17 Best Bars in Albany

“Fun night out….great staff and cool place with a good amount of different activities.“

“Lauren and Colin are beautiful people and run a truly special establishment. An amazingly curated tap list and bottle selection, as well as super tasty small bites make for a wonderful experience with each visit.“

“We hosted our wedding at Albany Distilling and I can not speak highly enough of our experience. Natalie was amazing to work with and the staff were wonderful day of. All of our guests could not stop talking about the drinks, staff, and atmosphere. I would highly recommend for any event!“

“Easily one of my favorite bars in Albany.

Trivia every Wednesday and karaoke on Friday are always a blast. All of the bartenders are friendly, helpful, and know their stuff. Great selection of all types of beer, with some canned cocktails, shots, and THC seltzers.

Very friendly atmosphere for hanging with friends, queer and POC friendly business. Music on karaoke nights gets pretty loud though.

Beer can run a bit pricey but they have delicious cheap options too.

They're dog friendly too so you can pet some cute dogs while you're drinking. And the patio is a big plus. Tables and chairs on the sidewalk are great for summer nights.“

“Just had date night and have absolutely nothing bad to say! Brian served us and he was knowledgeable and knew the menu well. The food was cooked professionally, there was no feeling of “another chain restaurant “ it was delicious! Cocktails were nice, presentation was good. It was everything we needed tonight!“

“great service, good food, friendly clientele“

“Searching for places to eat in the local area and this place popped up. I don’t normally leave reviews but I feel compelled as the food was absolutely exquisite. This place has good vegan options as well. The Dirty Little Birdy signature cocktail may be the best drink I’ve ever had! Just annoyed I had to share it. Coming back on Friday!“

“I’ve found my “Cheers!”
Yes I’m showing my age with that reference - 80’s babyyyy - but this dive bar is IT!
This place has some of the best cocktails I’ve had, easily rivaling overpriced drinks in Manhattan - shout out to Tom!
If you have no idea what you want to drink, no worries, talk to the bartenders, they’ll help you, might even whip up something creative on the spot.
Monday nights belong to Brian the bacon guru, baby I eat pork again when I roll up here on a Monday (I pay for it later too, well worth it, lol).

The patrons are some of the most diverse and amazingly chill group of folks I’ve encountered since moving from the multicultural NYC life - Bx to be exact - to the parts up yonder.

The owner, Joe, is one of the kindest humans, and honey like attracts like, because his team definitely match his energy, they are hands down, some of my favorite people up here! Special shout out to Victoria & Corrine ❤️!

When you go, chill hard, enjoy big, and tip OD!“

“Believe the hype! Casey Finn’s delivers for service, the finest Miller High Life and Jameson whiskey, and I heard that the Ruebens on St Patrick’s Day are the jam.Was sincerely hoping for the rumored bartender vs customer fight (see review from a few years ago), but despite a brief genuine moment of concern (“are you ladies lost?”), we made friends and will be back.“

“Better than ever, great menu, excellent staff“

“Great atmosphere great girls with great outfits! Accommodating owners“

“Great place! Awesome drinks! Great food!!“

“Out of town working, read the reviews, previous review guy walks out because Fox News was on. I was all in. I wish there was more of him around. makes my visit that much more enjoyable . if you are looking for food this is the wrong place. If you’re looking to drink and hang out and have a good time, this is it. Darts pool, Jamison and Guinness and other beers but no Bud Light. Locals are extremely friendly ,met several new friends on the first visit“

“Albany landmark one of the last black owned bars in Albany. Nice spot when you don't want to be around drama...most youngins don't want to go there because it's fairly low key which is why I rather go there. when I want to grab a drink in peace..go there grab a drink and show Phil love for keeping this establishment open!“

“Nice neighborhood bar, sports on the many TVs, billiards, cold beer , good people.“

“Had a BLAST here this past wknd! I sang karaoke both Friday and Saturday night..I rocked and entertained the fun supportive crowd! Everyone that sang CAN sing!“

“12/10 dive bar experience (solid pours on the drinks, disgustingly good mozz sticks, and a pool table with a good crowd) EXCEPT for Juan Picasso...This absolutely sorry excuse of a human being, after being asked to jimmy open the locked women's bathroom by myself and another woman when a younger woman had been in there for over half an hour with no response, became clearly embarrassed to find her sitting on the toilet with her pants down. He then decided to try and hide his blatant embarrassment behind unwarranted anger and project those feelings onto me, saying sarcastically "Thanks for making me open the door..." before walking away?!Listen, you douche canoe, I'm sure by now you realized that the woman in there actually needed a little assistance - I only wish someone had made YOU clean up the vomit on the floor. Pick on someone your own size next time, eh? Your attempt to hide your personal insecurities and your inability to handle your "big feelings" behind a facade of machismo is laughable at best and incredibly sad at worst. If you own a bar, you take care of your people - I wouldn't be surprised if someone ends up dying on your watch.The bartender, Jeff, was cool, though. We like Jeff.“