Best restaurants in Albany, ranked
Plated dish at an Albany restaurant
Albany's food scene punches above its size — here are the 10 restaurants worth planning around, from $12 fish fries to $85 tasting menus.
The top of the list
Yono's on Chapel Street is Albany's best restaurant — Indonesian-influenced fine dining, around $85 for the tasting menu, and the local special-occasion default for 30-plus years. dp: An American Brasserie, the more casual sister spot upstairs, does great burgers and a $32 short rib. New World Bistro Bar on Delaware in Center Square is the farm-to-table pick at $28 mains. Cafe Capriccio on Grand Street has been doing Northern Italian since 1982 and remains excellent.
The neighborhood classics
El Loco on Madison for Tex-Mex, $18 a plate. Ted's Fish Fry (multiple locations) for the regional-classic haddock sandwich at $12. Nighthawks on Broadway for burgers, $17. Miss Albany Diner in North Albany for old-school breakfast at $14. Cardona's Market on Delaware for Italian sandwiches around $11 — get the Godfather. Bomber's Burrito Bar for a $10 college-classic burrito. These are what people actually eat in Albany, and none of them will disappoint.
Before you book
The questions people ask about Center Square, answered with this month’s numbers.
No — Michelin doesn’t rate the Capital Region. Yono's and 15 Church in Saratoga are the closest to that level of cooking.
A fish fry — haddock on a soft roll with tartar. Ted's is the chain, Off Shore Pier does a better version if you can find it, and Bob & Ron's in North Albany is the traditionalist pick.
