Pro: Great fresh bagels Con: Customer service. Drove there on the way in to work ( downtown Albany) to pick up bagels and cream cheese for a holiday office light breakfast. Ordered a bakers dozen bagels, and two flavored cream cheeses in container. Upon setting up at work was surprised to find that one cream cheese container was plain - not flavored when I had to remind the server at U.G. that I needed the flavored version. The plain version was put out anyway because without a 2nd container of cream cheese there wouldn't have been enough to accommodate 6 staff. But when I called U. G. to alert them to their mistake (and my inconvenience) I was told that I needed to bring in the untouched container of plain cream cheese if I was looking to have it replaced! Disappointing to say the least! read more

Great chai tea lattes Great service Good bagels Great breakfast sandwiches Long wait read more

I have reviewed this place in the past. Again, this place has excellent bagels. I am comparing these to NYC and northern NJ bagels. These bagels stand up to the best. The employees are very helpful and the seating is just OK. This place packs up on the weekend when everybody rolls out of bed so there could be a line. The coffee is strong and hardy( dark roast) and the other foods they have here are pretty pretty good. This place is a great find and the prices are good. read more

Cute ambiance, delicious bagels but arrive early because they do run out of the popular bagels! The menu is large and it may take awhile to narrow it down to a few options. The bagels themselves have a thick soft texture that can only be found on the east coast. Their bagel sandwiches come toasted with a wide variety of fillings. The fillings aren't as good as the bagels - they're a bit salty, but I enjoyed the good proportion of meat to veggies to bagel. Ambiance- Uncommon grounds has the ambiance of a small hipster coffee shop with somewhat dim lighting yet it's always busy and loud. read more

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

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Another great spot by Uncommon Grounds! Busy, bustling, quick, friendly service with excellent coffee and solid breakfast/lunch items. This location on western avenue is smaller than the others but there are still plenty of tables. Plus, there's a decent sized parking lot as it's located in a shopping center. It's just past U of Albany - easy to find, convenient location. read more

It felt like a trip down the memory lanes going back to uncommon grounds for bagel brunch with fam. I graduated from UAlbany a few years ago then left NY for a few years. Coming back to this cafe I still rmr sitting at one of the window seats and cramming my studies, textbooks before an exam. It was one of my favorite cafes nearby the campus. Bagels and delicious brewed teas, 2 of my favorite things. I was more than happy to bring my fam to try out this cafe for brunch. FOOD: 8/10 lox of love bagel with plain flying pig sub turkey for ham with garlic bagel, kinda tasted plain like a regular sandwich but with a bagel instead of slice of bread. Garlic bagel was very interesting taste, don't think I'd get the flying pig again, maybe next time I'll try to lox of love bc my fam ate theirs very quickly. Must be hella tasty. BEVERAGE: 10/10 Gen-matcha brewed tea kettle SERVICE: 8/10 There was a long line to order our food, which was expected since classes was in session. We ordered at the bagel making counter first, watched the workers make our bagels, then at the checkout, we ordered our drinks. Ordering system like chipotles, and self seating tables. We were lucky to find an empty table after we received our food. But the table was dirty so we had to clean it ourselves. read more

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

Espresso was super burnt and bitter. Only plastic or paper cups available. Booooooooooo

Cute spot, super busy Saturday morning. Typical grumpy/angry Albany'ans arguing and cursing in line .. at least the staff was on point friendly & efficient .. got the everything w/plain cc toasted. Great crisp and chew but flavor profile disappointingly off- No salt And garlic bits over cooked (burnt tasting.) Alas, I will be back! I want to try their actual bagel sandwiches, can't wait! read more

Uncommon Grounds - Everything toasted, plain cc - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

Saturday Am , line was at the door , after coming here all my life since I was kid was def thrilling to see it still busy . The service was immediate , food was expedited quickly , my order was complete in a couple minutes two sandwiches and a hot tea. First bite was fresh , delicious crispy and just a reminder why an age old Standing name can Carry Weight when it's backed with the right teamwork. Great job guys. read more

Uncommon Grounds - 2 onion toasted one breakfast lumberjack , one turkey veg - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

My go-to coffee and bagel joint, especially when people are in from out of town. But ya gotta get there early if you want a popular bagel like cinnamon raisin! The food is good, the staff is helpful, there are tons of good drink options. I had the butterfly lemonade recently (made from a flower referred to as the butterfly plant) which was really tasty. This one is the closest to my house, but I love the Saratoga and Clifton Park one's as well. None have disappointed me! read more

Uncommon Grounds - Butterfly lemonade and a cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

I enjoyed the lox bagel and an orange juice. The bagel was amazing and full of flavor, (could have used more salmon), and the orange juice was perfect! I will definitely return for more! read more

decent bagel, the coffee is the same as Starbucks, if you love that, you'll love this. If you don't, you won't. Quite a nice interior with lots of seating. Service at the register was just ok. She got it done but without any real feeling of welcome. read more

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

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I LOVE uncommon grounds. I started coming here to study, but often stop in just to have a bagel and catch up with friends. They have a super wide selection of bagels, from sweet/savory/everyting in between, as well as all kinds of shmears. They come up with creative meal options such as "pizza bagels" or avocado turkey toast, but I tend to stick to the basics :) They generally have a few different coffees they brew - I wish they were a bit stronger, but I appreciate the selection. If you're into super sweet, try the triple chai (chocolaty, chai-y, with 3 shots of espresso!). Their turmeric latte also isn't bad. There's wifi available that's fast enough for me to watch lecture videos, tons of food options, and decent seating - if you come on weekends or during lunch you may have trouble finding a spot, but otherwise settle in! Staff is friendly with personality. Always love spending a day here grinding out work with plenty of coffee, and the banter between those around you makes for a nice way to break up the day.! read more

Uncommon Grounds - Bottom: honey wheat bagel with plain cc; top: garlic bagel with jalapeño cream cheese - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

I was shocked to hear from staff that the bagels are STEAMED (not boiled) and that baking between locations is not consistent. The Stuyvesant Plaza location seems better. The University Plaza location bagel texture was very different and the dozen I bought even had CORNMEAL on the bottoms (these are NOT English Muffins, people!!!!!) For claiming to be like New York City, they should not be steamed. The bagels I got from both stores had no hard, shiny shell, they had a somewhat hard, NOT shiny, bread-like crust. I DID first buy a dozen at the Stuyvesant Plaza store and was not happy, but I wanted to give them a second chance; ended up at the University store and was shocked at how very different the "bagels" are there. I will NOT buy again. I am not happy with "rolls with holes." I want BOILED bagels, and definitely NO corn meal!!! read more

AMAZING!!! My husband and I were trying to find a spot to eat just off of the thruway on a road trip and we stumbled upon this place and WOW I am so glad we did! Homemade bagels were to die for. I ordered the avocado toast on an everything bagel and a plain black iced tea and it was so so good!! My husband got the lumberjack sandwich and it was phenomenal! Everything on the menu looked amazing! It was also super fast service & had such a nice and welcoming vibe! Highly recommend! read more

Uncommon Grounds - Avocado toast, black iced tea, Lumberjack sandwich - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

The coffee is continuing to improve. The bagels are what they are. But let's focus on the positives for a moment. Uncommon Grounds has dramatically improved its coffee roasting operation since my last review. They are finding better beans, and roasting them more gently. This approach creates a coffee that's more about the flavor from the growing region and less about the roasting process. That's fantastic. And the clerks behind the counter are given a bit of knowledge about the beans, although when asked hard questions the fellow who was helping me had to consult a crib sheet. That said, I'd much rather him check the facts than fabricate an answer that might not be fully accurate. For the record, I was looking for a coffee with some bright acidity. That's what the wife was looking for in her morning cup. In the end, he pointed me to the Guatemalan, which did the trick. The bagels are large and doughy. I really wish they brought hot bagels out all day long. But I've been told that's not how they operate. And I like sleeping too much to wake up early just for a hot bagel. I should also note that at one point over the past few years, someone took on a massive deep cleaning project. The ceiling had been absolutely filthy, and now is is clean. Well done, UG. You may have thought nobody noticed, but it looks amazing. read more

My girlfriend and I went here for coffee and lunch. The atmosphere was cool and the service was quick and polite. Good variety of food and drinks. Nice art on the walls and a good amount of seating. I definitely recommend the Healthy Harvest Bagel and chai. read more

Sunday at lunch time was probably not the best time to come initially. It was crowded and loud, but they tried to keep the line moving. The younger folks making the food were pleasant, the girl making coffee and ringing out seemed less than thrilled to be there. My friend got a pizza bagel and it was perfect. I got the Mediterranean salad - spinach, roasted red peppers, sprouts, feta, tuna salad and sunflower seeds with a Chianti dressing. It was HUGE and really good, just a little over-dressed (that doesn't bother me much). The iced chai was really milky and could've been stronger. We ate in, so had to return our plate and bowl, but had no idea where. Thankfully a customer saw me struggling and pointed to a tub behind the counter to put it in. I was kind of bummed that I could have a real plate or bowl, but didn't see any non-plastic coffee cups or silverware :( I'll go back for food again, definitely! Lots of food for the price, worth it. read more

A delicious and cute coffee/bagel shop. Bagels are soft and freshly made. Excellent and friendly customer service is topped off with an amazing cappuccino. read more

Bustling with people on a weekday morning, it's a good place to come people watch and get some work done.. the only drawback is there aren't too many power outlets as one would wish.. I got the mood swing latte and a onion bagel with sun dried cream cheese and my husband got the pesto cream cheese.. the cream cheese was good and there were many more options too I would have liked my bagel to be toasted a little more read more

Amazing bagels! In love , the bagels are a good size and they have food you can get and smoothies

Tasty bagels and cream cheeses, with a wide variety of choices. The drinks are also good. The ordering process is a bit chaotic, but that's typical of this type of establishment. It also gets very busy, so if you're looking for a quiet place to relax, you'd have to try and get there at an off time. Really, to me, the draw is the fresh bagels and cream cheese. It's the closest thing I can get to a "real" bagel as a native Long Islander. read more

Uncommon Grounds - Onion bagel with olive pimento cream cheese - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Albany, New York

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A bagel store with a great ambiance located in University Plaza , Albany. Curved high ceiling which was very cool. First time here so I tried the Flying Pig -Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Bacon, Monterey Jack and Mayo. The turkey was fresh sliced. The Everything bagel it was served on was also delicious. Additionally we had the turkey, swiss lettuce and honey mustard on a sesame bagel which was also fantastic. The cold brew coffee was smooth and flavorful. Very busy and a long line but it did move. The girl who prepared our order was friendly and helpful and did a great job on the order. read more

Always have an easy time popping into this spot during my lunch breaks :) Even when busy, they are quick and efficient at this location. Happy to find that they've got apple cider from Lakeside Farms rn as well!! A fair amount of room to sit down, wish the location was a bit larger. But good food & coffee nonetheless! read more

Come for the bagels and coffee, leave because of rude service. I love the rolling of eyes because my partner ordered and the girl was fixing her order and she didn't bother to ask me what mine was. I love her snide remarks as well when she said "I was going to take your order" mid smearing of cream cheese. I love the sharp comments for customers who take .5 seconds too long to get their order. Oh, and how delightful that the dude at the register got annoyed we asked for a pup cup. I highly enjoyed being a burden to this coffee shop. I give it 2 stars though for the sake of the bagels. Otherwise, I wouldn't leave a comment at all. read more

This is our go to bagel place in Albany. The bagels are GIANT and they really pack in all your toppings. Of course, on a weekend morning, the line is close, if not out the door, but worth the 10 minute delay. Is the staff friendly? No. But the bagels are good. read more

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

Yum! fresh bagels and coffee. I always stop here when In the area. Love the day-olds better than a fresh skinny lame ass bagels served at chains. read more

Uncommon Grounds is located in a strip mall on Western Ave, which to me means that it could never really be a five-star experience even if everything about it was absolutely spectacular. There's something essentially depressing about outdoor seating that looks out onto a PetCo parking lot. Inside, it looks like it was transported directly from the late nineties, which is a plus for me -- reminds me of my dad bringing me to coffee shops as a small child and my feeling extremely worldly and sophisticated. This would be a great place to do French 101 homework or write in your journal. There was plenty of seating and the service was efficient and friendly. I had a hot Madagascar Vanilla tea, which was good -- they have a nice tea selection -- and a "Winner Winner" sandwich on an everything bagel, which was very dry despite my not having the bagel toasted. Dry chicken salad is, if possible, even more depressing than strip malls. The sandwich didn't come with anything on the side -- nary a pickle spear! -- and I wasn't particularly impressed by the bagel. I did like the fact that the sandwich had sprouts in it. Why did sprouts go out of fashion? Bring back sprouts! Also, they gave me my tea and my drink both in a "to go" format without asking, and it's unclear to me whether or not actual plates and mugs are an option. All this being said, this was a solid 3.5 for me. I'll probably end up back here as it's a convenient location for meeting people who don't live downtown, but it isn't a place that I'll long to visit all on my own. read more

Visited the uncommon grounds in Saratoga last night. Ordered two of their sandwiches, chicken salad and turkey bacon( named differently) , as well as 4 bagels and herb garlic cream cheese for breakfast to go. To go is an understatement. Both myself and my partner had raging diarrhea from the sandwiches, brutal. Something nonclean or spoiled included with both. Didn't check until later but the tub of cream cheese was forgotten from the order. Hesitate to even eat the bagels , food poisoning was so bad. Will not go back. Zero excuses for serving spoiled or unclean food. Server had an attitude but that's not uncommon or unique to them these days unfortunately. Will not go back. Health inspector needs to pay them a visit. Diners beware. read more

Welp, sad to say uncommon grounds is the most fantastic place that it used to be. Prices continue to rise and quality continues to fall. Since the location is so convenient I'm sure they'll continue to have loyal patrons and even new guests, however this won't be one place we'll keep on our "must try" list any longer. read more

Wonderful bagels. Terrible communication. Phone has been nonfunctional for at least 2 months according to a staff person, so wasn't able to call ahead. Not sure if their hours are correct. Was also told website hasn't been up da for some time. Not the way to run a business. read more

Was not impressed! 8:30 on a Saturday and they were out of half their selection. No everything or plain bagels. I ordered a ham egg cheese on a sun-dried tomato bagel. The bagel was good but the egg was something you would get in Dunkin' Donuts or Mc D's. Overall this wasn't the breakfast I expected. I probably won't be back read more

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

Quick and friendly service! Had a sausage, egg and cheese on garlic bagel, delicious. Enjoyed the atmosphere, warm with artistic flair. Will come back! read more

Not very appealing outside cookie cutter parking lot suburban feel. However, they make fresh bagels in house daily which was good, not as amazing as The ones in the city (NYC) but not bad! Lots of various cream cheese flavors, the salmon one was pretty good with capers and onions $4 was good value. I really like the chocolate they use for my mocha latte which is why I will be back here! read more

Standing order every Friday for 2 dozen bagels and tubs of cream cheese. Shouldn't be too hard to fulfill yet the bag did not contain 2 dozen bagels which I unfortunately discovered after bringing them to work. Tried to call but they don't answer their telephone. read more

What kind of a coffee shop doesn't know what a cortado is... get up on the coffee game- especially since you're right next to UAlbany. I expect a coffee shop near a college to be a little more knowledgeable on their craft. read more

This is place is nothing like the Uncommon Grounds in Saratoga, NY or Burlington, VT. I love the one in Saratoga, but this one is pretty gross. There were flies all over the bagels (yum) and no one really seemed to care. Also, the service here is subpar compared to the Saratoga location. I'm really bummed on my visit and I don't think I will return. read more

Not my first time here...we'v)e been coming for years. It was my first visit since emerging from covid. I don't know what the crowds have been like but tonight it was busy. There were a few people at tables when we came in (4 of us) but there were people waiting ahead of us and more who came in afterwards. While one person made food, another ran the register and it felt like a long wait. Thank you to Drew for coming over to move things along. He was polite, friendly, quick and helpful. While I do like the salads, my rating today is only 4 stars. Here's why. 1. There were no plain potato chips at all, not even in the back. Those should always be available because, come on. 2. Instead I looked for something desserty but there were no chocolate chip cookies (those were out too). The other cookie options were both nutty (I don't have an allergy, I just don't like them). I spied a Tollhouse Pie in the case and asked if it had nuts. The seller (not Drew) said no (though he wasn't confident about his answer) and I bought it. It DID have nuts. Honestly, if I was allergic, I would have been more vigilant about getting a confident answer. However, staff should know what ingredients are in all the baked goods and be able to answer questions. That needs to be in Day 1 training. Going foward, I hope it is. And I hope they restock the plain potato chips (and the chocolate chip cookies too). read more

I'm 18 again, living in the East Village, endlessly stoned, green hair, no money for the subway, wondering what life is all about. It's all about bagels. Shiny, dense, chewy, yeasty circles of joy with a shmear. I got one every morning, at the deli on the corner of St. Marks at Astor Square, always with a coffee "regular". Best reason to get out of bed and see what the city would do to me. And so it is with Uncommon Grounds - big, fresh, fat, doughy, chewy and soft at the same time, these are GREAT bagels, maybe the best in the region. All the traditional toppings, as well as pumpernickel and honey wheat (and a few others that aren't really bagels if you ask me), and a wide variety of stuff to put on it - smoked salmon, veggies, regular and light cream cheese, etc. I LOVE their veggie cream cheese on an onion bagel. Salads and sandwiches and soups and fresh baked sweets available too. The Cheese Sandwich ($2.99) is a deal (ask for a pickle on the side - they are very good). And don't forget your cawfee!!! Freshly roasted beans make the difference, whether you are cool and drink yours black, or you like that fancy stuff with the sweet shots - the brew is excellent. And so is the decaf (you are welcome). And today my morning run wasn't in the park, it was for a bagel. It's all about the bagels. xxx Zena, Goddess of Fire (mostly straight) read more

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Had I ordered only tea, this would be a 3 star review. There's a good selection of loose leaf teas, which you can get in a cup, a tea pot, or in a big French press for under 3 bucks. The same amount of tea at Teavana would run close to 15 dollars, so for this I give a big thumbs up. However, the bagel I had gets a big thumbs down. I went with sausage, egg, and cheese on a sun-dried tomato bagel. The bagel itself had absolutely no flavor. If I didn't know what I was eating I would have guessed the bagel was plain. The sausage and egg were pre-cooked and served barely warm. I was expecting a cafe like this to make their breakfast sandwiches to order, so this was disappointing. The variety and price of tea was good enough that I'd stop in again for a cup, but I've likely had my first, and last bagel here. read more

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

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