Madison Pour House in Albany
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Albany, Albany County, New York, US
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Site: http://www.themadisonpourhouse.com/
- Monday:4PM–12AM
- Tuesday:4PM–12AM
- Wednesday:4PM–12AM
- Thursday:4PM–12AM
- Friday:4PM–12AM
- Saturday:4PM–12AM
- Sunday:4PM–12AM
Great unique beer menu that also offers a few ciders! Staff is generally knowledge about the selection and very friendly. The bar is cozy feeling and trivia on Thursday nights is really fun! Where it falls apart is the kitchen. The menu changes often and really tries too hard to be cool. Its very hit and miss. Something you enjoy one day will either be gone from the menu or completely different the next time you order. If the kitchen could find some consistency they would easily deserve 5 stars.
Cool, cool vibe here and the pricing structure keeps out the drunken college rifraff. Most patrons seemed to be thirtysomethings, though it was an eclectic mix of folk overall as there seemed to be some freaks, some yuppie milennials, and some preppies as well. I like that. Cant we all just get along?Basically a killer taplist with 30 taps total. I will say I was a little bummed that on my Saturday night visit five of the 30 kegs had already been kicked and were unavailable, including my first beer of choice.The bacon mac and cheese is quite likely the best mac and cheese Ive ever had. Wicked cheesy and the smokey love made me want to marry this dish. Talk about good lovin! This dish was unequivocally worth the 12 dollar price and will fill one person to his/her gills without making him/her puke...the just right kinda full Id say. Most definitely get the smokey bacon...as Vincent (John Travolta) said in Pulp Fiction, bacon tastes good!Beer pricing structure is definitely on the high side, so take your time in here or bring along a very fat wallet. Most 16 oz. pours will run a good 8 to 9 bucks, yep, 9 bucks and most 12 oz. pours tip the scale at $7. Keep in mind these are the serious craft beers that are difficult to find for the most part and you wont have a freak out session at the cost. If youre looking for 5 dollar pints, keep walking, this aint your place.The upstairs area with the look through ceiling is a unique and smart touch. I dig it.I dont think they have real waiter or waitress service here as I didnt see any. You seat yourself and order and the bartender will bring over your goods. Kinda different that way.Ill be back here again for more beers and more mac and cheese lovin, no question.Oh and the on-street parking always drags me down, but it is what it is...be ready to circle the block to keep lookin for that truly valuable vacant spot.
I truely wanted to like this place! I thought the inside was cute and the concept of the upper deck seating was nice, but we walked in at 7:30 last night hoping to get food and sadly left hungry and thirsty. Although it was busy, there were tables open, however, we could not find a waiter and or waitress anywhere, or even find a sign or any indication on how to get a table. We even tried walking upstairs but found no wait staff. If you want food don’t go here! We ended up going to the Orchard and had a great meal and drinks, so theres a happy ending.
The BEST place to drink in the entire city of Albany. Great selection of rotating special, unique, craft beers - none of that mass produced stuff! If youre a first-timer go right up to the bar and ask for the beer menu. Its cozy and always with sports games on. Great trivia and live music nights.
Absolutely love this place. Their beer menu is fantastic and their food is awesome. Everything on their menu is reasonably priced. Every thing Ive eaten there Ive left saying wow. If you have to been you need to give it a go! The staff are really friendly and they also have trivia nights (on Thursdays I think).
Do you get annoyed when your server at a Beer Bar cant offer descriptions or suggestions? Do you prefer the focus of your imbibing to be your conversation and the beer? Do you like the option to drink outside or by a fireplace?If you answered yes to any of those questions, then the Madison Pour House is a place you should check out. The staff is knowledgeable, the beer selection is top notch (40 taps + 2 casks + bottles) and the food hits the spot. They also have a quality, hand selected offering of wines and sip-able liquors for your party members who are hesitant to embrace beer (though Id be willing to bet they can find something to their liking here). In the summer they have a great patio out front - in the winter, the upstairs features a roaring fire. Theyve also limited the distractions to just three flat screens mounted unobtrusively above the bar and keep the music level low.TL:DR - if you like craft beer, come here.
Amazing beer selection... Wrong place to go if you have trouble making up your mind about things, but those working the bar are happy to help and offer tastings to make sure you pick a pour you will enjoy. Come here if you want to get something youve never had before !
Ive been a patron of this bar for years now. Great little pub for the advanced beer aficionado. The food is unique and creative as far as bar fare goes and Ive never been disappointed. Staff is knowledgable, pleasant and friendly. Emphasis on knowledgable as their wide beer selection will lend itself to questions. Atmosphere is what youd want from your quiet pub. One of the best beer bars in Albany.
Big fan of the pour house. Most of the crowd is a mix of college kids and young adults. Small tables/booths near the bar and more seating upstairs. Its cozy but in a good way. Outdoor seating in the front. Bartenders are very nice and knowledgable. Its all craft brews on tap (a cask or two on tap as well), and they have liquor to serve but that isnt the main attraction for coming here. 5/5 stars great beers and great personalities so check it out!
This was my first trip to Albany. Wont be my last. Im a foody. The Pour House is a great place! Amazing beer list and small, well thought-out, creative and super delicious menu. Outside seating was lovely and the staff was really friendly and very professional. I highly recommend.
The food and beer was out of the world. Everything was cooked to perfection and hands down one of the best eating experiences my group and I had. Downside, we had to wait 45 minutes for our waitress to bring someone in our group a beer and a cider. We also had to wait about an hour for our check, while our waitress sat at the end of the bar and talked the entire time. We ended up having the bartender come and take care of us. He was okay, except for the fact he had very little experience splitting checks.
EXCELLENT beer selection!! The food selection, however, did not keep up with the selection of beer though.Sandwiches, Mac and cheese and hot dogs are good for a deli, but not pub fare in my opinion.I had the buffalo Mac and cheese entree with chicken. It appeared as if the chicken and pasta were cooked separately and then thrown together with buffalo sauce and some cheese in the microwave for five minutes.The fried pickles were a different an delicious take on an oft seen appetizer.Bottom line: come here for beers and apps, go someplace else for dinner.
I seldom leave poor reviews, but I wanted to share my experience.First the good:-- Bar decor is excellent and cozy-- Vast draft selection. Beers are referred to by number vs. their name (at least 30+ from what I remember). Great variety too with plenty of IPAs, sours, gose, etc. on tapIf youre going for just a beer (and nothing more) with a group of friends, this seems like a solid spot.Now the bad:-- Only 2 bar stools by the bar, lots of empty space -- gives the implication you shouldnt be there unless with other people-- The kitchen: There was one cook who left to apparently grab supplies from the local grocery store. I guess they dont order from AA Provisions or another premium food supplier. When he finally got back, I was made aware that what I wanted wasnt available since they didnt have any pulled pork. Mind you: this was 20 mins. after I placed the order. After being made aware of this, I decide to order the Harold and Kumar, which was 4 Brauts with what sounded like some interesting toppings so I just go with that. While Im waiting for my food, I hear a timer go off and then the unmistakeable sound of a microwave opening......Are my freakin brauts being microwaved?!?It appeared no one else was ordering food so it had to be for my order. A discussion ensues between the cook and the bartender (Courtney was her name, and she did just fine) and my food still isnt out. 50 mins. total have passed since my initial order, and I decide to just cash out my beers. I still left a dollar tip per beer since it wasnt the bartenders fault.My suggestion: grab your grub before you come here, and make sure youre with a group
We had excellent service from this delightful bartender named Aaron hes knowledgeable friendly and very kind I have found nothing but good people working at the Madison Pour House. Years ago it was a place called mahars where the people were rude Groff and Dreadful! These new folks know how to treat customers!
Absolutely insane, violent, threatening bartender. Ordered a drink for me and my girlfriend as I have countless times before. He asked who the drink was for and I was confused for a moment since I’m not normally asked that question. Immediately went into a tirade how I was threatening the bar’s livelihood and asked that I leave. Dumbfounded, I did my best to de-escalate the situation and managed to order a beer.If you want to have a good night, go somewhere else.
Absolutely insane, violent, threatening bartender. Ordered a drink for me and my girlfriend as I have countless times before. He asked who the drink was for and I was confused for a moment since I’m not normally asked that question. Immediately went into a tirade how I was threatening the bar’s livelihood and asked that I leave. Dumbfounded, I did my best to de-escalate the situation and managed to order a beer.If you want to have a good night, go somewhere else.
This morning, a telephone post studded with hundred of nails caught my eye.A man driving me to work chatted at me as we went the back roads to East Syracuse.No real way I could ask him to stop and let me pop out and take a picture of the remarkable post at the corner of Fremont and Kirkville Roads.The nails caught my attention, each one pounded in by a person putting up a sign, hoping for a free advertisement.No sign appeared on the post today.I wonder what people with only enough money to make a sign and buy nails to put it up will do when telephone poles become an item of the past.Weve started to bury telephone and power lines, protecting the lines against failure when the snow piles up high and the wind and ice take down telephone poles.An iPhone doesnt require a telephone line.When we unhook from the wall jack in our homes, we unhook from the telephone lines too.Sunday, I rented a bicycle near the College of Saint Rose near Central Albany New York and I pedaled it past Washington Park and through the Lark Street restaurant district and by the Albany Museum of Art and History and hooked it up to a docking station across the street from the State Capitol of the State of New York.My phone told me I had pedaled for two and a half miles, arriving at the capitol after twenty minutes, costing me two dollars and fifty cents.Google kept track of the path, knowing that I had bicycled from Madison Tap Room to Wellingtons Restaurant in the Renaissance Hotel.Google asked me for a review of the tap room and I wrote a review of Wellingtons after waiting fifteen minutes for so much as a glass of water.I could write some glowing words about the tap room, where staff were frosting a cake before the time came for a going away party.One of the wait staff has chosen to move along.The bartender invited me to stay and enjoy a few free pulls from the firkin and a spread of food that the chef had cooked up.I think I could write a good review of the tap room.I loved sitting out in the beirgarten and a metal patio table, enjoying the foot traffic walking buy, moms pushing strollers, a woman with her grocery bags and couples walking to dinner at the Indian restaurant or the Mediterranean restaurant.The biergarten had a fence made of old weathered wine and whiskey barrels, each topped with a pot of begonias, petunias and ferns.A jolly good tap room made to look old fashioned where friends could sit around the tap with a pint and show off You Tube vidoes to one another.I think this is what a futurist called years ago, High Tech, High Touch.I could have stayed at my table until the party for Adrianna began but the bicycle ride through Albany appealed to me more.A historical marker across the street gave the past a say this Sunday.Near here Mohawk and Hudson First Railroad chartered in the country, 1826, began its run Albany to Schenectady.Clintons Ditch, the Erie Canal, had opened for business in 1825, the year before the railroad began to run to Schenectady.Almost a hundred years later, public leaders allowed the burial of great sections of the Erie Canal now that railroads and trucks could carry all the freight more economically.I got on the bike and pedaled, begining my journey home to a house built in 1826.
Total reviews rating 4.6
188 Reviews for Madison Pour House 2023:
Review №1
2022-04-28Good service. Good beer. Unfortunately theyve had to cut back on selection but still a good place for friends to gather and enjoy a cold one!
Review №2
2022-05-28This place is a great little spot. Bartenders are super friendly and very knowledgeable about all 50+ beers on tap!
Review №3
2022-04-02Good place for a drink and hang out with friends. Check out upstairs because downstairs can get busy during peak hours. TV screens available for anyone interested in watching the game.
Review №4
2021-12-06My wife and I stumbled (lol) upon this bar while waiting for different place to open. Very pleasantly surprised. Very friendly bar staff and very knowledgeable about the selections of 40 beers on tap and 60 beers in cans and bottles. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we planned a weekend trip (we live an hour away) with Madison Pour House in mind.We havent eaten there yet so we can not comment on the food.We are already planning our next overnight and will uber over to the bar so we can indulge our palates to a higher degree ;)
Review №5
2022-04-12Great beer selection, a good amount of outdoor seating, cozy ambiance inside.
Review №6
2021-06-16My only complaints are I wish there was more food options lol. But its not enough to take away a star. The food choices they offer are. good Its unique very often and solid.If youre a beer drinker you will love the selection however cider is very limited. Even though I am a cider person I appreciate the staff ,the feel, the atmosphere, the subtle aesthetic with homage to a bier garden es theme, interesting music choices that are very eclectic and the overall experience. I couldnt recommend this place more!
Review №7
2019-08-03Beer 🍺 menu so sexy 😅😅😅Environment eggplant 🍆, 🤪🤪Hotdog sass are hotttttttddddoooggggg 🤣🤣🤣Im drunk, dont expect more than this...
Review №8
2020-01-22Both the burger and the wine I ordered were among the top 10 Ive ever had. The wine was Chasing Lions Cabernet Sauvignon. I dont recall what the burger was.
Review №9
2022-01-2240 rotating taps, can and bottle selection, yummy food, and best of all - great vibes. I am and always will be a regular.
Review №10
2021-10-23Great beer selection, Men in Black was on the TV and the bartenders are my new best friends. Ill definitely make the hour long trip to beer up again.