First impression: 3 weeks after opening, we take a peak at the decor, cocktails + plates at Itameshi, a Japanese-Italian fusion concept inside Industrie apartment building in the Warehouse District, Albany.

Saba Cafe & Hookah Lounge is on the 2nd floor up a steep flight of stairs above the Saba al Yemen (formerly Sheba al Yemen) on Central Ave. With a cafe menu of coffees, pastries and smoothies it is family friendly by day, and a hookah lounge with monthly events during the evening.

This unassuming strip mall taqueria behind a gun range in Green Island is a riot of color and flavor from the menu boards on the wall to the broad menu spanning chilaquiles, tacos arabe, carne asada, ceviches and tacos de cachete (beef cheek).

The vibrant Umana Yana embraces global cuisines with Afro-Caribbean dishes and the area’s only Ethiopian stews and injera bread. Serves global wines and wine-based or non-alcoholic cocktails with optional CBD shots.

Cafe Euphoria in Troy, NY is an inclusive, worker-owned + operated cafe/restaurant with a thrift store and co-working space. It serves breakfast and lunch with a dinner menu on weekends.