Came across this great little tea shop. The tea was delicious with plenty of smells. The staff was…read morefriendly and helpful. It was one of the highlights of my work trip.

Cute little cafe in Albany that serves a wide variety of teas with fast, friendly and efficient…read moreservice.

Cheddar Parm Bagel toasted with Salmon Cream Cheese is outstanding! Good combo…read more Glad I did not order my usual Everything Bagel because Cheddar Parm was perfect. Crust is crispy with natural cheddar flavor and hint of parm. Plenty of places to sit on a Tuesday at 10:30. Sipped my Columbia Decaf coffee and people watched. Service as usual was efficient and fast.

The atmosphere was good, the coffee was great, the service was arrogant, and the food was inedible…read more I ordered the avocado toast, which comes on a bagel. I thought, "yum," but was sadly disappointed when my bagel was garnished with more topping and red pepper flakes than anyone who has taste buds could tolerate. I asked if this was the normal amount and was scoffed at. Not a wonderful experience.

Wow! I waited over a week to visit this place because they were sold out of most of the desserts…read more They're so popular, and the owners take their time making new desserts. They have tea, but I wanted cheesecake. The cheesecake was excellent! You order online or at their kiosk inside. It's best to keep checking online to see if the desserts you want are in stock yet, if they aren't, they're listed as sold out. The ube cheesecake was creamy, sweet, with cream. The triple matcha cheesecake was very good, tasted like matcha, and best if you don't like dessert too sweet. Each piece of cake was around $10-11 would be nice if it was bigger, but it's great as it is because it's dense. It's so cute inside! Service is fast! Highly recommend!

Loved Eggcellent so much we visited twice on our trip in the Albany area! The options are fresh and…read moredifferent from what I am used to having when grabbing a milk or fruit tea. First up, I ordered the Jasmine Tea with Matcha foam and coconut water. This was a super refreshing drink and I am already wanting to have it again. Second we grabbed the Ube Milk Tea float which was a super pleasant taste, ordered with 0 percent sugar which kept it at a perfect level of sweetness. The ube milk tea float comes with a scoop of delicious ube ice cream on top. The service was super friendly and inviting, and the inside was really cutely designed.

New favorite place!! **** Please note that the hours are different than what's in Yelp. They have…read morenew extended hours that go into the evening on weekends so we went for dinner on a Friday night and they closed at 9 PM on Friday. They close for half an hour between four and 430 just to switch into the evening . Check their website for accurate hours. ***** We did not need to make a reservation. We just walked in. Husband and I came for date night and we LOVED everything we had! The drinks the food the atmosphere, everything was perfect! The service was quick friendly and fun! I had the lavender mocktail which came with actual pieces of lavender in it and my husband had the other mocktail offered. Both had beautiful presentation that was so enticing! For food I had the chicken skewers which for hot honey was NOT spicy in the least so don't let that scare you away if you're sensitive to spice it's incredibly mild. I wish a small bit of rice/zucchini or something was served with the chicken to fill out the meal but the chicken itself was SO yummy!! we also ordered the shoestring truffle french fries and we were a little nervous cause shoestring could be really thin, but these were the perfect size. They weren't too thin and they were so yummy. My husband ordered the salmon and that equally was perfect, served with quinoa. After we both had the raspberry cake for dessert! I found the dessert to be larger than the dinner for myself and I had a hard time finishing it so my husband finished his and mine lol it was so so good!! it's a beautiful dining room with the screened in porch. There is a champagne vending machine for mimosas. If you come for brunch, they also offer catering. We had such a good time and we absolutely cannot wait to get back there to try their brunch menu!!!

Its a very high-toned place. The whole interior and exterior is extravagant looking and cozy. The…read moremain issue I had was that the tables were sticky and not clean. When we received out food the syrup was spilt by the server but they never refilled it for us. We also were given silverware and not napkins which to me feels a little odd. Our drinks arrival time was Staggered as well so we were not able to enjoy our drinks at the same time lest they become cold or no longer desirable. Despite all this both the food and drink were very good.

Incredibly tasty! Chicken shawarma bowl with quinoa, pickled onions and cabbage, black olives,…read morefeta, tzatziki, humus, shepard's salad and more! It's a bit loud in the dining room but sitting outside, the only thing missing is the Aegean Sea to stare out into.

I always consider places that offer well-crafted, Mediterranean-style bowls to be a good option for…read morea meal, and they do it right at Simone's. And they handle a line faster than some of the other places in Stuyvesant Plaza (think burgers and shakes). For a first meal here, I went with one of their bowls made without adjustments, so I'll have a better idea of what to tweak on future orders. It was about an hour before closing time, and I noticed that the greens were starting to look a little dry, perhaps not refreshed recently. You get a lot of rice. All of the ingredients blend well, though I wouldn't necessarily want as much sauce slathered on (something I can easily adjust). I was pleasantly surprised by the small, warm, soft pita I was given at the cashier. I do wish they had a few more unsweetened beverage options, all of their fountain drinks are sweetened. This is definitely one of the better options in the Plaza for a quick and healthy meal.

Albany is the 338th largest city in the US. Jacob Alejandro would be right at home in some of the…read morelargest cities! The vibe is impeccable, truly comfortable and well designed! The staff were professional, pleasant, and coffee/tea focused! My wife enjoyed a black tea chai latte and I loved the reserve pour over coffee experience! I order pour over pretty much every time it's available at a coffee shop. Jacob Alejandro's pour over service is pretty much ceremonial! They serve it on a tray. The tray has the "pitcher", a glass for service, and a glass of palate cleansing jade tea in the middle. (I did have to ask what the jade tea was) The palate cleanse was the perfect start. The Costa Rican coffee was heavenly, one of those drinking experiences where even my amateur palate was engaged. It was truly nice to sit for a while and enjoy a great cup of coffee at Jacob Alejandro! Yes, they would fit in a larger city but smaller cities deserve great coffee also!

After going on a lovely walk through Albany's Washington Park on Easter Sunday, I noticed some…read moreactivity across the street at Jacob Alejandro. I was so surprised. Could they really be open on Easter Sunday? It seemed too good to be true. A great cup of caffeine was just what I needed at that very moment. So my friend and I crossed Madison Avenue and peeked into the tinted windows. Not only were they open, but the place was bustling. The inside of Jacob Alejandro is elegant and beautifully decorated. Furniture, plants, music and wall art are arranged to set moods. It feels more like a club than a coffee house. The baristas are super friendly, helpful and patient. As I tried to make up my mind on what to order, they offered suggestions. I wound up with matcha. I think my friend had some kind of latte. I remember both beverages were delicious. They were made to be savored slowly. We took in our surroundings and it was very relaxing. We'll visit again. Thanks Jacob Alejandro for a nice experience.

Ordered two lattes. Great lattes and the staff was friendly…read more Lattes were ready quickly. This is a large place that looks like it has lots of room to work. This place also has great weekend hours!

Solid bagel shop. From a Brooklyn Ahjumma…read more Line moves quick, thankfully, but always a line. That always means, they have good offerings. We came early, around 9am... and on a weekday. Long line - lots of regulars, lots of workers picking up a bagel before heading to work. We dropped off our son for college move in and picked up bagels for breakfast. Got 3 bagels - plain toasted, w/ cream cheese; plain toasted with avocado, egg & cheese; sausage egg and cheese. All very solid. Bagels were soft inside and chewy, with crispy outside. Just like the city. Wish there were more seatings, it can get packed easily and with the line, can be overwhelming. The smell will be infused to your clothes. Ah well, smelling like a toasted bagel, not the worse scent. lol

Came here for a light lunch, tea and dessert. Our visit started off great- we were greated warmly,…read morepromptly seated and given menus. The tea was wonderful and our lunch items came quickly and were tasty. We asked to keep a menu, explaining we would like to get dessert after. Once we we received our lunch food, it quickly went downhill. We never saw our waitress again after that. My son finished his Boba tea and wanted another, but our waitress never came over to check on us. We sat for over 40 minutes after we recieved our initial order and not one waitstaff came over to ask if we wanted anything else, nor did they come over to give us the check. After giving up hope of dessert and more tea, we eventually went to the front counter to pay since we realized no one was coming to give us the bill. Normally, I would understand if it was understaffed or busy- yet the two parties next to us had waitstaff come over numerous times. We were literally ignored. We won't be back and I do not recommend.

Delicious, relaxed lunch with my daughter. First time for her and second for me…read more The Mango Green Ice Tea was refreshing. We both ordered the Beef Sukiyaki and tossed salad. The tender moist beef slices on a roll were very good. The Ginger dressing on the salad was flavorful, and I wish I could buy it to elevate salads at home. We enjoyed the Red Bean Ice Cream which is creamy with tidbits of bean. Outstanding. Service was attentive, friendly, and efficient! Ambiance is relaxed which was welcome after shopping on Wolf Road. And the bucket chairs are so comfortable.

Professor Java's was one of the first businesses I reviewed on Yelp. But shame on me for not…read morefollowing up when their Wolf Rd. site closed. I didn't realize they had reopened until I saw them next to the relocated Penzey's. Hooray! Two things I miss from the old location are the ability to buy coffee beans, and the more eclectic layout. No worries about the beans these days. Their new site is a much more regular layout, but it's more than adequately compensated by a very relaxed and cozy atmosphere, with more space behind the counter to prepare foods. And that counter holds a lot of other confections as well. Their regular coffee is a bit mild, but there's so many other options if you want to vary your coffee's strength and flavor. I liked the variety of teas available too (mostly hot, but some iced). Service is attentive, and your orders come out quickly. This remains a great alternative to other fast food options along Wolf Rd.

Class is in session!…read more I needed to find my morning Java fix while in Albany and Professor Java's Coffee Sanctuary was just the spot for my coffee education. Walking in, this spot is a mad scientist lab. Large roasters are front and center, this isn't a classroom but a coffee laboratory! Nice folks behind the counter greeted me each morning as I placed my order. The roast on their coffee had me coming back daily. You might say it was my (pinkie to lip) Coffee Sanctuary?? Professor Java? You earned that title, I enjoyed my daily visits.

On a quiet Saturday morning, with not many places open, we were happy to find this coffee shop and…read moreenjoy a couple of cappuccinos. The seating area is very spacious with plenty of room to sit, read a magazine, and enjoy the coffee. I also ordered banana bread with chocolate and a chocolate croissant, which were both delicious. It was quite calm inside, and it seems like a perfect spot to work or read a book during weekdays. I would definitely recommend it.

Nice coffee shop in what felt like a former retail store front…read more One employee was taking orders, answering questions and pumping out the drinks!! And people were coming in at a pretty good pace. It was impressive! My final verdict on the iced mocha was that it tasted so good it was a solid special treat, but I was a bit disappointed at how small it was for the price. My husband had a cortado and he thought it was good. Would go back if in the area again.