16 Incredible Restaurants in Saratoga Springs, NY You Need to Try
Saratoga Springs eats like a resort town that never quite stopped being one. Its mineral springs drew visitors long before the racing, and an inn first opened above High Rock Spring in the 1770s. Today the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course, which runs from July to Labor Day, fills the dining rooms. Most restaurants cluster along Broadway and on Phila Street and Caroline Street just off it. Hattie’s has served fried chicken since 1938 and now runs a stand at the track, and Saratoga chips, thin fried potato chips, turn up as a side.
This guide covers 16 places, from a tavern whose site dates to 1773 and a historic Southern fried chicken institution to Spanish tapas, Belgian mussels, Egyptian shawarma and sourdough pizza from a working farm, plus three breakfast spots. Ratings and review counts come from each restaurant’s Google listing in October 2026.
Olde Bryan Inn
The Olde Bryan Inn stands at 123 Maple Avenue on a bluff above High Rock Spring, where a log cabin went up in 1773 and an inn followed soon after. The limestone house that holds the restaurant was built by the Bryan family in the 1820s or early 1830s, and it later housed a hand laundry. Since 1979 it has been a tavern, with pews from St. Peter’s Church and the house’s original fireplaces.
Rated 4.6 stars from more than 3,400 Google reviews, it is the most-reviewed restaurant in this guide, and the menu is broad American comfort food. Start with the smoked Gouda short rib poutine, which the menu calls award-winning. Then try the country fried chicken, the Kentucky bourbon salmon or the prime rib dinner, served after 4 p.m. The Toll House cookie pie sundae arrives with at least two spoons.
Book through Resy, since the dining rooms and the tavern fill up during the summer racing meet. The inn serves lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday and is closed Monday and Tuesday, so check hours before you go. If you plan to come back often, ask about the Mug Club, a tavern tradition that dates to 1979.
Address: 123 Maple Ave, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Website: oldebryaninn.com
Hattie’s Restaurant
Hattie’s fills a historic front room at 45 Phila Street, with old photographs on the walls, a back bar with moss hanging from the ceiling and a patio that gets busy after the races. Hattie Moseley Austin opened Hattie’s Chicken Shack on Federal Street in 1938 with a $33 investment. When urban renewal cleared that neighborhood in 1968, she moved the restaurant to Phila Street. Profits now go to local charities.
With 4.4 stars from more than 1,000 Google reviews, Hattie’s is the town’s best-known Southern kitchen. The fried chicken is the reason to come, made to a recipe the restaurant says has not changed since 1938, and it beat Bobby Flay’s version on his Food Network show. Order it classic or Nashville hot, with mashed potatoes, collard greens and cranberry coleslaw. Gumbo, jambalaya and Key lime pie round out the table.
Reserve through OpenTable for summer evenings and weekends, and book ahead on racing weekends in particular. Hattie’s also runs a stand at Saratoga Race Course during the meet, which helps if you are already at the track. Hours differ by day, so check before you go.
Address: 45 Phila St, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Website: hattiesrestaurants.com
15 Church
15 Church is the town’s dressy dinner address, in a restored historic building at 15 Church Street that sat vacant for more than two decades before the restaurant opened in 2014. The main dining room is dark wood and elegant. Executive Chef Michael Mastrantuono, who landed his first head chef job at 20, runs the kitchen. Seafood is flown in fresh daily, and the beef is USDA Prime aged.
Rated 4.7 stars from more than 900 Google reviews, it rewards anyone who orders big. The fall menu opens with a raw bar and caviar service, then moves to starters like crispy oysters, duck meatballs and ricotta gnocchi à la bolognese. Handmade pastas include rabbit ragout and lobster cappelletti (small filled pasta). For mains, look at the filet mignon, the Wagyu strip steak or the duck à l’orange.
Dinner only, and the dining room is closed on Sundays. Reservations are the safe move, and the restaurant asks guests to be mindful of how long they linger so tables turn on time. Expect one of the highest bills in town. Confession Hour, the early happy hour at the bar, with the Wagyu Church burger and lobster rolls, is a lower-cost way in. The patio is closed until summer 2027.
Address: 15 Church St, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Website: 15churchrestaurant.com
Osteria Danny
Osteria Danny is a small Italian restaurant at 26 Henry Street, within walking distance of Broadway. Chef Danny Petrosino and his wife, Patti, opened it in 2016, with Danny cooking and Patti running the front of the house. He makes every pasta and dessert himself, and family portraits line the walls. The menu follows the seasons and changes often.
Its 4.6-star rating across more than 600 Google reviews rests mostly on the pasta. Regulars order the egg fettuccine with pistachio pesto and the garganelli (ridged, hand-rolled quills) with Danny’s Porky Sauce, made with pork, cherry peppers and stracciatella, a creamy mozzarella. Shrimp in tomato sauce over lemon risotto is another favorite. Save room for coconut cream pie or pistachio cheesecake, if they are on.
Book on Resy, and do it early for July and August, when the restaurant is in demand with the racing crowd. It serves dinner every day, and a small café called Afternoon Table opens on weekend mornings. Because the menu rotates, a dish you read about may be gone. It sits at the pricier end of the town’s Italian options.
Address: 26 Henry St, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Website: osteriadanny.com
Pennell’s Restaurant
Pennell’s is an old-school Italian-American dining room at 284 Jefferson Street. The restaurant calls itself a century-old Saratoga name and says its tomato sauce has been simmered since 1922. The menu is classic red-sauce cooking, and dinner entrées come with a garden salad and a choice of house dressing.
Pennell’s has earned 4.6 stars from more than 500 Google reviews by keeping the menu familiar. The Greek scampi is billed as the most popular appetizer, and clams bianco and roasted eggplant are other places to start. For mains, look at the baked lasagna, veal Parmigiana, veal and peppers or chicken Marsala, all built around Pennell’s own tomato sauce. A 16-ounce NY strip covers anyone who wants steak.
Reservations are recommended, and the restaurant takes calls in the afternoon on the days it is open. It serves dinner only, closes early in the evening and is closed Monday and Tuesday, so this is not a late-night stop. Check hours before you go, and book well ahead for racing season.
Address: 284 Jefferson St, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Website: pennellsrestaurant.com
Boca Bistro
Boca Bistro is a Spanish tapas restaurant at 384 Broadway, in a historic building that restaurateur David Zecchini bought to open his Spanish concept. It belongs to DZ Restaurants, the local group that also runs Forno Bistro and Chianti. The room has earthy, distressed textures and a bar, and a patio faces Broadway.
Boca’s 4.5-star Google rating, from more than 1,300 reviews, reflects a menu built for sharing. Order stuffed dates wrapped in bacon, garlic shrimp, ham croquettes and pork belly, then add a board of Serrano ham and Manchego cheese. The paellas use imported Valencia rice and come as marisco (seafood), mixta (chicken, chorizo and shrimp) or a vegetable jardín. Each feeds two or three people.
Reserve through the website or Resy, especially on race weekends. Paella takes at least 35 minutes to cook, so order it with your first round of tapas. A Siesta happy hour runs at the bar in the afternoon, and Monday and Tuesday bar nights pair drink flights with tapas. Check hours before you go.
Address: 384 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Website: bocabistro.com
Salt & Char
Salt & Char is the town’s main steakhouse, inside the Adelphi Hotel on Broadway. It opened in 2016 as a modern American steakhouse developed with chef Gray Kunz, and it went through a major renovation in 2025. Steaks and seafood are sourced from regional farms and purveyors, and the wine list has won the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for eight years running.
Its 4.3-star rating comes from more than 600 Google reviews. The filet mignon is the usual order, and the menu also lists dry-aged steaks and a Wagyu rib-eye cap. Sides include mac and cheese with lobster and a baked potato with caviar crema. Seafood is strong too, with lobster dumplings, oysters and a seafood tower, and the specials follow the seasons.
Reservations are required, and you can book on OpenTable. Dinner is served Tuesday through Saturday, so check hours before you go. This is one of the most expensive meals in town, so it suits a celebration. The patio is popular in summer, and smart casual dress fits the room.
Address: 353 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Website: saltandcharsaratoga.com
Hamlet & Ghost
Hamlet & Ghost fills a brick building at 24 Caroline Street that was a feed and grain store in the 1870s and a hardware store during Prohibition, one that reportedly hid a gambling spot. Today it is a cocktail bar and restaurant with two rooms, one looking onto the bar and one into the kitchen. The owners want it to work as a neighborhood tavern, not just a destination.
Its 4.6 stars from more than 600 Google reviews come from pairing serious cocktails with a seasonal New American menu. The duck fat fries are the dish people mention first. The grass-fed burger and the strip steak are reliable mains, and the bistro steak comes with crab béarnaise. Cheese curds in a bitters and cider batter have also been a hit. Ask about the Unlikely Pear cocktail.
Book on Resy for parties of up to six, because the restaurant says it cannot host large groups or special events. It serves dinner Monday through Saturday and is closed Sunday, with the bar staying open later than the kitchen. Check hours before you go. Caroline Street fills up on summer race nights, so aim for an early table.
Address: 24 Caroline St, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Website: hamletandghost.com
Forno Bistro
Forno Bistro serves rustic, Tuscan-style Italian food at 541 Broadway, built around a wood-fired oven. It is part of DZ Restaurants, the local group that also runs Boca Bistro and Chianti. The bar and dining room are lively, and the restaurant describes its cooking as hearty and unpretentious.
With 4.5 stars from more than 900 Google reviews, Forno is a dependable Broadway standby. The oven handles the pizzas, such as the Pamplona with sausage and poblano pepper, and starters like crab cakes and meatballs. Look also at the grilled octopus with olives and Calabrian chile aioli, the tortellini funghi in a wild mushroom bolognese and the pappardelle with a pork osso buco ragu.
Reserve online for weekends and for racing season. A daily happy hour at the bar is a cheaper way to try the kitchen. The menu changes with the seasons, and a fall menu is out now, with comforting pastas and an autumn salad of baby kale, goat cheese and pumpkin vinaigrette. Check hours before you go.
Address: 541 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Website: fornobistro.com
Sara’s Kitchen
Sara’s Kitchen serves Egyptian and Middle Eastern food at 419 Broadway. Owner Sara Ali began with a farmers’ market stand, ran a counter in the Wilton Mall and moved to Broadway in early 2024. A year later the restaurant switched from counter service to table service, added a liquor license and put in a patio.
Sara’s holds the highest rating in this guide, 4.8 stars from more than 400 Google reviews. Order the halal shawarma, the shish tawook (marinated chicken skewers) or the kofta kebab, along with a mezze board and a fattoush salad. Grape leaves are stuffed in house. Dessert is baklawa (layered phyllo and nuts) or kunafeh (a shredded pastry with sweet cheese), and the limonana is a mint lemonade worth trying.
Sara’s has changed since it opened, moving from counter service to table service, so check current hours and booking before you go. When last reported, it served lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday. The drinks list includes Turkish coffee, Middle Eastern-style cocktails and low-intervention wines from small Lebanese producers.
Address: 419 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Website: saraskitchen518.com
Brasserie Benelux
Brasserie Benelux is a casual 144-seat restaurant at 390 Broadway that serves the hearty food of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, plus German, Austrian, Polish and Scandinavian dishes. Chef Armand Vanderstigchel, an American who lived in the Netherlands for 17 years, opened it in April 2021. He wrote the cookbook Adirondack Cuisine, which inspired a PBS series, and joined the Chicken Wing Hall of Fame in 2019.
Brasserie Benelux has 4.6 stars from more than 500 Google reviews, and mussels are the signature order, steamed in garlic and white wine and sold as a pot or with frites, though the mussels are seasonal. Try the jäger schnitzel, the carbonnade (short ribs braised in dark Leffe beer) and the Munich beer garden wurst platter. Bitterballen (Dutch fried croquettes), Swedish meatballs and a Liège waffle finish things off.
Reserve on OpenTable. The beer list mixes European and local craft beers, and an outdoor café opens in spring, summer and fall. During racing season the restaurant serves a European-style Sunday brunch. It is closed Mondays, and Sunday hours are listed unclearly on the website, so check before you go.
Address: 390 Broadway A, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Website: beneluxny.com
9 Miles East Farm
9 Miles East Farm runs a pizza restaurant at 64 Excelsior Avenue, in the old Stark’s Garage building just outside downtown and beside the Saratoga Farmers’ Market at High Rock Park. The farm, in Northumberland, grew a pizza delivery business into this dine-in spot. The dough is sourdough with a three-day slow ferment, made with flour from Farmer Ground Flour in Ithaca.
Diners give it 4.7 stars across more than 900 Google reviews, mostly for the crust. Order the barnyard pizza, with local mozzarella and sausage, or another of the Farmhouse pizzas. Beyond pizza, the chimichurri skirt steak with seasonal vegetables and the simple salad of local baby greens are good choices. Tomato sauce is made daily, using farm tomatoes in season.
Book through SevenRooms, or walk in. The restaurant says it serves breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, and dinner has the widest menu. Patio tables are best on a nice day, with a local beer from Common Roots or Northway Brewing. Check hours before you go.
Address: 64 Excelsior Ave, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Website: pizzadelivery.farm
Harvey’s Restaurant and Bar
Harvey’s is an Irish-American pub at 14 Phila Street, in a building that has held Irish bars for about three decades, starting with the Original Saratoga Brew Pub in 1996. It became Harvey’s in 2014, named for a friendly Irish ghost, a pooka, said to bring good luck. Executive chef Adam Humphrey and general manager Matthew Bagley bought it in 2017. There is indoor and outdoor seating.
With 4.5 stars from more than 1,000 Google reviews, Harvey’s is easy to like. Order the Irish nachos, waffle fries with corned beef, or the boxty, a fried potato pancake with steak tips and sautéed onions. Shepherd’s pie, fish and chips and Harvey’s meatloaf are the comfort mains, and the classic wings come with blue cheese. Saratoga chips, thin fried potato chips, are a side.
Harvey’s is open Wednesday through Sunday and closed Monday and Tuesday, and the website offers booking only for private events, so plan on walking in. It gets loud after the races and on game days, because it is Saratoga’s official Buffalo Bills backer bar. Check hours before you go.
Address: 14 Phila St, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Website: harveyspub.com
Druthers Brewing Company
Druthers Brewing Company at 381 Broadway is the original Druthers brewpub, built in 2012, and the group has since grown to four brewpubs in the Capital Region. It sits about 120 feet back from Broadway behind a hand-made iron gate in the historic district, with a 10-barrel brewhouse inside and a beer garden with heaters outside.
Druthers has 4.4 stars from more than 1,300 Google reviews as a casual, busy brewpub. Order the pretzel sticks with beer cheese, the loaded grilled cheese, the wings with a choice of five sauces or the skillet macaroni and cheese. The tap list rotates, with beers such as the 80 Shilling Scottish-style ale, the All-In IPA, Brevity Wit and seasonal pours like Oktoberfest.
Reservations go through Toast, and the taproom is often packed on summer evenings. The beer garden is usable in late spring and early fall, and dogs are not allowed there. The kitchen closes an hour before the pub does, and tours are not offered at this location. Check hours before you go.
Address: 381 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Website: druthersbrewing.com
Sweet Mimi’s Café & Bakery
Sweet Mimi’s Café and Bakery sits at 47 Phila Street, in the same building as Caffe Lena, the folk music coffeehouse. Chef Jeannette Liebers opened it in 2013 after training in baking and Italian cooking, and it took over a space that had long housed another breakfast spot, Beverly’s. The bakery case and the café share one bright room.
Sweet Mimi’s 4.6-star rating, from more than 700 Google reviews, is built on pancakes. Order the cinnamon roll pancakes or the lemon ricotta pancakes, then take a scone, a pumpkin bread slice or an oversized chocolate chip cookie to go. Baked goods come out through the day, and the menu changes daily with seasonal specials. Liebers appeared on Beat Bobby Flay in 2021.
There are no reservations. Seating is first come, first served, and mornings bring a line, especially on weekends. The café serves breakfast and lunch Thursday through Monday, with Sunday as brunch only, and it is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Every menu item can be ordered to go, and baked goods can be pre-ordered.
Address: 47 Phila St, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Website: sweetmimiscafe.com
Country Corner Cafe
The Country Corner Cafe is a cozy breakfast spot at 25 Church Street, with a main dining room and a smaller diner-style area. Breakfast is served all day, and the house specialties include homemade jams and jellies, house sausage gravy, corned beef hash and farm-fresh eggs from Thomas’ Poultry. Real maple syrup comes from a local farm.
Its 4.6 stars from more than 1,200 Google reviews come largely from inventive breakfast sandwiches. Try the PBJ Cristo, egg-battered Texas toast with Saratoga organic peanut butter, housemade strawberry jam and sliced bananas. The Saratoga Country Corner Biscuit adds fried chicken, an egg and sausage gravy, and the chicken and waffles come with hot honey cinnamon butter. Eggs Benedict also gets praise.
The cafe is open daily from early morning until early afternoon and does not take reservations, so expect a wait at peak weekend hours. Takeout and delivery are available, and gluten-free bread is offered for a small extra charge. Weekday mornings are usually the easiest time to get a table. Check hours before you go.
Address: 25 Church St, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Website: countrycornercafe.net
Final Thoughts
Book dinner ahead from July through Labor Day, when the racing meet fills Broadway, Phila Street and Caroline Street, and use Resy or OpenTable where a restaurant offers them. Several kitchens close early or take days off, with Pennell’s, Salt & Char, 15 Church and Harvey’s among those closed on one or two weekdays, so check hours before you set out. Breakfast spots such as Sweet Mimi’s and Country Corner Cafe do not take reservations, so go early on weekends. The Olde Bryan Inn, Pennell’s and 9 Miles East Farm sit off the Broadway strip, so check a map before you plan a walk. Patios help in summer, though 15 Church’s is closed until summer 2027 and Druthers’ beer garden is a late spring to early fall spot.
Planning the rest of your trip? See our guide to the best things to do in Saratoga Springs, NY.
Main photo, from left: Justus Menke, Kingsley Tsang and Scott Eckersley / Unsplash
