INTEL: 3 spots you need to know this summer
Where to go for grab-and-go? It’s high summer and weekends are all about leisurely picnics, theater in parks + live music outdoors, so we’re here with three spots you need to know whether you order ahead, stay awhile, or grab-n-go.
Where to grab sandwiches for a summer picnic in the park?
BANH MI 47
We like it for: Bánh mì sandwiches for lunch on the go, dine in, takeout, elevated picnic supplies
Must try: Bánh mì, Vietnamese coffee, bubble tea
Vibe: Chill little Vietnamese lunch spot
Sound: Cafe chatter.
This bright little Vietnamese sandwich shop is dedicated to freshly made banh mi. Owners Mike and Stacy Nguyen (alumnae of local Siena College) are here for downtown Albany’s lunch crowd with their supremely crisp, airy house-baked baguettes “50% lighter than other bread.” Packed with cilantro, lightly pickled cucumber, carrot, daikon, and a smear of Kewpie mayo or Maggi seasoning sauce, they have a choice of 11 fillings from silky pork sausage and smooth pate (chà lua paté), marinated grilled beef with scallion oil, (bò nuong), meatballs (xiu mai) lemongrass chicken or tofu (ga nuong sa or dau hu chien sa). Don’t skip the optional thinly-sliced jalapenos which brings out sweetness in the marinated beef and porkiness of the pate. Double your veg or meat for a fee. Sip on fruit boba teas, hot or cold Nguyen espresso drinks or classic Vietnamese coffee with sweetened condensed milk. (They sell whole beans to go.) Space is limited but nab a chair by the colorful muraled walls or in the large storefront windows with a view on N Pearl Street.
☀️ This summer order your banh mi and iced Vietnamese coffee and take it the park. This is how to picnic in 2025.
74 N. Pearl Street, Albany
banhmi47.com IG: @banhmi47albany. Walk in. Order online.
Where to eat before a play at the Washington Park Playhouse?
605 SMASH Nr. Washington Park, Albany
We like it for: Burgers, airy window seating, Instagrammable take out, picnics, chicken sandos on the go
Must try: Get some friends to share The Box, a mix of any six burgers or fried chicken sandwiches for $65. Served in a large donut-box, it’s cute enough to Instagram. Add a Coca Cola or Poppi sparkling raspberry rose prebiotic soda.
Vibe: Fast casual burger joint
From the owners of Restaurant 605, the former Ralph’s Tavern at the corner of Madison and New Scotland Ave is the new airy home for their popular smash burgers and fried chicken sandwiches. That’s the extent of the menu other than a necessary side of fries, cheese-topped fries or loaded fries with grilled onions, secret sauce and cheese sauce. Their fried chicken sandwich is a saucy wonder with bird sauce (ketchup and mayo) and seasoned single or double smashed patties loaded with cheese, grilled onions, pickles and secret sauce. It’s flavorful even if the soft Martin’s potato buns struggle to contain the contents — grab plenty of napkins. Retractable storefront windows afford a view of Washington Park + give a city feel to the corner spot in summer. (Don’t leave your purse on the counter; we wish they’d add hooks.)
☀️ This summer: Order ‘The Box’ and head to the park with friends.
560 Madison Ave, Albany
605smash.com IG: @605.smash Walk in.
Where to go on Friday night for live music + tacos on a farm?
HARVEST SMOKEHOUSE at Golden Harvest Farms, Kinderhook
3 words: Rustic. Farmy. BBQ.
We like it for: Lunch, early dinner, daytime walks, apple cider donuts, spirits tasting room, bbq in summer, pho in winter.
Must try: In summer: Brisket, ribs, pit beans, they’ve got it. In winter: Pho (beef, chicken or vegan crispy tofu), pork buns. Year round: apple cider or matcha churro donuts, plus cocktails in the Harvest Spirits tasting room.
Vibe: Farmhouse smokehouse, casual picnic tables, covered but open to the outdoors.
Sound: Outdoors (you’re on an apple farm)
Golden Harvest Orchards continues to reinvent itself beyond the apple-filled country store and best-in-the-area apple cider donuts. First up was an on-site Harvest Spirits Distillery and Tasting Room with award-winning apple-based spirits and vinegars. Next was the arrival of Harvest Smokehouse with some of the area’s best barbecue smoked low and slow in a Lang smoker on applewood from the Red Delicious trees grown on the farm. But for their third act, they shifted gears last winter to open Smokehouse Noods, a pho and noodle shop in the same spot. The secret weapon? Chef Uriel Matus, a Los Angeles transplant who learned his soul-stirring pho at ASAP Phorage taco-burrito shop in Playa del Ray. Whether you visit in summer or winter, you can’t leave without apple cider donuts from the shop, but those in the know will get Chef Uriel’s matcha churro donuts or apple cider donut bread breading.
☀️ This summer: Whether you’re heading to Olana (Frederick Church’s home in Hudson) or to stroll the sculptures of Art Omi (Ghent), throw a blanket in your car and stop at Harvest Smokehouse for bbq lunch to go. But — on Friday nights, head behind the Smokehouse to the distillery’s cocktail garden for musicians playing Americana, country-western, R&B and rock from 6 to 9 p.m. Harvest Smokehouse serves up Chef Uriel’s LA-style Mexican street tacos from an Airstream trailer. Play cornhole. Bring the family. Nice dogs welcome too.
Golden Harvest Farm, 3074 Route 9, Valatie
Harvest Smokehouse. IG:@smokehousenoods Walk in.
