We had such a great experience here! The grits and tomato soup are so tasty. The cheddar grit bowl was small but delicious. The burger is fantastic and the fries amazing. Highly recommend! read more

Not a bad place, I was in the mood for crepes and this was the only place in Ithaca that seems to make them. They were good, as was the tofu Asian salad and London fog drink. Price was fair but it did take a while for food to be made. Only available for takeout and eating out back, there's no current indoor dining. read more

Coal Yard Cafe - Front entrance - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Absolutely loved this place ! The menu is a mixture of creative and classic dishes. Everything was fresh and flavorful! I'm not from the area but I would definitely be coming back if I end up in Ithica again :) read more

Creative, delicious breakfast bowls and coffee. Ambience perfect Artists at work at their best! read more

really yummy menu that has something for everyone. food is made quickly and beverage service is on the spot fast.

Awesome spot for lunch and you can't beat their prices! I ordered the quinoa bowl with chicken, which was super satisfying and delicious for only $8! Where else can you get that high quality of a lunch for such a good price? The falafel also looked tasty and filling, and I'll have to try out more of their menu. I would advise against the matcha latte--it was gray in color and had hardly any matcha flavor, although on its own it didn't taste bad. Still, I would go for other drinks next time. The place itself is fairly small and quaint. There are only a few people working behind the counter and I'm surprised at how quickly our food came out. There are only a handful of tables inside and outside, so during busier times, I can imagine it being difficult to find a spot. Overall, Coal Yard Cafe is a great place for a casual lunch at an unbeatable price. read more

The Falafels were the best I've ever had, crispy on the outside and silky smooth inside.

Got the ranch eggs and it was probably the smallest portion of food I've ever gotten for $10. My boyfriends burrito was good and that's the only reason it's getting two stars instead of one. Would not return, and wish I went to milkstand instead. read more

People are friendly, but the food has really gone downhill. For example, the turkey avocado sandwich is $13 plus tax, but the food did not justify the price at all. The avocado was lacking - both in quantity and quality. There was hardly any avocado in the sandwich, and the pieces that were there were raw, rock hard, and inedible. It wasn't that avocados weren't in season either. And then the egg salad sandwich was nothing but mayonnaise. I specifically asked if it was going to be heavy on mayo, and the reply was that it's mostly egg. Fast forward when the sandwich comes, egg was hardly to be seen, and mostly mayo and a piece of lettuce. Not only was the food terrible, I felt like I was lied to. During the summer, there were also a lot of flies buzzing around. The prices on the online menu are also much lower than the in-store menu. I want to like this place, but I've been disappointed too many times. read more

Great and popular spot on the Cornell campus. We grabbed lunch and enjoyed every bite. Very friendly service. Only draw back is parking or we didn't find the non permit spaces. Definitely would go back. read more

I had one of the best breakfasts ever in this cute little cafe. The cheddar grits bowl with fresh spinach, bacon, hot sauce and a perfectly cooked egg. It was delicious. Everyone in my group thoroughly enjoyed their food. They also just happened to have a great playlist! read more

Love the variety on the menu. They were gracious to accept a request for a modification to a menu item. The side fruit salad was of high quality. Vegetarian friendly! read more

They failed to disclose raw fish content. This is an extreme health concern. Why are grocery stores required to disclose where the fish came from if it's not a serious issue, But restaurants are not required to disclose raw fish? I'm never coming back here again. I had to leave hungry with less money. Plus, they put my health at risk out of complete carelessness. read more

Fresh, upscale but not stuffy cafe. Something for everyone. Standouts were the BLT with lox, sweet potato fries, and the crepes.

This place seems cute and quaint from the outside. I drove 40 minutes in Ithaca traffic to get here. the workers are all less than 25 years old and the cashier was unpleasant to be around and had MAD attitude. the bathroom shares a wall with a kitchen and it smelled like eggy dog farts. the whole place was packed with entitled college kids. theres no parking. they messed up my beloveds order and expected her to just take it and did not want to fix it. she was overcharged and underwhelmed. their bagels are ok. eggs had a pound of pepper on them and no salt. the only condiment around was ketchup. ni matter where you stood you were in the way. the ithaca mud drink is chalky like actually drinking actual mud. the chai is decent but from a concentrate you could buy for the cheaper than the drink itself. 3/10! will never show my face here again especially not after this review ps immediately need to take a big ole dookie dook after eating my snack of a meal i dont recommend coming here if youre a real person. god bless everybody love you all no hard feelings stay safe and healthy godspeed and goodnight (end scene)Breakfast SandwichCrepes EDIT... just finished my drink (Ithaca Mud) there was a large toenail sized piece of plastic in my latte. read more

I've run by this place on the bike path almost everyday since I've lived here. I finally stopped in and am happy to say, it will now be my spot. There's just so much here that fits me. They have a complete breakfast menu with everything. Sandwiches, burritos, waffles. They make their pastries in house and Oh BOY I almost couldn't stop myself. I wanted something simple so I went with an egg sandwich with cheese, avocado and chipotle sauce on an English muffin. The egg was cooked omelet style and the flavor was decent. The sandwich was a bit lopsided which was easily fixed. Before I give them 5 stars, I want to try something else. The wait staff was incredible! Go simply for them! read more

Coal Yard Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Very cool little (and I mean little) cafe cabin. We were in town on vacation and it looked interesting on Yelp, so we made our way there. I had a great breakfast sandwich and coffee was good as well. We are from Florida and it was February, so we were inside, but I would imagine it would be a nice place to sit outside when the weather warms up. I'd definitely go back if I was in the area. read more

Coal Yard Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Ithaca, New York

What a cute cafe! A group of 6 of us went in for breakfast/brunch. It's a small space with some outdoor seating and private parking. It's sit down but you do order at the register and they bring it to you. The people behind the counter have a brilliant sense of humor and provide great customer service. In addition to the coffee selection on the menu, they have some coffee specials on the chalkboard along with some food specials. I ordered the nutella coffee, it was divine and had a wonderful hazelnut and chocolate flavor without being overly sweet. For my meal I ordered the falafel and egg. It's served on a warm pita, cucumber/tomato salad and topped with a yogurt sauce. It was a perfect portion and was full on our 4 hour drive back to PA. A great place to go if you're looking for some yummy, fresh, food. read more

The most adorable cozy cafe in Ithaca. I hadn't discovered this during my undergrad days as it's not in the typical walking path of an undergrad, but this cafe is frequented by grad students and locals. And is less than a half mile from collegetown so really not far. The interior is warm and has a few tables, comfy chairs and old maps of Cornell and coal drawings of Cornell historic leaders. A great location to meet for a low key brunch or for getting some light work done. I got the jail house wrap which combines their rice bowl and sweet potato hash in a wrap. It was delicious, and honestly a bit too large for breakfast (but not complaining about that!) read more

Coal Yard Cafe - Jail house wrap - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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The food is great. The staff is not kind. If you are okay with unkind for a good cup of coffee -have at it.

They serve food and drinks, they offer sitting tables, But they will not let you use the restroom!

Good food, good people. Sometimes the outdoor ordering line can be a bit confusing as there is no designated space to wait in line before you order. Usually folks cluster and ask each other "who's next?" without a clear indication of where they should stand. Things usually work themselves out and folks receive their yummy foodstuffs with a smile. read more

I worked on the apartment buildings next door for about a year and this was my go to for really good coffee and chai lattes, plus there breakfast sandwiches are really good ! Great fast service and the owners cool and Pleasant read more

Best coffee stop of my trip so far! Mocha was perfection. Wish they had skim milk but they did have oat milk. Rice bowl was refreshing and pork was delicious. Cinnamon roll took the grand prize here. Very fresh and w cream cheese frosting but not too much. Cute setting. Kinda rustic feeling. Quality was great! read more

Coal Yard Cafe - Rice Bowl - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Ithaca, New York

I came here for a Sunday brunch and had a pretty good experience. First thing to note -- don't count on reliable seating. There aren't many tables set up for more than two and we got lucky when a large party was leaving right as we arrived. After ordering at the counter, we read up on the history of the coal industry in Ithaca which was really cool! Our food was a little disappointing. I ordered a bagel with lox, but it did not come with any cream cheese and the bagel was rather dry. My father got a sweet potato hash that was also a little dry and lacking flavor. I would recommend sticking with their eggs and omelettes! Overall probably a good place for coffee or scone, but the brunch options just do not compare to Ithaca's other options. read more

Breakfast bowl was out of this world!!! So was the pulled pork sandwich. Service was superb! Very friendly, attentive, and they even took the time to make me my cortado exactly the way I wanted. Coffee was delish, food is fresh.. And a great atmosphere overall. Cheers to the coal team!! read more

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I absolutely loved this place! It's a very cute restaurant, but it does get really busy! We walked in right when they opened and 10 mins in they had a long line, but for such a small place they seem to be really good at getting food out. I tried two of their bowls, Ranch Eggs and Falafel Eggs. I loved them both! I personally wish the beans in the ranch eggs were seasoned a little stronger but I'm a bean snob. My favorite was the falafel egg, the falafel was FANTASTIC, they cooked it perfectly, nice crispy outside and fluffy on the inside and everything they included in it worked really well together. The coffee was also really good and cheap too! ($2) I got the chocolate brownie scone to go for later and absolutely loved it, perfect consistency and great flavor. Definitely have to come back. read more

Coal Yard Cafe - Ranch Eggs - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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Cute spot, nice outdoor seating area - the soup of the day (watermelon gazpacho) was excellent. Would return! read more

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Please, if you are not going to be open during normal business hours don't post that you are open. We drove up from Horseheads to dine based on this . maybe we should have called first but, calling all the restaurants to be sure they are open when they post they are in fact open would be a inconvenience. That's the only reason for 3 stars read more

Parking behind the restaurant. In pouring rain we walked to the front only to see a sign that said "wrong door." Great! But where's the right door? Four employees just starred at us. We discovered another door on that side and walked in. We sat at a table with a sign telling us not to leave dirty dirges on the table. We soon discovered we had to go to the counter to place our order. They gave us a menu there and told us coffee was self-serve. We placed our order and waited a short time and it was delivered to the table. It was ok but a little overpriced. There are about 5 or 6 tables so we were lucky it wasn't busy. Nothing special here. read more

We got the ranch eggs and falafel and eggs for breakfast, along with a chai latte (iced) and coffee. Both breakfast plates were really tasty, although the falafel and eggs was a heartier portion than the ranch eggs. The chai latte was perfect (the right amount of sweet). Overall really happy with the food and speed of service, although portion/price ratio is a bit off. I think our $10 plates should have been priced in the $7-9 range, and that is the only reason for my four star rating. I would eat here again. read more

An easy, awesome spot for breakfast or lunch in Ithaca! Breakfast here is very pleasant in the cafe's rustic ambiance. Highly recommend the bacon, egg & cheese on croissant. If you're going later in the day (but not too late because they'll run out!) Friday's fish fry special is a plate of perfection: golden brown fish filet on crisp French bread, and luringly savory french fries. read more

Coal Yard Cafe - Fish Fry special - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Best breakfast in Ithaca, and a perfect outdoor location for eating during covid-19. The coffee was excellent as well, and we'll definitely be heading back to Coal Yard when we're in town again. read more

Such a great little gem hidden next to (behind?) Cornell. Parking can be hard to find but the food is worth the hassle. They have a variety of items from pastas to sandwiches. We've tried multiple items here and it's always been enjoyable and tasty. read more

Great brunch or lunch food in a cozy atmosphere that feels like a log cabin on winter, or a lake house in summer

Loved this little find! On my recent weekend in the finger lakes I had a full day of hiking ahead of me and I wanted to start out with a good breakfast, enter the Coal Yard Cafe. This place was great! They've got a fun and unique menu, attentive and friendly staff, excellent food, and a good location near to Cornell campus. Parking can be a little challenging but they do have a small lot behind the building. This place gets busy fast! We walked in at 9am when they opened and quickly watched about 20 others follow. They've got a smaller dining room but this is an order, sit and eat, and out kind of place so seats and tables open up fairly quickly. Onto the food, it was excellent with a lot of variety and fresh ingredients! We got this fantastic falaffel egg breakfast with a fresh pita. We took chocolate chip scones to go and when we had them later they were great as well! We also got the ranch Eggs made with fresh vegetables and black beans in a yummy sauce with potatoes and your choice of egg. Loved this place would come back for sure! Try it yourself you won't be disappointed! read more

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Terrific pastries and coffee. Have patience, it takes a bit of time but is well worth it.

Everything is EXTREMELY overpriced and not worth the money. The food is subpar and they put little effort into their quality assurance. They left a LARGE piece of paper in my burrito it is impossible to ignore or miss and i was charged 8 dollars for a tiny burrito that did not taste good. Overrated... read more

Cute as can be in a hippy-sorta way. Three of us came for lunch. We were most interested in the matzo ball soup (a favorite for all of us).... and we were extremely disappointed. This was not (!!!) matzo ball soup. It was lots of strings of dark meat chicken floating around in broth with carrots and a smallish, doughy "ball" that was certainly more flour than matzo meal. So very sad! The sandwiches (on house-baked bread) were tasty enough (even though they omitted the tomato I requested on my tuna sandwich... and gobbed on lots of extra mayo). This is not likely I place I will go to again. read more

Long overdue review. Been coming here for a little over 2 years. Food here is amazing. Everyone that works here is super nice. Menu items are not your typical boring fare. Interesting, unique dishes and sandwiches that play around with flavor and textures. Some items are not my fave, but these are personal preferences. I lean toward the unctuous, so their chicken cream pesto pasta is my go-to dish. But in addition to their already creative menu, they have fun specials every day so you can always try something different. Their coffee and espresso drinks are amazeballs. Aromatic with the perfect amount of acidity. Everyone working here is hauling ass and being so cordial and welcoming while doing it. Yes, on the expensive side but worth it (most of the time, I'm eyeballing you, you tiny piece of salmon). read more