Resting on the banks of the Charles River in Massachusetts, Cambridge is famous for being home to the world-renowned Harvard University, which boasts beautiful old buildings, many cafés, bars and bookstores, and plenty of museums and galleries to browse. Interesting attractions include the neoclassical Widener Library, which is located at the heart of the campus; the Harvard Art Museum; and the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Cambridge has an assortment of casual coffee shops, bakeries and hip cafés which draw the large population of students, researchers, and tech experts that call the city home.
Tatte Bakery & Cafe
Tatte Bakery & Cafe is a bright and spacious coffee shop and bakery in Harvard Square with two roomy floors, plenty of comfortable seating and a full-service coffee bar. Located next door to the Harvard Book Store, the friendly neighborhood café serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and a popular all-day brunch on the weekends. The second-floor coffee bar serves a variety of coffee drinks such as standard filter coffee, iced coffee, and nitro cold brew, as well as espresso, macchiato, cortado, cappuccino, flat whites, latte, and mocha latte, and is accompanied by delicious homemade fare such as avocado tartine, shakshuka, and mouthwatering pastries.
1288 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA, Phone: 617-441-4011
Andala Coffee House
Andala Coffee House is a Middle Eastern coffee shop that serves traditional Arabic coffee and a menu of all-natural fare in a colorful and intimate setting. Situated along River Street, just off Central Square, the ethnic coffeeshop gem has plush, exotic décor with cozy pillow-seats, Persian rugs, gold chandeliers, soft lighting, and a pretty vine-covered patio for alfresco-style dining and enjoying an afternoon hookah sesh. The menu features more than 30 aromatic choices of tea, ranging from Moroccan mint to the cardamom-tinged house tea and strong, dark Arabic coffee, and the food menu features Eastern-influenced fare such as hummus platters, shakshuka, and delicious meat pies.
286 Franklin St, Cambridge, MA 02139, Phone: 617-945-2212
Caffe Nero
Caffe Nero is a global coffee-shop chain with 1,000 coffee houses around the world that serves coffee made with ethically-sourced Rainforest Alliance certified and grown coffee beans, a variety of specially blended drinks, and Italian-style light dishes. Located in Central Square on Massachusetts Avenue, the London-based café boasts cutting edge design, ample seating, a coffee bar operated by friendly baristas, and serves a variety of standard coffee, along with specialty coffee drinks like single-origin French presses, nitrox, Chemex, and pour-over coffee. Caffè Nero is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days a week.
589 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, Phone: 857-259-6077
Capital One Cafe
Capital One Cafe is a bank-affiliated coffeehouse chain located within Capital One bank locations where customers can enjoy freshly brewed Peet's Coffee® and light bites while doing their banking. The café offers high-speed wireless Internet and serves a menu of standard coffee drinks like cappuccinos, lattes, macchiatos, americanos, and single and double shot espressos, along with seasonal specialty drinks made with a variety of rotating local roasters. Capital One Cafés are open during bank hours.
24 John F. Kennedy St, Cambridge, MA 02138, Phone: 617-299-2669
Curio Coffee
Curio Coffee is a cool coffee shop in Cambridge that is a café-by-day and bar-by-night. Tucked in East Cambridge, the three-year-old café near Lechmere Station serves excellent coffee and sweet, crispy Belgian waffles in a variety of flavors, including orange, cardamom, and Earl Grey during the day and attracts a local crowd for the perfect cup o’ joe. When the sun goes down, the café becomes a trendy wine bar that serves a wide selection of casual wines from around the world by the glass and the bottle along with savory snacks. Curio owner Justin Pronovost hand selects the coffee beans and wine varietals himself, drawing inspiration from coffee shops within breweries, like Longfellows at Lamplighter and Night Shift’s new Lovejoy Wharf roasting company.
441 Cambridge Street, East Cambridge, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2141, Phone: 857-242-3018
J.P. Licks
Located in the Harvard University, J.P. Licks is a chain of Kosher-certified shops in and around Boston that have been serving homemade ice cream and other specialties for almost 40 years. The award-winning locally-owned and operated café is renowned for its intensely-flavored, creamy homemade ice cream and frozen yogurt, which is served with Fair-Trade and organic coffee. The coffee shop also serves a variety of made-from-scratch ice cream cakes and baked goods and also provides catering services for special occasions. J.P. Licks is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days a week.
1312 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138, Phone: 617-492-1001
Barismo
Barismo is a popular coffee chain with several cafés across the Cambridge area that is renowned for its excellent draft coffee. Founded in 2008, barismo focuses on coursing coffee from innovative coffee producers, roasting beans locally at their Woburn facility, and serving a variety of coffee and seasonal specialty drinks at all their cafés. Based in the historic F.B. Hubley Auction House, barismo 364 is the chain’s flagship store and offers hot draft, pour-over, espresso, and cold brew on tap, as well as sells whole bean coffee. The coffee menu is accompanied by a selection of light bites such as freshly based pastries and sweet treats and serves lunch during the week and hearty weekend brunch. Barismo on Broadway is open seven days a week.
364 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02139, Phone: 617-714-5536
Blue Bottle Coffee
Located on Harvard Square in the heart of Cambridge, Blue Bottle Coffee is a multi-roaster coffee chain that specializes in roasting, brewing, and serving artisan coffee using classic coffee-crafting devices. Boasting a beautifully restored 1958 Faema Urania espresso machine, a vintage Probat roaster, a La Marzocco espresso machine, and Japanese Kyoto-style ice-coffee drippers, the trendy café serves a variety of standard coffee, along with specialty coffee drinks like single-origin French presses, nitrox, Chemex, and pour-over coffee. A hub for students, professionals, and visitors alike, the casual coffee shop is open all day, seven days a week.
40 Bow St, Cambridge, MA 02138
Nine Bar Espresso
Tucked away in Davis Square in Somerville, Nine Bar Espresso is a cozy coffee shop with warm wooden accents and friendly baristas that serve coffee and espresso drinks made with locally roasted coffee by Gracenote Coffee Roasters. The menu boasts standard filter coffee, iced coffee, and nitro cold brew, as well as espresso, macchiato, cortado, cappuccino, flat whites, latte and mocha latte, as well as a selection of teas like chai latter, cold brew iced tea, matcha latte and Camellia Sinensis loose-leaf teas. Freshly baked pastries are delivered daily by A&J King Bakery, and other light fare include handmade sandwiches and sweet cakes and muffins.
11 Holland St, Somerville, MA 02144, Phone: 617-764-1915
Pepita Coffee
Pepita Coffee serves ethically-sourced and locally roasted coffee and a menu of Mexican-inspired food such as tacos and tostadas. Beverage options range from creative coffee blends such as coquito slushie with espresso, coconut, and cinnamon and spicy chocolate mochas, as well as local craft beers from the brewery. The food menu features four breakfast taco options, avocado tostada, and various freshly baked pastries and snacks like jalapeño cornbread and banana rum coffee cake. Pepita Coffee is open for breakfast, brunch, and lunch daily.
284 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02139, Phone: 617-945-0450
Intelligentsia Coffee Watertown Coffeebar
Intelligentsia Coffee Watertown Coffeebar is a trendy outpost of the renowned Chicago-based direct-trade roaster that features a hip café and a training lab in Watertown. The Watertown coffeeshop serves the full range of Intelligentsia coffees from direct-trade sources, along with its Kilogram tea line and an exclusive sparkling iced tea, which is brewed in-house. The café also offers a selection of bakery items from Somerville’s Forge Baking Company throughout the day, and Intelligentsia’s coffee training lab is situated next to the café and provides training for caffeine enthusiasts and budding baristas.
810 Mt Auburn St, Watertown, MA 02472, Phone: 617-607-7193
