Drinking at the best bars in Albany is going to be covered in full detail as this post goes along. Some may be searching for a tall glass of beer, a shot of vodka, to save money on liquor during local drink special times, or maybe to sing karaoke and either way we will get you sorted out.
We will kick this baby off with the best wine and cocktail bars in Albany. Breweries and sports bars where you can watch the big game or maybe play some pool or throw some darts will get our second section.
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The best drink specials at bars near you with cheaper alcohol will come next before we pivot to bars with trivia, quiz, and/or game nights in your area. Bars for dancing, karaoke, and to listen to live music will garner our final section.
Expect to find a local bar map with all these spots pinned on it so you can have a better feel for what venues are closest to your current area at the moment. All of our posts on cocktail, wine, and sports bars in the Northeast are available there if you are interested in reading more.
Cocktail & Wine Bars
The best cocktail and wine bars in Albany might just be:
- Speakeasy 518 at 42 Howard St
- City Line Bar and Grill at 1200 Western Ave
- The Hollow Bar + Kitchen at 79 North Pearl St
- Post on Lark at Lark St
- The Shaker & Vine at 221 Harborside Dr
City Line Bar and Grill is a great place for exquisite cocktails that also has high-top tables, a patio, 22 rotating draft beer lines, HD televisions for your sports viewing pleasure as well as catering services.
The Hollow Bar + Kitchen is a 4-star restaurant and live music venue that executes cocktail and dinner parties, business luncheons, reunions, and birthday parties. Their sidewalk cafe is open during the summer and is a popular spot for outdoor dining.
Experience comfort at Post on Lark’s indoor dining as well as their outdoor seating with back patio, sidewalk, and picnic tables. They are open every day except for Mondays.
The Shaker & Vine is a restaurant and a full-service wine bar near you serving premium handcrafted cocktails and bottled beers but they are also closed on Mondays.
Albany Breweries & Sports Bars
Watch the big game with your friends and sample new flavors of beers at the best breweries and sports bars in your area:
- C H Evans Brewing Co. at 19 Quackenbush Square
- Druthers Brewing Company at 1053 Broadway
- Dawn’s Victory Sports Cafe at 10 Sheridan Ave
- Graney’s Bar & Grill at 275 New Scotland Ave
- Lynn’s Uptown Sports Tavern at 15 Colvin Ave
Both C H Evans Brewing Co. and Druthers Brewing Company are great spots to buy tasty beers and food in Albany.
Dawn’s Victory Sports Café is one of the spots for casual meals with a gourmet twist along with all-day alcoholic drink specials.
Play your own music or watch your favorite team while enjoying great bar food at Graney’s Bar & Grill.
Lynn’s Uptown Sports Tavern has a large banquet hall that is great for large gatherings and events including live music played by popular artists every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Local Drink Specials
Save some money buying cheaper alcohol at these bars with drink specials near you:
- The Cuckoo’s Nest at 234 Western Ave
- Barcelona at 1192 Western Ave
- Across The Street Pub at 1238 Western Ave
The Cuckoo’s Nest is known to have some of the best liquor specials in Albany from 3pm to 5pm Tuesdays to Fridays.
Some of the best drink specials in your area are available from 4pm to 6pm on Monday to Friday at Across The Street Pub who also has trivia nights from 6:30pm to 8:30pm every Tuesday.
Trivia, Quiz, & Game Nights
There are plenty of bars with local trivia, quiz, and game nights:
- The Madison Pour House at 1110 Madison Ave
- Rocks77 at 77 Central Ave
- Forto Range Brewing at 450 North Pearl
- The Yard Albany at 16 Sheridan Ave
The Madison Pour House also has great happy hours from 3pm to 6pm and hosts bar trivia nights near you every Thursday at 7pm. Rocks77 is a local bar that is open daily and hosts weekly trivia every Tuesday at 8pm.
Enjoy lawn games and axe throwing at The Yard with ice cream, curated tapas, and cocktails. You can also jam out to your favorite songs or throw a private party with your friends in one of their themed greenhouses.
Dance, Karaoke, & Live Music
These bars are great for dancing, live music, and karaoke:
- Water Works Pub at 76 Central Ave
- City Beer Hall at 42 Howard St
- Hollow Albany at 79 North Pearl St
- Old English at 683 Broadway
Water Works Pub is open seven days a week and offers bar karaoke in Albany as well as Friday night dancing.
Beer and specialty foods are served at Hollow where they also feature live music.
Old English plays live music on various platforms and offers local drink specials from 3pm to 5pm every day except for Mondays.
We also have written posts on:
Have Fun Drinking At The Best Bars In Albany
Now that you have read all of that you should have a much better understanding of what is available in your area. There are plenty of local wine and cocktail bars, breweries to watch sports at, places with good drink specials to save money, trivia, quiz, and game nights, as well as bars to listen to live music, dance, and sing karaoke near you.
If you notice us listing any venues that are no longer open or just think we got something wrong please tell us in the comments so this page stays as up to date as possible. Now go have fun drinking at the best bars in Albany.