I can't judge the food here, because I only go here for the coffee. This is one of my favorite places to meet a friend for coffee when you want to sit around and chat for a long, long time. The staff is friendly and the coffee is tasty. The prices are comparable. It's spacious yet cozy, and the hard wood floors and wooden "bar" give the place a classy yet friendly look. read more

Best bagels in the Capital Region! They are very tasty and fresh and LARGE. They have a wide variety of bagels and cream cheese. All of which I have tasted have been great. I've never gotten a deli sandwich here, but I've seen them made and they're always large and the store doesn't skimp on ingredients. The breakfast sandwiches are great. They also have a really wide variety of coffees and teas, and though I don't drink either, the selection itself is impressive. There is also a large selection of desserts in the display case. Somehow I've managed to have some sense of self control and haven't ordered any...but I'm dying to. They all look AMAZING. I can't wait to eventually try one. My only complaint about Uncommon Grounds is that they seem to have outgrown their space. This is great (for them, obviously) but I also think that if they moved to a bigger location, they wouldn't get as much business. It's really in a perfect location. On Western Ave. right near SUNY, it's easy to access if heading downtown or uptown. It's perfect. As others have mentioned, it's typically packed but if you're grabbing something to go, you will not be disappointed. read more

I stopped in here this morning on this egregiously call day, and was delighted by the prompt service and delicious bagels! I have been in here a few times before to meet with clients, old friends and potential business leads. Usually I would just get a coffee and call it a day, but this morning I was quite hungry, like eat a dead rhinoceros hungry. I decided to get food. The bagels are huge here, and also fresh and tasty. There is something to be said for fresh tasty bagels, as normally I go to brueggers where they are made fresh daily, but here they are equally as good, just a tad bigger. One other thing worth mentioning is that I am quite picky about how much cream cheese is on my bagels, and they were attentive in not putting too much on there. The cheese to bagel balance struck the golden ratio perfectly and I was a happy man. read more

Awesome food! They have such a variety that you can choose something different every time and never be disappointed. Staff is very friendly with a comfortable environment! read more

This was my favorite spot but now not so much. Employees fail to do what the customer wants. The bagels never toast, even if you ask for them well toasted you have to stand their to make sure they do what you want. We are the customer and your food isn't cheap, why can't we get what we ask for? When prepared as asked for the food is very good when not I just want to leave. Have looked for new places where the customer gets what they asked for and not just hot dough balls. Why won't you do as we ask? I am not the only customer with this complaint. read more

I work across the street from UC, so I go there quite a bit. Generally speaking the bagels are good. There have been a few times where the bagels are doughy and undercooked, and a few times where they've been almost too hard to bite into. I usually get bagel sandwiches for lunch. BLTs are good, as is their Chicken Salad. I've had their soups a few times. I think they're frozen/brought in and not fresh, but they still tasted pretty good. The service is the one thing I have an issue with. At time it seems that the entire staff would rather be on another planet than serving YOU. Very unfriendly and generally quite slow. At other times they seem eager to help you and friendly. It's really just a flip of the coin I suppose. Overall I'd say this would be a good alternative for those who loathe Starbucks. It gets quite crowded during the weekday lunchtime rushes, so don't plan on getting a table unless you come early. They have several tables outside in the spring / summer. Food: 4 stars Service: 3 stars Location: 2 1/2 stars read more

This place is a 3.5, but gets rounded up to 4 because I still like the place. Food/Drinks: I got the chicken salad sandwich and it was pretty good. It wasn't heavy on the mayo and the chunks of chicken made it taste fresh and homemade. It wasn't anything special but it was above average. I've ordered a regular coffee, and as the name suggests, it's like any other coffee. The Drop Kick Murphy though, is really good. It's like your taste buds being roundhouse kicked by Chuck Norris. You can taste the chocolate/espresso/chai/Irish cream with each sip. They also have IBC bottled root beer. Atmosphere: Very college to young adult atmosphere. If you're looking to hang out with some friends or study, this is a nice place to do so. The music played in the background is alternative pop from Jewel to Incubus. There aren't any couch seating so it can get a little uncomfortable over long periods of time. They turn off the wireless at busy times (I was here at lunch so I know for sure noon to 2pm), so that's also a minus. In general, this place is miles better than hanging out at a Starbucks or some other overrated chain. read more

Normally I love Uncommon Grounds. A Long Island native, I am picky about my bagels. At lunch time is is crazy busy with a line that goes out the door. The girl who made my sandwich today was in such a rush. There was hardly any chicken salad on it. I posted a picture of the half that had only a few pieces of chicken. The other side wasn't much better. Also she packed my pickle in with sandwich. Which got pickle juice everywhere. The place is better at off-peak hours. read more

Uncommon Grounds - The girl who made my sandwich was in such a rush. There are maybe three pieces of chicken on one half of a huge bagel. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

I only give less than good reviews to places I've visited more than once. Well circumstances have brought me here a number of times and while the bagels, salads and coffee are all fine in and of themselves, the service can be exasperating. You have to watch the hipsters carefully because if the sandwich or salad has more than three items on it, things get unreliable. And as far as take out, that's a disaster. Our office is a few blocks away and we've given up calling in orders for pick up. It's not whether they will get it wrong, it's how badly. The food, when done right, may mean the often incompetent service isn't a deal breaker, especially if you just go for coffee, but I'm done. read more

Revisited Uncommon Grounds a few weekends ago on a trip to Albany. It's always one of my favorite stops when I'm back in the area. They have updated their menu a bit. I got a bagel with half bacon/scallion cream cream and half jalapeño cream cheese. DELICIOUS combination! Coffee is as good as ever. Place was packed as always. Can't wait to be back in Albany again for another round of bagel & coffee! read more

Been going for years. The bagels are great, the service is great and the prices fair as always. They lose one star however because I went one late morning and there were a number of college students there doing schoolwork, associating closely, not eating or drinking and only about 1/3 were wearing masks. Very disappointing, let's hope they fix this. read more

I want to like this place because I enjoy coffee houses, but honestly it's not good. As much as I do like the bagels, they put little effort into the sandwiches, so it's best to keep it simple and stick with bagels & cream cheese. I don't like the coffee as I find it bitter. And as for the vibe....it's always packed with no where to sit because there are so many individuals sitting for long periods at tables meant for 2 or 4 people. I get why students and others may want to get out of their dorms or apartment and do some work on their laptops, but taking up so much space for 2 or 3 hrs is inconsiderate & selfish, particularly during the lunch hour. They simply don't have enough seating for people to do that. Go to the library or someplace that has more seating for solo customers. read more

Hands down my favorite coffee joint in Albany. Bagels are top level (for upstate NY), only one or two places that can compete. Their coffee is very bitter and strong, but there's always plenty of cream and milk. They have a vast selection of coffee flavors, and the atmosphere is artsy with locally created art on the walls. read more

Best bagels in the Capital District. Be prepared to wait. Worth it. Coffee is VERY strong.

I drive 25 minutes on the weekends for their bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches on an everything bagel. Their bagels are huge, always delicious, and there are several different kinds that are baked in house daily. The coffee is really good too. Love this place! read more

The best bagels upstate! I always get an everything bagel with smoked salmon, and spinach. It never disappoints. A little too expensive for this side of town. Priced similarly to the city, but I wouldn't go anywhere else. read more

I really hesitated before I wrote this review but it's become a pattern. The bagels are always delicious which is why I've continued to come back but the service has always been spotty at best and that's being generous. Some times the people working are nice and get you out the door quickly but more often than not those working are irritated, rude, outwardly dislike their job, inconvenienced by your presence or any combination of the above. Long hours at a coffee shop can be tough for any worker, a small cafe business worker myself I know it's hard to put on a happy face some days which is why it hasn't been review worthy in the past. However the last time I went in I had an experience worth posting about and I still let it slide because small businesses are fighting. I was forgotten three times in line, passed over by at least 2 workers, and while patiently waiting and being understanding I was made fun of. "She'll probably post about this on yelp" laughing amongst each other when I'd been nothing but understanding and patient for 20 minutes in line. This evening I went in with a friend at 9:30. I know it's late but the hours said 10, we were craving a bagel, and we understood we'd leave empty handed if it was too close to closing time for service. We arrived and were told the salad bar was closed. We asked if sandwiches were still an option and were told yes! That'd be fine. No bagels were on the wall but bagels were sitting wrapped to the side. We asked if those bagels would be fine to serve, we didn't mind. We were told yes! What flavor were you looking for? Sun dried tomato was our pick which were located and all seemed well. The toaster was off, ok no problem! We don't need them toasted don't turn it back on it's late. Half way through the first sandwich a manager approached and asked where the bagels had come from. Our helpful bagel crafted explained. "That's against company policy". Now slightly irritated and upset the manager has explained this to us but it's fine as long as we keep the secret. Well after that things got awkward. Manager cleaned clearly angry very close by, our bagel crafter made jokes the manager was unhappy with which seemed to irritate him more and make the situation more uncomfortable. Finally the first sandwich finished and our bagel crafter began work on the second. Now the manager has paused his anger for a moment to let us know he didn't realize our bagels were not made at the same time or he would've jumped in. Did we want drinks? No. We wanted out of there as soon as possible. I appreciate businesses going out of their way or above and beyond for customers. I completely understand that's not an expectation. We attempted to in more than one way not be that exception at 9:30. You're out of bagels for the evening? Ok we won't order. You close in 30 minutes and everything's cleaned up and we're not serving anything? Ok fine we'll leave. You can't serve bagels but you'll let it slide this one time? Thank you so much, just don't make us feel small and uncomfortable the entire 15 minutes we're in the store waiting to pay. Two times in a row with more small times in the past are not reasonable. Especially when it's both new and old staff this occurs with. read more

This is the best place in Albany to get a bagel sandwich bar none !! The staff is awesome and the food as well as the coffee choices are great . I get the toasted garlic bagel sandwich with turkey, bacon, munster cheese along with bean sprouts, jalapenos and honey mustard on both sides .AMAZING! ! Cool atmosphere and wifi if you just want to chill and get some work done . Great place check it out if you haven't been there yet read more

Great food and strong coffee that is sure to pick you up in the morning. Always love the staff that greets you with a smile and a kind word, especially Jay. Even on the busiest of mornings, he's cheerful and makes your morning brighter. Kudos! read more

I would first like to say, I have loved this place since I was very young. I don't live in the state anymore, and I still come to Uncommon Ground at least 3 times when I visit! That being said, things have definitely changed. They used to have to most amazing cream cheese in the world- the bacon scallion and herb garlic, in particular. The herb garlic was so amazingly flavorful, you could see the delicious herbs in the cream cheese- now, you can hardly tell that it is different than the plain. This is also the case with the bacon scallion- there isn't even scallions in it- they should really just call it "kind of bacony cream cheese". Tastes like plain to me; it used to be so good I would buy some and bring back to Colorado with me for everyone to taste. Also, where did the cranberry mayo go?? It was the best! The bagels are so extremely tasty and the coffee is amazing. I will continue to come here, but you guys need to get it together! read more

If I don't come here three times a week, I probably come twice or at least ONCE...their bagel is hands down the best bagel I have had. I always get the pesto bagel with garlic herb cream cheese and their chicken chipotle sandwich is absolutely amazing too. My sides are always caramel latte with extra foam and kettle cooked chips. They have a friendly and fast staff, and a nicely decorated atmosphere read more

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The food and service is good. The cookies and pastries are frozen. The soup is ridiculously expensive for the size. It's unfortunate that the prices are jacked up because it's near the campus. read more

I was 2 seconds into cussing out this disgusting girl who works there! and I am ticked off beyond belief that my "ICED mocha latte" tasted like acidic throw up! I have had iced lattes from dunkin donuts to expensive coffe houses! I have never had such disgustign acidic warm coffe in my life! it doesnt even taste like coffee! you get no coffe taste, it tastes acidic! like swallowing your throw up! So here is the story. My friends and I were out searching for a new coffe place and we visited today 2/28/2017 at around 8PM. The place was vacant and it had a sprinkle of some UAlbany kids. I didnt like the atmosphere walking in. The rude girl at the counter had a bad attitude, didnt look professional, was leaning on the counter, she looked like she didnt want to be there. I just knew off the bat that she was going to give subpar service! Which really irks my nerve because my friends and I are PAYING for your garbage.there are many top notch coffe houses out there. I would take Dunkin Donuts over this makeshift dump! Thank god I didnt eat any pastry or dessert, if the iced coffee tasted like warm throw up than Lord knows what a cookie would taste like! I am 100% sure that she didnt know how to make a Iced mocha latte. She took tooo long. She got the orders wrong! and my friend asked "is this an iced mocha latte" she said YES! UMMM, IN WHAT WORLD? it is warm! she literally put some cheap hot liquid that she claimed to be mocha latte on ice! so when I took a sip! it tasted warm and acidic! it literally tasted like throw up! Honest to God! swallow your throw up and thats what it tasted like! My friend asked about a drink and she pointed at the board! which I felt is very rude! WE CAN READ! we didnt ask for it to be read, we asked about the actual contents of the drink and how its prepared! I literally had to dump 10 pouches of sugar in my drink! the guy offered "liquid sugar". I wasnt having it because there is no way this drink could be saved! even with the sugar overload it still tasted like warm throw up! the ice melted INSTANTLY! and I was left with warm flat bland acidic throw up. I will upload pics of it. you do not put boiling liquid on ice!!! she took so long to make it I was actually impressed! I figured someone taking that long must be doing it right! NOPE! she took 10 minutes and it tasted like 10 seconds! it tasted "rushed". I WILL NOT EVEN COMMENT ON THE TABLES! I felt like going back to a high school cafeteria, granted this ia Ualbany/college area, I didnt like the vibe. These college kids must not know any better! I wouldnt spend a penny in that dump, much less $4. Never again! and the audacity of a "for hire" sign at the door! you keep hiring these characters with bad attitudes and unprofessional mannerisms and the next sign you will have on the door is "FOR SALE" read more

I often frequent Uncommon Grounds for a soup and sandwich, not to mention coffee or latte and occasional sweet-treat. The fact that this place is locally owned makes me want to support it even more, especially now that there's other mega sandwich/food places in the same plaza. Suggestions for the owner: put your best people up front taking/making orders when it's busy. Newbies that are pokie and just don't have the hang of it need to 'get the lead out' during the off-peak hours. Very frustrating when there's one person getting it done, and you get stuck with the sloth. Also, I don't understand the wrapping method of the sandwiches. Folding the wax paper in-line with the cut of the sandwich doesn't work. Turn the sandwitch 90 deg. so the cut is perpendicular to the fold. Should hold all the sandwich goodies together much better. Like the fact that you can look up the soup of the day online. LOVE your soups! Definately sets you apart from the other places. Free-wifi is a bonus as well. read more

The breakfast sandwhiches are amazing, my favorite it the bacon, egg and cheese on an everything bagle. I always get an iced mocha latte for my drink and it's delicious, too. The service is friendly and the atmosphere is really cool. read more

Ok so I went here a only once or twice the bagels were fresh but this is important there are 2 lines* 1) for sandwiches/food And the other for coffee, drinks etc(also to pay) I came in to get a quick coffee and started getting antsy looking at the line and asked an older gentleman behind me if I had to wait this long for coffee he told me I was on the wrong line! Besides my confusion, I was in and out in about a minute. Line to pay goes by really fast. A super fast paced environment, would probably go here again but maybe avoid the lunch/breakfast rush. Also the iced coffee is great, very smooth taste. read more

I'm grew up in NYC and lived there the first 30 years of my life. Despite moving out of the city, I'm still there constantly. I'll say this - Albany is lucky to have this place, as these bagels are more than passable. The coffee is excellent. The hipster assholes that work there have this odd charm - in that "minimum wage but still better than you" kind of way. I'll never understand that. If you go there enough and place anything other than the most basic of orders, they just stand there, dumbfounded, hard-pressed to process your request. But yeah, it's great for Albany. I just wish I could send someone in there to get the stuff for me, because the staff is so annoying. read more

I'm wooed by this place. The bagels are freshly baked, sitting in baskets organized by their flavor/topping. Make sandwiches out of them, their dense yet chewy textures lending the perfect base to fresh alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, turkey, crunchy lettuce, and a squeeze of mayo. These sandwiches are personalized to your liking and therefore undoubtedly you'll enjoy whatever your concoction. Don't overlook the soups! They're flavorful (corn chowder, sweet potato chipotle, beef stew, etc.) and made with fresh ingredients. I especially appreciate that they're not too greasy nor salty, which seems to be the norm for soups these days. The coffee and espresso drinks are solid. I find myself getting the iced coffee here as opposed to a specialty drink. They have a collection of tea leaves, which is refreshing if you're looking for something other than the standard earl grey or green tea. There is ample space at the tables (and a good number of tables to begin with) to enable some productivity on your part. I appreciate the occasional outlets in the wall (however, accessible to only a few tables) and the free wi-fi. Wi-fi is sluggish for the most part, so keep that in mind if you're heading over to do some work. PS: Don't overlook their cookies. read more

The place has a window of convenient hours for studying, catching up with a friend, etc. For some reason, the bagels were not as tasty as their Saratoga location, but still excellent. I love coming here. I've never had a bad experience and have been over a dozen times. read more

Bagels were pretty good. Salads looked good. I ordered a bagel with egg and cheese. The egg was some pressed scrambled blob that was horrible. Should have had bagel and cream cheese. I also got a berry muffin which was certainly not home made and not of high quality. What I really went there for was a good cup of coffee and was disappointed also. My conclusion is they are too busy (not sure why) to do things fresh and in house. I was disappointed. read more

This place is frequented by the U of Albany kids. So don't worry if there's a dirty girl near you scribbling in a notebook. It's probably just poetry. It has a comfortable, kind of wooden atmosphere. A plain tables with chairs arrangement, none of those nerve-wracking configurations Starbucks has sometimes where you're within an earshot of everyone and might be sitting across from a friend and a stranger at the same time. I just hope to god there's no open mic nights here. They have a good selection of coffee and deserts, but I've only ordered one thing: a cold mint-chocolate drink called a Grasshopper, I think. I am an avid mint-chocolate fan, and this really satisfies me. I want one... I need one... read more

Quick and friendly service. Tasty bagels. Just the right amount of cream cheese and efficient checkout. Recommended

The best bagel shop around, you really can't beat any of the food here. My only complaint is the staff; I have never experienced ruder service anywhere before. I've been here on two separate occasions and was served by different people each time, and I've yet to encounter a polite staff member. I have never complained about rude workers before, but the outstandingly poor service here (definitely unprompted) really ruins an otherwise lovely experience. read more

This was once the best place in albany for a good coffee. Not so much. The last 3 times I've been there I've been served by staff who happily tell you they don't know how to grind coffee and don't know if French roast is darker than house blend. Today, I purchased a pound of coffee and asked for course grind. "What machine?" No machine, how about French press. "Will fine work? ". No. I need course. You can tell where this is going. After 10 minutes, my pound of beans was returned to me powder fine. I also watched him reweigh it. Less than a pound including the bag. The excuse: " the machine isn't used to doing course". Yeah. OK. read more

Ryan H has got the vibe right. My litmus test for coffee places is a cappuccino. At the time I had just moved to Albany from the (San Francisco) Bay Area. There was a huge line, and I thought, "Well, this looks promising." So finally it's my turn and I say, "A cappuccino, whole milk, lots of foam, slightly wet, no lid." The girl just glared at me like I was nuts. The coffee was OK, which is good because it's Albany and it wasn't BAD. Metroland said the coffee at Mezzo was the best, but when we went there, the machine was on the fritz or something but they got it to work, but it was the same. OK, which is good because it's Albany and it wasn't BAD. read more

Love the coffee along with their efficient and friendly service. Just wish classic coffee shops such as Uncommon Grounds would have more allergy friendly options when it comes to food! read more

I like the bagels. They are fresh and have great flavor. They have a huge selection of bagels, toppings teas, desserts and coffee. I do not like the slow service. The unfriendly service that I've had several times (not all of the staff of course) and the blah interior of the place. They have so much potential but keep to the bare minimum. My most recent experience consisted of getting my bagel made just as I liked it. They forgot to scoop my husband's bagel after he asked which he was annoyed by. When we got to the register their credit card reader was not working. This slowed everything down. Nobody told the front staff to let the customers know that they could not use credit cards and must pay with cash so once a customer was finished waiting in line and was ready to buy their bagel they were hit with the bad news. The register staff then took the already made bagels from the customer's that could not pay cash which was foolish, I think. A good establishment would not punish the customer for their slip up. The food is going to go to waste anyway so why not just give it to them?? So we wanted to try a cookie since they looked amazing and our mouths were watering as we waited looking at them (because of the mess we waited a while in line). They did not have descriptions but it was clear there were many ingredients so we asked if they could provide a description of a few. We understood they were busy but that was not our fault and we come into town twice a year so we wanted to get what we came for. The person who helped us made it clear that we were causing her stress. The whole experience came off as uncomfortable and unprofessional. The cookie was pretty freakin' good and I'm glad we got it. Thankfully I live in Baltimore where there are no good bagels so I will still be back when I come into town. read more

Every time that i have gone here they never have the bagel i like even when it is early in the morning they are always out. I had went and ordered a lox of love bagel no capers because i am allergic and they still put them on there. The staff never knows what they are doing and don't really care what you order, they are going to make it the way they want to make it the quickest and easiest way instead of listening to what you really want. The only reason it gets one star is because they're coffee other then that this place is terrible and i will never be returning again. I suggest you go to Bruegger's at least they have good prices and they listen to what you order. read more

Solid 4.0 star-coffee and bagel place, comparable to Professor Java. I had their turtle latte which was great although probably not as good as the one at Professor Java. Definitely a better place than your standard Starbucks. Would definitely come here again and try their bagels next. read more

Bagel felt and tasted like eating a whole loaf of bland bread. Food that takes almost three exercise workouts (for me) isn't worth it. Great staff. read more