Sean Gilgore

This location is known for great coffee and gourmet baked goods. The service is different as it is a walk up cafeteria style restaurant with 1st come 1st serve seating. You will compete with hotel guests who may take 3 tables without ordering anything as 20 people wait in line for their food. The chorizo hash was very tasty but spicy both in the sausage and the rosemary and thyme added to the bowl. The cinnamon roll is very good but at $4.50 a roll, they would be better warm. I assume coming on the Sunday of a holiday weekend it would be busy but it can be loud and a bit uncomfortable for some diners. I suggest a take out option or if you are staying at the hotel bring it up to your room if you are looking for more of a relaxing dining experience. Food is great.

+3

Ziaul Haque

Apparently one of the most popular local coffee chains of Buffalo, they have branches across different parts of Buffalo aside from Tim Hortons. The ambiance was below average in my opinion. The sofas were kinda dirty though it had covers. Still there were plenty of people. But we didn't like it as much hence we went to Haraz (Yemeni Coffee Shop) from there.

+2

Shenita Phillips

Although the staff is friendly, this is the second time I’ve received an incorrect order from this restaurant. I placed my order online after 1:00 PM today, and it felt like my food was rushed. My bacon was undercooked, and my online order clearly stated "no tomatoes." When I picked up my order, I asked the gentleman if there were any tomatoes on my sandwich, and he assured me there were none. I left the restaurant just before closing, and it was too late to contact them about the error. I want to request a refund. Thank you.

R C

The atmosphere here seems so cold and sterile. Not very welcoming or comfy/cozy. Not a place that I would feel comfortable spending time in. Its also a shame that the decor/style does not fit to the building it is located in. There were no sleeves for the hot coffee to go cups. I had to use a napkin. The one worker was eating behind the counter which didn't really seem too professional in my opinion. They do have lots of vegan/vegetarian options.

Ash Lamba

Loved the way the cafe is designed, it’s aesthetic, minimal and has a lot of natural light. The staff is super friendly and always has a smile on their face. I ordered a lemon ice tea which wasn’t that great, I should’ve probably ordered some coffee as that’s what they are known for. Overall, I enjoyed the vibe but was disappointed with my drink.

+2

Liam

I’ve had some of the best avocado toast at The Public Espresso on Seneca, so I was really looking forward to this location at Hotel Lafayette—but it was a big disappointment. The paper menu didn’t match the register system. The cashier insisted that the “build your own” options cost 50 cents each, while the menu indicated they were included and listed prices for extras. When I mentioned the discrepancy, she was dismissive. I ended up ordering the avocado toast, and it was underwhelming—not worth the price or the wait. Unfortunately, it was one of the few breakfast spots open on a Sunday in the area, but I wouldn’t recommend coming here.

Lex Z

The Public Espresso on Seneca served me one of the best avocado toasts I've ever had. This location, at hotel Lafayette, was incredibly disappointing. Their paper menu (which is included in this post) did not match the system that is used to ring you up. The cashier told me that the "build your own" options are 50cents an item, while the paper menu said everything is included, and you can add extras for a listed price. The cashier was super dismissive when this discrepancy was mentioned to her. I ended up getting the avocado toast, and it was pathetic. Not worth spending the money and not worth waiting. This place was, unfortunately, one of the only breakfast spots open on a Sunday in the area. Would not recommend.

Waited 15 minutes for my latte and 40 minutes for bagel and Caesar salad. When food came out I wasn’t given any utensils nor napkins. Guys behind counter seemed not to care and I noticed that people who ordered after me got their food before me. This was my first and will be my last experience! It was bad enough I needed to ride around for 15 minutes to find parking. $42 for 2 lattes a chicken Caesar salad and lox on bagel was not worth the money. It’s a predominantly white clientele. So all the five stars may very well not be from people of color like myself. Customer service refresher classes for staff is a must here.

Leonardo Hernandez-Gomez

Total disappointment…my second time ordering from this place via DoorDash and the second time they get my order wrong and do not read any of the selections I paid extra for such as “substitute salad for hash” or scrambled eggs…they need new staff that knows how to read instructions and offers better food presentation…this looks horrible and taste bland. For the price you pay, you can get way better options elsewhere. I don’t care so much about paying a little extra, but if I’m paying more then I expect overall better service and care in my order.

Jolee C

Update Mar. 2024: What's with this place and burning food? I came back just for their bagels bc all the other food we got last time was so gross. I got 3 bagels and all of them are burned to oblivion on the inside. Barely any cream cheese either. Yeah, definitely won't be back for anything now. And I'm opening a credit card claim bc this is just ridiculous since I had to throw all of them away. Were they blind when they slapped a tiny smear of cream cheese inside? There's no way you could've missed that. At least have the decency to scrape it off first but nope, had zero issues giving me this literal garbage. Just shows you how little they care. There were zero customers and it still took them 15 mins to toast 3 bagels incorrectly. ----------- They were not good for menu items for us. Baked goods are fine but the kitchen food was disgustingly salty where it made our mouths numb (see sweet potatoes pics - couldn't even finish it). The over medium eggs were very under cooked. It was like eating snot (see pic) - couldn't finish that either. The avocado they brought out was so brown (see pic) we had to send it back. We went around 9:30 am so the food should've been pretty fresh. I feel like this was from the night before. This coffee house didn't know what a flat white was and gave me a latte which would've been fine but it was barely warm. They were yelling my name across the whole restaurant (literally from the counter to the window seats by the front door) multiple times to come over to get my coffee and started waving their arms and jumping up and down - I was holding my baby while my husband was setting up the high chair and didn't want to burn her (not that it mattered since it wasn't even hot)! It's embarrassing to be shouted at like that and made a scene of because others were starting to look. Like 3 or 4 of them were doing that wth. I got my drink maybe 60 seconds after that and it was already lukewarm. Their baked goods are mostly fine. The honey lavender donut is like eating soap or potpurri - 100% pass. Even my sweet crazy kids didn't want it. The best thing they had? A sesame bagel with cream cheese. I'd go back just for that. Everything else was a definite no for me. If it weren't for the bagel and the decor, they would've had one star.

+3

Sam O

Ordered through door dash and the sweet potatoes were essentially charred and grilled onions were burnt. The entire bowl was essentially inedible. Normally, I would chalk this up as a one off but principally, packing something of this low quality is completely unacceptable.