The Standard Restaurant & Lounge

I’ve been here a few times, and been underwhelmed, but last night sealed the deal for me. Made reservations for a party of 8 for a Saturday night at 7:30. I made these reservations a week in advance on their website. Our party had tickets to see a show at 10, so 7:30 would give us plenty of time to eat and go to the show. Arrived on time, given a beeper (?), and the place was packed. So I’m glad made a reservation. We waited, waited waited, the manager came over about 7:50 to let us know our table would be ready shortly. So why did I make a reservation? Finally seated close to 8, in the back dining room, but the table was a booth, that they pulled another table up to and some chairs, we were smushed in the corner. Waitress was harried, but sweet, took our drink orders, and some apps. Waited waited waited for them to arrive, when the 4 apps arrived, one of them was ice cold. We had to wait to see our waitress again, she was busy with so many other tables in our area. We sent them back, our dinner came, and we has started to eat when that app arrived back at our table. Again, our waitress was sweet, but clearly too busy. We requested ketchup, a pitcher of water, dressing that was supposed to come with a salad, and bread that was supposed to be a side for a meal in one of our party. Waited waited waited, still nothing, we caught her again, reminded her, she apologized, and again, we waited waited waited. On a side note, I ordered the French onion burger, rare. It was tasty, but was well-​done. At this point, in the interest of time, I didn’t want to send it back, it was well after 9:00pm and we had to get going. We flagged her down again, still waiting for the ketchup and stuff. She apologized and we requested to see the manager. Waited waited waited, when he finally came over, he admitted that our table was put together on the fly, our reserved table still had patrons that were lingering, so that explains the cramp space. We told him that our waitress had too many tables to be on top of, and it was inexcusable for her to not give us the service that you’d expect. He apologized again, and in the end he took all of our apps off the bill. We wrapped things up pretty quickly so we could make the show on time. On a side note, we did tip her well, I know that the wait staff is reliant on tips. I blame the restaurant for overwhelming the staff, they should have runners to support the wait staff, and also not have so many big tables for one employee. Our party was satisfied with the food, but nothing was epic. I am glad to see a family owned restaurant do so well in a mall, but I think they need more employees during the busy times.

This was only my second time eating here and wasn’t very impressed either time. Food is hit or miss the mussels were just ok the tuna tartare appetizer was resort good but my husband was disappointed with the shrimp scampi which he felt was to tomatoey. There’s better places in the area especially for the price.

If I could give this negative stars I would. Worst food and worst service ever. I will NEVER go back

Worst food we have ever had… everything was over cooked and bland I ordered the stacked meatloaf the food was dried out and cold my friends ordered scallops they tasted like robber the kids mac and cheese was nasty was just cheese no noodles or cream at a bit it was the worst mac and cheese ever… and on top of all this the service was terrible after we complained about everything waited for the manager for 15 minutes and then came over with the worst attitude and extremely rude… this is by far the worst experience we have ever had at any restaurant… we will never come back here again…

Just walked into The Standard and sat at the bar. Another customer walked up and tried to speak to the bartender. She said… my daughter has been waiting for 20 minutes for a Dr. Pepper. Bartender replied… I don’t have that at the bar. It’s in the kitchen and I don’t have time. I left and won’t be back.

This has always been a favorite of ours, but lately their food has been declining in quality. Not up to the «Standard» of Standards. We always came here for the calamari, scallops and risotto, crab cake sandwich, and steaks. The last few times the calamari had been soggy and greasy, the steaks have been burnt, scallops overcooked, and crab cakes mushy. The attitude of the hostess ruins it for you before you even start, and the service as of late has been subpar. I would’ve gave it 2 stars, but I am taking into consideration the wonderful experiences we’ve had in the past.

So apparently Adnon the general manager thinks ambience and mood lighting are more important than seeing your food and friends at the bar. The bartenders, Katie and Amanda, are attentive and always catering to customers, it’s too bad really… because the guy running the place, who’s not even on the restaurant floor, decided how dark to make it. This is a mall restaurant people not Gallagher’s or Morton’s.

Honestly, I was disappointed. I had such high expectations for this place, and they really just dropped the ball. We got the mussels (which was probably the best thing we ordered) and the beef carpaccio which was covered in a mountain of arugula and we had to dig to get to the filet, over kill for sure. My S.O. ordered the lamb chops and it came out very rare, as in purple in the middle. I got the filet oscar that came with a tasty crab cake, but the asparagus was limp and overcooked and the filet was very tough and under seasoned. The Bearnaise sauce was fine. Our waiter was great and when I said something about the filet, the manager gave me a free dessert to take home, but after its all said and done, I will not be returning.

What a hidden gem this place is. Very retro and fine dining. It was very busy but only a short wait. We were seated within 15 minutes.
I ordered the bang bang coconut curry shrimp. Um, where has this dish been my whole life? Generous portion of shrimp and just the right spicy and sweet. So good!
My young dinner partner ordered the kids filet mignon and fries. The portion was quite small at a price of 11.95. It should have come with a vegetable to round it out. Not to worry. There was so much food on my plate, enough to share.
Would definitely return to try some other dishes! The service was professional and timely. The coffee was hot and fresh too.

Great appetizers — try the tuna. One of few places that have an old fashion on the menu and they make it great.

A chic style restaurant set within the era of the 40s. nice waiting area large bar area with plenty of top shelf liquors. Dinning area a little dark, Making it difficult to read menu .
Ordered appetizer of Chicago style spinach dip was not impressed rather bland. My Order of Lobster mac n cheese SENT IT BACK… tasted like a mouthful of butter n only minced specs of lobster to be found !
Overall my experience here was not a good one…
Started w the vibrating beeper which didn’t work after watching 3 different sets of couples get seated before me I then realized it was not functioning.
To top it off the waiter never corrected the bill deducting my mac n cheese n correcting the replacement cost
In no hurry to drive from ex 15 to here again !

The standard is great for a standard meal. The atmosphere is nice, kind of loungy, and the menu is … well, pretty standard! My family comes here every black Friday and we eat together. I have tried a few things over the years, but the stand out for me is ALWAYS the meat loaf… it is soft, smothered in cheese and just melts in your mouth. It is usually accompanied by some pretty awesome potatoes and veggies. The cocktails are great too-​try an espresso martini or an old fashioned, whatever you choose-​you won’t go wrong. The do STANDARD perfectly.

The martinis are excellent here. They stock a nice selection of top shelf liquor, including my favorite, Hendrick’ gin…
My wife and I have always received excellent service here. Drinks are quick, the bread and sweet cream butter hit the spot and usually a couple of their tasty salads and an appetizer is all it takes to get us ready for a movie.

The Standard as a mall location has proved itself as not so standard, and that’s a good thing. What really stands out is the fancy, clean cut interior but with a retro chic perspective. The bar area is wide, overseeing the front dining area, as several large sized tables, high tops, and booths surround it. A modest sized waiting area with sofas and tables sit to the right after entering the space. And after that, rows of booths and a large private area is available in the very back of the restaurant.
I’ve dined here several times for lunch, dinner, late night drinks at the bar, and previously held a private function in the space toward the back. I can say that my least favorite is the lunch as I find nothing particularly special and prefer to have dinner and drinks with friends in the late evening hours instead. The atmosphere is more attractive in the evening anyways, and there is more sense of belonging during that time.
There are many appetizers, small plates (maybe for the not so hangry souls), pastas, seafood, steaks, sandwiches, salads, and even a menu fit for the little ones appropriately named as «for the rascals». I usually end up with appetizers, pastas, salads, and a cocktail or two whenever I come. The sandwiches are subpar and I’d save it for a real sandwich and sub shop instead. As for steak and chops or seafood, the same implies. I’m not going to order from these categories unless it’s their specialty so I know I am not wasting my time and money. My favorites to date are Santa Fe Egg Rolls, the Endive Pecan Blue Cheese Salad, Rigatoni Marsala, and the Madeira Chicken. I enjoy a few of their drinks like the peach bellini, piña colada, and mojito… but cannot speak for the wine and beer selection. The beer list appears slightly depressing and only has the typical run of the mill kind of beer.
After all, this review was meant to be 3.5 stars, but I’m rounding it up to a 4 because of a great experience my party and I had here for a private event. We were a party of 25 adults and a few children and were given the private room in the back of the restaurant for a few hours. The event was pre-​booked and the buffet style luncheon went very smoothly as I had planned. I will consider it again as a private event location for large parties.

Depending on what day/​night you go, there might be a wait.
This isn’t the place to go if you want shots, they don’t offer them. For a cocktail or a delicious meal, it’s great!
The portions are generous. The amount of calamari you get compared to other places is double and the garlic dipping sauce is delicious. The deserts are gigantic! Enough to share with someone and/​or bring some home.
The half a roast chicken meal is on par every time — great flavor, moist with crispy skin. A burger is definitely worth it! Cooked perfectly!

I’ve only lived in Albany for a few weeks and have already eaten here twice. Both groups of people I was with enjoyed their meals both times. The restaurant is nice, and was crowded both times. The second time I ate here I ordered the parmesan crusted chicken which was good. Prices were reasonable (about $ 20.00 for my entrée) and the food was really tasty. There’s an outdoor seating area also — but this won’t be utilized the majority of the year.
I’d return.

My boyfriend and I took a trip out to Albany this weekend to go hiking and have a little getaway. We went to crossgates mall because the goof forgot the #1 thing you need to hike… SNEAKERS! So after picking those up we stopped at The Standard for a late dinner and drinks.
The atmosphere is very chill and romantic! It’s a little dark inside, there’s a good sized bar, and a beautiful lounge with couches outside. We were seated in a booth. It was 9pm on a Friday and the place was pretty busy.
They have a good sized menu– something for everyone! And a great signature cocktail list. My BF got a fruity mango frozen drink and I got a beer. We started off with the buffalo chicken rolls– which was a huge portion (about 7 rolls) and they were so good. Served with blue cheese, carrots & celery.
They have a variety of pastas, my boyfriend got the telefono which was excellent, I ended up getting the salmon salad which was very good. The waitress was very knowledgable and patient with us. I highly recommended the standard for a date night or dinner party! Very beautiful place with great food!

Wow, this place really exceeded expectations. With a slightly lower Unilocal rating I was a bit concerned, however I think I can explain some of the low feedback. I came in with a large party for a company dinner. When sitting down they needed one additional table to fit us in, seconds later a table was pulled up to the end and set for us. Our one waitress (1 waitress for 20+ people!) was phenomenal. She was quick to take drink orders and get them out to the table. She was also quick to bring more drinks.
The one downside, food menu was a bit overwhelming. The place had a little bit of everything. This kind of a menu is always a red flag to me. Certainly they cannot make all of those dishes perfectly. I felt pretty safe ordering a ribeye steak.
The steak turned out to be unbelievable. Each bite melted in my mouth, almost like a prime rib. Pieces of fat were buttery and delicious. I could eat this steak a hundred more times and still love it. For the steak alone I’d give this place 5 stars. However, as I expected, some other dishes were not as good. Salmon was average. I’d stick to the steaks and probably avoid most other dishes.
Tiramisu was pretty good for dessert. Slice was HUGE. I still managed to finish it off and was quite full (and happy). Come and enjoy one of their staple items, you won’t regret it!

We made a mall trip for some Mother’s Day shopping and my husband convinced m to dine within the mall, which is always a little perilous. We were seated right away. I ordered the grilled salmon salad which was a little dough around the edges. The tomatoes were soggy, the asparagus flavorless. My husband opted to eat light tonight and chose the meatloaf stack which was a skyscraper of meatloaf and cheese slices. I have maybe eater meatloaf a handful of times so I am no expert. It was good, but salty. The mashed potatoes were creamy. Our hostess was very nice but seemed a little aloof. I also thought it was overpriced although I guess we earned it all back in the sheer weight of meatloaf we ate.

My boyfriend and I went here around noon. We sat by the bar area. It’s actually pretty nice and comfortable. I like that they have a wide selection of food in their menu. We ordered the coconut shrimp lollipops and panko crusted crab cakes. The crab cakes were pretty good, but the shrimp lollipops were better. It was actually VERY GOOD. It is pretty much grilled shrimp on skewers, but the sauce they have in the bowl is AMAZING. A little spice mix with coconut milk (I promise it’s more appetizing than I describe!) I would definitely go back and order more of those shrimps!
Our entrees were okay. My boyfriend got the Mahi Mahi and I got the Seared «dry packed» sea scallops. He said his Mahi Mahi was okay, too many side things ending up making the dish overwhelming. I was not a fan of my dish either. The scallops and the vegetables that came with it were great! The risotto was not. We both did not finish out entrees =\ However, both dishes came in decent portion. Quantity wise — it’s worth the price.
I got a cappuccino at the end of our meal… which I also did not finish. I didn’t know the taste of cinnamon would be so strong (I am NOT a fan of cinnamon). It was also a bit too bitter for me. It came with a stick of sugar rock candy on the side — that was cool!
Overall, this is a decent restaurant. Located right in the mall so it’s convenience if you get hungry while shopping. I would definitely return if I’m in the area for those shrimps!