The Brakes Coffeehouse & Provisions

Albany is so lucky to have this gem. Having relocated to Philly where exclusively vegan restaurants/​cafes/​bars are EVERYWHERE– I still have yet to find ANY vegan breakfast that rivals The Brakes breakfast sandwich. Amazing. Whenever I am visiting home-​I always always stop in to grab a bite. Everything I’ve had from their faux meat sandwiches to veggie sandwiches to even their thanksgiving catering for the small population of vegans at our italian thanksgiving is delicious.
The «bacon bad» is the first meal I will buy any of my non-​vegan friends/​family in the albany area in an attempt to ease them into vegan foods. Love this place!

Quaint coffee shop… Kinda hot inside though. The kitchen ventilation is not so good and whatever they were cooking, the faint oily smoke creeped the shop and my eyes were teary the whole time.

I absolutely love the brakes. As one of the only vegan options near me I come as often as I can. It should be said that speed is not a concern of theirs. I know when I come to the brakes it will be a 20 – 30 minute wait for my food every time. Be prepared to wait a while for your food but the food is so good it almost makes it okay. Almost. I hope they learn to better staff the café, or figure out a more efficient system. I would come more often if I didn’t have to be so time aware.

Great vegan food and deserts here (the chocolate brownie was the best!) and very friendly staff each time I visited.

Their coffee may be expensive but I love the atmosphere, the big windows, and friendly employees.

Very yummy food. My group of vegan/​vegetarian friends were all extremely happy with our meals and I look forward to going back. Just wish it was more of a real restaurant atmosphere with even more to choose from on the menu.

Visited for the first time and we ordered two iced lattes to go: one with coconut milk and one with almond milk. I made a mistake when I ordered and forgot to tell the nice woman helping us that I wanted decaf. I offered to pay for another but she didn’t make me pay again and kindly made me a new drink. I REALLY appreciated that as it was 6 o’clock at night. Although we didn’t eat here we noticed the shop has a nice assortment of baked goods. Particularly tasty looking maple glazed scones. This is a vegan café with a lot of gluten free options. I am not a vegan but I think it’s nice that there is a place like this is Albany for those who are.
Positives:
— a place for vegans
— the place seems very socially minded
— they use local ingredients and coffee
— they give back to community
— very friendly staff
— good coffee
Opportunities to improve:
— the lighting gave me a head ache. The fans and lights set up made the light flicker the whole time I was there so it wasn’t relaxing
— it was really hot in there
— it felt crowded like they tried to fit too much stuff in there.

I love the Brakes. It’s my go-​to Lark Street café. It’s Vegan, and they have interesting books and games for solo munching or group fun. The staff is really friendly and they have photos of their sandwiches on the wall! Very pleasant, cozy, and comfortable.
We had, for a short time, a vegan café nearby on Madison. The food was pretty bad. little more than defrosted boca burgers on cheap white buns. This place has real vegan food, prepared from raw ingredients, and alot of thought has gone into the details, like seating and the water jug, and everything is well labelled. The specials are amazing. They make their own vegan cheese, which is really good on sandwiches. I’m trying to remember some of the specials I’ve eaten here, but they are always really excellent.
It’s also the first restaurant in the capital district I’ve seen that composts food waste and napkins. A++
Any more awesome and it would cost more. :)

Cute little place with friendly staff. I was recommended their house made chai latte (i chose coconut milk) and it was glorious! Didn’t get a chance to try anything on the food menu but the names were hilarious…

Disclosure: I am an open-​minded omnivore who enjoys veg/​vegan foods done well, so no need to think my low star level is because I don’t «get it.»
After the third attempt to check this place out, Brakes was finally open and we were able to give it a try: my thought is «meh.»
–expensive (proprietary faux meats that taste like balogna, per the husband; small batch breads that are just OK, will do that. I say just OK because my panini quite literally fell apart in my hand. Maybe it just gave up because it was…)
–HOT AS HECK (someone else mentioned that it was stuffy… that can’t be acceptable or legal per health codes)
–grungy, unkempt display cases and glassware (could it be the all-​natural, non GMO, phosphate, gluten, fat free dish soap they use? Or the fact that they don’t believe in using restaurant-​grade surface/​glass cleaners? Now I KNOW that’s not allowed per health dept code)
–the food quality was decent, know that, but certainly not life changing for me by any me and
–the idealistic «research» on carbon foot print displayed on the wall made me feel as though my every move was being judged by the hipsters behind the counter. Report on findings to be given to the owner @ end of shift.
Bottom line: not impressed. Glad we had a groupon.

I had lunch with my wife today. We wanted everything on the menu lol but I settled for the «bacon» bad BLT, oh MY!!! It was amazing!!! That vegan bacon left NOTHING to be desired!!! I had some strawberry lemonade and it was refreshing to me, a little bitter for my wife but I like sour like drinks, she had the artisan which is like a grilled «cheese» she liked my sandwich better lol. We had a cold cucumber soup and it was tasty, I would’ve never thought to try it but the guy and girl behind the counter were more than happy to have us try some. Excellent!!! The environment is so nice, everything is repurposed in some way, many educational things hanging around the little shop, super cute. The people are friendly and informative. It smelled amazing just walking up the stairs. Before we left we had a scone and ice coffee to go… SOOO GOOD!!! The place is welcoming to all kinds of people, made me feel like we were in NYC at a coffee shop in the village. I am impressed and excited to have a place that accommodates those who are and aspire to be vegans. With places like this it gives you more encouragement to stay on the right path. Love this place!!! Will come again!

A wonderful well-​lit café new to Albany (circa December 2014) with reasonable prices for its vegan menu – a great alternative to some of the more dim, basement cafes on Lark St. They have comfortable couch and arm chair seating in addition to the more standard wooden table and chair setup. The eco-​friendly mission is a great (and my iced mocha was delicious to boot)!
Will definitely be back again.

Disclaimer: based on a takeout experience… But hopefully useful.
Stopped in for a late night bite. I wasn’t exceptionally hungry so, so I only ordered a half salad. I’m actually very glad they have this option as it was reasonably priced at $ 4 and a nice portion for me. I had a mixed greens & strawberry salad with balsamic vinaigrette. It sounded very light and just what I was looking for, plus you can’t beat the price for only $ 4. However, this is definitely intended to be paired or as a side because it is very small. The salad was pretty standard– a bit hard to mess up something made of basic ingredients. The vinaigrette was fine, nothing to write home about. I also got a vegan snickerdoodle cookie, which was tastey considering it’s vegan.
I gave this place 3 stars for multiple reasons: 1-​It took a couple of minutes for the guy behind the counter to acknowledge me and when he finally did he was still working on another order and it was at least 5 more min before I was able to order. I’m not sure if they’re generally short staffed or I just came very late? 2– Again, the wait for my food seemed a tad bit too long considering my salad was relatively simple. 3– perhaps I wouldn’t have been as aware of my wait if it wasn’t hot and muggy in the café! It was 68 deg outside but I almost broke a sweat inside. 4– my salad was solid but nothing out of this world.
Other items on the menu looked great and I will definitely be back to try them! Particularly the portobello mushroom sandwich and the fancy PB&J! I am excited to try those and will update (and hopefully upgrade) my reviews.

I had a walk at lunch and decided to stop in and use one of my $ ⁵⁄₅ visit punch cards that I purchased online purchase from Groupon. I ordered a Chai Latte with almond milk which was very good but not as frofty as it usually is maybe because of the almond milk, since it was offered I tried that but never ordered a latte with it. The drinks come in one size, a little disappointing but understandable being a small operation and trying to be green by having organic products or using local produce. The special of the day sounded very good eggplant stew over brown rice but I knew I would be eating out later tonight so just went with a bakery item. I chose the grey tea cookie, OMG so good crisp on the edges and soft in the center. It was so good! I can’t compare it to other grey tea cookies because this was my first but it was very delicious. Now I bet the chocolate chip my favorite would be to die for there.

This place is so cute and the people are so friendly… very awesome vegan coffee house. I was also impressed with the amount of gluten free options they have as well. This place is amazing and I will absolutely be back.

a friend and i got together for an impromptu lunch date last friday. i suggested a location and she asked if they catered to those who are gluten-​free (GF). outside of salads i wasn’t sure, so i suggested we give the brakes a shot… and boy, were we glad we did.
for ~$ 28 we each got a sandwich and a fresh brewed iced tea. i got «the planeteer» (peasant bread with garlic hummus, beets, lettuce, pickle, avocado, and sprouts), and she got the «brake-​fast» (a vegan, GF spin on a traditional breakfast sandwich). both were delicious, and quite satisfying! we finished off our meal by splitting a GF chocolate chip cookie. YUM!
the venue is cozy and bright, and has a great view of the always bustling lark street. service was quick and and friendly. i will happily return.
as a center square resident, i’m thrilled to see this new business thriving as so many others on lark street are closing. i wish the owners and staff MUCH continued success!

My wife and I had our wedding catered by The Brakes. Simply amazing! The food was incredible, the whole family was pleased with the provisions and even asked for recipes! She and I are the only vegans in our family, for now (;
Portion sizes were more than generous and we had leftovers for the next few weeks! Which was a blessing in itself. Highly recommend the tomato cucumber hand-​sandwiches with hummus.
Our compostable plates, flatware and cups really went well with the Eco-​friendly theme.
These Ladies are doing such a service to our community and the world, give ‘em a try and be sure tell them Hi from me (:

I give them 4 stars because I love the space, concept of the place, location, and the service was friendly. This place just opened, and I’m not sure if it’s still in a soft-​opening phase or not, but my experience suggests it is. I got a Rasta Chai Latte with Almond Milk, it was very good, but it did take nearly twice as long as it should have.
Due to the atmosphere, I didn’t mind waiting; it is very bright, fun to be in. The large picture window overlooking Lark Street was really cool. If you’re in a hurry though, and aren’t here for an experience, I’d suggest giving it a few weeks until they can churn things out quicker.

I went in to check this place out. The décor is cute, with a sofa facing the window so you can people watch onto Lark St. below. I read a few vegan cookbooks while I was waiting for my food, which took a while. I ordered a «tuna» sandwich, which is made of a carrot mash mixed with some pickles and dill to mimic the flavor of tuna salad. The sandwich wasn’t hot or anything so it came out a little slower than I would have expected. There were a few tables still waiting on their food though so it’s not like the kitchen wasn’t busy. The sandwich was superb though and tasted reminiscent of a sandwich made with real tuna. I would come back here to try the coffee and breakfast sandwich next time. Great job for a place that’s just starting out!

The place is bright and right sized. The best part of the space is the second story picture window overlooking Lark Street with a view straight down Chestnut. A long couch faces the wall of glass. It seems perfect for passing the time on a cold winter day.
Everyone working there was very sweet. We were asked if we’d been in before. Since we hadn’t we were given some background. Making a connection with the customers, you know. The right way to be.
I had the artisan griller (grilled cheese). It was a delight. I expected Daiya on bread but it was made with homemade cheesy spread that was delicious. Nice bread, too. Attention had also been paid to the slaw. Purple cabbage. Jalapeños. Nicely dressed. I wish there had been more of it.
Lacey had the breakfast sandwich listed on a specials board to our left. It was also terrific. Cheesy tofu scramble with All Vegetarian, Inc. vegan bacon on ciabatta. Side of nicely prepared home fries.
There are ten other things on the menu I want to try. They also have a cooler with things to buy for carry away. I was most tempted by the packages of vegan bacon they were offering. Same as the bacon on Lacey’s sandwich – really delicious stuff.
Thanks for being here!