Lately there have been a lot of reviews for this spot from other yelpers about this spot. When I first read it, I was like, where is this breakfast spot in Ballston Spa. I'm not beven exaggerating, but I have probably passed this spot like a 1000 times and didn't know this was a deli spot. A big tip here, make sure you market it properly as only locals who have tried would be aware of it. And guess what, this local never knew and mistook it for a convenience store. The deli has a lot of potential with a little upgrades. The deli has few spots for indoor seating and an amazing spot with picnic benches, in the woods with a view of a creek. The deli has been voted Saratogas best multiple times. I just got to know it but, this deli is listed for sale. We tried an eggplant panini and a chicken cheese steak. Both of which were good. We took the tiramisu to go. They do get a few bakerybitems from NYC everyday. Small local restaurant that is definitely worth a try. They have ample parking and could get crowded. read more

See all

I hate to downgrade a review, but my previous experience at Russell's (see below) may have been unusually excellent. I was there recently for lunch and had the day's special of a fried clam sub with cheese and coleslaw. The clams were fine, but the roll was cold out of the fridge and there wasn't nearly enough lubrication.... it needed more cole slaw or at least mayo to moisten the bread. As it was I picked out the insides and left most of the bread on my plate. Your mileage may vary... if you go there I hope your experience is more like my previous review. read more

Pulled a nice piece of plastic out of my sub. Likely from the meat packaging while it was sliced. Tossed my other half of my sub. read more

Russell's Deli - Plastic - Delis Near Me - Ballston Spa, New York

Have been to this area quite a bit. But some how never visited this place. I feel the location doesn't really help as it's slightly away from the main part of town. However, the inside is like a little old school kinda place, the food we ordered was quite good. The chicken cheese steak and the eggplant toast both were really good. Id say for the type of place and the ambience. Slightly pricier but the food was fresh and good. We also tried the tiramisu , online it said imported from Italy but when we asked they said no. It was something else that they import. Unfortunately do not recall, id ask. The tiramisu was frozen not fresh but I kinda liked it that way, it was different and was fairly well priced as well. I also think they are looking to sell the place, hopefully they improve the appearance inside and outside and continue with the same food, the place has a lot of potential. The current owners seemed very friendly and enthusiastic. read more

See all

My wife and I were out early to run some quick errands (5am). Looked around for a place to get a breakfast sandwich quick to bring home, couldn't find anyone in saratoga so we looked on yelp. Found this place and wasn't let down. Friendly and fast service as well as great food. So if you're out early and wanna get some good food with friendly service give this place a try. read more

I love Russell's in the morning. The food is very good and tastes like mom's cooking in the kitchen. I love the breakfast sandwiches. The owner Russ is fun to talk to about anything. It's just a good old fashioned American deli. read more

Great discovery in Ballston Spa! One of a very few number of places in Upstate NY that have Taylor Ham breakfast sandwiches comparable to a true NJ bagel shop. It is a classic deli, big menu and even bigger sandwiches, with everything done well and to order. Would definitely recommend! read more

Russell's Deli - Taylor Ham Egg and Cheese on an everything bagel - Delis Near Me - Ballston Spa, New York

Everything abt this place is amazing! Sandwiches are delicious, as are the desserts. Staff is super friendly and helpful, priced right

I live in Queensbury, but I'm frequently in Ballston Spa. This was my first time trying Russell's Deli, and boy was I disappointed. I ordered roast beef on a hard roll with only lettuce and mustard. The ring up price was nearly $9.50. The man behind the counter was abrasive and pushy, and he took no care in making my sandwich. The toppings were absolutely pathetic. If someone is getting a sandwich with only one topping, wouldn't you think to add a little more of that topping to make it a more substantial sandwich as opposed to someone who's ordering a several toppings? The portion of the meat was scandalous for the price. It didn't even fill up the 4" roll, therefore I took bites of the sandwich several times and only got bread and mustard. *See photos* I couldn't believe what I received for the price I paid. I understand that meat is expensive, especially roast beef. But I frequent The Deli & Meat Store in Warrensburg and the comparison is night and day. You can get the same size sandwich with a substantial amount of meat and toppings for less than $9.00. And they use Boars Head, so it's not some cheap meat. So there's no excuse for the portions and price over at Russell's. Definitely won't be back and will tell my friends in B. Spa to avoid this place. You'd probably get a better sandwich from a gas station. read more

Russell's Deli - The meat doesn't even fill up the circumference of the roll. - Delis Near Me - Ballston Spa, New York

See all

Stopped in for a quick breakfast to go, and lucked out! Before I even had a chance to look at the menu board, I was asked (by who I presume is Russel?) what "I like" and he just made it. So I asked for a breakfast burrito with eggs, cheese, bacon, peppers, and a chipotle sauce and BOY DID IT HIT THE SPOT! It was delicious! I also grabbed a large coffee and a giant cookie which were also very good. They also have a full deli counter and some other baked goods. Highly recommend for breakfast or lunch, or snacks. :) 5 star service and food. Next time I'm in the area I'll be sure to stop by again. read more

Russell's Deli - Chips, baked goods - Delis Near Me - Ballston Spa, New York

5 star breakfast sandwich, also like that they carry Battenfield chocolate milk. Nice people, easy recommendation.

Was driving out to the Utica area and was always curious about this place. It's a bit easy to miss after driving by the abandoned toxic waste dump that was Ricketts Cleaners. Honestly, my jaded view of deli in this region is well known (see Broadway Deli review..), but Russell has a great little gem here...roast turkey (house roasted) with fresh rye and swiss, Doc Brown's Celray tonic, and chips. They have cannoli, knishes (the Coney Island squares that you can get at the NYC weenie carts...), great pastries and various classic salads. Russell is a total salt of the earth downstater who has great understated little spot here. Definitely a far better deli than the phoney-poser we have in Saratoga.... This one is sort of condensed "deli lite" (no smoked fish or pickle buckets..) but this is a great spot. Well done! read more

Haven't been there in awhile but will tell you they have everything.Specials everyday and everything is absolutely delicious.

Nice deli & associates. Fast service from friendly counter people. Great variety of fresh food. Very tasty.

Voted best deli? Ha! Stale rye bread Rusty lettuce Pathetic portion of flavorless roast beef read more

This buffalo chicken tender sub was one of the best subs I have ever had. The chicken was so crispy and the sub was so soft. Not an exaggeration when I say that you can't go wrong with any thing that you order at Russell's, even Russell himself is a great business owner and really cares about his customers! And the cannolis of course, don't need any explanation. read more

Russell's Deli - Buffalo chicken tender sub - Delis Near Me - Ballston Spa, New York

See all

After a long search, I have found some fine grub with a good attitude at an hour that matches my schedule. Come to this place at 4 and be happy read more

Russell's has amazing breakfast sandwiches! They are prepared quickly while you are entertained by the owner and local patrons. Great place ! read more

Best deli ever. Fantastic food and staff. The cannolis are amazing. Highly recommended !!

I think everybody knows I'm pretty active on the food pages. I eat out quite often whether it's a little Mom and Pop Shop, a local deli, or a high-end restaurant. If I hear somebody talking about a place I'll check it out. In all my years, I've never heard anybody mention Russell's Deli in Ballston Spa. Why I have no idea. This place is effin good! Talking with the owner if they're not making it in store, it's being brought in from the best places you can imagine. Bread and cannolis from New York City. Knish from the Jewish deli. Pastries from downstate. Again this place is amazing. I'm a sucker for an Italian combo. They automatically include mortadella on theirs. Very few places even have it. If they do, I always ask for it. Their sandwich has it automatically. The conversation with Russell was as good as the food. Funny guy who tells you how it is. His wife is right behind the counter side by side working with him. He owned three different delis down state. He has been doing it for 40 years. He gets there about 2:30 - 3:00 every morning. Talk about somebody with love for his craft. If you've never been you have to check this place out. read more

See all

Wow Russell's deli is all around awesome. The service, the food, the friendly atmosphere it's the best. The food is all fresh and home made, the taste is awesome. We enjoyed the Italian combo sandwich, the meatball sub, the turkey and a assorted meats sandwich. We were all very impress and satisfied. The servings a large and the price very reasonable. Well done Russell and company!!! read more

See all

Great selection of fresh food! Owner and staff were all very friendly. Great spot to grab a soup, salads, hot daily specials freshly prepared, hot or cold sandwich, or even dessert! Not a lot of seating inside - it seems like more of a takeout place! We will definitely go back! read more

Russell's nails it. They got more history than your 7th grade history teacher. You want potatoes? They got it! You want salad? They got it! You want potato salad?! They got it!!! I haven't tried any of those things but there turkey bacon hots is delicious. read more

A few days ago I had the best sandwich I've ever had in my life. The special was London broil, horseradish cheddar, lettuce etc., and horseradish on ciabatta. I couldn't put it down long enough to take a picture. Six stars if I could. I would recommend being judicious in ordering the breakfast specials, just because the amount of food between the bread can be daunting. Being a New Yorker, I don't always like friendly and chatty before I've had my coffee, but Russell is harmless. read more

This is honestly the best place to eat! Their food is incredible and Russell is so friendly and down to earth. He not only cares about the food he also cares about the customer. I wish I lived closer so I could go more!! read more

Friendly owner. Will take custom made daily orders. Ingredients from NYC. Good quality food and meats. Recommend.

OMG...The Russell breakfast sandwich is possibly the beat breakfast sandwich I've ever eaten! How people can possibly finish a double, triple or the big daddy, 4x, I'll never know! read more

What a find, a real NY Deli, with Boar's Head in Ballston Spa! I was travelling home from Saratoga Springs. Had a great sandwich: ham, baloney, swiss, mustard, tomato on a roll, with a pickle and mac salad on the side. Terrific! Talked with the owner who was very friendly and welcoming. Forget fast food, go for real deli food! read more

Where do I begin!!! Best place for lunch hands down. First let's talk about the food...everything I have ordered and ate there was delicious. From hot food to subs...you won't be disappointed. Second...the service...they are quick and friendly. They make you feel like you belong there. The only drawback is that they aren't open 24hrs. LoL What a gem read more

A tasty little spot right on Route 50 -- you would stop here if you were on your way up to or from Saratoga Springs. This place really feels like a local establishment just embedded into the community. You know, the kind where the owners can be sassy to you and no one seems to notice or care. Opens as early as 5am, Russell's offers breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, bagels, omelettes. In the mood for something smaller? They've got muffins and baked goods too. The coffee cake muffin was deelish. Not much in the way of tea variety, so I skipped that. read more

Had lunch here today for the first time. Had a meatball parm sub on an enormous, overly bready roll (no one asked if I might like it toasted, which might have made it palatable). The meatballs were big, soft and traditionally italian, but neither the meatballs nor the sauce was hot enough, and the cheese they placed on it never melted, and was actually cold. The sub might have been good with a little more attention to detail. There's a lot of hail-fellow-well-met shouting and joking behind the counter, making the experience a little confusing for a first-timer (and possibly accounting for the sloppy assembly of my not-hot-enough sub). I'm sure the regulars appreciate it. It seemed a bit unprofessional to me. For dessert, I picked what looked like a homemade cookie with jelly in the middle. It was quite good, and the rest of the baked goods looked to be of similar quality. read more

Had not been to Russell's for almost a year. Went this morning for a couple of breakfast sandwiches. Egg, cheese and bacon on a roll. Got home - no cheese, burned egg in one side of the roll. Half roll was empty. Second sandwich was ham, egg& cheese. Again no cheese, egg was beyond over fine and the ham was dry. Lack of attention to detail. read more

I love this Deli! I had my husband drive me 1 1/2 hours to sit down and enjoy breakfast and get lunch to go! I will be back every chance I get while staying in the Adirondacks. read more

See all

The roast beef and the turkey are excellent, they both are succulent, meats which are said to be roasted on site, but the sandwiches constructed from them are merely above average. The spicy meatballs have the *perfect* amount of heat, but could use more salt. Superlative ingredients diminished by their final execution. read more

See all

Russell and his wife have a great place here. It is not that cheap, but the servings are generous and sloppy, very comforting. They arrive about 5:15 am and get to work, really serve the community. read more

Breakfast is phenomenal. His Philly breakfast burrito is delectable (actually, I could go for another right now). Everything is practically cooked to order. They greet everyone that walks in with a smile. You can't go wrong with breakfast and this place does it right. read more

I'm from California and this place is way better than any deli at home! My boyfriend and I dined in for lunch this afternoon and it was amazing! Very fresh and very flavorful! Russell makes you feel like you're right at home with his friendly personality. I will definitely be back!! Thanks again guys!!! read more

I've been here many, many times and love it. Not only is the food great, but the service is too. Russell and his family treat you like family and go out of their way to make sure you are happy and have everything you need. I typically get the hot food because I'm not a huge sub fan, but everyone who I take gets them and say they are great. My daughter who is VERY picky loves the subs/sandwiches. The baked goods are amazing too! Now I don't live very close, but I will always come back here when I can because it's an all around great place. They know how to treat their customers and it shows! read more

Super experience. Heading home from vacation and wanted to order 6 hoagies - all different - for pickup. Russell has them ready when we got there. Hoagies were very fresh and delicious. Would totally recommend...we will make this a regular stop for us. read more

Excellent food, atmosphere and people. Great Cole slaw. Great hot and cold lunch meals. Will definitely come back again.