Expresso Express

SLOPPY 1980S-​ERA CAPTIVE CAFÉ
Like fellow tenant Empire State Deli, this new hash-​slinger is a slacker. Neither have to put in much effort because they have a huge captive clientele of fairly affluent «eat at my desk» One Shell Square workers.
$ 4 FOR ABOUT 8OZ OF BITTER ICED COFFEE
Served in a 24oz cup, I measured off a little over 7 ounces of actual coffee, the rest was ice. There’s no in-​house kitchen so all food is reheated.
BETTER NEARBY BREAKFAST ALTERNATIVES:
P&G, Welty’s Deli, CCs, Merchant, Ruby Slipper, the Hummingbird (and it’s been closed 20 years).

This place is the most pathetic excuse of a café I’ve ever seen.
EVERYTHING is premade.
The iced coffee is from a pre-​bought jug. The coffee they do make doesn’t taste quality.
The eggs are powder fake crap that just turns into a stiff patty. A few times I went they were even burnt. The bacon is precooked floppy, thin, processed stuff that doesn’t even taste like bacon. I got their famous breakfast burrito and didn’t even see or taste an ounce of bacon.
The bagels and pastries are store bought — again nothing fresh in house.
I understand its a little shop in a business building, I don’t expect super high quality but I do expect better quality than it is. If this place were located outside of this busy building, they would not survive. People only go here because its convenient and fast.
I’d suggest you take a short little walk down the street to Between the Bread. They don’t have burritos which seems to be the favorite at this café but what they have is better quality for a few cents more. If you want pasties, go to the other side of the park to Pulp n’ Grind. They make all of their stuff in house, fresh, everyday. The coffee is quality and the staff are friendly. If you have a little time to spare, I’d even suggest the other deli in the OSS building over this one (which has its own issues) (call ahead).
Don’t go here. Don’t do it!!!

This place is alright in my book; I give it a solid 3 stars. The employees are consistent, friendly, and will take the time to get to know you if you’re one of the regulars.
Beverage-​wise, I’ll pass. The iced coffee comes from a pre-​bought jug and when all’s said and done, get ready for syrup overdose. They do have an espresso machine but I’d rather get my coffee elsewhere to be honest.
Their breakfast, on the other hand, is pretty awesome. The pastry and savory wrap selection is plentiful and my hands down favorite is the breakfast burrito. For $ 4.75, you get egg, sausage, bacon and salsa in a hot freshly pressed wrap (your choice of white or wheat!) They also cater heavily to OSS and those breakfast trays can’t be beat.

Biggest waste of money. I’ve stopped by 5 – 6 times and always seemed like quinoa was missing from the kale quinoa salad. Wanted to give them benefit of the doubt so bought one today. No price listed btw. When she told me $ 9.68!!! i figured it must be hidden b/​c no way they’d charge that much for just lettuce. Fool me once and only once bc I will never come back. Lettuce, 3 leaves of kale, couple bites tomato, cucumber and carrots. NO protein or fat. For $ 2 less go next door to Roly Poly and get a salad that will fill you up.

Expresso Express is located at One Shell Square and was the caterer for a 3 day business meeting that I recently attended. I’ve been to enough of these workshops that the daily continental breakfasts and lunches can kind of blend together. In this case, the first day breakfast (so so sweet rolls) and lunch (basic sandwiches) were unremarkable. Yet Day 2 featured some really good breakfast burritos and mid-​day paninis, which were a considerable improvement. Day 3 breakfast featured tasty bacon and eggs, which I only nibbled due to a previous 6 AM walk over to Café du Monde for coffee and beignets.
Overall, my Expresso Express experience was better than «A OK» and a little less than «I’m a Fan», which in online review speak is 3.5 Stars. I’ll up it to 4 as the folks delivering the food were nice and the package included a barrel of soft drinks that helped us through a sometimes long day.