I'm from Schenectady but have lived in Manhattan for almost a decade - Ambition reminds me of spots in Greenwich Village coupled with a little Schenectady grit. Check out the mention on PeterGreenberg.com http://www.petergreenberg.com/b/Off-The-Brochure-Travel-Guide:-Schenectady,-New-York/399827041113180322.html read more

Great service! A bit of a small, quirky coffee shop. Not the best for picky eaters like myself but for the food I got it was good! Just a bit cramped of a space but you can't expect much in the middle of Schenectady. read more

Ambition Coffee & Eatery - Jeremy's Package: turkey, apple, cheddar, cranberry pesto, balsamic, on pretzel bread - Sandwiches Near Me - Schenectady, New York

I have been here twice for breakfast and it was great both times. I ordered a breakfast sandwich and was very happy to see they offered a pretzel roll. The atmosphere is really fun and inviting. The bonus was having SmooveJ as the chef! read more

The eggs were over cooked and the toast wasn't toasted. The iced coffee tasted smokey or I got the bottom of the pot but was not worth it. Every breakfast at brunch is $10 and there's barely enough food for that price. read more

Such a unique experience with the vintage, music inspired decor and the friendly staff! The food is amazing, with its great breakfast and brunch choices, along with yummy salads and sandwiches for lunch. There's something here for everyone! Jay Street is also a good place for shopping and visiting local bakeries and theater. Ambition is a place you will want to go again and again! read more

AMAZING food and AMAZING service. Eclectic scenery. The server was helpful and even told us about some things to do while we were in upstate. Really happy to go there. Good vegan options too. read more

Always love stopping here for a bite. Fresh and inventive, delicious sandwiches and beverages. I split two sandwiches with my brother so we could taste them both. The Ragin Cajun and the Chipotle Pretzel. Both were worth the trip. Wow. Fast and friendly service. read more

The first time I ate here, amazing! The second time, ok. I love the feel of the place. Decent food, and great choice of teas. My only complaint is the iced chai, it's way too thick. read more

It's an explosion of color, with a simple menu. But that simple menu is full of flavors. They have brunch till 11. And it is in the quaint walkway of jay. My sandwich was amazing. They have a full coffee bar, and amazing cocktails for breakfast. read more

Walking in, Ambition seemed like my kind of place. A little self-referential hipster-y, but Lynda Carter Wonder Woman regalia in full effect. The menu, too, seemed really promising - I had a hard time choosing between four differently equally appealing options. I was all set to fall in love. There were a number of servers working and empty tables galore. When we sat down, our table wasn't clean. The person who seated us mentioned it, then the person who took our drink order mentioned it, and then the person who served our drinks mentioned it - all in terms of "I'll send someone to wipe this down." Finally, someone did, in fact, wipe the table off. Okay, a little scatterbrained, but it all worked out. We're ready to order. I order a sandwich that sounded amazing - pretzel bread, ham, bacon, mustard. So many things I love, one sandwich. My sidekick orders his sandwich, and asks to customize with bacon. Our server tells us, oh, we're out of bacon. Maybe I'm obnoxiously picky, but wouldn't it have made sense to tell us this earlier, or even after I ordered my bacon-inclusive lunch? If my sidekick hadn't asked for bacon specifically, would anyone have warned me not to expect my sandwich to include it? I changed my order to the second choice, a pear and brie and raspberry sandwich that sounded equally delicious. Our friend orders the burger. And we wait. And wait. For about 30 minutes. Again, there were probably two other tables occupied at the time. Several severs. Three sandwiches. Waiting. And waiting. After about 25 minutes, our main server came over with a bottle of ketchup for my friend's burger, but said nothing about the ETA of our food. And here's the thing. The sandwiches, when they arrived, were actually pretty decent. They're served with a sad pile of bland tri-color tortilla chips and a pickle, and aren't particularly large, but they have good flavor. My sidekick's was especially good, and mine and our friend's both scored on the high end of normal. They weren't standout terrific. They were not waiting-for-a-half-hour-for-no-discernable-reason good. The takeaway: all style, very little substance. read more

I've been here a few times (finally giving my Yelp account some attention) and each time it leaves me feeling a bit less...high-strung (if that makes sense). It's such a chill (people still say that word, right?) environment. Cool photos, memorabilia, music, furniture, etc. I love bee-lining it to the back of the building to the sunken in couches to enjoy my coffee (from a house mug). Their lunch menu is unique and flavorful...always making it tough to narrow it down to one choice. read more

My wife and I are house bound (self quarantined). Marc and Adam made us a awesome lunch and delivered it to Rexford. We had the Jeremy's Package, Lox 8, and the Union Girl. Too much for two people for sure. The ingredients are always fresh, turkey is real, and the pesto chicken salad over the top. Thanks again for a fabulous lunch. Four thumbs up! read more

The food was delicious! The coffee was great, too and I loved the atmosphere. Service was quick and friendly as well.

I am not a big fan of Yelp as i find that many reviews have people complaining about petty, small things and bash people excessively. however I may be becoming one of those people. we were up in the area for parents weekend at Union College and we were searching for a nice place for brunch with the kid on sunday. we called and they took a reservation that morning over the phone. we came on time and were seated. they were crowded. then the nightmare began. we ordered. then we waited. and we waited. and we waited some more. they kept saying they were backed up. even after most people had left. our food showed up almost an hour after we ordered it. this was not complicated stuff; pancakes and breakfast sandwiches. they were mediocre. this was more about the service than the food. they could have warned us and we could have made an informed decision. they could have not taken our reservation given how crowded they were. the kitchen is small. but this was a big weekend given all the parents so they could have staffed up. however, even if the the wait was normal we would give the food a 3 1/2. so i have become what i detest but we had a really bad experience read more

awesome! came here for my friend's birthday. I love the quaint, quirkiness of the decor as well. Drinks were served in mason jars. I order the brie, raspberry turkey sandwich which was out of this world. My friend ordered the pretzel sandwich which was bomb as well! read more

I have been here for breakfast/brunch many times. A great place to stop after a farmer's market trip, on Sunday. Jeremy's Package and the Baba Wawa are two of my favorites. It has good speciality coffees too. It's small. Reservations can be helpful. Great staff. If you make your way to Jay St. This is a must! read more

I was in town to visit my sister-in-law and her husband for Thanksgiving. I really liked this place. We went for brunch and would have loved to see the scene during dinner. It's chill but professional, funky but approachable. Places like these are what put chains to shame. read more

This morning everything is extremely slow. I am so hungry and can not feel my stomach at all....:(

I will start off by saying my 2 star rating makes me sad. It's based solely by my one experience here over the weekend, and it was probably partially my fault. The problem you see, was I stood there staring at the coffee drinks menu for about 10 minutes. I couldn't decide. I didn't want anything tooooo sugary so I didn't go with any crazy "specialty" drink. But I didn't want just plain ole' coffee I can brew at home either. So, I asked if they could make me a Mocha (creative, I know). And they very politely agreed. I got it to go since we were on our way just steps out the door to the Farmers Market. (Where Ambition coffee is also featured, Nice). I tried to take a sip after blowing on it for a few minutes and it was CENTER OF THE SUN hot! It burnt my tongue big time. So, I gave it a few more minutes and stuck a straw in to try and stir it and drink from the straw. Guys, It melted the straw! SERIOUSLY!!!! I pulled it out after like 10 seconds and it had holes!!!! So, I blew and blew. After about 15 minutes I took a few sips. Decided it was disgusting, and tossed it. Was it the melted plastic? Possibly. Was it the fact that I ordered something not on the menu? Also very possible. I will definitely give them another shot. My boyfriend got a regular coffee with cream and sugar and his was delightful. So maybe next time I'll go with something a little less frilly. Otherwise, the place was cool and the people were nice. So I hope to edit this review soon and sing a different song. Till then! read more

Horribly disappointing as they do not have wifi for free or for purchase. Maybe a nice place to hang out and have a chat, but inadequate for an afternoon of work. read more

Funky diner type with awesome food, great staf, &very reasonable prices. Thoroughly enjoyed the pumpkin pancakes (yay Fall!), and the lox bagel. Yes, I made a pig of myself but well worth it. Not crazy about the coffee. A staple spot for this area and will be my go to breakfast spot when visiting. read more

Love this place! The coffee is good and there are many delicious options to choose from on the menu (including vegetarian). Great place to go if you want a good meal and a chill atmosphere. read more

Just what we needed for a casual lunch. A delicious variety of sandwiches, salads, and burgers with plenty of vegetarian options. The food was fantastic and I especially enjoyed my roast beef sandwich on a pretzel roll. Friendly and efficient service. You can look in the kitchen and see the guy making the food fresh in front of you. read more

Quirky and relaxed environment. Every time I eat here I find something new and fun on the walls that I may have missed the last time! Food is great whether its brunch, lunch or dinner. Plenty of options to choose from, and haven't been disappointed yet! The chef definitely takes pride in the food sent out, because it is always top notch. Staff is always friendly and upbeat. read more

I was very disappointed in my visit today. When I arrived I was told the grill closed in 15 minutes. I was waiting for a friend and when he hadn't arrived when they gave me the last warning I placed an order. There were several items on the menu that did not require the grill. A few moments later I stopped the waitress to confirm that we would still be able to order salads and other items that didn't need to be grilled. I was told the kitchen was closed. Telling customers that the grill is closing is very different from saying the kitchen is closed. I told them I no longer wanted my order and left. read more

It's a cool looking place with retro styling and snappy servers. I had coffee the first time and lunch the second. I have no way of knowing for sure, but I became ill after lunch. There seems to be a relationship here. I don't want to find out for sure. read more

This is my favorite trendy place to eat in town. Best service ever and the food is exceptional. I'm like a regular when I come into town performing at Proctors. read more

Sunday brunch .Extremely slow service, 50 minutes still waiting for our food after people who arrived after us have already been served so I can't comment on the food yet but I doubt I will return.... read more

Ambition is one of the best restaurants in Schenectady! And Im not saying that just because its conveniently across the street from my studio on Jay St. Not only do they have great food, its fun to be there and they support local artists. I love the funky decor. Having just spent the summer in California, it reminds me of the quirky little shops in LA. You will love it. Make Ambition and the rest of the shops on car-free, pedestrian friendly Jay St a must see on your trip to Schenectady. read more

Whether you need a quick cup of coffee to go, leisurely breakfast, "business lunch"... this place will suit your needs. The coffee is fresh and delicious (and available ground or whole bean to take home, I recommend the cinnamon hazelnut), great soups (creamy ginger carrot was fantastic), sandwiches, desserts, and if you time it right get a scone straight from the oven. The staff is friendly and attentive, decor is funky / fun / retro. They did accept my Yelp deal without a problem. read more

What can I say? Ambition is like home to me and my co-workers. We go here all the time, as it's our popular lunch spot. The staff is fabulous, always cheerful, fun, friendly and helpful (and totally cute- guys and girls included). The food is good, borderline great, and the decor is funky and eclectic and welcoming. I wish things weren't nickeled-and-dimed so much, but a man's gotta make a living. Great for coffee, lunch, the occasional Cher impersonator spotting, or a nice bite before seeing a show at Proctors, Ambition is a jewel in downtown Schenectady. read more

A little gem. Brunch goes until 2pm, which is awesome. Their Sangria & Bloody Mary's are delicious and generous sizes! Service was great- super friendly! Atmosphere is so cute, like you are in another town and place. Omelet look small but they are jam packed! New favorite Sunday Brunch place!! read more

Just enjoyed a fabulous lunch at Ambition. I had their Steinmetz Pretzel with grilled turkey, brie, blueberries, bacon and raspberry compote on grilled pretzel bread. I've never tasted anything like it... it was out of this world! I also sipped on a cup of their spicy chai and it was phenomenal. I try chai just about everywhere I go and this is my new favorite. Our server Jeremy was attentive and jocular, a nice combination :-) The only downside to Ambition is that it's a thirty five minute drive for me, otherwise I'd be there every week! read more

I love the decor and the ambiance. It is vaguely "retro" without a particular time or place as the theme. But that works just fine, as there's so many interesting posters and decorations. The food was reasonably priced and pretty good. I can't remember the name of the wrap that I ordered, but I know it had portobello mushrooms. Portobello mushrooms were well prepared. I thought the proportion of lettuce was too much, and I would have preferred less lettuce and more of the other ingredients. read more

I love this place, one of the first I gravitated to when I moved here! Very ' hipster-esque' plus they love (no, LOVE) Wonder Woman! The staff is awesome. Mark always remembers your name. I suggest anything with their pesto - it rocks! read more

Great service! The owner personally came out and interduced himself. The New Yorker was delicious! If I lived here I could see it being a regular stop. read more

Second time I've been, really strange atmosphere (not bad strange) both times for breakfast. The waitress is adorable, so smiley, so nice. I witnessed an exchange between her and two early morning drunks (come on we've all been there), she was a saint. I had a standard breakfast it was good. read more

I attempted to make reservatios at chez daiseys for a get together for christmas with my family,we were scheduled to see Wicked and I wanted to have a fun and relaxed dinner before. One of the partners at the pottery and glass beads shop recomended Ambition when I related my disapointment that chez daisey was closed on sundays.I went with it because of its location and conveience. we had a great time the food was varied and delicious and the staff and surroundings were fabulous,I am looking forward to returning to Ambition again. read more

I. Love. Ambition! The is one of the few places in Schenectady where you don't feel like you're in Schenectady. The atmosphere is funky and fun, the staff is awesome, attentive, knowledgeable and friendly! The special iced teas are awesome, and the special sandwiches are all so good ... from the Black Bean Burger to the Gambino to Jeremy's Package, Ambition is awesome and you can't go wrong. Don't forget about the gelato! read more

Sandwiches made to order are awesome. Fun place to grab a quick bite. Breakfast is tasty too!