“ Warm and cozy spot, great service, incredible and varied food. Perfect for eat in and takeout or delivery! Love the special menu options on the weekend. We love taking friends visiting from out of town. 10/10 Albany fav! ”

“ It's been a while since I've reviewed this intimate restaurant down a few stairs off Lark St. The owner makes the sauces and curries from scratch and it shows. I've been eating red curry here for over 8 years and the Thai options are consistently good. The crab Rangoon with homemade plum sauce was delish. The fireplace makes this cozy spot in the winter! A disclaimer - Tapas in the name is a bit of a misnomer - they have a full regular restaurant menu. ”

“ The food was EXCELLENT just the service could've been better. Conversation seemed rushed along with the requests of sides. They had NO veggies to add to the soup no bok choy no jalapeños. They told me it's basically NOT pho but more sour Ramen even tho it says PHO! But the soup WAS great ”

“ The food is amazing! One of the few places that actually gives you really spicy if you ask for it. But KNOW, It is authentic and very spicy (can ask for less spicy.) flavors and textures incredible! Not a fancy place, but clean and comfortable and looks nice. ”

“ I walked by the restaurant and heard good things about it so I wanted to check it out. I wasn't that hungry so I got the coconut soup and Aji tuna and it was really good. You can tell they perfected the dishes over a long creative time. The ingredients were incredible and I would highly recommend this place for a really low-key high-quality food experience. ”

“ Yum! This was a great recommendation from a colleague. We walked in and they were very busy with to-go orders. Ordered 3 small plates which were all tasty but the entree - delicious. Look at this one. Hits all the senses with the right smell (that's burning cinnamon), texture, and spice level was perfect. ”

“ TapAsia has many reasons to celebrate. Firstly, the business recently marked its eighth anniversary of serving up delicious Asian fusion meals on Lark Street. TapAsia has also won four times at the local Chowderfest for having the best chowder. Most recently it took top honors in the 2023 contest with its Tom Yum chowder. It is yummy. I enjoyed some chowder during my latest visit. I always order the Ahi Tuna salad. In addition to perfectly pan seared tuna, there's seaweed salad, greens, avocado and mango. So healthy and fresh. It doesn't get any better. I love the Thai tea and any type of curry. I had some of my husband's Curry Squid and it was great! Natalie, who is the business owner, understands hospitality. So does her nephew, Ben, who is the server. They are efficient, friendly and always helpful. The long wooden tables, mirrors and wall art have a cool vibe, especially when combined with some really tasteful background music. Congratulations to TapAsia. ”

“ Pauline and I happened to stop by on the 8th anniversary of Tap Asia. I had a curry and squid dish that was prepared to perfection. This is my favorite place for Asian Fusion in Albany. I love that they're open for lunch as well as dinner. It's always a pleasure to see Natalie and Ben. Everything I've ever ordered was a five star meal. This should be a must visit for anyone looking for superior Asian cuisine. ”

“ I live in Vermont. I own/operate/am the only cook at a small, independent Diner (breakfast only at the moment). I get two days off a week and I pack up and DRIVE somewhere for a mini vacay. Albany is one of my preferred spots. The Lark Street neighborhood in particular in Albany is just a great place. TapAsia has been on my list of places to try. I curate my own restaurant "collections" in Yelp for every place I go. I am ALWAYS on the lookout for somewhere new to try/fall in love with/become a regular at. TapAsia has been on my Albany list for months now. But three separate times I got to Lark St and then sidetracked into a different restaurant. Not this time! This time I made it to TapAsia and then gave myself a little "talking to" about why I'd waited so long!! FANTASTIC spot. The food is, honestly, just entire levels above Thai/Asian inspired Tapas I've had other places (including just up the block on Lark...). And I'm an AVID eater of Asian in inspired small plates. Not fancy. Not large. There are a couple tables outside, but the actual dining room/bar is below street level. Cool, intimate, well lit basement vibes. Also, clearly a neighborhood spot where people know each other and talk to each other. Another thing I really like. Gotta have good food AND good vibes and a neighborhood spot, a small, independent restaurant?? THAT is The Gold Standard my friends. And TapAsia is ALL that. I started out with fresh, summer rolls and added shrimp. These were, hands down, the best fresh summer rolls I've ever had (and I order summer rolls whenever I see them on a menu). These are chock full of perfectly, finely chopped, fresh ingredients, rolled tightly and served in a beautiful, already cut plating with housemade dipping sauce. Speaking of which! TapAsia makes all their sauces in house and it shows. Your sauces will make or break your dishes, ESPECIALLY in a cuisine that has a lot of sauces...like Thai... The dipping sauce served with the fresh summer rolls was so good I would not let my waiter take it away, because the Avocado Mango Egg Rolls were FANTASTIC when dragged through the summer roll sauce! Also, yes, I said Avocado Mango Egg Rolls. FABULOUS. They are exactly what the name implies: egg roll wrappers filled with perfectly ripe, diced avocado and mango and then deep fried. So you get all the wonderful experience of a hot, fried egg roll and none of the meat (I don't eat beef, pork or poultry). These are not marked Vegan on the menu, but there are plenty of Vegan options here. I also ordered their Spicy Garlic Edamame as my third starter. My waiter asked me what heat level I wanted: Mild, Medium, Hot or Thai Hot. Me: "NOT THAI HOT! NEVER THAI HOT! I'll take regular Hot." As in: "DO I LOOK SUICIDAL RIGHT NOW??" Let's be clear. I eat spicy. I eat A LOT of spicy in multiple cuisines. But I KNOW I cannot tolerate Thai spicy. Thai chefs did NOT come to play and whatever it is they use to dial that heat up is, frankly, DEADLY. Meanwhile, I had no problem with Hot Spicy Garlic Edamame. Which, clearly, lulled me into a false sense of security. And so I ordered the Som Tum (Papaya Salad) and I overlooked (??) the "spicy" icon next to it on the menu. Can. I. Just. Say. I was almost killed. By a salad. That damn salad was the kind of spicy that makes you MAD because it is HURTING you. But also? It was beautiful and delicious and I REALLY WANTED to eat it and kept eating more and then taking mouthfuls of water to sooth my mouth until I, eventually, ran out of water and had to stop eating the salad ad order a side of rice to attempt to recover... I'm not saying don't order the Papaya Salad. I AM saying request it "mild" unless you are a trained professional in the arena of Thai heat! And then I ordered my entree. Entrees are broken out into sections depending on which housemade sauce is the base. You choose your sauce base and then you can kind of "build" your entree by choosing one (or more than one) protein to add. There are a variety of Vegan choices! I ordered Pad Kra Prow (Thai Basil Sauce) with sautéed string beans, bamboo shoot and basil in chili and garlic sauce and then I added fried chunks of white fish (WHICH WERE AMAZING!!!). I told my waiter that I had almost DIED attempting to eat the Salad and requested that the Pad Kra Prow be "Medium" heat ( it is listed as "Spicy" on the menu...). My waiter looked at me...for a beat...and said, "How about mild??" Me: "Okay. Mild!" Look, I am not afraid to declare DEFEAT in The Spice Wars. The Pad Draw Prow was DELICIOUS. So incredibly flavorful and full of fresh, wonderful ingredients and I could taste the ENTIRE favor profile because my mouth wasn't actually on fire. Next time it's going to be MILD for me...across the board. But there WILL be a next time. Because every thing I ate at TapAsia was simply perfect. ”