Meat & Company opens in Niskayuna

NISKAYUNA, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Slow meats and sandwiches is what you'll find at the newly-opened Meat & Company in Niskayuna. The restaurant had it's soft opening on Friday and Saturday with a very limited menu.

The eatery is owned by Benjamin Albright and his wife Emely. Albright has been in the restaurant business all his life. He was part of the opening team for The Cheesecake Factory in Colonie in 2006, helped reopen Dinosaur BBQ in Troy after some flooding in 2012, was the executive chef at Morton's the Steakhouse in Saratoga Springs when they opened in 2016, and has been helping open some franchises in the area over the past few years.

The Albrights had been emailing the town of Niskayuna since 2022 to begin opening Meat & Company. They finally started renovating the former CBD shop space in January 2024, putting in around 17 hours a day. "No sleep, just dreams," said Albright.

They forklifted in a 4,000-pound smoker through the front doors and then built the rest of the kitchen around it, said Albright. Meat & Company is planning to have a heavy focus on barbecue on the weekends, but also offers slow-roasted meats from their ovens.

Albright said their meat offerings will include pork and beef ribs, brisket, pulled pork, half birds, chicken wings, and smoked ham. After you place your order, the meat for your meal is hand-carved in front of you at the counter.

The full Meat & Company menu has not been released yet, but Albright is hoping for Monday, if not, by the end of the week. With the full menu, they'll be rolling out about six sandwiches, Irish nachos, donuts, and iced hot chocolate, which is frozen hot chocolate with toasted marshmallows on top. Some of the sandwich options include the Cuban, which is made with roasted pork instead of pulled pork, Steak and Cheese, and a vegetarian option, the Japanese Eggplant sandwich.

"If you're coming to a place and it's called Meat & Company, we got to have one vegetarian thing and it's got to be great," said Albright. "And it is great. It's one of the best sandwiches."

Customers can order at the counter and take their meal to-go or take a seat and dine-in. All of the orders are given to customers in a reusable Meat & Company tote bag.

In addition to making great food, Albright said it's their responsibility to take care of their staff, including providing health insurance and retirement benefits. "We're about our staff. We believe in them. We hired them with a purpose. We want to teach and develop them," said Albright.

Meat & Company is closed on Sundays, and open at 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday until around 7 p.m. or later, depending on when they run out of meat. The restaurant is located at
2321 Nott Street East in Niskayuna, in the plaza with Market 32.