A Better Bite

OVERPRICED!!!
That is the biggest problem. The second is the long wait for food. No matter what you order, it takes forever to get. Even when the place is empty, it takes 10 minutes for an omelet. The exception is the soup because it is right by the register.
Taste of the food is good. Sometimes they use way too much butter or oil which ruins the dish when they do, but not overly common in my 3 yrs coming here. Register staff are very pleasant.
I honestly don’t think I would ever eat here unless I worked in the building. Walk a block up the street and go to Iron Gate. Better food, prices, and a great creative atmosphere. And their staff is also very pleasant.

The place is convenient for professionals in the building but the prices are not worth the quality of food. It’s very over priced. I had the soup ($ 4.00 for a small cup) and it was very bland. I also have had their sandwiches in the past their okay, but not worth $ 9.

Horrible we spent almost 40. For two people not to
do you screw corned beef hash up? The french toast burned and flipped over so I wouldn’t notice. my husband would not even eat it… maybe lunch is not as bad but typically breakfast is really hard to mess up that bad… I can say the rye toast was OK.

I came into this place with throngs of the lardass and zombie state workers and was wondering if this was just another mediocre place to cater to the throngs of Marty McGillicuddy madness. This will have to be one of the biggest pleasant suprises of the Albany dining scene. Great smoked turkey with Swiss with Russian on good rye, adequate pickle, and and cole slaw (not slathered in mayo. more like the light stuff @ a classic Jewish deli. This place has some of the classic deli pieces in place (even knishes). Even Jerked turkey if you want it for a twist on the classics. I’m still a Gershons fan but if in Albany this will be my go-​to. Coming from Connecticut… I’ve been blessed with proximity to damn good Jewish delis, and this place really tries and succeeds in my book (I’m a royal prick with this stuff). Raising the bar in Albany… nice work.

Way over priced for Albany. I come from nyc and think it may be more expensive than home.
The food quality is average. I got the Mediterranean chicken dish last week. There had to have been a few teaspoons of oil left over at the bottom of my dish after. So gross.
Service is soooooo slow. It literally takes 10 or 15 minutes to get your food. Regardless if you order a cold or hot sandwich.
Go elsewhere. Please.

For some reason the whole counter staff has changed. Very slow and confused now. Takes forever just to get a coffee. Ordered a simple muffin and the girl gave me the wrong one. Had to explain and show her and still didn’t get it.

I’ve come here several times on my lunch break and am generally pleased with their food. I usually order a chicken Cesar salad, which is actually one of the best i’ve had. really fresh tasty chicken and the dressing is really good too. I like their chicken soup too. Sandwiches always look good and the menu is huge. I give it three stars for a few reasons;
1. they are over priced by 1 – 2 dollars
2. if you’re in a rush, DO NOT come here. this place takes FOREVER! I’ve called in my salad at 12:00 for a 12:30 pick up and have gotten there and it’s still not ready. You will wait at LEAST 15 minutes. I would say call ahead, but even then you’ll still wait. I’ve even had coworkers who have called orders in, and we still stand there and wait. it can be a bit of a mad scene during lunch time, theres always a lot of people waiting for food. I understand if you want good food, you’ll have to wait for it but calling ahead for a salad and still having to wait? come on. And this hasnt happened just once, it’s been a few times. Me and my friend even make a joke if you want your food, call it in the day before maybe that’ll give them enough time and they’ll have it ready for you.
3. staff is not very friendly, especially the girl who calls out the orders. i don’t think i’ve ever seen her smile she looks miserable and it makes things awkward. staff also seems to have an issue with accepting responsibility whey they mess up a order. they will give you attitude or argue when they feel like they’re right and you’re wrong.
They’re lucky they have really good food and are in a good location because normally for these prices and the wait time, I wouldn’t come back.

Fast and reliable — good wraps & sandwiches but definitely a heavy lunch. On point pickles and mac salad.

The food is OK, nothing special. Counter service is reliably rude during the workweek at lunchtime and later. They argue with you when you call them out on messing up an order, too.

First time here, because I just heard of it yesterday through their newspaper ad /​coupon. I had an omelette which was excellent as were the home fries, buttered bagel & coffee. The menu items sound great and the desserts looked yummy! I remember The Bagel Bite well, (& Joe’s & the Bagel Baron) so glad to see these owners back in business. How appropriate– to have a NY Style deli right near the Capital!
PS– the bagels are on the small side, though tasty. This allows you to to not feel bloated afterward, so I was surprised, then happy.

Went for a quick bite after a workout about late lunch time. Upon entry I was greeted by someone at the counter. The atmosphere was clean and bright. Many others eating at the booths and tables. Not too crowded.
I ordered the Grilled Pastrami Sandwich with potato salad. Service was fast only waiting 5 minutes for my order. The Pastrami sandwich was delicious. Not to salty, seasoned very well. Cheddar cheese was melted thoroughly and the use of brown mustard gave it a nice spice and tang. The potato salad was great as well. Not heavy on the mayonnaise, had just the right size potato chunks with peas, carrots, and egg. Paired well with my sandwich. Came with 2 pickle spears could be better if they had a bit more crunch.
Definitely will come back again to try more items on the menu and brunch. Price range could be a bit cheaper.

FOOD WAS DELICIOUS! Greeted kindly when we first walked in. We were there for breakfast so coffee was important and it tasted good. My omelette was so delicious. I love vegetables and ordered the roasted vegetable omelette. It was better than I expected.
Overall a pleasant experience.

2.5 Stars for weekday lunch, 1.5 to 2 stars for weekend brunch.
This is a busy downtown lunch spot situated on the NW corner of Washington and Swan (its other corner-​mates are the Capitol, the Smith state office building, and the NYS Education building) offering a broad array of sandwiches and wraps, including some good Mediterranean-​influenced offerings and well-​executed New York style pastrami and corned beef. The menu covers a lot of ground, with well over 50 sandwich and wrap combinations and a full breakfast menu. It is operated as a lunch counter during the day and the line moves fairly quickly. It is a first-​come first served seating arrangement. Orders are placed at the counter and you grab a seat until numbers are called. Quality is about average, prices are moderate for downtown.
When they announced they were opening for weekend brunch with table service instead of the weekday counter service, it was good news to me, but the place unfortunately has not really worked out the kinks and suffers in comparison to its weekend competition. I think they are missing an opportunity here, but part of the issue is likely the inconsistent customer flow on weekends, which can create staffing pressure if an unexpected rush hits and make it hard to invest in higher quality ingredients.
The service has improved, but most weekends it appears only one waitress is on staff to cover the dining room and outdoor patios, with minimal assistance busing tables. I can sympathize with downtown restaurants that try and serve us on the weekends despite reduced customer flow, but if you want to offer table service, you need to ensure appropriate staffing to keep tables bused, clean and attend to customers.
The full menu during the week is also available during brunch, which is a nice option to offer, but I would like to see the restaurant ramp up the quality of the breakfast food on the weekend. The prices are significantly higher than many diners, but the end product does not regularly match the quality of diner competition. My french toast with a sides of two eggs, potatoes and bacon was of uneven quality. French toast was executed well and used a decent quality bread, but bacon was pre-​shaped into a circular shape. While the latter product might be convenient to stick on a egg sandwich that Capitol staffers grab on the run during the week, it is not good enough to compete with other weekend offerings, even downtown.

The food here is always consistent (good bordering on great) and their menu is huge; if you can’t find something you like here, you’re the problem. Lots of vegetarian options and good specials more often than not. I think it’s a bit expensive, but the portions are generous and the food come out quick. If I had a criticism it would be that they let people smoke at their outdoor tables. Try their Reuben, best in town.

Amazing food for lunch… anything I ordered just tasted good… best place to eat around my current work place…

If you are in a rush, this is your place. I can only speak about my breakfast experience, as it was close to where I was having a conference in downtown Albany. the coffee was okay so were the bagels and pastries. Once, you order you get called by a number, is like an upgraded fast-​food restaurants. Also, the price, food, and services are okay.

Most of the food here is fine; not spectacular, but not bad. I would consider it 4-​stars, but for the price; it tends $ 1 – 2 too expensive across the board. There is a significant wait if you order during a peak time, but it is seldom excessive.
I don’t think they have ever gotten an order wrong.
The menu is reasonably diverse, and I think that most dietary restrictions (except probably Kosher) can be accommodated.
Personally, their Reuben (as the call «New Yorker») is one of their best menu items. They sometimes offer a Salmon Burger (I had it with their Thai Peanut sauce), and it is excellent. Their french fries are consistently surprisingly good.

I don’t care what anyone says, I love this place. I even called my mom right after I finished my food to tell her how great my corned beef sandwich and awesome macaroni salad was.
Food is average priced for downtown Albany so I can’t complain. This place mostly caters to all the state workers and government officials since it’s right near all of the important buildings. I usually avoid going here before 1pm since it’s packed with said clientele.

Great collection of salads, in a generous portion too! I recommend the Thai Chicken salad, it’s not on the printed menu but go ask for it.
Also, try to avoid going on the busy lunch hour. Could be really packed. Going there around 11:30 is your best bet if you want it to be quiet.

Summary– Borderline 4 Star Deli with good food but relatively high prices.
Food– 4 Stars
Good sandwich, Triple decker with turkey and eggplant along with coleslaw. The sandwich was good if not a little too heavy on the Russian dressing. Coleslaw was fine, didn’t taste homemade to me though.
Service– 2 Stars
NEEEEEEXT PERSON!
They tend to kinda yell at you in here. Otherwise fine.
Value– 2 Stars
Seems a little pricey but it’s not too bad. Other Albany options a bit further down the hill are cheaper and offer more authentic food (see Miranda’s and Lunch).
Atmosphere– 4 Stars
Pretty nice inside with quite a bit of seating. Clean too.