Next Door Kitchen and Bar

…just finishing dinner here now… ate here last night… have reservations for tomorrow night… it does not get any better than this… Chris at the bar is full of info and ideas-​totally fun and helpful… so far we’ve had the lobster bisque (a little different… alot less creamy than I’m used too. a lot more flavor than I’ve had)-the beet salad (so delicious)…the fried chicken (it’s named the best… it’s almost the best I’ve had… the girlfriend says it’s the best she’s had)-and the burger (just order it… it’s so fucking good)…can’t wait to eat here tomorrow night!!!

Amazing resteraunt tucked away in Ballston Spa. Décor is beatiful, majority of food is all locally sourced. Were given a stellar review by the New York Times. A must go to for anybody looking to escape the track crowds in the summer or for any time of the year.

Saratoga Springs best kept secret is down the road in Ballston Spa! Delicious and varied choices, with a majority gluten free! The staff works like a team, food arriving at the table timely and hot! Thank you John, Crystal and Jack! Our third visit and looking forward to the next. Does YUM suffice?

Love the atmosphere and décor! I’ve been there twice and loved my meal both times. The service is great– the only bad thing is the acoustics in the restaurant. It can be extremely loud in there so if you’re looking for a quiet meal, this might not be the best place for you. For me, the food and service makes up for it.

Small quaint restaurant only complaint tables are less than 2 ft apart. Kudos to the chief on taste and presentation. Just right amount of food so you leave with ability to continue on with your evening instead of being stuffed. interesting lighting rustic home town feel Only 7 dinner items to choose from so not much to distract your choice. impressive wine list

Been here 4 or 5 times and every meal was fantastic and FRESH! Today I just had dinner with my in laws and relatives from out of town. All 6 of us enjoyed the meal. Atmosphere is warm and cozy and staff were very attentive. I’m looking forward to the next time I go!

I ordered the lobster tail with risotto and sweet potatoes, which was heavenly to say the least! Everything was cooked to perfection. My husband ordered the pork chop with an apple purée. The pork chop was close to two inches thick and so juicy. They grilled the chop it was slightly charred on the outside and juicy in the middle. My toffee pudding with pecans, sea salt, and vanilla ice cream put me over the edge. I could have seriously drank the toffee sauce! My husband ordered a flourless chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream and nutella. He was also in love with every item he ordered. You must check this place out! Wouldn’t change a thing!

I can’t rate the food or table service but only our 2 minute experience in the doorway. … 5:30pm Saturday night, no reservation and a half empty restaurant seemed like a favorable combination,… wrong. Because we didn’t have a reservation we were limited to only eating at the bar which wasn’t what we were looking for. Kind of soured on the place.

There are few restaurants in this area that deserve such a warm review. Since they have opened their door (s), we have not been to a restaurant that remotely compares. Next door is amazing every time. The food is always fresh and the menu offers something for everybody. I love good food, but I tend to ask a lot of rooky foodie questions, so it is nice to have patient knowledgeable staff to serve us. We were a little disappointed that the cheese platter had been sold out, but that happens when the food is sourced locally. My other suggestion is to slightly warm the Rockhill bread (which is complimentary) before serving.

6 of us went for dinner last night, service was excellent and wine selection spectacular. Food was very good. We all had different plates — I had pork chop. Was excellent, but not enough veggies or starch with it. Others had the burgers and said they were amazing. One had the salmon and said it was just ok.
Appetizers were extremely good and dessert was killer !!
Service was exceptional — all super nice people, very warm and friendly.
Big departure from some NYC restaurants I’m used to !!
Definitely will return next trip upstate…

51 Front Street was my favorite area restaurant and I was really looking forward to eating at the Next Door Kitchen. Maybe my expectations were unrealistic based on all the glowing reviews here, but my dining experience did not come close to meeting those expectations.
The restaurant has expanded into the building next door and is now larger than 51 Front Street. The décor is largely unchanged, and is nice.
The Bar has a good selection of beer, scotches and wine. As for the food, Next Door Kitchen fell short. The menu was limited, and each member of my party apart from me ordered salads and appetizers because none of the entrees appealed to them. We ultimately left feeling like we paid a lot of money for mediocre food, and some in my party actually left hungry.
I started with a green salad that was nothing spectacular. I then had a shrimp entrée that I picked through a process of elimination because there was nothing else on the menu that appealed to me. It was just OK, not a $ 27 enter, and not something I’d ever order again.
One in my party had a beet salad that was pretty, but absurdly small –a few pieces of beets on a plate. My wife had a kale salad which she found unimpressive, and crab cakes that she described as cold in the middle and bland, and which had a long human hair baked into it. We should have sent it back, but wanted to leave without creating a scene. The best thing we had was a chicken liver pâté appetizer, which was good.
Everyone in my party left disappointed. I hope this was just a function of the seasonal menu and perhaps a bad night. I don’t think I’d go back again without first checking the menu.

Great meal with attentive, knowledgable and friendly service in a very ‘classed-​up rustic/​casual bistro-​bar’ setting. Chef Jeff Strom has some exceptionally nuanced flavor forward things going on here, go check this one out! The better chunk of Saratoga’s notable restaurants should be looking over their shoulder…

Thank you, Next Door Kitchen & Bar, for saving our evening! After being ignored down the street, we were treated to professional service and exquisite food. This was our third time at NDKB, and each time had a fantastic experience. Had possibly the best crab cakes we’ve ever last night. Burger was great, salmon cooked perfectly, and the preserved tuna appetizer was interesting in all the right ways. My only regret is that we didn’t have room to order the pulled pork kim chi egg rolls, ’cause those things are incredible.

We still love this place and especially the new renovations, but I’m a little disappointed because I follow their Facebook page and for the soft opening and grand opening of their new bar on two separate occasions they advertised drink specials but when we showed up for drinks. no drink specials both times. Kind of annoying. We’ll still come back but I definitely think they need to communicate better with their advertising.

Dined here for the first time last week. The atmosphere is great — casual yet classy. Great looking bar. But the place is small, so I suggest calling ahead.
My husband and I both ordered the fried chicken which came with mac & cheese, braised greens, and a biscuit w/​apple butter. Everything was delicious! The chicken was crispy, perfectly seasoned, and very juicy. The mac & cheese was yummy, wish there was a little more on my plate! The biscuit was so good with the apple butter. Portions were huge, we both ate one piece of chicken and took the other one home for dinner the next day!
My mother ordered the pork chop. Huge. And so juicy and tender, it melted in your mouth. Easily the best pork chop I’ve ever had.
I am docking one star because the service was a little slow and unorganized. It felt like we had two waiters: our actual waitress and the hostess. And our drinks took longer than they should have. Can’t wait to go back.

The Next Door Kitchen and Bar is a very nice addition to the burgeoning collection of restaurants in down town Ballston Spa.
My wife and I ate here on a Wednesday evening for dinner, and a good sign right away was that there where a number of tables already occupied when we arrived.
They did a nice job with the ambiance of the space, with a fancy looking bar displaying some top shelf liquors, and cool looking blow glass beer taps with a selection of some craft beers on tap.
The menu is full of interesting sounding things, and this is really a restaurant that a foodie can truly enjoy. For appetizer, we ordered the kimchi and pulled pork egg rolls which where great, and served on a nice sauce.
Bread came with an interesting pureed bean spread which I thought was very good.
For the entrees, I ordered an alaskan salmon special, cooked with fava beans, purple artichoke hearts and some other stuff that I’ve forgotten already, and it was truly excellent, with the salmon being cooked just right and flavors combining very nicely.
My wife ordered a crab risotto with some type of chili pepper purée that was also very interesting, flavorful and enjoyable.
Desert was once again interesting with lavender crème brûlée — again very good. Lots of other tasty looking options also were available.
Service was attentive, friendly and knowledgable, and over all it was a great dining experience.
One thing that is not a complaint, but simply something to be aware of, is that this is a quality of quantity type of place, and if you go expecting Augie’s style portions you will be disappointed. However if you plan on doing all the courses, the portions are about right and you certainly won’t leave hungry.
Very happy with the experience, as there are not many other places in the area offering this style of creative menu options.

I very rarely find a place in upstate NY that provides a mind blowing food experience. And Next Door is at the top of that list.
I went on a Saturday night with my Mom and brother. They provided us with bread, which was served with an herby bean spread and an individual bite-​sized tasting — on this night, it was a piquillo pepper with goat cheese and pumpkin pesto. We were starving so this was lovely. We also started with the pulled pork kimchi egg rolls. I wasn’t completely blown away by these like other Unilocalers were, but they were tasty.
For our meals, we all wanted to share because it was too difficult to decide. We had two of the specials and the halibut dinner from the menu. The specials included sea scallops with farro and baby peas with a creamy bacon sauce, and the absolute star of the show was the special beef tenderloin topped with ramp butter and served with fingerling potatoes with a bacon demi-​glaze. Saying this was incredible is an understatement!
The service is top notch and it’s very clear that everyone takes great effort in providing a unique farm-​to-​table experience. The staff are very thorough in describing the menu and the details that go into it. The price tag is a bit high for being the capital region, but it’s worth every penny.

We had another very nice meal here.
I loved the amuse bouche they brought to the table. Such a cool touch. Our food was fresh and delicious and beautifully plated. My wife loved her halibut entrée.
Downgrading to 4 stars because the prices have creeped up. That’s too bad, because Next Door was a phenomenal value. Previously I had only seen one or two entrees over $ 20, now there are many, and my wife’s halibut entrée was a pricey $ 28.
Still, it’s a wonderful place to have dinner.

Wonderfully decorated spot with a warm friendly reception for everyone that walks through the door. The warm, rich materials used in the décor compliment the folks that make you feel that you’re part of a wonderful group of friends.
The complimentary tuna and bean purée were fantastic, the menu is easy to appreciate and creatively done. By the time we ordered the gnocchi was 86’ed but all other items were available to us.
We enjoyed the fried chicken, a delicate filet mignon and shrimp with grits.
Cudos to the kitchen staff and the front of the house, a great combination.

Another Amazing meal at what is hands down the best restaurant in the upstate New York area. The beef tenderloin was to die for. The shrimp and grits was sinfully delectable. The Caramel toffee bread pudding was light but sweet and addicting! Our server was fantastic, he might as well had a PhD in food because he was so knowledgable about our meal and made suggestions when we asked for his expertise. Oh, and definitely try the kimchi egg rolls… mind blowing!!!