The Boulevard

I was visiting Albany and wanted to find a burger before venturing into downtown. I stopped into The Boulevard and ordered the Barge burger. I got to meet the owner and had a beautiful conversation. The ladies restroom has a word search. Haven't seen that before. The burger was juicy and flavorful. The fries were seasoned and crispy. A very delightful meal and experience. Highly recommend!

Jess Montaño

I was visiting Albany and wanted to find a burger before venturing into downtown. I stopped into The Boulevard and ordered the Barge burger. I got to meet the owner and had a beautiful conversation. The ladies restroom has a word search. Haven't seen that before. The burger was juicy and flavorful. The fries were seasoned and crispy. A very delightful meal and experience. Highly recommend!

Great neighborhood restaurant. Food was great and service, too. The owner is very nice and very attentive.

Place is very nice food is good and staff are great

Came all the way from Maine , would do it again in a heartbeat!!! Jeff and Nikki were amazing!

Went to dinner with some coworkers and it was such an amazing experience! The staff was kind and accommodating. The owner was so sweet and made sure we were all having a good time!

Welcoming atmosphere, delicious food! Owner served like a pro because her server was under the weather…. Highly recommend the fresh food and service with a smile! 🥰

Sam's restaurant is back with new owners in a hybrid form. The front seating is a sports bar with multiple TVs, burgers, wings and related bar food. The back is for dining out and the menu has selections from the old Sam's. And the food is great. You can order anything off of the menu, no matter where you sit. The service was efficient and friendly. There are a few parking spaces in the front of the restaurant off of Southern Boulevard and there is additional parking on side streets. On a recent Saturday night, the place was packed, so a reservation is a good idea.

This restaurant has the friendliest staff and most wonderful owner. The food is delicious, 10/10 recommend!!

We visited The Boulevard Sat. 11/08/25 for dinner & drinks. This address was formerly Sam's Italian-American Restaurant. The new owners are from the River Front Bar & Grill aka The Barge on the Hudson River. Near capacity on this Sat. evening. First impression was how much brighter it is now. Bar & tables in the front (the wall was taken out) & the other dining area in the back. Also TVs were added & electronic dart game. More of a neighborhood pub feel, "An American Grille with a Taste of Italy". This is reflected in their Hours of Operation: Monday: CLOSED Tuesday: CLOSED Wednesday: 3pm - 10pm Thursday: 3pm - 10pm Friday: 3pm - 12am Saturday: 3pm - 12am Sunday: 12pm - 10pm The Barge & Sam's favorites are featured on the new menu. Dinners were a generous sliced sirloin sandwich w/ fries ($19) and Sam's linguine w/ white clam sauce-more than a dozen clams, garlic toast ($26/ app $16). Great choices at a good value. They're are 13 apps on the menu. Service was backed up a bit as we were here two weeks after their soft opening. But the co-owner acknowledged to us the wait time. Thirty minutes was not a problem for us on this busy evening. The bartender, Dana M was very welcoming & professional. Great job Dana! Again very good first impression. We will definitely go back again. Thank you again to all the servers & kitchen staff. We wish you all success. Nick & Liz, Albany, NY, USA

Went for a holiday dinner with some coworkers, the atmosphere was lovely! The appetizers were incredible, would definitely recommend the cauliflower bites! Cheri, the owner, was super nice and accommodating! She was always checking in to make sure everyone was enjoying themselves!

My favorite restaurant was Sam’s Italian Restaurant, and The Boulevard feels like its spiritual successor. They’ve brightened and opened up the layout, adding TVs that give the space more of a sports-bar vibe. The menu features many of the same nostalgic, delicious dishes I loved at Sam’s, and the servers are just as friendly. I’m so glad to have a little piece of my favorite restaurant back.

I LOVE this food and this restaurant is so homey and clean. The owner Cheri is fantastic. I highly recommend the wings!

We had our holiday dinner at the boulevard. It was an amazing experience. The decor is welcoming, the staff was attentive and wonderful. As the food arrived it was greeted with oooo's and ahhhh's because the presentation was beautiful. The only thing that topped the presentation was the taste. My mouth is still watering thinking about it. If you haven't try this place you are definitely missing out on a local gem.

We went to dinner during their soft opening. The food and service were excellent. We had bruschetta that was amazing, eggplant parm, chicken parm and linguine and white clam sauce. All were amazing. It was a little slow but we were content. The restaurant was completely full and bustling.

Can’t say enough about The Boulevard! From delicious Italian classics to yummy burgers, soups, salads, and overall great menu, there‘s something for everyone. It also has a great neighborhood “where everyone knows your name” kind of vibe. In my opinion, it’s even better than the original Sam’s! If you haven’t tried it yet, you must. And you will keep going back!

Liz Murray

This restaurant has the friendliest staff and most wonderful owner. The food is delicious, 10/10 recommend!!

Caspian O'Keeffe

Went for a holiday dinner with some coworkers, the atmosphere was lovely! The appetizers were incredible, would definitely recommend the cauliflower bites! Cheri, the owner, was super nice and accommodating! She was always checking in to make sure everyone was enjoying themselves!

Michelle Fujczak

Welcoming atmosphere, delicious food! Owner served like a pro because her server was under the weather…. Highly recommend the fresh food and service with a smile! 🥰

Nadia Ashman

I LOVE this food and this restaurant is so homey and clean. The owner Cheri is fantastic. I highly recommend the wings!

Rachel Zemsky

Went to dinner with some coworkers and it was such an amazing experience! The staff was kind and accommodating. The owner was so sweet and made sure we were all having a good time!

Begmw

We had our holiday dinner at the boulevard. It was an amazing experience. The decor is welcoming, the staff was attentive and wonderful. As the food arrived it was greeted with oooo's and ahhhh's because the presentation was beautiful. The only thing that topped the presentation was the taste. My mouth is still watering thinking about it. If you haven't try this place you are definitely missing out on a local gem.

Bob “Doodles - W3BOO” Donlon

Place is very nice food is good and staff are great

Nicola A. Parisi

We visited The Boulevard Sat. 11/08/25 for dinner & drinks. This address was formerly Sam's Italian-American Restaurant. The new owners are from the River Front Bar & Grill aka The Barge on the Hudson River. Near capacity on this Sat. evening. First impression was how much brighter it is now. Bar & tables in the front (the wall was taken out) & the other dining area in the back. Also TVs were added & electronic dart game. More of a neighborhood pub feel, "An American Grille with a Taste of Italy". This is reflected in their Hours of Operation: Monday: CLOSED Tuesday: CLOSED Wednesday: 3pm - 10pm Thursday: 3pm - 10pm Friday: 3pm - 12am Saturday: 3pm - 12am Sunday: 12pm - 10pm The Barge & Sam's favorites are featured on the new menu. Dinners were a generous sliced sirloin sandwich w/ fries ($19) and Sam's linguine w/ white clam sauce-more than a dozen clams, garlic toast ($26/ app $16). Great choices at a good value. They're are 13 apps on the menu. Service was backed up a bit as we were here two weeks after their soft opening. But the co-owner acknowledged to us the wait time. Thirty minutes was not a problem for us on this busy evening. The bartender, Dana M was very welcoming & professional. Great job Dana! Again very good first impression. We will definitely go back again. Thank you again to all the servers & kitchen staff. We wish you all success. Nick & Liz, Albany, NY, USA

molly white

Came all the way from Maine , would do it again in a heartbeat!!! Jeff and Nikki were amazing!

Jay Bloomfield

Sam's restaurant is back with new owners in a hybrid form. The front seating is a sports bar with multiple TVs, burgers, wings and related bar food. The back is for dining out and the menu has selections from the old Sam's. And the food is great. You can order anything off of the menu, no matter where you sit. The service was efficient and friendly. There are a few parking spaces in the front of the restaurant off of Southern Boulevard and there is additional parking on side streets. On a recent Saturday night, the place was packed, so a reservation is a good idea.

Sonia Muniz

My favorite restaurant was Sam’s Italian Restaurant, and The Boulevard feels like its spiritual successor. They’ve brightened and opened up the layout, adding TVs that give the space more of a sports-bar vibe. The menu features many of the same nostalgic, delicious dishes I loved at Sam’s, and the servers are just as friendly. I’m so glad to have a little piece of my favorite restaurant back.

Maureen Shea

We went to dinner during their soft opening. The food and service were excellent. We had bruschetta that was amazing, eggplant parm, chicken parm and linguine and white clam sauce. All were amazing. It was a little slow but we were content. The restaurant was completely full and bustling.

Tom Remmert Personal

Great neighborhood restaurant. Food was great and service, too. The owner is very nice and very attentive.

Great redo of the long time Sam's Italian Restaurant. Much brighter with sports bar feel, 11 nice tv's. Menus combines sports bar favorites with the classic favorites offered by Sam's. Great food, nice staff. Wings burgers and Sam's Italian faves. Our server, Jen, was so nice.

The place was basically full when we arrived. There was a couple leaving who didn't want to wait for more than an hour or sit at the bar. We sat at the bar. The service at the bar was very friendly. There was a small problem with our order. They forgot the chicken on my wife's salad. It took a while to get a piece of chicken, but the person working the bar was very apologetic and ended up taking the Salad off the bill. The food was good the service was very good. We would definitely return, but we would make a reservation first.

Charlie S.

Great redo of the long time Sam's Italian Restaurant. Much brighter with sports bar feel, 11 nice tv's. Menus combines sports bar favorites with the classic favorites offered by Sam's. Great food, nice staff. Wings burgers and Sam's Italian faves. Our server, Jen, was so nice.

John Bartz

The place was basically full when we arrived. There was a couple leaving who didn't want to wait for more than an hour or sit at the bar. We sat at the bar. The service at the bar was very friendly. There was a small problem with our order. They forgot the chicken on my wife's salad. It took a while to get a piece of chicken, but the person working the bar was very apologetic and ended up taking the Salad off the bill. The food was good the service was very good. We would definitely return, but we would make a reservation first.

The service was great! And the food was very good. For dessert I had the cheesecake with carmel sauce, yummy. I will definitely be going back.

Loved our initial visit and had 2 separate clam dishes and shrimp scampi. Both shrimp and clams had some tough or overcooked pieces. Also had cup of the soup of the day which was a butternut squash and I did not enjoy it at all- seemed very spicy with a hint of tomato base. In fairness when asked why I had not eaten it all I shared that I didn’t enjoy it and they comped the soup. Lovely service and prices . Will return after a period of time for a second opportunity.

Karen Merritt

The service was great! And the food was very good. For dessert I had the cheesecake with carmel sauce, yummy. I will definitely be going back.

Valerie Gyurko

Loved our initial visit and had 2 separate clam dishes and shrimp scampi. Both shrimp and clams had some tough or overcooked pieces. Also had cup of the soup of the day which was a butternut squash and I did not enjoy it at all- seemed very spicy with a hint of tomato base. In fairness when asked why I had not eaten it all I shared that I didn’t enjoy it and they comped the soup. Lovely service and prices . Will return after a period of time for a second opportunity.

The owner and servers are really kind. However, I have to say the food wasn’t good at all. It was also quite expensive. The chowder was good. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend their burger or chicken parm.

What happened to Sam's sauce? My eggplant was great but the sauce was not Sams!!!

I went soon after they opened and was very pleased by the Sam's entrees. Unfortunately, they seem to have abandoned the sauce. Disappointing! If you go get a burger.

We have bought food twice , chicken parm and fish , not good at all!!

Never been don't like the name