28 Best Cafes in Syracuse

“I absolutely LOVE this place! I am so happy a loving environment like this exists. It’s such a wonderful way to spend time with furry loved ones. I instantly felt happy just being there around so many playful cats. I’m so surprised that they all seem to get along. All of the cats I’ve seen there are so calm and playful, or they are sleeping peacefully. It’s a wonderful, loving and clean environment for these feline friends to live or hopefully get adopted into new forever homes. I highly recommend paying them a visit. The staff is very kind and knowledgeable, too. 10 out of 10 stars for Pawsitivitea Syracuse! 😻“

“Their Hanoi Egg coffee is the most delicious coffee downtown. Not sure what they put in it, but after one cup, colors are brighter and life becomes more vivid. Best perk of the day and the workers are always so cheerful!“

“Lo mejor de Syracuse para pasar un rato relajado“

“Just returned from one of the best shows of this still young year - Nachos and Blancos featuring Syracuse all-timers Los Blancos. Typically the 443 shows go for a little under 2 hours for many reasons; curfew among them. Not so on a Sunday afternoon! Colin and the band killed for 2 hours +, and those lucky ones (like us) in attendance got everything and more. Thanks, as always, to Julie and Co. for one more unforgettable experience!“

“The service was great. The food is amazing“

“Delicious!! Stopped to get a bite while kiddo was recovering from surgery. Food was sooo flavorful and super friendly counter service. Check it out!“

“Food is good and they are always fast and nice.“

“The food is cooked perfectly and has that old school small breakfast/lunch diner feeling. I am in there almost every day of the work week. Great breakfast sandwiches and the Fish sandwich on Fridays is delicious and big“

“Beautiful greenhouses!“

“Ordered a matcha donut and taro cream pastry. They were both fantastic. I also had an ube latte. The flavors and textures were amazing here. I'm in love with this place!!“

“I tried one of your light roasts this week for the first time and it is amazing! I will definitely be a repeat customer!“

“We ordered 2 lbs. of cookies in person to be picked up the day before Thanksgiving. When ordering we were asked which ones we wanted and we told them and pointed them out. Unfortunately when we picked up our order it contained a random mixture of cookies some of which we did not select because we didn't like them. Won't be going back.“

“I ❤ Kubal. Such a chill place. I've sat in this Cafe preparing for interviews, on business meetings, date nights you name it. Every time I think I noticed all the details I find another. Not to mention the coffee is the best.“

“I was happily greeted by a woman named Marion today as I was coming back from the post office and looking in the window- I am so happy that she stopped me… Me and my daughter Eden spent almost 2 hours there just talking and getting to know about the space!! I am for more than sure hoping to build with the people that make this place a safe place. Plus, it’s only a few steps away from my house!!! I am going to tell any and everyone I know about Cafe Sankofa even though I just moved to Syracuse… I Can’t wait to build! #plantednotburied“

“Holy. Holy. Holy. Crap. We have found our new "spot!" Fresh ingredients, delicious specialty spreads for the sandwiches. I'm sorry did you just say apricot mustard? Garlic mayo? Cranberry mayo? I can't breathe. HUGE sammies on fresh crusty sub rolls that so soft and yummy. and thick slices of fresh cheese. Even the mozzarella. EVEN. THE. MOZZARELLA!!! The meat is excellent quality. I have no idea where they get it from, but as a meat farmer myself I can tell you by experience, this meat is very fresh and minimally processed. The turkey is undoubtedly sliced from a whole breast, not a reconstituted pressed loaf of weird. But let's get to the service because let's face it. It's always good food, bad service or bad food, good service, right? WRONG. The place is slap full of very cool people and SO friendly, patient and professional, even when you're one of those people like me who just asked what the soups are when the soup menu was 3 inches from my face. So yeah. Go. Just go. You'll be so glad you did.“

“Update (Spring 2026):
I’ve now been to Vietnam and Ky Duyen is on par with some of the best I had there and is even better than some of them. They continue to be my favorite Banh Mi in the area.
Their iced coffee leaves something to be desired for my taste though unfortunately. A big part of this is my preference for white coffee (bạc xỉu) and the salted cream coffee (cà phê muối). My favorite combo is to buy a banh mi and drive down the road to the newly opened Wake Up for their salted cream coffee.

Update (11/7/2023):
Finally got to come back as I had the day off from work and could make it up before they sold out. Banh Mi is still great, though I found that I very much did not enjoy the cold cut option. I’ve now had 3 (BBQ Pork), 1 (Roasted Pork), and 2 (Cold Cut) and would recommend them in that order. BBQ pork was amazing, roasted pork was great, and cold cut had me questioning if I wanted to finish it. Not bad or gross, just completely not my taste/preference. I fully plan on being back in the future to try number 4 (shredded pork) so I can figure out which one is truly my favorite and future go to.

Original:
Best bahn mi I’ve ever had, and the best sandwich I’ve had in a long time. Will absolutely be back.

As a heads up, if there is a line inside it will likely take a while, but it’s worth it.“

“Excellent location right across from Landmark theater for a nice unrushed dinner before our concert. Our party had the polenta, salmon and chicken pot pie and all of our meals were fabulous! Highly recommend! Servers were attentive and very friendly!“

“I visited the museum when I was an art student and was very impressed. I'd love to go back .“

“Went there for the first time today!! Had a great experience!! They have really good Chai Tea Latte’s!! 😋“

“Ernie makes the absolute best sandwiches I’ve ever had! Sides are always good, and the soup is consistently outstanding. I can’t say enough about the quality of the food! We come back for catering monthly. Service is fantastic, too! Highly recommended!“

“The breakfast sandwich is So Good, especially with the chili mayo!! The peanut butter scone has just the right amount of peanut butter. The banana bread has the perfect texture. And service is delightful with everyone so friendly and helpful.“

“Very delicious sandwiches but unfortunately they decided to stop providing sides/potato chips with any of the entrees. It wouldn’t be an issue except for there is no way to order sides online and so you end up having to stand in line anyway.“

“Solid, chocolatey iced mocha. It's a little on the industrial side, and could use a little warmth, but overall good impression on my first visit. Apparently, all but one of the flavor shot flavors, is made in house. So, thumbs up on that one“

“Lo mejor de Syracuse para pasar un rato relajado“

“Great quality Coffee. Highly recommend.“