Where to Eat

This is where we drop the intel. New openings. Reviews. Round ups.
Girls’ Night? Where to find $10 martinis? Wine bars upstate? There’s a spot—or 5—we know.

Featured
INTEL: LATE NIGHT + ALCOHOL-FREE: YEMENI COFFEE SHOPS + SMOOTHIE BARS, HOT TO GO
INTEL: LATE NIGHT + ALCOHOL-FREE: YEMENI COFFEE SHOPS + SMOOTHIE BARS, HOT TO GO

Yemeni coffee shops + smoothie bars are heating up upstate.

INTEL: LAKE GEORGE TO SARATOGA, THE ICE BARS MAKING WINTER FUN AGAIN
INTEL: LAKE GEORGE TO SARATOGA, THE ICE BARS MAKING WINTER FUN AGAIN

Sub-zero temps, snow, ice bars! From Lake George to Saratoga Springs, February is the month to bundle up for hot toddies, fire + ice.

BELOW GROUND: WHERE TO EAT—THE EMPIRE STATE PLAZA
BELOW GROUND: WHERE TO EAT—THE EMPIRE STATE PLAZA

WHERE TO EAT—Below Ground at the Empire State Plaza.

INTEL: John Wiseman of Curious Elixirs talks about a decade of N/A
INTEL: John Wiseman of Curious Elixirs talks about a decade of N/A

INTEL: Curious Elixirs, booze-free, ready-to-drink adaptogenic cocktails crafted by bartenders and made in the Hudson Valley, was one of the first on the market. We asked founder John “J.W.” Wiseman what’s changed in a decade.

INTEL: 9 Saratoga bartenders helped create this Pinhook Kentucky bourbon blend.
INTEL: 9 Saratoga bartenders helped create this Pinhook Kentucky bourbon blend.

INTEL: What happens when 9 Saratoga bartenders help to create a unique Pinhook Kentucky bourbon whiskey? You get a true Spa City blend. And it’s coming to Saratoga soon.

THE DISHING GIFT LIST 2025
THE DISHING GIFT LIST 2025

The Dishing’s Holiday Gift Guide 2025 is here! Feel festive, feed your friends, shop local. We’ve got you covered!

INTEL: 7 (soon 8) WINE BARS TO ESCAPE THE SNOW
INTEL: 7 (soon 8) WINE BARS TO ESCAPE THE SNOW

Winter’s here, now what? We have 7 cozy wine bars where you can hunker down.

INTEL: Tony! Toni! Toné! TONI’S WINE BAR IS OPEN
INTEL: Tony! Toni! Toné! TONI’S WINE BAR IS OPEN

Inspired by a wine bar in Troy, Schenectady finally has a natural wine bar of its own. We dish the early intel with owner Tina Riggi.

DOES IT TURKEY? Thanksgiving Wines for 2025
DOES IT TURKEY? Thanksgiving Wines for 2025

BOTTLE CRUSH — We ask the experts: Does it turkey? Four wines to get you through Thanksgiving 2025.

WHY ARE SO MANY RESTAURANTS CLOSING?
WHY ARE SO MANY RESTAURANTS CLOSING?

With closures almost daily, we ask industry professionals: What’s going on?

INTEL: WHERE TO EAT IN KINDERHOOK
INTEL: WHERE TO EAT IN KINDERHOOK

Where to eat in Kinderhook: 3 spots to know — The Aviary, Isola Wine Bar + Saisonnier

INTEL: WHO IS THE MEAT STICK CHICK?
INTEL: WHO IS THE MEAT STICK CHICK?

A DJ-ing hotdog cart? In Schenectady? It’s true. But who?

WHERE TO EAT IN POUGHKEEPSIE: 3 PLACES TO KNOW
WHERE TO EAT IN POUGHKEEPSIE: 3 PLACES TO KNOW

Where to eat: 3 spots to know in Poughkeepsie. Downtown investment, the custom-built Eastdale Village + a riverfront revival are reshaping Poughkeepsie for casual dining.

INTEL: Where to eat in Rosendale, N.Y.
INTEL: Where to eat in Rosendale, N.Y.

3 spots you need to know in Rosendale: Bistrot Le Chat Barbu, Well Nice Wine Bar + Montauk Catch Club.

TASTE: PIZZERIA MARI LANDS IN TROY
TASTE: PIZZERIA MARI LANDS IN TROY

INTEL: New ‘za on the block: Pizzeria Mari is officially open in the Collar City with “Tri-state” style pizza + a minimalist vibe.

WHERE TO EAT GERMAN FOOD + DRINK A BIERSTIEFEL
WHERE TO EAT GERMAN FOOD + DRINK A BIERSTIEFEL

Where to eat German food + drink a birthday boot. We’ve got you covered with 7 upstate spots for Bavarian, Alsatian and brauhaus fare.

INTEL: FINGER LAKES NAMED 2025 WINE REGION of the year
INTEL: FINGER LAKES NAMED 2025 WINE REGION of the year

INTEL: New York’s Finger Lakes is the 2025 American Wine Region of the Year. We have 5 New York wines you need to try.

WHERE TO EAT ON A MONDAY NIGHT IN DOWNTOWN ALBANY
WHERE TO EAT ON A MONDAY NIGHT IN DOWNTOWN ALBANY

If Monday is the new Friday, you’ll need this list of 9 downtown Albany restaurants and bars open for dinner or late night menus.

5 RESTAURANTS (+ A BAR) TO KNOW IN GLENS FALLS
5 RESTAURANTS (+ A BAR) TO KNOW IN GLENS FALLS

With a little Euro flair to its historic downtown, Glens Falls is leaning in to a flourishing restaurant scene. We checked out the latest openings for 5 restaurants + a bar you need to know.

INTEL: WHERE TO GO FOR NEGRONI WEEK
INTEL: WHERE TO GO FOR NEGRONI WEEK

We’ve got you covered from Troy to Beacon. Where to go + what to sip.

INTEL: Bless up for our favorite Jamaican spots
INTEL: Bless up for our favorite Jamaican spots

Bless up with inner luv for our favorite Jamaican spots

INTEL: Where to go for (really good) tacos
INTEL: Where to go for (really good) tacos

Where to go for (really good) tacos

INTEL: Where to find desi pizza
INTEL: Where to find desi pizza

Where to find desi pizza… in a Mobil gas station

INTEL: Where to eat at the Albany-Rensselaer train station
INTEL: Where to eat at the Albany-Rensselaer train station

3 spots you need to know when you’re hungry at the Albany-Rensselaer train station: Son of Egg, Shwe Burmese + Illusive Restaurant & Bar.

INTEL: 3 spots you need to know this summer
INTEL: 3 spots you need to know this summer

INTEL: 3 spots you need to know this summer for outdoor dining. Banh mi for your picnic. Burgers for the park playhouse. Taco truck, bbq and live music on an apple farm.

INTEL: Where to go for pickletinis
INTEL: Where to go for pickletinis

Where to go for pickle cocktails

INTEL: Where to go… for extra crispy fried chicken.
INTEL: Where to go… for extra crispy fried chicken.

Where to go for the best fried chicken in the Capital Region. Our top 5 crushes should be your top 5 too.

INTEL: Where to go for $10 martinis, Part II
INTEL: Where to go for $10 martinis, Part II

Where to go for $10 martinis around Albany, Schenectady, Hudson and Kingston. Part II.

INTEL: Where to go for $10 martinis
INTEL: Where to go for $10 martinis

Where to go for $10 martinis around Albany, Saratoga, Troy, Hudson. Part I.

Featured
MEET: VERONICA AGAMA, Viva Empanadas Latin Grill + Wine, Latham + Albany
MEET: VERONICA AGAMA, Viva Empanadas Latin Grill + Wine, Latham + Albany

Veronica Agama—Latina, mother, entrepreneur + chef—talks food trucks, the diversity of Latin cooking + moving her Viva Empanadas business upstate.
— We also have her exclusive announcement of a new third location!

INTEL: HAEMA HOSPITALITY MAKES A MOVE TO HUDSON
INTEL: HAEMA HOSPITALITY MAKES A MOVE TO HUDSON

Haema Hospitality announces their first brick-and-mortar in a spring move to Hudson. They’re taking over the former Bar Bene wine bar on Warren Street and building owner, Marie Wong, is thrilled.

MEET: HILLARY ZIO, sommelier + owner of ISOLA WINE BAR, Kinderhook
MEET: HILLARY ZIO, sommelier + owner of ISOLA WINE BAR, Kinderhook

Hillary Zio, sommelier and owner of Isola Wine Bar in Kinderhook talks about her love of teaching, women in wine, and designing a balanced life on her own terms.

MEET: TWIN LAKES ICE Co. —Abby Puca + Sean Meagher
MEET: TWIN LAKES ICE Co. —Abby Puca + Sean Meagher

Diamond Life: Abby Puca + Sean Meagher talk cut, clarity, balance + why you should care about the ice in your glass.

MEET: CHEESECAKE MACHISMO Lynn Beaumont + Bam Lynch on love, community + staying punk
MEET: CHEESECAKE MACHISMO Lynn Beaumont + Bam Lynch on love, community + staying punk

Cheesecake Machismo’s Lynn Beaumont + Bam Lynch talk about 23 years of cheesecake innovation, tattoos, global community + being an Albany icon.

MEET: CHEF TAYO, EBI-AYO SUPPER CLUB, N.Y.C
MEET: CHEF TAYO, EBI-AYO SUPPER CLUB, N.Y.C

Nigerian Chef Tayo Ola of the bi-coastal Ebi-Ayo Supper Club is the culinary inspiration for Albany-based Nigerian fashion designer, Mo Rabiu. Chef Tayo brought his supper club from L.A. to NYC and he talks with The Dishing about growing up in America through food and sharing culinary identities through seats at his table.