Best barbecue restaurant
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
When it comes to barbecue, the T-Rex from Troy, aka Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, still gobbles up more votes than the restaurants finishing in third through fifth places combined. Although Brooks House of BBQ is headquartered in Oneonta, it serves enough Capital Region church and school fundraisers and other events that it’s what many people think of as their favorite. Of note is Rollin’ Smoke, by far the newest business here but building a strong fanbase after less than three years — two of them during the pandemic. It moves from fourth last year to third.
2nd place: Brooks’ House of BBQ
3rd place: Rollin’ Smoke Handcrafted BBQ
Runners-up: PJ’s Bar-B-QSA; The Memphis King
See more: Top barbecue restaurants from previous readers’ polls
Best brewery
Albany Pump Station
Welcome, you upstarts. You have lots of fans, enough to get you four places in this list. But the youngest of you is a year old, the eldest 9 years. The Pump Station? Try 23 years. Frog Alley in Schenectady, all of 4 years old, was down by more than 25 percentage points.
2nd place: Frog Alley Brewing Co.
3rd place: Indian Ladder Farms
Runners-up: Wolf Hollow Brewing Co.; Mixed Breed Brewing
Best chain restaurant
Delmonico’s Italian Steakhouse
The runners-up jockey for positions each year, but the first nose across the finish line has long been Delmonico’s. With a combined population of about a quarter of a million living within 5 miles of its two Capital Region locations and a signature steak that is twice as big but half the price as its counterpart at a fancy steakhouse, Delmonico’s has the feel of an affordable splurge.
2nd place: Ted’s Fish Fry
3rd place: The Cheesecake Factory
Runners-up: Five Guys; Texas Roadhouse
Michael P. Farrell / Times Union archive
Will Waldron / Times Union archiveBest cheap eats
Ted’s Fish Fry
A scant 2 percentage points separated Ted’s Fish Fry from Jumpin’ Jack’s in this year’s voting. Also very close: their ages, with Ted’s founded in 1949, three years before Jumpin’ Jack’s. Ted’s now has seven locations; its closest rival in this category remains in its original and only spot, on the banks of the Mohawk River in Scotia.
2nd place: Jumpin’ Jack’s
3rd place: Gus’s Hot Dogs
Runners-up: Famous Lunch; Jack’s Drive In
See more: Top cheap eats from previous readers’ polls | Gus’s Hot Dogs owner shares the secrets to the restaurant’s success
Best chicken wings
Rusty Nail Grill & Tavern
How to win this category: A) Make wings that everybody loves, a necessary but insufficient condition for first prize; B) Give ’em away for free on patrons’ birthdays. That’s how one Clifton Park tavern, if you’ll pardon the intended pun, nails it.
2nd place: Ralph’s Tavern
3rd place: The Towne Tavern
Runners-up: The Ale House; 20 North Broadway Tavern
Paul Buckowski / Times Union
Michael P. Farrell / Times Union archive
Paul Buckowski / Times UnionBest Chinese restaurant
Plum Blossom
What’s this, an interloper? The first, second, fourth and fifth favorites are all repeat winners. But Jade Bistro makes its first Best of the Capital Region appearance in the Scotia restaurant’s eight-year history — or 45 years, if you consider that it is still run by the same family that founded Dragon Garden on the site in 1977. Is Plum Blossom fazed? It is not.
2nd place: Ala Shanghai Chinese Cuisine
3rd place: Jade Bistro
Runners-up: Rain Modern Chinese; Gold Coin
See more: Top Chinese restaurants from previous readers’ polls
Will Waldron / Times Union
Will Waldron / Times Union
Will Waldron / Times UnionBest coffee shop
Professor Java’s
Professor Java’s is four times older than Graham’s Coffee Parlor and Jacob Alejandro combined, but that’s because the coffee prof has been perking up Colonie since the mid-1990s and the young ’uns each were birthed only months prior to the pandemic. Jacob Alejandro, founded by a couple of coffee evangelists who use the tagline “Coffee culture and specialty education” for their business, has caught on quickly enough that it gave Troy two shops in the top five, alongside Spillin’ the Beans, a two-blocks-away neighbor.
2nd place: Perfect Blend
3rd place: Spillin’ the Beans
Runners-up: Graham’s Coffee Parlor; Jacob Alejandro
Best diner
Alexis Diner
After the designation this year was changed to single-location diner, Cafe Madison in Albany was effectively knocked out of the running, because voters didn’t specify which one they meant — the Madison Avenue original or the newer spot, on Northern Boulevard. In any case, Cafe Madison is a good breakfast-and-lunch spot, but it’s not a diner in the sense that these others are — of which Alexis in North Greenbush remains the strongest vote magnet.
2nd place: Blue Ribbon Family Restaurant
3rd place: Latham ’76 Diner
Runners-up: Halfmoon Diner; Duncan’s Dairy Bar
See more: The ultimate guide to diners in the Capital Region
Will Waldron / Times Union
Will Waldron / Times Union
Will Waldron / Times UnionBest doughnuts
Cider Belly
In 2014, a brother-sister duo had an idea. They knew people go mad every fall for cider doughnuts. Why not open a shop that makes them all year? And so they did. It’s still the best-selling variety, out of a stock of about 500 flavors.
2nd place: Indian Ladder Farms
3rd place: Schuyler Bakery
Runners-up: Lakeside Farms; 518 Donuts
See more: Top doughnut shops from previous readers’ polls | At Cider Belly, the classic cinnamon and sugar doughnut is still king
Will Waldron / Times Union
Will Waldron / Times Union
Provided by Lanie's CafeBest family restaurant
Lanie’s Cafe
Is there something in the water at the corner of Albany Shaker and Osborne roads, on the edge of Loudonville and Colonie, that makes restaurant patrons there vote in abundance? Lanie’s Cafe and the Italian restaurant D’Raymonds are perennial top finishers, often vying with one another for first and second place, in multiple categories; this year, each shows up three times. Even having “family style” in its name couldn’t push Augie’s of Ballston Spa past those two.
2nd place: D’Raymonds
3rd place: Augie’s Family Style Italian Restaurant
Runners-up: Iron Gate Cafe; Blue Ribbon Family Restaurant
Lori Van Buren / Times Union
Philip Kamrass / Times Union archive
Lori Van Buren / Times UnionBest hamburger
Jumpin’ Jack’s
Man of Kent, a Hoosick Falls pub 21 miles east of Troy, was founded in 1985. The Times Union’s Best of the Capital Region section arrived in 1997. The two didn’t come together until 2021, when Man of Kent landed in the top five for Best Hamburger. For good measure, it inched up a spot when returning this year. Those must be some darn good burgers to beat out smack-in-the-middle-of-Albany Crave, but that’s what our readers decreed.
2nd place: Jack’s Drive In
3rd place: Man of Kent
Runners-up: Crave; Nighthawks
Best Indian/Pakistani restaurant
Karavalli
You confuse us sometimes, dear Best of the Capital Region voters. Yes, you do. Karavalli has been a favorite for years and years. And then last year? Shut out of the top five! A year later, back at No. 1, and by 50 percentage points, no less! What, as no one says anymore, is up with that? We don’t know. You votes ’em, we reports ’em.
2nd place: Shalimar (Delmar)
3rd place: Shalimar (Troy)
Runners-up: Jewel of India on Lark; Taj Fine Indian Cuisine
Best Italian restaurant
D’Raymonds
D’Raymonds won this category for the first time the same year Jerry Jennings won the Albany mayoral race for the final time. D’Raymonds still has seven years of annual contests to equal Jennings’ run of five election wins, but, frankly, given the apparent efficiency with which D’Raymonds whips the votes, we’re expecting it gets to the two-decade mark. Among the runners-up, Nonna Maria’s is the baby, open only since 2015; the next youngest, Cafe Capriccio, predates it by 33 years.
2nd place: Caffe Italia
3rd place: Nonna Maria’s Italian Kitchen
Runners-up: Cafe Capriccio; Canali’s Italian & American Restaurant
Best Japanese restaurant
Sake Japanese Steakhouse
The same results as last year, down to a margin of 6 percent points between Sake and Koto, both located in Latham and alongside the Northway at their respective exits. Hana is close behind, too, while fans on the east side of the Hudson River maintain allegiance to Hanzo, now in its third year of business and still the only restaurant in Rensselaer County with teppanyaki tables.
2nd place: Koto Japanese Restaurant
3rd place: Hana Japanese Steakhouse
Runners-up: Hanzo Japanese Steakhouse; Akanomi
See more: Top Japanese restaurants from previous readers’ polls
Best late-night spot
Tipsy Moose Tap & Tavern
A constant in one or more Best of the Capital Region dining categories since the opening of its first location, in Latham in 2016, Tipsy Moose maintained an annual presence in part by opening more TMs, in Troy and then Albany. Fans channeled their 2022 Moose voting fervor into one of the new categories this year, tossing two-thirds more nods its way for the late-night scene than went to the open-all-night Bob’s Diner.
2nd place: Bob’s Diner
3rd place: The Ruck
Runners-up: Junior’s Bar & Grill; City Line Bar and Grill
Best Mexican/Central/South American restaurant
El Mariachi
Toro Cantina in Colonie opened at the beginning of the pandemic, landed in fourth position last year and moved up as it celebrated its second anniversary, but it’s still got a long way to go before it can vie for top honors with the longtime top two from Albany. Even with a strong surge by El Loco, El Mariachi remains your clear favorite.
2nd place: El Loco Mexican Cafe
3rd place: Toro Cantina
Runners-up: El Charro; Cantina
See more: Top Mexican, Central and South American restaurants from previous readers’ polls
Best pizza
Kay’s Pizza
We have a theory about how Kay’s has won this category for a decade straight: Best of the Capital Region voting happens before Kay’s has opened for the season but has already started promoting its spring debut. Absence, as the saying almost goes, makes the stomach grumble louder. Purple Pub, a distant second, hasn’t beaten Kay’s since 2012.
2nd place: Purple Pub
3rd place: Marino’s Flying Pizza
Runners-up: Sovrana; Big Nics
Best pizza chain
DeFazio’s Pizzeria
Try as it might, DeFazio’s couldn’t break past perennial winner Kay’s Pizza when competing in the single-location category. Solution: Open a second location! We’re not suggesting that winning this category was the reason for the Albany outpost of the Troy original, but that was the result.
2nd place: Paesan’s Pizza
3rd place: Red Front
Runners-up: I Love NY Pizza; Inferno Pizza
Best place for a frozen treat
Stewart’s Shops
When you’ve got 350 shops and all of them sell your own brand of ice cream, people are going to think of you when asked about their favorite place for frozen treats. ’Nuff said.
2nd place: The Snowman
3rd place: Guptill’s Ice Cream
Runners-up: Emack & Bolio’s; Kurver Kreme
See more: Top place for a frozen treat from previous readers’ polls
Best local restaurant
D’Raymonds
D’Raymonds fans have pushed it to the top of the Best Italian category almost every year since 2009. In 2014, it first appeared on the Best Restaurant list, topping that voting, too, by 2019, the year D’Raymonds turned 40 years old. But its neighbor Lanie’s is only 5 percentage points back. Can you say friendly rivalry?
2nd place: Lanie’s Cafe
3rd place: Yono’s
Runners-up: 15 Church; Chez Mike
Best restaurant for outdoor dining
The Water’s Edge Lighthouse
Four of these overlook water. One is in a parking lot. But Lanie’s makes its outdoor space really pretty, parking lot notwithstanding, and as its strong finishes in the Best Local Restaurant and Best Family Restaurant show, Lanie’s fans love it immoderately. Water’s Edge, on the Mohawk River, won over its Hudson River-facing rival Brown’s Brewing by less than 5 percentage points.
2nd place: Brown’s Brewing Co. Taproom & Brewery
3rd place: The Shaker & Vine
Runners-up: 550 Waterfront; Lanie’s Cafe
Best restaurant to open in the past year
Farmhouse Tap + Tavern
Farmhouse Tap + Tavern’s definitive win shows that this recent addition in Altamont struck a chord with its focus on locally sourced ingredients and craft beers. It also probably didn’t hurt that the owner runs a restaurant-focused Facebook group with almost 45,000 members.
2nd place: 518 Donuts
3rd place: Hooked Market & Kitchen
Runners-up: Sea Smoke Waterfront Grill; Little Big Fatz
Best sandwich shop
Gershon’s Deli & Caterers
You want sandwich options? How’s 20, with a choice of 15 kinds of bread. That’s at least part of Gershon’s winning formula.
2nd place: Pellegrino Importing Co.
3rd place: Ragonese Italian Imports
Runners-up: Deli & Brew; Halfmoon Sandwich & Salad Shoppe
Best seafood restaurant
The Water’s Edge Lighthouse
Half of the menu at The Water’s Edge in Glenville is devoted to seafood. Over four pages, dishes on the left side have components from the ocean; the right, from land. This culminates in the surf-n-turf section, where patrons are invited to choose from among six options in each category. But it wasn’t a runaway by any means, and the runners-up aren’t solely restaurants, with each offering fish displays for retail sale.
2nd place: Jack’s Oyster House
3rd place: Off Shore Pier
Runners-up: Hooked Market & Kitchen; Fin
See more: The ultimate guide to Capital Region fish fries | Top seafood restaurants from previous readers’ polls
Best Southern restaurant
Hattie’s Restaurant
The Cuckoo’s Nest in Albany and its Schenectady sibling, The Nest, together would have beaten the venerable Hattie’s. While that’s not what “single location” means, it’s still a (chicken) feather in the cap of the owners. We’ll be interested to see what happens when the second Hattie’s opens, scheduled for late this year in downtown Albany.
2nd place: The Cuckoo’s Nest
3rd place: The Nest
Runners-up: Allie B’s Cozy Kitchen; Ya Ya’s House Southern Cuisine
See more: Top Southern restaurants from previous readers’ polls
Best steakhouse
Barnsider
The Raindancer received only a third as many votes as The Barnsider, but the former, located in Amsterdam, has never before placed in the top five in any Best of the Capital Region voting in the section’s 25-year history. That seems like something of an accomplishment.
2nd place: 677 Prime
3rd place: The Bear’s Steakhouse
Runners-up: Black & Blue Steak & Crab; Raindancer Restaurant
Best tea shop
The Whistling Kettle (Troy)
Although Whistling Kettle has three shops, voters picked its Troy location over all comers, and by a whopping margin of 3-1 over Tailored Tea. Rounding out the list is Professor Java’s, which has “Coffee Sanctuary” in its full name but carries more them 30 types of tea, from the obvious (ginger-lemon) to the puzzling (Yoda).
2nd place: The Tailored Tea
3rd place: Short and Stout Tea Co.
Runners-up: Saratoga Tea & Honey Co.; Professor Java’s
Best Thai restaurant
Sweet Basil Thai
After several years out of contention for any top spot, Sweet Basil in Albany wins again for the second year, as it did repeatedly a while back. Mix up the rest of the order like the ingredients in a stir-fry and you’ve got most years’ results.
2nd place: Celadon Thai Restaurant
3rd place: Pad Thai Noodle
Runners-up: SriSiam Thai Restaurant; Sadudee Thai Food
Best vegan/vegetarian restaurant
Troy Beer Garden
After barely a year of serving vegetarian fare, Troy Beer Garden, in the former Troy location of Wolff’s Biergarten, bound to the top of a category dominated by newcomers. Two of the others — Burrito Burrito and Wizard Burger — are run by people who are part of the team behind the catering company that provides the food for Troy Beer Garden. Well doesn’t that just keep it all in the family? Smack in the middle is the 26-year-old Antipasto’s in Clifton Park.
2nd place: Take Two Cafe
3rd place: Antipasto’s Bistro & Wine Bar
Runners-up: Burrito Burrito; Wizard Burger
See more: Top vegetarian restaurants from previous readers’ polls
Best Vietnamese restaurant
Van’s Vietnamese Restaurant
Van’s has won every year since 2015, when the number of area Vietnamese places expanded to the point that it merited its own category. Van’s opened in 2000, six years after My Linh, the forerunner of second-place finisher Pho Yum, was among the first to bring Vietnamese food to the Capital Region.
2nd place: Pho Yum
3rd place: Saigon Spring
Runners-up: Banh Mi 47; Phila Fusion Noodle Bar
