Our Story

Cardona’s is a family-owned Italian specialty foods market and catering company serving the Capital Region since 1945. We take pride in offering top quality products with family-friendly service. The original market was opened in downtown Albany by Augusto Cardona Sr. over 75 years ago, with a focus on bringing Italian imports to the neighborhood. 

Robert Cardona Sr. joined his father Augusto and took over ownership in the late 1970s. Robert continued the tradition, but also expanded the offering and added a full scale butcher department. In the early 2000s, two of Robert’s sons, Robert Jr. and Anthony, joined their father and further expanded the market to include mouthwatering sandwiches, homemade salads, additional specialty foods, and a full scale kitchen. This allowed them to produce more of their “from scratch” cooking, which featured a combination of old school family recipes as well as new recipes and dishes from Robert Jr.

Recently, another son, August, joined his father and brothers, and brought with him a longtime family friend, Thomas “TJ” Conti. In 2021, they acquired family-owned Roma Foods Importing Co., further expanding Cardona’s into two new locations in Latham and Saratoga Springs.

About Us

At Cardona’s, we believe food brings families together and we take pride in offering our community the highest quality products throughout our markets.  

It all starts in our kitchen, where we create an array of homemade meals both hot and ready to eat, or packaged cold for you to grab and go. From classics like Eggplant Parmigiana and Lasagna, to our famous meatballs and breaded chicken cutlets, our goal is to deliver restaurant quality food in an accessible, convenient and affordable manner.     

Cardona’s collection of homemade sauces, from our classic Spaghetti Sauce to our crowd pleasing Tomato Basil Cream Sauce, are all made fresh from our kitchen with only the finest Italian ingredients and jarred on site for your convenience.  

If you don’t have time to cook, then Cardona’s is the place to stop, as our hot table has become well-known for offering over a dozen different hot food items to choose from, featuring classic Italian family recipes as well as daily and seasonal specials. 

You will find quality Boar’s Head products and house-roasted meats for slicing in our deli. And don’t forget to stop in for lunch for mouthwatering subs, an array of fresh-made salads, crusty artisan Italian bread, and a rotating selection of aromatic soups. 

A locally owned bakery makes all of our sweet treats. We offer everything from traditional confections to custom-designed cakes. Choose from a variety of homemade desserts such as cookies, brownies, bars, cannolis, and cupcakes, to other specialty baked goods such as banana bread and crumb cakes - all made from scratch daily. 

Our markets are well-stocked with everything you need from all-natural beef, poultry, and house-made sausage in our butcher shop to spices, crackers, condiments, and a wide assortment of pastas, tomatoes, olive oils, and other imported pantry staples throughout the store. Our produce section features the freshest fruits and vegetables and our antipasti section offers an assortment of imported and local cheeses, cured meats, and an array of olives, peppers, and other Italian antipasti staples.

Cardona’s Celebrates 75 Years... 

For over 75 years, Cardona’s has been a staple in the Capital Region community. Cardona’s Market recently received special proclamations from Albany County Legislature and the City of Albany recognizing 75 years of service to the Albany community!