Albany's bar scene is alive and well, and due to recent crackdowns on ID checks, the face of local nightlife has seen lots of change. Make sure you have your license, passport or ID handy.
SUNY Albany is no longer considered the #1 party school in the United States, but between its 11,000 students and the College of Saint Rose, you will meet lots of sloppy and belligerent 18-21 year-olds on a typical night out. Muggers and other opportunists capitalize on vulnerable drinkers, so avoid Washington Park after dark.
The most popular and concentrated place to barhop is probably Lark Street, where more than a dozen bars from cocktail lounges and dives are crowded between Ontario Street and Central Avenue. Good bets include:
Oh Bar is a popular gay/lesbian bar that is friendly and has a nice happpy hour. Check out Karaoke night on Thursdays.
Popular burrito bar Bombers operates a pub upstairs. Its reputation is on the decline in recent years, but the burritos remain huge.
The Lionheart. Good on weekends when the Romans come down for their orgy, good happy hour specials, a good selection of beer, and they have dartboards and pool tables. Very crowded on summer weekend nights.
Susies is a fun subterranean bar with several great microbrews, darts and a great patio during the summer.
Hollywood Tavern attracts an average looking and refreshingly unpretentious crowd. It's more "meet your friends" than "see and be seen." Albany's largest patio in the summer and a large upstairs for the winter.
Pearl Street is another good place to go out. Closer to the large state offices, these bars draw a large after-work crowd, and after the Thursday afternoon waterfront concerts in the summer - Alive at 5 - the streets are cordoned off, made pedestrian-only, and overflow with revelers.
The Albany Pump Station lets you dine with a few beers. Located just below Pearl St. toward the Hudson.
Jillians, Massively popular chain bar-nightclub-restaurant etc with games upstairs. Come here to dance or see a concert on the weekend.
Blue 82, a trendy but nice place to get a martini, or some other fancy drink, and look hot
The Bayou Cafe, New Orleans style fare and bands. Another good after-work crowd. Fills with older hepcat college students later in the evening, especially on weekends. Good live music.
Plastic, possibly the only 'night club' style bar in Albany.
McGeary's often has bands playing Celtic folk and/or bagpipe rock and they have an outdoor area for eating, drinking and listening to live bands during the summer.
Some places of interest:
Mahar's - Small beer snob pub at the corner of Madison and South Allen. Print out a list and choose from dozens of beers from all over the world, with tap/bottle rotation reaching the hundreds. Service can be unfriendly to newcomers. For beer snobs only. Closes at midnight.
Red Square is a live music venue on the corner of Broadway and State. One of your best bets if you're seeking out original local music.
Waterworks on Central Avenue is another popular gay/lesbian bar.
The Fuze Box used to be a White Castle-style burger joint, but has since been converted to a club/event space. Here you find Thursday swing dancing lessons, goth nights, and best known for the weekly Saturday '80s nights. Excellent music, mixed and unpretentious crowds. Dance to Cyndi Lauper with your friends. GLBT friendly!
Midtown Tap and Tea Room is in one of the quieter parts of town and has one of the best wine menus.
For the College Crowd:
The Washington Tavern (WT's) is an upper classmen bar. It's usually pretty busy.
Chubby's, Michael's,The Long Branch, and Bogies are hot spots for the college kids who aren't yet old enough to drink elsewhere. Bogies has live metal and hardcore music gigs.
The Pub is a nice place to hang out on weekends. It's very busy with the typical college scene, but slightly more subdued than some of the others.
Stone Crow caters to the slightly pretentious out of touch scene.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Albany (New York)
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Albany (New York) - updated May 2024
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