Last night we had an absolutely wonderful dining experience at Vice and Virtue. 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! read more

Vice & Virtue - Chocolate Pie - Wine Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

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

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We hadn't been to the V+V location since it was Pinhead Susan's. We received a gift certificate for our anniversary, so we were compelled to give it a try. The website looked amazing, so we were excited for our experience. When we walked in, we saw an updated bar and dining room--quite metropolitan. We were seated at a table by the window where a vent blew cold air at me most of the night (It was a crisp October evening.). It was no big deal because I put my husband's coat over the chair to obstruct it. While I ordered the Indian Summer and my husband ordered the Maple Manhattan, we waited quite a while; in fact, the server took our food order before our drinks arrived. Finally, the drinks arrived, and they were phenomenal. We easily waited an hour from our drinks' arrival for our appetizer, the Brussels Sprouts. They were delicious, complete with julienne apples, but our meals arrived within two minutes. We were still eating apps when our dinners arrived, a huge pet peeve of mine. As we were eating and enjoying each other's company, the music is turned up to a hyperbolic level. A DJ started blasting 90s music--Mariah Carey and Return of the Mack. It was ridiculous. We had to yell across the table at one and other, but no one was dancing. When we asked if it was a dance club, we were told no. We felt like we travelled back in time to 1998. Overall, the food was good but slow, the service was friendly but weak, and the atmosphere was modern but ridiculous. Definitely go here if money, time, and conversation are not an issue. read more

Vice & Virtue - Indian Summer and Maple Bacon Manhattan - Wine Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

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Came in for happy hour and it was a super cute bar that is totally instagram worthy. Jordan was our bartender and was fantastic! Very attentive. Overall will definitely come back for a happy hour drink and I'm hoping to get some food the next time I stop in. read more

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Had a lovely dinner Friday night! We didn't order from the restaurant week menu but we noticed several other guests ordered the four course option. I started with a ceasar salad. The dressing had perfect notes of anchovies, the right amount of dressing and parmesean. Served on a chilled plate with lemon wedge, just perfect. The cavatelli dish had alot of brown butter, sautéed squash and fresh arugula. The pasta was cooked al dente and it was a sweet and savory dish. We also ordered wine, me a Josh Cab Sauv and my friend 2 glasses pinot grigio.. The wine menu was similar to other spots downtown, my cab $10 and the white $ 13. This was my first visit since the location switched from Pinheads to VV. The build out is well done and we both commented on the decor and modern lighting. We will def return for another meal. read more

Vice & Virtue - Cavatelli - Wine Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

Vice & Virtue is a fun place to bring friends or family for food and drink. This is a place where I feel the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and I can come up with a lot of parts. One part is the food, though that was a wee bit inconsistent (see below). Another part is the location, very convenient to downtown Schenectady and the train station, with municipal parking nearby that becomes free after 5pm and on weekends. Yet another part would be the friendly service, and it feels like this is somewhat of a neighborhood establishment because of the rapport between staff and customers. Another two parts are for the drinks - two parts because we made it a point to arrive before our 6:30pm reservation, so that we could take advantage of their happy hour specials that run from 4-6pm, available only at the bar or nearby hi-top tables. Besides discounted appetizers, beer and wine are discounted, and cocktails (except for top shelf ones) are 2-for-1 (as opposed to half price, so that's why I threw in two parts here). We did have the roasted cauliflower appetizer at the bar... let's just say if you really want that, get it during happy hour where it's a more reasonable price for what you get. Our dinners, on the other hand, were really tasty with generous portions. Much of the menu is split between hand-helds (think burgers and chicken sandwiches) or a handful of entrees. I really enjoyed my jambalaya - part of me regretted not having bread with it to sop up all the sauce, but part of me also knew I'd be stepping on the scales the next morning. Our other entree was the Mojo Chicken, which was cumin spiced chicken thighs served with rice, pico, beans and pineapple - slightly less conventional, still mighty good. The Yelp map for Vice & Virtue was off a bit because the address was slightly incorrect. Hopefully they accepted my update, so that you can more easily find this place to enjoy one or more visits here. read more

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Last week we were in the area and noticed that Vice & Virtue formerly Pinhead's was open... The reason we came by was there was a Cage Wars Ring Fight happening in the parking lot... that was a surprise. So DH and I decided the following week to check this place out as we didn't realize it was open after rumors of obtaining a liquor license. Happy Hour 2 for 1 Domestic bottles & Well drinks... Week Days 4pm-6pm high tops and bar only... This sounds good to us... We ordered... Cider $? domestic beers 2 for 1, roasted cauliflower $8, berry salad $12 and Thai Thighs $8 All were quite appetizing but the cauliflower was delivered quite a bit later then the rest... for a new restaurant working out the kinks it was ok... Overall we enjoyed our early evening happy hour... the service was pleasant ambiance was trendy and i'm sure it will make a hit in the neighborhood especially before a show at Proctors. read more

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Been sitting here since 7:04 - it's 8:02. We've ordered soup and two apps....and here we with with a wine, flat ginger ale and my phone in hand. Can't rate the food - but WTF what the service. This is slow - Update from 15 mins ago - while the service was slow, the food is banging as my kids would say. Chowder should be in the Saratoga Chowder fest as it might win the damn thing and the other foods received were great.... So I was quick on the draw. Worth the wait. read more

Vice & Virtue - Awful service experience - Wine Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

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Hadn't been here since it was Pinhead Susan's. Incredibly weird vibe considering it used to be an Irish pub and they slapped some new tables in there and now call it a wine bar. Anyhow it was a Wednesday evening and there were maybe three other tables. My aunt and I ordered burgers. She has the black bean and I had the Vermont. After close to 45 minutes our food arrived. I ordered my burger medium rare and it came medium well. Dry. Best thing about it was the bacon. I had the "hand cut" fries which were cold and completely overdone mush. My aunt's burger looked a lot better. She got the sweet potato fries, which I tried and were great! Also noticed the sweet potato fries were cut different. I'm thinking they were pre-frozen and re-frying them crisped them up. Not sure what the deal is with this place but I wasn't impressed. Service wasn't awful, but pretty slow and cold. read more

Went to happy hour for 1/2 price apps and buy 1 get 1 drinks. Food was fantastic but glad we did happy hour and got the half off apps. Bar tender was super friendly and the place had a nice vibe. read more

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We went for NY Eve on a reservation and it was a harried experience, at best. The waitress was great but pulled in too many directions. The food was ok but lukewarm. Portions were way too small for the amount we paid. Ambiance was nice and it was clean, but the overall experience was mediocre. read more

We decided to try this relatively new restaurant for summer restaurant week. The restaurant was empty when we arrived. Our server arrived soon after we did and introduced herself. Our first and second courses were great--roasted cauliflower with a romesco sauce followed by a Thai inspired butternut bisque with scallop meat. Both were VERY tasty. Our main course was a dish of smoked meats, baked beans, coleslaw, whipped potatoes, and cornbread. The smoked sausage was excellent. The pulled pork was swimming in bbq sauce. The chicken looked good but came home for another meal. It was a very generous plating. To be honest, the first two courses were what really stood out. Our friends were pleased with all three of their courses. Together we tried everything on the special menu. The server was friendly but the service left much to be desired. It was slow at best. It was easily 30 minutes between our second course and entree. We had to make a few repeat requests. I think the restaurant has good potential but it needs to work on its service. A meal shouldn't take over 90 minutes unless you want it to. read more

First time here and would not go back. The kitchen seems very disorganized which even the server pointed out since there were many mistakes made. My friend got the wrong burger brought out which had to be remade, I ordered the strawberry salad. It was missing the candied pecans and instead of cucumbers as it states in the menu, it was covered in pickles- the kind that would be on a burger. Very strange combination! When asked about the missing pecans the server told me the restaurant had no nuts at all in the kitchen! read more

Our first time here and it did not disappoint !! Bridget was our bartender and she was engaging and gave us plenty of attention. The Wednesday $12 burger deal was outstanding !! One of the best. Burgers we have ever had. The special on $5 drafts was the icing on the cake. Great ambience and convenient parking. Do yourself a favor and go and treat yourself !! Thanks Bridget !!! read more

The food is good - burgers are great. But the service is consistently horrible for no apparent reason. The first visit, service was horrible. More than an hour to get our food. Restaurant was crowded, so we thought maybe they were blindsided on a weeknight. Waitress noticed the issue and manager gave us a $50 gift card to return. Finally returned after a few months. This time the restaurant was more than half empty, and yet still took over forty minutes to get our food, which was just hamburgers. (Which is what almost everyone else at three other tables had, because it was the special.) It's like they can only cook two meals at a time or something. read more

My wife and I went to Vice & Virtue last night for New Years eve dinner. She chose V&V based upon the menu and the price for a 5 course meal advertised for the evening. We were greeted and seated within minutes of walking through the door. The hostess was very nice and or server introduced herself shorty after we sat down at a table for 2 near the end of the bar next to the hallway to the back room. The food was very good. The service was excellent. While a bit noisy when we first arrived once the loud group at the end of the bar departed is became much much easier to hear one another without having to raise our voices. The portions were small for the $70 per person price but as I said the food was good. The fixed menu gave us choices. There were two choices for the appetizer, the soup and desert. There were three choices for the entree. The cocktail prices were reasonable and the service was excellent... At the end of the evening I settled the bill, the table had been cleared and my wife was finishing her glass of wine. Then the evening went to crap. The large man who had been hanging out in the opening at the end of the bar dressed in a black sweatshirt with some sort of gym reference on the back asked us if we were staying for the party, we smiled and politely said no... He then told us we had to leave by 9:00, I looked at my watch, it was slightly before 8:30. He wasn't dressed as an employee and never identified himself as such. My best guess was that he was some sort of bouncer hired to be muscle for the ensuing party. I looked at my wife who still had a couple of sips left in her glass. She finished it and we departed. With tip the evening cost me $250.00 not an excessive amount considering what we received but not a cheap evening either. The negative experience from the unknown large man as we were finishing was enough to keep me from returning. There was no need for him to say anything to us. It was well before 9:00 and we were obviously done with our meal and getting ready to leave. My advice to the owner or manager would be to have the hired help dress appropriately and tell the employees who are not involved with the people having dinner to keep their mouth shut and don't interact with the customers unless asked to do so. read more

Great new spot in downtown schenectady. Interesting well thought out menu. Great service and definitely not your typical bar or restaurant in town. Nice enough for a fancy date but also great place to hang with friends. Happy is excellent!! read more

Vice & Virtue - Tuna wonton crisp - Wine Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

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Modern, chick and cute bar/restaurant. Great for a drink or dinner (I had dinner). They have a limited menu with various specials. They did run out of some of the specials, so get there early. Our waitress was really nice and accommodating. read more

Vice & Virtue - Wine Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

We attended the opening night of this new restaurant in Schenectady and were not disappointed. Tastefully renovated former Pinhead Susan's. Service was warm and friendly but they were obviously just getting to know the menu. Our party of 7 enjoyed drinks, appetizers, entrees and dessert to celebrate a family birthday. Highlights were the ginger gin cocktail (served in a champagne flute but would have been better served in a coupe glass), chicken riggies, and remarkably delicious butternut squash risotto. The tuna wonton appetizer was properly cooked and fresh but lacked seasoning, perhaps an acid note? On looking back at the menu I think the listed pickled red pepper and jalapeño were completely missing on my dish. Sigh. Our birthday boy loved his nicely seared and tender Thor Hammer steak and was thrilled at the inclusion of marrow but wished for more roasted veggies. The table agreed that the giant chocolate chip cookie with gelato was the best dessert of the three we tried. We'll go back again to see how things are flowing. A nice addition to the local restaurant scene. Would make a good spot to hit before a show at Proctor's. read more

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Despite their web site stating "Kitchen closes an hour before closing time", and closing time is 2AM, their kitchen was "closed" at 10PM, with no mention of this fact on their site or on Yelp. Just the straight up lie about their kitchen closing time. read more

Great spot! Vibes, foods and drinks were awesome. Will definitely be back soon! Thanks for the great service as well. read more

Vice & Virtue - Chicken Caprese - Wine Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

Dinner was wonderful! Food was prepared with thought. Atmosphere was upscale casual, very pleasant. The restaurant is located in a vibrant area of the city. Service was excellent. We will be back if in the area again. read more

Vice & Virtue - Artichoke Bruschetta - Wine Bars Near Me - Schenectady, New York

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This restaurant has three strikes against it: One: It took up 5 minutes for our server to come over, and ask for our drink order...not a welcome to V&V, is this your first time or how are you this evening...just moving through the motions Two: Incorrectly made drinks...sad! How can you mess up the order of a drink on your menu (Hot Toddy) or one explicitly told of you Third: Waiting 30-40 minutes for your meal to arrive and simply be subpar Final: The vibe is weird...this place sides with vice. Overall, we were highly disappointed, as we were looking forward to a lovely experience. Hopefully the constructive feedback will shift and change the unfortunateness of this newly established restaurant. read more

We had such high hopes for this place. The experience started off great, we were greeted by the owner who was very friendly and engaged with his customers. The hostess was also very accommodating and helped us to get acclimated at the bar. The issue was the bartender. First, not overly important but note worthy, the entire staff was dressed in clean, sophisticated uniform with the support staff also dressed nicely. The female bartender was essentially half naked, which didn't do much for the atmosphere. We waited longer than we should have for her to take our drink order, and the drinks she made us were sub par at best. We ordered appetizers, which were delicious, and planned to order more throughout the night. At 8:50 we placed another order, and shortly after 9:00 she came back to tell us "i guess the kitchen is closes at 9". Not only was this irritating as we ordered before 9, but multiple other patrons had placed orders as well and were disappointed by the lack of notice. That in itself was enough for us to want to leave and spend our money elsewhere. As we waited for the check, who we had to ask a random server to get the attention of the bartender to get as she had again been chatting and neglecting our side of the bar- a woman near us voiced her discontent with the bartenders service. She said to the bartender that most people would have walked out due to her service the bartender responded "good for you". Her response sealed the deal for us. Wont be going back. All in all, staff is crucial to a successful business. It's still early, get "skylar" out from behind the bar and get someone with some customer service and bartending skill. As a marketed "cocktail lounge", the bare minimum is someone who knows how to make a drink. I hope with time the kinks will work themselves out, but in the mean time, we won't be back. read more

Great atmosphere and the waitstaff was amazing. I'd give 5 stars, but the burger was terribly undercooked, (raw in the middle) Once it was brought to the attention of the waitstaff, they were more than willing to refire it and gave us a couple drinks on the house. The drinks were also absolutely great! We will definitely be back read more

They got my order wrong. It was a busy night for them and that's no excuse. Should be on point on busy nights. It was Valentine's Day. Everyone in my party got their food and I had to wait for mine because my order was screwed up. Will not be going back. read more

Second time eating at this restaurant and I'm still impressed with the service and food. I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich marinated in a mojito marinade, topped with pickled onions, grilled poblano peppers and a sauce with a side of handcut fries. It was an amazing meal. I took the flourless cake with me, it's dairy free and tastes like fudge (and coconut milk?). Owner/partner was there and was super friendly as was the bartender. read more

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I highly recommended this restaurant. Tim, the owner met us at the door and showed us around the new restaurant. The food and the service from Tiffany were outstanding. I highly recommend it before or after a show at proctors or sloc! read more

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Cocktails sucked didn't pour enough achocol wings didn't have any flavor to much money for a disappointing night

The Thai Chicken Thighs absolutely Delicious!, The Service is fantastic The Bartender Jona was very nice and had knowledge of the food and drinks! The atmosphere is fabulous & Fun and I think as the weather becomes nicer the business will start getting busier! read more

currently still waiting for the absent server to come take our card so we can pay and leave. the food was honestly mid and left much to be desired (especially for the price). the drinks were ok i guess but my party and i thought they were missing something. the vibe was good, but the later you go for dinner the more it feels like a bar/club and less like restaurant, making it hard to hear the person sitting 3 feet from you. and by the way, if Lola is your server, be prepared to be there a minimum of an hour and a half (one drink one entree no dessert or apps). we just watched her walk by 3 times without even giving us a glance while we are still waiting to pay, card on the table with the receipt! read more

Went here after a Union Hockey game. Great food , service and vibe. Definitely have the Thai Chicken appetizer- really crispy and tasty. Harvest salad and Cheese Steak were very good. Management present and involved. Will go back for sure! read more

If I could give zero stars I would. Yesterday was Mother's Day. My daughter and family took me to brunch at Vice & Virtue. Their menu was advertised with mini quiches, french toast with assorted toppings. CARVING STATION, delicious fruit platters and such all for $40.00 per person. We walked in were told immediately that there would be 20% added to our bill. We were a bit confused as we were helping ourselves but ok.... We went up to the "buffet" which consisted of food in aluminum pans laying on a table. Nothing was labeled and we could not identify the food. Was it a mini burger or a sausage? Was that stuffing or a carcass? We had no idea what was in front of us. There were no chicken and waffles, There were chicken and bisquits which the person placing them in the aluminum pan was touching each one as he placed them. No glove, tongs etc.. just his hands. There was NO carving station. There were two trays of turkey and roast beef. We were told the "carver was sick." I guess no one in the resurant knew how to cut turkey and roast beef. The french toast had ZERO toppings and all pieces were stuck together from sitting out so long. The watress who served was a "ray of sunshine" (hear my sarcasm). The manager walked out crying then came back and started eating behind the bar. There was food all over the floor and people were taking fruit and dessert with their hands since no serving untensils were provided despite asking THREE times for them. To top it all off we needed to use the ladies room where my daughter found a dirty diaper on top of the garbage. Obviously the restuarant ( I use that term loosely) does not check the restrooms. All and all it was the most disqusting meal I have ever had, which was topped off by horrible service which we had no choice but pay the 20%. I would not reccomend this place to anyone. It was a hell hole. read more

Great place! Burgers are awesome and super attentive to food allergies. Definitely recommend.

Do yourself a favor and go eat at this place. The food was excellent!!!! I mean excellent!!!! We ordered pretty tamely by each having a bowl of Buttermilk Squash Scallop Soup. Unbelievable! Delicious! Best soup I've had in quite some time. Homemade, perfect, delicious! Wife got the clams and I had a black something or other burger. Burger with black beans on top. Skipped the fries and got a salad. The burger was delicious and the salad was wonderful. The chef at this place is excellent, and our server was super, super great. We could not have been happier with this restaurant. It's an easy 5 minute walk from the Hampton Inn in town. Very nice area, and we'll stop here every time we pass through Schenectady. The prices are very reasonable for the quality of food and the very excellent service. We're thrilled! They also have specials on food and drinks, and have days for tacos and other stuff. Do yourself a favor and go try this place. You'll thank me later read more

A great new addition to the Schenectady Restuarant scene. We took a group of 5 to celebrate my sons 40th birthday. The cocktails were excellent, creative, and enjoyed. A tad on upper end of price in the Capital Region. Moving on to appetizers clams were excellent as was the Scallop bisque. Ahi Tuna Wonton crisp was good but tuna was a tad over seared. I prefer mine raw. Nextime, I may ask for it that way. Salads were crisp, fresh, and good. On to Entrees. The Delmonico steak was amazing. Cooked as requested, medium rare. Seasoned and Flavored Excellent. Pre Chopped, which made it easy to enjoy and share. Several of our party had the Chicken Riggie which they were very happy with. The Risotto dish tasted like it had been overcooked and overwhelmed with Cinnamon. The only disappointment. Creme Brule was perfectly executed and portion generous. Wine list was ok. Red side could use a wider selection given they bill themselves as a Steak House. White was decent. But overall the should expand the wine list and offer more by the glass options. While I've lived in Schenectady much of the last 40 years, I've grown up in Philadelphia and NYC, traveled extensively and find them a nice addition to the local restaurant scene. Generally, when I'm in town, I love that I rarely have to leave Schenectady to find a good restaurant. Our server seemed new at the job and alittle confused by our wanting to pace ourselves between courses, but she was decent.. I'll be back. read more

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We are from out of town (Boston) and made a random stop in today. I must say the food was Amazing! My husband and I had the Thai Dirty Thighs, Fries, the Chicken Caprese, and a few cocktails. Truly cannot say anything bad about the food, we were very happy. Food was hot and delicious. The ambience was also very lively. The service with our waiter was even better!! Justin was extremely attentive, gave us history about the town and the restaurant, and literally went above and beyond. He truly made our night!!! The only Reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because of the hostess. She was an older lady and although we arrived around 5:30pm and asked for a cocktail table, she claimed they were reserved. However, there was no one on the restaurant at that time. We were still there at 9pm, throughout the night the hostess proceeded to walk around us as the restaurant got busy and I felt as though she was rushing us. The entire time we were ordering drinks, so it's not as though we weren't there spending money. Although she left a bitter taste in my mouth, overall I think it is worth a stop in!! read more

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The food was fantastic! It was a busy night because of a show at Proctor's. We ate at the bar and had great service. Beautifully renovated. Will definitely go again! read more

Excellent menu and service in a beautifully renovated spot. Highly recommend for both lunch and dinner.

Very pleasantly surprised, to say the least. Beautiful renovation from Pinhead Susan's, creative menu, beautiful plate presentation, most of all, everything was delicious!!! read more