Tugboat Tavern — Restaurant in City of Cohoes

Well, I meant to write a rave review about Tugboat Tavern last week but didn't get around to it. This place is an absolute hidden gem. Driving by on the street, you'd never know the great food and staff that await inside. Our waitress, Christine, is lovely, engaging, accurate, attentive and conversational. She always has a ready smile and keeps everything flowing. My wife and I went there tonight and once again, had our socks knocked off. Last week we had the Garlic Parm wings and the Steak Bruschetta for appetizers. Their wings are the best in the Capitol district, hands down. How they manage to cook the meat thoroughly while keeping it moist, and creating the perfectly toasted breading (think of something like toasted buttered flakey croissants, light but crispy, flavorful) is a wonder. The Steak Bruschetta was no less amazing. Loaded with flavor and super generous in portions/serving, it could easily be an Entree and you'd be full. Our mains that night was the Tortellini Carbonara (for me) and Chicken parm for my wife. Great tasting and so large in portions I could only eat a 1/3rd of mine for fear of popping a button on my shirt and Jodi had half of hers before yielding the remains to the to-go boxes. We finished the leftovers over the next few days. Tonight, we went back. We opted for the Garlic Parm wings again. There's at least 9 pieces of the divine things per order. We also opted for the soup of the day, chicken tortilla soup. Homemade, hot, loaded with vegetables. Great combinations of flavors and textures. Jodi had the 'special' of Pork Loin w/mashed potatoes and vegetables. She gave me a bite and I was tempted to steal it from her. I wanted to try their 'stuffed' burger which allows three 'filling' items. I went with blue cheese, red onions and Jalapenos. When it arrived it was cooked to perfection, huge, tasty and came with enough fries to feed two or three people. I honestly can't praise the restaurant and staff enough. I'm only mad that I didn't find out about this restaurant earlier. By the way, the owner came by and chatted with us. What a character. She made us bust out laughing at some of her jokes. A great evening and looking forward to returning. I point out Christina and the manager but everyone on the staff treated us like good friends that have stopped by. Please give yourself a treat and stop in for your own...

As a Chicken Wing aficionado, I highly recommend trying the Tugboat Tavern if you haven't done so already. Being a resident of the Cohoes Island, I regret having waited so long to try this hidden Gem myself. My family and I have only ordered from here a couple of times so far, but every single thing we have tried has been excellent, including the Peanut butter and jelly wings, which I thought sounded gross, and only ordered as a novelty at the urging of my son. I am pleased to admit, that I could not have been more wrong. They were delicious. For tonight's order, I wanted to try one of the sauces that I haven't tried yet, so I went with the Spicy Garlic and Parm wings. Please understand that I am NOT a big Garlic and Parm fan. They are normally rubbery, greasy wings covered in powdered parmesan cheese and submerged in a vat of straight butter. Not my idea of appetizing. The only reason that I even considered this sauce, was due to the fact that they were SPICY Garlic and Parm which is something that I have never heard of before. I am SO glad I gave them a shot, because they were amazing, and are now my favorite sauce thus far (I still have a couple more to try). Color me impressed. Packed with flavor, yet subtle at the same time. Wings with just the right amount of spice in an amazing sauce that is highlighted with a hint of butter, that is neither greasy or overpowering, and topped with REAL shredded parmesan cheese. If I were forced to find some constructive criticism that could be improved upon, it would be that we ordered the wings well done (crispy), and the wings seemed to be cooked regularly. But while the wings could have been crispier per my personal preference, that does not change the fact that they were supurb. Do yourself a favor and order from the Tugboat Tavern sooner rather than later. I would have posted a photo of the magnificent Spicy Garlic and Parm wings, but they simply did not last...

See below for * Update 1/12/2023 Upon entering the restaurant my boyfriend and I were greated with big smiles and hellos from the employees, immediately making us feel welcome. Our hostess quickly seated us and shortly thereafter our waitress began helping us. All employees seemed happy to be there and all seemed to get along and work great together! We had the Supreme Taco Nachos for our appetizer. The portion was huge and could easily be a meal in itself. My boyfriend ordered the fish and chips and I the Ribeye steak w baked potato and veggies. Both meals came with soup or a salad and bread. The bread was served with a garlic herb spice blend butter which was fantastic! The french fries with the fish and chips were hand cut which made them especially yummy and my steak was cooked exactly as ordered with excellent flavor! The restaurant was tastefully decorated according to theme, was very clean and well lit. Pricing is average for quality meals..topped with a personable, professional staff.. it's all a win! Highly recommend! Thank you to the Tugboat Tavern! Menu pics included *Update-January 12, 2023. Upon our arrival, my friend and I were greeted with huge smiles and great vibes from Melissa at the bar. We sat at one of the tall tables and started our meal off with an order of Supreme Nachos. They were fantastic! We folowed up with a Fish and Chips entre (handcut French Fries, salted lightly to perfection), and an order of Chicken Parm. The portions on all dishes were very large and left us with enough to have at least two more meals just from leftovers! Once again, an outstanding experience at the Tugboat! Thank you to all staff and our chef! You're...