Great drinks and a wonderful atmosphere while visiting nationally touring expos and events like…read morelocal minor league basketball.

The Armory definitely gets a thumbs up for ambiance, as it's a pretty unique location -- a set of…read morerooms upstairs in the old Armory. There's a variety of seating (including some cool very tall-backed chairs), which is a nice change of pace. There's a small menu, drinks, and coffee/sweets. The service is super cheery and prompt. The food is a bit middle of the road and humdrum, and our "hot" beverages were tepid at best. I recommend getting a drink over getting coffee, all things being equal. We'll see if it survives the closing of the Van Gogh Experience, but it's easy to see how with the right management, and maybe a slightly gussied up menu, this could become a destination and not just a stop-off.

The space is stunning, the vibes are high, the service is top-tier, the cocktails are creative and…read moredelicious, and the food was outstanding. I may be biased, Mediterranean is my favorite but the flavors and presentation were truly beyond compare. I only wish I had room to try more! There were so many dishes on the menu I wanted to order, but sadly, there's only so much room. We shared the grilled halloumi and charred carrots. My husband had the Branzino special, and I had the lamb gyro. Every dish was absolutely delicious. But the only thing I managed to photograph was THE most creative cocktail special I've ever had the privilege of trying, thanks to Colin. I absolutely love sitting at the bar with a knowledgeable, creative mixologist who is genuinely passionate about their craft. That kind of experience makes a night feel extra special. 10/10 experience. I think we just found our new special place.

Came on a busy Saturday dinner party of 5 without a reservation. The hostess was so kind. They were…read moreable to find us a table, only caveat is that it was in the vault room. And quite frankly, that was a cool area. You could snap a photo inside the giant safe. The restaurant used to be a bank. So think high windows, high ceilings, open space with beautiful tile flooring. The food did not disappoint. We had a mix of their lamb and seafood dishes. They gave a great twist to the predominantly Mediterranean menu. The cocktails were crafted wonderfully. Im very taken back on this gem of a restaurant in Schenectady NY. Great place for a date night, celebrate a special occasion, or just to have good drinks and food.

The wings are so delicious and I love that Wednesday night they have bingo and it so much fun.read more

I'm new to the area. My friends invited me. We loved it. Highly recommend. Great atmosphere. There…read morewere many of us and they treated us all courteous. The food was great!

Absolutely loved my brunch experience at The Nest! This place is truly a gem in Schenectady. The…read morerestaurant itself is super charming with an antique feel. Our server was the sweetest, and gave us some great recommendations. We started with the honey butter biscuits, which I highly recommend! We also got the friend green tomatoes which I enjoyed too. They really do a great job a southern cuisine here. Would love to come back to try some items from their dinner menu.

Second time being here, I don't remember if they mentioned it the first time there but when we…read morereserved a table for four, we were told there would be $20 charge per person if we were late. As busy as I've seen it I get why they'd make that decision. If it was 5 bucks I'm sure people wouldn't care, but at 20 a head it definitely made us sure to be there on time lol Their biscuits (honey/butter spreads) have been great every time. A true staple. Last time I got their yoghurt parfait, great for a lighter breakfast/brunch. This time I got a chicken and waffle special. I enjoyed it but could tell the chicken was cooked in oil a little more close to its end of frying life - not dirty or gross. In the end I liked the chicken, waffle and pork belly served. Great coffee!

After three visits to the Electric Grinch, I know this for sure:…read more1. a nice selection of brews in draft, can and bottle form. All the bartenders have been super friendly and have given great service during my exchanges. 2. the craft cocktail menu seems to be a hit! The bar has been filled with fancy looking drinks the first two times I visited, leading me to choose my own fancy cocktail during visit #3 - the Jumanji, a rum based fruity drink that hit the spot. 3. I love, love, LOVE that we have found a new music venue for local tunes several nights of the week. I've seen one new-to-me artist and came back another night when a band I've seen before was visiting. Both nights had good sound, great lighting, and people dancing in the building. My kinda night! 4. the vibes are chill enough to not feel stuffy and updated enough to feel like you are in a trendy spot with the cool kids 5. haven't visited when it isn't chilly, yet, but I am STOKED to spend time on the outdoor back patio, after taking a look during my last visit. So much seating and space for porch beers. 6. the Simone's connection make the food avaialble a YES, PLEASE

I stop in here at least once a week and truly love the food, drink and atmosphere....yet I'm still…read moresurprised as I'm open to try new things. I just tried the following: 1) Simone's Award Winning Sticky Sumac & Pomegranate BBQ wings. There is hint of BBQ...but the seasoning (including the sumac & pomegranate) truly set it apart! Extremely tasty....and surrounded w/ great garnishes as well! 2) Electric Grinch "mule". The E.G. "take" on the craft cocktail Mule is the perfect blend of mint and ...even kicks like a....well....a mule! :) Service is always top-notch (even when busy)! Love the lighting of the establishment...and Mitch ensures the bands sound their best as he provides the PA system! Come see for yourself!

This is a relaxed, welcoming spot for a cocktail and good conversation. I've been here a few times…read moreand enjoyed discovering New York State spirits, well-made and satisfyingly substantial cocktails, and live music that adds to the atmosphere. What stands out most, though, is the sense of community. I've seen strangers come together to support someone who wasn't feeling well, and that moment really reflected the kindness and positive energy of the people who gather here. So stop on by, grab a drink, and enjoy the day.

This place is very nice -- welcoming, artsy, comfortable, small but personable. We live across the…read morestreet, and my husband and I wanted to give it a try. Unfortunately, it was not a great experience. The bartender served our drinks with no napkins and no lime. Details are key in a place like this. It was also loud, and it looked like a birthday party was happening. If that was the case, maybe the place should have closed to the public to accommodate that celebration. People were loud and drunk, and the birthday boy was saying vulgar things. We will not be coming back.

Last night we had an absolutely wonderful dining experience at Vice and Virtue…read more From the moment we arrived, it was clear that this restaurant takes pride in what they do. The owners were there the entire evening, personally overseeing everything and checking on our table several times to make sure we were enjoying ourselves. That level of care and attention is something you don't find everywhere. The menu is incredible, with so many tempting options that I already know I'll have to come back multiple times to work my way through it! Everything is made fresh from scratch, and you can truly taste the difference. I ordered the Buffalo Chicken Salad, and it was so good that I completely forgot to take a picture before digging in! To drink, I had not one, but TWO Razzleberry Sparkling Lemonades, made with Tito's Handmade Vodka, lemonade, muddled blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries, topped with Prosecco. They were absolutely delicious and dangerously easy to drink! Two of my friends ordered Mojitos, and they were beautiful, refreshing, and looked absolutely delicious. My husband ordered the Shrimp Ravioli, and in his words, it was "excellent" and trust me, he's not easy to impress when it comes to food! He finished his meal with the tiramisu, which was fresh, flavorful, and the perfect ending to the evening. Two of our friends enjoyed the Shepherd's Pie. It was originally intended as a St. Patrick's Day special, but it became so popular that they've added it to the regular menu permanently. After hearing the rave reviews at our table, I can see why! Another friend ordered the Slammin' Piggy Tacos and couldn't stop talking about how good they were. Our other friend had the Jerk Shrimp Tacos and loved those as well. For dessert, I chose the Chocolate Pie, which was absolutely delightful and the perfect sweet ending to a fantastic meal. One thing I especially appreciated was how accessible the restaurant is. It is completely handicapped accessible, which can sometimes be difficult to find, and there is a convenient parking lot right next door that makes getting in and out easy. If you're looking for fresh, homemade food prepared by local owners who genuinely care about the quality of every dish they serve, you need to check this place out. We left happy, full, and already talking about what we'll order on our next visit. We'll definitely be back soon because there are still so many items on the menu I can't wait to try!

A wonderful bar and grill in Downtown Schenectady full of fun and great food. A nice place to enjoy…read morea family dinner or a party with friends

Fabulous visit to Ember & Cork. It was a group of 4, 3 of whom had never been before including…read moremyself. The Espresso Martini was not on the menu but they were able to make it. For appetizers, we ordered the oysters and burrata and prosciutto toast. I did not try the oysters but the others said they were good. I would order the toast again. For my entree I ordered the steak frites. One of the best steaks I've ever had. Perfectly cooked to medium rare. Had a lovely crust on it. For dessert, we shared the bread pudding with salted caramel gelato, burnt basque cheesecake and pear fritters. All three were delicious but the bread pudding was the standout. I highly recommend ordering it. Also have to mention our server Frank who was lovely and very attentive. We had a lot of questions, if there was something he didn't know he was very quick to find out the answer and was very thorough.

I was really excited about Ember and Cork. I really Love the…read morenew revitalized downtown State Street and I visit frequently. There is a parking lot behind the restaurant with free parking after 5. The menu reads exciting and includes a lot of fun and modern ingredients, the space is bright and inviting and we had great service. The cocktail menu was small and uninspired, but we enjoyed a few cocktails. My favorite of the night was a dirty martini with house stuffed blue cheese olives. Their aviation inspired cocktail called Flight 99 was okay, but left me wanting an aviation. We decided to get a few appetizers the share over some cocktails and didn't order any entrees. We started with the Shrimp Ceviche and the Foie Gras Torchon. Both plates arrived and the presentation left a lot to be desired. The shrimp ceviche was good but the baby corn and sweet potato were weird. It didn't belong at all. I don't know if it is traditional or what but it just took up space, made the presentation uninviting and added nothing to the dish. The chips were great though and the shrimp were large and of great quality. The Foie gras torchon was like a chilled pate, it was alright. 4 tiny slices of toast was not enough for the plate, the green strawberry compote was a good pairing, the dressed greens were fine but again, didn't add much to the dish. We heard the special of soft shell crab and wanted to order it. For the second round, we ordered the bone marrow and soft shell crab. The bone marrow was maybe 3 bites, the bones were very dry and didn't have much marrow to scrape so that was disappointing. The soft shell crab was a large portion and was very good and treat to have during the season. However, it was $65. Maybe our fault for not asking but that price is obscene for that dish. It was soft shell crab over spinach. We were pretty full and ended the meal with bread pudding which was fine. Our bill before tip was $280 for 4 appetizers, 6 cocktails and a dessert. I was sticker shocked. I really regret not asking the price on the soft shell crab. The food did not live up to the hype at all and I don't think I would return based on the quality and prices.

Good little local bar serving up a nice mix of beers on tap, plus a simple bar food menu w really…read moregreat wings. Nice staff. All around great joint.

Newly opened by new owner!!…read more great ambience Food is 3 stars Wine & Beer good I would describe this place as the neighborhood corner bar decorated with nostalgic pictures of the city of Schenectady. Food was average the fried broccoli and cheese $10 was frozen and mushy after frying just ok I didn't eat much... The boneless chicken wings $15. were good. Greek salad $13 was good with fresh cut up vegetables and of course the drinks were good A full glass of Riesling $9 and Sam Seasonal $14. Hopefully the menu will increase to maybe some sandwiches in the future. The best part was the happy go lucky server Lynne very pleasant to talk to and johnny on the spot when you needed something.

For context, I rate products and experiences on a simple scale: 5 = love it, 4 = like it, 3 = okay,…read more2 = didn't like it, 1 = hated or unsafe. Another great visit to Innovo Kitchen I've been to Innovo Kitchen several times over the years and have reviewed them before, and today's visit didn't disappoint either. One thing I really like about Innovo is that they frequently change the menu, so there's always something new to try, and I've never had trouble finding something that sounds good. Tonight I went with the Rigatoni Riggies with tomato vodka sauce and chicken, and it was delicious. The warm bread that came with it was also really tasty. We also tried the Dorito Cool Ranch tater tots, which were delightful. But the real showstopper was the peanut butter mud pie. Soooooo good. Definitely one of those desserts that makes you wish you had ordered two. What really made tonight's visit memorable, though, was our waiter, Matthew. He noticed the funny design on my T-shirt and struck up a conversation about it. We laughed and chatted for a bit, and eventually he mentioned that he's been a waiter for 27 years. It showed. Matthew was high-energy, funny, personable, and attentive without being overbearing. He checked on us several times and seemed to genuinely enjoy what he was doing. Watching him work was like watching someone who has truly mastered his craft. It was a master class in waitership, and it made an already great meal even better. Great food, a fun atmosphere, and an excellent server. Another very enjoyable visit to Innovo Kitchen.

I feel like the food and service are two separate things. The service is not an issue - every time…read morewe have been here, our waitress/waiter is truly amazing. They are always pleasant and attentive. However, the food is not as good as a story. Your "experience" starts by reading the menu and being greeted by relatively high prices - which isn't an issue if the food is stellar (spoiler alert, it's not). I have had multiple dishes here from a roast beef sandwich, burger, chicken Caesar salad, an onion pasta dish, and even a lobster Cobb salad. Every single dish lacks seasoning, culinary character, and is just bland. I want to like it, but they make it very hard. If you go here, maybe just have a drink at the bar and go eat some place else.