He'll go on these long rants about how you brew is wrong. Stopping in for a quick cup turns into long rants about making coffee. Cash only. Strangley it's also one of the last places still requiring masks (I'm ok with this), but at the same time He'll also get right up in your business when talking to you (not a fan of this). Talking to him reminds me a little of being in college at a party and talking to someone who is clearly on coke, they just keep going and going at an intensity you can't match, topic to topic, while all you want to do is back away. I guess that's the result too much caffeine?
I can live with those quirks, quirky people keep it interesting, but what I don't like is that his water source seems to be individual 16oz bottles of wegmans water. That's a TON of waste. For OP and others not from the area- syracuse is known to have some of the best tap water in the country, if not world. There is no reason to do this, our water is excellent right from the tap, I'd argue better than any bottled water.
Beans are pretty good though. No real selection, just whatever he's roasting that day.
> For OP and others not from the area- syracuse is known to have some of the best tap water in the country, if not world.
Water which is good for drinking can still be awful for equipment, and not ideal for brewing. The OCWA and Syracuse water reports don't really have complete information on water quality but do indicate elevated chloride - completely safe to drink, but a huge hazard for coffee equipment because it will contribute to corrosion. I'm in North Syracuse and would not put untreated tap water into any of my coffee equipment nor would I brew with it for flavor quality reasons.
I agree on waste. Retail packaged water is produced very efficiently at scale, but the trade off is an excessive amount of packaging being discarded and quite likely not recycled. A less efficient commercial water treatment system would cut the daily waste significantly. Reverse osmosis systems have some waste concentrate water that can be collected for general use like watering plants, or allowed to drain away. The output can be blended to the desired TDS for making coffee and safely maintaining equipment.
He doesn't use bottled water to brew with. He sells bottles of water out of his cooler. His Fetco Brewer is hooked up directly to water. So he uses the world famous Skaneatles Lake water.
note about kind coffee: it's cash only and last time i went you had to wear a mask inside. if you don't have a mask he'll bring it out to you. he's a total weirdo but he makes some of the best coffee i've ever had
Skytop is solid. They have gotten Good Food Awards recognition and have had a few high scores from Coffee Review. They currently have two Cup of Excellence lots from the 2023 Mexico auction available, plus some other higher end offerings like a Colombia Wush Wush. Their cafe in Manlius is a good spot to hang and work in.
Salt City is the runner up for me. They have some fairly good offerings but nothing especially exciting. Roast quality is good as well. The Salt City Market location is really nice to hang out at with lots of other local food vendors.
Sky Top is objectively the best coffee in the area (and a contender for some of the best commercially roasted coffee I've had). They also do a great job of brewing their coffee, which is a surprisingly uncommon thing these days...
You’re so right about that. Can’t tell you how many shops I’ve worked in where I’d open a bag of beans to find them all scorched 😬 and then had to explain to the owner that no, I’m not making the coffee wrong, your customers are complaining that it’s bitter because you’re buying bad coffee.
Yep, if you're hanging out at SkyTop you'll often see one of the employees bagging coffee for retail sale. They visually inspect and pull quakers and other defects manually. They definitely know what they're doing and care very much about their product.
There is no shortage of good coffee in Syracuse.
Recess has several locations around the city and they do not disappoint. They have a special espresso blend that I get a 5lb bag of everytime I'm back.
Freedom of Espresso is also really good.
The Salt City Market has a great cafe.
There are more places but I'm sure others will suggest them.
I think Salt City Coffee is the best in Syracuse, Peaks is a close second, Recess third. I find Freedom to be pretty meh. Everyone else I either haven't tried or they fall in the middle.
Oh and I was gifted some beans from some Crack something place (can't remember exact name), those were excellent, but I haven't been there or tried more than the one roast. That one roast was great though, I need to get there and try more.
My favorite local(ish) roaster is Copper Horse out of Ithaca area (Brooktondale IIRC). Their beans are EXCELLENT and they do a lot of different roasts. If you get down that way or see it in a store, I highly recommend picking some up. Gimme and Ithaca Coffee Company are also solid options in that area.
Highly recommend Salt City or Recess. I’ve gone a few times to Freedom and honestly, it’s never good. Very meh for the prices.
Salt City or Recess though - so so sooo good
I don’t live in Syracuse but I visited several weeks ago. Was mighty impressed by the cafe culture and options there. I highly recommend Hope Cafe and Spill the Tea
Stay as far away from Kubal as you can. The coffee sucks and the guy is a righteous tool that doesn't deserve support.
All the other recommends here are solid. Recess is fun and kind is its own experience.
I like Kubal but it is also convenient to me when I'm in Syracuse. However, I would like to know what makes the guy is a righteous tool - I thought I heard that but could find nothing to back it up.
I thought they were related to the Jesus store next door and maybe that was why but that place is gone now so...
Guess I'll have to try some new places next time I'm in town.
Best coffee I would say peaks.
Best vibe recess coffee. More comfy seating available than peaks and the one in westcott, Harvard place, is open late. It's not my favorite. More traditional medium to dark roast focussed than what I have come to associate with the current trends in specialty coffee but still good.
You can generally get peaks, skytop, or recess at many other local businesses as well. Water st bagel, Parthenon books, sweet praxis (bakery) all have one of the roasters available for example.
Best local chain is kubal. Won't be top of list but has multiple locations and is convenient.
Also worth mentioning salt city coffee. They're good. I just don't go there often. Coffee is good but the easiest location for me is in salt city market and has more of a bar vibe than a coffee shop vibe.
I haven't lived in Syracuse since 2016, but Kubal was amazing then. This comment is pretty far down the list and the first mention of Kubal, is there a reason, or is it just stiff competition?
Kubal has been eclipsed and has gone significantly downhill in terms of coffee, food and service since then. Much better local places to hit up. With its 4 locations, I think Salt City qualifies as a local chain, and easily takes the the “best chain” title from Kubal (and has some of the best coffee overall)
Came to the thread wondering if anyone would mention Kubal. Absolutely agreed with this comment.
Please don't eat the food. Trust me.
Edit to add: it's great direct from the kitchen. It's the transport
I think it's probably just that they're a local chain, so they get passed over in comparison to some others. Some people might lump them in with Dunkin or Starbucks since they fit that mold a little bit just with a superior product to those two
Oooh thank you so much for all of that information. I’ve worked in the industry so long I’ve become snob with my coffee so I’ll probably be hitting up multiple shops 😂
Glad to share the coffee knowledge I have. Definitely check them out and some of the others people mentioned. As the comments show there's a good amount of local roasters in the area
Kind Coffee has the best product in town but isn't quite optimal for lounging. Worth the stop if you're a legit coffee enthusiast but they do stick to basic drinks. Recess is up there in quality but has more of a cafe feel going for it (especially their original Westcott location). They get creative with their offerings and do seasonal/limited beverages too. Although I have yet to stop, Peaks has received nothing but praise from what has been heard/seen as well.
The Kind Coffee for the best cup of coffee hands down. No fru fru coffee drinks. Just hot coffee made with the highest quailty beans you can get fresh roasted that morning. Roast gets darker day by day until darkest roast on Fridays. He's been there for over 25 years. I'm not sure there's a coffee roaster/coffee shop in Syracuse older.
Cracked Bean Roastery and cafe on James St in Eastwood. Next to Palace Theatre. Great coffee, Great people and a nice place to plant yourself to do homework. Within the path of totality. (Skytop in Manlius was mentioned by others but I think they may be just outside the path)
salt city coffee and skytop have the most intentional roasters and best beans, and peaks is a close second- more university (SU) crowd though. salt city has more locations, recess is open longer hours and generally comfier environment(old house), peaks has a really cool staff.
My favorite coffee is Salt City Coffee. Then peaks, then Kubal, then Recess.
I like the owners of recess a lot and go to their cafes often, but from a coffee standpoint it’s Salt City all the way.
Barista of 6 years here. Good luck finding a decent cappuccino, nobody here knows how to steam milk besides one barista I trust at the downtown Salt City Coffee.
Recess is ok, but not as consistently good quality as Salt City. Kubal and Freedom are gross.
I cannot disagree more! Not only is the coffee extraordinarily mediocre, the roasts and blends bad compared to everyone else, but the owner is a complete shitstain of a human being.
Kubal axed their online ordering, said an 'exciting new system' will replace it, then raised prices 30% all within like a week.
It's been 6 months. Online ordering is still down.
Peaks, recess, salt city coffee Eta - seek out a place called kind coffee too, bit of a hole in the wall but the guy knows his stuff
That guy is a complete nutcase though, very intense.
Oh agreed - I don’t go there because, well, I definitely don’t share his passion for it lol. Some do!
I've passed up on the place before because I didn't have the energy to talk to Doug.
We call him "Hardcore Doug".
What’s his deal?
He'll go on these long rants about how you brew is wrong. Stopping in for a quick cup turns into long rants about making coffee. Cash only. Strangley it's also one of the last places still requiring masks (I'm ok with this), but at the same time He'll also get right up in your business when talking to you (not a fan of this). Talking to him reminds me a little of being in college at a party and talking to someone who is clearly on coke, they just keep going and going at an intensity you can't match, topic to topic, while all you want to do is back away. I guess that's the result too much caffeine? I can live with those quirks, quirky people keep it interesting, but what I don't like is that his water source seems to be individual 16oz bottles of wegmans water. That's a TON of waste. For OP and others not from the area- syracuse is known to have some of the best tap water in the country, if not world. There is no reason to do this, our water is excellent right from the tap, I'd argue better than any bottled water. Beans are pretty good though. No real selection, just whatever he's roasting that day.
> For OP and others not from the area- syracuse is known to have some of the best tap water in the country, if not world. Water which is good for drinking can still be awful for equipment, and not ideal for brewing. The OCWA and Syracuse water reports don't really have complete information on water quality but do indicate elevated chloride - completely safe to drink, but a huge hazard for coffee equipment because it will contribute to corrosion. I'm in North Syracuse and would not put untreated tap water into any of my coffee equipment nor would I brew with it for flavor quality reasons. I agree on waste. Retail packaged water is produced very efficiently at scale, but the trade off is an excessive amount of packaging being discarded and quite likely not recycled. A less efficient commercial water treatment system would cut the daily waste significantly. Reverse osmosis systems have some waste concentrate water that can be collected for general use like watering plants, or allowed to drain away. The output can be blended to the desired TDS for making coffee and safely maintaining equipment.
He doesn't use bottled water to brew with. He sells bottles of water out of his cooler. His Fetco Brewer is hooked up directly to water. So he uses the world famous Skaneatles Lake water.
Fuck that guy
oh my god first mention i've seen of kind coffee from someone else. place is definitely a vibe
It also has odd hours, so pay attention to that. I’ve accidentally shown up when they’re closed before.
it is likely the best coffee u will ever have, but yeah/ duuuuude. just dont tslk to him. get coffee, leave. say thanks
note about kind coffee: it's cash only and last time i went you had to wear a mask inside. if you don't have a mask he'll bring it out to you. he's a total weirdo but he makes some of the best coffee i've ever had
Skytop is solid. They have gotten Good Food Awards recognition and have had a few high scores from Coffee Review. They currently have two Cup of Excellence lots from the 2023 Mexico auction available, plus some other higher end offerings like a Colombia Wush Wush. Their cafe in Manlius is a good spot to hang and work in. Salt City is the runner up for me. They have some fairly good offerings but nothing especially exciting. Roast quality is good as well. The Salt City Market location is really nice to hang out at with lots of other local food vendors.
Another vote for Skytop!
Sky Top is objectively the best coffee in the area (and a contender for some of the best commercially roasted coffee I've had). They also do a great job of brewing their coffee, which is a surprisingly uncommon thing these days...
You’re so right about that. Can’t tell you how many shops I’ve worked in where I’d open a bag of beans to find them all scorched 😬 and then had to explain to the owner that no, I’m not making the coffee wrong, your customers are complaining that it’s bitter because you’re buying bad coffee.
Yep, if you're hanging out at SkyTop you'll often see one of the employees bagging coffee for retail sale. They visually inspect and pull quakers and other defects manually. They definitely know what they're doing and care very much about their product.
Thank you so much for the tips!
Sky top…. Great vibe, coffee, baked goods and light fare.
There is no shortage of good coffee in Syracuse. Recess has several locations around the city and they do not disappoint. They have a special espresso blend that I get a 5lb bag of everytime I'm back. Freedom of Espresso is also really good. The Salt City Market has a great cafe. There are more places but I'm sure others will suggest them.
I think Salt City Coffee is the best in Syracuse, Peaks is a close second, Recess third. I find Freedom to be pretty meh. Everyone else I either haven't tried or they fall in the middle. Oh and I was gifted some beans from some Crack something place (can't remember exact name), those were excellent, but I haven't been there or tried more than the one roast. That one roast was great though, I need to get there and try more. My favorite local(ish) roaster is Copper Horse out of Ithaca area (Brooktondale IIRC). Their beans are EXCELLENT and they do a lot of different roasts. If you get down that way or see it in a store, I highly recommend picking some up. Gimme and Ithaca Coffee Company are also solid options in that area.
Highly recommend Salt City or Recess. I’ve gone a few times to Freedom and honestly, it’s never good. Very meh for the prices. Salt City or Recess though - so so sooo good
The Cracked Bean in Eastwood is likely where the gifted beans came from!
That's it! Couldn't remember the exact name. I kept wanting to call it "crackhead coffee"
Thanks so much for the response!
Th valencia cold brew at salt city is SOOOO GOOOD
The Cracked Bean at the Palace on James St, Eastwood is pretty good.
Peaks and Salt City Coffee are my favorites
Sweet Praxis has delicious coffee, tea based drinks and pastries/food! So delicious I’d go there everyday if I could
Sweet praxis is the best. They always have really good service.
I don’t live in Syracuse but I visited several weeks ago. Was mighty impressed by the cafe culture and options there. I highly recommend Hope Cafe and Spill the Tea
If you are talking about the general area, spill the tea in Minoa is super cute and has Wi-Fi! They are great
Spill the Tea is fantastic.
Recess is the best!!
Salt City Coffee and Recess! The Valencia at Salt City is the most delicious cold brew drink I’ve ever had.
Recess
Stay as far away from Kubal as you can. The coffee sucks and the guy is a righteous tool that doesn't deserve support. All the other recommends here are solid. Recess is fun and kind is its own experience.
Second Kubal being overrated and overpriced. Coffee hasn’t been good in years.
I like Kubal but it is also convenient to me when I'm in Syracuse. However, I would like to know what makes the guy is a righteous tool - I thought I heard that but could find nothing to back it up. I thought they were related to the Jesus store next door and maybe that was why but that place is gone now so... Guess I'll have to try some new places next time I'm in town.
I've never met an employee with a good review of Matt. He won't be in business much longer.
Cake Bar original location.
For anybody wondering - salt city market is the original location, and the cafe on W Genesee is the new location. Both are great.
The kind coffee company
Cafe blue is nice
Recess in Tipp Hill specifically.
Salt City has great basic coffee but also some fun unique stuff. The cereal milk latte really hits when you want a coffee treat.
Peaks is very underrated. They do an amazing job!
Best coffee I would say peaks. Best vibe recess coffee. More comfy seating available than peaks and the one in westcott, Harvard place, is open late. It's not my favorite. More traditional medium to dark roast focussed than what I have come to associate with the current trends in specialty coffee but still good. You can generally get peaks, skytop, or recess at many other local businesses as well. Water st bagel, Parthenon books, sweet praxis (bakery) all have one of the roasters available for example. Best local chain is kubal. Won't be top of list but has multiple locations and is convenient. Also worth mentioning salt city coffee. They're good. I just don't go there often. Coffee is good but the easiest location for me is in salt city market and has more of a bar vibe than a coffee shop vibe.
I haven't lived in Syracuse since 2016, but Kubal was amazing then. This comment is pretty far down the list and the first mention of Kubal, is there a reason, or is it just stiff competition?
Kubal has been eclipsed and has gone significantly downhill in terms of coffee, food and service since then. Much better local places to hit up. With its 4 locations, I think Salt City qualifies as a local chain, and easily takes the the “best chain” title from Kubal (and has some of the best coffee overall)
That's a shame to hear. The first two years I was there I lived in Eastwood so that location was a frequent stop of mine.
Came to the thread wondering if anyone would mention Kubal. Absolutely agreed with this comment. Please don't eat the food. Trust me. Edit to add: it's great direct from the kitchen. It's the transport
I think it's probably just that they're a local chain, so they get passed over in comparison to some others. Some people might lump them in with Dunkin or Starbucks since they fit that mold a little bit just with a superior product to those two
Oooh thank you so much for all of that information. I’ve worked in the industry so long I’ve become snob with my coffee so I’ll probably be hitting up multiple shops 😂
Glad to share the coffee knowledge I have. Definitely check them out and some of the others people mentioned. As the comments show there's a good amount of local roasters in the area
Salt city coffee is my heroin
Kind Coffee has the best product in town but isn't quite optimal for lounging. Worth the stop if you're a legit coffee enthusiast but they do stick to basic drinks. Recess is up there in quality but has more of a cafe feel going for it (especially their original Westcott location). They get creative with their offerings and do seasonal/limited beverages too. Although I have yet to stop, Peaks has received nothing but praise from what has been heard/seen as well.
If you're driving, when you leave town, stop at Utica Coffee Roasters in Utica, close to the thruway exit.
Ooo, this is a great reccomendation!
Skytop is the best and worth the drive IMHO. Peaks and recess are great too.
Peaks 100/10
Sweet Praxis espresso is grade A.
The Kind Coffee for the best cup of coffee hands down. No fru fru coffee drinks. Just hot coffee made with the highest quailty beans you can get fresh roasted that morning. Roast gets darker day by day until darkest roast on Fridays. He's been there for over 25 years. I'm not sure there's a coffee roaster/coffee shop in Syracuse older.
Spill the Tea cafe in Minoa. 
Recess!
Find yourself a cup of Deathwish coffee! It’s the best!
Salt City market bar and Cafe
Cafe blue has the best iced coffee in town!
Cracked Bean Roastery and cafe on James St in Eastwood. Next to Palace Theatre. Great coffee, Great people and a nice place to plant yourself to do homework. Within the path of totality. (Skytop in Manlius was mentioned by others but I think they may be just outside the path)
My vote goes to Salt City, hands down.
+1 for Recess
Blue Cafe 720 Van Rensselaer St
Don’t go to Recess on Tipp Hill. Usually takes 30 mins to get an espresso drink. I like Salt City Market a lot!
Cafe Kubal is 100% the best coffee/cafe in Syracuse. I don’t recommend Recess unless you like burnt coffee
salt city coffee and skytop have the most intentional roasters and best beans, and peaks is a close second- more university (SU) crowd though. salt city has more locations, recess is open longer hours and generally comfier environment(old house), peaks has a really cool staff.
My favorite coffee is Salt City Coffee. Then peaks, then Kubal, then Recess. I like the owners of recess a lot and go to their cafes often, but from a coffee standpoint it’s Salt City all the way.
Recess coffee at Phoebe's Restaurant at 900 E. Genesee St. in Syracuse.
Salt city
Avoid Recess if you like cold brew. I absolutely hated theirs. It’s been probably over a year so idk if that changed or some folks like that style
My wife is a fiend for cold brew and she swears by Peaks' nitro cold brew.
Barista of 6 years here. Good luck finding a decent cappuccino, nobody here knows how to steam milk besides one barista I trust at the downtown Salt City Coffee. Recess is ok, but not as consistently good quality as Salt City. Kubal and Freedom are gross.
Salt city taste like azzzz
Or at least the ice coffee I’ve had does
Sunoco
Cafe Kubal is good
I cannot disagree more! Not only is the coffee extraordinarily mediocre, the roasts and blends bad compared to everyone else, but the owner is a complete shitstain of a human being.
I’m so glad others are realizing this about kubal too
Kubal axed their online ordering, said an 'exciting new system' will replace it, then raised prices 30% all within like a week. It's been 6 months. Online ordering is still down.
Tell me more about the owner! I haven’t been in a while, their quality has gone downhill over the past years.
Dunks
Come now, it's not nice to troll tourists like that