Motor Oil Coffee Albany Slip 12

Lovely little coffee spot with great drinks and cozy atmosphere. Wish they were open more regularly/daily. Hope they get enough businesss to support more open times, especially in the mornigns, but I love coming here!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: White Mocha Latte

I’d like to update my original review. While I had concerns about how Motor Oil Coffee was being managed by one employee, I’m pleased to report that there have been significant improvements since Kat’s return. It was great to see a familiar face again, especially hers. Her cheerful attitude and genuine passion for her work really make a difference.

The owner is very involved, which is great to see. I think the previous issues were due to an employee closing the interior Slip 12 door and the exterior door 10-15 minutes before closing time on multiple occasions, which was really frustrating. It’s no surprise I was grumpy when I wrote my initial review. However, I don't think that reflects the business as a whole, so I feel it's best to retract my original review.

I appreciate how Slip 12 responded to my concerns with kindness and thoughtfulness. It was a pleasant surprise to receive their message, even though I haven’t taken them up on their offer. I just hoped for improvements, and I'm glad to see that they’ve happened.

I'm delighted to see them back on track and would suggest they consider catering their coffee hours to attract remote workers. Many of us are working from home, and creating a space for us could be a great opportunity.

Here are some ideas for a coffee shop inside the complex targeting remote workers:

-Networking Events: Host events or workshops for remote workers to connect and collaborate.

-Membership Discounts: Consider a membership program for frequent visitors that includes perks like discounted coffee or reserved seating.

I hope these suggestions help enhance the space for everyone and make it so that there is a consistent flow of customers.

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I typically don’t write reviews unless I have something positive to share, but this is now the third or fourth time I’ve encountered an issue with Motor Oil Coffee. Each time, I’ve tried to visit during their advertised hours only to find both the front and back doors locked.

As a resident of Slip 12, this recurring problem is particularly frustrating. I understand that Motor Oil has shifted its focus to operating as a bar, but that shouldn’t mean they disregard the coffee shop hours listed on their website. Today, I arrived around 2:40 PM, just before their closing time of 3:00 PM, and found the doors locked while an employee was inside. This repeated issue feels extremely unprofessional and has left me quite disappointed.

I really miss the reliability and service of the old staff.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I have lived in the slip 12 building for over a year and a half now and have consistently found the coffees and cocktails (in the evening) to be delicious. The staff here are always so friendly and it feels like a great atmosphere every time I come in. I wish more people in the building would enjoy this shop and bar as it is close to home and always so worth it.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I had a lovely morning here! I went about 930 on a Friday and was the only one there. The barista, Jay, was super friendly and chatty. I had a pistachio latte which was delicious. I stayed to read a book in quiet and got a comfy chair in the corner. There’s an outdoor seating area which I would love to sit at during my next visit. Highly recommend!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great coffee, friendly and prompt service.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

As a resident of Slip 12 I was very excited about the idea of having a nice coffee shop in the building. I gave some leeway in the beginning when the store first opened as I understand that opening a new location can be difficult. However, things are just so poorly run and maintained. There are multiple occasions where I had a bad experience and it’s disappointing. Here are a few:

- No one is to be found in the shop, during operating hours, with no indication that the shop was closed ( doors unlocked )
- found that my latte has curdled milk in it ( multiple times )
- Barista tried charging me $3 extra when getting a bag of ground coffee because they “didn’t have any singles”
- hours are strange
- told to leave front tables because I haven’t ordered an item in a while
- inconsistent discounts for residents. Even if after telling the staff that I was in fact a resident.
- there hasn’t been prepackaged coffee other than decaf in about a week.

This is whole shop has been very disappointing in the end. They had the opportunity to make this a place for residents to go and hang out and capitalize on the 300+ residents in the building, but everything seems rushed and not planned out… especially the little bodega section. The one redeeming quality is most of the baristas are pleasant to talk to, I just don’t think they have any experience with making coffee to be honest.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

I would like to give this place more than three stars, and hopefully, in the future, that will be possible. Every time I come here, they always seem to be running short on something. Unfortunately, it’s like they can never make a breakfast sandwich due to a lack of inventory. Moreover, today they were out of gloves and paper towels for the staff to use. It appears that they frequently struggle with stocking necessary items. It is surprising that they don’t have a distributor for their food and paper goods, considering nearby options such as US Foods, Gordon, Sysco, and W.B Mason which is across the street offer a variety of paper products like gloves and packaging. Or if they do, they need to get a better grip on inventory at this location. Additionally, the atmosphere inside is quiet, lacking music, just doesn’t make it inviting even though it’s a cute place. Just missing a few key parts to make it work.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 4

Service: 5

I was in the store a couple days ago on my way into Huck Finn’s to get a new carpet, and had a very pleasant experience with the barista - I believe her name was Kat/Cat - very kind, warm, excellent costumer service, and the coffee was pretty good too. It was such a pleasant and sincere interaction that I felt compelled to leave this. would/will definitely return in the future

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Such a cute place. The vibe was amazing. The latte I had was delicious and the person I was there with said the chai was amazing. Loved the chocolate chip cookie. I’m so glad we went.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I sit here 15 minutes and no one is here at all.Store wide open and no one working.Lost me as a customer as I just wasted part of my lunch break coming here for coffee and a sandwich. Never again will I take the chance.How can you just leave a store wide openThen screw us as a customer and screw us out of our lunch time

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 2

Service: 1

Save your money for a better

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

It's so nice to have a third place close to home like this !! The coffee is great, the food is great. The fact all i need to do is walk down 3 hallways and im at a coffee shop is amazing. I love slip 12 and motor oil coffee ☕️

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I was very excited about trying an out of state coffee shop, but the cortado was really bad, idk if the beans were old, or the pucks were sitting out before the shot was pulled, or if the shot was pulled too long, but the shot was so sour and burnt that I gagged.

comfy couches, friendly staff, delicious drinks, bring your own mug for a discount!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

we live in the slip 12 apartments & we love how convenient & good this coffee shop is. we love the 2 dollar bring your own mug refill. the owner is super sweet & kind, we have also had a good experience with all the employees. service is quick, the food we have tried has been very good & we are all around really happy that this coffee shop finally opened!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5