
Albany is a 400-year-old city filled to the brim with restaurants housed in historic buildings such as an old watering pumping station and former bank. Revel in the fascinating history of the buildings housing these restaurants. Keep reading for curbside bites and historic sites!
Common Roots Brewing Company at the Old Albany Pump Station
The old Albany Pump Station is a welcome and familiar greeting in the Albany skyline. The building creates a massive footprint in Quackenbush Square and is home not only to Common Roots Brewing Company's Albany Outpost, but also includes the Discover Albany Visitor Center, the Irish American Heritage Museum, and the Albany Distilling Company’s distillery.
But before the building was home to breweries and museums, it was an old water pumping station. Erected in 1873, the water pumping station would draw water from the Hudson River to the former Bleeker Reservoir (now known as Bleeker Stadium). The water pumping station closed in 1932, after the Alcove Reservoir was constructed. In 1999, Neil Evans purchased and renovated the building, resurrecting his family’s former brewing business. The C.H. Evans Brewing Company operated in the Albany Pump Station until 2023. The original C.H. Evans was operational from 1786 and shuttered during Prohibition. In 2024, the Common Roots Brewing Company opened their Albany Outpost location in the Pump Station, carrying on the torch of the C. H. Brewing Company's legacy. While obvious renovations occurred in the restaurant to make the space more hospitable to diners, elements of the old water pumping station remain as a reminder of its original purpose.
Tanpopo
Situated among the Warehouse District's sweeping industrial buildings is a striking 1940s diner car. You won’t find bacon and omelets slung here – Tanpopo serves full bowls of Japanese Ramen and hot sake.
The diner car is a Silk City Diner model, a style produced by the Paterson Vehicle Company in Paterson, NJ. It was built in 1941 for Lil’s Diner, though locals are more familiar diner car’s former moniker, Miss Albany Diner. Miss Albany Diner was a chain popular in the 1920s. But Miss Albany Diner was never originally located in this little prefab diner. We have Hollywood to thank for the legacy!
In 1988, William Kennedy’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel Ironweed was turned into a movie starring Meryl Strep and Jack Nicholson. Filming was done in the Capital Region, and Hollywood producers restored the diner car and named it the Miss Albany Diner. After production was completed, Cliff and Jane Brown bought the diner and operated it until 2012. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
In 2015, David Zheng opened Tanpopo, a Japanese Ramen and Sake Bar. Tanpopo offers authentic Japanese meals, but the diner car still holds the Art Deco charm of the original diner cars that came before.
Wellington's
The Renaissance Hotel is located in the former famed DeWitt Clinton hotel. Operating in the shadow of the New York State Capitol, the DeWitt Clinton was popular hotspot for politicos and travelling celebrities alike. The hotel operated from 1927-1975, and welcomed personalities such as Governor Al Smith, Elizabeth Taylor and John F. Kennedy. Today, the luxury hotel continues to court politicians, travelers and is available for stunning wedding receptions.
Wellington’s is named for a former neighboring hotel to the aforementioned DeWitt Clinton. Wellington’s has embraced their ties to local history in imaginative, quirky imagery that blends original features and modern surprises. The entrance from the Renaissance Hotel lobby is framed by original murals by Victor White, depicting Albany history. Within the Wellington Bar, red tulips are hidden throughout the décor for guests to seek out. There’s even a few secret images of Governor DeWitt Clinton to find!
Lost & Found Bar & Kitchen
Albany's Warehouse District features industrial buildings that have been converted by locals into quirky bars, restaurants and craft beverage taprooms. The Warehouse District building that is home to Lost and Found was built in 1920 as a bank. Today, Lost and Found is known for their innovative plates, robust drink selection and cozy back patio. Eagle-eyed diners can spot elements of the former financial institution throughout the restaurant. If you stand across the street, you can see the original signage for “The National Commercial Bank and Trust Company” carved on the outside of the building. Inside, the old bank vault protects the drinks behind the bar.