Iron Gate Cafe — Restaurant in City of Albany

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that road-trips require restroom breaks, the occasional gas tank fill-up, and pit stops for lunch. Perhaps not universally acknowledged, but none the less true, is that there are better alternatives than the usual suspects of fast food that litter our highways.

On a road-trip from West Connecticut to Lake Champlain, I decided to stop into Albany to quest for some ‘real food’ - and on the recommendation of my brother-in-law, I took my family to the Iron Gate Cafe. He claimed that it was the number one lunch spot in the city, and on that promise I tolerated the 45 minute wait for a table that would inevitably eat away at the arrival time of my final destination.

Bobbing and weaving through the outdoor seating area at the front of the building, and through several inside dining rooms, we were seated in an outside dining space that seemed to have once been a rear garden. I ordered a BLT, a simplified version of what was offered on the menu, and an iced coffee. Other members of my family ordered similar items, variations of BLTs and sandwiches, indulging in sourdough breads and multi-grains, except for my father-in-law who had ordered a slice of cornbread with eggs.

Upon arrival, I had the rare and pleasantly embarrassing sensation of a mouth watering. Everything had arrived perfectly for all of us, except for a small mix-up of bread types on one sandwich. The flavors were perfectly simple, balanced, and complementary. The finish was light on the stomach, energizing rather than making me feel sluggish and sleepy. The homefries were a highlight of the dish for me, having the perfect saltiness, a crispy texture of the outside, and the much-coveted softness of the inside.

The servers were fast, despite being clearly faced with the logistical challenge of navigating the layout of what appeared to be an old home with an almost Victorian layout.

One of the only downsides to the restaurant is that there are fewer, and smaller, restrooms than seem to be appropriate for the number of guests and the apparent popularity of the Iron Gate Cafe. Naturally, this is a limitation of the layout of the structure and equally part of the charming character of the place. It seems that the rotation of customers seems to help prevent lines (that would encroach upon other’s dining areas), but when several people in my party tried to use the restroom as we were leaving, it became easily congested.

Overall, the Iron Gate Cafe made for a perfect sojourn into the state capital for me and well-deserves it’s number one spot for places to...

Great Atmosphere and Awesome Food

I first visited the Iron Gate Cafe in October with my realtor so I was quick to suggest it to my husband as we were considering a local restaurant for lunch.

The Iron Gate offers quality food and great service in a unique and comfortable setting. They still had covid safety measures in place as staff, for the most part, wore masks over their noses and offered a scannable QR code menu; physical menus available upon request.

For this visit, we ordered the Kickin' Chicken and Chicken Club sandwiches which both came with fries. Our server suggested subbing fried chicken on the Club which was a good suggestion.

You'll see in the pictures, the chicken breasts had a beautiful brown, crispy crust and were still tender and juicy. Their fries, while light on seasoning, appear to be double fried them giving them a wonderfully crisp crunch and soft center.

Our server was helpful in answering our questions and providing suggestions. She was extremely pleasant and helpful, checking in on us a couple of times during the course of our meal.

The restaurant itself has a wonderful atmosphere about it as the majority of the indoor dining spaces are in various rooms on the first floor of an old brownstone home. There is a small dining room in the back which isn't quite as impressive so try to get seated in the house. The outdoor dining spaces look inviting as well so I'm looking forward to warmer weather.

They have a nice selection of vegan and vegetarian options as well as a nice looking breakfast/brunch menu.

ATMOSPHERE - 5 (3 if in the backroom) FOOD - 5 SERVICE...

Great atmosphere. A funky, hip colonial home. Our server was fantastic, never missed a beat, didn't overstep and had a great disposition with great energy. I had the special of the day which was a lobster benedict topped with corn and lemon dill hollandaise, served with a side of home fries. I got rid of the home fries and subbed avocado. Fries didn't make sense when the bread was a heavy butter milk biscuit. Corn didn't make sense either but I went with that. Eggs were poached beautifully and the hollandaise was delightful, silky smooth texture. Tasty and technical perfection. The taste of the buttermilk biscuit was sublime. A teensy bit too dense but better than I could ever make. So rich, it tastes as if it was made with brown butter. YUMMMYYY! I was right to think the corn didn't make sense and it wasn't fresh. The lobster was sparse, overcooked and dry. The dish had highs and lows but so tasty, thanks to the sauce and biscuit, I would eat it AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. My kid ordered over medium eggs that were seasoned well and had some run off from the yolk but they were clearly cooked with high heat. Had both hard yolk and runny yolk with brown spots on the exterior rather than the sexy jammy texture that you would expect over medium to have. Home fries had no life, poorly seasoned. If u want carbs for no reason, here u go. Bacon was a train wreck. Raw and fatty in some spots, xtra crispy and nearly burned in others. More bad than good, I know, but I still recommend this place....