ALBA on 53 — Restaurant in Hanover

Alba - Hanover June 2023, opens at 4:PM and on Friday it filled up quickly. I wish they had more for me to eat The menu is small and no special gluten free options or many vegetarian options… I had the beet salad and it was good. Please do not drink the Hanover water it’s bad! Buy a bottle of water! ‘There is seating outside! Thursdays They have entertainment starting at 6:30 PM. There is another night for entertainment starting later!

Okay things change - 11/2023 - We have gone to Albas often -this evening there were many very aggressive flies Dive bombing people and drinks at the bar and landing on the napkins! We had napkins on our drinks for protection . I at first moved my drink to dodge flies it spilled on the bar and he never came to clean it up , I used a lot of napkins also because they actually absorbed my pricy drink when I removed them from my glass my Vodka dripped on the bar! Finally, I said to the bartender I was tired of fighting with flies to have a drink, (also concerned because flies create parasites .) and I said I’m leaving and don’t think I should have to pay for this. This tall male bartender rudely said -as he’s picking up the sopping wet napkins- “well you drank some of it.” After all I put up with! The manager finally came over a little sarcastic and offered nothing ! I said the gentleman next to me has been trying to kill the flies all this time! He replied , “I know I thought he got one” and then I realized he was watching this fiasco instead of coming over apologizing and Trying to do something about it. “It’s all about how we are treated, respect costs nothing! They had Bad Attitude and Not good customer relations! Do They need the money bad enough to disrespect older frequent customers! 😏 I’m sure they will get rid of the flies but the “gross” experience and “their negativity” will remain forever !. The other bartenders are always polite and on...

My son and daughter-in-law treated us to Alba on 53 to celebrate my birthday. Our reservation time was honored to the minute. Atmosphere and vibe were perfect for a cold winter Saturday night- soft lighting and lots of conversations in a beautifully decorated space. Our party of 4 was able to converse without yelling, a big plus considering how busy they were. Food was excellent. We had calamari and lamb meatballs as appetizers. My dry aged rib-eye was cooked perfectly and was very tasty. Others in our group were equally satisfied with their dishes. For dessert we ordered the layered chocolate cake and the bread pudding. Cake was plenty for 4 people. Bread pudding to be enjoyed at at later time. Our server gets an A+. She took our drink orders promptly and was very helpful with wine selections. She answered our questions on the spot and as it turned out, she was spot on with her answers. Food was served at exactly the leisurely pace we were looking for. Dirty dishes cleared and fresh utensils were provided in a timely manner. Bussers who assisted our server were very helpful and worked well under servers direction. We never felt rushed nor did we ever wait for anything. Atmosphere, quality food, awesome service is why I give Alba on 53 a rating...

First off, I am not an expert in fine dining or anything. I'm posting this review as an amateur foodie. Take that for what you will.

Overall, it was fine.

The atmosphere is beautiful. The staff was excellent. It's clear they each love their job. We were paid attention to the whole time and pleasantly served.

The food was just fine. We did enjoy it. But we did expect more (in experience, not amount) considering what the prices are. We've at least been to Tosca, Top of the Hub, etc., so we had some expectations for fine dining, but they were not met here.

My wife and I split three things (and were much appreciative of the kitchen splitting each thing for us).

The caesar salad - which was fine in taste - was certainly not worth $15. The burger was very tasty and likely worth the money, however. The fries that came with it were delicious. The pickle was a bit weird. Tasted old, I'm not sure what was up there.

The Brussels sprouts (side dish) were a bit soggily cooked and okay in taste (although, I do remember my wife liking them more than me).

I'm going backwards, but the bread and hummus were delicious and a great start to the meal.

I'm not sure we'd return unless a specific occasion called for it. But I'm glad that so many...