The service at the Daily Grind in Albany is pretty unremarkable. I've had several bad employee encounters on several occasions. The first instance happened when I stopped in to grab an egg sandwich. There is a deal at the Daily Grind: egg sandwich with choice of meat and medium coffee, all together for $5.50 or $6. Not sure the exact price, but when I asked what the price was for a meat free sandwich and no coffee, I was told it is the same because they "use an extra egg" on the sandwich. I couldn't believe it. Needless to say I didn't spend $6 on their shitty egg sandwich. Instead I went to Hudson River Coffee House and got an egg sandwich that I would pay $6 for because of Anton, the great employees and the friendly customer service. The second instance was a real disappointment. I entered into the shop behind two guys who decided to sit down for lunch. The girl behind the counter greeted these two men, looked at me, neglected to say hello, and proceeded with these guys. She sat them, gave them menus, and asked what they wanted to drink without having said a single "Hi there" or "I'll be with you in a moment" to me. Then, after about two minutes she had the time to come over and ask what I wanted. I don't think I'll ever step foot inside Daily Grind again. I'll walk the three extra blocks to Caffe Vero to get my coffee from now on. read more

I've been here several times since writing my initial review, and there's been an average of about "ehh" from those times. The food is pretty good, but when this place is busy, it is cramped! It's also become clearer to me that, while a coffee might be okay once in a while, they don't seem to have the same respect for the beans that I would hope they would. This was confirmed to me when one of my friends took some beans there to be ground a few weeks back. I had brought him a bag of beans from an incredibly high-class micro-microroastery in Portland (we're talking so good that it's probably better than Stumptown, and better than anything you've ever drank) where beans are an obsession (and that's an understatement). Apparently the conversation went down like this: THESE BEANS ARE UNDERROASTED (wrong...have you ever heard of a light roast? a roast that makes flavor profiles bloom and not burn and die?)!!!! And proceeded to tell him how horribly roasted these beans were. Joke was on them because they weren't. Point is, if you have someone running the place who is obsessed with OVERroasting and (god forbid) adding flavors, they don't know coffee. Ditto that when the espresso grinds sit out, and the drip is old. Sorry, Daily Grind. Downgraded. read more

The Daily Grind in Albany has severely disappointed me today. I ordered three sandwiches and a waffle along with coffee and first of all it took over 40 minutes to be ready (we were trying to get quick takeout food) and the workers all except one were extremely rude and put our order last because it "took the longest to make". If it took so long to make why did they not start the order first instead of taking over ten more customers and serving them before even starting our food. I ordered fresh AVOCADO on a toasted hard roll, and what I got was a smushed "roll" with a pureed guacamole spread on it. I actually vomited as well as my friend who tried it. It was repulsive and a COMPLETE waste of my money. Do not go to the Daily Grind in Albany unless you want shitty food and shitty service that'll cost you a fortune. read more

Daily Grind - Absolutely revolting - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

A small business crafted by owners with picky palettes. They don't cut corners, (HIGH QUALITY ingredients found here). Some details worth celebrating... #1: The Coffee, my favorite of all coffees is their Kenya AA. #2, the food (!): HOMEMADE soups, and seriously good sandwiches. #3, the treats: my favorite is the New York Style Cheesecake with homemade whipped cream and sugary strawberries... it's hard to even explain. This place is kind of magical. read more

I'm partial to the Daily Grind because it's just up the street from me. However, it's gotten really pricey - $2.25 for a medium cup of coffee seems a little silly. I like the coffee, but it's not mind-blowing. Still, I do find the place cozy and it's a good place to meet a friend for coffee. I love their chicken salad. I also like buying my beans at the little shop upstairs, where they're roasted on the premises. read more

I'm not big on coffee so this is more of a general/food review. I should also note, I've been going here for many years (it's veeery close to my house). It's a popular place, small seating area, decent service, but take-out food is pricey for what you get in my opinion. Chicken salad (not so great) on a roll is $8.60 with nothing included; no pickle or chips, nothing. They have a breakfast sandwich deal that comes with a coffee/tea for $6 but if you want that sandwich on a bagel it's another $1 and if you want only egg whites it's another $1. I get it anyway. Sometimes you just need a breakfast sammich. The fresh brewed flavored ice tea is delicious. And my coffee friends love their varying flavored coffee options (iced coffee options in summer). So, I will continue to go here for necessary morning purchases because it's so close, but it's not a place i'd bring friends. Fyi, no parking. read more

Daily Grind - Curry chicken salad sandwich, kinda dry, and not a good value - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

I live a few houses down from the daily grind, and lets just say that stopping by here in the morning really starts the day off right. The almond mocha latte tops my list, but the homemade biscotti is amazing as well. The desserts in the case are amazing. Street parking is a bit stressful, and tables are a little small, but in going there you know what you're getting yourself into (and it's worth it). Once the weather gets warmer, it will be nice to sit outside (they have outside seating). Not the best place to take a date, but a good place for a quick stop read more

Love this little coffee shop. Good breakfast sandwiches and coffee. And everyone working there is friendly. Only recommendation is that it takes some time to get your food (lots of people call to put in their order), so expect a wait but it's well worth it. read more

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Great coffee, but I find it priced higher than other local spots. My favorite is the Chocolate peanut butter flavored brew. They offer a great variety of fancy schmancy coffee drinks (read: lattes and the like) but I'm not familiar with how it compares to other espresso-specialized shops . As for the regular, drip-brew of flavored coffees- excellent! Service is ... Meh. read more

Love the Cali Sandwich! Very friendly staff. Daily Grind is one of my favorite cafes in capital region!

Atmosphere: Good Coffee: Good Bagels: Sublime The Daily Grind has THE BEST bagels in the area. One time I managed to get there right then they where pulling them form the oven, oh dear lord it was delicious. Crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy inside, cream cheese oozing out the sides...heavenly. The caf area is small but there is seating and work on the walls from local artists that rotates form time to time. Upstairs they sell coffee beans and everything you would need to make coffee at home only slightly overpriced. read more

Maybe it's okay if you're a regular, but it's too small, doesn't have skim (2% only), has weird music for a Sunday morning, with few baked goods including a $3 cookie that must be simply amazing but certainly didn't look it. The pumpkin latte is pretty good, but I had to go outside to drink it. read more

The food here is amazing! I ordered the California egg sandwich and I was not disappointed. I was a little frustrated when they cancelled my order of French toast last minute because they ran out for the weekend, but it happens. The quality of my sandwich and iced coffee certainly made up for it! read more

When I first moved to Albany, this was one of the first coffeeshops that I visited. It was a bit confusing at first, since there was both an upstairs and a downstairs. The cafe is downstairs while the coffee shop is upstairs. They have different flavored coffees that they'll brew depending on what day it is. The coffee in general tends to taste a bit burnt, but I love the fact that they sell these huge vats of coffee - I'm guessing around 40 oz? Price-wise, it's a bit pricey, and since they make all the food to order, it tends to take a while to get the food. I can get the same sandwich at another cafe or deli for around $4, but here it is $6.50 or so. The people behind the counter are usually friendly, but at times, it can feel like they're a bit inattentive. I've only sat down and eaten here once. I got had an omelette and a friend of mine had the waffles. The portions were big, but there are definitely better places for brunch on Lark St (or right around the area), including Ramona's and Iron Gate Cafe. I'd come here again, moreso for convenience and a quick cup of coffee than for the food. However, I don't think I'd sit down and eat or even grab food to go from here again. read more

Daily Grind - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

Called ahead of time to place a to-go order. Asked over the phone if they would be able to make avocado toast. After being told yes, the man on the phone then continued to go over everything that I wanted on the avocado toast (toast, egg, tomato, avocado...pretty simple). The man says it will all be ready in 15-20 minutes. I show up to pick up my order and the girl behind the counter tells me "Yeah, I'm sorry but we don't do avocado toast". The man next to her then says "That was me you talked to, I'm sorry, when I get off of work you can jump me if you want"... My guy, I don't want to jump you, I want the avocado toast you told me you would make me just 20 minutes ago. Beyond frustrating. My suggestion to anyone looking to order from here would be to call a minimum of 4 times just to check and make sure they have what you're looking for and that they haven't changed their mind. read more

Nice Local Coffee Spot! Although not daily coffee drinker (I'm more partial to tea) , I do enjoy an iced coffee on a hot day. It's been hot, so I thought I'd give the local coffee shop in my new neighborhood a try. I was impressed; I ordered a medium iced coffee and a ham, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. The coffee has a great, medium-roasted flavor and the breakfast sandwich was made fresh to order. I paid $6 for both items and which, in my opinion, is the market price for an order of this nature (unless your going to a fast food spot, and then you may pay half that), and I'm happy to support a local business that has tasty food. The guys behind the counter was also friendly. With respect to the ambiance, it really didn't both me that a portion of this coffee shop was in a basement, it has an upstairs with large windows that let in a lot of natural light, and tables out on the street if you want to sit outside. read more

I go here about 3/5 mornings a week - great coffee! They always mix up what is being brewed for the day, but there are always 3 choices of coffee ready to serve (light, dark, or flavor roast). I usually get a Vanilla-Almond latte (really good combo!). Breakfast fare is also very good - if you are sitting down, I recommend the French Toast with Fruit; if you're in a hurry, grab a ham + egg + cheese on a fresh bagel - they are delicious and non-greasy (but if you want greasy, get your coffee and walk up Lark to Hotdog Heaven for a deliciously greasy breakfast sandwich). Service might be a little slow at 8AM, but I'm usually in-and-out in about 5 mins. read more

I like the Daily Grind for regular or flavored coffee, but not so much for specialty. My primary complaint is the flat-out refusal to stock skim milk. It's pretty widely-known in the specialty coffee world that skim milk makes a better foam than any other type of milk, but even knowing this, they will not carry it and instead suggest "Would you like 2%?" As someone who likes a cappuccino, which requires a significant amount of foam, I find it difficult to find a barista who can actually make a cappuccino (instead of a latte), not having the correct supplies make the baristas' jobs even harder. But for just a regular cup of coffee, I have no real complaints. read more

Downgrade. Went in to get iced coffee. It's just not a good blend for iced coffee nor was it strong enough. I also don't understand the whole "one size for cold drinks" thing. I want a mega gigantic iced coffee. This is America, Jack, get it right. read more

I want to give them 4, but the coffee was burnt. Delicious zuccini muffin! Good when on the go since the seating area is small and it can be a popular place. The do have Lark St pricing though. read more

Always fresh always delicious. Great stop for coffee and or breakfast. Relaxed atmosphere. Friendly service always a plus.

Cute and small rustic Albany coffee shop. Ordered the egg plate with scrambled eggs and toast and sausage and potatoes. Food tastes amazing and the staff is very friendly and welcoming. Would like it if they offered poached eggs, but scrambled is just fine. read more

Always a great time at Daily Grind! Pre and during COVID. Really tasty breakfast sandwiches and my favorite coffee in the Albany area. When we aren't fighting a pandemic, it's a really cool atmosphere inside with friendly people. read more

i want to love it because it's right behind my house. but it's VERY slow, awkwardly laid out (nowhere to wait) and surprisingly expensive. egg & cheese on a bagel was TEN DOLLARS and it wasn't even that great. skip it read more

Yes I confess to being a Grindaholic. I have been buying hot coffee to go there for about twenty years, and my favorite treat is the fruit covered waffle. For real coffee, served by real people, I love this place. As the bumper sticker says "friends don't let friends buy Star#ucks." read more

I never write reviews. I've lived in center square for years. This place has managed to stay around despite it being egregiously overpriced and mediocre at best. I assume it's because they are capitalizing on having almost no competition in the area for quick breakfast. Even though I've never been a fan, I too have fallen victim to the "what am I going to eat - I guess daily grind is right there" mentality. Today I ordered an egg sandwich with cream cheese and tomato. They put HALF of ONE SLICE of tomato on my sandwich. The sandwich cost me TEN dollars. The bagel was stale. There was one egg. This whole sandwich probably cost the establishment a nickel to make. And somehow they are such cheapskates that they can't even put enough tomato on a sandwich to cover the bread. They've always skimped on food and been overpriced, but this just did it for me. How much would it possibly have cost your restaurant to just put TWO slices of tomato on there? You still would have profited $9 off me at least. The staff is friendly and the vibe is cute, that's the only reason I give this place more than one star. I swear this is it for me. I'm never going back. read more

Ok so I read some of the reviews and I don't understand why anyone likes this place. I try to leave nothing but positive comments on yelp . But this was just horrible 10$ for an omelette that was dry burnt and small as could be. I'm just honestly upset . I don't know how this place is in business. I will never be back. BUYER BEWARE ! RIP OFF !!! read more

Horrible food preparation and even worse customer service. I just moved around the corner and picked this place to order from because it looks cute. I placed my order over the phone and specifically asked for 4 eggs to be poached and also asked for two orders of waffles. I went and picked up my order and came back home to find my waffles solid as a rock and cold, all of my egg orders were half cooked not poached and cold, the toast was solid as a rock as well and the waffles came with no butter, whip cream nothing. When I had called to complain the young lady with the grayish blonde hair and tattoos picked up the phone ( she rang us out as well) I told her about the eggs and she stated, " we don't have the ability to poach eggs here so we made them sunny side up." I wish I would have known that or at least tell me over the phone while I'm ordering you can't instead of taking my order which makes me think this can be done. I told her I was also dissatisfied with my waffle order and she said, " I'll have to charge you for the waffles." Which is absolutely absurd to me as I just paid and picked up my food 5 minutes ago, when I said I had paid $70 for my order she stated that I did not tip. I'm not sure if she didn't notice but I put cash in the tip jar and to be honest it seemed like her and her coworker behind the counter weren't doing much so the tips should go to the cooks, further more as far as I am concerned and as someone who has managed a store before that is well versed in customer service I believe that tips are an option to the customer based off of their service. I understand during this pandemic we are all going through our hardships but I will never go to this place again and to the woman who answered the phone and said I didn't tip pick a different profession If you rely so much on cash tips, if you fixed your face and customer service approach MAYBE your customers would feel better about giving you their money. read more

Daily Grind - Waffles came with no whip cream or butter as stated on the menu and are hard - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

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daily grind is the best place on lark to grab a breakfast sammy and go. the bucket of iced coffee is pretty amazing too. read more

Daily Grind - sausage egg and cheese on a sesame bagel. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

A staple of lark st. for over 20 years, The Daily Grind is a singular cafe experience unsurpassed by any I have had the pleasure to find. Some favorites, corned beef on sour dough, the yogurt parfait, belgian waffle, to name a few. For a coffee education, bounce upstairs and chat with Lee. What makes good coffee good, how to decaf, best value? The crowning jewell of Daily Grind retail is the coffee makers. You could open a cafe with the machines on display upstairs at The Daily Grind. read more

Very friendly staff. Love the different flavored coffees that change everyday. The food is fresh and always tasty. A true, unpretentiousness place to hang out and enjoy some down time. They do get very busy on the weekends. Many people don't realize there is space upstairs to bring your coffee and chill. read more

Daily Grind - Time for a morning pick me up with caramel flavored coffee . I stop asking what the daily flavor is, because I enjoy all of them. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

I love getting work done upstairs, especially at one of the tables by the huge window overlooking the street. The coffee is great, and the staff is so friendly. I'm hooked! read more

We stopped in for a latte yesterday afternoon. Latte was not hot enough and was weak. Husband enjoyed his hot cocoa with peppermint syrup. The store has very close quarters when you walk in and the stairs are easy to trip on- some leading to second floor sitting area are broken at the end. The shop does have a local small business flair and had a variety of other breakfast and lunch food which looked good. The reason I am giving three stars mostly is because when we were upstairs sitting, one of the people who works there was smoking in the upstairs room! I do not like to be exposed to smoke. I'm not sure of the regulations in NY but it is illegal to smoke in a restaurant where I live. We left when he lit up. I was really surprised that workers would smoke in the establishment. Yuck. read more

Awesome local place. Great coffee, friendly staff, and upstairs smells awesome since they are literally roasting their beans up there

I love this place and the staff. Favorite five minute walk to get a sandwhich and iced coffee.

Cute (super small) place and the vibe was very SFHaight-street-esque: Guy talking to himself in the corner, med students talking about their latest rotation, pierced folks sitting hip and silent. However, my chai latte tasted like it was infused with phenol. Anyone who knows what phenol is knows that this is not a good taste. I should have taken it back but I was enjoying my convo too much to be bothered. All-in-all, likely wouldn't make this my study/coffee destination when there are plenty more cafes in Albany that are 5 star. read more

Damn, no joke dark cappuccinos. Absolutely delicious. So good, that I went every day this weekend for one. And then one to go for my drive back westward. A great/cozy atmosphere, friendly service with a lot of choices for food and drink. Large portions. I shared the corned beef hash special and it was the perfect amount of food for the two of us. I am eager to try more next time I am in Albany. They also grind there own beans in the shop on the second floor. So, don't be caught at home without your own fresh coffee beans. read more

I was visiting from NYC and fell in love with this place. I loved finding an unpretentious coffee shop with an assortment of delicious food made to order, a great staff, and excellent coffee. I grabbed an iced coffee and a breakfast sandwich (for $6!!!) and headed to nearby Washington Park to eat. And then I came back for lunch. So refreshing now that coffee boutiques with overpriced coffee and packaged food is the new norm. read more

Coffee is ON POINT, the cheese on my breakfast sandwich is melty, service is attentive, my chocolate chip cookie have pretzels in it, and the walls are lined with outlets. Thumbs up. read more

It's 7:04am and no one bothered to show up to work. I have the luxury of being warm in my car but the couple peering in the window sure look cold. I'd give another star for having the best egg sandwiches but since I'm hangry and can't get any, I'm not feeling generous. read more