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“Toga-time, and the Livin’ is Easy”
Saratoga Springs Nightlife
Reviewed by: Tom House

Famed Caroline Street in Downtown Toga...great party place!

Minutes from Saratoga Racetrack, and wrapped around Congress Park, is Downtown Saratoga Springs…a legendary party destination that must be experienced! Just head for the spot where Broadway intersects with Caroline Street, and from there, the livin’ is easy! During horse racing season, this street and surrounding area teems with thousands of people every night. Many come directly from the track, and others come here just because they know it is the place to be! Stroll down the gently sloping hill that is Caroline Street, and try to decide where you will have your first drink. There are so many cool choices! Now aren’t you glad I did all this work ahead of time for you? I flew to Saratoga from So Flo just to make these kinds of decisions easier for you, our lucky readers of Niteclubreviews.com© and Horse Society Magazine!

L - R: Aly, Stuart, Jessica and Josh

I had some new friends with me for this downtown party excursion, including Jessica and Aly, and their bodyguards, Josh and Stuart. They were my fantastic four tour guides for the night!

Owner Dimitri Khazin (right) with bartenders at his club Thirteen. Read the shirts!

Thirteen Nightclub (518-581-1316), 13 Caroline Street, Saratoga Springs, NY: I recommend having your first cocktails of the night at Thirteen (was an easy choice for me as 13 is my lucky number). While not the oldest establishment in this historic party district, this club seems to have the true feel of the downtown area in general. Very friendly, good looking ladies are in every corner, and the vibe, service and drinks are all top shelf. We passed by the watchful doormen at Thirteen, and soon met owner Dimitri Khazin who was working behind the bar! He placed some shots in front of us, and I was officially welcomed to Toga! This club was busy, and people were dancing all over the place to some killer music. Silhouettes of naked women dancing behind a screen caught my eye, but much to my chagrin, I discovered it was not a live performance! Very cool though! Thirteen rocks out big time all summer long; Mondays - Thursday 6PM - 2AM, Fridays & Saturdays 6PM - 4AM. On Wednesdays, Thirteen features live bands, and the place gets even more packed! Dimitri and the other bartenders had on cool shirts on that read; “Vodka, Connecting People”. Get your people together and get lucky at Thirteen…I did!

The Parting Glass (518-583-1916), 40-42 Lake Avenue, Saratoga Springs, NY: We headed a block or two over from Caroline to check out The Parting Glass, established on St. Patrick's Day 1981. This is one of the oldest continuously run pub/restaurants in Saratoga Springs. We bellied up to the bar and had some after dinner cordials and great draft beers to wash them down. The theme is horse racing here, but upon further exploration, you will discover a big back room with a stage and live band! This place rocks day and night, and is a great Irish Style Pub. The Pub offers its lunch and dinner menu from 11:00 am until closing, seven days a week, featuring moderately priced pub style grub. Munching on goodies like Regular or Sweet Potato Fries, Beer Battered Fries, Fried Calamari, Breaded Mushrooms, Chicken Wings, Mozzarella Sticks or Basket O' Rings is sure to make your drive home safer. FYI: Horse racing fans will want to check out www.partingglassracing.com.  Parting Glass Racing offers horse racing partnerships with all that goes along with thoroughbred horse racing: the action, electricity and unmatched feeling you get from actually owning a racehorse! Call 1-877- RACE-WIN (722-3946) today for more information on how you can enter the exciting world of horse racing partnerships! Only in Toga!

Mare Lounge (518-583-6955), 17 Maple Avenue, Saratoga Springs, NY: Marching on to yet another hot party spot, we entered Mare, just around the corner from Caroline Street. Mare is a restaurant during the earlier hours of the evening, and later becomes a chic, late night lounge. Mare features glowing walls and is an indoor / outdoor play ground for the never satiated downtown summer-celebrants of Saratoga Springs. Live music and lots of comfortable perches make this an inviting spot for good looking men and women to hang out late night. Lots of live entertainment and hot DJs are slated for the summer, so get to Mare Lounge and check yourself in! Separate from Mare, you can order some food at the Twilight Grille. How about some late night oysters, surf & turf, burgers, fries, salads and much more? We thought you would agree, and we’ll see you at Mare Lounge!

Late Night Eats!

Esperanto (518) 587-4236), 6 ½ Caroline Street, Saratoga Springs, NY: Most locals tell me that every night in downtown Saratoga ends at Esperanto. I talked with Manager Chris Biddle, and he enlightened me on the phenomenon that is Esperanto. Its claim to fame is the Dough Boy. What is a Dough Boy? Chris confidently responds in sloganistic style, “A Dough Boy is delicious goodness mixed with awesome talent”. One of the most popular DBs is made with three different kinds of cheese, sautéed chicken, scallions and spices, all mixed together and baked inside of large fist-sized pizza dough until crispy golden brown. They are delicious, and the line at Esperanto extends out the door and down the sidewalk nightly. These are highly addictive, extremely affordable and fantastic after-drinking-all-night-food. Get a slice of pizza while you are at it, or some Falafels, Gyros, Burritos, Greek Salad and even Jambalaya! Lunch and dinner is served here as well, and a new dining room is coming soon due to popular demand for more space! After fifteen years of making party people happy, you can bet there is a lot of love and loyalty from their countless fans (addicts)!

Front entrance of Siro's, "where the elite meet"!

Siro’s (518-584-4030), 168 Lincoln Avenue, Saratoga Springs, NY: (Where the elite meet). Some of the best things about Saratoga Springs happen only during track season. Siro’s is a perfect example of this. Within walking distance from Saratoga Racetrack and a little bit farther from downtown, Siro’s is famous for one hell of a good time every night, except Tuesdays (dark day). It is a great restaurant, and outside, the party rages on with lots of beer drinking and loud music drifting up into the Upstate New York summer sky. Known as “Where the Elite Meet to Eat, Drink & be Merry”, celebrities from Bill Parcells of the Miami Dolphins to the best known trainers and horse owners love to wine and dine at Siro’s. Some excellent food is served by impeccably dressed servers, including Roasted Rack of Cassel Farm Lamb, Peanut Crusted Day Boat Halibut, Penne Putanesca, Fresh Maine Lobster Tortilla and Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras to name a few. Check in with owner Michael Dickinson, and he will show you how to celebrate racing season in Saratoga Siro’s Style!

I cannot guarante this will happen to you while in Saratoga! This job is killin me!

So get over to Downtown Saratoga Springs racing fans, and enjoy one of the northeast’s best partying and dining destinations. It is Toga-time, and the livin’ is easy! I can’t help you pick the frontrunners at the Saratoga Racetrack, but I have picked a bunch of winners for your dining and drinking pleasure! When arriving at these clubs and restaurants, tell them Tom House from Niteclubreviews.com© and Horse Society Magazine sent you! See you all next issue…peace out!