I spent both nights last weekend at the Fuze Box. I cannot tell you how free, safe, and welcome I…read morefelt. I have been dealing with a lot of personal issues and to have such a place to go and release myself was just the therapy I needed. I wanted to take a minute to thank you for making it such a wonderful place for all people who so often face discrimination, hate, and even violence for who they are. Fuze Box is truly a place for everyone. You have allowed us a place to be the "us-est" we can be. There is nothing more valuable. You uphold the values of community, service, and love of your fellow humans. You are an important influence in the City of Albany, and your example means so much. You are not just talk; you are a true ally. We could use more community leaders like you. Hopefully your example will inspire others to follow in your footsteps. You are a kind and generous soul. Thank you, not just for the Fuze Box, but for all you do to better our City.

Pulled up here on Friday Night With Someone Special and Friends. I love the graffiti on the walls,…read morethe atmosphere is very relaxed especially with the dress code. The bartenders were very quick and polite the drinks were amazing. I didn't get to check out their food but will be sure to do so when I return.

Empire Underground is a small venue that draws enthusiastic crowds. There's nothing fancy about it…read morebut there's a stage with a decent sound system. Expect to be standing the whole time. There's a bar that's stocked with a variety of beers, ales, hard seltzer and even hard teas. The staff is friendly and courteous. The bathrooms are fairly clean. I showed up recently for the performance of a Metallica tribute band called Hardwired. They were very good. The music was very loud. It was fun. It was a good music venue. I'd be happy to return.

My girlfriend and I went to Empire Underground for a concert to see a artist named Ekoh. The event…read morewas fairly organized, the space is pretty small. Expect shoulder to shoulder crowds and standing for a long period of time. The music was pretty loud, but also not too loud, so we were able to hear the artist clearly. Cons: Security is very lack luster, they didn't search anyone or check bags at all. Someone could have snuck anything in, that's the only worry we had. Otherwise it's a decent size venue!

What a cool place…read more There's no pretense, just a rugged looking place with friendly and helpful staff and excellent bartenders. Xandra helped me pick the right meal: the scallops with a Thai chili sauce and rise. The five scallops were large, tender, perfectly cooked, and tasted amazing. Thankfully, the Thai chili sauce only had a bit of sweetness to it. Even the rice was fantastic. Xandra was attentive, a great listener, and a real help. My Hendrick's Gin martini was phenomenal. Exceptional actually! The vegan chocolate mousse was creamy and light but too sweet and loaded with cinnamon. So much so that I tasted nothing but cinnamon. I cannot recall ever having cinnamon in a chocolate mousse before. Even so, that didn't destroy the night and I look forward to trying the blackened Ahi Tuna next time as well as trying a different dessert.

Stopped by The Hollow Bar & Kitchen for an event and didn't get to stay too long, but overall it…read morewas good. The place has a really nice rustic atmosphere great vibe as soon as you walk in. I grabbed an Old Fashioned at the bar, and it was really good. I didn't get a chance to try the food, but from what I saw, it looked good. I would come back and check it out again.

My girlfriend and I decided to celebrate my birthday (well the night before) by going to see a show…read morehere. I had never been but had seen some of the pics of the hall and thought it looked OK. But being there was another story. As other reviewers have said, they do an amazing job making this space feel warm and inviting (as an old person I was thankful for the complementary ear-plugs). The staff were all super friendly and I was appreciative seeing they have security even for a low-key jam-band-friendly venue. The show itself was a lot of fun, there was plenty of room for the crowd of about 75-100 to relax, dance, sit and watch etc. The sound was really good, and the lights rivaled much fancier venues I've been to. As others have said, the drinks are a bit on the pricey side, but when you compare it to going to a show at say, SPAC these days it was actually a few bucks cheaper per-drink. We started the night at The Eleven, the bar attached to the venue which was also very nice. My girlfriend had one of their signature cocktails, the coffee based one (can't remember the name) and I tasted it and thought it was great. I was a bit disappointed by their whiskey selection, but they had the basics which worked fine. Overall, we had an amazing time and I will definitely be going back to check out more live music here.

This is the best place to party in Albany, period. A mature and fun crowd with plenty of drink…read moreoptions and located in a nice area. I had the cucumber cocktail which was delicious, and I had a pleasant experience with the owners and staff. Way to go!

I had so much fun seeing Rumours, a Fleetwood Mac cover band, on Saturday. I walked into Pearl St…read more Pub and a sign directed me upstairs to the Upper Room. On this particular night, they had the dance floor covered in chairs and tables, set up like a comedy club or a dinner show. I see on their website that they sometimes clear those tables to provide a generous dance floor space. The table set up is good for comedy or jazz, but many FM songs are made for dancing! Luckily there was plenty of room to dance on the right side of the room, but obviously along the wall there isn't the best sight or sound. I think it would have been better to put the tables in a U shape and provide more room for dancing, which would have really elevated the energy in the room. There are booths along the left, too, so TONS of seating and not much good dance space, but luckily this could be changed in the future. I never had to wait long for a drink and the bartenders didn't mind when I asked for refills of water. I think this space has a lot of potential and I hope to see more music or comedy there soon!

I've been waiting for a club like this in Albany for a long time. Where else in Albany can you see…read morenational and regional rock and blues acts. The room is great. I would guess it holds around 300 people. Table and table service and a bar in the back. Drink prices and admission prices are very reasonable. We have seen Papa Chubby and Savoy Brown and had a great time both times.

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.

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.

The Egg re-hatched on January 8th after a nearly $20 M renovation. That was great news! It was…read morestarting to become an eyesore with its aging seating and bathrooms. Now, it's a sight for sore eyes! Better sound system and LED lighting were among the upgrades. A little more seating. New seats and flooring. New wall coverings.The public was invited to check out the improvements at a free evening event. When you consider that the distinctive facility is about a half century old, the upgrades were overdue. The helpful ushers are not paid to be tour guides so I'm not sure how accurate their information was. Some ushers said the bathrooms were not renovated. The bathrooms I visited did have upgrades, but I cannot understand why the some of the original hardware including the old, chipped sanitary napkin receptacles were screwed back into the womens' bathrooms stalls. It seriously detracted from the overall appearance and seemed to be a bad penny pinching decision after so much money was spent. I can't tell you about the men's rooms. The men in our group of friends said they thought some work had been done. The Egg's unique shape was inspired by the half grapefruit that Gov. Rockefeller was eating during a planning meeting. In this day and age of large venues, it remains a more intimate setting. The Kitty Carlisle Hart theatre has a capacity of just under 1,000 seats and there's another smaller theater just below it. I was in the audience a few years ago when Pete Davidson did his stand-up act at the Egg. He complained about the small size of the venue. He added another show for same day just to make it worth his while. I came away offended by some of what he tried to pass off as humor. If performers like Davidson don't want to play the Egg again, I'm okay with that. It has great acoustics for fine artists of a whole different caliber. The Egg re-cracked open with aerial performances by Good Karma Studio and the DJ Hollyw8d. Looking forward to attending many awesome performances in this newly improved venue!

This Mid-Century Modern architectural masterpiece was stunning when it was built and now it's…read morerestored to perfection (2026). The artistic integrity remains and of course the proportions and design inside and out continue to WOW! A+ in every way! This venue is worth a good look and please certainly enjoy the top notch offerings! Thank you for the thoughtful restoration! The new seating is super comfortable too!

Good venue; we've been here multiple times for a variety of things. Disney on ice, Zach Bryan, Cody…read moreJohnson, and most recently Monster Jam. The parking is good. $25 for parking if you go to the MVP arena parking. Level 3 is the best and easiest for walking straight into the venue. (Take Beaver Street) and follow it to the end to enter the garage. (You'll pass other garages that aren't affiliated with the arena and they charge $40+. Avoid them if you wanna save some money. The MVP arena garage is easy. As with every stadium the drinks and snacks are expensive but to be expected. Only con I had was the cleanliness of the actual seat isles. My feet were sticking to the floor. And bathrooms are on a lower level. So stairs are involved.

Not in love with parking walk but not horrible; the food was ok at best ; vendors were kind awesome…read morepeople the seats I'm 120 lb and I found them tight my next seat neighbor who was 7 plus stood the whole time ; the concert was great but the venue was lacking. SHINEDOWN put an amazing show on so did ashes to new ; so did I face fun yes but I will rethink the venue .