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Hours
Mon
11:00 am - 8:00 pm
Tue
11:00 am - 8:00 pm
Wed
11:00 am - 8:00 pm
Thu
11:00 am - 8:00 pm
Fri
11:00 am - 8:00 pm
Sat
12:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Details
Someone from this business manages this listing.
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CUISINES
American, Bar, Pub
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Drinks
features
Does this restaurant serve Bar / Pub food?
Details
CUISINES
American, Bar, Pub
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Drinks
FEATURES
Delivery, Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Free off-street parking, Television, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, Digital Payments, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service
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4.5
44 reviews
Excellent
32
Very good
9
Average
1
Poor
2
Terrible
0
Colin M
Albany210 contributions
Aug 2020 • none
I had the Red Snapper entree on a recent Thursday evening. The fish was served in a lemon butter caper sauce. Sides were fingerling potatoes and baby carrots. Presentation is excellent even though they are using disposable dishes and flatware because of covid. Service was pleasant and efficient. My meal, with non-alcoholic beverage, was about $27 befpre tip.
Written 7 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Rigdons
Fenton20 contributions
May 2021 • couples
We’re traveling through Albany/Rensselaer via Amtrak to Chicago and had a four hour layover. My wife looked for a local restaurant that was in walking distance to the train station. Once she pulled up Illusives menu and showed it to me we were all in! What was the draw? Ummmm “Jacked Up Tater Tots”. Are you kidding me!? So of course we ordered some and ate them all! They were as good as their name! We also ordered entrees that equally delivered. Our server’s name was Jess and she was fantastic. Our drinks were never empty & we didn’t wait long at all for our food. I LOVE when I go to a restaurant and both the food and the service exceed expectations. That was our experience today! Great job!
Written 28 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
goodboring
Colonie37 contributions
Jul 2024 • solo
Always good food. Burgers are pricey, but inventive.
Today I had the Frizzy Frise Salad with 8 good sized grilled shrimp. Decent value for $23.
Downside, they had only two waitresses working a very busy lunch crowd (even before Noon). Food arrived quickly, but everything else happened very slowly.
Written 17 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Departure50472848098
1 contribution
Aug 2023 • friends
sat at the bar for lunch. 2 people behind the bar. actual bartender was late and unorganized. now there are 3 people behind the bar. bar itself was filthy and sticky. had to ask bartender repeatedly for drinks or refills. that being said, food was excellent. but due to lack of service and the disgusting state of the bar, i doubt i'll go back. sad really since ive gone there quite often and there are no other dining options in rensselaer since caseys has closed. maybe will go in for take out but if the condition of the bar is any indication, im afraid to even think what the kitchen conditions are like.
Written 28 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
teamzsteve
Hudson113 contributions
Jul 2021 • family
After seeing pictures of food from Facebook friends I finally made the trip. The most creative menu I’ve seen . Everything is over the top. Cocktails that are from another planet. If you don’t go here and are completely blown away you have no taste
Written 13 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Laine G
25 contributions
May 2024 • couples
Met friends at a halfway point in Rensselaer/ Albany. We were supposed to meet in another restaurant, but they got hopelessly lost and their GPS had gotten uninstalled. We had them park and we went to them. Looked up other restaurants, and found this one was about a mile away. It's a bit off the beaten path, so when we first turned the corner, I thought, "My bad". But then it looked clean and welcoming. We had an excellent lunch with large glasses of wine and everyone loved their meal. Had more than enough to take half home. Their bacon is to die for (had the BLT, Boss Hog, I think they call it) and their fries were excellent, well seasoned to perfection. Waitress was friendly, prompt and very attentive. Will go back again when we're in the area. They also have outdoor seating and your pooch can join you there.
Written 12 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Russell Gibson
East Greenbush901 contributions
May 2024 • couples
Another fantastic dinner and amazing service provided by Monica! We were going to a show in Schenectady before a show. Normally we would have dinner there, but the last few times we went the restaurant was packed and service was slow. We decided this time to stay local and chose an early dinner at Illusive. There were only a couple of tables when we arrived (5:00) but within 30 minutes the place filled up.
Monica sat us and instantly remembered us from our last visit a few months ago. She is the perfect server; professional, knowledgeable and efficient. She took our drink orders and brought them right away. We placed our dinner order and it came out hot and freshly prepared. We enjoyed the Eff Popeye's Crispy Chicken sandwich and the Boss Hog (their version of a BLT). Both sandwiches were excellent! The chicken breast was perfectly cooked and crispy and the BH had a healthy serving of bacon. Fries and "Tots" were also excellent.
Monica told us that the manager, Krista, wanted to offer us a round of drinks. Who were we to say no? LOL! My sister is coming to town in 2 weeks and we are bringing here to Illusive and know she is going to love it as much as we do.
The restaurant is a local place. It's not fancy but it's damn good food and even better service. What more could you ask for? Thanks again Monica and Krista!
Written 8 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Russell Gibson
East Greenbush901 contributions
Jan 2024 • couples
We've driven past Illusive so many times on our way from East Greenbush into Albany. Didn't know anything about it, but heard good things from a friend, so decided to try it out. WHAT A FIND!
Arrived at 6:30 on a Wednesday night (they don't take online reservations (?) only over the phone) and there was a table of 4 ahead of us, but we were given a choice of a table or hightop, we chose the latter.
Our (excellent) server was Monica. She made our cocktails (Pandora Box and MIA) and both were excellent. We made the (happy) mistake of ordering 2 starters; spinach artichoke dip and chicken wings (Monica recommended the Garlic Parmesan) - excellent but SO MUCH FOOD!!! For entrees we chose the FPopeyes and the Pub Crawler burger. Again amazing and SO MUCH FOOD! Cajun fries were better than the cajun tater tots, but still were fantastic.
Illusive has a nice selection of beers on tap, which went great with the burger.
There is no way we could have eaten all of the food, but Monica was right there with TOGO containers. We'll now have dinner for one, if not two, more nights.
Monica's service was amazing as were the food and the drinks. This is one more of our local places to go for dinner, and we couldn't be happier! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Written 10 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
scorpus12037
Chatham76 contributions
Oct 2023 • family
It all starts with the service, Megan, the waitress was awesome. Fabulous burgers, and the best kettle chips I’ve ever had.
Written 26 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MGH_7
New York119 contributions
Dec 2021 • none
Fast and friendly service even when busy. Initially came for burgers which were highly recommended but there is delicious food across the menu. Wish it was closer.
Written 29 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bentley516
Latham9 contributions
Jan 2021 • none
We were there yesterday and Megan was wonderful and very friendly. There was music playing overhead which between that and the service we received made for a lovely experience! We had the jacked up tater tots which were great and the special, peanut butter & jelly wings which were out of this world!! Although we were skeptical to try them, we're so glad we did!! They should put them on the regular menu!! I had a delicious bacon-cheese burger and the best fries! Seriously, add the fries to your order, you won't be disappointed! My husband had a Simone's Cobb Wrap and he loved it! We'll definitely be back!
Written 19 January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Laurie P
Cortland8592 contributions
Jul 2020 • none
In this day and age, outside dining is the main event. We were visiting a local hotel, and hopped into an Uber for dinner here on a Monday where so many restaurants were not even open...much less, had outside dining.
We were the only people eating outside...an oasis for us on a beautiful evening! Shyenne was our server. She wore a mask, and was super sweet as well as knowledgeable.
I ordered the Crabtivating BLT, and my friend had the Pub Crawler. We were both very impressed with our food.
Absolutely would return to this place. It's not exactly near anything...but we will be back!!!
Written 22 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
roseboy
36 contributions
Nov 2019 • none
My wife and I just moved to the area from downstate and were searching online for restaurants. When we pulled up to Illusive, my wife wanted to turn around but I convinced her to stay based on the many positive reviews.
This is a real low key friendly place with excellent food and prices. When you walk in, the sign says "seat yourself", which we did. Our waitress was real nice and we both ordered a salmon burger. We got a huge piece of fresh salmon with all the toppings - not some frozen patty that so many places would give. For $12, it was a true bargain and it tasted great. Their menu is vast with many choices. If you are looking to have a real enjoyable time and great meal, this is the place. If you are more into the "stuck up fancy" experience, then Illusive is not for you. We will be back.
Written 27 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joseph V
Thank you for the compliments and glad you enjoyed the experience.
Being from NYC and having family in the Bronx and spending time ther for many years, I cant get on board with the saying its looks like a dump from the Bronx.
Again thank you for the other pleasant things that was said.
Written 1 December 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Treetopper2000
East Greenbush41 contributions
Nov 2019 • none
Two things I did not like. First was the band that was playing. This two person band was too loud for the restaurant. The place is small and there was no need for speakers because no one could hear anything. One way to clear out the place was to have the band keep playing because no one wanted to stick around because it was impossible to carry on a good conversation with your dinner guests. Secondly the waitress service could of been better. The one waitress was covering the entire place and every thing was slow and trying to get the server attention because of a wrong order was impossible. I was also not impress that the server never asked how I wanted my hamburger cook. A good restaurant would always ask. Very disappointed at our night out at Illusive's.
Written 24 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joseph V
So sorry you feel that it was so loud.
We don't ask for temps. That's your opinion about asking for temps and the restaurant being "good".
My opinion is it slows business down with people who usually don't even know what temps are. But thanks for your concern about what clears out our place and how we should approach our service.
We address our service on a daily basis looking to improve. For you to give us a 2 star is an insult. We are family owned and work extremely hard. We do not welcome people who bash a business for ridiculous reasons. Please do not come back to our establishment. No need to further disappoint yourself.
Written 1 December 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
cab1002
411 contributions
Sept 2019 • none
Friends of ours recommended that we give this place a try so we did and we were so glad we did! There aren't too many places in the area that are worth going to, but this place is on our list now of "go to" places. The wings were excellent, the bartender was excellent and the other food we had was excellent. They have live music some nights and are closed on Sundays. Give this place a try, you will be glad you did.
Written 7 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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