Out To Eat … at Harvey’s Restaurant and Bar in Saratoga Springs

From 1996 until 2004, the space was home to the Original Saratoga Brew Pub. It later became O’Callaghan’s Fine Food & Spirit, which closed in 2008. Then, for about five years, the business was called Irish Times until 2014.

It became Harvey’s Irish Pub in 2014 — the same year Adam Humphrey began working there as executive chef. In 2016, Matthew Bagley came to Harvey’s as the general manager. In 2017, the two men became business partners, and co-owners of Harvey’s Restaurant & Bar.

“It’s an Irish pub, but it’s a little bit more than that,” Humphrey said. “I don’t want to say we’re super, super authentic, but we do have your staple Irish faire, but then we do have other options, too. So, I would say we’re Irish-American.”

Harvey’s has expanded in recent years to also offer catering, as well as adding a private side room and space available upstairs for hosting events. The eatery has two bars and and three patio areas in total.

“It’s definitely more casual dining, not really high-end,” Humphrey said. “There’s burgers, steak, chicken wings.”

The Daily Gazette recently spoke with Humphrey about the business. Here is what he had to say:

Question: What are some of the most popular dishes Harvey’s serves?

Answer: Our most popular items would definitely be our shepherd's pie, fish and chips, our steep and chips, and our steak tacos.

Q: How would you describe the atmosphere at Harvey’s?

A: I think our business is very warm and inviting. I know we have multiple reviews on Google and Tripadvisor where people have said they come in and our staff makes them feel like family, especially when my business partner is out front, floating around. I mean, he’ll sit right down and have dinner with you. He’s very personable. He loves people and loves talking to people. I still am the chef, but I’m more out front now, too. We want everyone to come in and have a good quality meal at a good price, and we want them to leave happy and have a good time. I think we’re more of a cozy vibe. Definitely on rainy and snowy days, you can come in and sit on our couches by the fireplace in our side room.

Q: What are some of your favorite things about Harvey’s?

A: One of my biggest favorite things about the restaurant is our clientele. Most businesses have an age demographic that they hit, but we are very versatile. We get people in their 20s all the way up to their late 60s and older. We’ve got a lot of younger and older regulars that come in. On the late nights, we get a lot of people coming in from other restaurants [and] people when they get off of work who want to grab something to eat. I just love the people we get here. It’s one of my favorite things, just to see the array of people we get.

Q: As far as costs go, what are your customers typically spending when they come to Harvey’s?

A: I would probably say between maybe $30 and $45, depending on what they get. You can get a beer and an appetizer for under $40, if you’re getting a couple appetizers and a couple drinks it will be a little more. So like $30 to $40 for one person, and if it’s a couple $45 — maybe $50.

Q: Why should someone who has never been to Harvey’s before consider coming?

A: We’re a fun group. Our staff is very personable and very friendly. People will get a quality meal and they’ll enjoy it. Also, I just think they’ll have a great experience and I would love to serve them.

Q: Is there anything else you would like readers to know?

A: We’ve got a lot of stuff going on for St. Paddy’s Day. It’s one of our biggest days in our building. We do dinner service upstairs, and pretty much all bar downstairs. It’s all authentic Irish faire, so we have corned beef and cabbage, bangers and mash. We will have live Irish music and Irish step dancers. We’ll have bagpipers. That weekend, if people are looking for something to do, they should definitely come see us.