McGuire's Restaurant

I really enjoy McGuire's. They make a great martinis and also have very good food. Another spot on Lark St that is a good date night spot. Food is always paired nicely and presented well. Service has always been great.

This really shouldn't have 4 dollar signs because most entrees are in the $20-30 range.

We live in the neighborhood and my husband and I have walked past this place several times, tonight to our chagrin we decided to give it a try.
Before I give the reasons our dinner was ruined let me give you the positives. Our server was friendly, the appetizer was edible and the two drinks we had were decent.
Now moving on....
First off my husband is a very picky eater, I am not. Nonetheless neither one of us could stomach the entree that was served.

List of issues;

1) The mashed potatoes had turned.
I almost spit it out, it was so sour and clearly spoiled.

2) Food was lukewarm.
This should have been the first clue. They tried to mask the fact it was cold by providing us with hot plates on the side. Oh the irony.

2)Over seasoned asparagus.
So I soldiered on to the next part of the meal which were the asparagus, disappointed again. It was way TOO SALTY!!!

3) Chicken was ok but...
They had some kind of chipotle chocolate glaze on top. It would have been alright had it not been drowned in the sauce. The poor frozen cutlet never had a chance.

When we brought it to our server's attention she took our plates full of food and said she'd check with the cook only to come back to offer us a $4 piece of cake or $12 drink in replace of a nearly $30 entree.
So in a nutshell we only had one appetizer and two drinks and paid nearly $70.00+ tip for a horrible meal. To top it all off we still have to pay for dinner at the next place because we're still hungry.
You've been warned!!!

I'd probably rate this as a 4.5, but that's not an option and their current rating of a 3 is ridiculous. McGuire's is awesome. The waiters (who magically all seem to look alike) are very kind, interesting, and helpful. One of them helped me cure my hiccups with a lemon slice and something else..? Bourbon? Regardless, they're down to help out. The food is *UGH* amazing! Granted, I've only ever had it while already drunk and I can attest that their cocktails (while sober AND drunk) are the bomb. Try the blackberry mezcal smash. It's great. You can't really go wrong with the cocktails, though. They make good mules as well. I love that they have "healthier" cocktail options made with real ingredients and no added sugar. It's a bit pricey, but that comes with the quality of food, drinks, and service you receive here. Great date spot!

One of my absolute favorite places to eat and drink in Albany. From the front of the house down to the food everything is done right. Amazing sliders and drinks on special during happy hour, extensive wine selections and great cocktail menu. Highly recommend to anyone looking for fantastic food and drinks in an easy going laid back setting.

Very good meal. Food was prepared perfectly and had an abundance of flavor. Chef sat with us for a little wine afterwards and was a nice touch. Very nice bar and excellent selection of spirits. Some may say its a little pricey which it is but had a fantastic meal and didn't walk away thinking I didn't get what I paid for.

Only 2 downsides - Although it is listed or referenced as a "Steak House" it is no where close to a Steak House. The Filet was perfectly done but was only 1 of 2 Meats on the entree listing (the other was a top sirloin). The other downside was the menu itself. Very limited for entrees and I believe there are only 5 so I would definitely look at the menu online before going to make sure everyone in the party can find something to enjoy. The food quality was Excellent

Haven't been here in a long time. Is it possible that the menu hasn't changed in 15-ish years?

I'm sorry. I am really trying to fined something nice. These people really seem to mean well. From the waitstaff to the chef.

But at these prices I expect to have my plates cleared and for the server that took the order to remember who ordered what (especially when the restaurant is empty and there are only four of us).

The food, ok. Nothing to write home about. My daughter who will consume every bite of salmon that is on her plate left half of it. The steak frites were terrible. The sliders seemed to be out of a package and the pork chop needed something. (Anything?) The key lime pie was lacking in key lime... sigh.

Wish I had checked yelp before we walked in.

Sorry to read the less than positive reviews.

Lady friend and I wandered in while on a business trip when we were staying at a B&B around the corner.

Great food, great drinks and attentive (but not annoying) service from James, our waiter. This was my first trip to Albany and McGuire's is definitely a spot I'd recommend based on my experience this evening.

Note: we arrived on a Monday night at around 7:15 PM and had a great experience.

Was planning on having dinner here last night, and it was closed at 7pm. Said 10 on here(which seemed accurate from the times I've been here), so we made the drive and it was lights out. I've lived away from the Albany area for some time, so maybe it's closed since I left? I would call beforehand if you're planning on coming here!

Edit: Local yelper Roger sent me a link to a story saying they would be closed for a month to renovate. The article was from over 2 months ago, so who knows what's going on. For now it's at least temporarily closed.

AVOID THIS PLACE!!!!!
Went here with my wife and I was sorry that I did. Not one thing they served us was good in my opinion. We were unhappy with the quality of the food(some of it tasted rotten) and it was cold.
I will not be going back to this place!

I'll echo the sentiment of another yelper, 'what happened Mcguire's?'

What was once one of the preeminent fine dining establishments in Albany has appeared to do a full 180 towards over-priced mediocrity, and that is very sad. Years ago, after chef Brian Bowden left it appeared to have taken a slight turn downwards, so it had been some years since we had been back. Sadly, what was once my better half and I's favorite local restaurant is now merely a shell of its former self.

We arrived on a weekend evening, surprised that the restaurant was almost empty on a night where in the past it would have been hard to find a table. The greeter simply told us to pick a seat 'near the front' wherever we would like. This would be the start of a terribly depressing evening where both large and small mistakes/miscues were made.

Small errors/nitpicks;

- The tablecloths were not freshly pressed, and clearly showed all the creasemarks where they had been previously folded up

- Salad I had ordered as an appetizer was described as having 'candied walnuts'. Salad had walnuts, but most definitely were not candied

- Halibut special my better half ordered was described as 'encrusted'...I'm not sure with what, as it was most definitely not encrusted with anything.

- Overuse of the same bread. The exact same bread that was initially served was used as a garnish to the salad as well as steak ordered.

Large errors;

- Hangar steak was ordered medium, came out more of a charred mess. Overcooked completely and drowned in oil. The bread served with the steak was literally black from being charred to death.

- Desert as ordered was described as a 'raspberry torte' and 'vanilla bourbon crème brulee'. What came out was appeared to be and tasted like store bought raspberry swirl cheesecake and a terrible excuse for a crème brulee. Honestly I couldn't taste any vanilla or bourbon and I'm pretty sure crème brulee isn't supposed to evoke a sour taste.

- Atmosphere...seriously I like Eric Clapton's 'Layla' as much as anyone but blasting it and other music in an attempt to drown out the silence and high blasting box-fan noise is not becoming of a restaurant with these price points. Not a single other dining group came in during our visit, which probably tells me that we were late to the game in figuring out that this place was no longer worth a visit.

- Prices - Seriously, nearly $40 for a halibut special, $15+ for appetizers and so on. At these price points, at least ensure that what you describe on the menu is what is being served. Then cook it properly. At that point they are probably still overpriced. If we were talking the Mcguire's of 5 years ago, then yes these could be justified. But as is, absolutely not.

The good;

Not much to write about here unfortunately. The veal meatball appetizer was very good, and the service was friendly, if a step or two below what the price points would suggest is 'good service'.

Overall a saddening and disappointing experience from start to finish. Unless we hear of a major re-haul being done at some point, we won't be returning. We can't 'afford' to take that chance.