Carmen’s Cafe

Open 2 days a week= nothing is fresh! It gets held until used up and priced WAY TOO HIGH. There isnt anything special about the menu that you cant make at home. The «Cuban Eggs» are not even close to Cuban! White dry rice some avocado … Seriously skip it! It takes forever to get it and service gets worse and worse. The sangria that is homemade is juice with wine in it. One of THE WORSE PLACES in the Capital Region!

Probably one of the best breakfast places in Schenectady County. We ordered the empanadas, flan french toast and huevos flamenco. Empanadas were crunch on the outside and soft on the inside, very flavorful. The Flan french toast! Holy crap it was melt in your mouth good. The huevos flamenco were alright. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the troy area! Cute little place to go on a date too.

My favorite brunch spot in the capital district. I absolutely love Paula, she is a riot and really takes care of her patrons. She and Carmen are always anticipating your needs. The restaurant is off the beaten path and while it’s always busy, I’ve never had to wait. The menu has some great staples and the specials are always varied and delicious!!! The flan French toast is a must try! The prices are super affordable.

Alright, I’m am not even going to comment on the food. It probably is delicious, though a pretty small menu. Let me preface this: we travel across country for work and frequently eat lunch as a group.
Here’s the thing; we went in a Saturday and the place was pretty busy, with one server. Ok, we sat around for awhile, but figured this may be decent food. We sat all around the restaurant in available seats. First the server was going to consider us a one large party and charge for a large party. Then we were informed that they would not split checks, not even between two people. Well, there was 12 of us…
Just know that if you happen to get there when it’s «busy» you can’t split checks and you may get some snappy attitude to go with that…

What an unsuspecting surprise nestled among the salt stacks and Old Brick Furniture. A coworker of mine alerted me to this Cuban gem. Don’t let the graffiti or the warehouse district scare you away, you’re not lost, and it’s worth the visit.
They’ll greet you with a warm hello and let you choose your seat. You may do a double take to make sure you’re not in some hipster coffee shop because it was full of bearded men with dark thick rimmed glasses on this Saturday morning. But if you stop and listen you’ll here the Spanish music playing in the background and know you’re in the right place.
The menu includes traditional Cuban dishes, both brunch and dinner.
I opted for the chorizo stew served with a side of toasted bread and an egg over easy on top. Sort of like the Cuban version of Bibimbap. The stew was delicious, warm, spicy. Maybe could have used a little more flavor and spice for me but it was excellent nonetheless. Even the bread was fantastic. Soft, warm, lightly toasted… sort of heavenly.
My husband’s Cuban sandwich was a warm, cheesy, stack of goodness complemented wonderfully by the tartness of the pickle inside. The show stopper of the meal however was the fried yucca fries. Oh how I love yucca which can be had to find this far North! It was fried to perfection and must be dipped in the sauce that accompanied the empanada. Don’t taint it with ketchup!
We also ordered a side salad and a beef empanadas to round things out. The salad was seasoned simply, reminded me of how my mother likes to do it… salt, lemon and olive oil. No frills here, no song and dance, just deliciousness.
The empanadas was a little envelope of meaty goodness with flaky empanadas crust that we dipped in the chipotle flavored dip it came with.
If it wasn’t apparent already, we will be back. I’d like to try their brunch menu if I can fight the urge to get another bowl of the stew and a Cuban.

I’ve always been a fan of Carmen’s and after not dining here in well over a year, I was looking forward to brunch there on Sunday. I was surprisingly disappointed. I ordered the Cuban eggs. The first indication that there was going to be trouble was when I asked for egg whites, our waitress responded that the chef «doesn’t know how to do that». OK, I thought, that’s a fairly common request across the world, for a «chef» but so be it.
When my food arrived, the beans were lukewarm and flavorless. The avocado was brown, and about the only good item on the plate was the white rice. The white rice!!!
I wish it ended there, but the service was as equally unflattering. We only saw the waitress twice: when she took our order and when she brought us our food. She never came to check on us once, nor did she care to refill our drinks. I’d give her credit if the place was packed, but there were only two other tables occupied by customers while we were there.
Carmen’s used to be such a lively place to go to on a Sunday. I don’t know if there have been staff changes, but it was truly disappointing, and I cannot, in good faith, recommend this establishment for food.

A hidden gem in troy, we decided to stop after reading the reviews before we went to the farmers market downtown. The food was fantastic, all three of us truly enjoy every bite and the waitress was very polite.

Carmen’s claims their cubano sandwich is authentic. I don’t know enough about cubano sandwiches to know if that claim is legit or not. But I’ve been to Carmen’s a couple of times now. I had the cubano both times. It was so good on my first visit that I came back a second time to have it again.
The restaurant is tiny, with about 12 tables inside, and a few outside on the sidewalk in the summer.
The cubano is delicious. The bread is very thin, with a crackly crust. Two thin slices of ham. A super thin slice of pickle, a thin layer of shredded pork, melted cheese, and just enough mustard that you can taste it. I’m addicted to the thing.
If you come to Carmen’s I implore you to get the yucca fries. Super crispy, topped with shallot and garlic, and served with a side of chipotle aioli. They have a slightly more earthy flavor than potatoes and are just a bit more dense. They are amazing. I’d order them over plain old french fries any day of the week.
Carmen’s has a lot of other items on the menu, and I have no doubt it’s all very good. But the cubano sandwich and yucca fries are so good, that I will have a hard time passing on them and getting something else on my next visit.

I went for breakfast and I’ll keep this short and sweet. I wanted to order multi-​grain pancakes and they didn’t have any. I wanted to order yucca fries and they didn’t have any. Despite both of these facts I still absolutely loved it and very, very highly recommend Carmen’s. I hidden gem that I can’t wait to go back to.

We went here for brunch the other day and for a first impression we knew it had to be good. It’s tucked away from all the other restaurants, making it a hidden gem in Troy.
The food was amazing. The amount we received for each dish and side was plenty. The taste was amazing! So many flavors and from what the waitress said, everything sounded like it’s fresh and healthy.
Our server was so nice and she told us her husband was the cook. She made us feel like we’ve been going for years. Very attentive and friendly, always making sure we were taken care of.
Me and my girlfriend are excited to go back and try more dishes.

Great hidden little treasure for weekend breakfast/​brunch. The Jim-​gerale is what brought me in after trying some at the Farmer’s market. Food was delicious– I wasn’t too adventurous and had pancakes, eggs, and their house cured bacon, but it was delicious. My friend had the ranch eggs. Wow. So good. A million different flavors on 1 plate. Will definitely get that next time. Priced good. Only complaint was the wait, took a little over an hour for our food to come out– but I saw others with mimosas and sangria to keep you busy. It was a full house inside and out of the small cute restaurant. Definitely will come back.

Carmen’s is the best restaurant of all time. They are open limited hours to create the demand in your heart. The demand for the most delicious Cuban and breakfast food ever. Try the Eggs Jimbo if you like fresh spinach and mushrooms! The Cortado is a delicious chocolatey coffee. My favorites are the Chicken BLAT sandwich or the Ranch Eggs with Chorizo Hash. Ok I’m going there tomorrow…

This is my «go to» brunch spot! I have never had a bad item on the menu, the plantains are always spot on and I believe rice and beans should come with every meal! The mimosa’s are delish and the empanadas are to die for. My only gripe is the hours. I was hoping to go there for lunch today but am disappointed to see they are closed. So more hours would be nice but the food is perfect!

Another opportunity to enjoy a delicious and unique breakfast on the way to airport. Had the tostada with chorizo special and wife had the Frittata special

A must-​do for brunch. The cortada coffee is the best, a creamy, rusty colored swirly delight with dark chocolate on the bottom. I love the flavors here– warm and familiar, not hot and spicy– like those unfamiliar with Cuban food might assume. Also love the easy unpretentious atmosphere. A true Troy treasure.

Husband and I came here for brunch on a cold Sunday after church.
I was definitely digging the vibe. When we walked in there were a lot of happy people brunching. It felt lively and warm.
Service was as attentive as it could be but its always a little awkward when there are too many clients for the staff to handle. Kudos to our waitress for not making us feel ignored but we waited longer than we should have at some points.
The food was 3 stars. I’m grateful for the variety Carmen’s brings to the troy area. But the entrees didn’t stand out to me. The flamenco chorizo stew tasted nothing like chorizo and the husbands Cuban sandwich was skinny and dull. No depth. If it wasn’t for the bottled hot sauce the meal would have been pretty boring.
I did enjoy the homemade ketchup, the sweet coleslaw that accompanied the Cuban and the fries were good (but I had to salt them myself.) someone was eating pancakes next to us and Those looked great– thick and fluffy but I’m not a breakfast food person.
They were also giving out samples of their Spanish hot chocolate which I totally would have ordered if I had sampled it at the beginning of the meal.
We left full but slightly disappointed. It made me miss my Texan Mexican food joints… A LOT.

I eat. A lot. I eat many things, but my favorite things are simple, joyful and straightforward. I found that on a Saturday morning at Carmen’s. I don’t think i’ve ever had a better breakfast out to eat before, and I eat breakfast out (and at home) a lot.
I ordered the Huevos Flamencos. It was AWESOME. I left, so so so full and warm. 2 over easy eggs over a flavorful tomato stew of potatoes and chorizo. It was expertly simple and I just want to eat it every day. It had a Portuguese roll on the side (olive oiled and butter if I’m not mistaken) which was perfect to sop up all the broth.
The service was great, the food was quick to arrive and I left there 8 bucks lighter but with a new favorite breakfast spot.
Also, I’m ashamed to say I live not one block from here and it took me almost 6 months to check it out. Don’t be like me. If you live in Troy you should be a regular.

I’ve eaten at Carmen’s twice now, once for breakfast and once for lunch. The space is beautiful, airy and cozy at the same time. There’s a bar and about a dozen tables. They’re open Thursday for lunch, Friday for lunch and dinner and the weekend for breakfast and lunch.
Breakfast was delicious, husband and I each had omelets, him the Ricardo and me the pulled pork. Service was good, we felt extremely welcome.
We took the daughter when we went for lunch. Husband had the Flamenco Chorizo Stew, I had the Cubano and DD had pancakes with real maple syrup. The food took quite a while to come out, but was worth the wait. My husband’s stew was outstanding, my sandwich was great and DD loved the pancakes. The only down note for me was the brussel sprout coleslaw. There wasn’t anything wrong with it but was just sweeter than I like.
I can’t wait to go back and have dinner. Sometimes they have Pernil as a special, hopefully it will be available when we go next.

2.5 stars, namely for the food. The restaurant is in an unassuming place in a sort of quiet and deserted part of town. You wouldn’t see it in passing while driving in Troy. You find this place because you looked for it. The interior is cozy and clean, conjuring a friendly atmosphere that makes it very attractive to lounge. It’s a very nice place to be. Perhaps because it’s somewhat hidden, it makes it an even more interesting find.
Not so exciting were our dishes on a weekend morning. I had the Cuban Eggs that came with 2 eggs, rice, black beans, plantains and sliced avocado. The portions were on the meager side. The avocado slices looked very thin and small. The eggs were fine (sunny side up as requested), but the mound of black beans and slices of plantains looked so unsubstantial that in total, the little parts of the dish did not create a whole that was appealing. Nothing particularly stood out as outstanding. I admit that I was seated by the wall that looks into the kitchen, and when I saw part of the dish being microwaved before being served, it did dishearten me somewhat. The presentation of the dish only further confirmed those feelings.
D had the Cubano, a sandwich of roasted pork, ham, swiss cheese, pickle and mustard. He was not too enthusiastic about his breakfast either, namely due to the contents of the sandwich. Somehow the ingredients didn’t come together for him and he felt that the sauce didn’t quite make his sandwich like a Cubano. I believe he meant the sauce lacked depth of flavor.
Free refills on good coffee was very much appreciated. The service was attentive.

«Beans and Rice Brunch or Bust»
By Josh K.
Upon first glance, it may not be immediately noticeable, but Carmen’s Café has that unique touch of refined class — that one can only find on the antiquated colonial cobblestone streets of Old San Juan (and the pre-​revolution Havana of my dreams) that has been specially brought over from the Caribbean to Troy’s 1^st Street.
Case in point: When a brunch menu offers two eggs perfectly cooked sunny side up served with garnished, mashed black beans, a spicy tomato chili sauce, and deliciously savory lime crème; complemented with a slice of thick, buttery Texas toast, and your choice of spicy chorizo or veggie hash — you would be very foolish not to order it.
Upon further reflection, you could do no wrong with poached eggs served in a stew of chorizo, peppers, onions, and potatoes in a spicy tomato broth; served alongside a soft Portuguese roll.
Is Carmen’s Café authentic Cuban? Is it truly Puerto Rican?
Or is Carmen’s Café just a small, homey local diner with more than just a hint of Latin flare and a bottomless cup of coffee?
Whatever the label is, Carmen’s Café is absolutely delicious and a one of kind place here in the Capital Region — and another reason I love Troy and all the hidden gems the Collar City has to offer.