By Eirian Huang
Like clockwork, a new semester means a new business in Ithaca has opened its doors, and perhaps as predictable as a squirrel eating an acorn, that new business is a coffee shop. While there is no shortage of good coffee in downtown Ithaca, coffee shops are no longer just a place to grab your favorite overpriced drink. They symbolize the perfect ambience for studying, chatting, and relaxing in the midst of spring semester madness.
Located at 154 E State St. and open every day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Bank Coffee is the latest addition to the commons. After a brief stint at a location just an hour away in Cincinnatus, Bank Coffee opened its doors in Ithaca in the beginning of January. In addition to an extensive menu, there is an impressive display of various cakes and pastries, making Bank Coffee a standout amongst its competitors in the local coffee shop scene. Alongside regular espresso drinks, Bank Coffee also offers several flavors of crepes and an extensive specialty drink menu, including options like a chocolate orange latte or a matcha mojito. The prices were on the expensive side, ranging from $5.00 for a regular latte to $7.75 for some specialty drinks, but still on par with the other coffee places in town.
Upon walking into Bank Coffee, my friend and I were greeted by the smell of espresso and the sound of a cafe filled to the very last seat. After careful consideration of the decadent food and drink options offered by the menu, I ordered the Iced Shaken Espresso, while my friend opted for the hot Pistachio Latte. After tipping, I paid a total of $6.71 and my friend paid $7.25 – definitely on the higher end of what I usually want to pay for coffee, but not totally unreasonable. Despite it being very busy and only one person working the coffee bar, the service was quick, with us receiving our drinks within minutes.
The Pistachio Latte puts a unique and fresh twist on your average cup of coffee, with the mixture of espresso and pistachio syrup making for the perfect afternoon pick-me-up. Served with a generous mountain of whipped cream and crushed pistachio bits, the drink had a rich, nutty flavor. Despite a definite presence of pistachio, this drink still leaned on the sweeter side, creating a well-balanced sip and multilayered drink all around. Whether you’re looking for a boost of warmth and comfort in these treacherous Ithaca conditions or wanting to simply try something new, the Pistachio Latte is definitely worth a try!
My own drink, the Iced Shaken Espresso delivered a satisfyingly foamy texture to complement its strong, smooth espresso flavor. This was my first shaken espresso I have tried outside of Starbucks, and I was pleasantly surprised by the well-rounded texture profile of the drink. However, it was also a bit too sweet for my liking. Despite this, though, I was able to enjoy and finish my drink.
Nowadays, a cafe’s ambiance is almost as important as the quality and flavor of its drinks. Bank Coffee’s interior is spacious and well-organized, making for an overall comfortable space for a casual conversation or much-needed study time. The shop was bright and clean, and it had a good assortment of seating options, with a mix of standard tables as well as high-chair seats filling the space. However, I found the atmosphere to be somewhat sterile, lacking some of the details needed to make a truly cozy cafe setting; some details shaped the environment into more of a hangout spot than a study space, with the art being colorful and modern and the music predominantly 2010s pop. For me, these factors contributed to an overall imbalanced environment.
Compared to Ithaca’s coffee mogul Gimme!, Bank Coffee’s quality is not as high, and the shop focuses more on its breadth specialty drinks rather than perfecting each cup of coffee. However, it's still worth a visit, especially if you’re getting bored of an average coffee order and want to try something new. I look forward to returning to try another speciality drink and some of their desserts, as Bank Coffee is also currently the only location in Ithaca’s downtown with crepes on its menu.
Overall, Bank Coffee’s strength is a fun, seasonal menu with a range of options for coffee snobs and non-coffee drinkers alike. The availability of seating options also makes it a solid option for studying or catching up with a friend. Ultimately, whether this newcomer to Ithaca’s already competitive coffee scene will become a staple for the community remains to be determined.
Eirian Huang is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. They can be reached at ehh56@cornell.edu.
