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Five things we're loving right now in the Capital Region

November 18, 2025

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Happy Tuesday, Capital Region! Today, we’re back with our regular list of our five favorite things right now. We haven’t done one of these roundups in a while so it’s nice to feature some of the things we’re loving, and think you’ll love too.

As a reminder, our Top 5 Weekend Picks comes out on Thursday. Check back to get your weekend guide!

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

Every Tuesday at Smiths Public House, get a complimentary pint of Peroni with each pizza ordered 📷️ via Instagram

🏆️ 5 things we’re loving right now in the Capital Region

Here are some places and services grabbing our attention… Let us know what you think in our reader poll!

This historic bar and restaurant in Cohoes would make for an excellent first date spot—intimate, sexy, and delicious. We recently met a friend here for drinks and a light dinner of crab cakes (two generous patties of well-seasoned crab—so good). The rest of the menu looks fantastic too, particularly the pizza. One quibble: The TVs in the bar area take away from the cozy atmosphere a bit (why do we need TVs everywhere??), but the dining room is separated from the bar, thankfully.

This popular app, a solution for both food waste and food insecurity, is now available in the Capital Region. Too Good to Go lets you buy “surprise bags” of restaurant food that hasn’t sold at the end of the day. Prices range from $4.99 to $7.99 for a generous amount of food. We recently got 3 huge, yummy slices from Pizza My Love in Rensselaer for just $4.99. There’s an inordinate number of pizzerias on the app (which makes sense), but also gems like Bitchin’ Donuts (currently closed for repairs), Whole Foods (bakery items only), Upstate Cookie Shack, and Banh Mi 47 (not our favorite but some people like it). In this economy, any place to get good cheap food is a godsend!

This absolute gem of a coffee shop started with Mike Milliron obsessing over roasting and pouring the perfect cup of coffee. Word got out about his strong coffee blend and he established a shop in Hoosick Falls. Thankfully, he later opened a tiny but adorable outpost in Albany at 811 Madison, just past Washington Park. There’s no seating, but the coffee is top-notch and the prices are reasonable ($4.50 for a latte and $2.25 for a large drip). Plus, we’re suckers for great branding and their entire look is chef’s kiss.

This family-run Mexican joint in Ballston Spa is known for their authentic food, attentive service, and their amazing Taco Tuesday special—$10 for 5 tacos! It’s one of the best deals around if you love real Mexican food. Chips and spicy salsa arrive before every meal, and the portions are generous! Plus, the decor is fun and colorful.

We’re big believers in therapy. Unfortunately, therapists aren’t cheap. Thankfully, there’s a resource in the Capital Region where you can get therapy for as little as $10 per session. That’s not a typo. The University of Albany Psychological Services Center at 299 Washington Avenue operates on a sliding scale, with 45-minute sessions costing from $10 to $45 (as opposed to $100-$150 per session anywhere else). The therapists here are doctoral students in training, but Phat can vouch for the quality of care—his current therapist here is the best he’s ever had!

Which of our 5 Faves is your favorite?

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Nestled in the hills of North Greenbush, Woodland Hill Montessori School offers an inspiring environment to explore and grow. Here, students from toddler through middle school learn with purpose, independence, and joy. Guided by fully credentialed Montessori teachers, we nurture curiosity, confidence, and a deep sense of personal responsibility.

Come to our Fall Open House this Saturday, November 22, from 10 am to 12 pm, to learn why Woodland Hill is the premier Montessori school in the Capital Region.

For more information, visit woodlandhill.org.

🍺 File this under “why we can’t have nice things”: The Real McCoy brewpub at Slip 12 in Albany has closed after just six months in business. The owners are being sued for more than $700K in overdue rent and utilities. The Slip 12 operators will look for a new brewery to occupy the space. [Times Union]

👨‍🎓 College enrollment continues to decline across the region, but some schools bucked the trend. For the second straight year, Russell Sage saw its enrollment numbers grow by a double digit percentage. Meanwhile, enrollment at Siena University dropped by 9% year over year 😬 [Albany Business Review]

🦃 Don’t wanna cook Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings? Order out for the big meal at one of these Capital Region restaurants. [News10]

This lovable Charlton Colonial sits gracefully on over four acres. It’s a home with all the extras and textures that make domestic life bright, including smooth hardwood floors and lots of light throughout, a graceful fireplace in an expansive family room, cute mudroom, and an enormous updated kitchen with an adorable breakfast nook. The handsome first-floor bath is handicap accessible, and comes with a brand new stacked washer dryer. Upstairs you’ll find a spacious primary suite and two more bedrooms with nifty sloped ceilings under the eaves (more adorable nooks!).

The front porch was fully rebuilt with the original bullseye trim preserved, and the sturdy cut-stone foundation speaks to the home’s long-lasting craftsmanship. The furnace, well pump and hot water heater have all been updated within the past two years. The huge wraparound Trex deck overlooking several acres of field and forest seal the deal. It’s a sweet property, be sure to ask the current owner about tapping the maple trees for syrup!

The deets: 4 acres, 3 bd, 2 ba, 2080 sf. Asking: $439,000. Days on market: 5. See the full listing here.

Note: Our Top 5 Weekend Picks will publish on Thursdays again. Check your inboxes!

TUESDAY

🎷 The Dave Kitchen Quintet plays the Moon & River Cafe tonight in Schenectady.

WEDNESDAY

🪓 Albany’s annual Flannel Fest at the Empire State Plaza features a chili cook-off, facial hair and donut eating contests, and loads of vendors.

🎸 Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening at the Palace Theatre is for true Led Zep fans.

THURSDAY

👯 Put Out the Welcome Mat with Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company up close, as the company performs on a large mat of interlocking squares featuring selections from its expansive repertoire at the Tang!

🛶 Glide into the PL1 bank vault for the 3rd Annual Mayfly Film Festival, an screening of 11 international short films about sustainability, stewardship, and the environment.

🚪 The Unopened Door – A Whimsical Tale For Grownups by Creative Action Unlimited Fall Production at the Arts Center of the Capital Region, shows through Saturday.

FRIDAY

🌲 Heal thyself with White Pine Therapy at the Sanctuary for Independent Media.

🖼️ Art Night Schenectady returns this month for another art-filled stroll around downtown.

📚️ The Book Hive Pop-up Book Sale at Wolf Hollow Brewing Co. is the adult version of the book fairs you used to love as school kids.

🐠 Via Aquarium’s Adult Only No Theme Date Night means no kids, no theme, no prep and no pressure!

☠️ Lark Hall presents Black Sails, billed as Albany’s longest themed goth DJ night.

SATURDAY 

🎅 Billed as the largest night-time holiday parade in the Northeast, the 56th Schenectady Holiday Parade kicks off at 5 pm.

🚂 For the curious and seasoned collector alike, the Albany Train Show is your chance to get new and used train sets at great prices.

🍶 Get to Pat’s Barn in the Rensselaer Tech Park for the Collar City Pottery Market, selling everything from functional items to sculpture and jewelry. Sat-Sun.

🎹 If you’ve never been to the Troy Listening Room, this is an excellent show to experience one of the best musical venues in the Capital Region: NOW Ensemble & Le Rubb.

🖼️ Remsen Street Arts & Ragged Edge Studio present the Holiday Arts & Crafts Sale in Cohoes.

🎄 Deck the Hall-bany is downtown Albany's weekly holiday market and festival co-produced by ParkAlbany and the Downtown Albany BID, held at the Clinton Market Collective and Quackenbush Square.

🍄‍🟫 Indian Ladder Farms invites you to a Mushroom Experience Dinner with Chef Dave Chaiken, with live music.

SUNDAY

🎤 The Variety Open Mic at The Mopco Improv Theatre is a supportive open mic for developing artists of all ages! Each performer gets up to 10 minutes to put on stage whatever they want.

🍂 Get to Voorheesville High School to browse among 100+ booths at the Holiday Craft & Vendor Fair.

ART ON VIEW:

SAVE THE DATES:

The Downtown Albany Hot Chocolate Stroll returns Saturday, Dec. 6.

Journey of Love and Hope: A Peking Opera Musical plays at the Arts Center of the Capital Region on Saturday, Nov. 29.

Our music listings are now published separately on The 518 website. Click here.

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