I've driven past this place dozens of times and finally got the chance to stop by there today for lunch, parking lot was fairly full. So took that as a good sign. There are pros and cons with this review. Pros: Got seated quickly, of course at the time it was seat yourself. Atmosphere looks pretty good, stage for music it appears. A decent crowd was there for lunch with 2 large groups. Ordered the Shrimp Po'Boy, it comes grilled but preferred fried, whatever, better for my health I suppose. The Po'Boy was excellent, though. It came with a side of Saratoga Chips and a small amount of slaw. Everything was good, although the sandwich was advertised on the menu as spicy, didn't really notice any spice at all. The shrimp was large and plumb, cooked just right. Chips were hot and crispy and the slaw was just creamy enough. I'd recommend this sandwich to anyone, may get it again if I ever go back. Cons: There were 2 fairly large groups(at least 6-10 people per group). Not sure if they were understaffed, busier than usual or what. But the service was atrociously slow. I'm a patient person and if those things I mentioned are going on, I can understand it. All I ask is to be informed that my meal may take longer than usual. The girl didn't bother to. Had 3 guys come in after me and got their order well before me. Now, they did order the jambalaya, so that could've sped things up. Still, nothing from the waitress about the status of my order. Did they have to go down to the Gulf to get the shrimp? Price: sandwich came with about 4 or 5 pcs. of large shrimp, L&T and sauce, side of chips and slaw for about $14 bucks. A little overpriced, imo. But that's USNY for ya. I may give this place another shot. It would be solo as the wife isn't a fan of cajun food. Reading a previous review, seems the service has had issues before. Maybe Mgmt. can clean that up, be better staffed at all times and have the waitstaff be more transparent in cases of busier than usual days on wait time. read more

Nanola - Shrimp po'boy with Saratoga chips and slaw. Very good sandwich if not a bit overpriced. - American Near Me - Malta, New York

Sorry to say it took about 10 minutes before I was acknowledged at my table. Once waited upon the waiter didn't know where the seafood was from/caught. When he did return with where the seafood was caught I really wasnt surprised that it WASN'T from the Gulf Coast. I opted for just a Blue Apple salad and a Mascato. My dessert was Beignet's with a raspberry sauce. Nothing like New Orleans ' Cafe du'Monde. I might come back once more to see if the staff were more knowledgeable about their food and if they were to get their seafood from the Gulf. read more

Nanola - Very different way of serving "Beignet's! " - American Near Me - Malta, New York

Had a great time tonight (first visit) with friends. Bradley was a great host/waiter and was very attentive. Food and drinks were delish. We'll be back. read more

My favorite spot to spend monday nights in the summer! Always good bands throughout the year and THE BEST chicken and biscuits

I absolutely love Nanola! Great food - yummy drinks - interesting entertainment & amazing Bartenders & Servers! If you stop in - be sure to ask for Bradley !! He is the best !! read more

Great food and fantastic atmosphere. The bartenders/servers are some of the friendliest restaurant staff I've ever met. Always a fun time

I've been here numerous times and the atmosphere, food and service is fantastic! It's one of those places that you walk in and feel instantly at home. Trivia Tuesdays are a blast and the live music options are impressive. The owners are always finding ways to give back to the community, from offering free meals to those in need to donating to local organizations or activities. The craft beer election is amazing and they switch up the food specials, with some creative and tasty options. If you are in the area - check it out! read more

great staff. amazing owner staff is so amazing. Bradley Chelsea Tessa and everyone else makes this place feel like cheers. food is good but the people who work here and come here make it even better. read more

I recently visited this hidden gem while traveling north. It was quick detour off the Northway where The Staff were more then pleasant and food was outstanding, which were Gator Balls!!!!! We met Chelsea who was behind the bar, who was unbelievably attentive, and I believe it was Shane, the owner, who checked up on us more than once as well! You definitely have a repeat customer out of us! read more

Trivia on Tuesdays has been great excuse to get a night with my buddies. I never write reviews, but the custom Sour they have called Born on the Bayou hit the spot, so I wanted to give them a shout out. I always get the Jambalaya and add in some shrimp. I love it. I gotta hit up one of these shows they are always advertising! read more

We've only eaten here 3 or 4 times. Food has been good. Outdoor seating is good. We ate here last week. Sat at the bar, band was setting up when we got there around 6(?). The bartenders were great (Rose and ?). Made sure they made us aware of specials. Best was the wings and a bottle of wine for $15 (wings alone was $13, a little on the pricey side). Wings were big and tasted great. One guy was orchestrating everything from seating to behind the bar to keeping groups socially distant to picking up paper off the floor, and super friendly. Kudos. The place is known for their bands, which can get loud if you're close. We'll definitely be back. read more

We went to this restaurant for the first time. Chicken wings were great. Server was nice and quick. We tried Jambulaya, I would never eat it again. It was awful. I am planning to go here again and try something else. Overall service was great. read more

Nanola is a great addition to Malta! Start with the great staff, great beer and booze selections, only to be done by the best damn oysters in the area. We prefer to sit at the bar and always find great folks to talk to, along with super attentive staff. I read in some reviews that the service is slow, the place is busy, so be prepared for to wait your turn, but also be prepared to give your order. We have never had an issue with the food, the staff, or the wait. Others criticize the food, if you have a problem let them know, I find Shane, Jude, Jenn, Zach and the rest if the staff all to willing to make your experience perfect. I always say try a place 3 times before you rule it out, Nanola will do right buy you. Once Spring arrives you can bet your last dollar the front deck will be hopping, so get there early to grab your depot in the sun! Can't wait to get back there again! Michael & Marykay read more

Nanola - American Near Me - Malta, New York

If you love beer and great micro brews get down to Nanola asap. Great selection and great food for beer pairing. Quality of service is fantastic. read more

Nanola - American Near Me - Malta, New York

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I've been here a few times but today decided to grub hub. Everything arrived cold but i can't fault them for that because it easily could have been the driver. My bf got the taco salad. It had a decent amount of meat but there wasn't all that much lettuce. I ordered the chimichurri steak sandwich. The steak was perfectly cooked but I feel like the name was deceiving. I think I got maybe 2 pieces of herbs wayyy too much of the white sauce. The sweet potato fries came with Melba which was a nice surprise but overall I wouldn't go back to eat. read more

I came here for the first time and I must say they don't have any business serving creole food. We were served flat beer, our waiter charged us for beignets when we didn't order them. Also, the waiter didn't know what was in the gumbo vs Jambalaya. We ordered gumbo but got Jambalaya. I would not recommend this place. Quiet honestly if you are going to serve creole cuisine you need to make sure your menu is creole cuisine not Mexican, or anything else. read more

Nothing more to say - Nanola did it again - One of tonights specials - Steak Smothered with Jambalaya was hands down one of the best meals I have had out in a long time hats off to Nanola Can't wait for our New Orleans Sister to come visit so we can share this gem with her! read more

Nanola - The Cajun Combo with catfish was very tasty while the lobster ravioli for the wife was even better Great prices and friendly folks - American Near Me - Malta, New York

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Really great service and food. They have a fun atmosphere that's good for your family.

A group of friends and I came here for dinner last Thursday. We arrived around 7:15 and there was a trivia event going on so we expected there to be a wait. After ordering our food we were informed that they were out of alligator bites (an item you would think they would keep heavily stocked since it's not something you can typically find around here). Not a huge deal, just somewhat disappointing. It took around an hour for us to get our food, but the people surrounding us who had arrived after or around the same time we did were receiving their meals. During our wait, our waiter didn't come over to check in or let us know the food would be out shortly. Upon bringing the food, he did not apologize for the wait. My friend ordered taco salad with beef and her taco salad ended up having chicken on it (and a hair in it). Not a great experience, the food was average. Probably won't be back. read more

We arrived on a Tuesday to celebrate the granddaughter's acceptance into college. I don't remember which one so don't ask. This place had been talked up by a neighbor with whom we're no longer on speaking terms. My wife still waves at them in the morning even though I told her not to, but how do you scold a woman who bore your seed? My soulless neighbor serviced me with advice as terrible as the waitstaff serviced my dining experience. I oft checked my wristwatch to both keep track of the time wasted, and to show my displeasure to any of the waitstaff paying attention... which they were not. This is worthy of a timeline. 18:35 - Arrive to Nanola 18:43 - We're seated after an entire display of incompetence from the hostess. 19:00 - I'm confused by all these folks dressed like waitstaff lumbering around the dining floor. If they indeed worked here, then there's no reason I've been sitting for fifteen god damned minutes without having my drink order taken. 19:03 - I pull out my sidearm-- an 8 oz. flask filled to the brim with Makers Mark and try to discreetly take a pull. The granddaughter notices and complains to my wife, daughter, and stepson that grandpa came prepared. While explaining my display of fiscal responsibility by drinking from a flask I brought from home rather than drinking a steeply priced beer bought at the restaurant, a waitress finally arrives. I order a $7 beer in jest. 19:10 - Drinks still haven't arrived. Some bearded rapscallion on the stage has started hollering into a microphone some questions that don't make any damned sense. My entire family is craning their necks around in search of the disappeared waitress. 19:15 - The waitress finally returns, not with drinks, but to inform me that the beer I ordered is not available, despite it being on the menu. I'm upset, so I just order some domestic beer because there's no reason they shouldn't have that. She takes our dinner orders as well. 19:28 - Waitress returns to inform me that the domestic beer is out, and suggests I go for a draught of that beer instead. I'm too pissed at this point to take another look at the menu so I just agree, god dammit. I'm getting mad just thinking about this again. 19:33 - Waitress comes walking back with a look of concern on her face and informs me that the keg has just tapped. So, without hesitation, I put my napkin on the table, and walk out of the front door without saying a word. I spent one hour in the twilight of my life waiting for a drink and meal that would never come. To ease my temper, I had a couple drinks at that Taproom place before I went home. It took an entire minute before being served a drink from Billy. I was a bit sauced by the time I got back to home, and the wife was both upset and understanding. She explained to me that the granddaughter was upset that I left her dinner... that my daughter and her husband were a bit more understanding, but upset nonetheless. I told the wife to invite the granddaughter over this weekend and we'll take her to the arcade. Three stars off for the god awful service we experienced at Nanola. I've never had worse. One more star off for making my family angry at me, which will result in over $20 being lost to the arcade this weekend. Never again. read more

Just ate dinner here, and I have nothing but good things to say. The bar was very crowded due to an awesome band playing, but our waitress Chelsea was still very attentive and took care of everything we needed. I had the Kobe Burger with the Ghost Pepper cheese, and boy did that have an enjoyable kick to it! Started with the gator bites, and yes they are alligator, a very rare thing to see this far north but they were excellent. If I'm ever in the area again I will be sure to return!! read more

Nanola - Gator bites! - American Near Me - Malta, New York

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Went there on a Sunday afternoon. We knew the music ended at 4, but wanted to try the food. We were seated promptly and greeted by a very nice young lady named Mackenzie. I ordered several Pale Ales and Mack told me they were out. Totally ok, the beer I finally got was fine (made down the road in Clifton Park Schmaltz brewery) I ordered the jambalaya with a side of shrimp and Jayne ordered the Po Boy beef sandwich. The sandwich was reportedly very good and the Saratoga chips were hot and delicious. My salad came out pretty quick and was pretty good with a nice Italian dressing. We waited quite a while for the rest, but we were not in a hurry and just relaxed with our beer. it was really cold in the place and I blamed it on old windows. Jayne finally looked at the thermostat and the A/C was on !!! My jambalaya finally arrived. Nice spice with almost no veggies. The rice looked good but was obviously uncle Bens boil Bag.... It had exactly 1 tiny piece of the famed andouille sausage. The chicken was hard as a rock and inedible. We saw the owner of the old Bayou Café walking around and figured this is a new version of that failed Albany spot. Bottom Line - the food is not good. You would think they could get this down by now. We will try this again when the weather gets nice. read more

Nanola's is quite impressive at first glance. A big wrap around deck circumvents the exterior and inside they have worked hard to capture the ambiance of a New Orleans bistro. A friendly greeter met me at the door and seated me immediately. So far, so good. However, this is where the wheels start coming off the cart. While perusing Nanola's menu I began to wonder why at 9:00 AM on a Saturday that I was the only customer in the place. This is a time when most places serving breakfast have a line out the door and a twenty minute wait. Here I am seated, with menu in hand, immediately! My question was soon to be answered. I opted for my all time favorite breakfast, Eggs Benedict, served with a side of fried potatoes. My food came out quickly, which wasn't surprising since there was no one else in the restaurant. The presentation was very appealing, pretty as a picture. Unfortunately the same could not be said for the taste, which is what dining is all about. Being a Hollandaise purist, I simply do not like people messing with the best part of the dish. The chef (cook?) at Nanola's decided that he had to play mad scientist with it, using some hot creole spice in it. Major bad decision. Major disappointment. When the Hollandaise sucks, the entire dish sucks! Just the way it is. Strike number two was that Nanola's idea of Canadian bacon is to lop off a chunk of ham and throw it under the poached eggs. I have no problem with using ham instead of Canadian bacon IF the ham is sliced thinly. Eggs Benedict is a delicate dish of poached eggs served on a Hollandaise soaked English muffin. Having a big honkin' piece of ham, full of connective tissue, is not delicate in the least. Strike three was when I tasted the perfectly fried potatoes. "How do you screw up fried potatoes?", you might ask. Well, by putting the same obnoxious spice, that you used to ruin the Hollandaise with, in them. That's how. Good thing I ordered water on the side, because that turned out to be the best tasting thing I was served at Nanola's House of Horrors! In fairness to Nanola's and their chef, I was aware that their theme was Cajun, but not every theme restaurant alters every dish on the menu. If you are going to drastically alter the taste of a classic dish, I believe that it should at least be mentioned in the menu description with a phrase like "prepared with Nanola's special spices" or "served with a Cajun kick". The customer deserves to be forewarned, instead of just assuming they know the taste has been severely altered. I can't help but wonder if this is the reason they were empty at peak breakfast rush hours. I know that I won't be back. read more

I tried to get in here for a month but finally did on a Saturday night, stated with a Kalamazoo Stout and ordered Jambalaya with the garden salad. The salad greens were not cold and crisp but warm and slightly soggy, I ordered the vinaigrette and thought it would be poured on my salad but alas! she came out with oil and vinegar pour bottles. They could cut the cherry tomatoes since they were hard to pierce and flopped all over my plate. The main course finally came out relatively quickly and I so disappointed by the overall appearance of the jambalaya. Hardly any vegetables except lots of peppers and very little onions. The sauce was way too peppery for the dish. There was not one piece of okra in the whole dish. The sausage was not Andouille but some generic sausage that had no heat or flavor. The chicken was dry and overcooked and no shrimp in the dish. That's not what I call good Creole or Cajun cuisine. The beer was cold and served in a clean glass. the service was attentive and prompt but the food was lackluster and dull. Nanola, you need to get your game on and improve the food, period. read more

A hidden gem I now miss living in S. Albany. Lively environment, live music, and very good southern/Cajun food. My favorites that made me return a few times are the gator bites & jambalaya. Atmosphere and staff are friendly, knowledgeable and relaxed...this is a casual environment with a lively set of bar patrons. read more

Tired coming back to give them another try after the last failure. Wow second time is a swing and a miss again! The service was a little faster this time around but everything came to a crashing halt with the main course! We order gator bites, grilled oysters and oysters on the half shell and everything was great. They even brought over a different type of sauce for the gator bites. I order the salmon and gnocchi dish as the New Orleans Turkey sandwich had just sold out. When my dish came out I couldn't see any salmon at first just burnt Gnocchi. As I search under the gnocchi hidden in the sauce was shredded pieces of raw salmon. The salmon looked like they scrapped it out of a cat food can. It was cold and slimy to the touch and it would not even stick on the fork when I tired to grab a bite. I wave the Waitress over she was apologetic and offered to have them refire the dish or make something else. I politely told her I was all set. The kicker was the manager and chef sent the waitress back out to explain they used smoked salmon instead of a salmon filet. This dish was not pleasant to look at or eat! No giving them a third try! Their seat up is disjointed and I think they are concentrating more on their Bar business. Don't go here for dinner, but enjoy the Poker Tournaments in the dining room or a seat on the dance floor for some drinks. read more

Nanola is just another restaurant. ATMOSPHERE: Depending on the day you go, it can be average noise or loud when a live band is playing. Our group arrived at about 630pm when it was quieter, and later in the evening live music began playing. SERVICE: Like the other reviewers have said, it was slow. It took a while to get refills or to get our entree orders taken after we'd received our appetizers. This attribute greatly lowers the restaurant's overall score. FOOD: This part was okay. We tried the fried pickles as an appetizer, and they were decent, albeit the portion was small. My entree was the pulled pork sandwich with fries. I asked them to make it spicy since it didn't come that way, and thankfully it was spiced in such a way that it was enjoyable. The pork was fairly moist, and the portion was mid size. VALUE: Could be better. With $5 draft beers, small $7.50 appetizers, and $10 sandwiches that aren't anything spectacular, I'm not exactly raving to spend my money here again. read more

Went for dinner. Very friendly staff. This place would be terrific later in the night with a crowd & live music (which they have often) We were earlier than the band & had dinner. It's about the beer & the music read more

I have been twice and found the food to be delicious and the atmosphere great! I highly recommend the oysters, catfish sandwich, and steak salad! The shrimp po'boy was very bland - there was nothing to it and no spices or flavoring! However, everything else so far was great! We recommend! :) especially on Wednesday nights! read more

Nanola - $1.00 Oysters on Wednesday's! We were extremely impressed! Great atmosphere, great service, and great food! - American Near Me - Malta, New York

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Tonight we had the Texas White Wings to start (bite-sized chicken breast stuffed w/ jalapeño & fresh mozzarella wrapped in bacon) -- crazy good! Followed by an order of nachos - big enough to share for dinner for 2! Our awesome server, Brad, suggested Cajun chicken -- BEST Nachos ever! Finally, had to decide on dessert and it was a toss up between churros and beignets. Our awesome server, Brad, brought a combo of the two w/vanilla ice cream. Great dinner, AWESOME server! read more

After reading so so reviews on this establishment, I decided to give it a try. Although I went on a 90 degree day and Cajun was just not on my "want to eat" menu. I ordered a half plate of Chicken Nachos. As you will see by the photo, I couldn't imagine eating a full portion. The chicken was cooked just right. Just. Enough spice and very tender. Nachos were homemade and delicious! Topped with fresh bacon, lettuce tomatoes and sour cream. This was the perfect appetizer. Washed it down with a few ice cold pints of Jack Abbys Sunny Ridge Pilsner. Perfect pairing! I sat at the bar and the bartender was very knowledgeable in the food and beer and extremely attentive. I am definitely going to return to try some of the deliciously described unique entrees. Yum! read more

Nanola - Delicious - American Near Me - Malta, New York

Yeah not a huge fan of this place. The food was bland and mushy. That is not something something that you should expect at a Creole place. The service was mediocre and the place seemed pretty dirty. Overall I would not becoming back nor would I recommend a friend to go there. read more

Food was great, service was great. Our waitress brought over some free pints of a new beer for us to try. Band that came on later in the night was great. I felt I needed to write a review after the negative responses. Ignore them! This place is a fantastic, casual, fun environment. read more

First and foremost, we didn't come here for food or for tuesday trivia (though we did try both). We came here for the live free music; Strumbellas were rad, even though they only played for an hour. Since I read a lot of reviews before trying a new place, I already know what most people have said and I generally agree; food is ok, takes a long time to arrive. Hostess not so friendly and also serves as busboy apparently; she wasn't actually at the front when we arrived. But that's cool. We had a reservation for 6:30. Started to get busy at 6:50. All the front tables were reserved for trivia ppl and the place was packed by 7. Trivia by eqx was great. We didn't win. Band went on at 9ish. There isn't much of a dance floor, they only moved one table out of the way (people were sitting at the others). We danced in our chairs. Ok so food/drank: 11-7 is 2 for 1 beers, wines etc. But you must use your freebie ticket before 8pm that same day. So don't think (like i did) that you can stock up before 7 and then use them throughout the night. You can't. We got a scallop and pork belly slider special. It was not special. Edible but rather pricey for what it was (see pics). That took a reeeeally long time to come out. We also ordered fried pickles (spears) and they were clearly hand breaded and delicious. We also got the pulled pork to share. It was not pulled by any means, more like chopped. But it was moist and delicious. Overall, go here for music, and events. And if you feel hungry, the food's decent (especially if you've had a few half price drinks). read more

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Mediocre food, but fabulous staff and fun ambience. They used to serve New Orleans-style food, but now it's mostly deep fried sports bar-type baskets. read more

Great beer selection, great bar food and Cajun dishes as well. The New Orleans Pasta is the best. I love getting the half pound burger with a side of Cole slaw as well. The Cole Slaw is amazing. Cole slaw. read more

They sent me a bogo on burger meals, so we went to check it out... food was really good! Queso dip was awesome, and the server was good as well. Would definitely go back for a quick bite again! read more

Amazing experience. They had a dueling pianos show which was very entertaining. But what made my visit spectacular was the staff. In particular, you want a guy named eric. Eric went above and beyond my expectations with his service. Eric is above.gov!!! I will be recommending all of my friends to come here for a fun night out! read more

Went with a group of friends and family for a live music show - the acoustics are great for bands! I loved the atmosphere, decor, and drink selection. I didn't order food but my party did, the sweet potato fries were the best I've had! A friend ordered the spiced orange ginger beer from Crabbie's Brewing Co. and I had a taste, it was so crisp and delicious. I would definitely recommend this place to a friend, and can't wait 'til my next visit! The owner Shane is very nice as well. read more

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My hubbie and I went to Nanola for dinner and it was a nice experience. We didn't have an appetizer. I had a ginger ale (because they have Coke products) and my hubbie had a water, no lemon. He was not impressed by the taste of the water. Then I ordered the Red Beans and Rice and he ordered the Chicken Fried Chicken. The food came out quickly. The Red Beans and Rice was excellent! Especially if you like spicy food. It had large pieces of sausage, ham, and red peppers. My only complaint was it could have used more rice but I think that is how Louisiana Red Beans and Rice is served because I've had that complaint at other restaurants too. The Chicken Fried Chicken was well cooked, moist on the inside and crunchy on the outside and the gravy was excellent but they didn't give you enough of it. The mashed potatoes were fine but my husband said that both the chicken and potatoes were not very flavorful. Finally, we finished our meal with the Beignets. They were well cooked but again not very flavorful. We both thought it had way too much sugar on it and the raspberry sauce was fine but certainly not great. All in all, a decent meal but the room was a bit drafty. read more