REVIEW: FRANKLIN SQUARE MARKET BAR-RESTAURANT
Could this supermarket restaurant make Saratoga’s best restaurant lists?
We think so.
The Market Bar + Restaurant inside Franklin Square Market, Saratoga Springs
55 Railroad Place, Saratoga Springs | franklinsquaremarket.com
We know you know Franklin Square Market, the 19,000 square foot Fresh Market-style community marketplace with an in-house bakery, full-service deli, and plenty of gourmet, ready-to-go food. If you were going to picnic at the track or one of Saratoga’s several parks, it would be your logical, one-stop shop for all your snacking needs. Locals can roll their eyes now as this is hardly a secret, but many won’t know about the in-house restaurant with a centrally-located bar that conveniently opens for your imbibing pleasure at 3 p.m.
Franklin Square’s restaurant should probably hold a spot on one of the many local best eats lists. Really, you ask? A restaurant in a supermarket? Well, yeah. Owner Chef Mark Delos is no stranger to the industry having spent more than thirty years operating Mazzone Catering. Instead of retiring, he resigned to become partner and culinary director when the prior chef-operator bowed out.
The space has been cleverly corralled, not entirely out of sight, but at least structurally given slatted side walls and a sturdy wooden entrance with shelves stacked with wine and a hostess desk for the allure of being welcomed “inside” while shoppers peruse the aisles. But this Mediterranean-inspired, full-service restaurant is more than just the sum of its parts. Its summer patio has just opened with umbrellaed tables and lounge furniture. Sure, the view is of a parking lot rather than bustling Broadway— but the late LA Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold wouldn’t bat an eyelid. Good eats are good eats wherever they’re found
No surprise to find ahi tuna nachos and tuna tartare, but tuck into the excellent carnitas tamales with pico de gallo and green chile salsa, or smashed pea citrus toasts with asparagus crowns, whipped ricotta, prosciutto, and Cara Cara oranges on charred ciabatta bread. Those who remember the pillowy ricotta gnudi from the former Mazzone Fish at 30 Lake are in luck as they’re here with generous chunks of crab.
You can go the smashburger route, which isn’t cheap at $25, or have steak frites—a steal at $48 considering you’ll pay twice the price at Noah’s or Solevo. Long bone pork chop with grilled peaches and fennel salad feels on point for any summer night, and their seafood cioppino brings back memories of 8 Tables, another ghost from Saratoga’s culinary past.
Does it compete with the style and game of more upscale options in town? No. Does it meet the needs of young friends dropping in before the movies across the street? For that, it’s priced a little steep. It’s clearly been discovered by a well-tailored, mature crowd, but the bright young influencers shouldn’t sleep on it. Draft wines include a lovely Chenin Blanc/viognier and classic Campuget French rosé; cocktails like the Earl Grey-infused gin Girls Not Grey are by area bartender Zach Wachtel (The Adelphi, Jack’s Oyster House.) With live music and the level of attentive service you’d expect in a more intimate restaurant, this “restaurant in a supermarket” could make any top 5 list for where to eat. In short, there are a lot of good plates and we were seated without a wait.
We like it for: Cocktails, dinner, shared plates with friends
Must try: Smashed pea citrus toasts, tamales, cioppino.
Vibe: Cleverly disguised restaurant in a supermarket with a central bar and an outdoor patio/terrace
Sound: Unobtrusive occasional live singer/guitarist or jazzy playlist
Style: Mediterranean-influenced menu
Service: Attentive and friendly. Servers will take away and box up any lefotvers.
Parking: Street
Nearby: 1.
