Smith’s Tavern

I’ve eaten at Smith’s multiple times now so I feel I can finally comment. The waitstaff was friendly and service was quick and that’s why it gets at least 3 stars. I found the food, including the much acclaimed pizza, to be under seasoned and almost tasteless. I’ve had wings, a chicken sandwich, a crispy chicken appetizer, and a few different pizzas and found none of them particularly memorable. I wanted to really like this place since it’s close by and so many people seemed to rave about the pizza, but I just don’t like the food. I will probably give them another chance due to convenience, but it’s certainly not going to be high on my list of restaurants to choose from.

I like a good pizza, I like spicy wings, I think mozz sticks with raspberry sauce are pretty awful 99% of the time, and, of course, I like beer, which is why friends were invented.
It was TTTT (Third Thursday Tavern Time) with the local Unilocalers, together to share stories and a few pitchers and a pile of food. Burp. Excuse me.
Pitcher 1. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was the best part of the meal, and the best part of what’s on tap.
Apps. Just OK. The mozz sticks were thick and stodgy, though the sauce was pretty good. The onion rings were a little too dark in color but crisp, needed a bit of salt — at least the onion didn’t slip out like a bug leaving it’s shell behind. The wings (oven baked) were tender but the «hot» were still pretty mild, served with a little plastic container of bottled blue and a few sad carrot sticks on the side.
Pitcher 2.
The regular pizza crust at Smith’s is like a big thick spongy roll with stuff on top — dense and deadly. Zena did not fight back. She picked a few of the meaty bits off her Meatsa Pizza and merely pushed the slice aside. One down.
Pitcher 3.
The «thin» crust is not a size 2, it’s a size 16, and while for some it may be all about that «base», this is still way thicker than my personal preference. The Metrolander ($ 16.95 — pepperoni, red onion, green peppers, hot cherry peppers, black olives, extra mozz, garlic sprinkles) was VERY spicy, but pretty good. The Tavern Veggie (same price — plus $ 1 for ricotta, no olives) was just the opposite — bland (red pepper flakes helped), and the crust was hard like a cracker (I think it should fold and flop or be crisp, don’t you???).
But the food is served hot, the servers are lovely, and there isn’t much else around, so this one gets an extra half-​star for being a real neighborhood tavern: predictable and friendly.
Love, Zena

Expectations are important.
I returned to Smith’s with low expectations. I’ve never liked the pizza here and I’ve given it a few chances over the years. But people love this place. The parking lot is packed. So there must be something good about it.
Perhaps it’s just that people enjoy the thick, bready style of pizza that’s offered there. Without a doubt, this is pizza that demands toppings. Ordering a simple cheese pie is a mistake.
After this last visit, I can also assure you that it’s a mistake to try their wings, mozzarella sticks, or onion rings. They are all baked, but I was compelled to try them anyway… for science.
We won’t linger on the negatives. The melba sauce is quite good.
Perhaps the most surprising discovery of this trip is that the pizzas can be ordered with a thinner style crust! How did I never see this before? Do that. It’s still a thick crust, mind you. And it still requires toppings. However, you’ll now have a fighting chance to get a pizza that’s a balance of flavors, instead of one that’s overwhelmed by the breadiness of the crust.
The meat toppings are nothing special. However, the Metrolander with its slices of hot peppers that are scattered across the top of the pie is a winner. We also got the vegetarian special replacing the black olives for ricotta cheese. This one also made me smile.
There’s something comforting about gooey cheesy pies. And a hot and spicy pie rarely fails to get me excited.
Thankfully, I’ve found some reason to return to Smith’s. And they have Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on tap. We can debate some time whether that’s a better choice than Davidson Brother’s IPA. And you can do that with your tablemates at your next visit to this Voorheesville classic.
Just don’t forget to bring cash, because it’s cash only. And bring enough for a good tip for your waitress, because they’re fantastic

I am not a fan of Pizza with more bread than toppings, which is the style served here. But reading the menu more carefully we noticed they have a thinner crust option and I enjoyed that a lot more. Mind you this was not thin crust, it was still thicker than normal, but I preferred it a lot to the «original style». We had the Metrolander, a modified Veggie, and a bacon and meat special. Lots of toppings and cheese, so they do need a lot of crust to hold it all together. Quite good, and better than I remembered from previous visits. The Metrolander has some very spicy peppers on it, so beware — or enjoy depending on your heat tolerance.
The appetizers were very sad. The onion rings and Mozzarella sticks (baked?) were pretty bad with a freezer taste, though the raspberry dipping sauce was a qood one. I’m not a wing fan but the group didn’t think these wings were great.
Beer selection was much better than I remembered, some very good stuff on bottles and Sierrra Nevada on tap.
So this is a good place for pizza and beer. Large tables in the back are good for families, sports teams, or other large groups. Love the train!

Hi, it’s me again. After putting into play my plans to conquer the free world my wife and I stopped in for dinner last night. The joint was jumping however we were promptly seated. Our drink order was quickly taken by a friendly waitress, H2O for my wife and a pint of PBR (hey I’m on a budget) for me. Pizza was the order of the day. Pepper, sausage and onion. It’s arrived in a timely fashion. Plenty of cheese and toppings. Nice and hot. Much like myself. The train that circles over head was turned on after the waitress heard me mention it to my wife. A good time was had by all. Dinner with tip was $ 30. Of course after I take over the world I’ll eat and drink for free.

I grew up in this town and have gone here a lot so I find the poor reviews sad. I always loved the food and pizza:) maybe it’s nostalgic for us townies, I don’t know but I will probably all ways love it here.
The only complaint I ever had was that they only take cash. I believe if they ran cards they would get a lot more business. I have driven by and wanted to stop for something but didn’t have cash so just kept driving.

The staff was rude and the food was just so so.
5 $ for a draft beer? At this joint? You have got to be kidding me. Grab a six pack and a frozen entrée next door at the gas station and just go home… this place sucks.

Service is non existent. Waitress was terrible. Food was ok but it took forever and if u needed something else or a drink refill ur out of luck. The Flys that filled the dining room were an extra special treat.

There is a certain romanticism surrounding places like Smith’s Tavern. It’s a little drive outside of the city. They’ve got an old-​fashioned sign hanging out front. And of course they have the buzz as having some of the best pizza in the capital region.
The pizza at Smith’s Tavern is okay, but as I said to my wife during last night’s dinner, it’s the type of pizza you need to be in the mood for. For me, this isn’t the type of pizza that I will seek out when that particular night of the week rolls around. We ordered a half sausage and peppers and half cheese pizza. The crust is thick, likely using a shell rather than dough to start. The sauce is pretty good with a slight tang. In each of my experiences with Smith’s, they use way too much cheese, so much that I had to remove some of it. The sausage was fine, but the green and red bell peppers were tasty and fresh.
Smith’s benefits from having a lovely waitstaff. Our server was very sweet and was seen engaging all of the patrons, especially the children, throughout the night. When our pizza was delayed coming out of the kitchen, she brought us a round of beers on the house (we hadn’t and didn’t plan to complain about the extra few minutes we were waiting, but hey, free beer). The bar area also has a pretty solid jukebox, which I had a lot of fun with while we hung out.
If this review was simply based on the pizza, I would have awarded it two-​stars. It’s good for what it is, but it is not my preferred pizza type. However, as history has shown, it is the human element that elevates the operation here. This is a totally friendly and non-​abrasive place to grab a decent pie and a cold glass of beer.

It’s a bar. They serve family meals, but it’s still the local watering hole. Food used to be great, but more recently I’ve found the food to be inconsistent. Depends on who’s in the kitchen. They win awards, but who ever is making that award winning food isn’t making it every night and the kids they hire aren’t being properly trained to make it right.
This place used to be a family favourite for drinks, food or group events but we’ve stopped going. We miss the old days.

Great place to hang with the locals and those passing through. Bar area can be lively. The restaurant area is nice for families. I enjoy the Mexican pizza. I love the German potato salad. Interior is dated but in a comforting way. Service has always been very nice. This restaurant is a true community member and very generous to youth organizations, etc. I like to go here with family, on a casual date night, or with sports teams.

I know the tavern has been around for a long time and I’ve been going there over the years. But I do remember it being so much better than it was tonight! It still has the same warm hospitality that it has always had, the beer is cold and the draft choices are interesting. The jukebox is still there and you can play your favorites.
With all that being said, we really go for the pizza. We kept it simple tonight and ordered one with mushrooms and sausage. It arrived and the hotplate that it came on was appropriately named because the plate was really hot! We each took a slice and tentatively tasted the tip so as not to burn our tongue. No worries there as the pizza itself was barely lukewarm. And unfortunately it was really doughy like it hadn’t been cooked all the way through. But the outside rim looked very done. Hmmmm. We couldn’t put enough hot pepper flakes and grated cheese on it to give it some flavor because it was so bland. Even the mushrooms and the sausage had very little taste.
Oh well, I guess nothing stays the same and we probably won’t give it another shot. Or maybe my memory didn’t serve me well.

I’m from the midwest so I wouldn’t consider myself a pizza extraordinaire like the rest of the NYers here, but I do like good eats, and Smitty’s is at the top of the list. The Hawaiian with white sauce is fab, as is The Villager (although we usually make a few substitutions). Good for larger groups in the back room, and we often frequent this place for birthday dinners with family and friends. So good!
–1 star for the atmosphere, which you learn to appreciate. They have a train that goes around the perimeter of the bar area (near the ceiling), which is pretty sweet. Super small-​town and rustic, so don’t expect anything fancy. I think that’s part of the charm.

simply put. best pizza ever.

Love this place, but you need to know what to avoid. First off, this is not pizza. It is a pizza type food, but not actual pizza. Order thin and crispy and it gets closer to pizza but still the dough is less crusty than just sort of dry. Weird flavor of sugar cookies which isn’t bad per se but again, not pizza. Toppings range from novel to nasty. Keep it simple.
Salads are a throwback model with iceberg, handball tomatoes even in season, and canned black olives (why?!). You were warned.
Also, do not get wings. No fryer in this place for some reason and therefore things normally fried are reheated junk from Sysco or similar frozen food outfit. Place would be much better without any of that stuff.
Somehow they make a great grilled sandwich, Reuben Rachel or a grilled hamburger is always good. Plus a strangely addictive German style potato salad with bacon. Beers are remarkably cold, even though there is not much selection (America does love it’s michmillweiserbatts and michmillweiserbatts light does it not?)
What really makes this a great place is that it is in the greatest town on earth, and the people are all very cool pleasant good natured friendly and smart. Have fun at smitty’s and then get your butt back to wherever you came from, there are already too many housing developments in this town!

I gotta say the pizza here was pretty damn good but I can see why people complained in the past.
The waitstaff sucks really bad. My waitress was blatantly not wearing a bra and not in a good way. The furniture is old the tables are wobbly. This place looks exactly how it feels. Old and worn.
The food is the only saving grace but the only good food is the pizza. It’s pretty epic and that’s no exaggeration but this place lacks direction and leadership.
The good food only gets you so far. Would I eat here again? Yes but on the condition that I don’t order anything but pizza.
You get what you get though and for a poorly run restaurant in the back of a bar it’s not so bad.

«A Pizza for the Ages»
by Josh K.
I don’t know if it was the awesome spelunking we did in nearby Clarksville cave on a cold, rainy day, but the warm and welcoming pub ambiance that two very muddy, smelly, and disheveled cavers received at Smith’s Tavern, was a well-​appreciated treat.
But hospitality for those seeking out the nearby natural wonders of the Heldebergs is something Smith’s Tavern is in no short supply of. This spot has been serving good food and drink for day-​trippers and locals alike for well over a century. Once the West End hotel, built in 1901 on the Vly Creek, the Voorheesville institution has been serving delicious American pub-​style comfort food since 1945.
Just as in Albany we have The Orchard Tavern with their distinct style of pizza; Voorheesville’s equivalent is Smith’s Tavern aka «Smitty’s». I was very impressed with their unique version a buttery, thick cut pan pizza using homemade dough and sauce made fresh every day.
We opted for the «Metrolander» — named after our local newspaper that seems to always award Smith’s with the best pizza (a dozen times) in the Capital Region. I have a hard time arguing against this. With an extra supply of gooey mozzarella cheese, topped with pepperoni, red onions, green peppers, spicy cherry peppers, black olives and loads of garlic, the Metrolander is an epic pizza. Washing it down with a pitcher of beer and chatting up with the good folks at the bar, it is easy to see why this is a beloved local establishment. With a poet’s corner, and a model train circling the bar, we are very fortunate to live in a area where such places exist.
I am relieved to have found a solid stop off whilst traveling to various south of Albany outdoor adventures.
Always nostalgic and the fact that they don’t take credit cards, Smith’s Tavern also feels a lot like time traveling — the best kind of travel.

Not sure what everyone else is reviewing about… this pizza is legendary in this area. It simply AWESOME!!!

I had heard from more than one friend that Smith’s has some of the best pizza in this area. We ordered a medium pizza pie, and it was a dry, bland disappointment with not enough cheese. Maybe their bar crowd tolerates such a tasteless pie. We will not be returning, to gamble again on their variable product.

My only experience with Smith’s Pizza: It was the biggest snowstorm of 04 – 05. It was a Friday or Saturday night. Everything was closed. But surpringly, we rang Smith’s and someone answered. We ordered some chicken wings, walked over in the snow to the restaurant. There was no one there. And we walked home with our delicious wings. Kudos, Smith’s!