Coffee Beanery - City of Rensselaer

Got a coffee here and no complaints. Line moved quick; no issues at all. The coffee was fine. They offered espresso drinks, but I didn't get one this time around. It's an OK coffeeshop for a train station and there's a little lobby with wifi if you want to get some work done. Haven't tried the baked goods. The employees working the line were friendly enough.

If you're hungry and you're at the Albany-Rensselaer Amtrak station, there aren't many options. In fact, there's only this option within the station (the newsstand has snacks). I picked up a pre-made tuna salad sandwich on seedless rye and some Sun Chips. Was it the best sandwich I ever had? Nope. Did I expect it to be? Also, nope. Was it decent? Yup. It was fresh, had crunchy celery, and it did the job. They also have beer and tiny bottles of wine if you want to grab a drink. The guys at the counter were young, friendly, and endearingly goofy. This place is fine when you're in a hurry to catch a train. Do I wish there were more food options at the station? Sure. Do I wish my rent was lower and Trump wasn't President? Also, yes. Is this a reasonable place to grab something on the way out of town? Yes, of course, ignore the haters.

This is the coffee shop in the Rensselaer Train Station. Someone should tell the people behind the Coffee Beanery counter the difference between a hard roll and a hamburger roll. They didn 't fool me! I ordered a hard roll with butter. The guy at the counter called back hard roll with butter . A few minutes later I get handed a bag and was told toasted hard roll with butter . I said I didn 't want it toasted. Good lord you would think I kicked her in the shin. Her eyes rolled and she huffed and puffed. A minute later she hands me a bag. I walk away. When I took out my hard roll, it was actually a hamburger roll with a side of butter tabs. Talk about disappointment. I didn 't have time to go back and ate the stupid hamburger roll. Someone should also tell them it costs nothing to be nice. Grumpy pants!

Oh, we could and have done far, far worse as far as transportation hub amenities. Yes, you need to check on the freshness of individual items here. No, you will not get world-class Chemex drips of fair-trade hand-tended coffee beans. Perhaps it is possible to do better. But you get coffee, sandwiches, baked goods, various snacks, hot options, quick to go salads (including seaweed! And not bad! at the TRAIN STATION! , mostly perky employees, moderately fast service, a few cafe tables to sit down at or the option of slouching off to one of the Amtrak vinyl waiting seats, and relatively decent hours of operation. If you want to see one-star operations, take a hike over to the Albany bus station. Or force yourself to eat something from the Amtrak cafe car, if you dare. Then perhaps you will appreciate the Coffee Beanery at the old Amtrak as much as I do.

With thirty minutes before my train left, I was looking for something quick to drink. The Coffee Beanery fit the bill. I ordered a large chai latte with almond milk. There was no up charge for the almond milk. For the chai, Coffee Beanery uses the Tazo chai concentrate which is what Starbucks uses. I was satisfied with my Coffee Beanery experience. My drink was good, the staff was friendly, and the store was well laid out. Next time I am at this store, I will try the pumpkin muffin which looked very tasty.