Freedom of Espresso

solid cup of joe, tasty cinnamon rugelach, and the perfect space for productivity.

The atmosphere of this particular Freedom of Espresso is urbane, tasteful and comfy (including one leather sofa and one stuffed chair). Parking can be a problem. But the bottom line is the coffee. I’ve always been disappointed with FOE’s coffee and this location is no exception. A basic coffee at FOE, at least in this writer’s experience, is consistently dreadful at all the locations I’ve visited. (In fact, this is the first time in five years that I’ve dropped in on a FOE.) If an establishment can’t get that right, then I’m not willing to spend more on the fancier stuff.

My experience was just awful! I was looking for a place to pass time in the area, so this was one of few spots in short walking distance. I was starving too, so I thought I’d buy some sweet baked treat there to hold me over till dinner. NOPE! First off, none of the baked goods are labeled, or priced. So I ask the barista, who had the biggest «fuck off» face I’ve ever seen. She acted like me asking the prices was a complete inconvenience for her. Might I also add that it took me forever to even find the barista, I sat at the counter for 15 minutes with no service. Then as I’m contemplating what to eat to appease my growing hunger, I notice that there are fruit flies ALL OVER the baked goods. It would be fine if it were just a couple– I’m not that picky– but this was ridiculous for a place actually asking money for it. And when I pointed this out to the barista (hoping maybe she’d offer a discount, or at least some piece of mind that she would clean it up and replace the soiled goods), she merely said, «yup» and didn’t do anything. I then asked if there were things not exposed to hoards of fruit flies… to which she told me what I saw was what they had. Mainly the barista was truly terrible. The shop is cute and in a cool location. Had I been treated better, I probably would have stayed, fruit flies and all.

I’m an avid coffee shop hopper, and this is my favorite spot in Syracuse to hang out and get work done. The coffee is organic and chemical free, and they do a great job with espresso drinks. I feel like the true test for a coffee roaster is if their decaf is good, and FOE passes the test! It’s nice having this place so close to home; I would choose their coffee over Starbucks any day of the week.

Another uninspired catholic school cafeteria carbon copy… about 4 pitiful pastries available, grocery store tea bags with no flavor… no thanks… if you appreciate the wonderful local artist crafted mugs, (and you should buy to support local) you will be harassed for stealing by a gang of grey haired thugs representing a quite broad range of ages… not classy… except for the lovely young lady who will take your side against the paranoid inconsolable owner…

I thought the coffee had improved a bit since my last visit. The selection of food items was a bit sparse. Also the barista seemed overwhelmed at times.

I hate having such high standards for coffee sometimes. This place is great, but the coffee isn’t awesome. I love the atmosphere and the staff are super friendly. They have a decent selection of teas as well which is definitely a plus and that’s what I elect to get there most of the time because the coffee just doesn’t cut it for me. The lack of a variety pastries is sort of a letdown too.
This is a great café to go study in or read a book. Location is amazing, right in Franklin Square. I go here often and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good hangout spot.

yes.
Nearly always, I stop by when I’m walking my dog, (they are allowed to come in when you’re ordering to-​go) Staff will even offer your pet a treat, it’s very cool. Great pastry and iced coffee, great patio in warm weather, wish that there were more places like it.

My favorite place to have coffee meetings

I usually L-​O-​V-​E this place, because it is so chill and quiet and an awesome place to work. The people who usually frequent this place are PhD students, SU grad students, and locals who love to quietly and respectfully read the paper and drink delicious iced drinks. They have day-​old bagels and muffins here for $ 1 a pop and those make a tasty study break snack. It’s definitely my top choice coffee shop to frequent when I actually have serious work to do.
EXCEPT for those days when a rowdy, drunk wedding party decides to come inside and drink beer and talk loudly and not buy any coffee/​tea and the staff don’t do anything about it. I watched people leave almost immediately because the noise levels got ridiculous.
To recap: 98% of the time = 5 stars, «as good as it gets!»
The few times when it’s overrun by drunk, obnoxious frat boys/​men in tuxes = seethingly terrible, avoid at all costs (I actually saw people high-​five each other when the wedding party finally vacated the premises).

Conveniently located off the freeway. Cute spot with outdoor seating in what looks like a gentrified neighborhood of Syracuse (but I don’t know much about this city — was just driving through — so could be totally wrong). Ordered tea, coffee and cookies. The cookies looked better than they tasted (a little too sweet for my taste). The staff was crunchy, seemed kind of out of it. Had a big selection of tea and coffee drinks.

Pretty decent latte and OK service.
I went when at an off time, so things were pretty slow. As another reviewer mentioned, without much music, the place feels really dead.
Otherwise, the seating is ample and the place is nicely decorated. Outdoor seating and free WiFi make this place a pretty attractive coffee spot.

Good coffee, comfy sitting area. Kind of dead without music. Free internet is a plus for working.

First-​rate coffee infrastructure (Synesso, etc.) is somewhat undermined by inconsistently-​skilled staff. One barista’s espresso will be fabulous – the next one’s will be terrible. Makes it hard to go since you might get something you don’t want to drink.
That being said, it’s a great atmosphere, and even the bad barista is friendly, so if you care more about the experience than the coffee, it’s a win.

Open daily. Closes at 7 p.m. on Monday through Saturday. Closes at 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Love this little spot — great coffee and fabulous atmosphere. Right by the creekwalk.

This very cool little spot is in the same building as my friend’s loft and does a great latte. The space itself, as are most of the spaces in these factory turned lofts, is very interesting and seems like a nicer place to hang out and read the paper or surf the web than the typical Starbucks.
Also bonus points for the very personable young lady behind the counter. She engaged everyone who came in to order and seemed like she was enjoying herself, which always helps set the mood in a place like this. She was cute too, which never hurts :)
So good coffee, cheaper than Starbucks and in a interesting location. Win, win and win!