Umana Yana

"Umana Yana is a fantastic spot that truly captures the essence of international cuisine. Umana offers an authentic taste of the Caribbean with vegan, gluten free, & vegetarian options. The cozy, family-style ambiance adds to the overall experience, making it a must-visit for anyone craving a culinary adventure in Upstate, NY. I have attended their last 3 Jazz brunches. Make sure you reserve your table to elevate your dining experience and secure your table! It’s a highly recommend spot and can get busy!"

"What a wonderful restaurant next to the Capitol! We were passing by Albany on our way up to Saratoga Springs and so glad we found this restaurant! Very flavorful dishes and incredible portions! We had the chicken injeri platter (loved all the sides that came with the flatbread) and the fish tacos (super delicious and well seasoned). Highly recommend!"

"This place is BEYOND DELICIOUS. If you love bold complex flavors, don't hesitate! Each individual component of a dish was so perfect it was a complete experience on its own, and then when you combine them (ginger-garlic steak satay with chutney and pickled cabbage! Spiced shrimp with fresh mango and mango chutney!) it's like culinary fireworks. We loved the variety of cuisines and the wonderfully creative fusions (Thai red curry fish tacos!!). Everything is fresh and cooked from scratch to perfection and to order (our steak skewers were a perfect medium!). They have a super zingy house-made ginger beer that makes anything bottled just a pale imitation, and it pairs beautifully with tequila or your liquor of choice in their "Caribbean Mule." I have a gluten intolerance and love complex vegetable dishes so I really appreciated how much of the menu was GF and/or vegan. I was completely stuffed at the end of the meal but my lovely server talked me into getting the coconut yucca pone with vegan ice cream and it was exquisite. I couldn't tell the ice cream was vegan because it was so perfectly creamy with a rich chocolate flavor. We had passed by Umana Yana the night before on our way to dinner elsewhere and went the next night, and it was such an incredible meal we keep saying how much we regret not going both nights. We'll be planning a trip back to Albany ASAP to try more on the expansive, varied menu."

"Let me start by saying this cute brunch spot is BYOC (Bring your own cake) we celebrated a friends birthday and the hostess was very accommodating. Food was very fresh and well made. They also have a separate vegan menu"

"The food presentation was great, the flavor pairings and seasonings were impeccable, and the Caribbean Shirley was worth the price! Everything was, really. I'm full to bursting, but I might just go back for dinner."