If you have family or friends visiting you in Saratoga Springs this holiday season, chances are, you’re not going to want to cook every night. Luckily, this city has so many amazing bars and restaurants to choose from that you don’t have to! Below, find nine of the area’s top eateries that are sure to fill your belly this winter.
Osteria Danny
Run by Executive Chef Danny Petrosino and his wife, Patti, Osteria Danny specializes in Italian-American cuisine with an emphasis on simplicity and creative development. As such, the menu is updated frequently to encompass new culinary concepts and locally sourced ingredients when they’re available. Although the menu is continuously evolving with the creative will of Chef Danny, original recipes remain a pivotal influence in the dishes that Osteria Danny produces. For example, there’s a simple dish called “Shrimp the way my father liked it” on the menu, which is accompanied by lemon risotto, butter garlic and “a bunch of other stuff,” and all pastas and desserts (mmm…pistachio cheesecake) are made by Danny himself.
26 Henry Street, Saratoga Springs 518.423.7022
Dunning Street Station
Located about ten minutes from Downtown Saratoga Springs on Rt. 9 in Malta, Dunning Street Station, with its various soups, entrées, desserts and drinks (including 16 beers on tap), is a prime location for a hearty meal (Sunday brunch, anyone?), slightly outside the bustle of the SPa City’s nexus. Bob McKenna and Chef Scott Ringwood purchased the restaurant in 2015, and take pride in maintaining high-quality dining and customer service standards, having won multiple awards for the restaurant, including Best Newcomer at the 2017 Saratoga Chowderfest. Can’t-miss dishes include the lobster mac, salmon (served with jasmine rice), a prime rib special on Sundays and a generous variety of steaks, burgers and wings.
2853 State Rt 9, Malta 518.587.2000
Max London’s
In its cozy yet sophisticated nook on Broadway, Max London’s sits beside its sister shop, Mrs. London’s Bakery, a local favorite known for its delicious pastries and baked goods. Max London’s uses locally sourced ingredients, including fresh-squeezed fruit juices in its cocktails and house-made mozzarella cheese, making it an appealing choice for those looking to support local farmers. The menu contains many enticing culinary offerings, such as the “Devils on Horseback” appetizer (medjool dates stuffed with blue cheese and marcona almonds, accompanied by applewood smoked bacon and smoky maple syrup), and there’s a separate (equally delicious) menu for weekend brunch.
466 Broadway, Saratoga Springs 518.587.0505
Mama Mia’s Pizza & Cafe
Just outside Downtown Saratoga, Mama Mia’s Pizza & Cafe, a family-run Italian restaurant, is situated in the Ballston Avenue Price Chopper Plaza. Mama Mia’s takes pride in the diverse range of Italian comfort foods that it serves, such as calzones, Italian meatballs, hero sandwiches, pasta dishes and hand-tossed wood-fired pizzas, as well as vegetarian and gluten-free entrée options. While Mama Mia’s has a relaxed, cozy vibe for dining in, it also provides full-service catering—from food and tent set-up to large trays of delicious food—for any event or holiday. Take-out is also a popular option for many of the restaurant’s loyal customers, and for every $100 in gift cards you buy, you’ll receive a $20 bonus card.
185 Ballston Avenue, Saratoga Springs 518.583.7783
The Inn At Erlowest
The Inn At Erlowest, a Queen Anne-style stone castle on the western shore of southern Lake George, isn’t just a private residence turned award-winning ten-suite luxury hotel—it’s also a fine dining, farm-to-table restaurant destination for guests and the public alike. The inn serves an à la carte dinner menu—with dishes including Berkshire pork ribeye, red wine braised beef short-rib and Hudson Valley duck breast—in its dining room (and seasonal outdoor dining area, complete with a fire pit and gorgeous view of the lake), as well as a lighter fare menu of cocktails and appetizers, such as coconut shrimp and charred tomato risotto, at the Library Bar. Weekly specials made with seasonal foods ensure that each visit is a unique dining experience. Guests at the inn are also treated to a farm-fresh breakfast in the dining room the morning after their stay. Be sure to check theinnaterlowest.com for seasonal dining hours and more.
3178 Lake Shore Drive, Lake George 518.668.5928
Saratoga Stadium
From its Broadway locale, Saratoga Stadium is arguably the city’s finest sports bar, providing televised coverage of a range of top sporting events. Saratoga Stadium offers patrons a casual atmosphere, with a menu full of all the traditional favorites—burgers, nachos and pizza—as well as 25-cent wings from 6pm to close on Wednesdays. Saratoga Stadium also offers a diverse range of seasonal drinks (including a Kentucky Mule), wines by the glass and by the bottle and house-made sangria. To finish things off, the dessert menu displays some tempting treats, such as fried dough and the “Junior’s Giant Cheesecake for 2.”
389 Broadway, Saratoga Springs 518.226.4437
Gaffney’s
A longtime Saratoga Springs staple, Gaffney’s is a local favorite for casual American dining and bar fare. Its Caroline Street location in the heart of Downtown Saratoga solidifies its status as a go-to spot for late-night dining, drinking and dancing. Patrons can enjoy regular DJs and live music performances there, as well as half-priced beers on Tuesdays beginning at 4pm. In addition to the burgers, wings, nachos and specials available on its dinner and late-night menus, Gaffney’s offers Sunday brunch from 10am-3pm, featuring breakfast staples, sandwiches and more.
16 Caroline Street, Saratoga Springs 518.587.7359
Lake Ridge Restaurant
Conveniently located about 15 minutes south of Downtown Saratoga in Round Lake, Bob McKenna and Chef Scott Ringwood’s Lake Ridge Restaurant has been a local favorite for casual fine dining for 17 years of greatness. Lake Ridge specializes in award-winning New American cuisine, which it shows off on upscale lunch and dinner menus, highlighted by Herb Crusted Swordfish, Duck Breast, Filet Mignon and Pecan Pork Chop. McKenna says Lake Ridge Restaurant, which operates under the slogan “simply the best and voted the best,” is proud of its “consistent greatness,” as it has been winning awards for more than a decade, including Best Chef in the Saratoga Today Best of 2018 awards.
35 Burlington Avenue, Round Lake 518.899.6000
The Local Pub And Teahouse
The Local is a neighborhood restaurant and bar that serves traditional English and Irish specialties, such as fish ‘n’ chips and bangers & mash, with a unique selection of both craft beers and organic teas from around the world. In addition to its daily lunch and dinner menus, The Local is open for its award-winning brunch on weekends from 9:30am-3pm and for breakfast sandwiches, pastries and an espresso bar serving Kru Coffee products seven days a week at 7am. Other special menus include a late-night menu with traditional pub fare including wings and nachos, and a $5 lunch menu, available Monday-Thursday.
142 Grand Avenue, Saratoga Springs 518.587.7256
