The Barn at Hickory Station — Restaurant in Albany

My kids took me to The Barn for Father's Day. This was my first visit here, and I can't wait to come back! The atmosphere was spectacular! It was clean, there was live music, friendly faces, delicious food, and beer....what else could a dad ask for? There is indoor and outdoor seating (covered and uncovered) available, it's dog friendly, and there is even a party room available to rent. There were I believe 14 different food trucks lining both sides of the covered outdoor eating area. All you do is find the one you want, order, and they give you one of those little beeper things like Olive Garden has, to let you know when to come back and pick up your food. Everything was fresh, hot and delicious. My only complaint was that the people working the bar and beverage area inside seemed to be more involved in themselves or chatting amongst one another to really pay attention or show some customer service. Maybe that's just how it is? Maybe they just assume everyone already knows where to order, pick up, where the beer menu is etc. Even after saying it was my first time here and I asked what they had on tap, the girl just pointed around the corner and said the beer list is over there. It felt like I inconvenienced her to even ask a question. Then not only when I got my beer, but also when my daughter went to get sodas, they just set it on the counter. No smile, no "here's your order", didn't hand it to us, just left it there and went back to talking to each other. Anyway, not that big of a deal, but kind of annoying. Overall experience was an 8.5 out of 10 and again, I can't wait go back. The food was soooo good! The music was great! The atmosphere was my kinda vibe and you could tell people were happy and enjoying their time there. It was an experience with my kids I'll...

This place is a hub for food carts. They have super good food, but are fairly expensive, depending on what you get. The ice cream is probably the best bang for your buck, and super good. My mother-in-law had the seafood cart and she went back for seconds to take leftovers home. I guess they had Maine Lobster, and she was ecstatic about that. I had the Tai food - some buns and rice - and it was delicious. My husband, and the other three people in our party all had the Hawaiian and all thought it was great, but the pork was too salty and the mac salad wasn't the top of their list for ones they've had elsewhere. The environment was pretty good, although it was freezing inside, so we sat outside. However, as the sun went down, we got really cold and then also had to deal with mosquitos. On top of that, there were a TON of children running around all of the tables yelling and playing games. They were cute and all, but I was already tired and would have loved to sit inside and enjoy some quiet, however it was too cold to do so. You buy your drinks inside at the bar, which makes it a little inconvenient that you have to go to two different places. So if you take someone that has walking issues, maybe stop for your drinks first before heading outside to the carts. They also have slot machines inside in the back, that all of our men enjoyed going to. My husband won $30, so he left happy. All-in-all, it was a pretty decent experience... but bring layers so you can adjust to your options! Also -...

I have been here a few times now and each time has been a little different. the first time they only had a couple food trucks so it wasn't really that great. i was pretty disappointed that the grilled cheese food truck that specializes in grilled cheese didn't have cheddar cheese. This seemed odd that you wouldn't even have that as a option. secondly, the BBQ place wasn't bad. however my experience was the food was kind of bland and i had to use the BBQ sauce to just get a good flavor. which was a little disappointing, especially with how expensive it was. More recently when i have gone they have got a few more food trucks and its a lot more diversified now. Kento Hibachi has some really tasty food. the Barn it self is a pretty large building and therefore it echos pretty badly when your inside. so when it gets crowded its hard to hear each other. if you don't mind the cold and a fire pit outside is pretty good. they also have some toys in the corner for kids to play with which is kind of a nice thing to have for families. come summer time it will probably be pretty busy. another downfall is parking. its not great. it can be hard to find a spot but also if you have anything larger then a standard size car its pretty hard to fit into the spots with any room to get out. especially if you have kids. nonetheless i will come back but its not a frequent...