If you’ve never grabbed dinner or a drink at these five hidden gems, you’re not alone. But Saratoga’s best-kept secrets may not be secret for long.
Quarters Bar
Dubbed Saratoga’s friendliest watering hole by SARATOGA LIVING AFTER HOURS (the Spa City’s preeminent source for intel on places that serve alcohol), this townie bar is located in the Market 32 plaza on Ballston Ave. It’s somewhat of a modern day Cheers—a place where everyone knows your name. Come for the laid-back daytime vibes (the bar opens at 10am) and stick around for Wednesday open mic night or weekend jam band shows.
Mangiamo Homemade Pasta Shop
You’ve probably seen yard signs posted around Saratoga promoting a mysterious place called Mangiamo, which isn’t an actual restaurant but instead a small Woodlawn Ave shop selling homemade pasta, ravioli, gnocchi, tortellini and more. You can certainly stop in to pick up small portions Wednesday-Saturday, but owner Rose Contadino recommends calling ahead for larger orders. Want to sample before you buy? Kindred, BuonaSera and Hattie’s all use Mangiamo products.
Yeh Mon Jamaican Restaurant
A Knights of Columbus building might be one of the least likely places to get oxtail and fried green plantains, but that’s exactly what you’ll find at the one right off Route 29 heading west out of town. Gregory Parnell, a longtime fixture of Saratoga’s restaurant industry, serves his authentic Jamaican fare (jerk chicken, anyone?) out of the kitchen for take-out five days a week; call (518) 307-1401 to order.
Kaleidoscope Café
Head the other direction on Route 29 (towards Schuylerville) and you’ll eventually come to what looks like a ranch-style home—except with waving flags touting homemade ice cream and house-smoked barbecue in the yard. That’s the home of Kaleidoscope Café, which serves classic ice cream flavors (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry) alongside Lavender Honey, Matcha Madness and Mango Habanero Thursday-Sunday.
Dunning Street Station
Just outside of town on Route 9 heading towards Malta is what appears to be a retro diner…except it’s not a diner at all. Home of Dunning Street Station, the restaurant wasoriginally the Malta Ridge Diner, but after changing hands many times, was purchased by Lake Ridge Restaurant’s Bob McKenna and Chef Scott Ringwood in 2016. These days, the dinner spot serves American favorites and Italian classics from 3-9pm Tuesday-Saturday.