Barclay Bar & Grill
111 E 48th St, New York, NY, 10017
Barclay Bar & Grill Menu
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Address :
111 E 48th St
New York, NY, 10017 - Phone (212) 906-3144
- Website https://www.intercontinentalnybarclay.com/
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Jim Y.
Good all American steakhouse with a full menu page of steaks, prime rib, beef Wellington, and fish/scallop combinations. All the steaks are pricey, to me, with only 1-2 under $30. Had the 16oz prime rib, which was the perfect slice at medium rare. The Blackened Delmonico special was tempting but I hadn't had a good prime rib in a while. The salad bar was great, with all my favorites and go-to salad fixings, like very crisp and cold lettuce, kidney and garbanzo beans, three bean salad, beets, shredded carrots, and the house dressing is all I needed for a great salad. Try the deep fried ice cream for dessert!
(3)Chris L.
We love it! It is a bit pricey but the food is well worth it and the service is unparalleled. They have an extensive salad bar with bread and cheese. The drinks are always reliable and well prepared. The selection is good and the quality of the food is as good as it gets. The folks in our party have pretty different tastes in food, but everyone always walks away happy. We've been very pleased each time we've come and we'll be coming back often.
(5)Alan N.
The Barnsider is a very good steakhouse. I highly recommend this restaurant. Meals include a visit to a great salad bar. The menu did not list my favorite, a New York strip. The waiter said their version is the New York sirloin. I ordered that and it was excellent. This steak was comparable with a New York strip from Ruth Chris. The dinner comes with a side. I ordered the mixed vegetables. These were delicious. My family ordered the sirloin and fillet. These were also excellent. The restaurant was crowded on a week night. Reservations are recommend. My only complaint was a family with a crying child. I don't think this is a place for crying children. Go later and you may be able to avoid this.
(4)Emily J.
I'm really on the tail end of the demographic for the Barnsider. The average eater there was business men in town bitching about their wives and also lots of nice friendly families there for birthdays (apparently half price for the birthday guy or gal - who knew?). That being said, I really enjoyed this place and the nostalgic vibe a classic steakhouse has for me. While the whole premise of the Barnsider is wildly outdated I enjoyed a very friendly and comfortingly "starched" meal there. As we walked in, I felt completely overdressed. Everyone on the patio had flip flops and shorts on. The bar area inside was the same. Come to find out those those areas weren't a good indicator of what to find inside. Once we entered the "true" dining area everyone looked nice and Barnsider met my expectations. Some odd decor included a cat statue and some old abacus game looking thing hanging on the wall. The drinks were awesome, they were brought and poured table side in a carafe that had some extra awesome Manhattan-ness in there. Cheap too, less than 8 bucks for a Maker's Mark Manhattan. A+ The salad bar was successful at what it was supposed to do, be a salad bar and nothing else. I wish the veggies were cut up a little smaller. Eating a giant circle of cucumber with the skin on it doesn't look all that classy. It was cool that they had lots of bread to sample and I think the french bread was the best. I would have loved to see healthier options for dressings (at least they had oil & vinegar) but even that made me feel nostalgic for older times where people didn't care about the sodium content in their Good Seasons. I got the strip steak (8oz) and my partner got the ribeye with the pecan/blue cheese "topping". Both our steaks were cooked well, but my partner said he really was disappointed in the char-grill flavor of his. While I kind of like that "back yard charcoal grill" flavor he prefers his restaurant steaks to be cooked "restaurant style" aka cast iron sear, finished in the oven. My steak was almost too chewy (on the menu it says "No fat, no bone, just great taste.") maybe it could have benefited from some fat or bone! The fact that you are eating bloody cow parts and want to avoid fat and bone is beyond me. Service was great an attentive while the "stuff your order ticket in your table hole" is an odd practice. Having multiple servers asking multiple times how we were doing was overwhelming while chewing my steak. Can't knock them for being helpful! TL;DR Cheap and large liquor drinks, Uneventful salad bar, nostalgic/outdated touches at I actually liked a lot, well cooked steaks and not as pricey as I had expected.
(4)Dan R.
When I went to college in Albany three decades ago, Barnsider was a pretty fancy "special occasion" kind of restaurant that we could seldom afford. I remembered it as being pretty fancy, at least in the eyes of us 20-something college kids. Maybe my fond memories have been clouded by nostalgia or romanticism, because when we revisited yesterday, after an absence of 30 years, the place looked a bit tired and dated. The first impression, as we walked from the back parking lot, was how amazingly shabby the rear wood deck looked -peeling stain and in a general state of disrepair- it looked terrible. The interior is very rustic- high ceilings with wood post and beam columns. The open kitchen was fun- we saw half a dozen cooks working feverishly to keep those steaks a'coming. But it did seem to us that the waitstaff was a bit understaffed, because our service was spotty. I did enjoy the salad bar. The bread was hot and plentiful, and the big slab of cheese next to the bread was unexpected but yummy. I started with a soup special - Corn Chowder that was hot and tasty. My entree was the Ginger Scallion Swordfish for a hefty $29.95. It was excellent- moist, juicy, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. Entrees are served with a choice of baked potato, rice pilaf or vegetables. I tried to get a half order of rice and a half order of veggies, and the waiter looked at me like I was from Mars. But for an extra buck or two, I could get both, so I did. Whatever....... Since it was a special occasion, I went for dessert and chose the Key Lime Pie which I enjoyed a lot. So all in all- how was the Barnsider experience? So-so, I thought the food was fine, but overpriced. I thought the decor was dated. I thought the service could have been better. I should have relied on my memories.........
(3)Jason S.
I had way better prime rib for less, the scallops was allright. The prime rib needs to be seasoned better and dishes need to be executed properly for this price. Other than that, it was a nice place and the service is excellent.
(3)S L.
It's been many years since I have been to the Barnsider and we were a bit apprehensive about going. We will not feel that way going forward. We were very pleased with our meals. My son really enjoyed the clams casino and perfectly cooked medium rare prime rib. I absolutely loved my beef wellington, cooked perfectly to a medium rare. The salad bar is the same as always, nothing fancy but serves the purpose. I do enjoy the bread choices at the end of the salad bar. Our service was very good, on a busy night. I feel the prices are fair, especially if you compare to the "high end" steak houses in the area ( one of which always over cooks my steaks). We will be returning, especially for the beef wellington!
(4)Jacob D.
Came for a company dinner. We had the entire back room to ourselves. Servers were very quick to bring more drinks. Prime rib was good, could have been a bit more tender. Apple crisp for dessert was delicious. Prices were a bit high for the quality of food, better value could be found elsewhere.
(3)Neil J.
Being from FL food tastes way different up north. The best adjective is bland. A lot of food has no seasoning. My wife had the shrimp scampi, I had blackened salmon and it would have tasted better at Red Lobster or even if we went to the grocery store and got it out of the frozen section. Service was decent and food took a little long. My wife is an executive chef and was observing the cooks playing around on the line. In their defense I didn't notice anything wrong. If I'm ever in Albany again I'd give them one more try to see if what I had was bad or if it's just the restaurant.
(2)Mike M.
Well, the Yelp definition of two stars is: "Meh. I've experienced better." I certainly have. I will say this FIRST though... The food was pretty good. The prime rib I had was good, the beef wellington my wife had was really good, and the baked scallops I had were AWESOME. On the other hand, the salad bar was abysmal. Now, with that said, the service really, REALLY sucked. I know it's a staple in this area that's been around for years so they can't be as BAD as I perceive, but we really weren't all that impressed with anything other than the scallops. We evidently had TWO servers assigned to our table. Each would ask us what we wanted and would fill out a tab and slip it into a slot on the table if we placed a new order (appetizer, desert, another glass of wine, etc.) The biggest problem was, the left hand wouldn't talk to the right. The two servers never spoke and never "took ownership" of our table. It was my wife's birthday and, at the Barnsider, you get your entree at half-off ON your birthday. The FIRST server asked for her ID to verify it was her birthday. The SECOND server tallied our bill and didn't take half-off my wife's dinner. When I pointed that out, the SECOND server not ONLY asked my wife if she showed the FIRST server her ID but then, RIGHT in front of us, asked the FIRST server if he had verified the birthday!!! Not once did they ask us if we wanted another glass of wine. Not ONCE was our water refilled. If I am going to pay AS MUCH AS WE DID for that food, I ***EXPECT*** much better service. Again, MEH. We've lived in the area for 7 years. This is the first time we've eaten there. It will more than likely be our last.
(2)Matthew D.
It was very good. I liked it a lot. My steak was perfect. Everyone at our table of six had a good meal also. The service was perfect. My beer was never empty and my water was too. The food came out in perfect time. No complaints.
(4)Nicki H.
Went here tonight, May 19, 2015 for my mom's 61st birthday. I wish it had been a pleasant experience. Shortly after ordering our drinks, my mom and I were rained on by shards of glass. A busboy had dropped glasses off of his tray and the shards got all over myself and in my mom's hair and on her clothes and all over our table. I understand this was accidental, but when we complained, we were offered a free dessert but they refused to compensate our dinner. This is completely unprofessional, we could have been injured much more severely, and now we have to clean the glass shards out of our hair and clothes. My mom has a physical disability, so this is even more of a task for her. SMH. Shame on them.
(1)Big T.
I have been there a few times in the past and they were alright, they did however have a good beef wellington. I recently revisited the barnsider for a family outing. I of course ordered my favorite, beef wellington medium rare with a baked potato. After ordering we then went to the salad bar which is alright, they do have good bread and cheese there to snack on. Everyone at the table finished their first course, and chatted for a while and we all began to wonder where our food was. The waiter came out and said your food will be with your in a moment. Twenty minutes passed and still no food. After the arduous wait the food came in. Everyone seemed to be somewhat enjoying their food, but my beef wellington was
(2)Katie V.
The two stars are for the service and the cheesecake. Went here with a larger party. The service was great. Attentive but not pushy, cleared plates and brought refills without prompting. The food can be described as "not bad" in the most literal sense. The salad bar is flat and, like another reviewer stated, most of the ingredients appear to be from cans. In true old-timey and dated fashion, kale was used as decoration to cover the ice in the salad bar. The bread they put out is good, though, except if you want more than one piece or slice you have to either keep getting up or take a whole lot at once. There is also a random hunk of some kind of cheddar with the least possible almost non-functional cheese knife I've ever experienced. I guess you're expected to stab at the cheese by yourself with one hand on the knife and another on the cheese. Sanitary! I had the lobster casserole. It was full of lobster, which was good, but it was extremely rubbery and overcooked. It had entirely too many bread crumbs on it. A colleague ordered the filet mignon and it too was overdone. A bit pricey at $40. The turtle cheese cake was good, I'll give you that. Like the kale, the rest of the decor is extremely dated. I don't mind old-timey but it's a weak callback to a more vintage style of dining. Skip it.
(2)Michael F.
Worst steaks I had in a while, good salad bar at least
(1)Louise P.
Service was as slow as last time. I ordered a sirloin medium rare and it had hardly any pink in it at all. It was medium well at best. Dealbreaker for me. Their salad station is great but set up poorly. They should have a larger area to the size with more than one knife to cut the bread and cheese. Instead they give you space and knife for only one person at a time at a little station that juts out into restaurant traffic while the crowd grows around it. Somehow I can never give this place one star. I just like the cheesy barn atmosphere too much I guess. Plus I did really like our friendly waiter despite the fact that he disappeared for way too long at times.
(2)Mike I.
Seeing quite a few so so reviews on Yelp and almost decided not to come. I'm a local and have dined here many times but it has been a few years since my last visit. Friends live nearby so we decided to meet them here for drinks and dinner on Friday night. Bar was crowded with many people having dinner in this area. Easily found seats at the bar however and I enjoyed a couple of expertly prepared martini's. Not that easy to come by around here. Place does not take reservations so we enjoyed our cocktails and waited about an hour (which we had planned on) before the bartender informed us that our table was ready. Walking to our table I noticed that things hadn't changed much over the years and maybe that's a good thing. It's the Barnsider for goodness sake! You come here for a good steak and that's what you get. Matter of fact my steak was better than just good. It was great and on par with that high end, much more expensive steak house in downtown Albany. A flavorful, tender 16 oz. NY strip cooked to a perfect medium rare as ordered. Flawless. Baked potato, side of mushrooms, and a decent glass of Malbec to wash it down. No frills here. Just very good quality food at a reasonable price. Glad I went back.
(4)Anna L.
Wait staff very attentive. Steamed vegetables were incredible! I should have asked for the recipe. Bartending staff really need to look up the recipes for mixed drinks of they need to improve the house liquors. My mojito tasted like a Mike's Hard Lemonade with a splash of rum. Steaks were good.
(3)T M.
Reminds me of the Hungry Heifer that Norm always referenced on Cheers. I guess if you're a resident of (Sm)Albany, have a ball. I'm spoiled, what can I say. Over-priced, short on ambiance. Go to the bar area and have a hamburger. The meat's as good and reasonably priced.
(2)M P.
I love the Horseradish Burger! (Bar side) Aaaaand everything else on the menu. My husband and I had our Rehearsal Dinner there. Amazing service. Always a warm and cozy place. Lisa is our favorite server too! Unlimited popcorn is a major bonus too ;)
(5)Rebecca P.
Every time I come here the service is amazing and the food is above my expectations! We love it here!
(5)Linda T.
My husband and I are just back from a trip to the Cayman Islands where we paid almost $300 for dinner at a renowned steakhouse. Not a bad meal, but it made us long for the Barnsider! As soon as we could after we got home we went there for our favorite sirloin for two. Outstanding, and no ridiculous bill. One can make a perfect steak-friendly salad, have a good bottle of wine, and enjoy one of the best steaks on the planet at this place. Travel is so broadening!
(5)Rich C.
This place has to have the slowest service of any restaurant I've been to. We were told here was a 45 minute wait, it was an hour and fifteen minutes. Took 10 minutes for a waiter to show. Anyway it was over 3 and a half hours of misery.
(2)Alison V.
I went to the Barnsider, which appears to be a Colonie staple, for the first time for my mother-in-law's birthday. After hearing so much about it, I maybe had some high expectations. The place was pretty busy on a weekday afternoon, which I figured meant good things. Important to note: there are two "sides" to this place. The dining room side and the bar side. The bar side is where we met the other people joining us and it was a bit loud and crowded. The food options vary by side and the bar had more "pub fare" and dining room was a bit more formal. We headed to the quieter dining room side and were seated promptly. Pretty much every meal comes with a salad bar, even the kids meals. After ordering, we headed to the salad bar. I had heard great things about the salad bar. Come to find out, it was a pretty standard salad bar. It looks bigger, but it's really just double sided (same stuff, two sides). The bread was warm and kept coming out, but that didn't make up for the just okay offerings. At least they get credit for having fresh veggies and salad items out - for once I didn't see a ton of wilted lettuce and such. I ended up ordering beef wellington as I had never had it before. Thus, I really can't comment on how it was prepared compared to normal. It was good and the beef was cooked to the temperature promised (medium rare) and the pastry was fluffy and tasty. The waiter was friendly and joked around with us at the table. The service was prompt and I had no real complaints, but then again, I wasn't wowed. I'd go back, but I think next time for the price I'd try the bar side.
(3)Paul A.
Year after year service food just great. Brian and rest of staff very focus on customer service.menu combos great.we eat there at least twice a month great job staff
(5)Mike L.
Not as great as it once was and certainly doesn't deserve the 5 stars I once gave it. The salad bar is still pretty good but they really need to dry off their lettuce. I get it. You washed the lettuce. Now try drying it so my dressing doesn't taste watered down. Service was very slow tonight and the dining room was loud. The food is just not worth the prices they charge these days. I got the crab stuffed haddock once again which tasted good still but wasn't as hot as it should have been. The garlic smashed potatoes were on point but its almost hard to justify spending the extra charge. You mean to tell me that a baked potato is free with your meal, but to mash it up and add garlic, butter, cream, and chives cost $4 more? They also need to rotate the menu more than just having a few daily specials.
(3)Chris N.
It took very long time to get my food. Ordered steake it came cold. I was dining alone and it took 1:45 minutes. Will never go back.
(2)Larry C.
Great Salad Bar with Fresh Bread and Cheese. Nice selection of wines and steak and fish entrées. I go here for special occasions.
(5)Michael C.
Expected better than what we got. Service was less than average. Several people in our party ordered prime rib. After our apps. were served we waited about 15 minutes to be told that they only had enough prime rib left to serve three out of four of us. Many apologies but when the meals were finally served, it appears they split what meat was left to fill our orders (two of us ordered 10 oz. prime rib and it appears they split one 10 oz. between us). Meat was dried and over-cooked - sat under warmers too long!. Staff mixed up other parts of our orders also - ex. two of our party ordered dessert (ice cream w/ carmel sauce and both got ice cream with chocolate sauce. Place was not busy (6:00 on sunday night).
(2)Jenna R.
The Barnsider is: a place to eat steak. Both people ordering prime rib thought it was great. The Barnsider isn't: modern, creative, special, fancy, memorable, thoughtful, inspired, comfortable, quiet. But, the place was packed so if 1986 table settings and potted fake flowers are doing the trick why stop right. The "amazing salad bar" is simply canned vegetables (canned beet, canned beans, canned chick peas, canned olives, etc) with some Sysco brand dressing. I just don't get it. The caprese style salad was plain lettuce a plain slice of tomato a plain slice of mozz with a drizzle of balsamic. This isn't a place where the chefs are excitedly making new, inspired, thoughtful meals giving consideration to ingredients, seasons, and flavors. With so many places that care about what they serve in Albany, I would not chose the Barnsider again. It was kind of like wedding food from the 80s served in a cabin my grandma decorated along with her table settings. Everything from the menu to the plating, the flatware to the decor is extremely dated. It also seemed most of the customers present qualified for AARP memberships. And what's up with writing down our charges and sticking the bill into the table with every order? When we're ordering our second bottle of wine do you really want to remind us that it all costs money every second? We had two servers, one that was able to do this subtly and another that made it very very awkward. (The better server was very nice.) It is weird to enjoy dinner with someone with the bill sticking out from under their plate the whole time. But this place is not about class/elegance at all. If you're at all a discerning dinner you prbly won't like this place. However if you simply want to eat a slab of steak and don't care about the rest, the price is better than some of the more hyped steakhouses in Albany.
(2)Valigirl V.
This was my second dinner at the Barnsider. Nothing fancy about it..."dated" in appearance, a la Steak & Ale, down to the unappetizing salad bar. However that is where it ends... Service is very attentive without being pushy or in your face. Food is excellent and always cooked perfectly. I started with a French Martini, skipped the salad bar and opted for the escargot appetizer, followed by the "Old Fashioned" (sliced steak open faced sandwich drizzled with garlic butter and served on toast points) coupled with a baked potato. Steak was a perfect medium rare and all was Absolutely delicious!!! As a "foodie" it's all about "the food". I don't care about the dated interior, paint peeling on the deck as other reviewers. Go for the FOOD!!! Only 4 stars because of salad bar choices, and the back room had a musty smell. Our table was moved no problem...service with a smile.
(4)Ashley G.
Went here for a friend birthday and I was a little disappointed. We went in a Monday night and the place was busy so I figured I was in for a good dinner. The food is t bad but certainly not worth the $30 a plate they charge, the salad bar was good but nothing special and the service was a little slow. There are better steak houses in the area I would recommend that have better food and better prices.
(3)Bryan S.
Went with a party of 6 last night. Ordered the swordfish, which did not taste right. They handled that well. The salad bar was fair, some canned items offset by nice bread and cheese. Cons: Generally a tired decor, uninventive menu, 60+ crowd, and average service. Pro's: reasonable prices, good steak selection, not too crowded on a Sat night.
(2)Ann K.
My co-worker wanted steak so where else would we go but the Barnsider. She ended up with prime rib from the smaller appetites menu and I had the chicken florentine, also from the small appetities. I can't imagine how much chicken I would have gotten with the full portion as what I had was more than enough. Salad bar was good as was the tomato mozzarella appetizer. We were too full for dessert but I 've had them before and I know they are very tasty. I would give them 4 stars but the place is really, really noisy which takes away from the dining experience. If they figure out how to baffle the noise a bit, I'll give them another star!
(3)B L M.
Pleasant enough atmosphere and prime rib was okay. Can't really rave about it. Have had more flavorful steaks at Outback for the same price. Was am okay experience bit I wouldn't race back here.
(4)Alfredo M.
Best steak plus best wait staff equal great experience. You can't go wrong with the main dining area or the grill section. Salad bar is great!
(5)Lynda G.
I've been to the Barnsider about 4 times now. Every other time I thought it was spectacular and this past time, not so much. I still gave 3 stars because it is A-OK, but if I had reviewed it before, I probably would have given it 5 stars, here is what I saw: First, I made reservations for a busy Friday night. I understand it's busy, but the reservation was for 8pm so it wasn't that busy anymore, and we still had to wait 20 minutes to get seated. Also, while we were waiting, we witness probably 3 different instances of servers legitimately yelling and fighting with each other IN FRONT of their tables and us people waiting! Being in the service industry, I know this is the biggest No-No and definitively can set a bad mood to the dinner. Thank god we were sat in a different section from these waitstaff. I do have to say, the two servers we had were fantastic-- people on Yelp don't realize that at the Barnsider you do not have one server the entire night, they switch and help each other out in order to actually bring you "better" service, if that is true or not for you, it was for us. Second, when I am spending almost $100 for my boyfriend and I, both with combo steak and seafood dinners and we each got a few drinks, the fact that for garlic mashed potatoes it is an extra $4 for each extra side is OUTRAGEOUS. They say there is an upcharge, and I have known that in the past, but I guess I never actually looked at how much it was. I am buying $30 meals and you're upcharging for mashed potatoes, are you kidding me?? Lastly, we both got a steak/shrimp dinner where were great. I've tasted better prime rib elsewhere but the sirloin was great. However, my boyfriend was sick all night I am guessing from the shrimp. We were one of the last tables sat so who knows if the shrimp was sitting out for a while. On our way out we both said that was probably our last time eating there.. not worth it anymore.
(3)Jonas C.
It was overall a pretty good experience. I liked the salad bar with the fresh bread. It seemed a little busy and the interior was a little difficult to navigate, which made us, being situated in a corner probably a little more difficult to get to, so I guess I'm trying to say the service seemed a little slow. I got the Steak Au Poivre, which I wanted to try because the brandied peppercorn sauce intrigued me. Overall, the steak was prepared well, though the peppercorn sauce was not quite what I expected, it was good. They seem to use a generous amount of butter in the things they cooked, my mom's pasta and chicken were quite rich. Normally, I would've said this was a decent experience for a higher end restaurant, but for some reason we decided to get dessert (my dad and I were intrigued by the deep fried ice cream) and it was quite good. I personally liked the caramel rum sauce.
(4)Jerome P.
I recently went to this restaurant because everyone said that it was really good. First the ambiance was slightly above a fast food restaurant. The appearance is O.K. It is a very popular place though. Second, prices of entrees are pretty high you would expect a more upscale place. Third and most important. I have a Huge problem with the waiters preparing the sides and garnish on the entrees. The cooks apparently just cook and plate the main dish. I watched our waiter clean tables, handle money and go back to preparing the sides for many dishes. All of this without washing his hands. The food was pretty good but I would go elsewhere for the price range. I would not go there again.
(2)Sparky T.
Service was good. Food was unremarkable. The salad bar was not massive nor inspired but adequate. Prices are not unreasonable for the portion size and entrées include salad bar and potato, rice , or veggie.
(3)Tom S.
One of the nice steakhouse in the area with upper-class family atmosphere. Their steak tastes good although they seemed not understanding what rare is. Steaks are always overcooked while I order rare every time. I always appreciate their salad bar - I need some vegetables to cancel out meatiness.
(4)Tom V.
Visited this establishment last night and while my lovely fiancee enjoyed her meal, I left feeling as though I paid too much. Pro: Friendly staff. Nice bar area. Great salad bar. Con: Dirty ledge by the entrance to the bar where we sat, a piece of dust fell down on to my plate while eating. Dirty glass and knife. Waite staff changed during our meal even though our original waiter was still waiting on tables. Took 20 minutes to get our check and pay for our meal once we declined dessert. Unacceptable. Prime rib lacked flavor. I have made much better and for a fraction of cost. Baked potato was dry and was sub par. The prices are out of line with the quality of food and service. I will try once more only because my fiancee enjoyed her meal but the place better be clean and the prices reduced to what is acceptable.
(2)Ken W.
I've eaten here many times and admit that 95% of the time I order french onion soup and steak (what can I say- I'm a creature of habit). Both are usually pretty good, their salad bar is decent as well. Foodwise it's pretty straight-forward, you won't find anything exotic on the menu (here's your meat, potatoes/veggies, go nuts!) I've never ordered seafood here but people I've dined with seem to like it decently well, again nothing out of the ordinary. BUT. The reason I'm writing this review (and part of the reason I eat here) is for the fried ice cream- one of the best I've had in the Albany-area. I've eaten dinner at a different place then went to Barnsider after just to have fried ice-cream. Admission #2, I honestly have no idea what else is on the dessert menu. Price-wise it's on par with other steakhouses in the area, perhaps a bit pricey for the quality of food. Quantity of food has never been an issue for me here (I eat a lot). I've been a few times for my birthday (get 1/2 off your birthday entree, used to be free years ago) which helps somewhat. Also note they don't take reservations for less than 5 people. I just realized that if you don't intend to order french onion soup, steak, and fried ice cream this review probably wasn't too helpful.. my bad, I'm still new at this.
(3)Chris O.
This is yet another classic institution in Albany. It's expansive dining room is open and airy. It has a snow lodge type of feel to it- and not just because there was 12 inches of snow the day before my visit! The staff is friendly and warm however the food is just okay. I ordered the combination of blackened salmon and prime rib. The salad bar is fresh and the bread is good. It's an extremely popular location so go early to get a seat.
(3)A. K.
This place is a gem! Their steaks and seafood are always top-notch, and service is great as well. The only thing stopping me from giving them 5 stars is their salad bar--selections are a bit limited here, but maybe I'm being biased b/c Butcher Block's salad bar is AMAZING! Otherwise, I love this place!
(4)Belinda B.
I was with a work group when we visited - apparently an institution in the Albany area. Without any reference point of the restaurant and not a huge steak eater myself, I enjoyed the dinner and would consider going there again if I was in the company of avid steak eaters who like to eat a lot. We started with appetizers in the bar area before moving to a back room for the salad bar and dinner. Next time I would skip appetizers and enjoy the salad bar more - the bread was very good and there was a bunch of cheese that I didn't try because I knew I was going to be super full by nights end. A bit pricey for my usual fare, I typically am not a fan of everything being an al a cart price. But when you order the side items, they are large enough to share with a group, so I guess it could be considered a family style arrangement. I am torn between 3 and 4 stars primarily because of the price range. Forgot to add: I think I ordered a filet mignon with a side of some really yummy crab thing. Very good, but wish I hadn't been so full by the time we got around to the main dish. Took home some leftovers, but next time I'd skip the earlier small foods.
(4)Lily R.
The Barnsider is a great establishment with very clean bathrooms. If you are interested in learning about clean public restrooms in the Capital Region, check out my blog: bestbathroomsnys.wordpre… The Barnsider has great food, service, and nice, clean bathrooms!
(4)Patricia D.
This place has really gone downhill. The service was ok, but they could have done a better job with restocking the salad bar, especially during the height of dinner hour. As for the entrees, I ordered a beef Wellington medium. It came out raw so I sent it back. They took the entire plate away and I was without my entree for a good 20 minutes. When it came back, the entree looked like someone had torn it up. And if that wasn't bad enough, you'd have thought that the manager, who brought out my reheated entree, might at least comp our soft drinks which were about $5, right? WRONG! They charged us for everything we ordered, even after screwing up the order. Very disappointed in this place -- it really used to be good.
(1)Sarah A.
One of my favorite places in the Albany area for dinner. The salad bar is amazing! I especially love the huge cheese wheel and delicious bread. Everything is always fresh and delicious and they have a good selection of dressings. Aside from the steak, they also do excellent chicken dishes like Chicken Florentine. They used to have a great Chicken Kiev but this seems to have disappeared from the menu. Bring back the Chicken Kiev! I can't make it as well as you do, Barnsider. Aww, this review is making me want to make a visit to Albany just for some Barnsider goodness.
(5)Y S.
If you're looking for a no-frills American steakhouse with a casual atmosphere and good food, this would be a good choice. I had the Steak Au Poivre cooked medium rare. The steak was juicy, tender and full of flavor. The restaurant is spacious and would be great for large parities. Not a good choice for a romantic dinner though.
(3)Ian W.
Popular steakhouse in Colonie that's been in business for 40 years. I used to frequent this place quite a bit in the 1990s and my Dad used to have business lunches at The Barnsider in the 1970s when the place was located at Colonie Center. I decided to stop here for dinner on a very icy Sunday night and there was no wait for a table. The entire place has wooden floors and wood frame ceilings. The front portion of the restaurant has the Hawkeye Lounge which has checkerboard & backgammon painted tables and seating around the bar and a large flat screen TV near the window. The Hawkeye (lounge) Menu is serves pub fare, sandwiches, burgers, and entrees. The main dining room has booth and hardwood table seating with linen napkins/silverware & candlelight, and the salad bar. It sort of feels like a rustic loud atmosphere, yet classy. The Dining Room Menu offers the typical steakhouse fare including steaks, chicken, seafood, prime rib, lamb, pork chops, children's menu, salad bar, and desserts. Daily specials are offered. Most of the dinners are in the $20-$30 range and the smaller appetite dinners are $15-$20. Full wine list is available. Check out the menu offerings at barnsiderrestaurants.com… I ordered the "smaller appetite" Chicken Florentine ($14.95) with Rice Pilaf & Salad Bar and stuck with ice water. I went up to the Salad Bar which was very crowded around with other diners. The basic Salad Bar offered romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, garnishes, dressings, three bean salad, Italian hot peppers, "carve your own" warm bread & cheddar cheese station. The Salad Bar was a bit of a mess and metal cover guards were provided to protect the bread & cheese while carving. What I witnessed next grossed me out. This bald old bearded man used his grubby BARE HANDS to cut the bread and cheese with NO COVER GUARDS. Good thing I got my bread & cheese first, but I don't know who else was there before me. Fortunately, it was getting late and the staff took away the bread & cheese. IMO, the management should have the cheese cut (not literally hehe) in the kitchen and hot bread served at each table. DINER BEWARE at the SALAD BAR. My dinner came out to my table 25 minutes after ordering piping hot. The Chicken Florentine was good and rich, a breast of chicken wrapped in puff pastry & stuffed with spinach, mushrooms, & cheddar cheese served with fresh basil cream & sundried tomatoes. The Rice Pilaf was decent and moist with diced tomato & a chicken flavor. After dinner, I was given a dessert menu ($3.95-$6.95) which offered ice cream, sorbet, brownie sundae, tiramisu, peanut butter pie, key lime pie, turtle cheesecake, chocolate cake, fried ice cream (with chocolate & toasted coconut OR rum sauce, bananas & pecans), and fresh fruit parfait. The special dessert was Oreo Ice Cream Pie ($5.95). For dessert, I chose the Fresh Fruit Parfait ($5.95) served in a sundae glass. The parfait was refreshing & sweet, which had French vanilla ice cream topped with strawberries, bananas, pineapple & strawberry citrus juice and sweet thick cream & cherry. Overall on this visit, the service here was decent, a bit delayed. My waiter and another server worked together to bring out the food, refill my water glass several times, and clear dishes. Other than the incident at the bread & cheese carving station, the food served here was good, but nothing special.
(3)Allison L.
I was invited to a holiday luncheon party at the Barnsider recently. Our event was to begin at 1 pm. The 30 of us arrived and then sat. And then sat some more until 1:50 when our first course arrived... bread. Being on a diet I wasn't pleased because by then I was ravenous and had trouble holding back on the bread for the salad. The bread was good but nothing spectacular. Same goes for the New England Clam chowder. It seemed to me that they were short on wait staff (and very possible kitchen staff). For our 30 people we had one server. He did well under the circumstances, but it was a bit depressing to be the last one served. By the time we had finished our meal it as 3 pm. That was just waaaay to much time in my book to be served a luncheon. I had come there expecting to eat by 1:15 or 1:20 at the latest. The best part of the meal was the chocolate cake which was very moist and flavorful. Chances are, I will not be coming back on my own accord because: - Food was ok and certainly not creative in the slightest .. "do you want rice or baked potato with your hunk of meat?" - Although the waiter was great, it just wasn't enough to keep the food coming when we were ready for it - Even though it is very clean, the dining rooms are just huge. A lot of chair and tables making me feel that it is more of a feed-lot rather than an enjoyable place to have a tasty, well prepared meal. The place is clean, but vast. It's huge in there.
(2)Mike M.
I'm not sure which Barnsider the other reviewers were eating at, but the one I ate must have been different. I have to say that I was largely disappointed with my entire experience here. I decided to take my girlfriend out to a new place for her birthday dinner and we ended up finding The Barnsider on Yelp, like we find everything else. The reviews were mixed but we decided to give it a shot anyway. We walked in and the place looked very nicely decorated and clean. I had high hopes that the place would have good food and that we made a good choice. What a mistake... We looked over the menu and everything appeared fantastic. Their selection included a lot of tasty sounding beef / fish dishes and I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to get since everything looked so good. The waiter came over and asked if there was a birthday since I had 2 cards placed on the table. I told him that we were celebrating her birthday today and he let us know that we get 50% off her dish. That was a pleasant surprise, until we told him that her birthday was actually 2 days ago and he just said "Oh that's too bad we enforce a strict birthday only rule so you can't have it." I would have appreciated less of a "Gotcha" attitude about how he said that. YOU asked US, so don't make us sound like we were trying to scam a 50% off deal and say it's her birthday today - we didn't even know they had this deal. So anyway, I ended up choosing the 10 oz. Prime Rib with baked Scallops and my girlfriend chose the Beef / Bacon Wellington (I forget exactly what it was called). Then we headed to the salad bar for some salad / bread. Bread and butter was delicious, and the salad was fairly fresh. I was pretty excited because I thought we might have stumbled on a decent restaurant that we can frequent. Our food came very timely - probably about 15-20 minutes after we ordered it. Unfortunately, what came out was the biggest disappointment I have ever witnessed at a restaurant. My scallops were small, extremely mushy (so mushy that when I picked it up, it crumbled and fell apart), and dripping in butter. The potato was large, as hard as a stone, and dry. And last and certainly least, the sorry excuse for a piece of gray fat swimming in sauce on my plate. It was a piece of meat I'd feel bad giving to a dog. It was a carved piece of meat you'd find at a cheap buffett and it wasn't grilled at all. It was so gray it actually looked boiled. It was no where near 10 oz, and was about half fat and grizzle. It actually looked like a cheap cut of roast beef you'd get at the Walmart deli. The whole right side of the piece was white fat. I decided to just try it to see if I was just being picky and maybe I just picked the wrong cut of meat or something. This meat had absolutely no taste - no seasoning, tasteless sauce, and tasteless meat. I couldn't believe that they would serve this dish for $26. At best, this was a $10 dish at a truck stop diner. The waiter came over and asked how our food was, so I tried to be polite and explain my problem with the food, but he was defending the chefs! He was trying to tell me that prime rib is supposed to be like that. Prime rib is supposed to be a tasteless slab of crap? In what world? So after some discussion, he offers to take it back and asks what else I would want. I chose a sirloin. The sirloin was better, but still fairly tasteless. Do they not use seasoning here? Salt? Pepper? Rub? Anything? I will give credit that the cut was fairly juicy which is how I like it, but it was done a large injustice by not having seasoning. I was furious at this point, and it didn't help that my girlfriend's dish looked like dog food as well. She ate it, but it looked like trash. A small carved piece of meat with rice-a-roni on the side. It was something I could have easily made at home out of a box. This was the first time I sent a plate back in years, and I generally eat anything that is put in front of me, but this was just disgusting. I would not recommend that anyone goes here, unless you want to play an April fool's joke on someone. Your money is better spent at McDonalds - at least they use salt and pepper.
(1)Ernie S.
My wife and I went here for our wedding anniversary last night. I love this place! The food was excellent -I had lobster casserole and prime rib combo and my wife had the scampi scallops and prime rib combo. The food was hot, not overdone--the prime rib we ordered medium and it was done perfectly. So often you order a meat medium fineness and it comes out like burnt shoe leather. Not this time. If anything the meat was one the rarer side of medium. There big ole' chunks of lobster in my casserole. The wait staff was excellent and very attentive. love the atmosphere. The salad bar was a little skimpy-but I didn't go for the salad bar.
(4)Edward S.
I eat here every time I am in Albany. The steak is just always perfect and the garlic mashed is to die for. The fillet mignon is cooked medium rare to perfection. Granted, this isn't a "fancy" restaurant (I mean, it does have a salad bar), but food never disappoints. Another bonus; prices are very fair and the portions are generous.
(5)Jess P.
I'm not typically a fan of steakhouses. So when my boyfriend informed me last year that this was the place he traditionally went for his birthday, I was less than thrilled. But...it was his birthday so I figured he should get to choose. It's also one of the few places around that was open on the day in question (his birthday is New Year's Day.) I was pleasantly surprised. The salad bar was fairly decent and the main dining room had a nice rustic but homey look to it, thanks to the wood-beam ceilings and wooden floors. We had reservations, so there was no wait for us. I had a steak and shrimp combo with the garlic-smashed potatoes, which were delicious. My steak was cooked just how I asked. And, even better, you get a free steak on your birthday so my boy was unselfishly saving me some money by wanting to eat here. This would be a great place for a large group, and it definitely seemed kid-friendly.
(4)Steven K.
An Expensive Mis-Steak. Despite the warnings on many of the Yelp reviews, I decided to take my wife, daughter and her boyfriend here after a trip to the Airport. I like the ambience. The large barn like interior and the vast menu were impressive. The salad bar is fresh and has the basic salad amenities. My daughter's boyfriend and I ordered steaks. I had Steak Au Poivre and he a sirloin. I understand that the chef personally hand cuts the specially aged steaks himself. Mine must have aged about five years and part of the cut must have included some shoe leather. I managed to chew through about a third of it but it was simply far too tough and grisly to enjoy. I left most of it on the plate. My daughter's boyfriend is too polite to complain, but later confided that he was not impressed at all with his sirloin. My daughters Grilled Salmon looked beautiful on the plate but had no flavor and required extra lemon, salt and pepper to make it enjoyable. My wife ordered the Scallops. These were delicious! The service was decent though the waiter really didn't care and was sorry he asked how our meals were. Folks, there are an awful lot of restaurants on Wolf Road. This restaurant is extremely expensive for the quality of the food they serve. Do your homework and choose wisely when you are looking to dine out in this area. We will NEVER return to the Barnsider.
(2)Jeff B.
Ugghhh. Horrible from top to bottom. The facility is rather dirty and hasnt been updated in decades. You can smell the bathroom deodorizer as soon as you approach the hostess desk. I should have walked out but was with friends who wanted to eat. The service was marginal at best. The waitress was taking away plates before we were finished. When desert came she set a clean fork on top of the menu that was sitting on the table. Yuck. My prime rib was tough and dry. The baked potato looked like it had been sitting under a heat lamp for hours. The rice pilaf on my wifes plate looked like Uncle Ben's. The crowd looked great if you're into the aging uninspired overweight state worker look. This place is what reinforces all the Albany negative stereotypes.
(1)Lewis M.
everything was just fine, but not great
(3)chuck e.
I went for dinner meeting, buffet. Cheese salad, dressing all ok. Rolls no flavor, potatoes well seasoned but about half were raw inside. Chicken was edible but not outstanding. Beef was not very rare but raw in the center. About 40 percent of the slice was raw and inedible. My expectations were far higher than what I got
(1)Cathy G.
We made a reservation for 6:30 and were seated exactly at 6:30. The salad bar was fresh and tasty. The waiters who served us were friendly and prompt. The main courses were delicious. We were too full to have coffee and dessert! What a pleasant experience, after not having been to the Barnsider in a couple of years!! We'll be back :-)
(4)PETER G.
The only reservation I have is the noise level, The salad bar was fine, the service was efficient and helpful, the steak au poivre I had was good, plenty of lettuce, no delay in getting served or receiving the bill. And this on a Friday night! I don't see how they can do much about the noise, it is a large, open space, major renovations would have to be done. Would I come back, especially if I was paying? Maybe.
(3)Rebecca R.
Came here for my grandmother's 90th birthday, and I was so underwhelmed. 1. I wasn't expecting anything spectacular, but steakhouses should always be able to deliver steak. My medium-rare 9 oz. sirloin, supposedly the raison d'etre of the place, was overcharred and tasted like stringy sawdust. 2. Entrees should always come with starches AND vegetables in my opinion, unless you are dining out of test tubes or something equally distracting. 3. Baked potato, rice pilaf, or a random dumping of steamed vegetables as a side = boring! Would it kill you to offer one interesting vegetable in season - grilled or otherwise unhumiliated? 4. Since when does pilaf translate to white covered in red peppers? 5. WTH is everyone so excited about with the salad bar?! I don't get it. Oh, and it doesn't replace a vegetable for the entree. No, it does not. 6. If you offer sauteed mushrooms as a side dish, yet the dish is actually more than half sauteed onions, you should mention the preponderance of those onions in the menu. I also counted only one variety of fungus where there were purportedly three. 7. The specials menu should be served to everyone, not secretively palmed only onto the plates of the two people who arrived late. 8. My mother and aunt loved their haddock, my brother and SIL loved their chicken florentine, my husband and I liked the sirloin for 2 ok, but it was my grandmother's dinner, and she disapproved... Since this is a steakhouse, this shouldn't be so. 9. The wait staff is in high school and swings wildly back and forth between fluttery and pushy. Or maybe I'm not yet old enough to find inept teenage boys charming. 10. The party tables are too long and there are too many in the private room; when the other tables are loud and drunk, you can't hear anything at the table where you're sitting, and you can't talk to anyone two chairs down. I drove 300 miles to see some of these people, and only had the opportunity to say hello and goodbye. Oh well... 11. The blinds in the party room are nonfunctioning. For an entire hour half the table was unable to open our eyes because the setting sun was directly in front of us. 12. Gripe gripe gripe. Moan moan moan. 13. The smashed garlic potatoes were yum, and the wine glasses and cutlery etched with Gory-esque figures doing gymnastics on bicycles were cute. The end.
(2)Casey S.
Ive have eaten here about 6 or 7 times. Only once did my girlfriend have a bad experence when she ordered the salmon and they asked her how she wanted it cooked, she said rare, well it came out frozen except for on the very ends, Politely she told the waitress that it was frozen in the center and could she have it cooked a little more, we were told what do you think rare means!....uhm not frozen dummy. OTHER THAN THAT! lol I always get the beef, always great, either the prime rib, which has always been good-nesayers should know that prime rib can be a fattier cut you do run that risk! The filet here is huge and has always been excellent. Gf not a big beef eater loves it here too. Lobster caserole is also an excellent dish. They have a salad bar with bread and cheese which is a nice touch. All and all even after that one bad time this place is still 4 stars.
(4)Eugene L.
Came here with some family to celebrate a birthday. Word to the wise if you come here ON your birthday your meal is 50% off. Anyway it was a Thrusday night and I thought that the restaurant wasn't going to be that packed, it was steady but not overly packed so I wasn't expecting a wait or bad service. Well I was wrong. We only waited for a table about 5 to 8 minutes not too bad. When we were sitted it took 20-25 mintues to get drinks, that is totally unexceptable, especially being that we had 3 waiters taking care of us. Finally when one of our waiters did come over we ordered a bottle of wine for the table and told the waiter we are all ready to order dinner. Instead of staying at the table to take the dinner orders from us he left and talked to the other waiter and gave him our drink orders. Why in the hell would he would do that is beyond me it is like he completely ingorned me when I said we are ready to order! For dinner I ordered their 7 ounce sirloin with stuffed shrimp and a baked potatoe. My wife ordered the crab stuffed haddock with garlic mashed potatoes, she enjoyed that dish the last time we came here in the past. All of their dinner include a trip to their salad bar. I love their salad bar especilly their bread and cheeses. One of the main reasons why I ordered steak is becuase they rant and rave about their steak. I've been to some premire steakhouses in life so I know what to expect,and Barnsider dry ages their steak for 28 days so I was expecting the meat to melt in my mouth. Quite the contrary it was tough as hell and not seasoned at all, the only thing that I can say is it was cooked the correct way I ordered it..medium. The stuffed shrimp that was served with the steak was in a small casarole dish, and there was so much bread crumbs and hardly no stufffing. Also they only give you 2 yes I said 2 shrimp. WHAT A JOKE!!! My baked potatoe was good, our server glance at it while I was dressing it with butter and sour cream and he pointed out to me that there was a HUGE black rotten spot, needless to say he replaced it with another immedately. My wife enjoyed her dish and I tasted it and I wish I ordered it for myself. For dessert I saw that they have fried icecream and I haven't had that since a 8th grade field trip to Garcia's, I was hoping it was the same as I remember it becuase it was one of the unique desserts I have ever eat. It came out and it WASN'T fried at all. If you call rolling a ball of frozen ice cream into nuts and cocconut fried, becuase that it was it was. It sucked....everyone at the table didn't like it. I won't be coming back here anytime soon, the steak was really a big let down for me.
(2)Neil V.
The steak here is very good, and The Barnsider offers a very nice salad bar with every meal, in fact the only salad bar at a restaurant that I have found worth eating. I always have great service here and the steaks are always cooked perfectly. A great wine list, the menu has fair prices, nothing too outrageous. My one complaint would be that it can get loud in the dinning area because of the big open spaces.
(4)Steven J.
Great food. Beef, chicken and salmon were great. Cocktails were good, too! Service was fair, we wondered where our server was a few times. Salad bar lacked imagination, except for the big hunk of cheese.
(2)