Here you will find the authoritative tier list of coffee shops in Boston and Cambridge, with a focus on those that caffeinate MIT. If you disagree with a ranking, take a moment to consider why your opinion is wrong; these rankings are objectively correct and do not leave room for debate.
Cafes
| Cafe |
Coffee |
Workability |
Notes |
| Broadsheet Coffee Roasters |
S |
A |
|
| Pepita Coffee Co. |
S |
S |
Brews Broadsheet beans |
| George Howell Coffee |
S |
A |
You can get a $16 pour over here, if you want |
| Cicada |
S |
D |
Laptops banned. Good atmosphere, great food, but low workability. B tier workability if you need to read paper(s), F tier if you need to do computer |
| Blue Bottle |
A |
C |
|
| bōm dough |
A |
B |
Inman Square location is busier; Lechmere location higher workability |
| Circus Cooperative Cafe |
A |
A |
Brews Broadsheet beans |
| Luxor Cafe |
A |
A |
Brews Broadsheet beans. Can be loud. Go past the counter to the hidden basement for quiet |
| Pavement Coffeehouse |
A |
B |
Harvard square location is connected to student center, lots of working room but not cute |
| Thinking Cup |
A |
B |
Two locations close to each other, the one on Newbury is bigger. No Wi-Fi. Often busy and loud |
| Ogawa Coffee |
A |
D |
Japanese chain. Very cute but low workability |
| Farmers Horse Coffee |
A |
S |
|
| Faro Café |
A |
D |
Laptops banned, no Wi-Fi, great atmosphere but low workability |
| Simon’s Coffee Shop |
B |
C |
Tiny |
| Life Alive |
B |
A |
|
| Flour Cafe |
B |
C |
|
| Tatte |
B |
C |
Some locations have high workability, but those near MIT do not. Best Tattes for working are Copley Square, Lechmere Square, or Coolidge Corner |
| Area Four |
B |
B |
|
| Andala Coffee House |
B |
S |
Lots of comfortable working space but kind of also a sit-down restaurant. Go at off times. Open until 11pm |
| Verveine Cafe & Bakery |
B |
B |
|
| 1369 Coffee House |
B |
C |
Cute but small and busy |
| Capital One Cafe |
B |
S |
50% off drinks with Capital One card; free coffee on Mondays. Back Bay location has more space |
| Central Perk Coffee Co |
B |
A |
Often busy and loud |
| Cafe Beatrice |
B |
A |
|
| Jaho Coffee Roaster & Wine Bar |
B |
C |
|
| The Well Coffee House |
B |
B |
|
| Tradesman Coffee Shop and Lounge |
B |
B |
|
| Bluestone Lane Harvard Square |
B |
B |
|
| Bakey |
B |
B |
|
| PRB Boulangerie |
B |
C |
|
| Blank Street Coffee |
B |
D |
|
| VESTER |
C |
B |
|
| Ripple Cafe |
C |
A |
|
| Cafe Nero |
C |
A |
|
| Starbucks |
D |
B |
|
Not Cafe Coffee
| Place |
Coffee |
Workability |
Notes |
| Sarma |
A |
F |
Get coffee with cardamum for dessert, among other things |
| Rebelle Artisan Bagels |
B |
C |
|
| Forbes Family Café |
F |
A |
First floor of Stata. A café in name only, their coffee is remeniscent of some great tragedy |
Unranked
- Curio Coffee
- Cafe Luna
- Sofra Bakery and Cafe
- Brookline Lunch
- Clover
- Bagelsaurus