Ralph’s Tavern

Ok, so I’m not a wing fan, and yes this place could use a deep-​cleaning, but it’s a Tavern for crying out loud, and a really great one at what it does. Top-​shelf Italian food is just icing on the cake here.
People have reviewed a lot of things here, but I’ll just give you my #1: The locally-​sourced sausage they have made for them. It has a very lean mix, but a fine grind and tender casing so the effect is to just melt in your mouth. And just a hint of heat guarantees you will beg for more. ANYthing with this awesome sausage and their authentic red gravy is a win. Values are pretty good, too, if you watch what you order.

Best pizza and mozzarella sticks in the world I have been eating here for 25 years and I still drool over their mozzarella sticks and pizza! Take out is pretty awesome too they are always on time with their take out!

This is one of my favorite spots in Colonie! The portion sizes are great and the prices are very good. It’s a very busy spot on a Friday or Saturday so be prepared to wait a little bit but it’s worth it! Best Italian cuisine in the area. Try the Veal Parm. You won’t be disappointed!

I had the thin spaghetti with marinara that came with salad and Italian bread. All legit, large portions, and tasty. I looked at the table next to us and they had a crispy crusty rectangular pizza that looked amazing. Next time, I am getting that! They said it was a white pizza with broccoli and chicken tenders. I definitely ordered wrong! The place was a little dingy and dark. There must be a lot of regulars though because it was still busy inside even on a wed night. Check this place out and try the pizza!

We had to wait for 30 minutes to get a table for two. Food was OK, to be precise better than average. But not very special.

We had been away for a whole month on winter break without having Ralph’s Pizza but now I’m back and eating my favorite Pizza… My son was home for Easter so he was with us and ordered a house salad. Ralph’s serves iceberg lettuce which is kind of boring but he ate it anyway I usually have blue cheese dressing when I order it which is good… I’m not sure what brand they use. We like this place all the servers know us and treat us great!

I give Ralph’s credit. They don’t just survive, they thrive. The place is old, dark, and well worn. But on any given night, just walk in and you will see a crowd. Why? Old school Italian food, low prices, and good service. Ralph’s will never be the trendy place and their food is not really the best in town. But it is good and it is consistent. Many new restaurants fail on the consistency card due to staff turnover. I’ve been to Ralph’s a few times over the years. The same people have been working there every time. And they keep prices fair. You don’t leave Ralph’s hungry or feeling like you overpaid for anything. Good solid place.

I got the spaghetti meatball pasta. The portion was big, and it tasted great. It also came with a salad or soup of your choice, and unlimited amount of bread. The wait is long so you might want to get their early.

Tried Italian sausage and peppers dish twice. Sausages were overcooked and dried out on both occasions;what remained was greasy and tasteless.

Stopped in to try again. Sunday 3÷13÷16. This place has really gone down the tubes. Ordered 2 antipasto salads which were ok 50 wings which were decent but only came with 2 blue cheese after asking 4 times for extra. Also got a rueban. The rueban was a soggy nasty mess, the wings ok. The nasty bartender came over and took the last wing out of the bowl and said «I’ll put this on a plate in case anyone here wants it» she grabbed the wing with her bare hand and placed it on a plate. Pig, just gross, I wouldn’t do that to my own family. Place is filthy dark (to try and hide the filth), cramped, slow and terrible food. I will NEVER return. Enjoy my $ 100.00 I spent maybe buy a vacuum and some bleach and clean that pig pen.

This place is excellent. My dad has been taking me here since I was a kid and I don’t think I’ve ever had one bad meal. I highly recommend the white garlic pizza. But you can’t go wrong with any of the pasta dishes either.

Thank you Unilocal,for bringing me to this place. We were craving pizza, look no further… Pizza dough was so fresh and this is really good pizza. It’s a 10 inch cut square pizza and it’s very good! They charge per topping but 2 – 3 people this would fill you up easily! Must get the pepperoni and I added Italian salami too. We called before we came he told us 20 min and not a minute later it was out! Really friendly service and a great place for locals or those new to the Capitol district. We also splurged and got the mozzarella stick, worth every extra calorie and more, the raspberry sauce compliments it very well! Dinner for 2 for less than $ 25.00. We’ll be visiting the tavern for beer and more pizza really soon.

Great food!
Mozzarella sticks are supreme!
Hot chicken wings were out of this world
Blue cheese was great which is a very important factor to me
Triple decker cheese burger and fries were excellent. No free refills which is really the only downside to this amazing establishment

Ralph’s Tavern is a basic busy restaurant where you can have a decent meal and a good time. The bar is comfortable — the bartenders friendly. The dining area is a bit tight but you do get caught up in the positive vibe of the patrons. This extends to the friendly service as you may find yourself joking with your server by meals end.
The food however is average. Ralph’s defines itself as an Italian Restaurant — it’s not. There’s the standard Chicken & Veal Parmigiana dishes and other «standard» Italian selections but the strength here is «Pub Food».
The Chicken Parmigiana arrived w/​soup & spaghetti. A hearty but –again — average meal.
Same with the Cheeseburger order (Onion Rings stood out). The Pasta Fazul — forgetfully average.
The house Chardonnay was surprisingly good — the bill very reasonable.
The cheerfulness of Ralph’s is the standout here.
Hey — Food isn’t everything…

What a great spot. I sat in the tavern side and had the antipasto salad with a half order of cavatelli and a meatball.
Everything was great. The salad had too much dressing on it for my taste, but that is more a preference than a criticism.
Good honest food. Take a break from the chain /​factory restaurants and try this place, you’ll be glad you did.

There is noting really bad I can say about this place. The prices are fair, and food is amazing. Even stuff I may not usually order like split pea soup is really worth it here. I really love their meatballs. They are juicy and not full of bread. The décor can use a fresh redo. This place has not changed in the entire time I can remember going here, so at least 10 years. It is always packed lunchtime, and that is a good sign, and the staff is fast. You see the same faces that keep coming year after year. Once you eat here you become a regular, it is very good. The new owners streamlined some stuff, but most of the great reasons to come here are still very good. Meatball torpedo is a must, as are the shells.
Additionally this is one of those places that does full meals and bar food like pizza and wings equally good, so come here for either. One room is a bar, one a dining room. Call ahead if there is many people coming and they will have it all set.

Went here on an Sunday with my family for the first time. I had high hopes reading some of the reviews. I have to say that is was good, but not great. My meal started with a cup of their Manhattan clam chowder. I was impressed by the generous size for a cup of soup. The soup is self was decent. it had big chunks of potatoes and carrots in a light tomato broth. There wasn’t much clam meat in it, but the pieces that were in it were very chewy. Aside from the clams, the soup itself was hearty and filling.
Onto the main course I selected. I ordered the Shrimp Scampi and opted for rice instead of pasta. It came with six shrimp over a trough of rice. It was huge, making the shrimp disappear on the plate. The shrimp were cooked just right, the sauce was good with a nice amount of garlic but a little too much oil that created a slick on the plate. The Scampi was good, I just wish their was less rice and the shrimp were a bit bigger.

I know people who love Ralph’s. Sorry, I’m not drinking the kool-​aid.
There are some good dishes at Ralph’s:
The wings are excellent.
The pizza is decent, with a crispy crust.
The house made mozz sticks are great (and you must order them with the melba sauce — it makes for a salty/​sweet treat).
The beer is cold.
That’s where the good news ends.
I really wanted a salad, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to eat Ralph’s salads. They’re an abomination. My companions said their soups were barely ok. Another’s chicken parm was chewy, the accompanying pasta mushy and way overcooked.
If you must go to Ralph’s, get the pizza, and wings, and mozz sticks. Expect to be disappointed if you dare to stray from those 3 items.
Ralph’s is a still two star joint, one star added on the strength of the wings.

All the stars go to the mozz sticks. Oh baby! I’ve never had a more salty, delicious bite of homemade mozzarella stick in my life. Could I survive on this? Quite possibly. The batter is merely non existent, more like a crusting of some light, very fine bread crumbs. And Albany… Melba sauce?! I’m into it – it’s like a slum version of brie en crute. The sweet and salty combo is where it’s at!
Ralph’s itself had a homey vibe. At lunch time, we were the youngest folks there. But the staff and ambience was welcoming! Being from Rochester, it mimics the vibe of our Italian American restaurants. Checked tablecloths, simple décor, wood paneled walls, etc.
For my lunch entrée, I had the tuna club… but it didn’t come with bacon. I thought that was the distinctive factor that made a sandwich «club» so I was bummed I missed out on that. So know to specify if you want. Comes with chips and a pickle.
Great for a classic tavern experience in the Capital region.

Forgive me, for I have sinned. It has been six years since my last review of this classic Albany tavern. The good news is that I’ve learned a lot more about this place over time. Most notably, what are the things to get and what are the things to avoid.
Fortunately, I think I’ve only hit one real stinker over the years and that was the fish fry. My advice is to save that for the fish fry places.
Unfortunately, I’ve watched my beloved torpedo sandwiches diminish from their former glory. The kitchen no longer keeps the sandwiches under the broiler long enough to brown the cheese, but only long enough to melt it. So they are missing a critical element of flavor and texture. I suppose I could be fussy and ask them to make it «well done’. However, I have this thing about going to restaurants, that I want to eat the food they make (not the food I wish they would make).
It’s complicated.
That said, their mozzarella sticks with raspberry sauce is off the charts good. They hand cut these rectangles of salty, delicious cheese, bread them, and fry them to a crisp, melty, salty, cheesy glory. Now, if you think raspberry sauce with this sounds disgusting, you are obviously not from around these parts. This is how we do. And I’ll take a moment to explain to you why it’s so good (and why it’s not gross).
Don’t think mozzarella sticks with raspberry. Think baked brie en croute with a fruit compote. Because this is just a blue collar version of that.
In most people’s mind, mozzarella sticks come with an herbed crust. And THAT would be truly disgusting with raspberry sauce. I’ve tried it. It totally clashes. But at Ralph’s, they’ve been doing this long enough to know to leave the herbs out.
This is too much talking. Just get them.
I’ve also come around on Ralph’s style of tavern pizza. It’s rectangular, with a focaccia like crust, and the edges get nice and crisp. The sauce is zesty with black pepper. This is an entirely different animal from NY style or sicilian pizza. So don’t try to compare them. If you can take it on its own terms, it’s a solid pie, especially if you order it with pepperoni.
Listen, I hate pepperoni, but I love the pepperoni at Ralph’s. Theirs is the kind that curls up and collects all that glorious flavorful grease into a pocket of joy. Plus the curled edges get all nice and crispy. Man, I love that.
Still, the place is without pretension. Even as I get older, I find I’m often the youngest person in the joint. It’s a regional treasure, and I hope they keep going just as they are for a hundred years (although I wouldn’t mind if they went back to browning the cheese on the torpedo sandwiches).