SCHUYLERVILLE — You’ve heard of motorcycle bars. How about a motorcycle coffee shop?
Why not? Everyone loves coffee, and coffee shops are a place for like-minded people to meet. The theme is motorcycles, but the vibe is most definitely welcoming to all.
Kickstart Cafe is a place where you can meet a new friend to ride with, talk about the newest bike or share art and music.
Or just go and have good food.
Sheryl and I went to check it out on a beautiful fall weekday, nice enough to consider having coffee at the picnic tables outside.
The small wood-frame building on Ferry Street fits right in with other popular locally owned businesses in downtown Schuylerville. Kickstart is next door to Bound by Fate Brewing Taproom and down the street from Amigo’s Cantina in this charming Saratoga County village.
It’s worth a visit, this lovely village, especially at mealtime. If you are in need of caffeine, Kickstart is a nice place to go.
“It smells good in here,” I said to Sheryl when we walked into the small space. That’s because the kitchen is feet from the door. It gets a bit smoky.
But it’s welcoming, with menus on easy-to-read screens as you enter, the counter right in front of you with a little handwritten sign hanging over, an arrow pointing down, “Order here,” it says.
The counterperson that day was polite and friendly — and open to changes to the menu — while turning out an endless stream of coffee drinks from a cool vintage Italian coffee maker for customers while we ordered and waited.
Kickstart boasts an Italian handmade La Marzocco GB5 coffee machine, which makes superior espresso. Theirs is a refurbished beauty, custom enameled to match the decor of the shop.
The biker theme isn’t overwhelming; there’s black paint, but only on a few walls for accent. The furniture is black leather, the tables and chairs black metal — even the plates and flatware are black.
The large window facing Ferry Street brings in light and the doorway is all glass, so it’s not gloomy at all. You can tell the owners had fun with the decor. There are skateboard decks, motorcycle helmets, dozens of LP records and T-shirts for sale. And there’s a Kawasaki motorcycle parked by the window, just in case you hadn’t got the idea.
The floor is made of wide wood planks and one long wall is warm wood paneling. The overall theme is motorcycle and cozy, with a playlist of ‘70s tunes.
People were lined up for coffee, but there were others who came in to sit down and eat. That fancy machine turns out lattes, Americanos, espressos — more kinds than I can tell you. Iced, too. Add flavors, alternative milks, espresso shots or local maple syrup.
Seasonal coffee specials right now include maple honey cinnamon latte and peppermint mocha. They recently featured an iced caramel apple butter popping boba latte, where coffee-flavored pearls pop in your drink, adding interest.
Sheryl was glad to see how many kinds of tea were available, both hot and iced. There is English Breakfast tea and Earl Grey; also sweet white peach, crimson betty and many more. You can get popping boba pearls in your tea, too.
There’s breakfast and lunch, not fancy but made with good ingredients such as breads from Willhy Farms in Eagle Bridge. Start with a breakfast sandwich of egg, meat and cheese ($6); you can get two eggs with choice of meat and bread ($7.50); a breakfast burrito with three scrambled eggs and your choice of meat and cheese. There are a few other choices. It’s enough.
For lunch you can get a ham and Swiss croissant ($6.50); avocado Buffalo chicken melt ($8); or a BLT ($6).
Sheryl chose a 12-ounce chai latte with oat milk ($4.25). I got an 8-ounce hot chocolate ($3.25). Drinks were on the counter in just a few minutes.
“This tastes like apple pie,” said Sheryl, taking the lid off her tea to show me the cinnamon. The hot chocolate was smooth — miles better than what I make at home with the little packets for husband Eric. There was just enough whipped cream on top. The chocolate stayed mixed until the end, also unlike mine. It was smooth, with good chocolate flavor and not crazy sweet.
Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” was playing when our sandwiches were brought out. Patrons at tables around us were eating lunch, too. The person doing the cooking did the serving, while the guy at the counter was still making coffee after coffee.
Sheryl ordered the pesto besto ($7) breakfast sandwich, not just because she liked the name. It’s a fried egg with spinach, mozzarella cheese and pesto, and your choice of bread. The counterperson recommended the ciabatta roll from Willhy Farms, which worked very well.
“The roll is really, really, good,” Sheryl said, passing over a piece. “It’s easy to bite into,” she added. Lovely warm ciabatta roll, I thought, and not heavy.
The egg was fried with a solid yolk and the sandwich was “absolutely delicious,” Sheryl said, holding it with two hands. “You taste pesto in every bite.” True: I tasted it in the corner piece.
“This is perfect,” she sighed. The bright green spinach added lovely color to the sandwich.
I had the Buffalo chicken wrap sandwich, marked with panini lines. It was warm, full of shredded chicken that was easy to eat, with lettuce and melted cheddar cheese. I skipped the ranch or blue cheese dressing. It didn’t need it.
I used a fork to excavate the tangy seasoned chicken from the wrap. It was delicious. Then I ate the wrap. The Buffalo sauce had a vinegar bite and only a little heat, but it was most definitely Buffalo. The cheddar was melty and stringy. I only finished half the sandwich.
The panini maker not only heated the sandwich nicely, it also set the wrap and kept it together. So it’s easy to take on the road.
“That is so good,” I said when I finished.
We shared a mixed berry pop tart ($5), one of several varieties from the farm. If you rolled out a thick pie crust into a pop tart shape and filled it with delicious, jam-like, mixed berry filling, you’d have this. Oh, and there was browned butter icing on top, a generous blob that let you really taste it. It’s miles better than that foil packet of two.
The berry filling was thick like jam but better than commercial stuff, with a seed here and there, and a very satisfying deep purple hue. It seeped out a bit on the sides just to let you know what flavor you picked.
I brought home a fat chocolate sourdough croissant ($5) for Eric. The next morning it was a little heavy, though rich and flaky, with the dough wound around delicious dark chocolate.
The tab for our lunch, with the croissant to go, tax and tip, came to $41.74. They only do electronic receipts, but the counter guy was kind enough to write out an itemized check for me.
Sheryl bought a bag of Iron Coffee Co. Guatemala medium roast ($15) to bring home. The counterperson offered to grind the beans for her.
“That was so delicous,” sighed Sheryl as we got into my car. “And they were so friendly.”
Two reasons to return.
Kickstart Cafe
WHERE: 33 Ferry St., Schuylerville; 518-507-6268; kickstartcafeny.com
WHEN: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday; 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday
HOW MUCH: $41.74 with tax and tip
MORE INFO: Credit cards: Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Discover. Apple Pay. ADA compliant. Parking on side of the building or on Ferry street.