A Massive List of Restaurants in the RPI Area

In the spirit of encouraging people to eat out and explore the downtown area, I've made a list of places you might hear about, or should hear about while at RPI. Troy has become way less sketchy/scary/jank in the past couple years, although some vandals and thieves perpetuate the dangerous reputation. ^(And people breaking into apartments...) Go in groups, don't be stupid, and eat well.

And now for the list that has no real specific order:

Big Apple Pizza - Pizza

• The most popular pizza place, and the closest to RPI campus. You may hear of it by it's colloquial name, "Bella" or "Pizza Bella". This was the name before Big Apple Pizza, (Same owners, nothing changed except the title) but the name stuck and everyone just kept calling it that. It's a 5 min walk from the footbridge and you will go there a lot.

Defazios - Pizza

• Also the most popular pizza place in town, located on 4th street downtown. A wide array of toppings with pizza cooked in a wood-fired oven. They do delivery, so it's easy to get a hot pizza without going outside in the cold. Highly suggested by many, and I've never heard a truly bad review.

! - Arguments over these two pizza places boil down to a Mac vs Pc style debate, so try both places at least once to find your favorite.

Moe's - Southwest

• This Moe's is owned by the same people who provide your dining hall meals- Sodexo. You can't use your meal plan here, though, and I don't find the quality to be much better than dining hall quality. I also find it too expensive, but people tend to like it due to the proximity to campus (Right next to Bella) and it provides variety to an otherwise pizza-filled diet.

Muza - Polish food

• On the Big Apple Pizza side of 15th street. They're a family-owned restaurant that knows what they're doing. Very good service and food, and a great place to take your parents when they're visiting. ^(^Although ^my ^family ^is ^polish ^so ^I ^might ^be ^biased...)

Ali Baba - Turkish

• They're going through renovations at the time of writing this, but the kitchen is still open. I haven't been there since they started renovations but I remember it being great. Not fancy, but tasty. You should order a pita while you wait for food.

Beirut - Also Mediterranean/Lebanese

• My favorite of the two popular Lebanese restaurants, although this one is downtown. (Alibaba is on 15th Street and easier to walk to) The owner is very nice, and his family works there. The dining area is small, so be prepared to get friendly. Order the mint fries.

Shalimar - Indian

• Indian food! Honestly I don't know a whole lot about this place. I've heard good but not elaborate things, and that people drool over it, and that it's located on Fulton St.

Thunder Mountain Curry - Thai

• Open for lunch on RPI campus in the McNeil room. They started out as street vendors near RPI, and when they got popular they were offered space on RPI Campus to work. Very popular and there is almost always a long line. Their Pad Thai goes quickly, so get there early or during the slightly off hour when people are in class. They can be found in the Farmer's Market on Saturdays, which will be explained below.

Enchanté - Tea Room

• Wonderful tea place across the street from Beirut. Owned by a lovely Whovian, she sells lose leaf teas and you can sit in with a pot and talk or read. Pro Tip: There's bubble tea, but the menu adjusts based on demand.

Snowman - Ice Cream

• Although too far to walk to (Nearly an hour by foot!!), if you make friends with someone with a car you can maybe bribe them to go. (8 min by car) Only open in the summer, this outdoor ice cream establishment is worth the wait. A lot of selection, and you get your money's worth in ice cream. If you order a pint, you get essentially another pint on top of it so you can eat it then, and have the whole pint for later. (I did not know this, and got a waffle cone with my order. I was entirely full of ice cream) A better value than Ben and Jerry's, and seemingly always packed with customers.

Illium Café - Sandwiches

• I have actually not been here yet, but I have been meaning to since I've heard nothing but good things. Known for sandwiches and I've heard their Iced Chai Tea is good. Apparently they have a "Smoked" sandwich, which is a grilled sandwich of smoked bacon and smoked cheese? Easy to find, and right next to the Farmer's Market location, which brings me to...

The Farmer's Market - Lots of things

• Every Saturday from 11am-2pm the Farmer's Market comes to the waterfront. Well worth the trip, I go almost every Saturday just for bread. There's chocolate covered waffles, a pasta seller, live music, vendors from nearby restaurants and a fishmonger! The Farmer's Market is on River Street surrounding Monument Square and will be hard to miss.

Dinosaur BBQ - Barbeque, Beer, and Rock and Roll

• The famous Dinosaur BBQ is next to the water and has an outdoor bar. Most everything is delicious, although a lot of the food is hot/spicy. I have an extremely low tolerance for spicy food, but even I can find things on the menu that aren't hot. If I remember there is also one or two vegetarian sandwiches you can get.

Browns Brewing Co - Burgers and beer and burgers

• Nice interior with outdoor space and a bar. Browns is a popular burger place that had large food and good beer. The variety of both is good and there's usually something for everyone. Some of the best burgers ever. I tend to favor the Chef Luca Burger, myself. When I'm out with my family we also get a serving of onion rings for the table since they don't skimp on them. (I really really hate when places skimp on onion rings. Oh you want a decent side? Here's four onion rings. Great. Thanks.) Browns will be crowded around dinner on weekends.

The Brown Bag - Late night burgers

• The Brown Bag is a superb college town establishment. It's open from 3pm - 5am and caters to the last minute studiers and ^^(mostly) tipsy folk looking for some bacon grilled cheese. The fries are cayenne and rosemary covered and very good. They're made as they're ordered, so they're super hot when you get your meal. They have burgers very unique to The Brown Bag and they're all great.

Dante's Frozen Yogurt - FroYo.

• A place your own toppings frozen yogurt place. I always end up getting more than I thought I would. The fresh stuff is really tasty.

Famous Lunch - Hot Dogs

• So many hot dogs. I honestly can't say much beyond that just because I haven't been there yet. I've heard nothing but good things, though.

The Cookie Factory - Desserts and Bread

• Within walking distance of Muza, the cookie factory is a great dessert seller. I love their chocolate logs. If you're partial to pizza making they sell great dough. Not so much of a place to sit and eat, as there's only one or two tables with two chairs. I usually go to pick something up for the evening or the next morning.

Xs to Os - Vegan Bakery

• Xs to Os is a bakery in the downtown area that serves desserts. They're a shining, healthy example in an otherwise BBQ, pizza grease, and bacon filled city. Operated by those who love baking and have a sweet tooth.

DP Dough - Calzones

• DP Dough serves calzones, but not in the traditional Italian style so don't look for anything like it in a pizza shop. They have a huuuge menu of calzones- mostly consisting of about 4 toppings. On their facebook page they announce a Zone of the Day, where if you pick up your calzone it's $5 instead of the normal $7. DP Dough delivers, and I think I've only eaten in the establishment 2 or 3 times. The layout is more functional than aesthetically pleasing, but they are delicious.

• Bonus: They're next door to a vintage game store.

Manory's - Breakfast/Diner

• At the corner of Congress and 4th, and awesome for weekend breakfasts. Go with a big group, they are always very accommodating. They also occasionally have interesting breakfast specials (or specials on pancakes). Manory's is one of (if not the) best breakfast places in town. I found that they have a Belgian waffle sundae akin to one I had as a kid, but was never able to find afterwards.

Carmen's Cafe- Cuban/Spanish

• This cafe is on 1st St. past Washington Park, and has fantastic breakfasts! Super fresh and interesting flavors. The fried plantains are a must-try. Be warned: They are only open on the weekends. And they apparently close in late fall and open again in early spring.

Japanica Grill - Japanese/Hibachi

• Supposedly the Japanica Grill will be opening their hibachi tables this fall, but their sushi is said to be very good. Located on the ground level of City Station (6th ave, in the new looking College Suites by EMPAC) This grill opened recently and has gotten very pleasant reviews.

Red and Blue - Sushi

• This restaurant is pleasant to be in. The sushi is a little pricy, but worth it. A 15min walk from RPI, and takeout is easy. Consider calling and leaving soon after so it's ready by the time you get there. They don't do delivery, so you'll still need to leave your dorm if you want sushi in the winter.

The Flying Chicken - Fried Chicken

• This is a fried chicken place that is way better than the local popeyes. You will be served a lot of food, and I will always feel fat after eating here. I've seen good reviews, but I've also seen comments suggesting inconsistency so I would go on a busy night.

There are many more places, and I'll try to add more as I think of them ^(or as they're suggested.)

Troy has become a mecca of food that you should experience, and if you're an RPI student you have no excuse. (other than being broke...) If you're not already aware, your Student IDs are bus passes, so you can ride the bus downtown for free. Take advantage of Troy Night out!

Go! Eat!