Albany's Washington Park is a gem in itself but it's also fortunate to have a number of great cafes…read moreand restaurants nearby. Among the more recent arrivals is Java Cafe on Madison Ave. It offers a nice variety of coffees, teas, other beverages and baked goods, all in a relaxing setting. What's more, they tell me that small dogs are welcome. I stopped in recently after taking a stroll in the park with my West Highland Terrier. I was surprised when they told me that my little dog could come in, too. I ordered the most wonderful hot chai latte with coconut milk and a dash of cinnamon. Since I was staying, it was served up in a stoneware cup with saucer. I also ordered a potato borek, which they explained was a small Turkish-style mashed potato pie. It was good. My friend ordered a delicious large house coffee with cream. The cafe is small but inviting with exposed brick walls. There's nice furniture and interesting wall art, including a banjo hung from one wall. But my favorite is the amoeba-shaped full length mirror with the words,"You look amazing," painted above it. How's that for giving customers encouragement? My little dog stood under our table and smiled. She was well behaved. There were several other customers but most of them looked lost- in -concentration over their laptops. It was a delicious and very calming experience for us after a nice walk in the park. Thanks, Java Cafe.

Nice spot for a coffee near Washington Park! I stopped in…read moreon a weeknight as I'm one of the few people who drink caffeine in the evening and was looking for a coffee shop that was open later. They close at 7pm on weeknights, which is great. I love how beautiful the cafe is. There are tons of tables and good wifi too. I ordered an iced mocha, which was great, and the barista was helpful and friendly. I do wish they had a specialty coffee latte and some more dessert options. There were several savory pastries available when I went and I was having a major sweet tooth moment but thankfully the iced mocha hit the spot!

If you walk into my kitchen you will only find 3 kinds of bread. There's my own, Heidelberg whole…read morewheat or Prinzo's. There's no need for anything else. This is an old school bakery. You walk in and there's sacks of flour everywhere and there's a fine dust of flour on the equipment. You can actually smell the yeast in the air. There's nothing fancy, just amazing bread for incredibly reasonable prices. They've been making bread there for 60 years and they know what they're doing. I buy there regularly and always have a loaf stashed in my freezer for emergencies. I've only seen 3 people working there including the owner. The owner is great and the woman that is sometimes there is a peach. One of the cool things they do, and they don't have to, is they leave the unsold bread outside the entrance for people who are in need. There's nothing not to love about them.

Prinzo's bakery is Albany's bread mainstay…read more Get a roll or loaf here and you are set for a day or two. These are quality rolls made from scratch by a pack of rowdy and funny bakers in the back. It's a little bit bakery, little bit hangout. The Prinzo bakery has really squirrelly hours: they are open in the A.M. until like 11 - then they take a long and possibly well-deserved 'bakers-siesta' until about 2 or three. In the hours in between, some bakers are there but the front door is locked: it's a real local shop, so to speak! Come in the morning for large orders or stop by and take a peek at the wood panel interior of this tiny Albany bakery in the afternoon for sandwich breads, loafs, baguettes and boules. Review: 5

I was staying in Albany on the way back from Lake George. I googled "bakery". I went to Nino's…read more Their Italian style cookies are amazing! I love them. I like the ones that are not very sweet as opposed to the sweet ones with gooey filling and I really loved theirs. Though not sweet they had a wonderful flavor and texture. The almond biscotti and anisette biscotti may be the best I have ever tasted. I also bought something called frizzle bread, that is a twice baked bread you can drizzle with olive oil, rub with garlic, lots of different things, very crunchy. Can't wait to try it. The lady who waited on me is very nice. I believe she and her husband are the owners. Small locally owned bakery. Cash only. Any time I am up that way I will stop at Nino's. I didn't go to the deli so can't speak about their sandwiches or anything else. Next time.

I have driven by Nino's bakery for years and always wanted to stop in. I finally did a few months…read moreback and wish I'd started going there years ago! I have tried a variety of their buns and a few of their loaves and every one has been delicious. They also have a selection of Italian cookies. Everything is freshly made and reasonably priced. Their hours are limited, part of the reason it took me so long to check them out, but going forward I'm going to get my breads from Nino's whenever possible. I would love to try their rye bread, it seems to only be available on certain days. The shop is small and if you don't get there on the earlier side, the selection may be limited. Make sure to bring cash as it is a cash only establishment.

I don't have a strong stomach... so I am careful when it comes to how people handle the food making…read moreprocess. Was originally going for a waffle bowl with ice cream... BUT watching that guy shape and roll the waffle with his bare hands... I could not do it. Ick. We came to get ice cream after dinner and just ended up getting ice cream in a cup for my kids... bc their stomach can handle anything. lol ahhh to be young. It's Ben & Jerry, nothing fancy. $15 for 2 small cup... seems like inflation hit everyone and everything. Eat at your own toilet risk.

Such friendly staff!! Perfect location for getting ice cream and walking around the park! Or…read moredessert after dinner on Lark :)

We headed to Cheesecake Machismo after a long day at two museums. It was a rainy day. When we got…read morethere and saw the sign outside, I was thinking, great, they have a few flavors left. When we got inside, the friendly gentleman (the owner, I believe), broke the news that he only had double Dutch left. He described it and hubby and I thought, well, that sounds delicious. We each got a slice to go. Service was excellent, prices were decent. The place is small but I can understand why they have raving reviews. Cheesecake Machismo knows their cheesecake. Husband carried the cheesecake slices on the walk back to our hotel and kept saying he could smell them. We were saddened to know they were not open the next day (Sunday) and were also closed on Memorial Day. We both wished we got an extra slice! Don't miss out on this special treat.

Small space with tasty treats. Lots of choices and all seemed tasty and a skittle unique don't was…read morehard to choose, but I went with maple. Prices a bit high but I knew that going in. For me it's a once in a while treat but definitely worth it!

Sometimes you need to stop and smell the roses. Other times you need to stop and eat the cookies…read more I've been following Buttercup Cookie on social media for a few years. And for a few years I've been always impressed with how visually appealing the photos of their cookies were. I often found myself wondering how they could possibly produce such intricately detailed goods. To be candid, my other thought was if they look that good they must taste horrible. Could you have the best of both worlds where taste AND sight were a match made in heaven? Bite into a Buttercup cookie and you'll find the answer is yes. I finally got the opportunity to try one recently and experience pure joy with every bite. The cookies texture was the right combination of soft but hard enough to not crumble apart in your hand. The taste, of course sweet but not too sweet and the perfect hint of butter to entice your taste buds. My taste buds were seduced aright as I found myself finishing two- one right after the other. Maybe I had to be assured the first cookie was a fluke or maybe it was the combination of site and taste proved too enticing. I posted a picture of one of the cookies which isn't the best representation of the batch or skill this baker has so if you'd like to see more visit their social media. And yes, it really does look like that in the flesh! Remember: stop and eat the cookies!