What makes a town great to live in? For many, it’s a balance of accessibility, nature, convenience, and community. Voorheesville, a community located 25 minutes west of Albany, is hitting that sweet spot—and people are taking notice.
“It started several years ago with new homes being built and growth in the community,” says Todd Curley, Voorheesville-based real estate mogul, developer, and partner at Prime Companies. “And once the homes got there, people began looking for services.”
While Voorheesville has long been known for its scenic location (it’s down the road from Indian Ladder Farms, Thacher Park, and two country clubs), it was never a real dining destination; residents often traveled to neighboring towns, like Delmar, to enjoy a meal out. But as the population grew, so did the demand for options closer to home.
In recent years, a wave of restaurateurs and community leaders have seen the village’s potential and brought life to its dining scene, none more so than Ed and Lisa Mitzen, cofounders of the Business for Good Foundation.
It all started with a vacant Stewart’s. When Ed noticed the abandoned cinderblock building in his hometown (he graduated from Clayton A. Bouton High School in 1985), he saw something others didn’t: potential to vitalize a community where home sales and school enrollment were booming, but the downtown was—well—not.
The Mitzens purchased the property in 2021, along with two other nearby run-down structures. They hosted a neighborhood event with food trucks, live music, and kids’ activities, and asked the community what they wanted the space to be used for. “I didn’t know if they wanted a dry cleaner, a pizza shop, or a convenience store—I had no idea,” says Ed. “But I wanted to make the community feel like I really listened.”
The event made two things clear: Residents wanted a place to enjoy a nice meal and catch a game, and a business that paired well with the bike path running through the town. The Mitzens decided to make both happen, and Blackbirds Tavern and Blackbirds Bike Cafe were born.
The two businesses, which opened in 2024 and are named after the local high school’s mascot, were designed to blend seamlessly into the community. The tavern—now operated by Druthers Brewing Company—offers elevated comfort food like meatloaf, chicken pot pie, burgers, and wings in a woodsy atmosphere with a custom bar, two golf simulators, and private event spaces. The bike cafe functions as a coffeehouse/pit stop along the Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail, offering quick bites, pastries, homemade soups, smoothies, and coffee and tea beverages. A percentage of the tavern’s profits and all of the bike cafe’s profits are donated to the Business for Good Foundation, which benefits communities like Voorheesville with contributions to kids’ sports teams, scholarships, and more.
“We just thought it was a win-win for everybody,” says Ed. “I didn’t set out to be a restaurant baron in Voorheesville. My wife and I did this because of our strong love of the community. And it’s been exactly what we hoped it would be.”
And the Mitzens’ eateries aren’t alone. Here are four more foodie destinations that are making Voorheesville the place to eat this summer:
Anthony’s by Romo’s Pizza
Romo’s Pizza has long been a household name in Voorheesville (back when the village didn’t have many restaurants of its own, Romo’s was well worth the 20-minute drive to Glenmont). So, when owner Anthony Berghela decided to open a full-service dine-in restaurant just up the road from Voorheesville Elementary, it sparked immediate buzz.
Anthony’s by Romo’s Pizza, which opened in early 2025, serves Romo’s Pizza’s signature pies (offered in traditional, “grandma,” and “gluten-friendly” styles) in addition to an expanded menu with bites like arancini, wings, salads, and double-smashed burgers. The restaurant has a seasonal patio as well as a private event space upstairs.
Northern Barrell
Just up the road from the Blackbirds restaurants is Northern Barrell, a family-owned and -operated taproom that opened in 2022 and serves up a seasonal, scratch menu of elevated pub fare (think burgers, sandwiches, wings, and lots of starters) alongside a long list of beverages, including 12 rotating craft beer and cider taps.
Now a community staple, the restaurant features sports games on TV, darts, and insanely cheap weekly specials like $3.50 Burger Mondays. It also has a dedicated birthday menu and a Mug Club that grants regulars extra perks.
Pretty Alright Breakfast Club
This breakfast spot is located in V-Ville, but it’s known by many across the globe. In 2022, Voorheesville native Dylan Longton began to livestream himself cooking during shifts at Windowbox Cafe in Slingerlands. He grew a large audience (he now has more than 200,000 followers and millions of views on TikTok) and dubbed his watchers the “Pretty Alright Breakfast Club.” His online success encouraged him to pursue his dream: opening a restaurant of his own.
The Pretty Alright Breakfast Club restaurant, which Longton has dubbed the best diner in upstate New York for comfort food, opened in 2024. Its menu consists of breakfast and lunch specialties—including homemade corned beef hash and sausage gravy, an omelet created in partnership with the aforementioned Anthony’s by Romo’s Pizza, and a variety of hot and cold sandwiches and wraps.
Two Little Dumplings
What started as a way for the Lee family to nourish their neighbors with homemade dumplings during the COVID-19 pandemic has turned into a thriving local business that will soon set down roots in a physical location in neighboring Slingerlands. (To contribute to the crowdfunding campaign, visit twolittledumplings.com.)
At press time, Two Little Dumplings—a multi-generational, family-owned business—offers pre-made, frozen dumplings that have long impressed customers who pick them up at the Delmar Farmers’ Market, various pop-ups at other local businesses, and even at the owners’ home. The dumplings, inspired by traditions of the Lees’ ancestors, come in a wide range of flavors, from vegan cha siu bao and mapo tofu to pepper steak and cheeseburger—all of which are made by Grandpa Lee with the help of his granddaughters, aka his two little dumplings.
