Driving from Boston to Cayuga Lake on Saturday. Eyeing Schenectady at the “little more than halfway” point stop for lunch. I have three kids from ages 3-9, so I’m carrying some freight. Just looking for a nice spot to grab good food (trucks would be acceptable too) and have a beer (and maybe take a 4/6 pack to go). But I obviously err toward family-friendlier places. Would rather not stand out. thanks for the recommendations
paging @IGaveYouPower Where are you staying at Cayuga? I'm at the southern tip in a little city we like to call "Ithaca." I'm glad to give recommendations (beer and otherwise).
If you are looking for more beer-centric places there are a few: Druthers Brewery - good food, beer is pretty good, nice atmosphere and kid friendly. Frog Alley Brewing - beautiful brewery, food is a counter with pizza, wings, apps etc., beer is hit or miss but very cool spot with huge outdoor area. Mohawk Taproom - this is in Scotia but has a great tap list and great food from what I hear. Less beer-centric food options are the plethora of great Italian places and Jumpin Jack's drive in which has some great burgers, dogs, fries, ice cream etc. I'll post more if I think of anything else.
I was going to mention Mohawk Taproom, which is just across the bridge from Schenectady. It's more of an adult restaurant vibe, but it's probably got the best beer you're going to find in the Schenectady area.
East side, near Union Springs. We haven’t done any breweries. All wineries in the three years we’ve been coming. It’s a big group.
Maybe a big group would enjoy Prison City's North Street space in Auburn. They have wine, canned cocktails, lots of outdoor space, food trucks and the best local beer you're going to find.
I've been wanting to check Prison City out for a while. My friend (who owns the house we visit) goes every time he's up in the area. It's just never worked out, especially when you can just get everywhere by boat.
Honestly Frog Alley Brewing is probably your best bet to hit all marks. - Huge (I mean HUGE) indoor space and a big patio so your kids will have some room, got indoor cornhole boards, etc. - For food they have a walk-up order window for the adjoining Annabella's Pizza which is honestly real good. Grab a few pies and a thing of fries with a few different dipping sauces and you're set. - Really big taplist with plenty of cans to go. Most of the beer falls in the 'pretty good' category but they've got some great variety so you'll find something to dig. Other options are Centre Street Pub (huge taplist, solid food, big outdoor area), Great Flats Brewing (if they have a food truck, no food otherwise), Hunter's on Jay (real good bar food, great taplist, decent outdoor area) or Mohawk Taproom (bangin' food, top-3 taplist in the Cap Region at any given time... but it's small, always busy, and not super conducive to having three kids in tow). I'd stay away from Druthers just because the parking situation is a pain in the dick even without kids to consider.
Thanks for this. I think even before it we settled on Frog Alley. On the way back, I was thinking Delaware supply mostly for the Suarez options
Ive been to Delaware Supply a couple times. While their beer selection is great, I would not call it kid friendly. Pretty small place
This website has pictures from when Delaware Supply opened, you'll see what I mean http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2018/01/02/delaware-supply-craft-beer-bar-albany-now-open Those pictures show the whole interior
Update: Frog Alley was fun. Great space. There was a wedding getting set up. Food was very good. Beer was good enough. Aurora Brewing on the lake was great. It rained a little, so the boys were able to get out for a couple beers. Crispy Coast is such a great beer. Thanks for the recommendations!
