RiverTrail Beerworks — Restaurant in Town of Harrietstown

It’s really great to be able to have a place like this in Saranac Lake.

Long story short: Great atmosphere perfect for larger groups and amazing, knowledgeable staff. Pizza is great but the rest of the menu leaves a lot to be desired, especially for price. Rotating beer menu.

Atmosphere 5 stars: The large open seating and bar area have high ceilings, provide a peak into the brewing process, cozy fireplaces and large windows with natural lighting. Plenty of space for larger groups and FINALLY a spot where you can actually hear the person sitting across from you. There are some additional perks as well, such as virtual golf, cozy merch, packs and cans to go, and a private area that can be rented out for parties.

Staff 5 stars: The staff has always been very kind and welcoming. They offer great suggestions and even when the place is packed they are calm and organized. Very grateful for you all!

Food 3.5 stars: Now this is the disappointing part…The menu was developed pretty well, however reading the menu was much more satisfying than the food itself. The Korean wings were a huge let down for me. The gochujang bbq sauce had no depth of flavor. It was very one dimensional, tasting like gochujang paste was just mixed in with a mild hot sauce. No spice, no umami, no brightness. The wings had some good meat on them but the skin was chewy and the furthest thing from crispy. Kimchi ranch is a great idea but its flavor was lost when had with the wing. $18 for a small plate of mediocre wings is just sad when you can get flavorful, crispy, meaty duck wings right down the street for much cheaper. The smash burger patty completely lacked flavor, moisture, and was grey. What blew my mind was how stale the bun was, it was like it had been sitting on a countertop for 2 days. Now the pizza is very good. You can tell work has been done to perfect these deep dish pies. I have a feeling the chef was making these far before RiverTrail opened up. The pizzas offer creative selections and all of the flavors pair so well together. I’m a sucker for the hey honey but I feel like you can’t go wrong with any of their pizzas. Lastly those chips! The rosemary chips are soo delicious, they should sell bags of these to go. I just wish they were paired with a dipping sauce. The potential is there for the food, good ideas just executed poorly. I hope overtime the kitchen is able to continue to develop and perfect their meals. Also it’s a little odd that a restaurant who identifies as farm to table offers no information on the local farms they work with…

Drinks ?: If you’ve read this far and aren’t already annoyed with me you probably will be now. I haven’t tried any of their brews… I usually opt for the Saranac sparkling lemonade. My friends seem to enjoy them and they rotate seasonal flavors. Like every other brewery in the area they have their ipas, pilsners & pale ales, and darker stouts. If a Belgian Style Triple ever shows up on their menu it would set them apart from other local brewery’s and I’ll definitely be giving that one a shot.

I have high hopes for this place and hope to...

RiverTrail Beerworks is an absolute gem in Saranac Lake — a perfect landing spot for our hiking crew fresh into town. We were staying at Ampersand Bay Resort and this place came highly recommended — and wow, are we glad we listened. We were looking for something casual but good, with enough variety to please a group of five, and RTB hit the mark on every level.

The space has a super cool vibe — modern yet totally in sync with the natural beauty of the Adirondacks. Expansive windows, local textures, and thoughtful design give it a clean, welcoming energy. The place was buzzing, but not chaotic, and we lucked out with seats at the bar.

Service was fantastic — welcoming, knowledgeable, and genuinely hospitable. The staff made us feel at home right away, happily offering beer samples and guiding us through the menu. If we weren’t getting up at 4:45 AM to hike Mt. Marcy the next morning, we probably would’ve closed the place down.

Now, the beer — impressive and creative. So much so that I veered off my usual IPA path (shout out to the DIPA/NEIPA lovers) and went for the Omakase Lager, a Japanese rice lager. Light, crisp, and incredibly well-crafted. Kanpai, indeed.

The food was equally strong — elevated pub fare done right. I had the Fish & Chips - ½ order (pictured), and appreciated that they use cod loins, not just fillets. The beer batter was light and crisp, the fries came out hot and perfectly golden (soggy fries are a pet peeve of mine, and these were anything but), and the slaw had a nice creamy balance with a hint of sweetness.

Three of our group went for the RTB Smash Burger — made with Donahue Farm beef, trail sauce, and served on a Lake Placid potato roll — and gave it rave reviews. Another hiker had the Jamaican Jerk Crunch Wrap (pictured) with marinated chicken thighs and Meiers Artisan Cheddar, plus a side of Broccoli & Cheddar Soup made with house lager. Both earned enthusiastic thumbs up.

RiverTrail Beerworks is a total win — great beer, great food, great people. Whether you’re passing through or staying in Saranac Lake for a while, it’s a spot worth carving out time for. We'll...

After two very solid dinners at River Trail Beerworks, I can confidently recommend this restaurant. We have eaten two specials and two menu items--everything was good. From the menu the first date pasta and the mushroom curry are worth a try. Two beers, in particular, captured our attention: barrel-aged Ubu is more like a scotch ale than the conventional Ubu--and it is very good! They also have an unfiltered IPA called... Rainbows & Unicorns?--this IPA, though not as unusual as the aged Ubu, also stands out as a winner. The other eight beers we tried did not inspire us, but we appreciate that the selection is broad, and there should be something for everyone on the beer list. Ambiance is a bit of a mixed bag. The space is modern and clean. The views through large windows facing the trail and river are very nice. However, like it's cousin brewery in Lake placid, the concrete floors and open spaces reverberate with noise. Moreover, the giant screens all over the interior are obnoxious, detracting from the social scene at the bar and any hope of an intimate moment at a table for two. Food pricing was in line with other decent restaurants in the area. In fact, 20 bucks for the pasta dish is probably a bargain. $40 for a locally sourced beef tenderloin wrapped in bacon and crusted in good blue cheese isn't unreasonable either. I think they're really making their money on the beer. And to that point, we ordered more Bourbon Barrel Aged Ubu for dessert. UPDATE: Four more meals at RTB, all good! The service on Father's Day was fantastic! We've experienced meh service there too, but the most recent trip really restored confidence. In fact, I had such an easy rapport with the guy taking care of us that my 11 year old was convinced we were...