Carney's Ballston Lake Tavern

Party of five on a Saturday at 6:00, including two children under eight. First time here for me but a favorite of my daughter and her family. This popular pub has a long local history which the new owners respect. It dates back to 1840. Proximity of the front of the building to the road allowed for horses and buggies to park and enter in 1800's.

My daughter and I shared two sandwiches which was a real treat because we got to enjoy two sandwiches: half Adult Toasted Cheese and half of Georgia Rueben (turkey). Both were excellent. The toasted cheese exceeded our expectations with caramelized onions, lots of crisp bacon, and tomato slices. The Rueben included tasty coleslaw and tender turkey slices. Sandwiches are served with homemade potato Chips (or fries) which were thin and crispy.

I had the French Onion Soup which was just good; it needed more onion pieces and a richly flavored broth.

The children had mac and cheese which they liked and a hot dog.

Since it was a Saturday and the pub was busy, service was slow but still efficient and friendly. We were seated right away even though we did not have a reservation. One of the last four tables. Outside temp was in 20's, and a cold draft from opening of front door made room chilly. Dress warmly in winter. Even though our orders were taken promptly, there was a long wait until food was served. Luckily the children were served promptly as requested which was nice.

Live music began in the loft area during our supper, and it was pleasant. I was surprised that the noise level was acceptable during our supper even though there was a crowd at the bar on main level entire time we were there. The vibe was happy. Families and couples frequent the pub. I understand why Carneys is popular -- reliably good food and hometown service.

I have to say we were a bit apprehensive about going to Carney's. The menu looks good, but some of the reviews were not that thrilling to read. I suggested this to my wife after she got home from work and told her there were mixed reviews, and I think we should give it a try. She was all for it and off we went to Ballston Lake, it's about a 15 minute ride from our house.

When we walked in, we were told to sit anywhere we wanted, so we chose a table right in the main dining room. The place was not overcrowded fortunately, there was a crowd at the bar and most tables had people sitting at them. The waitress came over pretty quickly and took our order for drinks and since we had made up our mind, we ordered our dinners.

My wife ordered The Ruben sandwich which came with french fries. I ordered a French onion soup and the fish and chips. The French onion soup came out first and it was one of the best that I've had! The flavor was not overpowering and they used a mixture of provolone and Swiss cheese to top it off.

Next came our dinners, and the sandwich was huge! My wife enjoyed her Reuben and when I asked her if she would order it again she said absolutely. My fish and chips came out and they were cooked to perfection. It was a big piece of fish with a delicious homemade tartar sauce along with french fries and a touch of coleslaw. Everything was excellent, including our service. The waitress was friendly, I felt like I belong there and had eaten there many times before, very homey feeling. We will definitely go there again.

It's kind of off the beaten path en route to Clifton Park on 146a, and I think that works well as it's not in the Saratoga Springs tourist zone (generally asshat free..). I've been to a few fundraisers here and the Labatt Blue is ice cold and the wings are decent (ask for extra crispy tho...sometimes they rush them out). There is often some live music (Ron and Kim are two very humorous and happy campers...doing some great 60-70's classics). It's definitely a hometown vibe but the folks here are pretty congenial...It's an easy ride and a great time, but don't overdo it...cops are a plenty around here at night.

A spontaneous visit to a local favorite in the village of Ballston Lake, NY. Carney's Tavern has been a saloon, barber shop, grocery store and was turned into a 10 room hotel around 1845. A few of the old timers can recall some of the owners: Egan 1896-1911, Katherine McDonough 1936-71. Rosemary & Bob Carney established the present tavern and ran it 1982-2012. A few lame attempts were made to operate a bar w/o success. Most recently it's been owned & operated by Stephanie & Matt Finnigan.
The present owners are doing a fine job of keep Carney's a local favorite pub with a family atmosphere and a value priced menu. The menu is much more than just pub grub. All kinds of sandwiches, pizza & calzones, Irish and Italian favorites and Matt's award winning chili. The tavern offers a wide selection of beverages and food choices. A mug club & happy hour. Free live music on the weekends. And also this is a favorite stop after BH-BL high school events.
This visit we had a local craft beer Frog Alley Refresher IPA ($6.75), brewed in nearby Schenectady, NY and house Pinot Grigio ($7.25). NOTE: This was a two-for-one happy hour special. On a Saturday! Wow! Good for us! We were served by the owner Stephanie and we got to chat a bit as it was a bit slow at 5:30pm. My wife also introduced herself to her 2nd cousin Kyle who has been a long time cook, bartender, & jack-of-all trades at the tavern. Classic patty melt ($13) for my wife and Matt's award winning chili ($8). Both very good and the chili was bold with just the right amount of heat - just the way I like it.
Kichen hours: M 3-9pm, Tue/Wed 11:30am-9pm, Thu 11:30am-10pm, Fri/Sat 11:30am-11pm, Closed Sun.
Last call at bartender's discretion - If the Neons are on - The Bar is OPEN!!
So a very nice visit to the latest version of Carney's Tavern. We enjoyed ourselves. And we hope the Finnigans have continued success.

I hope nobody reads this. This was the best place we have eaten in this area. The food was incredible. The service was spot on. Hot and timed perfectly with giving us time to enjoy the appetizer. First place we had a mixed drink that actually was smooth and enjoyable. Oh, I haven't mentioned the live music. I wish I could remember the name of the gentleman performing. The songs we heard were fantastic. The place is top notch. The only downside was, we entered from the front (street side) and the hostess is at the side door??? Thankfully the bartender directed us to her.

I really was excited to go to this neighborhood bar/tavern. I love hometown staples. Walked in to hear live music. Very excited about that. When I walked in, their was a lady at the hostess stand. Of course I said hi. She definitely was not friendly. She asked where we would like to sit, by the bar or not. I said not. She then pointed at the table but never escorted us. I went in that direction and it was like a guessing game. I was like this table? She said no the next. Hmmm, why not take us to it???? Wasn't like the place was too busy or too big.?? That was weird, and a tad rude.
I guess she knew we weren't regulars. I did see a difference in treatment with other tables. She did warm up to us towards the end though .
Another thing that I thought was "a tad funny", was the specials. She explained-that they had a prime rib sandwich from last nights left over prime rib, that they had left over. Maybe it's me, but I would've left the last night part out. I'm not being picky.... just things I thought were worth mentioning.
The appetizer spring rolls needed something. Just tasted the wonton wrapper.
Did like the hot wings.
French onion soup was ok
Did like the Cobb salad.
My husband liked the fish & chips. For a "Irish " restaurant not too many Irish choices.

I had high hopes for Carney's because I had heard good things about it. Honestly though if we hadn't been there with awesome friends I would be giving this place a much worse review.

Atmosphere: Tavern/bar like. Wooden tables, chairs, and floors. Dimly light-kinda romantic actually. There's a room with a pool table. Noise wise it was quite, but that could've been because it wasn't crowded at all. There were some kids running around and screaming for a bit though.

Service/staff: Just plain awful. Upon walking in no one acknowledged our presence. I had made reservations for us and our table wasn't ready. The hostess literally walked us to our table and wiped it clean in front of us. Our waitress didn't make an appearance for a good 20 minutes so the hostess ended up getting us our drinks. When our waitress finally came to take our order she was totally clueless and clumsy. Our food took at least 3 minutes and there were seriously 2 other people in the restaurant. Our food also did not come out all at the same time so my boyfriend had to wait an extra 10 minutes for his food. Our waitress never checked in and never refilled our water. I was chewing on ice by the end of the meal to get some liquid. The check came and our waitress took for ever putting the credit card through. I don't think she even said thank you.

Food: Food was meh. My boyfriend liked his Reuben- generous portion of tender meat but not enough dressing, bread however toasted perfectly. I had the Philly Cheesesteak and was a little disappointed. I couldn't pick the sandwich up because everything would have fallen out. The meat was good but the ratio of onions peppers mushrooms and cheese to the meat was off. The bun was nicely toasted but they had buttered it which really just wasn't necessary. The butter actually took away some flavor from the sandwich. I do have to compliment them on the fries. They had a seasoning on them that made them unique and delicious. Our friends got a cheese quesadilla and chicken wings. They thought their food was pretty okay too.

Cost: I can't diss them on prices. $11-15 for speciality sandwiches that weren't skimpy by any means. So clearly you are paying the lower price for a lack of quality.

I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone really. There is just nothing special about it. You can get the same food at any other pub or tavern and it will taste just as good or even better. Maybe we just went on a bad night? Like I said, I am glad we went with friends who we actually really needed the time to catch up with....

This place is great. Growing up in Burnt Hills I never went here but who had friends who did. So one Christmas visit home I decided to try it and MAN was it good. My husband and I got nachos with chicken and a chimichanga and were both very pleased. The chips in the nachos were uniquely flaky in a delicious way I've never had anywhere else. The homey feel (because you are actually in a home) set the perfect mood for date night. Love Carneys! They're a stop every time I'm home now!

This is a really great local bar. The staff and the patrons are all very nice and incredibly welcoming. It's the type of place where they will remember your name and you can pick up a conversation with anybody. They also have pretty good live music Thursday through Saturday.

I've tried most of the items on the menu and have yet to be let down. They usually have some pretty good specials as well. I would have given them 5 stars, but the beer selection is fairly limited. There are a few local options as well as Guinness and the usual domestics.

If you haven't been to Carney's do yourself a favor and stop by!

Love the food here. Great place for some drinks and a bite to eat. The calzones are amazing they are a must try.