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    Coal Yard Cafe

    4.2 (149 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

    Coal Yard Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    COAL YARD CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for working
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Coal Yard Cafe

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    croissant (left) & burrito (right)
    Michelle L.

    A solid spot for brunch in Ithaca! I wish it was located a tad closer to c-town, but when the weather is warm it is actually quite a nice walk (still definitely walkable even in the winter)! We tried the breakfast croissant, the breakfast burrito, and crepes. We also ordered a hot Razz Mocha and an iced matcha (both with oat milk). I wish they had more milk varieties (only had whole and oat). Everything except the matcha was super tasty! I really loved the razz mocha- I will definitely be ordering this again. The crepes were my favorite entree- slightly thicker than your typical crepe, more of a chew. Nonetheless, very yummy. I like the berry compote and whipped cream. I enjoyed the croissant sandwich- ours had lox and egg. Too much egg, but perhaps the right amount of egg if you just want an egg sandwich without meat... Burrito was fine, though a tad watery. There was a bit of a line when we came- Saturday around noon and not much seating. We took our food to-go. Better to come when the weather is warmer- there is more seating under the tend in the back. Have heard mixed things about their other dishes, but I will definitely be returning!

    El Cubano with side of fruit
    Katie-Ann F.

    Cute brunch spot with friendly staff but not the greatest quality of food in my honest opinion. Their El Cubano is decent but overly salty, dripping in oil, and had cold ham. It lacked the freshness and acidity of pickles to balance out the heaviness of the poke. I've also tried their Pulled pork sandwich, but it was cold and somewhat dry. The BBQ Chicken sandwich was also dry, and the bread was so soggy that it was falling apart. The sandwich had bbq sauce but did not complement the acidity of the coleslaw. I had asked for fruit but was given chips and they were either burnt or not crispy. Overall, I have given this place a couple of tries but was left disappointed, so unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend.

    Menu
    Jan P.

    Amazing food. Quick service. Great coffee. Inside and outside seats. What more could you want? Shakshuka was flavorful and the added artichoke hearts were great. The BLAST sandwich was awesome. Bacon, lettuce, avocado, smoked salmon and tomato on marble rye!!! Could eat that everyday. Cuban sandwich also scrummy and the jailhouse wrap was surprisingly filling with Korean seasoned pork. Iced ginger peach tea is super refreshing and the decaf latte was perfect. Super menu. So many choices. Come Back often.

    Falafel & Egg
    Jim R.

    Most unusual (breakfast) menu in awhile. There were 6 of us and we all enjoyed our picks which ran from a Falafel and egg dish to a Duck confit with duck egg to Grits & Bacon You have to check out the menu - I'm sure you'll find something you've never tried before. Well worth a visit

    a woman serving food to a customer
    Emily Q.

    A good local cafe nearby to Cornell. The place was popping on a Sunday morning around 11 when I went but the turn over was pretty fast so that was good. The location itself is pretty small so seating is limited and I wouldn't suggest big groups. There is a small covered area in the back that offers more seating for nice weather days. The menu options were pretty standard and I would say that this location has a better breakfast menu than lunch. The coffee/latte list was vast and everyone that came out with a coffee drink looked fabulous. I personally got a sandwich and it was a little lacking in my book, just your standard sandwich with fruit, which was a nice change from fries.

    Croissant sandwich
    Kyle E.

    It's a small building set right off the street with parking in the rear, today parking was at a premium. As we approached you could smell the mouth watering food inside. Menus are set on an old stove for perusing as you wait to order at the counter. Inside there are seven small tables with most two seaters, there is a table out front and several in the back. Friendly and fast service! We ordered the croissant breakfast sandwich with cheese and the ranch eggs (beans, salsa, fried egg and potatoes). $23 with tip. We only waited about seven minutes before our name was called and we retrieved our food from the counter. Everything was piping hot!! The sandwich was stuffed with a large egg and was seasoned perfectly. My daughter gobbled it up! The ranch eggs hit the spot, the beans were seasoned well and all the flavors melded well together. Would highly recommend for a fast delicious meal!

    Yuna C.

    I regret finding this place so late in my Cornell experience! With some outdoor seating right near a walking path, Coal Yard is ideal for a small brunch with friends on the weekends.

    Ranch eggs
    Ken P.

    Coal yard cafe is great! The food portions left us satisfied. And it's also delicious! The interior is cozy and the noise level is low when I went. The staff are friendly. We ordered right at the cashier and sat ourselves down until the food was ready. I would come back and recommend everyone to enjoy Coal Yard Cafe!

    Johnny cakes and duck special

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    9 years ago

    Excellent service, pleasant environment and excellent service. Fresh and interesting food and a nice staff. Wish they stayed open later.

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    11 years ago

    Such a hidden gem. A wonderful , clean, and delicious place for lunch. Highly recommended. Check out their fb for daily specials!

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    9 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    10 years ago

    This place is great. Great food that is made quick. Great coffee and other drinks. And all at an affordable price.

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    11 years ago

    Great place! Friendly staff, varied menu, and good food at reasonable prices. Would definitely recommend for a casual breakfast or lunch.

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    9 years ago

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    Page 4 of 4

    Coal Yard Cafe Reviews in Other Languages

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    Milkstand - Brie French Brioche  Brie-stuffed brioche smothered in berry sauce. Served with whipped cream and powdered sugar.

    Milkstand

    4.0(213 reviews)
    1.7 mi
    $$

    Stopped at the milkstand for breakfast this morning. I was afraid wait would be long and with 3…read morekids that can be difficult but we only had to wait 5-10 minutes. This restaurant ran like a well oiled machine, everyone chipping in to grab empty plates, run food, fill coffee, clean tables... Our waitress was awesome! Extremely attentive and hospitable. - now to the food, I won't post a menu pic because there's plenty of them posted. We ordered the chocolate strawberry waffle, Brie French brioche, a Belgian waffle, the baked apple pancake and a side of chicken with sweet garlic sauce. Everything was delicious!! I'm glad we made this a stop on our road trip. Instagram worthy ambiance and food presentation for sure, check this place out if you're in Ithaca!

    Overall a very positive experience. Service leads the review. I had the eggs Benedict, because I…read moredon't eat meat, I had it without ham. When they brought out my food, the server bringing out my food, asked if I would like any water. When she returned with the water, she asked if I would like any avocado since I didn't get ham. Anytime the servers we go to another table with coffee they would swing back around and check to see if I wanted more coffee. It felt like the servers enjoyed their jobs and were not trying to take any shortcuts and were genuinely trying to make it a positive experience. The food was good. Overall, the food wasn't amazing. It was not the best hollandaise sauce I've ever had in my life and the poached eggs felt flat and somewhat small. However, there hashbrowns were probably the best I've ever had. They were very crispy on the outside. Like ASMR crispy. But flaky and buttery on the inside. The restaurant itself is nicely decorated. It was very cold inside on the day that I was there, but it was also very hot outside and so this may have been deliberate. Aesthetically it's very pleasant. The bathroom is very clean and has a really nice changing table in it which is a plus for parents.

    Photos
    Milkstand - A surprisingly empty table

    A surprisingly empty table

    Milkstand
    Milkstand - Indoor seating area

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    Indoor seating area

    MIX Kitchen & Bar - Weekend in Cancun!

    MIX Kitchen & Bar

    4.3(488 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $$

    I joined Cornell CHAARG, an organization (rather scammy one but that's beyond the point) dedicated…read moreto showing college-aged women that fitness can be fun and fulfilling. Anyways... what did I get out of it? An awesome group of people and well... MIX. Updating my review because MIX deserves a proper shoutout and I haven't done it justice. This place is unequivocally my absolute FAVORITE brunch spot. The selection is vast, the portions are hearty, and the staff? They're the kindest, most accommodating folks you'll meet. It's like they've mastered the art of making you feel right at home. And the food? Oh, the food is ABSOLUTELY divine. Every bite is a delicious reminder of why I've converted to the church of brunch. Seriously, I went from a casual brunch-goer to a full-fledged brunch enthusiast, all thanks to CHAARG for leading me to this culinary gem. My brunch game has never been the same.

    I've had brunch, lunch, and dinner at MIX, and all with varying levels of enjoyment. My recent…read morebrunch experience included ordering a Where the West Begins omelette, which includes "Braised short rib, butternut squash, red onion jam, spinach, smoked gouda". I wasn't sure how to feel about butternut squash with everything else (I'm not necessarily a huge squash fan - but I'm trying to learn to enjoy it), but the omelette was decent... it's the other side on my plate that looked less than appetizing. The biscuit was still covered in flour (and who wants to bite down on a clump of flour?), the cheddar hashbrown casserole lacked in flavor, and the brown sugar cinnamon oatmeal just... wasn't doin' it for me. Other recent experiences have been similar... there's usually one item on the plate that's flavorful or imventive (sometimes a main dish, sometimes a side), and the other parts of the plate are lacking. In reality, I think MIX is suffering a bit from rising food costs and inconsistency in their service and offerings. They've also changed the style of their menu from the original tapas-style to now being more typical entree options. Again... they've lost some of their innovative, experimental approach. In terms of ambiance, it really depends. I've been here for a work event and, because of the number of people, it was SO LOUD... they had also done a buffet offering for the event. As you can imagine, the food from the buffet was lacking, but that's often what happens when you're more mass producing your food (and it's left in a chafing dish, trying to be kept warm). On the other hand, I've been here for a dinner on a random night and was able to enjoy one of their Thai noodle bowls (and split some other apps with friends). The reality is that experiences at MIX are... well... a mix. Whether service, menu offerings, etc., I've found MIX's recent inconsistencies to be a disappointment. Will probably only visit in the future if it's suggested by others.

    Photos
    MIX Kitchen & Bar - Hawaiian ahi poke

    Hawaiian ahi poke

    MIX Kitchen & Bar - Purple sticky rice dumpling

    Purple sticky rice dumpling

    MIX Kitchen & Bar - Duck quesadilla

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    Duck quesadilla

    Allechant - Coeur á la Crème

    Allechant

    4.4(56 reviews)
    1.9 mi

    recently hosted a dinner party at Allechant in Ithaca, NY, for my daughter's bridal shower weekend…read more At the website it asks that parties over 8 please call, that it may be necessary to rent out the entire restaurant.  Allechant is a small owner/chef run French Restaurant.  They are only open for dinner Thursday-Sunday evenings and for brunch on Saturday and Sunday.  I did call and email. Patience is key, because owner/chef, Matt, is busy Thursday-Sunday at the restaurant and I'm sure the other days, he is planning, shopping, returning emails and calls.  We did connect and he was just wonderful to work with. I did book the entire restaurant as our party was planned for 10-15 people. He offered several selections for entrees, appetizers and desserts for me to choose for our menu.  Since I wanted to have a steak offering, he asked that make entrée selections in advance for shopping purposes.  We worked out a wonderful menu.  He even accommodated a wine tasting of two different flights of wines that would be offered all evening. The evening started with glasses of champagne and socializing in the first room of the restaurant with has the bar area with a few seats and several small dinner tables. Matt had the second room set up with a large rectangular arrangement of the tables, so that our entire party could be at one table.  This room adjoined the kitchen, so you could see Matt at work.  After initially greeting all of us, Matt went to work and his delightful assistant served as hostess, sommelier and waitress all evening.  She was positively amazing!  We were pleasantly surprised to find out Matt had prepared our personal menus and placed them in the Allechant menu books. They not only made wonderful souvenirs, but it was nice to have a record of the wines we tasted. After we were seated, we were offered the first of the wines in the white flight.  What was very nice about the wine tasting, is that each taste/glass was brought out sequentially and each guest was asked if they wanted to try that wine.  The appetizers started coming, and one by one the other white wines were offered for tasting. Both the gyoza and lamb meatballs were cooked perfectly, sauces were delicious. Entrees were coming when the offerings of the red wine flight started.  I had the red curry salmon which was cooked to perfection, the sauce was generous and amazing and portion so large, there were leftovers.  My mother had the coq au vin blanc, and said it was absolutely the best she had ever had.  And those having the steak and the gnocchi raved as well. (entire menu in pictures with review).  The food was incredible, portions generous and service was excellent.  Then came dessert; once again, very generous servings, perfectly prepared.  It was an amazing evening.  I can see why Matt asks patrons to book the entire restaurant when the party is larger.  Since he is the chef, he wants to be able to prepare, serve and time every course and every entrée so that no one is waiting, everything is service at the right temperature and is cooked to perfection.  If you are looking to host a special, elegant evening in Ithaca, then Allechant is the intimate, friendly, 5-star restaurant for you.

    Great spot for dinner in Ithaca! I love the house-made desserts!…read more I tried the mussels for appetizer which were very good. Not too heavy or salty. For mains I tried the vodka gnocchi and the cod stew. Both were excellent! I think if I were to return I would get the cod stew though- it is much more unique. Only complaint about the gnocchi is I wish there was more cheese on top. Desserts were divine! I love how they display them all on the table by the fireplace! We tried the pumpkin cake and the poppyseed coconut almond cake. I truly don't think I could pick a favorite. I wish the whipped cream was also homemade though. I came for dinner on a weekend night (with reservations). Service was solid. Overall, I would return! I will definitely be coming back to try their brunch!

    Photos
    Allechant - Dining area @ Alléchant

    Dining area @ Alléchant

    Allechant
    Allechant

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    Coal Yard Cafe - coffee - Updated August 2026

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