An Insider’s Guide to Dining in Saratoga
Saratoga is one of those places where you could eat your way from one end of town to the other and never run out of good food. You probably won’t go wrong at any of our great restaurants, but the ones listed below are personal favorites of museum staff who live in Saratoga.
Breakfast
Beverly’s
47 Phila Street Saratoga Springs (518) 583-2755 8:00 am-2:00 pm, daily This slightly upscale eatery is our favorite for a weekend breakfast or lunch. The menu offers interesting selections of egg, pancake, and waffle dishes as well as soups, salads, and sandwiches. Started by Beverly in the 1980s, Beverly’s is now owned by her son Michael, whom you will find either seating patrons or in the kitchen cooking. Beverly’s can accommodate larger groups but you will have to wait for a few tables to clear out so they can put them together. You can also purchase Beverly’s Best, a charming cookbook written by Beverly that includes many of our favorite recipes. Two blocks east of Broadway on the north side of the street.
Country Corner Café
25 Church Street Saratoga Springs (518) 583-7889 6:00 am-2:00 pm, Monday-Saturday 7:00 am-2:00 pm, Sunday A typical small-town eatery that serves up reasonably priced breakfast fare of eggs, pancakes, hot cereal, muffins, etc. You can eat in the booths at the original corner building amid vintage décor or in the newer dining room in the building next door. One block west of Broadway on the right side of the street.
Uncommon Grounds
402 Broadway Saratoga Springs (518) 581-0656 6:30 am-midnight, Monday-Friday 7:00 am-midnight, Saturday & Sunday Uncommon Grounds is a café that roasts its own coffee and makes its own bagels. Its soups are interesting and yummy. Although always mobbed, you can usually find a seat. Get in line, place your order, pay, pickup further down the counter. You can get your food to go or linger as long as you like. Don’t even think about Starbucks down the street – this is local and far superior! On the east side of Broadway, across the street from Borders.
Brunch/Lunch
Beverly’s
47 Phila Street Saratoga Springs (518) 583-2755 See above
Country Corner Café
25 Church Street Saratoga Springs (518) 583-7889 6:00 am – 2:00 pm, Monday-Saturday 7:00 am – 2:00 pm, Sunday See above
Four Seasons
33 Phila Street Saratoga Springs (518) 584-4670 11:30 am-8:00 pm, daily Attached to a store that sells a wide selection of bulk and packaged natural foods, Four Seasons has the most interesting selection of vegetarian food in Saratoga. Food is served cafeteria style. You take a plate, fill it with your selections, and then take it to be weighed. You pay by weight. One block east of Broadway, on the corner, across from the parking garage.
Higher Grounds Cafe
49 Henry Street Saratoga Springs (518) 450-0209 9:00 am-6:00 pm, Monday-Thursday 9:00 am-5:00 pm, Friday & Saturday Noon-4:00 pm, Sunday How often do you get to eat in the library? This café, located on the main floor of the Saratoga Springs public library, serves a limited selection of interesting soups, sandwiches, coffee, and baked goods. Kim, the owner, is the sister of Michael who owns Beverly’s. If you do eat here, be sure to check out The Book Bag, the library’s used book shop, where you can find a huge selection of wonderful books at VERY reasonable prices.
Mrs. London’s Bakery & Café
464 Broadway Saratoga Springs (518) 581-1652 7:00 am-6:00 pm, Tuesday-Thursday 7:00 am-10:00 pm, Friday & Saturday If you can’t afford a trip to Europe this year then Mrs. London’s is the next best thing! Mrs. London’s serves fabulous pastries and a selection of sandwiches on hearty breads or flakey croissants. If there is a free table when you walk in, grab it and then order at the counter and pay. Staff will bring your food tableside. On the east side of Broadway cross from Adirondack Trust Company.
Ravenous
21 Phila Street Saratoga Springs (518) 581-0560 11:30 am-8:00 pm, Tuesday-Thursday 11:00 am-9:00 pm, Friday 10:30 am-9:00 pm, Saturday 10:30 am-3:00 pm, Sunday
Nothing but crepes – both savory and sweet. Savory ones come with a salad and are filled with traditional French favorites (like ratatouille and ham & gruyere) as well as other more creative fillings. Oddly, the other item on the menu is French fries, which come in several sizes and are served in a paper cone. Ravenous also serves wine and the best hot chocolate around. On the north side of the street next door to Four Seasons.
Scallions
44 Lake Ave Saratoga Springs (518) 584-0192 11:00 am-9:00 pm, Monday-Thursday 11:00 am-10:00 pm, Friday & Saturday 10:00 am-9:00 pm, Sunday Lots of soups, entrée salads, Panini, and other sandwiches are on Scallions’ menu. This eatery has a fun décor and serves dinner entrees. Opposite the New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center, Scallions has VERY limited parking in a small lot.
Uncommon Grounds
402 Broadway Saratoga Springs (518) 581-0656 See above
Dinner
Karavalli
47 Caroline Street Saratoga Springs (518) 580-1144 Opens at 5:00 pm (Also serves lunch: 11:30 am-2:30 pm, Monday-Friday; noon-3:00 pm, Saturday & Sunday) This small restaurant serves great Indian food and is usually filled with people who normally cook the same Indian dishes at home. Many patrons wear traditional saris or salwar suits; others sport western dress. Karavalli offers generous portions at good value. On the corner of Caroline and Henry – about two blocks east of Broadway.
Limoncello
1 Ballston Ave Saratoga Springs (518) 580-8700 Opens at 5:00 pm Limoncello’s menu is filled with wonderful Italian pastas, soups, salads, entrees, and desserts. The décor is delightful, but the restaurant’s hard surfaces create challenging acoustics when the space is crowded, so go early. Since Limoncello sits on a little triangle of land; finding the parking lot entrance is difficult. You might want to park at the Holiday Inn and walk across the street.
Ravenous
21 Phila Street Saratoga Springs (518) 581-0560 See above
Scallions
44 Lake Ave Saratoga Springs (518) 584-0192 See above
Sperry’s Restaurant
30 ½ Caroline Street Saratoga Springs (518) 584-9618 Opens at 5:00 pm Sperry's has been around since the 1930s and has an authentic art deco feel and eclectic cuisine. On the south side of the street a block and a half east of Broadway.
Slightly outside of town, but worth the drive for dinner. Amigos Cantina
42 Ferry Street Schuylerville (518) 695-9595 Opens at 4:30 pm, Tuesday-Sunday There are several good Mexican restaurants in the area, but this is our favorite. Amigos provides a fun décor, great strawberry margaritas, and the usual assortment of Mexican offerings. This cantina is a good choice if you are in Schuylerville to visit the Saratoga Battlefield or the monument. Take Route 29 east out of Saratoga about 7 miles to Schuylerville. Route 29 turns right at the light. Go to the next light – this is Ferry Street. Make a right and go up the hill a few hundred feet. Amigos is on the right side of the street.
Harvest & Hearth
251-B Country Route 67 (Stafford Bridge Road) Saratoga Springs (518) 587-1900 4:30-9:00 pm, Tuesday-Thursday 4:30-1:00 am, Friday & Saturday Harvest & Hearth serves the best pizza around if you like pizza with unusual toppings. Harvest & Health pizzas are made with all natural and all local ingredients and are baked in a brick oven in the center of the restaurant. Two sizes are available – go for the full size rather than the personal (even at close to $20 it is a better deal.) Several salad and dessert choices are on the menu, but no entrees. Take Rt. 29 east out of town three or four miles. At the traffic light at Stafford Bridge Rd make a right. Go about a mile, cross Fish Creek. Harvest & Health sits down by the water, opposite the Skidmore crew boat house.
The Wishing Well
Rt. 9 (518) 584-76-40 Opens at 5:00 pm, Tuesday-Saturday Opens at 4:00 pm, Sunday Located a few miles north of Saratoga, the Wishing Well Restaurant has been around since 1936 and serves traditional fare such as certified Angus beef, fresh steamed Maine lobsters, and other seafood. A seasonal tavern menu offers light fare in the fireside piano bar. Four dining rooms with fieldstone fireplaces provide a cozy ambience. Head out of Saratoga on Route 50 a mile or two and make a left onto Maple Ave which is also Route 9 north. Go north a couple of miles. The Wishing Well is on the left.