Saltsman’s Hotel

Saltsman’s Hotel is a 200 year old «eatery with stabling» according to the historical marker, some 10 miles north of the New York Thruway at the Canajoharie exit. It’s worth a detour or a visit if you’re up for a drive through the farm country west of Johnstown, but call ahead because the hours are unpredictable.
This is the sort of food many Americans grew up with, generous with the cream sauce and gravy. The table is set with individual servings of cole slaw and bread wrapped in a napkin when you sit down. Your entrée orders will be taken and you’ll brought an appetizer (fruit cup, pasta salad, soup or tomato juice) followed by a corn fritter in maple syrup and then your entrée. A bowl of creamed potatoes is placed on the table and creamed onions and the creamed vegetable of the day are served on request.
For our entrees we had roast pork (sliced and served with brown gravy over stuffing), grilled lamb chops and fried chicken. Prices including all the accompaniments ranged from $ 15.95 to $ 25.95. Everything was fine and the portions were generous; nothing was outstanding except the cole slaw, a fine creamy rendition with a bit of canned pineapple on the side which is a terrific idea I will try at home.
We’d actually come to try the milkweed, which is the house vegetable for the short season the young shoots are available, but we missed it by two days. Tammy, the hostess/​chef, told me it’s prepared like asparagus and served in a cream sauce so though I missed the novelty (and I’ve actually cooked milkweed on its own and found it a pleasant but not distinctive green vegetable) I don’t think it would have made a big difference in our meal.
In closing, a tip to fans of big doggie bags: be sure you have generous amounts of the served vegetables and creamed onions on your plate when you ask for the clamshells because the servers aren’t permitted to serve them directly into the take-​out containers. Not knowing this, we ended up with take-​out containers the size of battleships when everybody else was walking out with an aircraft carrier.
A-​OK, but adding a star for the historical setting and the value.

The second most interesting fact about Saltsman’s is that it opened in 1813. The main thing that inspired my long journey there is that they serve milkweed, which is only available a couple of weeks around early June.
I missed milkweed season last year and finally caught the elusive vegetable this year. It was appealing, not unlike asparagus. While I will always appreciate unusual foods, Saltsman’s also does a fine job with normal items. The potatoes and creamed onions were effective old-​timey sides while the pork chops were superb.

Delicious, don’t let the exterior fool you. It may look a little old and dated but this place is great. I’m not a fan of coleslaw and will usually give something a try multiple times before giving up. Their coleslaw you get when you are seated was awesome. Tried their «famous» fried chicken, it was of the best servings of fried chicken I have ever tried. The mash potatoes (more like cubed and mixed with some amazing sauce) were, again delicious. Wasn’t a fan of the creamed onions, vegetables were pretty good. This place is awesome…

I have been coming here since I was a little girl and now my husband and I go there with our kids. The food is just so delicious and the family style sides you can’t get anywhere else! All of the courses keep you busy until your entrée is prepared. The Creamed potatoes and creamed onions are so delicious it is easy to stuff yourself full not to mention their fresh seasonal vegetables.

Great experience, great food, restrooms need paper towels for drying you’re hands. I would have given it 5 stars if one of the staff members I notified would have filled the paper towels in the men’s room. We stayed for about 2 ½ hours and still no paper towels in the men’s room at least there was hand soap.

Great old fashioned Colonial food at a good price for great quality and quantity.
They have the best lamb chops, and all dinners come with creamed potatoes, creamed onions, and the vegetable of the day (which is usually creamed too). When in season, they offer fiddleheads as the veg of the day. Honestly all the food I’ve tried has been good, and they have great fried-​chicken. However, it would be nice to see some non-​creamed options available!
When you first arrive, you enter the lobby then the bar. The hostess will ask you if you have a reservation, give you menus and you’ll wait in the bar or the lobby while your table is being prepared and you’ll place your order for your main-​course before your seated.
I think the prices are very reasonable for the quality and quantity of the food. Dinner starts with sliced tomato and coleslaw, a choice of appetizer, corn fritters, then dinner. It can be a lot of grub, and they’ll give you as much creamed spuds and creamed onions as you can ear.

Our summer vacations to Canada Lake were never complete without a trip down Route 10 to Saltsman’s. I love the atmosphere here. The sides are definitely not an afterthought here; they are absolutely delicious. They are served family style, so you’ll have to fight over them! I love the onion casserole. Most importantly, I’ve never had any issues with how my steaks were prepared.