I must admit: your humble Albablogger is a relative newcomer to our fair city. Maybe very hipstery-looking restaurant/bars have been popping up like mushrooms for decades. From what I can tell, though, Albany seems to be in the grips of a minor restaurant boom, specifically of the kind of joint where you can get a craft cocktail to go with your small plates or can pick from a bewilderingly long list of organic wines. In this Tromping Around Report I'm going to tell about all of the new restaurant/bars that I know for sure are coming soon to a downtown near you, plus a couple of as-yet-unnamed places being teased by the folks at Redburn.
#1: The Bishop
This is one you've probably heard about already: the new "beef, bourbon and beer" bar coming to 90 North Pearl. Check out some of the design being done for them by Albany's Upside Collective here to get a sense of what the vibe might be like, or follow them on Insta @ the_bishop_albany
#2 288 Lark Wine and Tap
When I last reported that something was going into the space on 288 Lark, there were those who expressed skepticism. This new sign hanging outside and all of the furniture in the dining room would seem to be pretty strong indicators that something is going to open soon, though. They haven't set up website or any social media, though, which strikes me as a weird choice -- two very successful new additions to the neighborhood, Dove and Deer and the Poke Bar, did the exact opposite and put up tons of info on Instagram to build up excitement before the grand opening. From what I can glean from old newspaper articles and job postings, this place is going to be serving Italian food along with the titular wine.
#3: Post
Speaking of businesses that definitely exist in the year 2019, Post has been doing a great job sharing shots of their redecorating efforts at the former Mio Posto space. Here's the most recent one above.
#4: The Copper Crow
Bet you haven't heard of this one yet! The Copper Crow apparently just closed on their building at 443 North Pearl, very close to Fort Orange Brewing.
#5 and #6: The Redburn Mystery Projects
Redburn has been teasing two different restaurant (?) projects that are supposed to be coming soon-ish to downtown. One of them is going to be some type of "fun, quirky" (whatever that means, when it comes to restaurants) place owned by an Albany resident, and another mysterious something (the "cooking" makes me think food, as well) coming to the Columbia Street building pictured above. We're all on the edges of our seats, Redburn!
#7: 3Fish
This isn't technically new, but I'm going to say that it counts: according to whoever is running their Insta, 3Fish is going to "be open later hours (serving craft beer, natural wines, and evening treats) by late spring!" I'm envisioning some long, lazy evenings on that beautiful patio this summer.
Do you know about something else coming to Albany soon? Want to promote your event, art installation, or small business? Talk to me, kids. Albablogblog@gmail.com. Also, follow me on Instagram @Albablogblog to see some stuff I don't post about here.