The 10 best restaurants in Latham, NY

Saratoga County commuters know Latham from the Northway, and most of the restaurants there line Route 9 (New Loudon Road), Route 7 and Route 2. National chains fill the big plazas, but the independent kitchens are worth finding. This list is for Clifton Park, Halfmoon and Saratoga County readers who drive past every day and for Latham locals looking for a change.

Latham is a hamlet, not a municipality, and all ten restaurants here sit in the Town of Colonie with Latham mailing addresses. The list runs from a diner that opens at 6 a.m. every day to Shanghainese soup dumplings, Korean stews with house-made kimchi and a chef-owned steak room built in part of a former Kmart. Colonie Restaurant Week runs through Oct. 25, according to the Colonie Chamber of Commerce.

How we chose

We looked for independent restaurants with a steady local reputation, local press coverage and staying power, and we checked every address against New York State Health Department records, state boundary data and the U.S. Census geocoder to confirm the restaurant sits in the Town of Colonie. Each one was confirmed open as of Oct. 20, 2026, from the restaurant’s own website and, for eight of the ten, a 2026 inspection, license, news story or chamber listing, and hours and prices come from those pages. Chains were left off; a few local businesses with more than one location made the list. The list is unranked and in alphabetical order, and no restaurant paid to be included.

Hours, prices and dates below come from each business or official source and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.

Ala Shanghai

Soup dumplings are the first order at Ala Shanghai, which has served traditional Shanghainese cooking on Troy-Schenectady Road since Feb. 22, 2010. Pork soup dumplings cost $12 and crab and pork $14 on the restaurant’s online menu, and lion’s head meatballs in brown sauce are $24. Monthly specials have included crispy eel and steamed sea bass with pickled peppers. Plan ahead, because the dining room serves lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday only.

Hours: Tue–Sat lunch 12–3 p.m., dinner 5–10 p.m.; closed Sun–Mon

Address: 468 Troy Schenectady Road, Latham, NY 12110

Why they made the list

• Times Union writer Steve Barnes called the restaurant “an adventure you’re bound to love” in July 2010, as quoted on the restaurant’s website.
• Shanghai dishes on the menu include rice cake Shanghai style ($20), Tong-Po pork ($28) and Yan-Du-Xian, a traditional Shanghainese soup casserole ($32).
• Online orders through the restaurant’s Toast page are pickup only.
• Reservations are taken by phone at (518) 783-8188.

More details are in our directory listing.

Bellini’s Italian Eatery

A half-pound meatball with ricotta ($15) is the signature at Bellini’s Italian Eatery, the red-sauce room on Route 9. Chicken parmigiano over rigatoni costs $29, and the cioppino brings shrimp, sea scallops, clams, mussels and calamari over linguine for $40. A family-style platter of 12 meatballs ($28) feeds a table of friends. Dinner starts at 4 p.m. every day, so the dining room works for an early meal.

Hours: Daily from 4 p.m. (the restaurant’s site lists an 8 p.m. close)

Address: 624 New Loudon Road, Latham, NY 12110

Why they made the list

• Bellini’s opened in Slingerlands in 2002 on the recipes of Anthony Marrello and expanded to the Latham area in 2014, according to the restaurant’s website.
• The Colonie Chamber of Commerce lists Bellini’s among the participants in Colonie Restaurant Week, Oct. 19–25, 2026.
• Twelve-inch pizzas run $17 to $25, from a four-cheese pie to the Da Nico.
• Menu items labeled gluten free can be prepared gluten free on request, the menu says.

More details are in our directory listing.

Hooked Market & Kitchen

Half fish market and half restaurant, Hooked Market & Kitchen sells fillets by the pound at the counter and cooks seafood with a Spanish accent in the kitchen. Andalusian fish tacos cost $23, and a saffron paella loaded with scallops, shrimp, mussels and Manila clams is $38. Raw-bar oysters are $2.75 for East Coast and $3.75 for West Coast. Lunch and dinner are served Tuesday through Saturday only.

Hours: Tue–Sat lunch 11 a.m.–4 p.m., dinner 4–8 p.m.; closed Sun–Mon

Address: 1177 Troy Schenectady Road, Latham, NY 12110

Why they made the list

• CBS6 featured the market and kitchen on Tasty Tuesday in July 2025, when reporter Laura Gemmett sampled octopus.
• Posted market prices include haddock at $21.50 a pound and swordfish at $24.50 a pound.

More details are in our directory listing.

Innovo Kitchen

Before Innovo Kitchen, chef John LaPosta and his partner, Tina Kruger, owned a Saratoga Springs restaurant they sold in July 2015, according to the restaurant’s website. The Route 7 gastropub mixes bar snacks and big plates: Cool Ranch Doritos tater tots ($13), rigatoni riggies in tomato vodka sauce ($24) and a flatiron steak frites ($48). A private room seats 20, which makes the place handy for a family birthday or a work dinner.

Hours: Mon–Sat 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m.; Sun 11:30 a.m.–8 p.m.

Address: 1214 Troy Schenectady Road, Latham, NY 12110

Why they made the list

• LaPosta spent four years as executive chef at Jack’s Oyster House in Albany, according to the restaurant.
• The Colonie Chamber of Commerce lists Innovo Kitchen among the participants in Colonie Restaurant Week, Oct. 19–25, 2026.
• Dine-in, patio seating, curbside pickup and delivery are available, according to the restaurant.
• A food truck is available for events, according to the restaurant.

More details are in our directory listing.

Karavalli

Davy Cheeran opened Karavalli on Johnson Road on Feb. 7, 2005, and the kitchen still cooks from six regions of India, with specialist chefs for each. The website traces the kitchen’s roots to the coast between Kasargod in Kerala and Kundapura in Karnataka. The lunch buffet ($14.95 weekdays, $19.95 weekends, no buffet Tuesdays) suits a first visit. Indian lagers such as Taj Mahal and Old Monk 10K are on the bar menu.

Hours: Check current hours before you go. (The lunch buffet runs every day except Tuesday.)

Address: 9 Johnson Road, Latham, NY 12110

Why they made the list

• Karavalli marked 20 years in Latham in February 2025, WNYT and the Daily Gazette reported.
• Cheeran ran a restaurant in Lee, Mass., before relocating to Latham, according to WNYT.
• Catering covers groups from five to more than 800 people, including live-cooking events, according to the restaurant.
• Takeout lunch boxes (chicken, lamb, vegetarian or vegan) cost $12.

More details are in our directory listing.

Latham ’76 Diner

More than 200 items fill the menu at Latham ’76 Diner, the Route 9 landmark Alex and Athena Loupessis opened in 1973. Choices run from challah French toast and Nova Scotia lox omelets to the Signature ’76 Burger under a colossal onion ring, and the bar pours wine, beer and liquor. The large dining room suits groups. Doors open at 6 a.m. every day of the week.

Hours: Daily 6 a.m.–10 p.m.

Address: 722 New Loudon Road, Latham, NY 12110

Why they made the list

• Alex and Athena Loupessis started the diner in 1973, and their family owned the business for 53 years, WNYT reported in March 2026.
• New owner Wilfredo Ruiz-Umana planned to keep the name, the employees and the menu, according to the same WNYT report.
• The diner’s website lists more than 200 menu items plus homemade desserts, with breakfast, lunch and dinner served daily.
• The diner books private parties and takes table reservations through the website.

More details are in our directory listing.

Paesan’s Pizza

New York-style pies made the name of Paesan’s Pizza, the Scavio family business that began in 1994 in a rundown building on Albany’s Ontario Street. The Latham shop on Route 9 sells pizza by the slice or the pie, baked subs, wings and family-style dinners served with salad and bread, which suits a crew of hungry kids. Gluten-free pizza is on the menu, and doors open at 10 a.m. most days.

Hours: Mon–Thu 10 a.m.–8:30 p.m.; Fri 10 a.m.–10 p.m.; Sat 10 a.m.–9:30 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m.–8:30 p.m.

Address: 636 New Loudon Road, Latham, NY 12110

Why they made the list

• The Scavio brothers once shared a single room above their first pizzeria, according to the company.
• Paesan’s has five Capital Region shops: Latham, Albany, East Greenbush, Guilderland and Rotterdam.
• The company ships up to 10 pies anywhere in the country at a flat shipping rate, according to the website.

More details are in our directory listing.

Scarlet Knife

Chef Paul Dimm and his brother-in-law, James Warren, built Scarlet Knife inside part of a former Kmart and opened in November 2022. The fall 2026 dinner menu includes a grilled bison flank steak ($45) and a 14-ounce Black Angus ribeye ($62), and the wine list tops 150 bottles. Pick a seat at the chef’s counter or in the dessert room, and book ahead for nights with live music.

Hours: Mon–Sat dinner 5–9 p.m.; Sat–Sun brunch 10 a.m.–2 p.m.; no dinner Sun

Address: 195 Troy Schenectady Road, Latham, NY 12110

Why they made the list

• Wine Spectator gave Scarlet Knife a 2026 Award of Excellence, the third in a row, according to the restaurant.
• For Colonie Restaurant Week, Oct. 19–24, 2026, the kitchen serves a $65 three-course prix fixe beside the regular menu.
• Dimm, the executive chef and owner, is an alumnus of The Culinary Institute of America, according to the restaurant’s team page.

More details are in our directory listing.

Seoul Korean Restaurant

Kimchi ferments in the kitchen at Seoul Korean Restaurant, where owner MiJung Kim, a Seoul native, starts every meal with a spread of banchan. Stews such as soon tofu jjigae arrive bubbling in stone pots, and the menu has mild and vegetarian choices for newcomers. Weekday lunch specials, including bibimbap and bulgogi over rice, are $14.50 on the online menu. Parking is right out front in Peter Harris Plaza.

Hours: Daily 11 a.m.–9 p.m.; lunch specials Mon–Fri 11 a.m.–3 p.m.

Address: 952 Troy-Schenectady Rd, Ste 8, Latham, NY 12110

Why they made the list

• The restaurant opened on Troy-Schenectady Road in 2013, according to the restaurant’s website.
• The dining room has booths and tables for two plus room for a party of 12.
• Catering trays of bulgogi, japchae, gimbap and fried mandu need 48 hours’ notice.
• Shelves by the door hold Korean snacks, drinks and pantry goods.

More details are in our directory listing.

Tipsy Moose Tap & Tavern

Mac and cheese gets a whole section of the menu at Tipsy Moose Tap & Tavern on Old Loudon Road, including jalapeño brisket ($18.95) and lobster ($25.95). The kitchen smokes meats in house, and more than 20 drafts rotate through the taps, so the cabin-style room fits a casual night out with friends. The kitchen posts new specials every week. Food is served until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Hours: Kitchen Sun–Thu 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m.; bar until midnight; brunch Sat–Sun 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Address: 185 Old Loudon Road, Latham, NY 12110

Why they made the list

• Latham is one of three Tipsy Moose locations, along with Troy and Albany, according to the company’s website.
• Half-pound Angus burgers run $16.95 to $19.95, and kids’ plates cost $6.95 to $7.95.
• Each location pours a separate beer list, which the website posts live.

More details are in our directory listing.

Also worth knowing

For pastry and a quick lunch, Bella Napoli runs a sit-in eatery and bakery at 672 New Loudon Road, open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday until 6 p.m., according to the bakery.

For fried fish on Route 9, Ted’s Fish Fry, a family business since 1949, has a shop at 636 New Loudon Road, according to the company.

Frequently asked questions

Is Latham, NY a town or a village?

Neither. Latham is a hamlet and census-designated place in the Town of Colonie, Albany County, with no separate local government. Every restaurant on this list sits in the Town of Colonie, and none is in the Village of Colonie, according to the NYS Civil Boundaries map and the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder.

When is Colonie Restaurant Week in fall 2026?

Oct. 19 to 25, 2026, according to the Colonie Chamber of Commerce, with participating restaurants serving three-course meals at a fixed price. Latham participants on this list are Bellini’s Italian Eatery, Innovo Kitchen and Scarlet Knife, which lists a $65 menu from Oct. 19 to 24.

Where can I get breakfast or weekend brunch in Latham?

Latham ’76 Diner opens at 6 a.m. every day. Scarlet Knife and Tipsy Moose Tap & Tavern both serve brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Last checked October 20, 2026. See a place we missed or a detail that has changed? Send us a correction.