[Guest Post] Your Guide to Boston Cafes by Jessica Z. '27
a letter from chomps
Jess: This is a guest post by my friend Grace Z. ’25! I met her through a summer program last year and we’ve since bonded over concerts, good food, and all MIT assorted things. I invited her to write a post, and this is that! I loved reading it, and I know you will too <3
Dear fellow chompers,
A year ago, I was asked:
… and in typical hosed-MIT-student fashion, I forgot to respond.
For context, I’m chomps – a foodie and ’25 at MIT. I created @grx.chomps (originally @grxeats) during my freshman year as a private diary to document my food adventures in college. While some foodies see themselves as critics or connoisseurs, I prefer the term “food enjoyer”—an avid chomper, if you will.
preview of @grx.chomps! – like/ follow/subscribe/all the usual
Cafes are my favorite niche; versatile and diverse, they offer a quick yet intimate glimpse into a community’s tastes. If I’ve learned anything, tastes reveal much about individuals and their communities, and coffee, in particular, carries rich traditions. Across many cultures, the cherished drink is more than just liquid in a cup; it is a daily ritual that brings together families and friends.
Two years ago, during my sophomore IAP, my 30 in 30 challenge introduced me to 30 cafes in the Greater Boston area, and since then, I’ve chomped at over 60! These cafes celebrate a variety of cuisines, flavors, and stories, so without further ado, I present you with
Note: I use the T for all my cafe hops, so my location references are in relation to MBTA stations.
If you’re looking for a cafe with delicious food…
This is a collection of my all-around favorite cafes in Boston. A diverse selection geographically and gastronomically, you can’t go wrong with these six.
- Phin Coffee House
- Downtown Boston, 5-10 minute walk from Red line stations Downtown Crossing and South Station
- My go-to Sunday pick me up spot, Phin offers a relaxed study space with a menu combining Vietnamese and Western classics. Some of my favorites include their noodle salad and banh mi for food and the Boston cream latte and Ca Phe Phin (a traditional Vietnamese drink prepared with Robusta beans and condensed milk) for drinks.
- Founded by owners from Ho Chi Minh City, Phin brings the “bold, distinctive flavors of Vietnamese coffee culture” to Boston. Their carefully crafted menu draws inspiration from the traditional methods and techniques they fell in love with while growing up in Vietnam. The team is always looking to innovate, so keep an eye out for the debut of Phin’s Vietnamese egg coffee, “a rich, creamy drink that’s a true highlight of Vietnamese coffee culture.”
- Gypsy Place Coffee & Juice Bar
- Cambridge, 15 minute walk from campus
- Gypsy is a cozy Bohemian cafe offering a variety of coffee, smoothies, and acai bowls. Manager Petya Todorova and her team envisioned a space where they could “feel at home” and believe that “good vibes start from the inside,” which is reflected in their menu featuring healthy and tasty options. When I asked about their favorite item, they referred me to the Topaz Smoothie – a blend of acai, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, banana, and milk). As a best seller, it remains the only item unchanged since the cafe first opened.
- Greystone Cafe, Bakery and Provisions
- South End, 5-10 minute walk from Orange line station Back Bay
- Greystone, founded by mother-daughter duo Patty and Jacqueline is named after the street Jacqueline grew up on and Patty still calls home. With a walk-up window and indoor seating, the cafe offers coffee, house-made pastries, and sandwiches. Many of the recipes like cowboy cookies, apple cake, Texas Trash are longtime favorites developed by Patty and tested by the bakery and kitchen team. Jacqueline told me her favorite menu item is Greystone’s chocolate chip cookie – “in the cold winter, there is nothing better than a warm chocolate chip cookie with salt on top.” I enjoyed their breakfast sammie – it was a tasty and comforting way to start my day.
- Bom Dough
- 2 locations in Cambridge: Inman Square and East Cambridge (both 15-20 minute walk from campus)
- Bom Dough, meaning “good dough” in Portuguese, offers comfort food with a twist. President Marcia Chemim opened the cafe to “create a space where people could enjoy high quality food,” especially inspired by her team’s Brazilian roots. In particular, pão de queijo, a gluten-free cheesy bread, has always been a special part of Chemim’s life, and if she had to choose a favorite, it would be the Doce de Leite Pão de Queijo, which took “72 tries to perfect the recipe, and every step of that journey made it even more meaningful.” Some of my favorites – crack chicken sandwich, brigadeiro cookie for food and the peach or strawberry matcha for drinks.
- Maprang Bakery & Cafe
- Somerville, 5 minute walk from Green line (D) station Union Square
- With a menu featuring Southeast Asian flavors like pandan, thai tea, coconut, and ube, Maprang offers a variety of pastries, cakes, and drinks. Gumnod Nakapandhu is the manager and head chef; before moving to Boston where he took culinary classes, Nakapandhu owned a restaurant in Bangkok. Maprang began when a group of friends connected over exchanging recipes and debating ways to improve them, leading to a collaborative menu of recipes the team experimented with and perfected together. I love their Thai tea cake – it’s light and spongy, not too sweet and the Thai tea flavor shines through; they also recommend the basque burnt cheesecake which comes in the ube, Thai tea, and original flavors.
- Honorable mention: Curio Coffee
- Cambridge, Inman Square, 15 minute walk from campus
- Curio’s liège waffle has earned the title of “Best Waffle in Massachusetts” from Yelp and named as “quite possibly the best caffeine companion in town” and deservedly so. I always mention this cafe when asked for recs – likely because their liège waffle is always on my mind.
If you’re looking to sip and study …
As a hosed MIT student, I’m always on the lookout for a cozy spot to lock in and chomp. Here are a few of my favorites.
- Diesel Cafe
- Somerville, Red line station Davis Square
- Highlights: coffee, breakfast bagels, pastries, sandwiches
- The Well Coffee House
- Downtown Boston, 5-10 minute walk from Orange/Blue line station State Street
- Highlights: lots of seasonal special flavors (apple pie chai, dusted gingerbread white mocha). The cafe donates its proceeds to a different non-profit organization each month.
- George Howell
- Downtown Boston, 5-10 minute walk from Red/Orange line station Downtown Crossing
- Highlights: cool coffee tasting and educational events!
- Tradesman
- Financial District, near Blue line station Aquarium
- Highlights: bring a friend or two to try Tradesman’s decadent croissants; they feature a weekly special flavor as well as their classic tiramisu and red velvet flavors.
- Capital One
- Backbay
- Highlights: features California based roaster Verve; I like the lavender latte.
If you’re looking for good *coffee* …
- Broadsheet
- Cambridge
- Highlights: a roaster with spacious indoor seating 10 minutes away from Harvard. I really enjoyed the seasonal mango latte – the beans and syrup blended very well.
- Gracenote
- 2 locations in Downtown Boston: both 5-10 minutes from Red/Orange line station Downtown Crossing
- Highlights: Cafe by day, Gracenote’s Listening Room features vintage vinyl and a dual stereo in a secret back room by night.
If you’re feeling adventurous…
With the T (and its delays), travel to these cafes may take up to an hour, but I think they’re worth the journey.
- Cannonball Cafe
- South Boston, 10-15 minute walk from Red line station Andrew
- Highlights: a wide variety of uniquely flavored drinks, breakfast toasts and sandwiches, and community events like clay mug making classes and weekend markets plus their beautiful outdoor patio.
- Brothers & Sisters
- Brookline, across from Green (D) line station Brookline Village
- Highlights: the strawberry matcha is a favorite of mine – better than most of the more local options. Very warm, welcoming ambiance.
- Glasser Coffee Co
- Brighton, 57 bus from Kenmore to Washington Street
- Highlights: created by the founder of Coreanos, Alex Kim, the Glasser has yummy breakfast sandwiches for $7.50, breakfast tacos, and soothing matcha drinks.
- Monumental Market
- Jamaica Plains, 15 minute walk from Orange line station Forest Hills
- Highlights: nut free baked goods, coffee, AND a record store!
A few bonus cafes
I couldn’t categorize these three, but they all have good food, good vibes, and of course, great coffee.
- Farmer’s Horse
- Sip of Joy
- 1369
Parting thoughts
Boston is home to a wonderfully diverse selection of cafes (I recently heard it has more coffee shops per capita than any other city in the United States). Here is my personal list of cafes I hope to chomp at next semester:
- Pepita
- 3 Little Figs
- Luxor Cafe
- Amba Cambridge
- Madhouse
- Rite Tea & Espresso Bar
- Circus Cooperative
- Yego
- Cafe Siete
If you ever want more recs for Boston (or DC), message me @grx.chomps on Instagram or @grxchomps on Beli!
xoxo,
chomps