The editor in chief and I have a long-standing debate related to this column. The original challenge was to write about bars and taverns and other such drinking spots of which the average RPI student would have no knowledge. We can never seem to agree, however, as to how much readers know about the Capital District and the establishments located therein. The debate usually degenerates into a raucous fistfight replete with broken bottles and menacing scowls. Or something somewhat less impressive than that.
I think this week represents a compromise. Although I acknowledge that most students have probably visited the restaurant that is Bombers, I contend that most have not, in fact, visited the bar that is Bombers. And really, they should.
Bombers is, at its core, a burrito joint. Monstrous, overstuffed, overfilled bundles of tortilla-encased love are wrapped in foil, so as to vaguely resemble a submarine torpedo, and are delivered hot and fresh to order. The restaurant and kitchen are in the basement of a brownstone on Lark Street in Albany. There is seating for maybe two dozen people in the restaurant, at a mix of booths and tables. It’s cozy and intimate, exactly the setting you’ll learn is perfect for burrito enjoyment.
When you first walk down and into the basement, the kitchen is immediately in front of you and a giant chalkboard is on your left. The entire menu is scrawled on the chalkboard, including any specials. It’s a simple matter to stand in, for lack of a better word, the foyer of the restaurant, digest the menu, and place an order at the counter. There’s something for everyone, carnivore or not. Your best bet is either a chicken-and-gravy or BBQ tofu burrito and cheese fries.
Everyone then makes the exact same breach of etiquette. Every first-time visitor, without exception, seems compelled to stare at the cook while he or she makes the meal. This is absolutely not tolerated by the staff, as evidenced by the prominently displayed sign requesting you not do it. It’s very good advice. They get grumbly if you stare. If you really think about it, do you want someone grumbly making your food?
The bar has its own entrance, leading directly upstairs. The space upstairs used to be the Lionheart Café, a blues club extremely popular among the mid-30’s, professional singles crowd. A few years back, Bombers decided they wanted their own bar. Sometimes being the property owner is convenient. They raised the rent until the Lionheart fled to another location a few blocks away then took over the space upstairs for themselves. Now the bar is a popular hangout for the late-20’s, semi-professional crowd.
There are two components to the upstairs. On the right is a lounge with comfortable seating and a pool table. To the left is the actual bar. Cozy is also the theme upstairs. The bar room, for example, is almost exactly the dimensions of a bar with a row of stools around it. You have no choice but to get to know your fellow patrons. That’s sort of the point, though. Burritos and beer breed brotherhood, as they say. (Yeah, no one actually says that. But once you write “burritos and beer” there’s only one way to go with it that can actually be printed in this newspaper.)
Bombers is located at 258 Lark Street in Albany. Take I-787 south to Exit 3B for US-20 West/Madison Avenue. Go straight up the hill about three miles then make a right onto Lark Street at the confusing five-way intersection. Bombers is on your right, about three blocks down. The restaurant is open every day 11 am-1 am, with the bar open until 2 am Sunday-Wednesday and until 3am Thursday-Saturday. Note that on your birthday, you are entitled to a giant margarita that serves five. That should be enough incentive to drag your friends there at least once.
