Kelsey’s Irish Pub

Restraunt is overpriced. I orded the chicken basket ($ 8) on the menu. It came with 4 of the thinest chicken I had ever seen, overcooked with no fries. I cannot believe they would call it a basket meal without fries or a side, and except someone to dish out 8 bucks. So I returned the food and got my card credited back. I was charged an extra $ 1.5o than what I signed on the receipt. This place is shaddy, overpriced and overrated.

Stayed at the hotel and decided to stay for a late night meal. Many of the dishes were overpriced, but our party of four ordered two seafood dishes and two sandwiches. Our waiter seemed annoyed and impolite, and didn’t even bother to write down our order. Also, she had to come back three times to confirm what we had said. The sandwiches were hefty and quite large, which fit their price of about 10 dollars. However, the two seafood dishes, $ 28 dollars a piece were less than satisfactory! We ordered shrimp and scallop Alfredo an we received only 3 pieces of each! For $ 28 dollars I expect more than 6 individual pieces of seafood! The sauce was not creamy at all and overly seasoned. The beers were about 6 a piece as well. Overall, don’t go to this place unless you have no other option, the staff is unfriendly and the food is overpriced. Remember there is free transportation if you are staying at the hotel that work for tips, use it!

I still affectionately refer to this as «the omni bar» because I spent many hours here before shows when I was still living on the east coast. It’s now Kelsey’s and has a full menu and a decent bar. Pricey shots. Delicious wings. Worst ceasar salad ever. But they do have golden tee and pool and darts. Great service though.

It seems I write reviews in exceptional situations. Unfortunately, exceptional runs in both directions. This one is on the lower end of that scale.
I walked in Kelsey’s at about 10pm. Finally, at around 10:15, the barmaid finally acknowledged my presence. Another 10 minutes went by before I saw her again to order my beer and Buffalo chicken fingers (without bleu cheese).
My beer arrived right away, but I was almost done with it before the chicken fingers arrived (sans bleu cheese, but missing the usual celery). My beer remained empty for almost 20 minutes before I was finally able to get some water.
Finally when it was time to pay, the wait was almost comical. The entire transaction from entrance to exit took just over 90 minutes. I had expected no more than about 30. I also expected my credit card to show what I had authorized. No such luck…
My tab came to $ 15.22, and I left a 28 cent tip to reflect my displeasure. I called AMEX on my way back up to my room and discovered the $ 15.50 I authorized was coming through as $ 18! I’m going to verify this in the morning, but if she overcharged my card, I’m going to have a couple of my buddies with the NY State Police make a visit.
I know grabbing a bite here will be tempting if you’re staying at the hotel, but resist the temptation and actually head out of the hotel to get a bite. You have options nearby. Even in the freezing cold winter, it’ll be worth it to bypass this temptation.

Not sure what makes it Irish. Guinness and Killian’s on tap? Place was chosen out of sheer laziness, as everyone was staying at the hotel. Food was mediocre. Service was earnest but not great.
Redeeming features: Magic Hat on tap. Free WiFi.

the amount of experience i have of kelsey’s is sad considering that i am only (being generous) giving it 2 stars. at the risk of being very redundant, i will repeat myself — location is key. not having to leave the building for a drink or lunch (never quick) was convenient quite often.
the food is so-​so, nothing to write home about but i never had to return anything other than for the kitchen messing up the order. the prices are a bit high but we Are talking about the crowne plaza (the extra E at the end allows them to up the price by a few bucks. after all, it is Obviously a cut above, right?)
the drink prices are pretty much standard for downtown albany but the actual drinks are never memorable unless they are Too watery or such.
the service is spotty at best. usually they are Very understaffed and have to rely on the bartender to serve food (make the very long trip to the kitchen) as well as tend the bar. when they have been wise enough to employ Both a tender And a server, quite often we got the typical food service employee hung over and rumpled clothes service. which is not to say that we didn’t enjoy it. there is something to be said about the sarcastic, hung over, self-​deprecating humor accompanying said service.
the layout is also fine, a nice dark wooded (no, not any trees, just the wood of the bar and tables and floors), open area. in the winter bring a coat if you are sitting in the lower area by the windows — great for people watching but not good for being warm.
oh, and be sure to keep conversations of the private sort to a low roar, there are some Very nosy people about that will find anything you have to say incredibly intriguing.

What do I expect at a hotel bar?
Not to run out of Maker’s Mark after one pour. I should expect to be gouged for the privilege of having a drink without leaving the building. Still, I can’t be expected to like it.
One Makers and one Jack set me back $ 20 after a very modest tip. That’s ridiculous by fancy big city club prices. I mean… this is the Albany Crowne Plaza. What gives?
But it has air conditioning. Wireless internet access. Some drunk travelers. TVs. Golden Tee. A pocket billiards table.
Be warned. I watched one of the bartenders making a margarita. I wouldn’t want to be the poor slob who tries to drink all that bottled sweet and sour mix. Corn syrupy. Ick.