Always looking for a nearby restaurant to explore, I was so excited when The Broken Inn finally opened up down the street in Niskayuna and had to try a classic!
Newly opened in March 2022, Tommy Nicchi, best known locally for Comedy Works in Saratoga Springs, thought his neighborhood needed something so instead of waiting, he just created it himself. Once the barbershop and beauty salon closed due to COVID, he found the perfect spot. It also happened to work since Comedy Works was closed and comedians weren’t touring at the time. He took his daughters names, Brooklyn and Kennedy, to create the name The Broken Inn.
As they say on their website, “The booths came from “The Four’s” in Boston. The candy tables in the bar came from an “adult” club in The Bronx (we’ve since washed them) and the bar itself is a genuine prohibition piece from Springfield Mass.”
The space is small but homey, definitely a good size for a hometown bar where “Everyone knows your name” or sorts. They built their business on four things:
1) Put out great food and drinks
2) Staff a team of friendly people
3) Maintain a clean, inviting space
4) Give back to the community
There’s also a few things to note, they’re cash only and they will charge you $20 to split your entree. The $20 and the would-be 3% credit card fee will be donated to local organizations. They’re also home to Nickayuna High School football games, Penn State games and Buffalo Bills games!
For dinner, I ordered Harold’s Reuben ($16) named for Grandpa Hal. It seemed appropriate seeing as that we were sitting at the table under his uniform. The corned beef was a little salty for my taste overall but a great serving size for leftovers! The highlight of the experience was the chocolate lasagna ($8) which they described “We don’t know of any other restaurants serving this, but they should. Chocolate pudding. Graham crackers. Repeat. Served with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.” Was it something difficult? No. Did it involve ingredients you can’t get at your own grocery store? No. But the way they put it together and the decadence of it all – delicious!
They also offer brunch on weekends from 10am-2pm, soft serve year round, other delicious deli-style sandwiches and next on my must-try list is that stuffed bacon (full menu here).
