The last few times I've gone in have been completely lackluster experiences. Today I wandered in looking for lunch and wanted to get something hot. The selection was abysmal. The quiche I got was microwaved, had no crust, and had sliced cheddar on top. The taste was awful, and the texture was slimy. The matcha is just milk, not worth the $10 I paid for a 16oz. None of the drinks are worth what they're asking. The shift to sit service was a terrible call, and was not a popular decision among the student population. Overall the space is cute but deserves a better business. The staff is nice enough but they're completely untrained and the owners business practices are unprofessional and i'm surprised they're still in business. read more

Terra Cotta - Iced Matcha - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Alfred, New York

Cute place. Service was excellent. Didn't try the food. One of the few nice coffee places within 30 miles.

I want to like this place so bad because I would rather support a small business than the campus options, but the drinks are not close to good enough for the price. The hot drinks are always barely warm and the cold drinks are always not mixed well. Definitely don't get matcha here. You mine as well order a cup of milk with how little powder they put in. The owners and staff are really nice and it's a cute place, but I've given up hoping the drinks will be worth it. For a coffee shop that's enough for me to stop going. read more

I have a few challenging food, allergies, and they worked around them beautifully. My meal was very tasty and safe for me to eat. I also wanted a quiet place to work. Their offer of me working upstairs fit my need very well. Overall, the service was fantastic, the food was very good, and I got a lot of work done. read more

Too expensive. The sandwiches are grilled in so much oil they drip pure grease. All this extra fat does not add to the flavor.

I had a really nice experience at Terracotta House. The service was warm and the staff were very personable, which made it a comfortable place to study. I ordered a hot lavender white mocha latte and a chicken Caesar salad wrap, and both were really good! The latte was so cozy with a light lavender flavor and the wrap was fresh and filling without being too heavy. I especially liked sitting at the window seat with a view of Main Street while studying. The transition to waitressing-style service is something I'm still getting used to since I visited before that change, but I see the vision and fully support it. It's also a great spot to bring your parents when they're visiting from home. read more

The Terra Cotta is like... the definition of a homely coffee shop. Friendly employees, a warm environment, quality food. They have gorgeous aesthetics, and although I believe it is closed right now due to COVID, their upstairs area is perfect for a mid-day study for the university students. Plenty of comfy couches, a wide open space and even an outdoor balcony for when weather is nicer. Down to the food and drinks, although the drinks err on the sweet side, their hot cocoa is to die for. They have smoothies for your hot days, hot (and cold!) chai for anyday, and plenty of cozy warm coffee drinks. They even have a punch card system! They have a case full of local baked goodies, with some delicious fresh pies, and healthy yogurts to pat. Now, and this isn't frequent, but their tiramisu? Is to die for. Tastes just like the Italian namesake. Their current hours run until 6 pm daily, but they used to be open until 9 or 10 somedays. Perfect for your college town. Especially since their prices are quite reasonable, much better than Starbucks. read more

Terra Cotta - Halloween decor comparison - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Alfred, New York

We stopped in today. Cute little place! It got busy real quick after we walked in around 10:30am. I love ALL of the options they have with food, desserts, snacks, KETO bread!, flavors or coffee, and the service was great! Prices are great too. For $12 we got two small lattes with almond milk and a pecan pie tart. The pecan pie tart was average. I liked that it wasn't overly sweet. My boyfriends latte was a little watered down for our liking and what we are used to. My latte with almond milk I ordered sugar free caramel flavor with; I liked mine! Lol so the flavor definitely made it better. I'd like to come back and try more things another time! :) Came back one more time and ordered a cafe au lait w/maple creme coffee and a red eye w/Jamaican me crazy coffee. Both very good! Also tried their breakfast burrito with bacon and cheddar and the carrot cake. Both delicious!!! The wrap was salty and the carrot cake perfectly sweet. Love this place! read more

See all

This was our first time visiting here. This place is attractive from the outside with the multi string lights hanging vertically from the window. Nice appeal. For the purpose of this establishment being a college town cafe, it serves the population of students well. It's for, I say: eat, drink(hot beverages), chat, and log on! It has a nice college vibe. I guess to contain the sometimes inpatient customers, as I can sometimes be, they have an ongoing doodle page at the counter while you wait. Look for my drawing with my initials: C.P. I will return next year! read more

Stopped into here for a quick breakfast after staying here over the 4th of July weekend. The diner across the street was closed, so this was our second choice admittedly. After coming here, I strongly recommend people to stop in for a quick bite and/or hot beverage! We were greeted with a smile, prices for sandwiches were about the same price if you were to find a Dunkin/McDonald's for a coffee and sandwich. The breakfast sandwich we had was simple but fantastic, not much to describe other than well put together and flavorful all around! My friends got the breakfast burrito, cappuccino, and iced coffees which they all loved. There were only two baristas running around, one cooking and one running the front, but they did a FANTASTIC job. There was limited seating on the inside for anybody with a party of over 4 and the top floor was taken over for Chinese Checkers (I think), so we sat outside to enjoy the weather. I really hope that any college students or families stop in as they had lunches and different options for different times, I'm very happy we stopped into this cozy cafe! read more

Great atmosphere, good good. The perfect place to meet a friend or find someone interesting to talk with. GREAT VIBES!

this is to the new coming freshmen at alfred uni and state. save your bucks. the coffee sucks. from my experience, their food is good, the cooks are experienced. the baristas are another story. it feels like a different kind of betrayal when you have a nice convo with your barista, they take $8 out of your pocket for a normal ass coffee, all for it to be DOGSHIT. don't fuck w people and their morning coffee. countless times they have filled my cup with ice and put a sip of coffee, or i opened the lid to my hot drink and the cup wasn't even full, or it just wasn't made right. i guess it's not the baristas fault, but the lack of training. with that said, it's a great study spot and upstairs is nice for hanging out. anyways. lower your prices or get better baristas if you care at all about your clientele. read more

Tried it again when I was in town for an event. Not a coffee house. Very few selections of coffee -- there are more weed options than coffee options. LONG wait time for food (20+ mins) city prices (a grilled cheese will cost you $15). Many vegan options if you're willing to pay and wait. read more

Very good food and coffee is fresh and personally very good. The prices of drinks are reasonable, but the food can be a bit expensive. Quaint coffee shop in Alfred, is very busy during the school season though haha. read more

This place just came under new ownership and they are making a lot of great changes. The iced chai is amazing. I had the cheeseburger for lunch and plan to go back and get it again. It was delicious. read more

Terra Cotta - menu and clock - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Alfred, New York

See all

worst coffee shop in america. and if you live in alfred you're kind of stuck with this as it's the only option besides the gas station.

i gotta say, its the best coffee shop in town lol. The upstairs is suuuper cute. Lots of space to sit, and balcony spots in the sun for reading or hanging out. Food - eh - and the drinks are decent. read more

Place has great vibe to it. Good food and beverage selection. Nice casual seating options. Line can be long but moves. My big gripe...all the bakery items are individually wrapped and in the cold display case. The items are stone cold, hard as bricks and have no real taste. Disappointing. read more

Terra Cotta - Breakfast menu - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Alfred, New York

Very cute place, nice employees, good coffee. I love the relaxed atmosphere, tons of seating and cute decor. read more

Terra Cotta - This place is adorable - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Alfred, New York

Super cute place! I walked in and immediately felt relaxed. I was pleased to see many seating options because I wanted to get a little work done while eating lunch. I got their "gyro wrap" which is not so much a gyro as a souvlaki. Gyro implies gyro meat. This is an option of beef or chicken. I went with the chicken. It was very underwhelming. The chicken tasted and looked like it had been frozen as compared to fresh chicken breast. The sauce and the pita were good, however. The salad that accompanied it was uninspired (nothing other than greens) but I loved the dressing. I ordered a brownie for dessert which was delicious. One note, the staff decided to open the huge sliding doors right next to me. She walked out, left the door open and didn't come back for a few minutes. I was freezing! Made me feel like they wanted to get rid of me since it was just past the lunch hour. read more

Food out here was pretty good considering we're in the middle of nowhere. had a decent selection, and thank god they do breakfast all day long. Coffee was also pretty good and great tasting. Thank you read more

See all

9 out of 10 times if I need a coffee, I'll be coming to Terra Cota. The baristas are very friendly and can also make a mean smoothie. Whenever I can I usually go with my usual favorite muffin and chicken pesto sandwich (always fresh). Over everything I just love the casual college atmosphere of terra cota. Definitely feels like a true cafe environment. The only downside has been that recently on the National coffee day, they unfortunately ran out of milk. I figured that they could simply get a gallon of milk or two across the street as to not lose out on sales. But other than that, it's one of my fav spots to sit back, relax, and drink some coffee. read more

Terra Cotta - Nice day in Alfred. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Alfred, New York

Would not go here if it weren't the only place to get coffee in town. Employees aren't treated well and the coffee stinks

We rolled through town late. Everything was closing for the night but one amazing and super awesome Anya kept the doors open for us! Her and her manager, made us delicious smelling Focaccia's! Cant wait to dig in !! read more

Nice environment, cozy feeling. Can order sandwiches and pastries etc. and find nice seating somewhere. Nice if you can go when it's quiet so you can read with a cup of tea. Outdoor seating. read more

Terra Cotta - Gyro - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Alfred, New York

Good place to take your Tinder date..girls love their smoothies.

This is probably the best place to go to in Alfred it's got amazing French toast and amazing frozen hot chocolate and its service is fast!! But most importantly it's a great place to chill out and hang with your friends and enjoy each other I recommend to go to this place!! read more

Yes it is cute, yes it looks like a nice coffee place, yes it is the only one, yes I go there for coffee. That said, the coffee is very weak, the service lackluster (sorry to the nice kids they sometimes are lucky enough to hire) and the food is very unexciting. This week my coffee maker ran out and I had to drop by to buy coffee each day. I asked for the strongest and/or darkest and got a very weak watery coffee. Then each day I tried each of their coffee's thinking that maybe just maybe one would be better. Every last coffee was made poorly with too few grounds. I tried a cappuccino and thumbs down. I tried a bagel, it was cold, wrapped in wet plastic and when I said, oh I asked for it to be toasted she pointed to the toaster and said it is there. Years ago I would eat a sandwich there once in a while, but they use only a tomato foccacca that I did not like, when I asked if there was plain, they said that is the only flavoe they get. I asked for hot peppers, nope. And that sums this place up..they are not interested in being an amazing tasting place that people really want to come back to, they just want to make the most profit with the least effort. And it certainly feels that way. read more

They have a coffee punch card system where after you purchase 8 drinks you're supposed to get a free drink. Well when I tried to redeem my free drink I was rudely told that it only covered four dollars and that I still owed money. The card says free drink, if it only covers four dollars, say that on the card? I expected to come here and not owe anything, after being a repeat customer. Its a small thing, but its just false advertising and stupid. read more

Oh, Terra Cotta! The coffee is pretty solid, and there are only so many places around for some of the other specialty drinks they offered (until the Creative Arts Center opened in Wellsville, it was the only place to find Jones Soda). And then there are the baked goods. Cookies the size of my head - that's all I have to say. And the real food? Mmmm. The artichoke panini might be one of my favorite things ever. I went once and they were out of the red pepper sauce so they offered to substitute pesto - I think I might like it even more that way. Of course, I can't neglect to mention the place itself. Funky artwork (which is basically a requirement for Alfred businesses) decent seating (although it can get a little cramped). And when the weather's nice you can sit outside and enjoy the sunshine. How cute is it that they give you a stuffed animal so they know what table to bring food out to? And the upstairs is great if you have a few more people - I brought a writing group one time and we had plenty of space to spread out and it was quiet enough up there for us to work. read more

Great coffee and smoothies! Nice sandwich options, too. My favorite item is the chocolate donuts they get every so often. They have chocolate bottoms with a chocolate swirl on top, and a surprise layer of chocolate inside. Just writing this makes me want to run out and get one! read more

If you like to sit outside, this is definitely the place for you. There are two levels to this place, and three outdoor seating areas! There's tables out on the sidewalk, a balcony overlooking the sidewalk, and a balcony out back which is definitely a little quieter than the noisy street. The homemade scones and homemade donuts are out of this world. They're baked fresh every day, and always hit the right note. Try one of the homemade donuts with a barista's signature drink - a drink exclusive to the Terra Cotta that changes based on who is working! read more

I would honestly give zero stars if I could. I have worked at a restaurant for many years so I know what proper customer service looks like. At my restaurant, we always focus on customer satisfaction. But If you plan on coming here, get ready! You are going to have to try your absolute hardest to enjoy your time. I was in on September 25th and I was being waited on by a frail, soft voiced female. There were a ton of bees outside where we were sitting (4 at once swarming), and being allergic, I wasn't trying to deal with a trip to the hospital since im from out of town. One bee happened to land in my smoothie, after only taking a few sips, and who in their right mind would continue to drink it? Well, obviously only the employees of the Terra Cotta Coffee House! Worst $5.50 i have ever spent in my life. I went back in and this same employee proceeded to tell me that "I would have to purchase a new smoothie, since they didn't give it to me with the bee in it." This is the best way to kiss customers goodbye and I truly hope the college students in the area don't continue to get taken advantage of, similar to myself. They are very lucky to be one of the few places to serve food/drinks because in a realistic setting, this business wouldn't last. I'm sure this can't be the only situation where the employees would deny a simple request. But hey, definitely think twice about coming here to eat read more

Terra Cotta - (Bee in the smoothie i had to dump out) - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Alfred, New York

I came up to Alfred University for a week long program. I found this gem and couldn't be happier. The food and drinks were delicious and healthy! The staff was so friendly, nice and accommodating. Emily was so sweet and kind to myself and my husband. I will definitely be back when I come up next summer! read more

I concluded my Alfred University visit at the this coffee house. Very nice establishment close to the campuses. I had the blt wrap. It was very good but I had to pay an additional $.25 for honey mustard which I didn't care for but overall I had a great experience. It's summer, but I was annoyed with the flies but I understand not their fault! I had a Carmel frappe that was great, as well. A place to add on your visit to Alfred. read more

Prices are okay, slightly higher than most coffee shops, food is great though! great place to just hang out with some friends to bond, not too noisy. read more

This place has nice charm for the college age coffee crowd. I held an event there in July for my family. During the planning phase the management gave my wife and I a price for 40 guests. After that, the management never contacted us about finalizing our arrangements. We had to call repeatedly to get a hold of someone who knew anything about our reservation. The building was nice even know it seem to be in varying stages of construction or refurbishment. The food was the eatable, and still frozen, wholesale fair of bagels, brownies, but noting to rave about. Do yourself a favor pick these up at BJ's or Costco and thaw them yourself. Upon paying for the bill, the price had almost doubled from what the manager of the Terra Cotta quoted us. When questioning the manager on the price hike the manager said they changed their mind and J.N. said to charge per head. When I called John N. he said that he did not know anything about the price hike and would look into it. In conclusion, if you want a cup of joe stop by, but for anything of importance do not do it at the Terra Cotta or any of the J.N. establishments in Alfred. If you do, be prepared for the old bait and switch. read more

This place is super cozy and a great place to grab a warm drink in the cold months. They have a bunch of board games with comfy couches upstairs which is really nice. The best night to go here is Tuesday. They have two focacca sandwhiches for $8 which is a good deal. They are quite good but you have to inspect them before you eat them, I ordered once and they surved my salad with a chunk of real life dirt. They didn't offer me anything for my trouble and were pretty rude about the ordeal. read more

I am absolutely OBSESSED with the vanilla chai lattes... seriously the most delicious once I've ever had in my life. The atmosphere is so peaceful and I've been a major fan of doing homework there. All a win-win! read more

Stick to the coffee. Nearly all of the food is forgettable, though very cheap. Most frustrating is their focaccias which are MICROWAVED and MUSHY instead of the bread being toasted in an oven or panini press (how it should be). Scones are triangle shaped muffins Bagels are bread with a hole in the middle (still considerably better the AU's bagels) Cookies decent Bakalava is pretty good (and very cheap! :) Basically, just stick to the coffee read more