The 10 best Italian restaurants in and around Albany, NY

Italian dining in Albany runs from a restaurant that has served regional Italian food since 1982, a short walk from MVP Arena, to an eight-course tasting menu on Lark Street and a Delaware Avenue market whose family business dates to 1945. This list is for Saratoga County readers headed to a show, a game or the Capitol who want a good plate of pasta, and for Albany locals planning a birthday or a date night.

Six of the ten picks are inside the City of Albany. The other four sit just over the line: D’Raymond’s in Loudonville and DeMarco’s and Ralph’s Tavern on Central Avenue, all in the Town of Colonie, and Pastina in Delmar, in the Town of Bethlehem. Many Albany mailing addresses sit outside the city, so each one was checked against state health records. Closer to home, see our Saratoga Springs Italian restaurants list.

How we chose

We looked for independent Italian restaurants, plus one Italian market with seating, that have a steady local reputation and staying power, and we mixed special-occasion dining rooms, red-sauce standbys, a quick lunch and budget takeout. Each one was confirmed open in November 2026 from the restaurant’s own website or ordering page and, where available, New York State Health Department records, and every address was checked against state boundary maps. Prices and hours come from the restaurants’ own menus and pages. Chains, franchises and pizza-only shops were left off. 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.

Café Capriccio

A short walk from MVP Arena, Café Capriccio has served regional Italian food since 1982, built on house-made pasta, cured meats and cheeses. The October 2026 menu lists calamari neri, fresh tagliatelle in squid ink sauce, at $29, and the Greens & Beans Passannante soup at $15. Dinner runs 5 to 9 p.m. every night, so book through OpenTable before a concert or game.

Hours: Daily 5–9 p.m.

Address: 49 Grand Street, Albany, NY 12207

Why they made the list

• Local, organic sourcing and trips to Italy shape the cooking, according to the restaurant.
• The October 2026 menu from executive chef Ian Brower calls the calamari neri “a Capriccio classic recipe.”
• Parties of five or more get an automatic 20% gratuity, and checks cannot be split for parties of three or more, the menu says.

More details are in our directory listing.

Cardona’s Market

For a quick pasta lunch, Cardona’s Market on Delaware Avenue sells Italian groceries, sandwiches and hot food, and the Albany store has dine-in seating. A hot table carries more than a dozen family recipes priced by the pound, and take-home meals include spaghetti and meatballs for $10 and lasagna for $12. Doors open at 9 a.m. Monday through Saturday, so pick up jarred sauce or Italian cookies for home too.

Hours: Mon–Sat 9 a.m.–6:30 p.m.; Sun 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

Address: 340 Delaware Avenue, Albany, NY 12209

Why they made the list

• Augusto Cardona Sr. opened the original market in downtown Albany in 1945, according to the family.
• Times Union readers named Cardona’s best caterer in 2026 for the fifth straight year, the market’s awards page says.
• Cardona’s was recognized as a New York State Historic Business in 2026, according to the market.

More details are in our directory listing.

D’Raymond’s

North of the city line in Loudonville, D’Raymond’s covers the red-sauce side of Italian dining, with baked pastas, chicken parmigiana and more than a dozen veal dishes. Rigatoni with homemade hot sausage in a pink vodka cream sauce is $26, and the house lasagna is $24. Reservations are taken by phone or in person only, and the restaurant highly recommends them. Weekday lunch ends at 2:30 p.m.

Hours: Kitchen Mon–Fri 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and 4:30–9:30 p.m.; Sat 3–9:30 p.m.; closed Sun

Address: 269 Osborne Road, Loudonville, NY 12211

Why they made the list

• D’Raymond’s was established in 1979 and is family run, according to Discover Albany.
• The restaurant is in the Town of Colonie, according to state health inspection records.
• Busy signals are common during dinner hours, and take-out runs only as in-house business allows, the website says.

More details are in our directory listing.

DeMarco’s

Utica greens and chicken riggies sit beside veal parmigiana at DeMarco’s, a Central Avenue restaurant in the Town of Colonie. The greens are $15, the riggies, with three kinds of peppers in a creamy vodka sauce, are $20, and every Tuesday a chicken parmigiana dinner with salad and pasta is $15.99. Budget diners can come for happy hour, 4 to 6 p.m. on weekdays, when wine is $5 and appetizers are 20% off.

Hours: Mon–Sat 4–9 p.m.; closed Sun (happy hour Mon–Fri 4–6 p.m.)

Address: 1965 Central Avenue, Albany, NY 12205

Why they made the list

• A 2017 Daily Gazette review called DeMarco’s a small, family-owned business with two dining rooms and a long bar.
• Catering and banquet events run seven days a week, and a take-out family meal for up to six is $59.99, the restaurant says.
• A Nov. 24, 2025, state inspection found the restaurant closed for a cosmetic renovation; the website now posts Monday-through-Saturday dinner hours.

More details are in our directory listing.

Grappa ’72

Out on Central Avenue near Colvin Avenue, Grappa ’72 cooks dishes from across Italy’s regions at prices the owners call affordable. Zio Anthony’s Pasta, penne with sausage and meatballs in a ricotta tomato sauce, is $22.99, and osso buco braised in Barolo over risotto Milanese is $45.99. Book a family birthday through the online reservation form, and ask about the grappa list before dessert.

Hours: Mon–Thu 4:30–9:30 p.m.; Fri–Sat 4:30–10 p.m.; Sun 3:30–8:30 p.m. (lunch temporarily closed)

Address: 818 Central Avenue, Albany, NY 12206

Why they made the list

• Owner Armond Lule aims to show “the true roots of Italian cuisine from every region of Italy,” the website says.
• Grappa ’72 opened April 6, 2010, and marked 16 years in April 2026, according to website posts.
• Lunch is temporarily closed; dinner starts at 4:30 p.m., or 3:30 p.m. on Sundays, the posted hours say.

More details are in our directory listing.

Nicole’s Restaurant

Family-owned Nicole’s Restaurant pairs upscale Italian cooking with continental and modern American influences in a Delaware Avenue dining room. The fall 2026 menu has hazelnut-crusted chicken in a Frangelico-orange cream sauce for $30 and pappardelle with meatballs for $26, alongside chicken, veal and eggplant parmigiana. Reserve through Resy for an anniversary or a family celebration, and remember the dining room is closed Tuesdays.

Hours: Mon 5–9 p.m.; Wed–Thu 5–9 p.m.; Fri–Sat 5–10 p.m.; Sun 4–8 p.m. (one page of the website says 9 p.m.); closed Tue

Address: 556 Delaware Avenue, Albany, NY 12209

Why they made the list

• Nicole’s dates to 1986, according to the restaurant’s fall 2026 menu.
• The chefs post constantly changing chef’s specials, according to the restaurant.
• Catering trays can be picked up at the restaurant with 72 hours’ notice, the 2026 pick-up menu says.

More details are in our directory listing.

Pastina

Chef-owner Mike Pietrocola runs Pastina at the Four Corners in Delmar, serving lunch Wednesday through Friday and dinner Wednesday through Saturday. A weekday lunch here works for a business meal or a catch-up: penne and meatballs is $18, trofie with sausage and broccoli rabe is $18, and chicken pastina soup is $8. Reserve a table, a bar seat or the private upstairs room by phone at 518-275-0395.

Hours: Lunch Wed–Fri 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.; dinner Wed–Sat 5–9 p.m.; closed Sun–Tue

Address: 384 Kenwood Avenue, Delmar, NY 12054

Why they made the list

• Pietrocola has cooked professionally for about 40 years, the Times Union reported in a 2023 review.
• Pastina began as a 20-seat Colvin Avenue spot in Albany with no liquor license, the Times Union reported in 2023.
• A state Health Department inspection on Oct. 26, 2026, places Pastina in the Town of Bethlehem.

More details are in our directory listing.

Ralph’s Tavern

Prices stay low at Ralph’s Tavern, an Italian-American restaurant on Central Avenue near Fuller Road in the Town of Colonie. A one-pound lasagna is $17.25, a spaghetti dinner with bread and salad or soup is $12.25, and veal Sorrento tops veal with fried eggplant for $22.25. Order ahead for pickup or delivery, or get a family-style tray for four, such as lasagna at $44.95.

Hours: Online ordering Mon–Thu 11 a.m.–9:45 p.m.; Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–10:45 p.m.; Sun noon–9:45 p.m. Check dining room hours before you go.

Address: 1328 Central Avenue, Albany, NY 12205

Why they made the list

• A state Health Department inspection on Sept. 15, 2026, lists Ralph’s Tavern at 1328 Central Avenue in the Town of Colonie.
• Family-style takeout dinners for four, served with salad and bread, run $44.95 to $59.95 on the Mealeo ordering page.
• The menu also has pizza, burgers, torpedo sandwiches and Ralph’s Famous Chicken Wings, the ordering page shows.

More details are in our directory listing.

Rosanna’s

Set up for date night, Rosanna’s fills a restored Dove Street building in Center Square where Felix and Rosanna Bongiorno ran Bongiorno’s for 41 years. Executive chef and partner Rachel Mabb gives Italian classics a seasonal twist: pork belly porchetta with parmesan polenta and apple mostarda is $34, and butternut bucatini is $24. Walk-ins are welcome, reservations are online, and the State Capitol is a short walk east.

Hours: Mon–Wed 5–9 p.m.; Thu–Sat 5–10 p.m.; closed Sun

Address: 23 Dove Street, Albany, NY 12210

Why they made the list

• Felix and Rosanna Bongiorno, first-generation Italian immigrants, bought 23 Dove Street in 1978, according to Rosanna’s.
• The restoration took 15 months, and seating includes a patio and three indoor rooms, the restaurant says.
• Mabb was a featured chef at a Sept. 29, 2026, food bank fundraiser at the Albany Capital Center, the restaurant says.

More details are in our directory listing.

Villa di Como Ristorante

Only seven bar-height tables fill the general dining room at Villa di Como Ristorante on Lark Street, where owner and executive chef Ali Celik, a Lake Como native, cooks Italian food. Octopus carpaccio follows a family recipe, several pastas are made with square chitarra spaghetti, and an eight-course tasting menu is $98 per person. Seats are reservation-only through the website, which opens dates 15 days out, and the staff answers texts, not calls.

Hours: Tue–Thu 4:15–9:30 p.m.; Fri–Sat 3:15–10 p.m.; Sun 3:15–8:30 p.m.; closed Mon (reservations only)

Address: 286 Lark Street, Albany, NY 12210

Why they made the list

• Celik bought the long-vacant building in 2016 and opened Villa di Como in 2020 after a three-year renovation, according to the restaurant.
• Villa di Como holds a farm distillery license, and Celik makes limoncello and orangecello on site, the website says.
• Bar-height seats are not suitable for children under 8, the reservation policy says.

More details are in our directory listing.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I eat Italian near MVP Arena in Albany?

Café Capriccio, at 49 Grand Street, is a short walk from MVP Arena and serves dinner daily from 5 to 9 p.m. Reservations are taken through OpenTable.

Which Italian restaurants in and around Albany are open on Sunday?

Café Capriccio (5–9 p.m.), Nicole’s Restaurant (from 4 p.m.), Villa di Como Ristorante (3:15–8:30 p.m.), Grappa ’72 (3:30–8:30 p.m.) and Cardona’s Market (9 a.m.–3 p.m.) post Sunday hours, and Ralph’s Tavern takes online orders from noon. Rosanna’s, D’Raymond’s, DeMarco’s and Pastina are closed Sundays.

Where can I get a quick Italian lunch in and around Albany?

Cardona’s Market at 340 Delaware Avenue opens at 9 a.m. Monday through Saturday, has dine-in seating and a hot table of family recipes priced by the pound. Just outside the city, D’Raymond’s in Loudonville serves weekday lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and Pastina in Delmar serves lunch Wednesday through Friday over the same hours.

Last checked November 6, 2026. See a place we missed or a detail that has changed? Send us a correction.