Canali’s Restaurant & Banquets

Went to Canali’s last night and had the 10oz. filet mignon with pasta side. The steak was to die for and had a brown sauce with portabella mushrooms. I was in heaven. I found their prices in general are high but the food is very good and they give you a lot. A Rotterdam jewel.

Walking in was very overwhelming. The restaurant was packed! We waited only a few mins because we had reservations for a party of 8. The table was big enough for our party but the tables and chairs and crammed together. Once I sat down there was no getting up. The table behind us, their chairs were touching ours. The service was very slow & food took a long time. I figured this because of how busy and how jam packed they had this place. The food is very good! The portions are huge and I enjoyed the family style sharing. I was glad to see that the business is liked by lots of people but it was too crowded to enjoy a dinner with the family to celebrate a birthday and anniversary.

We (16 of us) went to dinner this past Saturday, Union College’s Homecoming, and I must say, WE ALL HAD A FANTASTIC TIME.
Beginning with the hostess, Wendy to our waitress, Donna. Everyone we met was so friendly and welcoming.
The FOOD was nothing short of incredible. The portions were very large, and the kids got to take home a lot of leftovers.
I believe we’ve found our new «favorite» restaurant in Schenectady :-)

I hear it’s a very popular place with the locals — I was in the area and friends recommended to try Canali’s.
The food is pretty good and so is the service — definitely a family style restaurant with warm atmosphere and friendly staff; 80’s (or so) décor — has a diner-​ish feel to it almost.
Here’s for the food: HUGE portions, lots of left overs.
We tried the calamari — pretty good, nice and crispy, not chewy, good thick sauce of the side. We also tried the New England Clam Chowder — the flavor was good but the soup was just not very soupy, quite thick — more like soupy mashed potatoes than creamy soup (and it may work to wash the clams out just a tad more — not a fan of sand in my soup :)). For mains we got the Lasagnia, Tortellini Alfredo, and Fettuccine Alfredo with Shrimp. All were HUUUUGE portions but quite delicious — I certainly enjoyed my fettuccine (especially later on at home) but I’d say it was a little on the saltier side.
Overall, an enjoyable experience with pretty good food.

Typical run of the mill Italian. Tried it for the first time as take out. I got lasagna. I like riccotta… but this had WAY too much ricotta so much I felt like I was eating straight up ricotta and not lasagna. However it was a giant portion! Worth the money. I also got 2 slices of bread with my order in. For an app I got mozz sticks and they were great! Plenty of sauce for dipping. Maybe one day I’ll return and order something else.

Great quality Italian food in a friendly atmosphere. Huge potions of food which will make a least another meal.
Veal parm was fork tender and pasta fagioli was quite yummy.
Fast and friendly service even thought it was Friday evening.
Definitely recommend

Canali’s is a comfy local spot with food that’s been honed to perfection. As a New Yorker, I’m tough to please, but Canali’s is one of the best Italian spots I’ve eaten at and is on par with New York restaurants. My go-​to Italian dish is homemade pasta in a vodka or rose sauce, and this place has my favorite. I always order the cavatelli in rose sauce and a side of meatballs, and it’s consistently delicious. Whenever I visit my parents, I’m sure to go there to get my fix.

Our first experience at canali’s was excellent. Our server Donna was quick and friendly, she also had great recommendations for our main course. Beer was ice cold literally And our entrée portions were huge and delicious! We will be back again!

My better half and I decided to try this place. We give it a solid 4. We went on a Friday night at 6:30, so the place was hopping. We had an order of cheesy bread sticks to start off and they were enjoyable, not greasy but definitely cheesy. I ordered the pork special which was super tender and yummy, although the plating made it a bit difficult to eat without making a mess. Hubby had the lasagna. Both of us enjoyed our meals and we have more than enough for lunch tomorrow. We finished off with some peanut butter pie and found it mediocre at best. The dessert tray really didn’t appeal to us at all visually, but at that time we had already committed.
The servers were attentive, although it took some time for us to get our check. The bussers however were overly attentive and often times would interrupt conversation to see if they could take away dishes.
Overall a nice meal — with a beer, ice tea, 2 entrees, a bowl of soup, bread sticks and dessert we were in for approximately 65.00, but we had a crazy amount of food.
If you are looking for some solid Italian food we would recommend this place.

Nothing short of amazing! One of my favorite places to go to. A night out with the gals or a special occasion surely you will not be disappointed. They most certainly go out of their way to make you happy!

My family has been eating dinner at Canali’s for at least 15 years now. After living in NYC and trying all sorts of food, Canali’s is still one of my favorite places to eat.
Things are homemade, large portions (holy moly), great service, great price. Anything wrong? Just tell them, it is family owned, they will take care of it for you.
Personal fav’s include: The Homemade Cavatelli, the greens and beans, the chicken sorrento and well basically the homemade anything.
Bring your appetite, you won’t be disappointed!

This place is the best. The food is some of the best in the Capital Region. The waitresses are wonderful and you get a ton of food for a decent price. I love this place and always look forward to having a reason to go here (I live about 45 minutes from here). Can’t wait to go back!

If you’re looking for friendly faces, this place isn’t for you. The staff, especially the owner, act like they’re doing you a favor by seating you some nights. But if you want the best Italian food in the Capital District, then this is the place. The Lasagna, Nana forgive me, is better than my Nana’s. The sausage & peppers is like what you’d expect at the San Gennaro Feast in Little Italy. The Cavatelli («gava-​deal») are homemade and addictive. The steaks are better than any steakhouse in the Capital District. Seriously, I could eat here every night and be happy. Even though the staff would still probably treat me like an unwelcome stranger night after night.

This restaurant is great! Our server Donna was also Excellent! The food portions are also Huge!!! This is a great place to go with a group, eating family style — Everyone will enjoy it…

Outstanding Italian food. We’ve used Canalis for catering as well as in house parties. Serving staff is always consistent and very accommodating. Great accommodations for gluten free as well. You are able to bring in your own pasta and they will add the marinara. Excellent steaks, pasta and parms!

Marcus’ review is way off base. People may have differences in what they consider «the best» Italian food, but to insinuate the Canalis’ is a bad restaurant serving mediocre food, is absolutely untrue. As someone who has eaten in Italian restaurants all across the country, Canali’s is, without a doubt, my favorite. I’ve been coming here for 20+ years, and the consistency is impeccable.
His review is suspicious, and unfair to this awesome restaurant.

You’ve been to Canali’s before.
But you say, «Steve, no I haven’t!» And my reply to you would be, «Yes, you have.»
Canali’s is an old school Italian red-​sauce joint. It’s just like any other red-​sauce joint you’ve been to anywhere in the area. And the Rotterdam/​Schenectady/​Albany area literally has dozens of them.
Name your favorite Italian-​American dish and they have it on the menu. The prices while not low, are not outrageous. But you get your money’s worth, because (as is traditional in red-​sauce joints of it’s ilk) the portions are positively gigantic. On top of a gigantic entrée, you’ll get a large basket of bread brought to your table, and all entrees come with a side and choice of soup or salad, the latter being the typical greens with tomato, onion and canned black olives, drenched in a decent homemade Italian dressing.
As a side note, why must every Italian-​American restaurant overdress their salads?
My chicken parm was prepared as I expected and was decent. I opted for the potato and vegetable as sides. The «oven roasted» potatoes were excellent. Crisp and flavorful with a nice saltiness. The veggies on the other hand – green and yellow beans w/​carrots, sautéed in olive oil – were a disappointment. They were obviously frozen, not fresh, and were oily and watery, mushy, and bland.
The service on our visit was excellent and our waitress was a sweetheart, though the kitchen was slow and we waited too long for our food.
If I was in the area again, would I go back? Maybe. But only because there are so many similar choices minutes away and I’d have a hard time deciding on which to visit.

Another great takeout night at Canali’s!!! I got the linguini and red clam sauce and it was PERFECT. My parents got ravioli and homemade macaroni! As always we got way to much food and it was delicious! This place gives huge portion for a reasonable price! As you can see from my pictures the containers are overflowing with food!!! This place is a must visit! Growing up in Rotterdam it is amazing that this restaurant has been so good and consistent for so long!

Canali’s is our restaurant of choice to celebrate important events in our lives…
We went to Canali’s for a belated anniversary celebration & sat at «our table.» Dinner was Minestrone Soup, small Antipasto, Braciole with ziti, Veal Sorrento with spaghetti with a carafe of Chianti.
Our quiet table was the perfect place to sit for a leisurely dinner.
There was no room for dessert. We took food home.
Eat in or take out, Canali’s is always superb!

Great family dinner. Wide variety and reasonable prices.
We ordered take out for the whole family and really enjoyed everything!
–Chicken Parm
–Shrimp Scampi
–Sausage and Peppers
–Calamari
–Antipasta
–Tortellini
— Garlic Bread
Family style dining is the way to go, just load up your plate and prepare for the delicious feast.