The Lager House

So much beer! Amazing pizza! Pleasant atmosphere and wonderful service! couldn’t ask for a better experience.

Tremendously disappointed. We bought a groupon and we were looking for a new place to add to Saturday evening dinners. Lager House will not be one of them.
My husband drinks beer, I do not.
–Asked for a pinot grigio, waitress didn’t think they had it (they do afterall)
–Had sampler platter — no sour cream for the potatoes and no blue cheese for the wings (but the wings wer crispy the way we like them). Artichoke dip is usually creamy, this also was disappointing — the middle was luke warm at best.
–Had the pork sandwich — terribly dry, bun was over toasted
–My husband had the chicken parm sandwich, which also was dry
–Not a big deal, but out of torpedo rolls for the parm
–Asked for a ginger ale, that wasn’t working — instead had lemonade that was very weak.
Didnt bother to finish our meals. I have never written a review about a place, but it was so bad I needed to.
Ironically, waitress never went by to ask if we liked our meal. Nor did she make mention that our meals were pushed aside.
Maybe we misunderstood the place. Maybe it is really just a place to grab.
Glad we had a groupon but either way it was a waste of $ 30. Better food at mall food court.

I still really love the buffalo chicken calzone, but I’m downgrading my review because the last few experiences have been so disappointing.
We bought a Groupon and went in to find the place packed and the chalkboard of beers erased. They were out of the first several things we asked about. Not just beer, but food. Out of this, out of that. No croutons for the salad, etc. She made it sound like they’d had a huge rush and hadn’t restocked yet, but if you’re going to advertise special deals, then you have to be prepared for extra business.
Last week, we gave it one more shot. The beer list was still erased. If they’d had a rush, there was plenty of time to restock. I found a pumpkin beer that made me pretty happy, but the waitress offered to bring me samples of two beers and instead brought on full glass (luckily, it was good). They didn’t have what my husband wanted. And our last few trips have been so disappointing, we probably won’t be back unless there are some major changes. That makes me sad, because it’s close and the prices are good. But if we’re going to a place called The Lager House, they need to have lager. And ale and beer.

Was here on Monday … and yes, they’re open! Unfortunately, they’re re-​doing the beer menu, as in «getting ready» for the fall. Yet, the tap selection was quite nice. The pulled pork sandwich reminded me of a burrito, interesting but it didn’t quite work for me.

I’m updating my review for The Lager House, I’m adding an extra star because generally this place is good and sometimes great. I’ll admit I have love /​hate relationship with the Lager House because I’ve had just as many bad/​confusing experiences here as I’ve had great experiences.
GOOD TIMES:
I walk my dog here sometimes in the summer and one particular staff member will see me and GF coming and grab a dog bowl so my little guy can have something to drink while we sit outside and do the same. The outdoor patio area isn’t great, I’m glad it’s there and it makes for a nice respite before I take the 15 – 20 minute walk back home.
BAD TIMES:
I came here for dinner one night with some friends and service was reallllllllllllllyyyy SLLOOWWW. To the point where I was going to just get up and go to the bar and pour the beer myself. It’s not an usual occurrence for the service to be slow here and yes even when there are only 2 – 3 other people dining in. So during dinner the waiter came by asked if we needed anything, preemptively I ordered another beer because I knew this guy was slow as hell. He gave me a funny look however, when I asked for another IPA because mine was still half full. He took the order however and walked away. 15 minutes later and my IPA finished several minutes previously the waiter returned and asked, are you ready for that IPA now? WTF??? I was ready for it when I ordered it and I did that only because you suck.
OTHER TIMES:
The bartenders here can be a bit ackward, I’m not sure who does the hiring but lets just say they don’t get the stereotypical friendly bartender personalities. They aren’t really rude just weird. Asking bartenders here questions about beers or etc. can often lead to awkward remarks and conversations. I just use beeradvocate on my phone, instead.
They have live music here sometimes which is generally pretty lame and takes up most of the dining area. Also they started a new promotion on Mondays for «Open Mic Night» and 2 for 1 drafts before 5pm (I think). — The Trivia night as covered in my previous review is still bad, don’t bother with that.
The prices here are a tad expensive for the food and drink, for what you get. However Lager House is always (every month) on doubletakedeals and groupon with $ 15 for $ 30 coupons which can be used on beer, food, etc. So that really helps bring the price down quite a bit.
I think overall, The Lager House just needs to be bigger and not just in terms of the dining area but I think they need more beers on tap… they need more variety of food offered, they need to be open and staffed better longer and yes, they need more space in general.
I’m told they are going to start brewing their own beer soon… so after I try some, checkout open mic night and happy hour. I’ll update my review. Perhaps Lager House will attain 5 star status someday. As for today, I’m being generous by giving 4 stars. Lager House is definitely a quaint neighborhood bar with some undeniable charm but ultimately service is very inconsistent and doesn’t hold up when compared to some of the better craft beer bars in the area. I would not seek this place out if it wasn’t so close to my house.

Let me start this out by saying I’ve been to a number of places that can be classified as «craft beer bars» in Albany and NYC. Generally these places have more taps than you can fit in a single picture, and a solid bottle selection, too. They also generally have really solid bar food to accompany higher alcohol beers.
I have to say I haven’t been impressed by this place and neither have my friends who’ve also visited.
I was excited to try the Lager House, given Latham doesn’t have the most extravagant craft beer scene in the world. I got in there and saw they offered flights (aka beer samplers). When I asked what beers from their massive beer board could be tasted in the flight, they told me only the half a dozen beers they had on tap, one of which was kicked. You mean out of that entire board of 20+ beers, only a handful or so are on tap??? Yikes.
I wasn’t exactly impressed by the food, and the service was pretty eh, as well. If the place had been advertised as a regular ol’ bar, I would’ve had far fewer issues with the Lager House. If you want a true «craft beer bar» experience, trek down to City Beer Hall in Albany or out to The Bier Abbey in Schenectady. If you don’t feel like leaving Latham, then check out Philly Bar instead.
I hate to be a hater, but my expectations were not met.

If I could rate it lower I would have. I order 2 large and 2 salads to go. Simple enough order for a pizza place. I get a call about 10 minutes later and was told that they ran out of large pizzas and only had medium. Wtf? That doesn’t even make sense. That should have been clue one. I was told 40 minutes to go and pick it up. I show up. 50 minutes later and was told it would be another 20 minutes because they were so busy. There was 3 tables and 6 – 7 people at the bar. They asked if we wanted it. Second clue. I dropped off people and went back 25 minutes later. We I asked for the pizza the girl disappeared and came back said the cook was just putting it in. Finally 1 hour and 45 minutes later I finally get the pizza and salad. And to be honest the pizza wasn’t very good. I’ve worked in the restaurant business for years but this was unbelievable. Never again will I order from here.

Food & beer did not disappoint on 2^nd visit. Memphis pulled pork pizza was great, and had a couple of good/​interesting beers. Bartender & owners very nice. Place was nearly full on a Friday night, but no problem finding a spot at the bar. Bathroom could have been cleaner, but overall, a good, friendly place for food & beer.

Love it! I am so happy that Latham now has a good craft beer bar! It’s small, which isn’t a bad thing as far as I’m concerned. The bartenders were very friendly, and the beer choices were great. Lots of locally-​brewed beers of all varieties. My boyfriend had one of their pizzas and loved it. Great beer and great pizza? Win-​Win.

Good selection of beers and the good is good too! Fun bands. Small place but is very much a neighborhood joint. Friendly staff

We were going to Hoffman’s Playland, and we were thinking we’d just grab some food in the park. On a whim, we decided to scrap that plan and look for pizza in the area after we left. We settled on the Lager House. THANK GOD.
Pizza is my favorite food. I’ve eaten pizza almost everywhere I’ve gone. I’ve had some amazing pizzas, and to be quite honest, even if you put a bad pizza in front of me, I’m probably going to devour it. After drooling over the menu for a couple of minutes, we landed on a large chicken parm pizza and settled in with our beers. I think we would’ve been happy with just getting something competent. But then it came, and it was way beyond that. It only took a couple of bites and a few knowing looks around the table to realize we’d reached an unspoken consensus: that we were eating the best pizza we’d had in a long, long time, and possibly the best pizza ever.
I see some of the reviews on here are lukewarm. Maybe we just went on a good night. I don’t know, but I think I’m a pretty good judge of pizza, and this was great pizza. The clincher was the crust. Crust isn’t usually the star of the show, but this crust was decorated with sesame seeds and was thoroughly delicious. Easily the best crust I’ve eaten. The chicken parm pizza was a great choice — the chicken cooked perfectly (not too dry or chewy) — and I have to believe any place capable of churning out this particular item must have other fantastic stuff on their menu as well.
Everyone at the Lager House was very friendly — not just the staff, but the customers as well. Our server was Reed, who was very attentive. He had a great sense of humor and was very good with our kids. We didn’t end up sitting inside, but the interior was very inviting. The outdoor porch was the perfect place to enjoy a great pizza and watch some planes take off in the distance.
I’m not from Latham, or anywhere near Latham, and I don’t know if I’ll end up in the area again. If I do, they’re going to have to use some serious force to keep me from marching back towards the Lager House for another round of amazing pizza. This is food I intend to talk about for years.

An awesome beer list broken out by type of beer and alcohol percentage (see photo) was complimented well by a great NY-​style margherita pizza and friendly service. It was quiet on a Tuesday night when we came in, but we had a very pleasant experience.

Good menu, great beer selection, friendly service. We like to come when we can sit outside on the «patio.»

Summary– Neighborhood bar type place has a rough night.
Food– 2 Stars
The Nacho’s we ordered were a joke. Maybe it was just a bad choice, but I never think anything on a menu should be that meh. Just lacking in toppings all around, no significant flavor of any kind and light on the cheese. The Salsa on the side was straight from bottle. We were starving, so we ate almost all the chips by dipping them in the sour cream.
Pizza– We got a Pizza with onions, spinach, and artichoke hearts. It was OKish, but the spinach was clearly out of a frozen pre-​chopped package and was poorly distributed. The crust was good if you like thicker pizza.
Atmosphere– 3 Stars
Cute little place, parking appears to be an issue. Nice outdoor seating. When a band plays find cover, you can’t hear anything inside.
Service– 3 Stars
Had to borrow menu’s from table next door, had to ask for setups so we could eat our nachos. Otherwise fine.
Drinks– 1 Star
Based on the name and the reviews I was hoping this would be a great selection. It wasn’t, they had two whole beers on tap (don’t blow me away!), one of which is an Coors product (Batch 19). The bottle menu looked pretty solid, so I asked for a cool named IPA I had never seen before. They didn’t have it. I told my wife they should change their name to Tiny No Beer House.

Our return visit reinforces our desire to return again. We were ready to try some food this time around. I ordered the Pulled Pork Sandwich ($ 9.95) — pulled pork braised in house, served on a fresh hard roll with house-​made brown ale BBQ sauce. It was tasty, although I would have liked it a bit more smokey flavored. The BBQ sauce was nice, not overly sweet.
My wife ordered the Chilager Pizza ($ 8.95÷11.95÷15.95) — a «Windy-​City» style white pizza with ale braised Italian sausage, crushed tomatoes, parmesan cheese and fresh basil. This is a thick crust pizza with nice fennel flavors from the sausage and just enough basil and parmesan to blend all the flavors into a tasty meal.
Our draft beers, all 16 oz. pints, were Sierra Nevada Foam ($ 5; black board said $ 3 tonight between 5 and 8 pm, but we were charged $ 5 at 7 pm.); Batch 19; Chatham Brewing Porter; and Olde Saratoga Summer Ale.
There are still a couple of food items that interest us, so we’ll return. Friendly service.

A nice little beer & pizza place. Small, with perhaps 10 – 12 tables in the dining area plus a bar/.
I am giving them the benefit of the doubt with 4 stars since on our 1 visit we did not order either beer nor pizza (we will try those next time).
The cheezy garlic bread is very good — nice, fresh italian bread lightly toasted with cheese. The marinated cheese steak sandwhich was very tasty — again, the fresh bread is key. Not a huge amount of meat but still a good sized sandwich.
Service was excellent — but we were the only people in the dining area at the time.

Love love love the Lager house!
The owners were incredibly friendly and chatted with us throughout our stay. The meat livers pizza was incredible and just as good reheated that night (a rarity!)
Definitely worth the trip if you’re in Albany.
Great find!

Stopped in for a beer and pizza. Great beer selection! Definitely something for everyone. We had the pulled pork pizza — very tasty.
They lose a star for the lack of ambience. The placement of TV’s don’t make it easy to watch the game unless you are right at the bar. And the dining room lacks warmth. A lager house should feel like a logger house. Hopefully the place keeps it up. Easier/​more parking would help too.

If you’re looking for a cozy spot with simple, delicious and creative sandwiches and pizza and a surprisingly vast selection of over 30 craft brews then the Lager House is the place for you. We went for a late lunch on the day of their grand opening and loved the charm of the small-​ish dining room with fun odds and ends on the walls. We were the only people in the restaurant so we sat at the bar where the bartender was prepping for the big opening night. She was great, really sweet and chatty. We ordered some sandwiches and the old favorite from Courtney’s, the Baron’s Babies. They were still working out some kinks and they weren’t made until after our meals (apparently the slip never printed in the kitchen lol) but they were delicious! We met the owners who are fantastic, down to earth guys who are doing what they love.
The food was great, really yummy and creative. My boyfriend loved the awesome flavors of the Pale-​Ale Marinated Philly Cheese Steak sub. I ordered the Hot Italian sub and it was aaaa-​mazing. I loved it and I can’t wait to get it again. Both subs were piled with fresh, tasty meats, melted cheese and grilled veggies and the foot-​long bread was warm and toasted to perfection. The side of pasta salad was fresh and the standard chips and pickle were good too. You definitely get a lot of food for a really decent price, the bill for entrees and six beers was just over $ 50.
As for the beer selection, it’s awesome. Thanks to the rain our plan to go pumpkin picking was foiled so we stayed for a few more of the many beers they have to offer. We were surprised to see some of our favorite craft beers and lots of new ones and we were happy to hang out and try them while staying out of the rain! The owners, John and Aaron, talked about their plan on having the wide selection updated regularly and how they will rotate in seasonal and specialty brews as well.
Don’t let the size of the place keep you away. It’s owned and managed by a fantastic group of people who are in this because they love it. We had a wonderful experience there and we can’t wait to go back.

The Lager House breathes new life in the spot formerly occupied by Courtney’s. Normally somewhere like this would go completely under my radar because I do not drink so a place which I know nothing about better have something to draw me in. In this case I had previously worked at Courtney’s for a number of years before it changed owners and inevitably closed. So I was interested in seeing what changes had been made. A friend and fellow ex-​coworker accompanied me in this quest. While the exterior remains the same much of the interior has been redone with a fresher, more modern look. Behind the bar are shelves which showcase many of the craft beers they serve and are trying a build a reputation on. The menu has a familiar feel but with many new twists. Surprisingly they serve a Courtney’s staple. Baron Babies, which are bite sized dough balls brushed with garlic butter and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. I had to try an order of these for old times sake. And if you check in on facebook and tag 2 friends, you can get a free order. They tasted just like I remembered. Next I figured I should see how their pizza stacked up. There were many original toppings such as ale braised Italian sausage and house marinated porter beer portabella mushrooms. I decided to get these two toppings as well as bacon. The flavors were really different than your run of the mill pizza toppings and quite good. Service is very friendly and the owners seem like great guys so I wish them good luck. I’m just not sure what niche they are trying to fill though. There are only two TVs so it doesn’t seem like much of a sports bar. They do deliver but you wouldn’t expect it from the name and I haven’t noticed much advertisement for delivery. In the end its a good local place to bring the family, hang out and eat some pizza and subs.