Encompass Coffee Bar & Cafe

So bummed that Encompass has closed. Thank you, April, for everything. You will be missed!

Friendly knowledgeable staff, awesome drinks, healthy food, great neighborhood… This place has it all. The only thing I would add would be some more comfy sitting options.
Over all great place!

I live down the block, so I walk here frequently and will work at the window side table.
Everything is home made. More often than not, you can see one of the employees baking up scones or making a fresh batch of chai.
I wouldn’t call myself a coffee snob by any means, I made it through the school year drinking overextracted char brew. As a B-​list coffee critique, they do a pretty mean drip brew. Everything is calculated just like how you would do it at home… or rather how you would do it if you had time at home. You can get either Chemex or Clever. The clever brew is a lot smoother, but tends to cool off a bit quicker than Chemex.
Unfortunately no aeropress here. If you’re looking to get aeropressed coffee in a shop, you should really be doing it at home anyway.
Nice and quiet most days, you can always snag a table.
Big ups on their Italian Sodas as well!

I continue to enjoy this place. I have been back many times and have had both drinks and snacks.
The snacks are homemade, which you can tell. Its great.
We tried a lemon blueberry scone recently and enjoyed it. A piece of coffeecake was devoured.
There is a lemonade that is terrific, serviced in an old mason jar with a nice straw. Perfect on a summer day.
The smoothies are very good as well, all made fresh to order, carefully poured and little cinnamon touches on top. All good.
They participated in a local event, providing ginger beer which people loved.
Come visit this gem on Hertle. Right in the area you can get a fajita at Lone Star, and Gyro at Vasillis, a beer at Checkers, and an ice cream at Eaton Chocolate (Lake Effect ice cream).

This place has crept up and is quickly becoming my favorite coffee shop/​café in Buffalo. I don’t know the owner’s name, but she is AWESOME, and is extremely friendly. Pretty much everything there is made in-​house by her. Whether it’s food, baked goods, chocolate sauces, syrups, etc. There is so much good stuff here.
One of my favorite things about Encompass are the drink specials. After a while, the same old latte drinks get boring. But every month at Encompass, there are around 3 new concoctions. Today I tried a Spicy Pineapple Carmella Latte, and it was fantastic. It sounded rather interesting to me (boyfriend said it sounded gross), but I had to try it and it was AWESOME (despite being a hot latte, which they did not tell me until after I paid). My boyfriend got an iced blueberry pie latte and really enjoyed it. That is what makes Encompass so unique, is that the owner is willing to step outside the box and create crazy concoctions that you won’t find anywhere else. And they are always very good! You can feel the love here in all of the drinks and food.
Service can be a bit slow (but it’s worth it because the extra time preparing the lattes shows in the quality). As for food, I haven’t really had much, even though everything looks and sounds delicious. I HAVE had the homemade red pepper hummus, and it was delicious, and I highly recommend. The boyfriend and I plan on going back next week, because he wants to try the Melon Mint Cooler special, and I want to try some of the food. This is truly a gem in North Buffalo, and I encourage anybody craving coffee on Hertel to give Encompass a try!

I love love love this place! I’m so glad that my favorite coffee spot is practically on my backyard. I used to be one of those habitual Starbucks or Spot coffee drinkers, but since discovering Encompass, I don’t visit those places very much.
Everything they make here, food or beverage, is made with attention and care. Some other places are so rushed that it feels like they’re just trying to get people in and out, but here it feels like they are trying to make you a great latte or a great sandwich. Their espresso beverages are fabulous! I usually go for the mocha or the caramella. They even make their own caramel. I have yet to try their lunch but their breakfast is delicious! I’d have to say that the breakfast burrito is my favorite. It has eggs, peppers, fresh salsa, and avocado all wrapped up in a wheat tortilla and made fresh.
If you’re ever in the area, I definitely recommend stopping by Encompass and trying it out. It’s a good place to stop and grab something or even sit and stay!

This place was a love from the first sip! Four words: best mocha in town! It’s absolutely delicious — coffee and desert in one cup.
Staff is always super friendly and very knowledgeable. I love their passion and eagerness to experiment with different ingredients and come up with unique taste for their drinks.
Encompass is the only place in town that makes me feel that I’m going to grab a coffee with old friends! Their bar sitting is conveniently close to baristas that are always open for a good chat. I always leave in a better mood than I came in with.

Encompass Coffee Bar & Café is truly a hidden treasure just off of Hertel Ave. The location features both indoor and patio seating. The indoor seating has a few tall tables, a pair of chairs and a true coffee bar. Their menu features a variety of hot and cold drinks with a variety of food items. Although I have not yet had the chance to eat there the hand crafted beverages truly give Starbucks and Spot a run for their money.
When ordering a drink you will truly taste and feel the difference in the beverage. The milk is perfectly textured and if having the addition of a flavor (i.e. caramel), it is disbursed throughout the beverage providing for a truly luxurious experience.
This café is is still pretty new and very quiet. The experience is nice for a quiet night out without all the hustle and bustle of the major coffee chains in the area. If in the area I suggest checking this place out, not only will you be supporting a local small business but will have an enjoyable experiences.

Adorable. The staff is friendly and the drinks are tasty. If you enjoy specialty lattes, be sure to check out the specialty menu. Had a particularly delicious «vanilla caramella» and yum, yum, yum.
I am no coffee connoisseur, but it appears that the café has chemex preparation of coffee along with french press.
I look forward to the summer months where the spacious seeming sidewalk patio will be in use… my only qualm with Encompass is the slightly awkward and cramped inside layout.

Still only relatively recently opened, Encompass has incredible potential, potential to supply to Buffalo what Spot used to be, an unpretentious venue where coffee connoisseurs can appreciate an artistic and innovative take on the beverage. Encompass isn’t there yet. I am writing what an honest review that will capture its «now» rather than exulting in its potential. I am writing in the fervent hope that it can and will improve, will settle, will change.
Nearly more important than the taste of coffee itself at joints like Encompass is the atmosphere of the venue. This almost intangible quality is what separates coffee shops from mere fast food, what separates Spot from Dunkin Donuts, what Encompass ultimately aspires to. Accordingly, its layout was designed with plentiful seating at a main bar, a side bar, at high tables, and in two leather armchairs. The armchairs are seated around a large fireplace that dominates the room. Takeout is feasible but clearly not Encompass’s intention. It wants to be a place where people can sit and relax, chat, do work, shmooze, woo, and so forth.
Unfortunately, it’s not very good at this yet. Atmosphere problems begin on opening the door. Literally, the door itself is a huge problem. Despite its recessed opening, the door to Encompass opens inwards, directly onto the line of would-​be patrons sitting at the bar. Opening the door also becomes a significant and immediate disruption in the feel of the place, a disruption compounded by its small size and its lack of white noise. I use the term white noise out of sheer desperation. I have no idea what else to call the combination of music, voices, and clatter that contributes to the aural background of a store. Encompass often feels like a tomb, like a mortuary, like a librarian might rush out to shush my whispered conversation at any minute. It lacks white noise. It needs more… something. More music. More hum of machinery. More people talking more often about something.
Tangibly, seating itself is a huge issue. While space has been conserved incredibly efficiently, side-​by-​side bar stools don’t make the best spots for banter, for wooing, for schmoozing unaided by alcohol. In fact, I don’t even know what I would do if I were to bring two friends. The space isn’t designed to accommodate anything greater than a duo. Moreover, the two armchairs I referred to earlier are nearly useless. Without an end table or anywhere else to place beverages, they are only useful to sit in until the beverage is actually ordered.
Coffee quality at Encompass is reasonably high, but I feel that they still need a bit more time to settle into what they do. Already much higher than Starbucks or Spot, the coffee is still markedly inferior to the brews served at restaurants like Brodo or Shango, which should not happen. (As a side note, I am certain that they could very easily switch to Illy-​brand beans and increase their quality 100%.) Specials are hit or miss. Some of their specials, for example anything with the word ‘brownie’ in it, are as delicious as any of the cakes or other treats you might get at Romeo and Juliet’s down the street. Others are hot messes. The Malcolm Espresso, a coffee/​espresso/​chocolate sauce brew they introduced in February, was a hot mess, mostly burnt.
Speaking of desserts, their in-​house products demand attention. Scones and cookies are hard and dry as biscotti, likely from sitting around on an exposed countertop. In neither could I taste anything resembling chocolate. Only by sopping them in coffee could I salvage them. I have learned that these confections are produced in-​house, but I wonder if Encompass might not be better served farming their desserts out. Speaking as a lifelong cookie monster, I believe that cookies should not be offered unless they are tasty and, ideally, luscious.
I have not sampled any of Encompass’s soups or breakfast dishes and have not included this facet of the establishment in my review.
As you mouse over two stars on Unilocal,you will see the description, «Meh, I’ve experienced better.» A three star spot is «A-​okay.» Four stars means that I would be a fan. A five star spot is one that is «as good as it gets.» I have given Encompass two stars in this review because I have experienced better, because, if I am to sit in a place for an hour or two and chat or read a book, I would rather stroll a bit further down Hertel Avenue for the inferior coffee, brusque service, but otherwise much more comfortable atmosphere of Spot.
My sincere hope is that Encompass will continue to improve as it begins to hit its stride. Encompass could easily earn a four or five star ranking with a few improvements, could easily become an essential stop on Hertel Avenue. It has that potential, but it hasn’t reached yet.

I tend to rate things differently than most. While I’m a foodie at heart (I think we all are to a degree) I look in places most patrons would never poke around in. I’m always interested in what makes a business «tick», where they’re going, and how they plan on getting there. This last element — the «how» — is I think most important.
It was raining the other day and the sidewalks were still covered in slush and ice near the corner of Parker and Hertel where a brightly lit shop stood out from the gloom. Inside the recently opened coffee bar Encompass owner April Ersing was busy baking fresh cookies and placing them alongside apple cider sticky buns while manager Scott busied himself behind the bar.
The interior was warm in color and tone and the décor had a comfortable, relaxed feel to it that was augmented by the central fireplace in the room. The store had a very different feel to it and I wanted to explore.
I left myself in Scott’s capable hands as he took me through the 3 pour-​over and French press processes they offered. I learned about how selective they were with their coffees and where they came from.
I listened as April talked about her history at Caz with her Mom, how she loved to bake and create new dishes and about what she wanted to accomplish here on Hertel Avenue. She wanted to build a home for Encompass.
Encompass is *not* typical and is *not* a coffee shop. It is definitely *not* an order-​up, drink your Chai, clear the table — who’s next? kind of place. It’s a sipping, relaxing, decompressing place you can escape to.
To quote April, «We want people to come in and stay and not feel like they have to hurry off.» «We want Encompass to be a relaxing place to gather.»
Today I enjoyed a clever-​style pour-​over of richly roasted, farm-​grown Kenyan coffee. What I’d like to note, is that I didn’t have to mask it with the typical sweetener and creamer that I always add to my coffee. I genuinely enjoyed it — all on its own and, in a moment of afterthought, considered retiring my Keurig.
Here at Encompass I think you’ll find that the atypical (relaxation, education and great customer service) — is typical.

First impressions:
Modern, stylish, and sleek coffee shop seems out of place in this are of Hertel, but then again, Hertel is pretty cool once you get over yourself. Things are really clean, friendly, and chatty — plus homey.
OMG Mexican Hot Chocolate with cayenne pepper. They way it’s meant to be. This is awesome.
This place does have the ‘just opened’ vibe to it. It’s great for coffee and drinks, but minimal on the foods. But, they look great. Chicken Apricot soup sounds interesting — not enough for me, the everlasting vegetarian, to try it, but enough to convince someone else to.
Anyway, I’m expecting great things. Great workspace, great chatting space, great coffee, and who doesn’t love another local coffee shop?

I’m always looking for a new coffee shop and this one has been getting quite the buzz (hahaha… coffee shop… buzz… get it?) so I just had to try it. It’s adorable in there. Clean and comfy and warm and inviting. And, there’s free wifi so I can bring in my iPad and work (or not) for a while.
I had a little trouble finding the place because the address says it’s on Hertel, but it’s REALLY around the corner on Parker. I actually had to call and ask for directions even though I was right around the corner and less than 100 feet away. Embarrassing. But the owner (who answered the phone and then waited on me) says it happens all the time. Nice lady! She owned Caz Café in South Buffalo before venturing to North Buffalo a few months ago. So, she knows her stuff.
Since it was so rainy and miserable at lunchtime today I ordered the soup-​of-​the-​day as soon as I arrived. WONDERFUL red beans and rice soup that was made with love and just the right amount of spice. SUPER DELICIOUS! The only «complaint» is that the rice was a teeny-​tiny bit undercooked. Nothing that a little while longer simmering in the pot won’t cure. It was served with the most delicious house-​made cheddar and chive biscuit. Man, I could have eaten a whole PLATEFUL of those babies. Warm, flavorful, and yet light. WOW!
While eating I spoke with the owner and she told me of her plans to eventually have more lunch options. GREAT idea! And, if the things that she makes are anything like that soup, I’ll be a «regular». After devouring my soup, the cookies began calling to me. I had a TERRIFIC cranberry white chocolate chip one. YUMMY! It was only after I paid my check and was in my car that I realized I forgot to try the coffee. Ha! Next time for sure!

I was initially drawn to this coffee shop by the modern yet cozy décor. This café is just the right size and I love the addition of a bar with bar stools. What a great idea for those days when you feel like chatting with someone new (possibly even the barista) rather than disappear into a book (I usually opt for the latter, and this café provided the perfect opportunity with a tall table and window seat overlooking the corner of Hertel).
I ordered their breakfast burrito and a latté. While it is true that I’ve never met a latté that I didn’t like, the latté here was perhaps one of the better ones that I’ve had.
I also ordered their breakfast burrito. This has to be the most fresh thing I have ever had at ANY restaurant, especially when it comes to breakfast food. There was nothing greasy about this and the veggies were crisp and delicious. Peppers, avocado, pico de gallo, pepperjack cheese and egg, all on a *whole wheat* (thank you to the owner/​manager for this!) tortilla. My only complaint is that I would have liked a little side with it, even if it was a couple pieces of fruit.
I did feel that they were a touch on the expensive side, although I didn’t pay too much attention to the breakdown of my prices. My total came to ~$ 10. I did leave feeling satiated, if not full, but I felt it was a little much for a regular-​sized burrito with no side and a 12oz latté. But keep in mind, this was quality!
Last piece of advice for this café: work on the music. When I first walked in there was no music for about 10 minutes. It was pretty awkward. When a couple more people came in they finally put some music on but it was classical. Which is all well and good, depending on the crowd you’re looking for. I will say that classical is preferable to the rock garbage they play at Spot Coffee.

Adorable, modern, little café.
Super friendly barista who is always down to chat.
Frosted gingerbread 16 oz January special ($ 4.89 tax included): tasted like a gingerbread cookie! Yum! That espresso is strong. It’s 3am and I’m still up!
Menu is on the wall on your left when you walk in.
light switch in the restroom is hanging from the ceiling, so just pull.
Luckily, not that many people know about this café, so I was able to sit here for hours and study. However, with their delicious concoctions, it will no longer be the case by spring time!
cozy environment. Definitely can be a second home to many people!

Wow. Wow! Wow! This is my kind of place. I love coffee and I’ve found my new paradise. I only wish it was around the block from my house. The intimate little coffee bar is a new addition to Hertel. if anyone even tries telling you «let’s meet at Spot on Hertel,» kindly and enthusiastically exclaim «How about we go a few blocks down to this new-​incredible coffee place?» That’s what I did and I’m glad I got a chance to check it out.
The vegetable soup I had yesterday was spicy, tangy and perfect to sooth my sore throat. I bought a french press of coffee to share with the person I was meeting and it was perfectly smooth and after they left ordered a «Clever» coffee brew, which was the smoothest and most delectable cup I’ve had in years. Thanks! I worked here on their wifi for a few hours and it was comfortable and relaxing and no pressure. My kind of place.
Can’t wait to try EVERYTHING.

The location is on the same corner as Blue Sky yoga, on Parker Ave & Hertel Ave.
This place is just what I’ve been looking for in a coffee shop. It isn’t crazy in your face bright and insane. It isn’t for breaking out board games and gigantic crowds. I’d say it’s more of a coffee house than a shop. You can relax and savor the moment by the window front or next to the fireplace. It is a quaint location with an intimate feel; this leaves the customer with more of a voice. The music when I stopped by was a nice 90’s mellow sound from the owner’s ipod. Good memories from those days. ;-)
April, is the owner working at the shop and cooks and bakes the food herself. It is an excellent advantage for the customer in order to compliment and suggest ideas. April was extremely friendly with a fashionable haircut. She was more than happy to talk about the menu and building the shop. I will most definitely go back. I would love to try the breakfast burritos or the lattes.
I had an awesome coffee, just regular drip. She also has french press options, which is always an excellent choice. I hadn’t planned on ordering food, but the soup of the day was a ‘Sweet & Spicy’ Coconut-​Cauliflower Soup. It was delicious and flavored with curry. It would possibly be too spicy for a lot of people, but I love spicy. There were more potatoes in it than cauliflower, I am figuring it was more of a cauliflower purée. Nevertheless, delicious and filling. It was served with a cheddar biscuit with Rosemary! Man, I love rosemary! The syrups/​sauces for the drinks are the Monin brand, which is a popular brand.
I wish I lived a shorter distance to this place.
Definitely, nice to support a local business.

Encompass coffee bar & café; owned and operated by the same woman of Caz Coffee Café in South Buffalo and same great service. What has changed? The location, the menu and that’s about it.
What would I recommend? Everything! The bagels from the bagel man are delicious and fresh! I’d also recommend their homemade veggie cream cheese (mmm garlic!)
As far as drinks: Chai tea latte! It’s homemade as well as all of her baked goods! The Mexican hot chocolate is to die for and one of my favorites aside from the chai. The house coffee is pretty good too.
Other foods i’d recommend? The black bean soup and breakfast wrap. Yummmmy!

Great service! April, the owner, helped me pick a coffee drink to add something special to my afternoon. Hot white chocolate mocha is my new favorite … A grown up version of hot chocolate :-)
The café is very relaxing and a great place to hang out for a little while. Very excited about the acoustic music lineup for Fridays! Great find on a snowy day!

I think that I just found my new coffee shop, and I’m not even a coffee drinker! Even though Hertel already has plenty of competition, I believe that Encompass is here to stay. Trying to focus on locally sourced ingredients, and serving Gimmie Coffee, which is made in Ithaca, NY. Encompass is located at the end of Hertel closer to Main St, off of the main drag. It’s front entrance is actually on Parker, so you aren’t driving up and down the strip looking for it.
I was offered the chai tea, which when I saw it being made was from scratch, and not any mixes or store bought brands. You have to appreciate that, especially in today’s crazy coffee culture and fast paced fix on getting the caffeine high. Plus I got to have almond milk in it! Score. I noticed that there were some food offerings of tasty looking desserts. So I inquired, and they are still expanding their menu, with more sandwiches and such coming out in January. However they had some homemade soups, which was spiced carrot! Come on, spiced carrot in Buffalo, I’ve never seen it! To class it up, they don’t serve their soups with crackers, but savory biscuits. Another small touch that really makes a difference!
I love that they have different seating areas like high tables by the windows, chairs by the fireplace, and a rather awesome bar area! Keeping the trend of cafes, they have wifi and also it looks like bands/​performances on Friday nights. Just finished my soup, and kinda hooked on it! I’ll be back! (Arnold style)