A World Series champion is trading the baseball diamond for the smoker. Mookie Wilson, who helped the New York Mets win it all in 1986, is opening his family's first full restaurant in downtown Albany, setting up shop inside the former War Room Tavern building on Eagle Street.
The restaurant, called Legacy BBQ, is developing as a partnership between Wilson's family and War Room owner Todd Shapiro, according to timesunion.com. The new venture will take over 42 Eagle St., a spot the outlet notes sits across from the Albany Capitol Center and within walking distance of the state Capitol and Empire State Plaza. Per the same report, the family is aiming to open during the first weekend of November.
It marks new territory for the Wilsons, who have long run a mobile catering operation rather than a sit-down restaurant. “This will be the first full restaurant for the Wilson family,” news10.com reports. The family's catering business, Legacy Catering, describes itself as specializing in mobile food service, saying on its site that “no venue is too small or remote.”
Family Recipes Head to Eagle Street
Wilson told WRGB that his family's catering business has operated in several states, according to WRGB. He said he chose Albany for the family's first brick-and-mortar location.
The menu will lean into South Carolina-style barbecue built around recipes passed down through the family. The restaurant will serve brisket, spare ribs, chicken wings and smoked sausage alongside sides like baked beans and potato salad, plus desserts including banana pudding and pineapple cake, the station's report details. News10 adds that the dishes trace back to recipes passed down from Wilson's mother and mother-in-law.
Setting Up in a Historic Albany Building
Legacy BBQ is slated to operate out of the same building that most recently housed the War Room Tavern, which closed in March after three years in business, per the earlier account. The four-story building has deep roots in Albany's government-worker dining scene — it was formerly known as The Public House 42 and was considered a mainstay for state employees, according to albanywarroom.com, which also notes the 1890s-era brownstone sits at 42 Eagle Street near the State Capitol.
Plans call for Legacy BBQ to run from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week, though those hours could still be adjusted before opening. The arrival adds another option to an Albany-area barbecue scene that already includes spots like Signal 30 BBQ, which albany.com has described as specializing in smoked meats such as pulled pork, brisket and chicken.
A Mets Icon on the Game He Loves
Wilson, who won the 1986 World Series with the Mets, also weighed in on the state of baseball while discussing the restaurant, per WRGB. He said he has lived through two or three work shortages in the sport and noted that baseball has always rebounded from them. He added that he believes management and the players union share common ground and common goals.
On the Mets specifically, Wilson said the team is on the right track but that improvement will take time, suggesting the club should build from its roots and add the pieces it's missing. He asked Mets fans for patience as that process plays out — a message that, for now, applies just as much to Albany diners waiting on his family's first restaurant to open its doors.
