Moliendo Cafe — Restaurant in City of Albany

A terrible experience, sorry to say. I can’t even remember ever writing a review good or bad for any business whatsoever; just don’t care for the inconvenience. This time, however, I feel compelled to express my honest opinion n save someone the heartache in the process. I ordered a mixed plate which includes an egg. Not being particularly fond of eggs with dinner, I asked if it could be substituted with anything else; never even questioned price difference. The answer was simple and right to the core, “No, can’t do that.” No diplomacy or courtesy whatsoever. And she, the waitress, said it while handing me the order, without asking if I still wanted it, and which took no longer than a minute from the time I placed the order; which clearly explains why the steak was cold, burned n dry...it must’ve been a leftover waiting for the next victim. Being the easygoing person I am, I gave it a shot nonetheless...always courteous n smiling. But to no avail, couldn’t handle but a couple of bites. We ask for the bill n she asked if we want a tray for the leftovers. “What a joke,” I thought to myself, at which point—always courteous— I expressed my opinion about the steak. So she drops the bill n walks away. I check the bill just to find out the two margaritas we ordered were $8 each. Now I’ve never had any objections to $8 margaritas, except not in this place; first of all bc it was unexpected (never showed us a menu) and bc they were nothing special—let alone you can have 2 larger n better at Chili’s for $5. I don’t like b**ing (pardon my French) about food n service in general, but this was a special occasion, our 46th anniversary and they totally ruined it. The substitution part I get. Found out later that’s their policy, although, being a business man I don’t agree with; not great for business, but to each its own. That part was mostly a turn off bc of the lack of courtesy n charisma, plus they took it for granted I’d be okay with it. The old dry n burned steak...they’re lucky I’m a nice guy n didn’t object to pay the bill. It’s ironic, though, that since we found out about the place, we’d purchased a few $50 gift receipts for our children n their spouses, recommend them to others, plus written a couple of positive reviews on Facebook, based on their comments. Wishing everyone else a much much better...

My husband and I stopped to try this delightful Colombian restaurant on Madison Avenue in Albany, NY.

We found the owner/manager and wait staff very warm and welcoming.

Everything we tried on our first visit here was superb! There were so many enticing menu items it was hard to settle on one selection. The menu items are sure to appeal to a wide range of food preferences—from full carnivores to vegetarians!

I decided on their “calentado carne,” which was a flavourful serving of scrambled eggs and veggies with a side of truly yummy steak strips. It was accompanied by a very generous mound of a nicely spiced rice/beans/veggie mixture that was just fabulous. A corn bread cake and slice of homestyle cheese completed the presented plate.

And if that wasn’t special enough, the pricing for my selection included the choice of a Columbian style hot chocolate or a homemade cold beverage that was made from sugar cane and fresh squeezed lemon. I chose the hot chocolate and enjoyed every sip!

For my husband’s selection, he chose the Moliendo Cafe’s version of a hamburger—their “hamburguesa triple.” He loved it!

It’s a nicely seasoned ground beef with shredded chicken and bacon strips sautéed in a special, creamy “house” sauce. There’s lettuce and a slice of tomato included on the burger; then it’s topped with melted cheese and capped with a tasty bun.

A generous serving of fries completed the platter.

My husband chose one of the restaurant’s specialty beverages—a coffee carajillo—to accompany his meal. It’s a coffee brewed with cinnamon, with some orange flavouring and a bit of sugar added to it. He found it a satisfying blend of flavours.

We shared a flan to finish our meal here, and it was everything that you hope to find in a Latin style flan—dense, luscious in the mouth, with a wonderful caramel syrup to compliment and finish it all off.

Needless to add, we plan to return to explore and sample more of what the Moliendo Cafe offers...

The owner/manager Jonathan taunted me to write another review. SO HERE IT IS: I've been a steady customer, going twice a month for a year now, and live across the street. The staff has been very friendly but also encouraging me to buy more drinks, for example. They were actually being greedy and petty, it turns out, after my money, not my loyalty. I found out the other day when the tables turned, how disrespectful this man was. I treated my friend to some sangria, and had just brought cash with me. We were having a nice time and it was happy hour. My friend said first he didn't want any more but rescinded, so we ended up getting 5 total. The bill came and I thought I only had $30 on me (just cash), so I politely asked J if I could pay full amount + tip on the 3rd, when I get my SS, or partial and return with the rest. (It's hard to budget a whole month from one paydate, and the store up the street allows accounts, like many neighborhood places do. Nor does Moliendo have an ATM!) J flatly said No, I asked why not, he said he had a "bigger boss." He obviously didn't trust me to make good and made a rather dumb scene about it in front of the listening customers and staff, (who are mostly his relatives). My friend had no cash and had just complained about not getting his pay Friday. It turned out I had $35, which was the amount of the bill, after all. I apologized to the waiter that I didn't have enough for a tip, and would've brought that in if it were not for the poor treatment I got from Jonathan, who just...