It’s unusual in the middle of track season in Saratoga to visit a new restaurant and see nothing but familiar faces, but this is exactly what happened last week after visiting the brand new Lake Local.
Lake Local is located at 550 Union Ave, and when you think about it – the name says it all. As a sister restaurant to The Local on Beekman Street in Saratoga, you’ll find many tried and true favorites, with a slew of additional seafood items at Lake Local.
With some fresh paint on the walls and new decor, once you walk in you quickly forget what the space previously looked like, and you feel like you’re in a totally new place.
Obviously it’s a great spot for the summer, regardless of whether you’re eating or not. You’ve got the lake literally right in front of you, and if you feel like taking a dip, you’re welcome to. The Lake Local Board Shop is a great addition to this side of the Saratoga Lake, where you can rent kayaks and paddle boards for a few hours or for the entire day.
Before I go into the food, I want to talk briefly about the beer selection. I’m always looking for a place to dine that I can have a nice cold beer at, and I’m not talking about Coors Light or Budweiser. I want a solid craft beer, and The Local has always had an excellent selection.
Well guess what? Same owners, same rules. The beer selection at Lake Local might not be AS expansive as the sister restaurant, but they still had a damn good offering.
Okay – now the food.
Since I was dying to try something I hadn’t tried from The Local before (aka fish and chips, which are pictured near the bottom), I went for the fish tacos, two grilled white corn tortillas with pico de gallo, pickled onions and carrots, and a chipotle aioli drizzled on top.
I know this is listed as a “house favorite”, but is typically only run on special at the original Local on Tuesdays. I have to say, I’m pretty glad they have this running on Lake Local’s menu all the time.
My only complaint was that it could have used a bit more salt. Besides that, the pickled vegetables really added some nice acid to the fish, the pico de gallo was super fresh, and the minor spice I got from the aioli added just the right amount of heat without me needing to throw some hot sauce on them.
Although, now that I think about it, it probably would have been awesome with a little hot sauce!
I especially love the overall presentation of the food at Lake Local, where it’s clear they’re working to brand themselves as a neighborhood fish fry and more spot.
Some of their other menu items include a steamer bucket, grilled swordfish, kobe skirt steak, english style fish sandwich, and more.
If you’re wondering if the restaurant itself is swamped, the answer is yes – but not necessarily like all of the other restaurants in Saratoga. In fact, I knew practically every person I watched walk in and out of the restaurant at my recent visit. It’s truly a spot for the locals, and that’s something I will always be able to get behind.
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