So I'm not a huge fan of the buffalo wings here. Â They just don't do it for me; I'll eat them. Â They are passable, but not my bag, baby. Â
What does the Ale House offer? Â A college student free environment (even after 10pm) and Trojan Storytelling. Â Both of which are awesome. Â And who doesn't love Booie?
The King of Wings in Troy: The Ruck.
I'm a regular at the Ale House. Â I haven't tried everything on the menu but I've generally had a favorable experience (save one bad burger on a hungover Sunday), and they have the best wings I've ever had - I definitely prefer Ale House wings (ordered "extra crispy") over the Ruck's, though the latter wins at bleu cheese/ranch hybrid dressing. Â I like the townie feel and the wide array of events the Ale House hosts - from bluegrass open mic nights to storytelling, from touring bands to football, bass fishing and organized holiday pub crawls. Â The staff are all excellent and take good care of the patrons. Â
Beer selection is not infinite and not particularly competitively priced, but there are always several solid choices on tap, from light to dark. Â There is a mild Irish feel to the place and that is reflected in what's to drink.
Who has the best wings in Troy - the Ale House or the Ruck? Â Tough call, but you are going to get great wings and beer at either place! Â I give both these places 5 stars.
Go to the Ruck is you want a limited (but yummy) food selection, more beer selection, a fun bar atmosphere, and to cozy up next to some college co-eds later in the evening.
Go to the Ale House if you want to sit down, be waited on, have more food selection, and not have the noise volume override your conversation. My friends and I will often randomly declare it "Ale House Night", and we all gather there. Â It's laid back, not pretentious, the wait staff is friendly, and the atmosphere is conducive to conversation and catching up with each other. Â Surprisingly, Wednesday night is Mexican night, and they have great Quesadillas! Â In general, I recommend the wings (Regular Medium wings, and the Tequila Chipotle wings), sweet potato fries, and carrot cake! Â
The Ale House has also started hosting the Front Parlor Storytelling series on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 7:30.  This is an amazing night of storytelling, and definitely worth checking out.  I wouldn't recommend going here for dinner alone on that night - the place is packed, and you don't get a seat unless you show up before 6:45.  Check out more information about the Front Parlor nights here: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Falloveralbany.com%2Farchive%2F2011%2F08%2F10%2Ffront-parlor-story-night-at-the-ale-house&s=fb0fd293e8bf1b5ddc554cb0e1f8b2e681fcf6c99f7edd107682dc0c58968dcd" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://alloveralbany.com…</a>
I was looking forward to my first meal at the Ale House. I had read good things about the wings, and couldn't go any longer without trying.
First of all, the service was the one major downside of my experience. At the time, a Saturday night around 7pm, there was only one waitress working the entire table area. The service was slow, and the food took long to come out. We stopped ourselves from ordering an additional appetizer, because we didn't feel like waiting another 25 minutes to get it.
Aside from that, I thought Ale House was pretty typical. I found the wings to be a little too crispy, but the sauce was delicious. We got medium, and I found it to be tasty and rather hot.
We also got an order of the crispy onions with horseradish dipping sauce. The fried onions tasted as if they had been lying around all day. The outer layer was soggy, and I was not impressed. However, the horseradish dipping sauce was excellent. A perfect example of good sauce, bad food.
I thought the beer selection was commendable, and reasonably well priced.
Overall, the Ale House satisfied my craving for good wings, but in the end, I would not return.
Decent dive-y bar, but not too much of a dive, even considering its location in North Troy. The Ale House has lots of old taverny-character: wood-paneled walls, the same tables its had for the last 30 years, dark lighting, sports on the TVs, etc. Service was good although I could see it being rather too personal for some, although perhaps we were getting some special attention since one of the ladies in our group is a regular. If you want a detached, impersonal waiter than you certainly won't enjoy The Ale House where it seems the owner and his small daughter are the ones waiting on you. This is a family-run tavern and it very much comes across that way.
Regardless, we had a nice evening, but the food is nothing to rave about, imo. CAVEAT: I am a vegan, but if necessary will eat vegetarian to keep the peace. This is what happened in this case, the kitchen made me a grilled cheese filled with random veggies. It was fine, but nothing spectacular. Sweet potato fries were good, but not like some of the amazing ones I've had elsewhere. The salad was surprisingly decent, much better than I was expecting, to be honest. Those in my party who ordered wings LOVED them however, so perhaps this is a good place for the carnivorous, but certainly don't go here if you are a super-picky vegan. My mom had a fried haddock sandwich, I think, and she liked it well enough. I certainly appreciate that they did accommodate my vegetarian request, but ask for something vegan and I'm sure you'll be met with a confused stare. This is a great classic bar of Troy, however, and because of that I will certainly be back to show it off to new visitors to Troy. Just not when I'm hungry.
My number one place in the Capital Region to get wings. I found them thanks to their well deserved best wings rating by Metroland year after year. They hit the nail on the head... these wings are worth the trip.
The Ale House is a little hole in the wall across from a fire house in North Troy. Very modest and pretty chill, which is what I like in my eating establishments. The wings and brew is what it's all about here. Those crispy tequila chipotle wings burn my mouth and make me happy inside. And I wash it all down with a brew from a good array of choices. I've heard the turkey sandwich and a couple other menu items are pretty good, but I come for the wings. A little pricey but worth every cent. The staff is super friendly as well. If you love crispy hot wings, this is the place to be.
Its all you would expect from a hole in the wall bar in Troy. Its a dive bar with a kind of limited menu of appetizers and sandwiches. But the tequila wings are fantastic and the service is good. Don't expect dining at the Ritz but if you want a lowkey place to hang out and drink or eat chicken wings this is your place.
Review Source:I keep wanting to come back here & I'm not 100% sure why. The wings are great, but the menu is pretty average. The clam chowder (which I'm big on recently) is Manhattan style. Maybe its the old school never been updated since the day it opened decor. Maybe its just that I love dark dank hole in the walls. Whatever, I love this place.
Review Source:We went to the Ale House last night mainly because of all the great reviews here. We've lived in Troy for 7 years but have never been to the Ale House because it's sort of in a weird, run-down ghetto area. Driving by, it really doesn't look like a place anyone would want to eat at. It's very dumpy both inside and out.
I have to say that a person shouldn't trust everything they read here on YELP. Â Sadly, our experience was quite different than most other YELP reviewers.
I ordered the BBQ wings, a cheeseburger (med-well) and fries. My partner had medium wings, a turkey sandwich and fries.
My BBQ wings were cooked perfectly but they lacked any BBQ flavor. They needed more sauce. My burger was overcooked to the point that it had a thick burnt crust on the meat patty. The only thing that was OK was the fries.
My friend said his medium wings were good. As were the fries. The turkey sandwich was supposed to have cranberry sauce on it but it was dry. No sauce at all. He had one bite. We took it home to the dog.
We each had one drink (mine was a cape codder and his a non alcoholic iced tea). The total bill was $45. I left a $10 tip because the service was good. It wasn't her fault the food sucked, For what we got for the $45, (not including the diarrhea and cramps we both ended up having last night) I felt that was about $15 too much.
They allow smokers to smoke right outside the open double doors of the dining room. The cigarette smoke blows inside the dining area where people are eating. They might as well be smoking inside. That was not cool. Smoking should be done far away from any diners.
There was a single TV in the back room but the volume was turned all the way down. There were speakers hanging from the walls but no music. It was a pretty dreary and boring place to be.
Ending thoughts: Had the turkey sandwich came with the advertised cranberry sauce, if the BBQ wings actually had BBQ sauce on them, had the meal and drink total been around $30 and finally, had we NOT gotten diarrhea and cramps a few hours after eating there... I would have given this place a 3 or maybe a 4.
The Ale House? Â More like the FAIL house. Â Yuk Yuk Yuk.
Okay, I don't like when people review places that they didn't actually try but let me break it down for you.
My partner in crime and I had never been here and after reading the wonderful reviews we decided to check it out. From what I read it seemed like a place to relax, drink a good beer and perhaps make that bad decision to order some bar food and that's just what we were looking for.
First of all, it's one of those places that everyone stops what they're doing and looks at you when you walk in. Â
Obviously a townie bar. Â
I had to hover over people at the bar to check out the beer selection because they didn't have a list written anywhere else.
My findings were disappointing. Â The beer selection was rather pitiful for a place called the Ale House.
There was a room in the back to sit but there was no direction if you could seat yourself or had to wait, Â we would have asked someone but the only person who seemed to work there was chatting it up with the regulars. Â
If you have read any of my other reviews you will know I don't mind crappy service or divey little hole in the walls IF there's something else to make up for it.
Since there was not one beer either of us wanted to try, Â we weren't hungry (and I don't eat chicken wings) Â and the place was just too awkward so we just turned around and walked out. Â ( We went to Holmes and Watson's if you were interested)
I'm giving it two stars because I feel 1 star is too drastic for a place I was only in for 5 minutes and I'd be willing to give it another shot if someone who liked the place wanted me to go but I'll never return on my own accord.
Best wings in the capital region? Â I'm not sure yet. Â I really like Junior's (Albany) wings and I've heard good things about The Ruck (down the way in Troy). Â But, I'll tell you what, it doesn't matter. Â Eat all their wings. Â Simply amazing. Â Crispy, large, and reasonably-priced. Â
So now that you've came for the wings, stay for the amazing beer selection. Â I'm a Mahar's regular and there were some beers on tap that i haven't tried. Â I imagine they keep the selection fresh so I'm not going to bother listing what they had when I was there.
A final note on the location. Â They're right across the street from plenty of parking and, while the place doesn't look like more than a neighborhood worker's hole-in-the-wall, it's really sweet looking inside. Â Lots of wood, murals in the bathroom, and a classic dining room- bar room split. Â
Finally, the service. Â I was there about a half hour before closing and figured I deserved at least a small frown or extra foamy beer. Â Much to my delight, the staff was very cheerful and inviting, even for a couple of latecomers like my friend and I.
OMG, get the wings, get the wings, get the wings. Crispy, meaty, moist, and well-sauced. I had the medium or mild wings with a friend, and they were plenty flavorful. JUST GET THEM.
Also had some of their fries and gravy. The fries were fine, gravy was better than I thought it was going to be.
They also had Old Speckled Hen on tap! The name alone is enough to get me to order it. It was $5 for a pint.
The inside is all wood. It's almost like someone converted an old first-floor barn or garage into a bar. Really cool. The walls smell like they've absorbed years of fryer oil smell. It is a good sign. They have practiced years of the fine art of frying here.
Friday and Saturday nights are usually packed with people and live music. Lunch times are much more relaxed. I don't know if they do happy hour or food/drink specials on random nights either. It's a really casual place, so don't feel like you have to dress up. But you wouldn't be out of place in a business suit since there are offices  in the neighborhood as well. The crowd is a mix of people ranging from bikers to yuppies, and bartenders are relaxed and know how to handle a lot at once.
I love this place. It's been around forever and there's a reason for that. It's a local hangout with no pretense where you can go to relax with an ice cold pint and some of the best wings in the area. This is the place to go to avoid the college  crowd and there's a fantastic mix of locals from all walks of life. Some nights there's a dart league and sometimes have live entertainment in the back room. Always top notch entertainment. I've never had anything other then their wings, which are big, meaty and come in a variety of tasty flavors. I like them hot, crispy and saucy and they never fail me. They even let you split your order into 2 different flavor selections which is great. That's how I discovered their tequila chipotle wings. Even though I'm a traditionalist and stick to the classic buffalo style sauce, the chipotle ones are amazing! The bar staff has been there forever, know everyone and are always willing to chat up a storm.
Review Source:Ale House rocks my socks. I pine for this place much more than any grown man should.
I ate there at least once a week for a several years, both lunch and dinner, and enjoyed many a music show to boot.
Short list:
- Wings: Hot, sloppy, and crispy
- Burgers: Any of them
- Reuben
- Sweet Potato Fries
- Onion Chips with Horseradish Mayo
The wings deserve an extra special mention though. They've won the local "Best Of" multiple years, and rarely disappoint. I would make it a point to include an order in every single meal.
Great pub food. Great rotating beers. Great staff.
Go here.
My shortest Yelp review ever: Â it don't get no betta than this! Â All the prevous reviewers have it right and I don't need to repeat their raves. Â I like to sit at the bar and have the man tell me about the various beers on tap, which rotate based on the owner's (Brian) instincts. Â He has very fine instincts. Â Go!
(And get your tires changed across the street at the Tire Warehouse, best tire retailer in the area).
An easy 5 stars. Â The wings get my vote for best in the area and they always have a good selection of beer on tap. Â The rest of the menu is good but I have a hard time ordering anything else than wings and beer.
The atmosphere always gets me, its a neighborhood bar but you can sort of tell this is an out of the way place for a lot of people, and as Mike P. mentioned on some nights it has a family restaurant feel to it. Â But it all works, that is another reason why it is so great!
Reminds me of a lot of the pubs I visited in Ireland, with the mix of locals and tourists, everyone feeling at home and having a good time.
I wish this place was in Albany, I would be there every week and would probably have gained 25-50 pounds.
Don't get me wrong... I agree the wings are fantastic.
I do have to admit that my preference is towards the classic Frank's and butter combo. Â But these changed my mind about the supremacy of Frank. Â
We did take Andrew J's reco, and got them "medium crispy" and that was a very good call for an introduction to the place. Â Next time, I will try them hot... because I know that it will end up hurting me in the end, so to speak.
Maybe it's just that I'm getting old, and fantastic wings are still just wings, and don't get me as excited as they used to? Â Or maybe it has something to do with my new found vanity and concern for my vascular and digestive well being? Â Hard to put a finger on it.
This was not disappointing at all, and next time I am in the area, I will certainly try to come back. Â And I will sing the praises of this place to all my friends back West. Â
The Capital District is a helluva wing town, and I am just not ready yet to award wing supremacy to one place. Â
Yet.
- - -
Update:
The Ale House comes in a close number two behind Scubbers on wings alone. Â Wings with beer - Ale House takes it. Â The beer selection at Scubbers is weak. Â But the wings are clearly better there.
Andrew J. you beat me you little bastard.
Let me just say that, while Mr. Subb is fairly close by, they don't have alcohol or chicken wings. This place does.
My parents, Chinese physicists, go here. THEY GO HERE.
I'm going to third the chicken wings, they are supreme in all of Troy, the greater Albany area, and probably as far as the Catskills (I really don't know what they do over there, so I'm going to let that one slide).
They use the good kind of chicken wings, smaller, tender, and their sauce is well balanced and just tasty. Their other food, well its good but you don't have to have it. Because their wings punched me in the stomach and I liked it.
Don't stick around at the bar, grab a few friends and go into the second room and sit at a table and get rockin'. They sort of have a stage. I wouldn't recommend it.
Oh and one time a pickle dropped from a friend's plate here. Me and Andrew J. decided it would be hilarious to give it to our friend, and she totally ate it heartily without knowing. Sorry Alana.
Rocco B. totally sets the record straight by saying that the Ale House has the best chicken wings in probably all the world. Â It does. Â The universe even. Â This place holds the title of "MY FAVORITE RESTAURANT". Â My aunt and uncle started taking me to this dingy, Irish pub back when I was literally an infant. Â The atmosphere is dark and the music is always loud. Â The wait staff, consisting of about two or three people, are a great bunch of people. Â The beer selection is what you'd think it would be, nothing fancy but you're not going there for the beer variety. Â I recommend the following as a perfect meal:
1) a pint of either New Castle, Guinness or Sierra Nevada
2) an order of onion chips to start
and most importantly:
3) one order of (and say it just like this) "a dozen medium crispy"
They'll know what you mean and you'll be happy you did. Â I absolutely love this place and it is one of the few (and I mean very few) reasons I sometimes wish I still lived in the greater Albany area. Â And totally try to make it for their annual Thanksgiving pub crawl, the "Turkey Leg."
This little dive is on a quiet residential street in Troy. Â You'll probably drive by and and not even notice that it's there.
But the Ale House has the best wings in the United States, and probably the world.
This is coming from a chicken wing FANATIC!
Try a small order of their Award-Hot wings. Â They're "holy shit" hot, but still have such an awesome flavor. Â If you're within 100 miles, swing by for these crispy AMAZING wings.
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