works great for happy hours and evening hangouts. Pizza wise, I was pleased with their Hot Honey Pizza that balances sweet, savory, and spicy flavors between its delicious crust, pepperoni, creamy ricotta, tomato sauce, mozzarella, fresh basil, and a lovely drizzle of hot honey. I enjoyed the pizza with a Ommegang Blueberry Falls that was a "Blueberry Kolsch" whose crisp and slightly sweet flavors balanced well against the spicy and savory I was noshing. The only downside was I found the service behind the bar to be a bit slow and distracting from conversations with other customers. I felt I was forgotten until I finally flagged for the check. But overall, the City Beer Hall was a solid experience highlighted by their hot honey pizza.

We loved the look of this place. It has this really cool garden vibe. The inside was really nice…read moreas well. The staff was so great. The bartender gave great suggestions. I had a black currant margarita and it was great. We also mixed a lambic beer and another honey beer on the bar tenders suggestion and it was great. The food was a little lack luster. We had the pretzel bites , chicken schnitzel, and pierogis. I think if they had a little more flavor they'd be better. I would definitely come here again but probably just for a drink. Come for the super friendly staff and the cool vibes!

Drinks and food are great and love the outdoor patio ambiance, service has always been goodread more