The 8 Best Bars in Albany, Ranked
Historic pub interior with wood bar and dim lighting in downtown Albany
From a 200-year-old tavern to a proper craft cocktail room, the 8 best drinking spots in the city — in order.
1. The Olde English Pub, Broadway
Housed in the 1735 Van Ostrande-Radliff House — the oldest building in Albany — the Olde English is not just historically significant, it's a genuinely good pub. Twenty draft lines heavy on English and Belgian imports, a proper Guinness pour, fish and chips at $17 that would pass in London. Two floors, brick walls, low ceilings, real fireplaces going November through March.
Weeknight after 5pm gets busy with state workers; weekends bring a mixed crowd. No cover, no dress code, kitchen open until 10pm most nights. This ranks first because it delivers on both counts — the building alone is worth the visit, and the beer program and food would rank it top-three even without the history. Parking is street-only on Broadway, generally findable evenings.
2. City Beer Hall, Howard Street
Downtown's serious craft-beer bar with 30 taps rotating aggressively — you’ll find New York breweries you can’t get elsewhere (Suarez Family, Hudson Valley, Equilibrium regularly rotate through). Downstairs is loud and standing-room; upstairs the lounge has actual seating and a shorter menu. Pints $7-9, flights available at $12 for four.
Live music some weekends downstairs, which is either an asset or a bug depending on your night. Kitchen does a legitimate burger and better-than-expected wings. Ranks second because the tap list is the deepest in the region and the space works whether you want a session or a fast pint before dinner elsewhere. Get there before 8pm on Fridays for the upstairs; after 10pm it's a different scene entirely.
3. Speakeasy 518, Howard Street
Genuine cocktail bar hidden below City Beer Hall — enter through the alley door, no signage. Reservations recommended especially weekends. Cocktails run $14-18 and are the real thing: fresh juice, house syrups, proper ice, a bartender who can build you something to spec if you describe what you like. Try the Boulevardier or whatever they’re doing with mezcal that month.
Small, low-lit, forty seats total. Dress code is casual but no ballcaps. This is where you go to drink well rather than to see people or hear music — the room is quiet enough for conversation. Ranks third because the price point is high and the room is small, but for a proper cocktail experience in Albany this is the only real answer. Book a week ahead for Saturday.
4. The Ruck, Troy
Fifteen minutes north in Troy, the Ruck is the best beer bar in the region by tap depth — 90 lines, heavy on New York State craft, plus a bottle list that goes deep into cellared imports. This is where beer geeks from Boston and NYC drive to. Pints $6-9, and rare bottles anywhere from $10 to $40. Kitchen menu is limited but the burger holds up.
Loud, casual, no reservations. Get there by 6pm on a Friday or plan to stand. Ranks fourth even though the beer program beats every Albany bar because you have to drive to Troy — parking in downtown Troy is easier than Albany, though. If you’re serious about craft beer, this is the destination trip. Combine with dinner at Peck's Arcade next door for one of the best food-and-drink evenings in the region.
5. Lark Tavern, Madison Avenue
The classic Center Square neighborhood bar — the one that comes back on Sundays for the Bills game and closes late Wednesday because it can. Draft list is solid but not exotic (Sierra Nevada, Bells, local rotating), cocktails are honest, and the burger at $14 with fries is one of the best late-night meals in the city. Kitchen open until midnight weekends.
This is where you end up after starting somewhere fancier. Live music Thursdays and Sundays, trivia Wednesdays. Ranks fifth because it does the neighborhood-bar job perfectly rather than trying to be more than that. If you’re staying in Center Square, this should be one of your evening stops. Cash tip preferred. Bathrooms are basic.
6. The Point, Delaware Avenue
Neighborhood bar-restaurant at the corner where Delaware Avenue meets Second Avenue, anchoring the little commercial cluster in the Delaware Avenue area. Beer list moderate, wine list better than expected, cocktails decent. What makes it work is the food-and-drink balance and a proper outdoor patio open May through October.
Wednesday-Sunday only most weeks — check hours. Kitchen is a real kitchen doing $18-28 mains, not bar food. This ranks sixth because it's more restaurant than bar strictly speaking, but the front bar area functions as a legitimate neighborhood drinking spot and it's the best option in the Delaware area. Parking in the lot behind or on side streets.
7. McGeary's, Clinton Square
Irish pub facing Clinton Square, family-owned for 30-plus years, and the closest thing Albany has to a genuine Dublin-style pub. Guinness pour is correct. Bushmills and Jameson selection is deep. Live traditional Irish music Sunday afternoons, which is unironically good. Kitchen does shepherd's pie and fish and chips at $16-18.
The room is dark, wood-heavy, and busy on state holidays and any night the Rangers or Bills are on. St. Patrick's Day is chaos — go on March 16th instead. Ranks seventh because it's competing against the Olde English for the same category and losing on the building, but if the Olde English is packed (it will be), McGeary's is the drop-back and it's still a legitimate pub.
8. Nine Pin Cider Works, Broadway
New York's first farm cidery, taproom on Broadway. Fifteen ciders on tap ranging from bone-dry traditional to fruit-forward, all made from New York apples. Flights $10 for four 4oz pours. This is not a bar in the beer-and-liquor sense — no beer, no cocktails — but for cider drinkers there is nothing else at this level within an hour's drive.
The taproom is casual, industrial, family-friendly during the day, and closes earlier than most bars (usually 9-10pm). Ranks eighth because the format is niche and you can’t get a whiskey here, but for anyone curious about cider — or anyone drinking with a gluten-free friend who's tired of hard seltzer — this is the answer. They also sell retail bottles for takeaway; get the Signature or the Belgian.
Before you book
What people ask before booking Center Square.
Speakeasy 518 by design — small room, low volume, no music. The upstairs at City Beer Hall on a weeknight also works. Skip Lark Tavern on weekends and McGeary's on any hockey night. The Olde English is loud after 8pm but the second floor by the fireplace stays quiet earlier.
Historically Jack's Oyster House bar on State Street (still going, ranked outside the top 8 because it's really a restaurant), the Fort Orange Club (members only), and the Olde English for the walk-friendly location during session. Session runs January through June — bars near the Capitol are noticeably busier those months.
New York law allows bars open until 4am and several Albany places take advantage: Lark Tavern until 2-3am most nights, City Beer Hall until 2am weekends, McGeary's often to 2am. Downtown after midnight thins out considerably compared to Center Square, which stays livelier later.
