Lark Street Nightlife
Jul 22, 2022 | Albany, NY
I may have mentioned it before, but as far as Albany goes, Lark Street is the place to go if you're looking for a food/drink crawl. We had come through a couple times during the day but hadn't done a proper evening/night drinking stroll yet. So we fixed that.
We started off with burritos and margs at Burrito Bombers. Then we headed over to Lo-Fi which is a 60's/70's themed bar in the basement of one of the brownstones. We had high hopes for this place after seeing pics online, and we weren't disappointed. Tiki style drinks and lots of kooky decor and lighting, and all through a snake-y basement area, no less. We each got a cocktail and I got a Montucky Cold Snack which believe it or not is just a tall can of lager. But it's a good one and I hadn't had a Cold Snack in a good while so I had to grab one when I saw they had it.
Last on our list to see was Palais Royale. This is one that I'm sure we would have completely missed or passed on except that we received a glowing recommendation from a local we talked while drinking beer at Pint Sized a couple weeks ago. It also had strangely high ratings on Google for a dive bar, so I thought he might be on to something. Indeed it was, for the most part, just another dive bar. But there was something done unmistakably right about it. The bartender was friendly, the drinks were cheap, the decor was appropriately grungy but with a few unique pieces. For drinks, Erika kept it simple with a couple glasses of well whiskey neat. I got the "Purple Mofo" just because of the name. It was sour and strong, and I didn't regret ordering it. Then, since I was at a dive, after all, I ended it with a can of the recommended old man lager they stock there: Utica Club.
I got the prickly pear because I hadn't had that flave before. Erika went with strawberry which is usually my go-to if I'm not getting a classic lime. They were maybe 7/10. A bit too sweet, but still strong-ish.
I got the prickly pear because I hadn't had that flave before. Erika went with strawberry which is usually my go-to if I'm not getting a classic lime. They were maybe 7/10. A bit too sweet, but still strong-ish.
Erika got the burrito with vegan chicken nuggets in it because hey, you don't see that everywhere. She also got an extra salsa because people online were complaining about it being dry. I got the bbq chicken which was good, but I could have done with less bbq sauce. It was pretty sweet tasting. I attempted to get the burrito with fries in it, but apparently the server got confused and they ended up replacing my chips as a side. In my defense the fries were clearly listed as a burrito item in the BYOB (build your own burrito) section!
Erika got the burrito with vegan chicken nuggets in it because hey, you don't see that everywhere. She also got an extra salsa because people online were complaining about it being dry. I got the bbq chicken which was good, but I could have done with less bbq sauce. It was pretty sweet tasting. I attempted to get the burrito with fries in it, but apparently the server got confused and they ended up replacing my chips as a side. In my defense the fries were clearly listed as a burrito item in the BYOB (build your own burrito) section!
Burrito Bombers on the classic Lark Street 1.5 story building
Burrito Bombers on the classic Lark Street 1.5 story building
Going underground to Lo-Fi
Going underground to Lo-Fi
They had tiki style cocktails despite not being a tiki bar. Perhaps because they were themed with a mid-century aesthetic and tiki drinks were popular in that era?
They had tiki style cocktails despite not being a tiki bar. Perhaps because they were themed with a mid-century aesthetic and tiki drinks were popular in that era?
She got the Frozen Saturn which was way better than my See No Evil. Damn you Fernet and your mouthwash flavor. At least mine had the wacky enclosed cup.
She got the Frozen Saturn which was way better than my See No Evil. Damn you Fernet and your mouthwash flavor. At least mine had the wacky enclosed cup.
Spooky silhouette
Spooky silhouette
Fur wall
Fur wall
We'll have to come back for Thurs
We'll have to come back for Thurs
Ok this pic might have been a bit dark, but I think it matches the Palais Royale experience closer that way.
Ok this pic might have been a bit dark, but I think it matches the Palais Royale experience closer that way.
This was the house beer: a "UC" as they refer to it. The best dive bars always have some weird old lager that's slinked along unnoticed for decades. On their website they claim that UC is "the first beer licensed for sale at the end of Prohibition". I'd be surprised if that statement is provable, however.
This was the house beer: a "UC" as they refer to it. The best dive bars always have some weird old lager that's slinked along unnoticed for decades. On their website they claim that UC is "the first beer licensed for sale at the end of Prohibition". I'd be surprised if that statement is provable, however.
Bathroom hooligans
Bathroom hooligans
They made sure no one's going to be "upper decking" this toilet
They made sure no one's going to be "upper decking" this toilet
