REVIEW: RALPH’S TAVERN, Colonie — 90+ years young

Oct 21

Ralph’s Tavern, Colonie

1328 Central Ave. Albany | ralphstaverninc.com Menu online. | To order: 518-489-8290

We like it for: Lunch, dinner, takeout, club sandwiches, Italian comfort food
Must try: Ralph’s special triple decker, clams casino, Ralph’s famous wings, pasta
Vibe: Old school pub with dining on the left and the original bar on the right
Sound: At lunch we settled in to the sounds of early ‘80s and 90s pop from Nena’s 99 Luftballons to the Backstreet boys.

Staff will tell you Ralph’s has been legally open since 1933 (when Prohibition ended,) but it may easily have started before the repeal. Either way, Ralph’s Italian-American is an old school surprise at the edge of busy Central Ave, next to car glass business, and a stroll to Northway Mall. It feels unapologetic about its location with ample parking, yellow visibility steps, and smart black awnings. The single glass screen door opens onto a vestibule with two entries: On the left, a door into the slim dining room; to the right, the bar paneled in dark wood with black-and-white checkerboard tin ceilings, high top tables and a chunky bullnose bar. Sure, there’s sports on five TVs watched by the white-haired, mature crowd, but the dining side has take-out traffic, a lively dinner crowd and weekend business from families with young kids.

Food is about as honest as it gets with a menu of around 100 items straight from the 1980s. Think shrimp cocktail, clams casino, steamers, torpedo sandwiches, triple decker clubs, pizzas, burgers, homemade soups, pastas, Italian favorites (veal sorrento, meatballs, chicken parmigiana), Prime rib and broiled scrod. Waitstaff are super friendly and frequently check in giving it a diner-ish feel. Open 363 days a year. They close for Thanksgiving and Christmas and offer catering too. Open daily 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Kitchen stays open until 10 p.m.; bar until 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Parking: Onsite lot