5 RESTAURANTS (+ A BAR) TO KNOW IN GLENS FALLS
Call it a glow up, call it urban sprawl. A decade ago, Glens Falls couldn’t rival Saratoga, but its architectural charm, lively downtown + flourishing restaurant scene make this historic city worth a date night drive.
Story: Susie Davidson Powell
Photos: Susie Davidson Powell/The Dishing
Twenty years ago, historic stately homes of Glens Falls were for sale for cheap and in need of love, money, and renovations. Lots of people seized the opportunity. There was lovely, walkable downtown, a summer music series in the Glens Falls City Park, pints at Davidson Brewery, shopping at Minky Mink and Fountain Square Outfitters, the Children’s Museum and ever magical Hyde Collection. For eats, RockHill Bakehouse & Cafe was a highlight, along with Bistro Tallulah. The arrival of Morgan & Co. in 2014 brought two Boston-based chefs to the North Country and, when it opened in 2018, vegan Birch Bark Eatery became a destination for vegan donuts and killer vegan comfort food. In 2019, executive chef A.J. Richards (Alinea) closed Forged, his farm-to-table restaurant in a Hudson Falls courthouse, and reimagined it as[farmacy restobar] an open-kitchen concept in a former pizzeria on Ridge Street. The deep-pocketed renovations at The Queensbury Hotel continued and Park 26 opened as a promising upscale restaurant and alter ego to Fenimore’s, an unremarkable onsite pub.
But, the last 5 years have seen rapid revival and change. Respected veteran chef Brian Bowden left Saratoga Springs to open Radici in early 2020, days before the lockdown; a local TikTok star opened the Pakistani-American Alif Cafe in 2021 with its Dishoom-lounge vibes, and 2022 saw the arrival of stylish Mint on Warren (modeled after another cool spot in Portland, Maine) and Flight Wine Bar & Market on South Street, in the historic Empire Theatre, themed around a sort of camp Pan Am heyday nostalgia. Docs came out of the basement of The Park Theater to be reinvented as the all-day, multi-concept Park & Elm across the road.
Glens Falls has also quietly picked up a vaguely European air with busy sidewalk tables, a buzzing downtown that should make Albany green, and the renovated architecture of the Three Squares Historic District encompassing much of downtown. If you’re feeling Saratoga-ed out after track season, or on the hunt for something new, just head a little further north.
We’ve got 5 recommendations + a bar that you can mix-and-match. Have drinks at one, dinner at another, and end with dessert or a nightcap at a third. Then next time, switch the order. They all have good bars.
** NEW! ** Cleome | Visit
This newcomer opened early in 2025 in Flight’s turnkey space in the Empire Theatre. We sat at the bar to check it out but loved it enough to order second dinner. It’s modern, light, with Flight’s sleek white bar still in place, a wall of growing fresh herbs, and a menu riffing on Southern food. Can Southern be done well this far north? It turns out it can thanks to co-owner and chef Jakob White who opened Comedor, an American-Chilean restaurant in Boston after attending BU’s culinary program, relocated to the Virgin Islands during the pandemic, and has returned to his hometown of Glens Falls. We have recommendations: Get the Gullah red rice (Carolina Gold risotto, andouille sausage, holy trinity & tomato), grilled bavette steak with wild mushroom miso sauce, fried chicken with low country gravy, and strawberry beignets with goat cheese mousse. With this, you’ll want the 2-Lip Julep or sweet iced tea, but try the Lava Lamp Negroni served over a slow-melting blood orange ice cube. Dine inside, at the bar, or the covered sidewalk in view of City Park.The Golden Monkey Lounge | Visit |
The hip, funky Golden Monkey Lounge is new to us and we have no idea why since business partners Larissa Ovitt and Gregg Singer opened it in 2023. From a lengthy bar to the eclectic vintage furniture, you’ll want to lounge in sofas and armchairs. A raised diaz beside a retractable storefront window may have the best seats in the house although a fenced garden and leafy pergola has ample room for a crowd. At the end of the day, it’s about the cocktails and we’re smitten with their smartly written cocktail list and prominent pairing of similarly named non-alcoholic versions, so no one’s left out. We recommend the Pick Me Girl tomato martini or its virgin Don’t Pick me twin, both touched with chartreuse vinegar, cracked pepper and olive oil, or the Kumo No Hana which translates to field of flowers with Toki Japanese whiskey, lavender liqueur, jasmine oolong yogurt foam and lavender flowers. But definitely get their signature Golden Monkey (rum, banana, walnut bitters) or it's zero-proof Funky Monkey counterpart. There’s also a shareable snack menu (deviled eggs, pizza, carrot-harissa dip, charcuterie, weekly sliders) and the kitchen’s open until 11 p.m.Radici Kitchen & Bar | Visit
Veteran chef Brian Bowden opened Radici in 2020 with his partner, Carly Mankouski right before the pandemic but in spite of the timing, Bowden hasn’t skipped a beat in 5 years. His lengthy career spanning 15 Church, 30 Lake, R&R Kitchen + Bar, Sperry’s and Javier’s Nuevo Latino, all in in Saratoga Springs, as well as The Ginger Man in Albany and Creo in Guilderland, meant that opening his first restaurant in the turnkey former Bistro Tallulah has been smooth. The slim, exposed brick space with a chunky bar, ideal for solo dining, is always a busy spot. His menu reflects dining experiences downstate and up with modern, flavor-driven small plates loosely inspired by Italian cuisine, and always reliably good. Go for housemade pastas made fresh daily, ricotta gnocchi, short rib, baby beets with goat cheese mousse or grilled Spanish octopus with romesco and gigande beans. And the blood orange martini - a Radici staple.Farmacy Restobar | Visit
Chef A.J. Richards has a stellar young team and Farmacy’s funky, metropolitan bar aesthetic includes the thrill of an open kitchen up front providing entertainment to those dining in or passing on the street. Whether you sit at a table, the bar, or the chef’s counter, there’s plenty to see, although the seasonally open side alley has lovely tables for a warm night. Farmacy’s menu focuses on creative, seasonal small plates from grilled cucumbers and shishito peppers to escargot pate, braised pork cheeks, short rib mac n cheese or vegan bolognese. The dimly lit space has a downstate vibe with excellent cocktails and non-alc versions given equal care. Try the Bong Appetit, a mezcal and Chartreuse cocktail smoked and poured from a small bong or a classic gin Last Word.Morgan & Co | Visit
This stunning historic property has one of the best wraparound dining porches, secluded tables in the leafy gardens, and an outdoor porch bar for those who like to park and watch the view. Inside, the nineteenth century McEchron House has been transformed with a bar in the center, private dining nooks, and dining in adjoining rooms. A seasonal, loosely mediterranean, Bohemian, even Moroccan menu changes frequently. Order the Moroccan lamb cigars with harissa or glazed ribs. We have consistency sometimes mixed depending how busy they are but a course farmhouse pate and soft shell crabs live rent-free in our dreams. Chef-owners Rebecca Newell-Butters, a Glens Falls local, and her baker husband Steve Butters moved back to Glens Falls from Boston where Steve owned Butter Café and Bakery in Walpole Mass., and Rebecca, a chef in multiple Boston restaurants, won the Food Network’s Chopped in 2009.Mint | Visit
Directly opposite the Children’s Museum, this former mail room has been transformed. In the bar, glossy green tiles offset faux brick and a mirror reflects the Carrara quartz counter. Look for vintage German cube lights, bold jungle-tiger wallpaper in the bathroom and a banquette bar rescued from the state Capitol. Mint is all the things its name suggests: fresh, leafy, cool, in perfect shape. You could miss the “inspired plates, crafted potions” tagline in the logo, but the menu lives up the name. Owner Johanna Geldern, the former owner of Sweet Beet Bistro in Greenwich, is less concerned than some about farm-to-table but more focused on the varied diets people choose from pescetarian to gluten-free. An ever popular pickle plate, roasted cauliflower, beet burger (a legacy from Sweet Beet Bistro), and Kilcoyne Farm filet mignon are all worth your time. There has been turnover in the kitchen but the menu is steady with 1/2 portions, fair prices and a cost-conscious approach to ingredients. You won’t get caviar here, but honest plates, creative mixology, zero-proof and low ABV cocktails and a socially-conscious wine list will bring you back. Seasonal patio seating out front.
[Ed’s note: New in 2025 — Mint has a new second location in Slingerlands.]
That can’t be all in Glens Falls? We also like:
Raul’s Mexican Grill | Visit
We wouldn’t insist you drive far for the food, but Raul’s Mexican is in a prime downtown spot and draws in a chattering, lingering crowd inside or out. Glens Falls has other Mexican restaurants to try, but Raul’s is a casual, reliable vibe.
Park & Elm Restaurant, Market & Delicatessen | Visit
Whether you stop for morning coffee, hit the deli for lunch, grab take out dinner or dine-in, Park & Elm has something for everyone. This might not be in our top 3, but the menu is a crowd pleaser and dishes can be surprisingly good.
Lam Fong Yuen Chinese | Visit
We heard about Lam Fong Yuen from Glens Falls DJ Collin Badger, aka Oktah. It’s not the Chinese he remembers from his childhood, but one he recommends and we trust his pick. Read more of Oktah’s recs in our tastemaker interview.
The Queensbury Hotel | Visit
The historic hotel is worth a stop even if you just order cocktails in Fenimore’s to enjoy by the lobby fire or outside of Park 26 on the patio facing the park. On weekends, a pianist plays the baby grand piano and there’s something very grand about the historic lobby and oversized oil painting. Spot details like the original brass mail chute on the wall by the elevator. Park 26 restaurant technically still exists but the menu is the same as Fenimore’s — and we’re not fans.