MOOD COFFEE — Restaurant in Troy

When I arrived at Mood Coffee, I was surprised to see it had replaced Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co., a spot I had visited several times before and really enjoyed—especially because it was the first place I ever tried Yemeni coffee. While I was a little sad to see Qamaria gone, it was nice to see a similar concept take its place, and I was curious to see how Mood would compare.

The interior is clean and minimal, with a calm and simple aesthetic. It’s a smaller space but offers a good amount of seating, mostly suited for groups of two to four. While the one staff member at the register was nice, the energy felt a bit muted.

I ordered the Adeni, which came out to a little over $6. It’s pre-made, and you’re asked whether you’d like sugar—I opted for honey instead. The flavor didn’t quite work for me personally; I expected something closer to a latte-style drink. I normally finish my drinks, but this was a rare case where I only drank about half. That said, I think it’s the kind of drink that some people would really enjoy, especially if they’re familiar with the style. (I originally wanted the Adeni Chai Latte iced, but the staff let me know it wasn’t available iced yet as they were still in their soft opening phase.)

To go with my drink, I also ordered a plain Simit for $3. The texture was great, but the flavor on its own was very mild. Personally, I found the sesame topping a bit too much, but my friend ended up eating the whole thing—so clearly it’s worth trying, perhaps with something added inside for more flavor.

Overall, Mood Coffee feels like a work in progress. I’m definitely open to coming back to try other items as their full menu and offerings...

They have a very nice espresso machine, I ordered a hot vanilla latte, it had a medium body, very aromatic and a smooth mouth feel. My only complaint about the coffee was how sweet it was, I would suggest getting about half of what they add if you don’t want something as sweet. They had a wide variety of deserts. I ordered a Cheese with Veggie Simit, and it was very good and had a very soft texture, with very fresh veggies and flavorful melted cheese. I ordered a Dubai Chocolate Cake, it was amazing, though it was tough to eat, the top of the chocolate was hard, so it was hard to cut through, but with its semi-sweet flavor and crunchy texture it was worth the effort. There was a very nice atmosphere, though I believe that the service could improve just slightly, for example, if the barista took your order to table, wearing a smile and making small talk. Things like this make a world’s difference. The heat in the cafe was up a little high. But a big issue was the bathrooms, they were very dirty and looked as if they hadn’t been cleaned in at least 2 weeks. There was hair and built up scum on the sinks. They had very nice seats though, and it was a nice experience...

This looks like a great place that I'd like to try out, but let me tell you about my experience...

We saw this place on the way to Starbucks on Crooks and thought it looked nice. When we got to the Starbucks, their door was locked an hour before they closed, and was only available for drive thru, so we left, and thought we'd go to mood coffee. I called, because I wanted to know if they have oat milk but when the guy answered I asked if I could have my coffee in a mug, the he said it is their store policy to not pour coffee into in-store mugs any later than one hour before closing time. I told him I think it tastes better in a mug, but he did not offer to accommodate. It was 37 minutes to close. So we went to Starbucks on Rochester. They were friendly and accommodating.

It would be great if mood had a policy to be friendly and accommodating even if it is an hour before closing.

Would love for someone from mood if they'd like me to have a good second impression. My first...