Great people. Great food! Highly recommend 🙂

I love this place!! Zach, our server was amazing the other night!! Food is always great!

The crab cakes are simply the best anywhere! Staff is always amazing and the atmosphere is so fun! My favorite place to eat out!

Excellent lunch: burgers and free fries. Great service, a little on the small size, but we reserved a table for 8. Cheaper price if you pay with cash.

This was legitimately one of the best meals I've had in upstate New York. The service was a bit slow, but I did go on Friday night. Otherwise, this a great place that everyone should visit. The food is legitimately award winning.

Friday lunch favorite, crab cakes awesome and the server was great handled the entire restaurant alone

I highly recommend Illusive. The food is consistently exceptional. They have the best burgers, the loaded tots are amazing and a must have starter, wings, salads, literally everything we’ve had has been mouthwatering delicious. And their specialty cocktails pair perfectly with everything. Joe and his staff are top-notch! If you have t tried this restaurant I urge you to try it asap. You will not be disappointed I guarantee it!!

Stopped here for a quick eat while I waited for my train. I had the Dulce Diablo and Autumn peach margarita cocktails. Both great. Had the shrimp cocktail and chicken Caesar salad which were delicious. The service was great and friendly.

I love and highly recommend this restaurant! You can tell Illusive Bar & Restaurant cares about their guests. The food is delicious, the portions and seasoning is perfect. It is always well-packaged and after several orders with them, the quality has remained above the rest!! I’m a happy customer and will continue to order from here!

Amazing! Have been wanting to try here some they opened up. We started with the "Jacked up tots". Fantastic. I had the weekly burger special. It was great! The food, the service, the drinks, everything was phenomenal. Absolutely will be back. ***UPDATE*** Illusive has become my favorite go to, Chef Joe is incredibly creative and the menu is never dull. Highly recommend!!!

Illusive is off the hook! Why? because someone very special and dear to me is in the kitchen, putting his foot, arm, and elbow in his cooking! You can taste his passion on the plate. The ambiance is very nice and inviting! The patio area is very pretty and a great spot to sit outside and chill. The food is absolutely delicious (no surprise). The plating and quality is superb! Definitely a must go for happy hour, lunch, or dinner!! Keep doing what you’re doing!

Great place with great food. Always clean and great friendly staff! Food is always fresh and you can tell they take their time preparing their delicacies. Would recommend you stop by if you’re looking to look for some place new to eat.

If you love food that is either original or very very creative they have it all at Illusive! The best service and very consistent. I would call ahead for reservations on Thursday, Friday, and Saturdays from 5-8pm. Don't wait make it now!

So the name IS what it is - from the outside that is. Less than 5mins away from the Rensselaer train station in some back space lol. HOWEVER, on the inside it was worth the chance. Pretty crowded for a Tuesday evening. Everything on the menu makes you second guess the choice before. Mick Jigga and Dragon's Breath burgers were ⭐exceptionally⭐ tasty and so was the mac & cheese (could've had more heat for me for the one I got though). Had to wait a tad for a table, but the girls were friendly and took good care of things. Hope to visit again 😋🥂

Best gourmet hamburger I’ve had in the area! So many unique options and high quality ingredients and preparation!

Every time we take Amtrak to Albany, we walk from the station to Illusive for some great food. The Mac n cheese, salads, and burgers are great. Good selection of post-train drinks as well! There’s an outside seating area for nice days and plenty of indoor seats plus the bar.

This was our first time visiting after hearing great things about Illusive. I had the empire smash burger with tots and my wife had the Harlem chopped cheese. Both were delicious! They have a large variety of options including multiple kinds of wings, chicken sandwiches, and burgers. Our server was awesome and kept us stocked up on drinks and anything else we needed. Go check them out - we will definitely be back many times.

The wings were excellent. The waitress Niyah was very friendly, service was excellent and she is very beautiful. Would recommend to eat there.

Excellent food presentation and very delicious. All I can say you have to try it to appreciate what I'm talking about, ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

+3

Don't judge a book by its cover. The outside of this restaurant in no way resembles the deliciousness that awaits within. It's small but fun and laid back, and the burgers and sandwiches, incredible! Extremely tasty! The fries are really good too. Staff are friendly and attentive. Highly recommend the Croissant Chaos, delectable.

Dinning, take out or delivery…. Their consistency preparing high quality food is remarkable, always friendly service. And when I say consistency, I really mean it (I’ve been visiting the region for the past 7 yrs, I eat here in every trip) Best burgers in the area.

Amazing food, friendly staff. A little cramped for room, but still cozy and nice. Fantastic little place!

This place is awesome! Went here with 8 people on a Thursday after placing a reservation 30 min prior and they were more than accommodate. Started with drinks which very fairly priced and very good, then got apps and soup which all came at the same time and were delicious, i highly recommend the southwest chicken soup and the banging tots both very good. I had the chicken saltimboca for my main course which was delicious! The owner / head chef Joe is a great hard working man with alot of integrity, you can just tell by the food. I highly recommend coming here!

Apparently this is the 1000th review for this spot on Google. First you can tell the staff take pride in their work, all the up to the owner (just look at some of the replies to negative reviews here), and it’s easy to see why. I had an early dinner with my buddy. We both live in the area and have never been here before. We both ordered wings. The service was phenomenal. The portions are very generous, and the food was exemplary. Can’t wait to come back and explore some more wing flavors or grab a burger. If you’ve thought about coming to this joint, do it. You won’t regret it.

It was so good, the whipped bbq on the smoke house burger was amazing, as were the truffle friesssss. Also super nice and let us keep our luggage in the back

We absolutely love their Chicken Sandwiches, Burgers, and everything else!!! Very cute restaurant! You can order online for pickup :) Try the Cajun Fries!!

My buddy Doug and I play indoor golf each week then try all different restaurants.We were seated immediately and were greeted by a very nice server/greeter.Burgers and in house kettle chips and coffees were delicious. I believe the coffee has a faint hint of cinnamon. I loved it.I'm sure I'll be back again.Thank you for a nice visit.

My daughter had her 11th birthday dinner here. It was delicious and we had the best time.

+2

I had the pub crawler burger with fries. My guest had the new school double bacon burger with sweet potato fries. Everything was great! Our server was very good, attentive and had great timing. I will definitely come back again.

Found out this evening from the FB page that people have been review bombing Illusive, and I just wanted to set the record straight for everyone here on who they are as a company and what they mean to me. I remember the first time that my wife and I visited Illusive. It was right after we got married at city hall across the street. Emotions were running high for us on what could only be called a roller coaster week of emotions, and we just wanted some good comfort food to celebrate our union. We walked in and were immediately greeted by Meg, who was immediately friendly and took us to our table. She asked if we had ever been in before, and we hadn't, so she went over the specials and gushed about how inventive they were week to week. We were immediately intrigued, and so we ordered the specials of the day. Since that point we were hooked, and we take any chance we can get to visit (and drag our friends and family along for the ride). When people used to ask me what my favorite restaurant in the area was, I used to struggle. After all, the Capital region has so many great eateries. But nowadays, I can immediately say with a smile that it's Illusive. No restaurant has ever provided such consistency in service and quality of food to me over and extended period of time, and certainly no other restaurant makes me legitimately exited when they post up pictures and videos of the new specials on FB. I can't rate Illusive high enough, and if you don't believe my words, well, believe the proof from my camera roll. The only images that aren't here are for items that were simply too good to stop and take a photo of :) Thank you to the chef, the back end management team, and the front end servers who make the experience at Illusive something I truly look forward to whenever I get to go. ...and don't worry, I'll be in for that quesadilla this weekend :)

+6

Great place!! Super odd location, but get over it because it's worth it. Clean. Plenty of parking, staff is very nice. Limited kids menu as expected since it's kind of a bar fusion restaurant. Probably could boat to it off the Hudson. However they were very accommodating to a unique choice for kids meals. Offered gluten-free options to go with their appetizers. Food is unique in combination, most unique names I've seen in a while. 6 stars for creativity! Seating inside and outside is comfortable. Small. Reservations likely ideal for 6pm on!! Outside seating is just as fun. There's a lot of artwork on the walls and some is for sale. Very nice. Handicap accessible. Kitchen was open which was really cool to see the hard work. Fun dishes. Unique fries. The bar is pretty fun in appearance too. The bathrooms are clean but only one stall each.

+6

Great made-from-scratch margaritas! Our server,(not sure of spelling) Nia was super friendly..... definitely a great asset to Illusive!

We had the illusive wings, and they were amazing! Flavor was really good, wings were perfectly crispy. We asked for the sauce on the side, so it accentuated how crispy they were and we can customize sauce level when dipping the wings. We also tried a couple of the burgers, although I did enjoy the Empire Smash Burger more, both were excellent. Staff was friendly and attentive!

Saw this on the news. This establishment honored a special needs high school senior by creating his own little homecoming meal at their restaurant. The family simply asked for a small acknowledgement but the restaurant went above and beyond and made it a festive atmosphere for him. We need more establishments like this. What a nice thing to do. I will now make the trip to eat at this restaurant. 👍👍👍

Everything amazing , it was a 30 minute wait but lmao they just appeared on wing wars as well as we was sitting inside and they just popped up on the news for great food , wings amazing will be back to try other options on the menu and the music !!! Music on point

Great place for wings. Probably the best in the Capitol District. Fast service despite the lunch rush. Wings are obviously never frozen and are tender, not overcooked and generous sause. Look out Duffs and Bar bill!

Food was amazing per usual. One of the best wing sauces I’ve ever had!! Service was great as well!

We absolutely love illusive wings and burgers. Over the top flavors. The award winning ones we keep ordering over and over. Everything I've had is great. Yummy appetizers like a rich chicken buffalo dip. I've been going since they made really delicious breakfast sandwiches with candied bacon at their first location which burned. Outside/ covered dining options.

First time coming in today - Great music and energy. The staff is super friendly too. The food is amazing! Highly recommend the chicken and bacon dip. We also got the fried chicken sandwich and an amazing burger. Will be coming back often!

Food is great. I got a down by the river burger. Soooo good and boyfriend got a chicken sandwich special that was awesome too. The artichoke spinach dip is to die for. Would eat that on anything. Waitress was very nice. Will be going again.

Food: excellent, excellent, excellent---did I say freaking excellent? I was not expecting this level of food at this place simply because from the outside, the place looks like some dive bar that serves burgers and fries. First time there we got the Pub Crawler and the tater tot poutine---delicious. Decided to come back a 2nd time and had the Empire Smash Burger---even better than the Pub Crawler. Friend had the cajun garlic mac and cheese and she said, best mac and cheese she's ever had at any given restaurant, and she is a fellow traveler and a mac and cheese snob. There was a special listed for 53 bucks, which had it not been for the fact that I wanted to have the Smash Burger, would have ordered it. Kind of intriguing that place serves a 13 dollar burger, and it also has plate for 50+ bucks. So many other places in the area to try, but honestly, food is good here, that I'm having a hard time going to another place and being disappointed with the food.

+4

Delicious food, friendly staff, good prices and a clean restaurant. Grabbed dinner around 6:30 on a Tuesday evening and the restaurant was quiet. Ordered the Jacked-up Tater Tots and a Pub Crawler burger... both tasted great and had tons of flavor. Can't wait to go back!

I have been here too many times to count and every time at least one dish blows me away. Once it was the garlic chicken Mac n Cheese. It’s always the tater tot poutine! And I try a new burger each time. The best burgers in the Capital District and I don’t say that lightly! I’m a foodie and try new restaurants regularly as I’m always on the lookout! Customer service is always good. Sometimes a little flustered at the front desk when they’re slammed. Butt he wait staff is attentive and food comes out quickly! Here are some photos!

+6

Tried the wings at wing wars a couple of years ago and I regret it took us so long so make it in. The wings of course were out of this world. Also tried the crab cakes from the appetizer menu which was packed with fresh sweet crab meat. Next the scallops special which was incredibly tasty! Cant wait to come back to try more menu items!

Definitely a good stop. It's a small place with creative food options. They have a full bar, and I have to say that the service was impressive. It appears that 2 ladies were serving customers, and one was also tending bar. They did an exceptional job. Seven of us started with Lemon Pepper Buffalo wings. These are not crispy, but also do not have a chewy or thick skin. These have lots of flavor and taste exactly how you would imagine. Cooked perfectly. Very very good wings. I got the Mick Jigga burger. Good flavor. I didn't love the texture of the thick caramelized onion and soft wet, lettuce, but this was very good and my personal preference. Sweet potato fries were perfect and their fries/spuds are some of the best around. Strip steak is very tasty, cooked perfectly and a good value. Mac n Cheese is also very good. Overall very good place that takes period on food, creativity and service. It was also clean.

Crab Cakes are amazing .. plenty of lumps of crab and not a lot of breading. Fresh! Most enjoyable. Cobb Salad with grilled chicken .. the salad is fresh. The grilled chicken was a bit heavy on salt. Mac and cheese with cajun chicken and bacon .. it was good. Empire smash Burger is tasty .. also love the home fries that comes on the plate. Thank you, Illusive =)

+1

10/10 service, environment and food. I really enjoyed dinner. The wings were crispy yet saucy, and definitely seasoned well. Great portions as pictured 😌

Food and service was amazing! The drinks and burgers were top notch. Can't wait to come back and try more! 10/10 must try!

This has without a doubt become one of our favorite places, it's just a matter of getting to the other side of the river. For us, a place that can manage gluten allergy is important. My wife is ecstatic tonight to have been able to have chicken wings for the first time in years. Her McJigga burger was delicious for her. I loved her cherry-pepper mayo so much I asked for it to add to my brisket sandwich. What added to the experience was the amazing service from Niyah. She brought an energy and personality that you'd love from every waitperson. Friendly and attentive she gave us good feedback on our choices. And that great service was in every staff member we engaged. Keep bringing amazing food and service Illusive!

This is a well hidden restaurant near the train station, but the food is amazing. I had the burger and a salad and both were great. Plenty of drink options. Even tho there was only one server for the entire place, she got the job done.

Party of 3 for dinner… well.. burgers 🍔 and beer’s with an App of wings! PERFECTION!! Google “ PERFECTION “ and it defines Illusive in Rensselaer. Everything was perfect. Wings were soooo goood! I recommend the Illusive and garlic parm mixed..Truthfully our server Jenna recommended it because we couldn’t decide on one or the other so we tried them combined and of course it was to die for! Our table each got a different burger and AGAIN… I tried a bite of them all.. every single one was perfect!! Juicy.. napkin worthy .. fries were fresh and the best I’ve had since lake placid 1993😂.. even the IPA’s and cocktails were exceptional.. not flat and ice cold.. compliments the burgers of course. I can’t forget to brag about our server “JENNA” that will make this comment a Novel..She was Amazing and of course.. perfect as well...Knowledgeable, friendly and attentive .. I won’t go on and on.. but could.. I highly recommend Illusive.. price was great as well..

Liv Saharov

Very tasty food, good envairment, very kind staff

Nancy Roldan-Johnson

Stopped here on our way to a friend’s house. We’re from out of town and when we saw the reviews, we knew we had to stop in to try it for ourselves. My friend raved about his big Anthony sandwich and I had the Madison salad (undoubtedly one of the top five salads I’ve had in my life!) and my husband had the Caprese sandwich. Everything was super fresh and next level. We are completely blown away. We had the tater tots and they were really fresh and didn’t taste greasy at all. If you’re a foodie, you’ll love this place. Our waitress Megan was amazing and even brought us a to-go container without us even having asked. We hope to come back again soon, but we will tell all our local friends about this gem! Note: Don’t judge this place by the exterior. Trust me, it’s a delight.

Serena Beana

I give Illusive my highest recommendations! Not just here on Google with a 5-star review, but to anyone when I’m in a conversation that is regarding great food spots in the Capital Region. I will start by saying every single thing I have tried on the menu has been exceptional; delicious and full of flavor. They infuse the best flavors and ingredients I love their “burgers”, “wings” & “fries”— they have many outstanding and creative options …and every single staff member, from front door to owner are always on point. Every meal, appetizer, and drink are prepared to the same level of high quality standards … for years. I am not exactly a regular, but I have had Illusive dozens of times over the years and I have never had a less than wonderful experience .every.single.time. whether it’s a large catered party, dining in or taking out. I’ve been to this restaurant many times for dine-in and take out. Also. Have had their award winning wings at the local Wing War contests. I’ve seen their owner involve himself into the community. — Illusive’s taste, style, presentation, and quality of service set them apart. It’s a must try if you have never been. *I apologize these pictures do not show off the artistic display of how Illusive plates their food. This was our to-go order from the other night just seconds before we dove into it. Cajun Garlic parm wings were sooo so good. Crispy and spicy. **I also miss your jacked tater tots. Please bring them back :)

Thinn Thinn Ei

I’ve been living in Rensselaer for 7 years, and this was my first time trying Illusive—so good. The food was packed really well, no plastic containers and no mess at all. We ordered three burgers with fries and some chicken wings. Everything smelled amazing and tasted great. You can tell how fresh and flavorful it is from the first bite. Definitely the best bar in Rensselaer in my opinion. We’ll for sure be coming back!

Rob

Coming here for the first time I thought I was pulling up to an abandoned building. Ordered the Mick Jigga burger. Its just a burger right? Nope. It was outstanding. Great food, great music, great drinks, great prices, great bartenders, how was I to know?

Yvonne Perry

I really enjoyed my first-time visit. It’s a tad hard to find, as Ferry St isn’t large. Trust your google maps to get there, because it’s near both 787, Rte 9&20, and the train station. The space was delightfully decorated for the season (Halloween) and the staff was super friendly. We had two salads: the famous Cobb and the one with strawberries. As mentioned in other reviews, I did find the chicken a bit salty for my taste, but it was still delicious and an appropriately sized meal. Mom finished her entire salad, but I took some of mine home. The nice people seated next to us were repeat customers. We would definitely come back.

Ian Baumes

Amazing food, not run of the mill. Taste and flavor are very important and they nail it! The fries are amazing!!; burger was a smash burger with flavors that were amazing and the chicken sandwich too die for!! Service was amazing! They were also setting up for a individual who was going to homecoming!

Cameron Rodgers

I brought my son here for a big night, and the people that worked there went waaaaaay above and beyond to make him feel special! I was so touched by their kindness. Our food was amazing, and there was so much of it. We tried the tots poutine for an appetizer, and we ate so much of it, that I had to bring most of my burger home. But Im sitting here, eating it straight out of the box now, and it's delicious. Thank you to this amazing staff for being so wonderful!

Vicki

Hidden gem across the river in East Greenbush. Great atmosphere. A good mix of draft choices and mixed drinks. There's an outdoor patio as well! Definitely recommend this for the foodies!

Jenn Noel

We came form an hour away to give this place a chance and I must say that it was well worth it. The drinks are very well made and there is a nice variety. The appetizers were amazing, we tried the pork belly and whipped ricotta and were blown away with both. The flavor profile was on another level. The entrees 🤯 , the wings were perfectly cooked and sauced, the burger, also perfectly cooked and seasoned to perfection, the steak, cooked to perfection and seasoned well , no salt needed which says a lot for us foodies. The service was also impeccable, we wanted for nothing. Definitely a new go to location added to our list of places to go and well worth the drive. We leave here full and satisfied. If you’ve been on the fence about this place, do yourself a favor and take the chance, you won’t be disappointed.

Renee Santore

The food is always delicious. I’ve had many of the food items here. I’ve had the Chicken Marsala the most. Always yummy! It was perfect. My husband also loved his Pasta Arlene with Chicken. Garlic bread points are sooo good too!

Natalie Johnson

So a few weeks ago I started a ladies only social group. The point of the group is to make new friends and try new restaurants in our area. The name of the group if you’re on Facebook is Dine & dish 518 We had our first offical dinner Tuesday night Illusive Restaurant & Bar I made reservation there was a total of 6 of us. Iv never been here so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I absolutely loved it. It was so clean and tidy. The music wasn’t crazy loud where we were actually able to have a conversation and hear each other. I was so worried about getting to know my group and remember everybody’s name that I forgot to get my wautress name. But she was lovely. Our drinks stays full, she checked up on us through lathe meal. Just made our experience ever better. Now let’s get into this food. We all had different things. We had a few appraisers for the table. My meal was the chicken Cobb salad, with a mac and cheese. Everything was delicious 😋 But I think my fav was the chicken from the salad. That was made perfectly. If you haven’t been here before I suggest you go 10/10 expierence

+2

Kali Walsh

Great place! Staff was very, very friendly and paid great attention. Great atmosphere and great music playing. The food was super good! Would absolutely be back again. The wings were cooked perfectly and had great flavor and texture. I think our only change about the food would be the pulled pork mac & cheese. Usually, when we get this at other places, it's mac & cheese topped with pulled pork. This pulled pork mac & cheese had the pulled pork mixed in with the cheese sauce, which gave it an off texture & you missed out completely on the pulled pork flavor and texture. That part wasn't our fave; overall, good flavor, but that's all we'd personally change. The sweet potato fries were perfect! The caprese sandwich with chicken I got was super good. The chicken was a little salty, but overall, I would get it again! Margarita was spot on! Overall, it was a great place that we'd totally visit again!!

+3

Heather Keating

If I could give this place a gazillion stars I would. The food here is OUT FLIPPING STANDING!!!! Their burgers are a MUST!! It was so good that my son ordered one to go after he devoured his first one. We also had their wings which were delicious! And let’s not forget their salads!!! I had their summer special salad with blueberry goat cheese and grilled shrimp and a white vinaigrette that I could have taken a bath in. I can’t even say enough great things about this place. We almost turned around because to be honest it looked a.little sketchy. So glad we didn’t!!! Best meal we have had in ages!!

Jacqueline Unger-Sprague

The food was awesome!! I highly recommend the crab cakes. They were fresh and had a generous amount of real crab meat (not just fillers like breadcrumbs). The Casanova Caprese was wonderful as well. My dad had the Boss Hogg (their BLT) and he really enjoyed it. My husband had the Dragon Breath sandwich and said it was great and that the crispy chicken was the best he's had. Their french fries (had a unique shape and were great for dipping), sweet potato fries and chips were all delicious. Our waitress was super friendly and attentive. I would definitely go back!!

Great burger and great service. I was worried when I wasn't asked for how well I would like the burger, but it came out perfect, it was nice a juicy. Would definitely go back again! Also had a very good craft beer selection.

Illusive Bar has great burgers, wings, and fries (both regular and sweet potato)! I’ve been twice and enjoyed my meals here. The flavors are consistently great, and the portion sizes are generous. However, the lunch rush can be pretty intense for the wait staff. While I haven't personally been affected, I’ve seen other customers get impatient and frustrated due to longer wait times after being seated. I think this could be improved, but overall, it's still a great spot for a good meal!

My first time here and enjoyed my meal. The burger was good and the service was also good. I will be back and recommend Illusive if you are in the area.

Surprisingly good food Excellent waiter. Odd location but they really make it work and its convenient to Amtrak station. 5 minute drive.

The food is excellent and the wait staff are great. My only complaint is the closeness of tables, the cold temperature, and the lack of vegetarian options on the menu.

A friend and I lunched there recently. Food was very good and the sweet potato fries were also delicious. Service was first rate. The restaurant is pleasant but can be a bit noisy with the place full. We each had a $12 cocktail.

Food was great. Outdoor seating. Our wait staff was Christian he was great. Will definitely go again.

+3

Went here while we were visiting from out of town. When we entered we weren’t greeted right away but when the young woman came out of the kitchen door and and said something to us, I felt like we were intruding. I guess she thought we had reservations, at least I think that’s what she said! No hello no how many nothing. I said we had two, she turned around walked away and laid a couple menus on the table, we weren’t really sure what to do! Well we just walked over there and sat at the table we thought she was alluding to! But the waitress was awesome and the food was great! Just be careful if you’re “out of towners!!”

Food and service were great. Sweet potato fries are some of the best I've ever had. Only downfalls are it is very loud, and very expensive. $21 for a burger and sweet potato fries is a lot for a relatively casual dining experience.

The bf and I decided to try this place out and we were not disappointed. The portions were huge, food was delicious. Waitress was great. Would definitely go back.

We decided, last minute to meet up with friends who were visiting from out of town and saw that Illusive was open on Mondays. When we arrived, there was a wait of 40 min for a table of 6. By the time our friends showed up, we only needed a table for 4. Since the place was packed, we went to the bar to eat. It took longer than i thought to receive service for drinks, but once ordered, it was fast. Unfortunately, they did not come back to see if we wanted food and had to get our own menus. We finially ordered around 7:45 and was told that the kitchen (and apparently the restaurant) closes at 8. We ordered 2 appetizers and 2 dinners. The award winning wings were Soooo Good! We totally recommend them! Our friends ordered the mac and cheese and a burger. We were disappointed that the wait staff was cleaning all around us and putting up chairs on tables, even though there was another table of 5 still eating/drinking and talking. We felt a bit rushed at the end. We wish that we were told that they closed at 8 instead of rushing us to eat.

+2

This is a good place to get burgers, fries, and a drink in downtown Rensselaer. It is a little off the beaten path but you just go down the short road and they have a parking lot. There is some outdoor seating as well. My burger was good but it was a little on the salty side. The bubs are not traditional bonds but rather a harder role. It was good but I would have preferred a regular brioche bun. I got the empire smashburger which comes with two smash patties. The chips it came with were good and you can upgrade to get sweet potato fries or regular fries. The server I had was great.

+6

We had a party of 8. The waitress was great and attentive. We had burgers and salads as well as a few other dishes. Everything came out hot and good flavor. Prices are reasonable and we will go back

Scott Vining

The Illlusive Restaurant Bar and Grill certainly lives up to its name—tucked away and a bit hidden, which adds to its charm before you even walk in. We went in with strong recommendations, and the first impression was positive. The staff were friendly and welcoming, and the atmosphere had potential. My wife and I just ordered an appetizer to start, and while the flavors were decent, it arrived a little cool instead of hot, which took away from the experience. On the drinks side, mine was quite good, but my wife’s could have been better. Nothing terrible—just not quite what she expected. One other thing worth noting was the temperature of the dining room. For 3:30 p.m. on a Saturday in December, it felt a bit too cool, which made it a little harder to settle in and enjoy the visit fully. Overall, The Illusive has promise, especially with its friendly staff and cozy concept, but there are a few details that could be tightened up to match the strong recommendations we’d heard going in. We will certainly give it another chance

ken ken

I'm a tough grader but overall I liked the place. Food that we had was a B+. Wings had excellent presentation as did everything we recieved. Wings were too salty IMHO and I really love salt. Shoestring fries were fine but not.much to them. Just a dusting of parm and supposedly truffles. The burger my Gf liked and also gave it a B+ Service was good but as with everything could improve. I would like to try other things in the menu as the descriptions look intriguing. Illusives' websight indicated "Our Hours Will Vary Due To Covid Please Check Back" and probably should be changed.

So many people recommended this place for dinner, that I think my expectations were too high. We started with an assortment of appetizers - 2 kinds of tater tots and 2 flavors of wings. The wings were delicious! We tried the Thai chili and the Buffalo, both really good. The tater tots were good, but nothing exceptional. The chicken sandwich was not the best I have had, in fact my husband ate half and I couldn't get past one bite of the 2nd half. It was enormously thick and gamey tasting. The Mick Jigger was much better, very good, but nothing I would go out if my way to have again. No dessert menu available.

+4

Been hearing about this place for awhile finally gave it a try. Stopped in for lunch on a Saturday. Not too busy. Food and service just okay. Got the Burger Special some bacon and truffle cheese combo. It was a bit dry and overcooked. Still okay, it's a smash burger so expect the dryness I guess. I asked for a side of ketchup and that took a bit of time. The house chips were really good. Wish you get more of those. Had a Jim Beam and Ginger. However It does take awhile to get your check and cash out. $35 otd not too bad. All in all not great not bad. Mediocre.

Gideon Firl

Saw this place being highly reputed in East Greenbush Facebook group. Tried their speciality empire smash burger, it wasn’t anything special. Bread were little bit dry, overall a dry burger. Nearly no “whipped honey bbq sauce”. My wife got steak and frites. It was nearly $50, and the quality was quite offensive considering the price. Steak was okay. The cost was not okay. The customer service was actually really good, just that they were so busy and distracted. I recommend making reservation ahead of time. I rate this place a solid three.

Amanda Ramirez

Got there and the scenery was okay… normal restaurant, bar vibes. Nothing special. I was greeted by my waitress Shyenne she had a great personality and attentive. The food not going to lie, with me coming from Buffalo New York their wings were MID, not fresh but wasn’t cold (I still ate it at the end of the day… I just got off had a long day and was hungry) Cause they literally came out in like 7-10 minutes. Will I go back and give them a chance of course. Now checking out was the real problem I’m not sure if the lady was having a bad day but she wasn’t friendly at all, nor patient. I wish I caught her name I still showed respect and told her to have nice day. Overall experience 3/10.

The food and service were great; however the restaurant was not air-conditioned and very muggy. In addition, there was a door to the outside that was repeatedly opened to lead to the outside seating. This generated numerous flies that were in the building and landing on my food. This just ruins it for me. Fix those issues and you get a 5 rating from me. (For additional context, please read the owner's response below).

I hate to rain on everybody’s parade but here I am. I feel like people PRAISE this place and I didn’t get that. First kids menu didn’t have chicken fingers; ok this is a me problem. So we ordered grilled cheese for my youngest. It was very thick, like Texas toast style, so my 4 year old did not like it. Also with kids and adults you have to buy sides, like fries, separate. That made my 4yo kids meal over $10. Not sure if this was an error but my kids drinks which came in kids cups were the same price as my drink. Maybe this was an error in billing but that’s still a miss for me. I do not like that you buy things separate. What bar/restaurant and not fancy/family style place do you go to that charges for a burger and fries separately? Of course you want fries or chips when you order a burger. So that’s weird to me. To the good things; the lemon pepper wings, Cobb salad and burger with fries were delicious! I would definitely eat this food again but based on the availability places nearby that don’t list the above problems,I may not be back.

+1

Came here as I heard they had the best burgers in the area. Very disappointed. Burger and chips were over salted. The burger also was burnt a bit. Not worth the over $30 after tip for the burger and mocktail. Mocktail was decent but definitely over priced (not priced in menu). Service was good though and was clean and nice interior. Wouldn't recommend burger unfortunately

I ordered food from Illusive Restaurant via UberEats and was extremely excited to give them a try based on the reviews and the unique menu. I ordered at 530pm and after waiting 2 hours for my order, it never showed. Unfortunately, the UberEats driver ran off with my order and it was marked as "delivered" in their system. I contacted the business and informed them that my food never came. They apologized, couldn't provide an alternative and my Family and I were still without anything to eat and waited 2 hours for it to never show. Definitely have zero intention of ordering here again or going in person. This is the downside of doing business with a restaurant via Uber.

Ordered The Home Wrecker - Pulled Braised Brisket / Caramelized Onions / Aged Provolone / Cowboy Relish / Garlic Mayo / Toasted Club Roll. What I received was a roll with glob of melted cheese and minimum amount of brisket with no flavor.

Darren Simmons

Trued it for the first time after hearing about good reviews. The plated food looked good however it lacked seasoning in flavor. We got and app, bbq brisket sandwich and I had the steak Louie. They were all pretty good, but nothing spectacular. My steak was cooked well but lacked seasoning like basic salt and pepper. The risotto had a kind of weird flavor to and really can’t compare to a good Italian restaurant. For the two of us to eat and have a couple of beers it was over $100 and I’m not sure we would be going back. The atmosphere was very bar like would not suggest if you’re looking for a relaxing night out for dinner. I guess it’s all about the choices, but I was surprised about how bland the food was especially after reading reviews of how good it was. UPDATE: Now in addition to my original feedback Wich was 3 stars, the management team reached out to me with a response that I now see is the usual for anyone who rates them less than a 5 star. Defensive and insulting. If I were them I would do some research on people before they respond. I am not a negative poster and been to many outstanding restaurants and leave honest mostly positive reviews. Now for them to insult my palate is rich. Let’s start with “my palate is a tad inexperienced to understand “ get real, look at the places I’ve been and provided reviews for. I identified the saffron in your below average risotto and any good chef would know that the over use of that ingredient will leave a metallic taste in your mouth. (Looks like you’re a tad bit inexperienced) Your so called rich and savory Demi glaze tasted more like mushroom water and it was lumpy not smooth as you can see by the pics. Your brisket was not cut properly for the sandwich and was tough and it also had a distinct off putting aftertaste. Learn to take constructive criticism instead of attacking anyone who rates you less than a 5 which are probably all friends and family. However you are right and we agree on one thing. If I am looking for a “spectacular”night out with a good atmosphere and great food, your place is definitely not for me and I wouldn’t waste my time or money on your overpriced, pretentious grub. What I will do is tell everyone I know about this experience and your rude response not only to me but others whom you blame for their bad experience instead of taking some ownership. Juvenile and pathetic, good luck with your flash in the pan spot. ANYONE READING THIS POST DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME OR HARD EARNED CASH ON THIS ESTABLISHMENT!! I HAVE HAD MUCH BETTER BURGERS AND STEAK AT CHILIS FOR HALF THE PRICE. If you want great food, atmosphere and pricing that fits the quality go to Grappa 72, Mila’s, The Nest, D’Raymonds, Ferraris, Fillies on Phila, Pasta Pane, Morton’s Steak House. All great food and atmosphere that is worth the time and money. The best part, no self righteous, cocky demeaning attitude towards their customers. In conclusion I wish you the best, you the consumers, not the establishment who’s illusiveness is more of an illusion than reality.