Smith’s Tavern/Smitty’s Pizza (Voorheesville, NY)

It was a very long week for me, and I needed some fun time. For my first weekend upstate, M and I decided to go estate sale shopping. In the winter. Yeah, there’s a whole lot of wrong with that, but what else is there to do? And we need a table for that microwave. We attempted to hit up one in Rotterdam (which we think didn’t really happen) and one somewhere out in Schenectady (never made it due to an almost empty fuel tank and a dead GPS battery).

In our search for a gas station (and a bathroom), we stumbled upon Smith’s Tavern. You’ve probably seen it driving along 85A, or on your way to Indian Ladder Farms. It’s on the Maple Ave. stretch of 85A, where it meets up with Altamont Road (155).

So what does this place actually go by? Smith’s Tavern, or Smitty’s? And what is up with this area’s love of naming watering holes Smitty’s? Anyways, Smith’s looks like any other local pizza-bar. Aside from some seating in the bar area, there is a dining room in the back to accommodate the crowds that flock here (and they do).



Aside from pizza, Smith’s also offers some sandwiches, soups, salads, and appetizers. For a pizza place, it’s a decent offering. We ordered the nachos supreme, which the menu described as “nacho chips covered with Jalapeno cheese sauce, jalapeno peppers & black olives, with chunky salsa and sour cream served on the side.” I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t look like jalapeno cheese sauce. Tortilla rounds covered with canned cheese sauce, canned jalapenos, and canned black olives. It was okay, but I really shouldn’t have expected much.



As for the pizza, we played it safe and went with a plain cheese. The menu lists that they use real Mozzarella from Wisconsin, which actually made me “oooh” at. And as you can see, they don’t skimp with the cheese either. I really liked the cheese on this. The sauce and the crust… not so much. The crust was bland and slightly tough. Between the crust and the cheese, the sauce gets lost in the mix, not to mention I don’t think there’s enough of it. I would suggest asking for some on the side for crust dunking, or just order your pizza with extra sauce.

Now I turn this post over to M, who had some very strong opinions about their beers.

Smith's Tavern had the typical townie feel to it, along with the typical townie beers on tap. Mostly domestics with a couple of surprises mixed in. We ended up getting a pitcher of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Now I must add that I'm from Michigan, and we proud Michiganders pride ourselves on only a handful of things.. automobiles, unemployment, and alcohol. A pitcher of beer back home costs between $7.50 and $9.00 at a pizza joint. This pitcher of Sierra Nevada could have been a pricier $9.50, tops. But here at Smitty's we spent $17.50 -- almost $20..! The only place I'd ever spent that much on a pitcher back home was at a seedy strip joint, and I wasn't really paying for the beer.

Our large cheese pizza, nachos supreme, and a pitcher or Sierra Nevada came out to $38.00, including tax -- half being food, and half beverage. I recommend if you go, bring a six-pack along with you and just order water.

Smith’s Tavern
112 Maple Avenue
Voorheesville, NY 12186
(518) 765-4163

Cash only, ATM located inside.