Tramontane Cafe

The tram burger is a veggie burger with so much goodness on it. It will haunt my dreams. I stinking love it. Once again we experienced the rare phenomenon of my children finishing their entire sandwiches. Great food, delicious lattes, awesome atmosphere, the Tram is worth a stop.

Found via Unilocal.Doesn’t look like much from the outside but very good soup and frittata all for 9 bucks. Also great baked goods. It is within walking distance to the Munson Proctor William museum

A low key place with a great vibe and fresh cheap food! I would definitely go again!

Great find in Utica traveling home. Open mic on Sunday night. Gluten free bread, great coffeehouse vibe and nice live music. Good choices for light eating.

The BEST! Supper yummy food and an awesome place to hang out! My favorite is a banana chocolate chip muffin grilled with butter!

University coffee shop feel to it
Great soup
Pita and hummus was yummy
Nice vegan veggie menus with plenty for the carnivore
Great sandwiches
Good service

Loved it. Awesome coffee house/​café. The place just has a cool, relaxed vibe. Great coffee. Had some sandwich with apples, ham, and cheese, which was great too. Décor is awesome. Loved the Psychedelic Furs record cover on the wall. Staff was super friendly and attentive. They all seemed genuine. Wish I had a place like this where I live. I’d be there daily. If you’re in Utica or swinging through, stop here. Easy 5 stars.

You won’t find a much better coffee house/​café than the Tram! The atmosphere of the Tram is almost as amazing as their food. And their milkshakes are one of the best menu items they have. When you go to the Tram it has a very laid back feel that will make anyone feel comfortable.

I’ve been to this place twice, and it’s my favorite place in Utica… besides the beautiful theatre. There’s a sandwich and soup menu, lots of baked treats, and coffee drinks. There’s plenty of gluten free, vegan, and vegetarian options. I wish there was a bit more variety in their food options.
The chai is some of the best I’ve ever had! It’s particularly satisfying in their cold windy snowy winters.
The atmosphere is so fun. All the furniture is different, so just picking a place to sit is an adventure.
The food is pretty good, the soups are great, and the bread options are fantastic (from a local bakery, I think).
The service is friendly and casual, though maybe a tad slow.

Came here on a Saturday to chat with a great friend.
Pros:
— My friend said that the chai latte was really good!
— The portion of each drink was decently sized and the prices vary from $ 1-​something to $ 2-​something
— Really nice café workers
— Love the inside décor (very hipster)
— Not too noisy or too quiet, so it’s a great place to have an in-​depth chat with a friend (s)
— I really like the seating options here — from comfy couches to comfy chairs
Cons:
— One bathroom

This place is a diamond in the rough. While killing some down time in Utica, I blindly followed fellow Unilocalers’ suggestion (s) and my GPS and pulled up to «The Tram.» While I was a bit skeptical from the roadway, I didn’t let aesthetics deter me. An overfull parking lot, tons of (+) reviews and being one of the few coffee spots actually open on a Sunday evening, I had to make my way in.
This place has (almost) all of my favorite things; deliciously aromatic espresso, comfy & ample seating, wicked friendly staff and above all else, live entertainment!
As long as you’re not DD’s or Tim Hortons, it’s pretty difficult to mess up quality coffee beans. However, add live music from this areas local talent and you’ve got a receipt for success. I’ll be back for sure, the next time I swing through!

Love this place! Drinks and food is great and we really enjoy the open mic Sunday nights. You get to see the best of people, everyone is friendly and the place very rustic. Could use aesthetic improvements on the outside…

I love this spot. A comfy, cozy coffee house with friendly and welcoming owners and servers. It’s a large space, so it’s easy to get a table and I don’t feel bad about taking up space if I stay and work for a few hours. The food is cheap and pretty good, and I really appreciate how veggie/​vegan friendly the place is. I’m new to the area, but Tram really seems to be a great asset to the community. Easily my favorite coffee house in Utica. My only little wish is that they would open a bit earlier on the weekends (unless I’m mistaken, Tram currently opens at noon on Saturdays and Sundays).

The Tram is an eclectic spot to get coffee, and food. Perfect for little lunch dates, and a true coffee house experience. The atmosphere is truly relaxing– you can just kick back and conversate for hours in this place because its so comfy.

Heard about this place via Facebook, so when I was in town visiting Utica, it was on our list of places to check out. Ambiance & décor are great! Great mix of music fills the room, and they also host spoken word/​poetry nights, & open mics for musicians. Coffee is always flowing here, and the food hits the spot. Plenty of options, and even vegan friendly fare, too. Whether you’re just passing through town, craving an affordable lunch spot, or want to check out some local talent at night, THE TRAM is for you!

Unilocal is spot on! Found this gem while searching for a lunch place on a road trip. It doesn’t look likes much on the outside and its in a weird location, but I was quite happy once we sat down. It’s homey and warm and food is fresh and healthy. Vegetarian and vegan friendly and great for kids.
Husband says coffee was great, and he is a bit of a coffee snob, and iced coffee had coffee ice cubes.
Oh and super cheap. $ 28 fed 2 adults and 3 kids.

If you’re working a show downtown (ie at the Stanley), the Tram is a little slice of the city and your best coffee and lunch option. It’s an 8 min walk from the theater, approx, which makes it just perfect for lunch breaks.
Tram meets all your coffee and espresso needs, has all kinds of creamer (soy included) and sweeteners. A great vegan option, as they have three different kinds of soy «meats» as well as vegan desserts.
The sandwiches are packed with FRESH veggies (if desired), and the baked goods are made right on the premises.
Takes credit cards.
Cozy, wonderful little treasure.

So, we found The Tram Café, as the locals refer to it, on our way back to NYC after spending 5 days in a cabin in Rome, NY absorbing ourselves in daily songwriting sessions. We decided to check out Utica and asked the barista at Café Domenico, another homegrown coffee house we grabbed coffee at, where a hip, trendy vegetarian place to eat would be. He recommended The Tram Café and we ran with it.
Oh, what a great space! I love walking into a place where you can just feel the tender loving care that was put into creating the ambiance and vibe of it all!
So, we ordered a house salad with ginger dressing and two yummy vegetarian burger with everything on it! I added peppers and olives to mine to top it off! And it came with some chips.
The service was great, the staff members were friendly and easy going. Overall, it was a great experience and I’d recommend The Tram to anyone who likes the feel of «Home Grown» spaces.
Love & Light,
Jen
The other ½ of Stilettos-​n-​Steel

Highly improbable find in a sort of empty block in the up-​and-​down town of Utica, Tramontane is a genuine hipster café with enormous cups of decent coffee, a limited but tasty menu (I had a spinach-​licious fritatta), a potluck décor with ambient lights and mismatched tables and old album covers on the wall, friendly staff, and today a regular named Mr. Rainbow who heartily greeted us upon arrival. It’s in fairly close proximity to the art museum, which makes a nice little expedition from parts yonder, and there’s a small stage and while we didn’t see any musical acts on a sleepy Tuesday morning, it was just kinda cool feeling the vibe.
There’s a dedicated little parking lot to one side, and you can walk (if you dare) from the art museum parking lot if you’re doing the Utica-​scene tour.
I give it a fifth star because it was literally a destination for us today — and it proved to be relaxed and amenable to long quiet conversation with just the right level of attention from the staff. Seriously, I could never ask for more in a coffee house/​café.

Coming to Utica for grad school from Long Island was a big move for me. Especially leaving my so-​close-​to-​NYC pizza, bagels and coffee houses behind.
I was missing my local coffee house from back home when I decided to give «The Tram,» as the locals say, a fair shot.
Went down with my roommates to check out their open mic night and I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed myself.
PROS:
Great local musicians
Tasty soy chai latte in a humungous cup
Relaxing environment
Friendly employees
CONS:
Very limited room to sit (got stuck sitting at a tiny table next to the bathroom… whomp whomp)
–I’m looking forward to going back on a less crowded day/​night