They have a great system in place for taking and making orders- for as busy as they are and as long as the line gets, line moves quick and the orders are unbelievably fast. One of the best bagels I've ever had! Do not miss this turkey BLT on everything. read more

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Solid bagel shop. From a Brooklyn Ahjumma. 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 read more

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Always good bagels and cream cheese here. Had the BLT with cream cheese instead of mayo. It was huge. Enough for 2 people or meals. Open till 8pm and plenty of parking. They do do day old bagels at a discount but by the time I got there they were all gone. I still bought some to bring home to FL. read more

Uncommon Grounds - Blt - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

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My sister purchased bagels while I was visiting from out of town. She has raved about them for weeks, so I was so excited. They were so flavorful and delicious. I had the everything, seasonal apple and cinnamon raisin bagels. Unfortunately, I do have to return for the specialty cream cheese. read more

Great coffee! Always new staff. The cups are 2/3 empty, lots of foam. That said, it's a great cafe. Review: 5+ read more

Uncommon Grounds - Cookies and Cream cookies from Uncommon Grounds - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

Do yourself a massive favor and go down the road to the Stuyvesant plaza location where they don't act inconvenienced by the fact that you want to place an order. read more

Yum! I always love to do any studying or work at a cafe and Uncommon Grounds is definitely a go-to! They have lots of bagel options and it's so easy to make your own sandwich. Their seasonal drink choices are also a lot of fun to try. This location has a pretty decent amount of space to sit in for a few hours and get some work done. It definitely does get busy because of how popular and good it is but everything moves really fast and timely. read more

Uncommon Grounds - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

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I was on a frozen matcha latte kick all summer long. It eventually took me to Uncommon Grounds in Stuyvesant Plaza where I met up with a friend. This is a newer business but perhaps the busiest branch. The line to order wrapped around the room and out the entrance. The line moved quickly. We got served quite fast. The business looks much like the other Uncommon Grounds businesses but I thought the decor was slightly nicer. There was plenty of seating and the bustle made the place exciting. My friend and I sat down to chat. We hadn't seen one another in a while so it was great to catch up. as We also enjoyed people watching and the boost from our caffeinated beverages which were really delicious. read more

OK I am from NJ so I do have high standards for bagels. These ones were pretty close to what I am used to but not quite. I got a cinnamon rasin bagel toasted with butter. There was plenty of butter but the bagel was a little under toasted honestly, I could have gone with more. I also had a hot lavender tea which was absolutely wonderful! My brother got an egg sandwich on an everything bagel with a cinnamon crumb muffin, both of which he said were delicious. My mother got the chicken salad sandwich on a honey wheat bagel which looked wonderful as well. Overall it is a good bagel spot, but I was a little underwhelmed! read more

Ordered a bacon egg and cheese bagel, plus two others for the family. The everything bagel was good, and more bread like than a traditional chewy bagel. The egg covered about 2/3 of the bagel, and there was one slice of bacon, so if you're looking for a hearty sandwich, this isn't the place. The staffer with the beard and mustache in the tie dye shirt was super rude to my daughter and I for no reason, we hadn't interacted with him up to that point and definitely were polite. Everyone has bad days, but I won't be back due to the rude service and mediocre food. read more

Staff is always friendly, but unfortunately bagels always suck. Went in today after going to the pet store next door because it was convenient. I ordered the western egg sandwich and when I got home it looks like I ordered a red onion, egg, and cheese - missing the ham, extra onion. Bagel is like bread as always, very doughy with no crust. Just disappointing read more

Uncommon Grounds - "Western" egg sandwich - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

Helping my daughter move in to the local college. Needed something for a late lunch. Last time we were in town, we tried the other Uncommon Grounds location. Figured I would give this one a shot. This location has cool, high ceilings. The staff were polite and efficient. I went with the "Lox of Love" bagel. I also grabbed one of their excellent loose leaf teas. I ate the bagel at a comfortable table, it was delicious. Lox, capers, and onions were perfect with the cream cheese. Tea is also high quality. My daughter is lucky to have Uncommon Grounds nearby! read more

Uncommon Grounds - Lox of Love is an awesome bagel! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

I really want to like the place. It has great potential but does not execute well. I wanted to order a salad and the person told me to go back and wait a bit as they were busy making other salads. I came back several minutes later when it was less busy and placed my order. I was told to go to the register. No one was waiting at the register and so I thought I could pay while waiting for my salad to be made. But the register clerk told me to go back to the salad counter to wait for my salad. I finally got it and came back to the register where there were now several people waiting in line to order other things or pay. The salad itself was overpriced and was drowned in salad dressing. Their idea of grilled chicken is little squares of processed chicken. The employees appear overworked and not having a good time. It is a great space, but I wish it were better. read more

My husband and I were traveling through on our way to Salem and during my research for breakfast, I stumbled on this listing. As an avid Yelp participant, I always appreciate others opinions - but, have to try for myself. This place was one where the stars are not indicative of our experience! Before we even walked in, we were welcomed by the sweet smell of bagels. We were waited on immediately, checked out & paid under $10 for a bagel sandwich and a bagel with cream cheese! I had the apple cinnamon seasonal flavor and it was amazing with the sugar crystals on top. If we lived closer, this would surely be somewhere we went often! Please give them a try! read more

Uncommon Grounds - Apple cinnamon bagel - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

Great spot to pick up deliciously-fat bagels for the office and there's plenty of staff to keep the morning moving.

Staff is completely miserable from the second you walk in until the second you leave. Extremely unfriendly and even more unhelpful. I asked for scrambled egg like they promote the offer. Definitely not scrambled as you can see but when I called back after I realized the only thing the member could say was "we only do eggs one way" over and over again. I wish it was at least good but even McDonald's is better and cheaper. Would not recommend even to my worst enemy. Avoid this location read more

Uncommon Grounds - Scramble egg on their website - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

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Our go to spot for bagels, nothing outstanding but it hits the spot, service is quick and they have a lot of variety. I wish the egg bagel sandwiches were a little heartier. Prices are reasonable and they have a nice coffee selection. read more

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The bagels here are good. The coffee here is better than average. The people behind the counter work very hard. The food generally here is good. We had a Parmesan cheddar bagel with egg, bacon and cheese, a cinnamon raisin bagel with lite cream cheese and an onion bagel with regular cream cheese. Here's why this place gets five stars. First of all, they shmear the cream cheese on both sides of the bagel when they cut it in half so that if you open them up, both halves are nicely covered. Next, they get the orders right. No mistakes. Also, the tables don't wobble and the chairs don't wobble and they are heavy and sturdy tables and chairs, all of which really does mean a lot. The standard in this industry is to have a wobbly table so that your coffee spills at the slightest touch of the table. Not here. The bathrooms are clean, and they are very well organized. Which is essential because this place is packed. Great variety of food and beverages to choose from within the coffee and bagel genre, and there are enough tables of various sizes and shapes so you can sit down and have a meeting at this place. It is loud, but that's the culture these days so I don't fault them for that. It's a fun environment, relaxing, and they give you what you pay for. Our food preparer Eve was terrific and made sure she got everything right. She looks to be typical of the high performing staff at uncommon grounds. read more

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A great coffee and bagel shop! I had one of the best hot chai lattes I've ever had - deliciously spicy and not too sweet. The milk foamed on top was fluffy and made for the perfect cup of fall flavor. The bagel was chewy and well flavored. The spicy jalapeño matched perfectly with the sausage in my sandwich. I was pleasantly surprised with how much cheese was on the bagel itself. Overall the food was excellent and well priced! The cashier and kitchen staff were friendly and efficient. There was lots of seating available which included booths, comfy chairs, and regular seats. Definitely will visit again! read more

Uncommon Grounds - Sausage Egg and Cheese on cheddar jalapeño bagel - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

Ye Gods! It's 9:15 on a Saturday morning and the bathrooms are horrific! Gross! Management needs cleaning crew. The hard working food servers should not have to monitor/clean the bathrooms. read more

after I ordered, white girl with black hair called my order gross. Will not be returning. they were not friendly and barely made eye contact very hostile environment. read more

Looking for an alternative to the big bagel chains? Uncommon Grounds is the place to go. They now have 4 locations but still have that small bagel place charm. The inside was beautiful and had plenty of seating. The air conditioning was really cranked and as a result it was like a freezer in there. However, that could just be me. I ordered their bagel with lox while my son got a plain bagel with egg and cheese. We also got a bottle of milk and one of water. Our total came to $21.00 which is incredibly reasonable when compared to their competitors. The service was excellent with the line moving quickly and our food being ready even quicker. It was slightly chaotic getting our food as they call out numbers and you have to make sure the receipt matches yours. However, our food was excellent and tasty quite fresh. The flavors were on point with my bagel tasting so fresh! I'd definitely return. read more

Uncommon Grounds - Bagel with Egg and Cheese - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

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Think I've been coming here too much every visit the sandwiches are not as good and the Frappuccino's are more milky. Lay off the "house milk" read more

I love Uncommon from their soups, bagels, salads and baked goods, never had something I did not like! And that is consistent with all their locations, thankfully. Now you may be wondering why the lack of star...it is purely for the store set up, I find it to be very odd. You order at a long counter and work your way down, I don't know it is just a weird set up to me. I much prefer the other two locations better just for the ambiance, this one lack's that relaxed, sophisticated, artsy look to me. read more

Major craving for a breakfast sandwich. I had never been here but heard a lot of good and bad reviews. Walking in, the bagels looked great. I think I'll definitely be back to grab a dozen. I'm not a bagel snob by any means, so I was really happy with the sandwich. I got a sausage, egg and cheese on an everything bagel. The bagel was good, it was a little bread like instead of chewy, but it made a damn good sandwich. The sausage was really good too. It was a bit pricy, but I'm cool with it. Service was quick and easy, I was in and out in under 10 minutes. If you need a bagel sandwich, this will certainly satisfy. read more

Uncommon Grounds - Sausage egg and cheese - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

Great bagels, but if you want to get a bagel breakfast sandwich, you should definitely get the lumberjack (comes with 2 eggs, cheese, bacon, sausage, and maple syrup) or add an extra egg. The other breakfast sandwiches are too much bagel and not enough filling. That being said, the lumberjack is INCREDIBLE! The maple syrup really takes it to the next level! They make a great red eye as well :) read more

Uncommon Grounds - The Lumberjack breakfast sandwich - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

service was ridiculous, we ordered bagels and a coffee and we tipped to. (to insure proper service) @ totally didnt work. we waited 15 mins new people were coming in ordering and getting theyre bagels / food before. so we asked where our bagels were only to at first get ingored completely than this pacific islander girl points at us and laughs as if its funny we havent got our stuff. They didn't make it or put in our ticket or werent paying attention. This is how you treat nice and paying customers. We were nice throughout this whole amateur ordeal and also super patient. Then finally after 20 Mins we get the bagels were told next time to order differently!! Next time lol. This is how y'all treat people definitely wont be a next time! read more

Me and my friends entered the establishment and within one second of walking through the, door the workers behind the counter immediately started yelling at us about what we wanted. And we panicked trying to figure out what we wanted and they yelled at us once more and told us to get out of the line. Once we ordered all of our food was very undercooked and didn't look safe to eat. read more

Best espresso so far on our visit to NY. Freshly roasted, the on-site roaster adds heat and atmosphere, and it was well executed (I tried twice) by a sweet and efficient barista. plus the bagels were great. Saved the day for me! Thank you! read more

My rating is solely based off the Iced latte I purchased. It was made really well. Creamy from the Oatmilk but nice and strong. Inside has plenty of room for seating. They also had a good selection of pastries and such. I would definitely come back again. read more

Uncommon Grounds - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

It's OK, I know what other Yelpers are talking about when they say the service is a little rude. Don't let it get you down because the bagels and the coffee are really good! Water off a duck's back. read more

after you order why are you told to move to the register? Everytime i do my bagel is made wrong if I were able to stand and watch the person make it I could correct them vs waiting for a second bagel to be made also when you cant hear because theyre packed full super slow and noisy you lean toward the counter to get closer you get scolded like a child to move back i stopped going everyone is super rude read more

University Plaza location. Horrible employee attitudes - it feels like they're annoyed that you're there! And thank you so much for shorting our cream cheese. Bought a dozen bagels and two tubs of cream cheese, and they were literally less than half full. I don't think I will go there anymore. I'm sick of tip-toeing around their feelings when ordering anything! It's ridiculous! read more

Love the food here. This is a neighborhood gem and I wish they delivered! The ricotta toast is my favorite.

I love local coffee shops like this one. There's a certain vibe and feeling you get here that you don't get at those larger coffee chain places. The people are so friendly, the menu is full, shelves stocked with bagels, and a variety of coffee beverages. The Lox of Love bagel sandwich was good. It's smoked salmon with onion and cream cheese on a bagel. While it was good, it's not something I'd personally get again. There's plenty of seating so you can get a bagel, cup of coffee or tea and relax for a while. read more

Uncommon Grounds - Lox of Love and iced maple latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

Absolutely delicious and quick service! It was cute inside and there are a few outdoor tables. read more

Uncommon Grounds - Mediterranean sandwich (minus the egg) on a Rosemary bagel - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

I just love this place! I adore the fact that there are a plethora of choices of coffee flavors and you can choose French Press or pour over. I treated myself to a filthy Chai. It was very good. I don't know how they do it, but it never seems noisy, it is never overly crowded and the service is pretty quick! Stop in for coffee and a bagel! The lite scallion cream cheese is fabulously delicious! There is also some great art on the wall by local artists! read more

Uncommon Grounds - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

I actually love their coffee and their food. I go to the University plaza and Stuyvesant plaza. But, today just like the past several times I went in, I turned around and left because the line was too long and not moving at all. It always been like this and it's the servers. For over fifteen years, UG hires the slowest workers who have no sense of urgency. I'lol give it one more chance and then I'll stop going altogether. read more

I always get the bagel and lox here and it's fantastic. The bagels are always fresh and perfect. Side note... The line is ungodly long and they could really use some six sigma process review to find a more efficient method for the queue. read more

Have had coffee from one of these in the past so when I was in the area I went for lunch. This location was busy when I got there with line out door so I went to sit in my car but realized it was going very fast. They take food orders first and then coffee so that was the reason for out the door but I waited less than a minute. The soup was fantastic and the bagels are really good. The selection on all fronts was solid with plenty of baked treats as well. Staff was friendly enough considering the pace and I will certainly be back. read more