Connecticut Muffin

I don’t know what happened to this place! The service is SO SLOWWWWWWWWW — usually, 1 – 2 people working so they are 1) Taking orders 2) preparing food 3) making specialty coffees — clearly that is not enough people on deck to do all these things and you have a line! i’m a little cranky as I type this because I’m fungry lol! But still i get annoyed everytime I stop in here regardless. Do better!

I walked in today to purchase two cupcakes a red velevet and a chocolate one. The wait time was alright not too long. Sad to say the employee was trying to overcharge me for who knows what reason. He said $ 7 for two cupcakes, the cupcakes have always been 2.50 each. Mind you he wasn’t displaying the total on the screen so I don’t know if he was trying to steal money perhaps. Anyways I told him oh you guys increased the price, he then changed it to 2.50. I just finished having the red velvet cupcake at home, it was dry and the frosting had no cream cheese flavor. I’m very disappointed and felt it was a waste of my time. I hope if there is a next time that it is better.

The house blend coffee was perfect for me. Full bodied, not watery. Strong without being bitter. Would definitely get again. The egg sandwich was ok. Next time I will try a muffin which I am guessing is there specialty, since it is in the name of this place. And the bathroom was clean.

I’m not sure how many chances you’re supposed to give a joint. In this case I’ve opted for 10. This place is consistently dirty behind the counter and out front. The service is slow and petulant. The food and coffee are mediocre. Today they were displaying fully rotten bananas with their heads falling off and piles of unrefridgerated perishables on top of the work surface. On a street with tons of mom-​and-​pop coffee options, you think they try a little harder to care.

Coffee tends to taste scorched here so order an espresso drink, that’s my advice. This Connecticut Muffins inhabits a pleasing airy corner space on a stretch of the ever-​abrasive Nostrand just a few blocks up from Atlantic. The pastries are crude looking things, some garishly frosted, and can be on the dry side. Service is lukewarm. Cold drinks are in a reach-​in cooler precisely as at Starbucks, which I guess Connecticut Muffins looks to for inspiration.

Two stars based, only, on proximity and convenience. Great space and location. Was happy to see them arrive, based on my experience with their other locations.
They staff is generally friendly. But this CM has notoriously slow service and a lesser menu, compared to other CM locations. Often the floors, table and counters tops are not clean. Sometimes they get orders wrong and the coffee needs to be re-​heated.
The biggest problem is that they are too slow to take orders and deliver them. Generally, if I have to wait more than 10 minutes, I go elsewhere. Richol or Lula.
CM was a welcome addition to the Nostrand Ave. I hope their service improves. As more new folks, and coffee shops move in, I hope they keep up with higher expectations.

The coffee isn’t the greatest but the muffins are delicious… my favorite is the Lemon Poppy seed… Great place to study and kill a few hours relaxing

I came here a few months ago — slow service and mediocre coffee.
Decided to give them a second chance and was equally disappointed.
Disorganized and painfully slow. Do not waste your time — even if you have all day.

Really bad coffee. Saw a huge dead cockroach upon walking in. The wifi is ok. On cold days the place is freezing. On hot days the place is an oven. The only reason I come here is because it’s right around the corner from my apt and there’s usually seating and ample plugs to charge your devices. In terms of customer service, the folks are pleasant, but they can be slow. I avoid this place in the mornings when I have a train to catch. All this to say — I’ll be trying to find another café that’s nearby sans roaches.

Do yourself a favor and walk further down Nostrand to any of the other real bagel places. The service at Connecticut is super slow, and you are made to feel as if you are a burden to the staff. They have a terrible selection of cream cheese, they can’t even be bothered to label or list what bagels they have instead forcing you to have to point to a pile of random bagels in a basket. The coffee is worse than 7-​eleven and all there coffee drinks come from a automatic machine. I have tied to like this place because I live right up stairs. I have continued to go back and offer many chances to keep me. I’m now walk 5 blocks to go to a real café.

Never again. The worst service I’ve ever experienced. I ordered an egg breakfast sandwich when there was no one else in the café. It was literally empty expect for me and TWO employees. Not just one. All I ordered was an egg on a bagel and it took 35 minutes.

I got a pumpkin flavored latte and it tasted like pure sugar. The drinks are all made from powder, and for that reason I think it’s very overpriced. Long story short, It’s not really my kind of place.

After an unexpected hiatus from the folks at Breukelen Brasserie, I decided to give CT Muffin a second chance. What a disappointment.
The space is welcoming and has plenty of seating, but your experience will deteriorate as soon as you approach the counter. Several Unilocalers had previously outlined the horrendous service, and after one negative experience a few months back, I should’ve known what I was in for.
I’ll spare you from excessive detail, but you have been warned — the service is exceptionally slow and discourteous. Both workers at the counter projected an attitude of disgust; as in, «how dare I order a black coffee and blueberry muffin.» Only the simplest fucking order in the book. But I digress…
The coffee was burnt and the muffin reminiscent of the greasy, flavorless Hostess muffins you might receive at a grade school breakfast.
I won’t be back. Hopefully my Crown Heights neighbors will concur. It’s a damn shame places like Scratch Bread & BK Brasserie struggle to survive when wastes-​of-​space like this exist.

Connecticut Muffin is a nice place with quality products. My favorites are smoked salmon 7,5 $ (in a bagel with cream cheese, capers and red onions) and roasted turkey 7,5 $ (with melted cheese and grainy mustard). Ingredients are always fresh. Vanilla hazelnut coffee is outstanding.
Employees are nice to customers but you can tell that they don’t care about the place at all. Bathrooms are always filthy, they never clean the tables and you will never find napkins on the station.
When this place become cleaner I will come back to give them 5 stars.

I went back in because I got a last minute idea on my train ride to work to get some cupcakes for the CNAs and my facility as a «bribe» to get a certain task done (since me being able to do some parts of my job are dependent on them!). Anyway, the cupcakes looked super yummy (I didn’t try one), but everyone who did said they loved them. I’m giving them another star because the cupcakes worked and got great reviews!

I live in the neighborhood and was craving some coffee one early morning. Babe went and picked some up and let me tell you… it was the worst coffee ever. Just bad. Maybe an off day… but wow. Wow, how can you fail?
Never to return again.

I usually don’t write reviews but my experience here didn’t go well. There were only two people working behind the counter. The shorter female employee was super slow and had an attitude. I will not be going back to this location. I would suggest hiring more staff and friendlier staff. On the positive side, the store’s décor is really nice and my latte was good.

You know I don’t write reviews usually and try to give things a fair shot. I have to say, today was the straw that broke the camels back.
I live right about the Connecticut muffin and in the beginning I stopped by there often and now its next to none. I have to be fairly desperate to go in there but let me share.
Pros:
Spacious
Clean
Good selection of food
Prices not bad
Coffee good
Rewards program
Cons:
Service (let me explain)
You’re probably saying well there are more pros than cons and this is true. I believe those are the things that make this a good spot. My problem is speed of service and general service in general. This also applies in a overall sense. I have never had instances with a particular person. Matter fact, most staff I met have been pleasant.
My thing is, rush hour morning is slow. I know its a prime time but then you should be on point about handling the flow of traffic, especially for a simple thing like ordering coffee. I know making a fresh sandwich takes time, I’m emphatic to that.
But seriously, I went in there today. One person was in front of me with her order being completed. There were 3 staff in there, one was in the back doing stuff (I’m assuming a task that needs to be done. I get it). Then there was someone on the register waiting for the sandwich that was order, while the third was completing the order. I stood there made eye contact but nothing. Its cool, I think she was in training. The order comes but they miss an item, so the third went to get it. Still cool. Now another person comes in behind me, waiting to make an order. This is about 5 minutes after I got there.
Now the order is complete the cashier is figuring out what to press, my guess she was new and in training (on a morning rush hour shift? but sure). Now we are 7 minutes in, 2 people running the register. The gentlemen in the back who was doing something comes up but asks the person behind me for a ice coffee, not me because it appeared the other was helping or had. That was furthest from the truth. She realized she didn’t take my order, which I made and then she proceeded to make my coffee. At this point, the person who came in after gets her coffee, goes to pay, which she does before I even have mine.
How does a simple rule of a line get butchered. Not to mention the whole time, the person on the register was standing there but at one point asked for my order after it was already taken. That lets me know she could have at least asked my order while waiting for patron 1 was getting their sandwich. At least be able to grab a medium cup and put ice in it. Stage it.
This may seem small to some and you may think its trivial but if staff can’t even pay attention to a minor thing like this, I’d be concerned. I like to point out this type of thing has happened before but I fault myself for giving them another shot. Not more. I rather go out of my way to the other coffee spots on Nostrand and be out the door quicker CT Muffin.
I used to have the strict rule; if I see 3 people in line, keep moving or if I have time, prepare to wait.
Now I rather not bother at all.

Ok… I’ll admit, CM has the best mocha latte… and some of the best bagels/​muffins (when they’re fresh)
And today I actually got in & out in under 20 minutes.
They need to hire more EFFICIENT STAFF members that understand time management and they’ll get all 5 of my stars one day…

Ok, let’s be honest. We all wish that this place was another Bagelsmith, but it’s not. But it’s fine. We have to learn to love and respect this carb-​based establishment for who he really is. Please don’t take this the wrong way Conny, but the prices, taste of the coffee, and trying-​to-​be-​arty wood paneling and mass-​produced art feel very trite in this neighborhood. I just feel like you don’t «get it.» If the owners of this corporation had their minds right, they would make the effort to develop stronger aesthetic relations to the neighborhood and perhaps do the same to the food and drink.
Ok so I’m sitting next to a cop here so I’m not gonna get TOO crazy. My everything bagel with egg whites, fontina cheese, and turkey sausage is, well, fine. My iced espresso with a splash of cream is… Well I’ll drink it. :^\
Ultimately it feel like so many things are overlooked here… I mean have you seen the logo? What graphic designer let you pull that from a Windows 95 clip art catalog? I’m serious…
Look… People keep walking through that door and the people sitting quietly reading and being cops are having a fine time. a FINE time. No one is smiling or laughing. No one. If you need to get some work done, I think this place is great, but don’t expect the vernacular of your emails to be inspired by what is in front of you. Just get in the zone, turn off your phone, and enjoy your scone. ;^)