When lunch time hits, you can expect a few people ahead of you in line at Capitol Melts.
"Obviously, it's popular for a reason," said Erkki Oman, who says he grabs lunch at the State Street eatery about once a week.
For five years, owner Bob Haggerty has put his own twist on grilled cheese sandwiches.
"I mean, who doesn't like grilled cheese? It's a classic," said Annie Scott, who grabbed her lunch to-go Friday afternoon.
"We go to great lengths to develop recipes. We have 50 recipes for grilled cheese sandwiches," Haggerty said.
Given the popularity of the restaurant, which sits in the shadow of the state capitol, a recent tweet from a member of the state assembly from New York City irked a few loyal customers.
"I think that's ridiculous," Scott said.
"I don't think that's accurate at all," Oman said.
As she headed out of town Thursday, Assembly member Yuh-Line Niou tweeted this.
Followers quickly defended the Capital City's food scene.
"Think before you talk,” Yono’s Restaurant co-owner Donna Purnomo said. “Once you say it, you can't put it back."
"My initial response was 'wow, this is someone who hasn't really taken the time to look at the culinary options that are out there in this city,' " said Savoy Taproom co-owner Jason Pierce.
Pierce is president of the Albany Restaurants Association. Purnomo and her helped launch the Albany Wine and Dine for the Arts to shine a light on the city's culinary stars. Each agrees that the quality and quantity of local restaurants has soared to new heights over the past decade.
"We are so lucky to have the vibrant culinary scene that we have," Purnomo said.
"Be it Vietnamese, North African, Syrian, Moroccan, you name it, if you have a particular style of food you're looking for, chances are you're going to find a few good restaurant serving it here in the Capital District," Pierce said.
Niou later took to Twitter to apologize.
To many, her tweet brings back memories of New York City Mayor Ed Koch, who famously called Albany "a city without a good Chinese restaurant" while running for governor in 1982.
"Ed Koch never lived that down,” said Haggerty, who used to work in state government.
Niou's tweet is unlikely to cost her any elections, but it does leave some with a sour taste in their mouth.
"I feel like I don't like to associate with people who make sweeping generalizations like that,” Scott said.
"I think people are always looking to get attention in some way,” Oman said. “Throw something out there on Twitter and stir the pot, it gets people riled up."