Finnbar’s Pub

I just moved back to the area and this was one of the top suggestions friends gave me, and it didn’t disappoint. A great pub that’s not too fancy and not to divey, good beer selection, and the bartenders were friendly. I’ve been here in groups and alone and had a pleasant experience each time.

Love this place. Family owned and operated. In fact the owners were both behind the bar and of course called exactly what I wanted .I will be back

The perfect duo behind the bar. Great service. Great drinks. Cant wait be drunk… be hungover… and come back!

Amazing selection of beers and amazing scratch food. The Chicken Goojons are a must try.

This was my second time dining at Finnbar’s Pub, and both experiences were solidly good. We stopped in for dinner and drinks before heading over to see Squeeze at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. It was quiet when we arrived, but by the time we left the place was jam-​packed (perhaps they are picking up some extra business now that Bootlegger’s cannot serve alcohol?) I was happy to see that they had the Doc’s seasonal hard cider (cranberry and cinnamon, mmm) on tap. I paired with that the Troy Dip, aka the French Dip sandwich. It was excellent. The bun was soft but had a slightly crispy crust, the roast beef was thinly sliced and the jus was wonderfully savory. I am not a huge fan of steak fries in general, as I don’t care for eating big mouthfuls of starchy potato, so I didn’t love those. My husband ordered the chicken goojons (a variation on the chicken finger). I would have liked to see a few more options on the menu, perhaps one or two more salads, soups, and sandwiches. We did not have enough room for dessert (although last time we did, and we were happy to see they served cheesecake from Cheesecake Machismo). Maybe next time, because we will be back!

Was seated in the side room behind the bar. Cozy. Above average beer selection.
I had a side salad for a appetizer, and he went with the beer cheddar soup. Salad was big, and good. He said the soup was just ok. I ordered the brown Irish bread, just to try and was surprised that they charged 4.95 for such a small piece. He had the fish and chips. Big portion, and was just alright. I had the beer battered chicken tenders. It needed hot sauce or a dipping sauce. I thought the food was just ok.

Awesome brew selection, try the green flash west coast ipa 8.1%abv. Goes great with some Sheppard’s Fries. I have never heard such a great music selection in any establishment, almost as if I had my I-​pod playing on shuffle. Keep up the great work guys, I’ll be back for sure!

I have been there only once and do not have any idea about the overall menu. I do have a strong opinion about the Irish Lamb Stew — avoid it at all costs.
The meat – lamb – beef– who knows?
It was cooked to total dryness and stringiness – no idea what it was. It was presented in a thin brown liquid which had no taste and did nothing to hydrate the meat.
The only good thing was the bread with spiced butter – good taste.
The service was good – shame the meal was not.

Now I may not be the best to judge a bar, since I’ll always order a Guinness if it’s on tap and I’m having beer, so I can’t speak much to the quality of the other selections here, but they certainly have a good number of them. I’ve never tried their food, but it certainty looks great. The atmosphere is also just the right level of chill and the staff are very friendly.

For an Irish a pub, Finnbar’s is just about perfect. Of course it’s standing on the shoulders of Holmes and Watson, the former establishment in that space. I had a wave of nostalgia for H & W when I walked in the door, and then immediately felt perfectly comfortable. I chose to sit in the dining room in the back rather than on the expansive patio — a choice born of the aforementioned nostalgia. All the dark wood and padded seat of the banquette helped me start to relax and unwind from a rigorous day. The excellently mixed and to my exact specifications martini did the rest. I chose the appetizer that was the beefy Irish version of poutine and some beer braised cabbage and it was a hearty meal. The potatoes were so perfect that I seriously considered eating all of them, which would have been uncomfortable, the appetizer is such a large size. But it’s perfect for a table of more than one, I’m sure. They seem to have abandoned the idea of a website and have a facebook page with no menu, so you’ll just have to go for a visit so see what they have. It’ll be Irish or fancified Irish, which in my book is always just fine when I want to hang out and have a great time.

So I have lived in Troy since 2009 and before that I spent just about 10years in Center Square. While I live in Center Square my watering hole of choice was Café Hollywood. Normally at Café Hollywood behind the bar was Sean (spelling?) a pretty in your face but not unfriendly barkeep. Well now it seems both of us have moved to Troy in one capacity or another. I have been so infatuated with other beer halls Finnbar’s seemed like an after thought. To tell you I was wrong would be the understatement of the century. First off as a beer drinker their tapline has something for everyone. From the overbearing beer snob to the PBR Hipsters this place has you covered. And the food, well it may be a little more pricey but it is well worth the extra few bucks. The patio is a gem and the staff was friendly and accommodating. If you were like me and were shying away from this place, learn from my mistake and give this place a chance you won’t be disappointed. Hey at least I can admit when I am wrong, and by not giving this place a shot previously, I was incredibility wrong.

My wife and I came here this week. Let me say #1 THEY ALLOW SMOKING. Smoking is illegal in restaurants and public places. IDC how you feel about it, tough crap its illegal.
2. The «back patio» is an alley way with a stockade fence and a whiff for the rotten trash out back. Like a bingo hall with the big plume of cigarette smoke.
3 We ordered sandwiches and drinks which were still not at the table 40 minutes after we ordered. The server (if thats what you want to call here) since she served nothing, told us she had no idea but it shouldnt be much longer. Plus its mac cheese and potatoes. Grow up will ya? To say «Id move to Troy just for this food» makes me think your in a max security prison somewhere… so please, stay there

Finnbar’s is one of the reasons I would love to move to Troy. I love this place. Not only do they have the coolest patio in Troy, they have a great tap line with at least 20 different choices with bartenders that know their beer. They also have fantastic, stick to your ribs comfort food. Don’t miss the homemade chips and they have some damn good wings (some of the best in Troy, in my opinion). The shepherd’s fries are the Irish version of poutine. I haven’t had anything I didn’t like.
They have skeeball upstairs if you’re feeling playful!

I haven’t eaten here yet but for happy hours and saturday nights I’m loving this bar. I’ve never gone when it was ultra packed making the bar always accessible. The beer selection is fantastic, and the bartender knows his stuff and can assist you in finding a beer that you will love. I’m going to have to update when I venture past the front room, and actually eat there. But if your looking for a nice cold beer after work, this is the place I’d recommend.

We have been to Finnbar’s quite a few times. The staff is wonderful and the food is always great! They have a good selection of beers and we always find something we like. It’s got a great atmosphere and the building is beautiful.

I’ve been here many times with my family and friends for dinner and the Wednesday night trivia. Every visit has been fantastic. The food is always delicious and the selection of craft beers should please any palate.
I highly recommend Finnbar’s to anyone looking for a mature, family friendly atmosphere. Sean, Meg, and the rest of the staff really take care of their customers. Keep up the great work!

We’ve visited a few times and are happy with the draft beers on tap. The menu always has at least one healthier dish that keeps me happy, and the staff has gone out of their way to please their customers.
In fact, they let my large party reserve a large area upstairs of a team meeting without any hesitation or fee.

Love it, love it, love it! Again, as a Capital District «lifer» for most of my college & adult years since, I remember when Finnbar’s was Holmes & Watson — which, many a «Troylet”/RPI’er used to LOVE back in the day! — but, let’s face facts, folks: Holmes & Watson went WAYYYYYY down in its latter yrs. & Finnbar’s swept in & has since blown it out of the water, ten-​fold!
Great staff, friendly faces, great beer/​drink selection, LOVELY back patio/​outside seating area (esp. fun/​nice at night!), they parter up w/​another area great, CHEESECAKE MACHISMO, for desserts, & their sweet potato «chips» (fries) w/​this insane cinnamon cream cheese dip stuff? AMAZING! Fish & chips? Some of the best in the area!
Reasonable prices, decent menu selection & just an overall great place! To boot: they’ve continued to expand w/​in their few yrs. of being open now & you can rent out an upstairs room (which some friends did back in Nov., 2013 for their wedding rehearsal dinner!) for private parties & it’s great up there, too! Finnbar’s is easily one of the best in the Downtown Troy bar scene!

Ok, this place is easily my favorite bar in Troy. (Granted I haven’t been to ALL of the bars in Troy but OH WELL)
I’m a avid beer fan so obviously this place is right up my alley. Every time i’m there they have new/​different beers to try. The only thing that bums me out is sometimes a beer is written on the board but they don’t have it opened yet or that keg’s been kicked. It does feel good knowing that beer is being turned over a lot there and it’s not old and funky.
The food is FILLING, INEXPENSIVE and relatively unhealthy (depending on what you get) but SO GOOD. And I’m also one of those «I don’t eat out a lot so when I do I order the best sounding thing on the menu even if it’s a days worth of calories». But what kind of irish pub would they be if they didn’t have juicy sliders, corn dogs and creamy soups? They always have food specials that change out and the «chips» are out of this world. They are more like potato wedges but they are soft and fluffy inside and crunchy on the outside. I would highly recommend ordering them with the curry cheese sauce. Be prepared to take most of your dinner home though because those suckers are filling! (Side note: How can you say the food there is expensive? a burger for under 10 bucks with HUGE potato wedges?)
Though this place is a little tight in the front, they have lots of room in the back room, the outside patio is awesome, and apparently there is an upstairs (I have yet to experience). It still seems cozy and intimate with all the separate spaces.
Love the service, the bartender/​owner is always very knowledgable about the beer, asks what you normally like to drink and recommend a new, unique choice based on your preferences. I love that! Sometimes I’m like craving something but there’s nothing more I hate than ordering a beer that just isn’t what you wanted. They are accommodating to the cheap dates like me as well, they’ll pour you a half pint if you ask.
So in conclusion:
Good beers, satisfying/​well priced food, get those damn potato «chips», and enjoy!

An Irish Pub with 24 beers on tap? Saints be praised!!!
We had a very favorable experience at lunch today. Our beverages included red sangria –very tasty but a bit of a short pour for $ 10 — I mean combine a smallish glass plus ice and a lot of fruit and there’s not a lot of sipping left for the consumer. We also had a heavenly Vanilla Porter ($ 6), and a really good Ithica Apricot Wheat for $ 5.
Our food included a creamy and flavorful cup of Asparagus Soup ($ 5), two «small» (not small at all) Pecan Chicken Salads ($ 6) and Chicken Goojons ($ 6).
The salads were great– a nice sliced slab of chicken breast served on greens with walnuts, strawberries and goat cheese. I had never seen the word «Goojon» before, so I just looked it up. Sometimes it’s spelled as «goujons» and it means «a small strip of fish or chicken, coated in breadcrumbs and deep-​fried». Today’s version was a thickish serving of fried chicken that had the same look, texture, and crunch of the fish you commonly get in fish & chips. Yes, of course it was good, as were the fries –long spears that had a nice soft texture to them.
Service was great– we were double teamed by a guy and the female bartender. They were both very attentive and friendly.
Bottom line? A very pleasant lunch of food and beverages for 3 cost us $ 56.
Yes, we are fans!