Café Amalfi
- Outdoor seating
- Takeaway
- Bakery café
United States
Cafés in Boston from Hanover Street to Davis Square
Lavazza espresso and cannoli on Hanover Street, a mile of brownstone cafés on Newbury Street and, across the Charles, coffee bars around the squares of Cambridge and Somerville.
- Map and “near me”
- “Open now” filter
- Paid placements always labeled
Photo: Ren Aukeman, Pexels License
251Cafés listed
9Open by 6am
11Open past 10pm
7Specialty & roasters
Boston has sold coffee for more than 350 years. In 1670 the town licensed Dorothy Jones, an immigrant from Wales, to keep a house of public entertainment for selling coffee, and the British Coffee House of the 1690s became a Loyalist haunt, renamed the American Coffee House after Loyalists attacked the patriot lawyer James Otis there in 1769.1 The seven-story Exchange Coffee House on Congress Square, a hotel and coffeehouse, opened in 1809 and burned in 1818.2
The everyday cup has local roots too. Bill Rosenberg opened the Open Kettle in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1948 and renamed it Dunkin’ Donuts in 1950; the company is still headquartered in Massachusetts, in Canton.3 Many of the beans in the city’s independent cafés travel further: Ogawa Coffee on Milk Street opened in 2015 as the first American shop of a Kyoto roaster that shipped its coffee from Japan every two weeks, and Recreo roasts coffee from the Morales family’s farm in Jinotega, Nicaragua.45
Two of the busiest coffee districts lie outside Boston. Cambridge, directly across the Charles River, is a separate city, incorporated in 1846, with Harvard and, since 1916, MIT.6 Somerville, its neighbor to the north, became a town in 1842 and a city in 1872 and is the most densely populated municipality in New England.7 The Red Line runs through both, from Kendall/MIT, Central and Harvard to Porter and, since December 1984, Davis.68
Ride the Red Line, square by square
Boston by area
Cambridge calls itself the City of Squares: Harvard, Central, Inman, Kendall and Porter are its commercial centers.6 On the Boston side, cafés follow older ground, from the North End, lived in since the 1630s, to the Back Bay, filled in from the tidal flats between 1857 and 1882.1920
North End
Espresso bars and pastry cases on Hanover Street, a 1932 coffee and spice shop on Salem Street, and soccer on the café screens.
14 cafés
Downtown & Chinatown
A Kyoto roaster on Milk Street, Vietnamese phin coffee on High Street, a standing-room espresso bar in the Leather District and a café in Post Office Square.
35 cafés
Back Bay
Newbury Street’s brownstone cafés, a bookstore café open until midnight, Burdick hot chocolate on Clarendon Street and bagels from 05:00 on Mass. Ave.
16 cafés
South End
Bakery cafés among Victorian row houses on Columbus and Shawmut avenues, early coffee on Traveler Street and Sunday markets in SoWa.
15 cafés
Kendall Square & East Cambridge
Lab-district coffee bars beside MIT, a Copenhagen-style café on Ames Street, French pastry on Third Street and a baking-supply café on Cambridge Street.
19 cafés
Central & Inman Squares, Cambridge
Vietnamese coffee on Prospect Street, a 1993 coffeehouse in a former jazz club, a roastery on Kirkland Street and Brazilian pão de queijo in Inman Square.
17 cafés
Harvard & Porter Squares, Cambridge
Cafés around Harvard Yard and Brattle Street, a 1996 bakery on Concord Avenue, a café in the old Sears building at Porter and a café-wine bar open until midnight.
16 cafés
Somerville: Union & Davis Squares
Diesel Cafe in Davis Square since 1999, a café in an old bank on Bow Street in Union Square, and Vietnamese coffee in Ball Square on Broadway.
32 cafés
Or start with what you need
Browse by mood and hour
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi cafés from Davis Square and Highland Avenue in Somerville to Inman and Central Squares, Newbury Street and Centre Street in Jamaica Plain.
30 cafés
Outdoor seating
Sidewalk and patio tables on Newbury Street, by the Frog Pond on Boston Common, in Kendall and Harvard Squares and along Columbus Avenue in the South End.
35 cafés
Bakery cafés
Japanese buns near Union Square, from-scratch brioche on Massachusetts Avenue, a Portuguese pastelaria on Mystic Avenue and pastry counters on Broadway in South Boston.
15 cafés
Open late
Coffee after dark: midnight on Newbury Street and in Porter Square, waffles in Harvard Square, crêpes in Davis Square and Vietnamese desserts in Dorchester.
11 cafés
Early morning
Bagels from 05:00 on Massachusetts Avenue, 06:00 starts on Dorchester Avenue, in Savin Hill and on State Street, and breakfast on Medford Street in Somerville.
9 cafésNorth End 14 cafés
Polcari's Coffee
Thinking Cup
- Card payment
All 14 cafés in North End
See the full listBeacon Hill & West End 9 cafés
Downtown & Chinatown 35 cafés
More about cafés in Downtown & Chinatown
Boston News Cafe
Café Bonjour
- Outdoor seating
- Brunch
Gracenote Coffee
All 35 cafés in Downtown & Chinatown
See the full listSeaport & Fort Point 8 cafés
Abigail's Tea Room
Blue State Coffee
Channel Cafe
South Boston 12 cafés
Back Bay 16 cafés
Berkeley Perk Cafe
- Takeaway
- Wheelchair access
- Brunch
Café Susu by Suitsupply
- Wheelchair access
Manhattan Bagel and Coffee
- Takeaway
- Open by 6am
All 16 cafés in Back Bay
See the full listSouth End 15 cafés
Cuppacoffee
Greystone Cafe
South End Buttery
- Outdoor seating
- Card payment
All 15 cafés in South End
See the full listFenway & Kenmore 12 cafés
Cafe G
Citra Fresh Cafe
Green T Coffee Shop
Allston 7 cafés
Jamaica Plain 13 cafés
Café La Paz
Café Selah
Café Siete
- Air-con
Roxbury & Dorchester 12 cafés
AKOKO - Coco Leaf Dorchester
- Air-con
- Open late
- Open by 6am
Madhouse Cafe
McKenna's Cafe
- Open by 6am
- Brunch
Charlestown 7 cafés
Pixlcat Coffee & Butter Mochi
Anna's Cafe
Emmi Bakery and Cafe
East Boston 7 cafés
Americano Espresso Bar
Cafe Iterum
Eagle Hill Cafe
Kendall Square & East Cambridge 19 cafés
More about cafés in Kendall Square & East Cambridge
Cafe Beatrice
- Wi-Fi
- Outdoor seating
- Air-con
- Card payment
- Wheelchair access
- Toilets
Call Me Honey
Elmendorf Baking Supplies
- Wi-Fi
- Vegetarian options
All 19 cafés in Kendall Square & East Cambridge
See the full listCentral & Inman Squares, Cambridge 17 cafés
More about cafés in Central & Inman Squares, Cambridge
1369 Coffee House
- Wi-Fi
- Vegetarian options
- Smoke-free indoors
bōm dough
- Wi-Fi
- Takeaway
- Air-con
- Indoor seating
- Wheelchair access
- Smoke-free indoors
- Brunch
Cicada Coffee Bar
- Toilets
- Specialty
- Laptop-free
All 17 cafés in Central & Inman Squares, Cambridge
See the full listHarvard & Porter Squares, Cambridge 16 cafés
More about cafés in Harvard & Porter Squares, Cambridge
Circus Cooperative Cafe
- Wi-Fi
- Card payment
- Partial wheelchair access
- Toilets
- Smoke-free indoors
Concord Ave Cafe
CSCA Cafe
- Outdoor seating
- Air-con
- Wheelchair access
- Toilets
All 16 cafés in Harvard & Porter Squares, Cambridge
See the full listSomerville: Union & Davis Squares 32 cafés
More about cafés in Somerville: Union & Davis Squares
3 Little Figs
- Wi-Fi
- Card payment
- Vegetarian options
- Partial wheelchair access
Bloc
- Indoor seating
- Card payment
- Vegetarian options
- Wheelchair access
Brianna's Café
- Card payment
- Vegetarian options
- Wheelchair access
- Open by 6am
All 32 cafés in Somerville: Union & Davis Squares
See the full listShowing up to 6 cafés per area. Each area page has the full list.
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Coffee chains in Boston
Branches by area
Chain
Starbucks
Show 73 locations
- Allston 4
- Back Bay 7
- Beacon Hill & West End 5
- Central & Inman Squares, Cambridge 2
- Charlestown 1
- Downtown & Chinatown 11
- East Boston 8
- Fenway & Kenmore 10
- Harvard & Porter Squares, Cambridge 3
- Jamaica Plain 1
- Kendall Square & East Cambridge 4
- North End 2
- Roxbury & Dorchester 3
- Seaport & Fort Point 4
- Somerville: Union & Davis Squares 5
- South Boston 1
- South End 2
Chain
Caffè Nero
Show 22 locations
- Allston 1
- Back Bay 4
- Beacon Hill & West End 1
- Central & Inman Squares, Cambridge 1
- Downtown & Chinatown 4
- Fenway & Kenmore 2
- Harvard & Porter Squares, Cambridge 1
- Jamaica Plain 1
- Kendall Square & East Cambridge 1
- Seaport & Fort Point 2
- Somerville: Union & Davis Squares 1
- South Boston 1
- South End 2
Chain
Tatte Bakery & Cafe
Show 15 locations
- Back Bay 3
- Beacon Hill & West End 1
- Charlestown 1
- Downtown & Chinatown 3
- Fenway & Kenmore 1
- Harvard & Porter Squares, Cambridge 1
- Kendall Square & East Cambridge 2
- Seaport & Fort Point 1
- Somerville: Union & Davis Squares 1
- South End 1
Chain
Peet's Coffee
Show 9 locations
- Beacon Hill & West End
- 66 Charles St,
- Downtown & Chinatown
- Peet's Coffee & Tea, 129 Tremont St
- 310 Harrison AvenueMon–Sat 07:00–16:00
- East Boston
- East Boston
- 1 Harborside Dr
- Fenway & Kenmore
- 625 Huntington Ave
- Harvard & Porter Squares, Cambridge
- 104 Mount Auburn StreetMon–Sat 07:00–19:30 · Sun 08:00–19:30
- North End
- 48,50 Salem Street
- Somerville: Union & Davis Squares
- Peets, 400 Revolution Dr
Chain
Blank Street Coffee
Show 8 locations
- Back Bay
- Back Bay
- 647 Boylston StreetMon–Sat 06:30–21:00 · Sun 07:00–21:00
- Beacon Hill & West End
- 122 Causeway Street, Boston, MA, 02114
- 282 Cambridge Street
- 97 Charles Street
- Harvard & Porter Squares, Cambridge
- 1380 Massachusetts AvenueMon–Fri 06:30–18:00 · Sat–Sun 07:00–18:00
- South Boston
- 489 East Broadway, Boston, MA, 02127
- South End
- 250 W Newton St., Boston, MA, 02116
Chain
Pavement Coffeehouse
Show 8 locations
- Allston
- 1243 Commonwealth AvenueDaily 07:00–16:00
- Back Bay
- 1096;1098 Boylston Street
- 286 Newbury StreetDaily 07:00–18:00
- Fenway & Kenmore
- 1334 Boylston StreetDaily 07:00–18:00
- 736 Commonwealth AvenueDaily 07:00–19:00
- Harvard & Porter Squares, Cambridge
- 1350 Massachusetts AvenueDaily 07:00–18:00
- 1663;1665 Massachusetts AvenueDaily 07:00–18:00
- South End
- 50;50A Gainsborough Street
Chain
Blue Bottle Coffee
Show 5 locations
- Back Bay
- 163 Newbury StreetDaily 08:00–17:00
- 800 Boylston StreetDaily 08:30–16:00
- Harvard & Porter Squares, Cambridge
- 30 Plympton StreetDaily 07:00–18:00
- Kendall Square & East Cambridge
- 88 Ames StreetDaily 07:00–18:00
- Seaport & Fort Point
- 113 Autumn Ln
Chain
Flour Bakery + Cafe
Show 4 locations
- Central & Inman Squares, Cambridge
- 190 Massachusetts AvenueMon–Fri 07:00–19:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–18:00
- Fenway & Kenmore
- 1610 Tremont Street
- Harvard & Porter Squares, Cambridge
- 114 Mount Auburn StreetMon–Fri 07:00–19:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–18:00
- South End
- South End
Chain
George Howell Coffee
Show 4 locations
- Back Bay
- 400 Newbury Street
- Downtown & Chinatown
- 505 Washington StreetDaily 07:00–18:30
- East Boston
- East BostonDaily 05:00–23:00
- North End
- 100 Hanover St
Chain
Jaho Coffee Roaster & Wine Bar
Show 4 locations
- Back Bay
- 116 Huntington AveMon–Fri 06:30–23:00 · Sat–Sun 07:00–23:00
- Central & Inman Squares, Cambridge
- 425 Massachusetts AvenueMon–Fri 06:30–23:00
- Downtown & Chinatown
- 665 Washington StreetMon–Fri 06:30–23:00 · Sat–Sun 07:00–23:00
- South End
- 1651 Washington StreetDaily 06:30–23:00
Chain
The Well Coffee House
- Downtown & Chinatown
- 212 Washington StreetMon–Fri 07:00–18:00 · Sat 08:00–18:00 · Sun Closed
- 78 Tremont StreetMon–Fri 07:00–18:00 · Sat 08:00–18:00 · Sun Closed
- East Boston
- 173 Border StreetMon–Fri 07:00–15:00 · Sat 08:00–15:00 · Sun Closed
Chain
Bluestone Lane
- Downtown & Chinatown
- Bluestone Lane High Street Coffee Shop, 125 High St
- Harvard & Porter Squares, Cambridge
- 27 Brattle Street
Chain
Bitty & Beau's Coffee
- Kendall Square & East Cambridge
- 350 Water St
Chain
Caffè Bene
- South End
- 333 Massachusetts Avenue
Chain
Caffè Vergnano
- Back Bay
- 800 Boylston StreetMon–Thu 08:00–17:00 · Fri–Sat 08:00–18:00 · Sun 08:00–17:00
Chain
Cotti Coffee
- Allston
- 122 Brighton Avenue
Chain
For Five Coffee
- Downtown & Chinatown
- 200 State St
Chain
Intelligentsia Coffee
- Downtown & Chinatown
- 225 Franklin StreetMon–Fri 07:00–15:00 · Sat–Sun Closed
Chain
La Colombe Coffee Roasters
- Downtown & Chinatown
- 745 Atlantic Avenue
Chain
Lavazza
- Back Bay
- 888 Boylston Street
Chain
Saxbys
- Fenway & Kenmore
- 665 Commonwealth Ave
Chain
Second Cup
- Beacon Hill & West End
- 97 Causeway St
Before you sit down
Ordering coffee in Boston, Cambridge and Somerville
Ask for a coffee “regular” in Boston and you get it with cream and sugar, not black. At most New England Dunkin’ counters in 2014 the standard answer was “three and three”: three creams and three sugars in a medium, two and two in a small, four and four in a large.9 If you want it black, say so.
You order and pay at the counter. Prices on the board come before a 7% meals tax, which Diesel Cafe in Davis Square notes under its menu.10 Tipping is optional and usually done on the card reader. Massachusetts lets employers pay tipped workers US$6.75 an hour as long as tips lift them to the US$15 state minimum, and in November 2024 voters rejected Question 5, which would have phased that lower wage out.11
Espresso in the North End follows Italian habits. Caffè Vittoria on Hanover Street pulls Lavazza and serves caffè corretto, a shot of espresso with a shot of liquor.12 Phin Coffee House on High Street brews cà phê phin, Vietnamese Robusta dripped through the cup-top phin filter, then adds condensed milk and ice, and Cicada Coffee Bar in Cambridge brews beans from Nguyen Coffee Supply, a Vietnamese specialty brand.1314
Laptop rules are set café by café. Broadsheet Coffee Roasters near Harvard Yard offers no Wi-Fi and bans laptops at weekends, and a sign by Cicada’s register asks customers to leave technology alone.1514
What coffee costs in Boston
| Drink | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Cup of coffee Median price at Boston cafés | Just over US$4 Toast data reported by WBUR, November 2025 |
| Americano Starting price | US$3.85 Broadsheet Coffee Roasters, Cambridge, September 2026 |
| Latte Hot, standard size | US$5.50 Broadsheet Coffee Roasters, Cambridge, September 2026 |
| Seasonal latte Black sesame latte | US$7 Broadsheet Coffee Roasters, Cambridge, September 2026 |
| Iced latte Medium, oat milk and vanilla | US$6.75 Nine Bar Espresso, Somerville, March 2023 |
Prices before the 7% meals tax and any tip. The Boston median comes from Toast payment data reported by WBUR in December 2025,16 the Broadsheet prices from The Harvard Crimson in September 202615 and the Nine Bar price from The Tufts Daily in March 2023.17 Thinking Cup on Newbury Street raised its prices three times in 2025.18
Sources
- New England Coffee Houses: From Fad to Revolution to Fraud, New England Historical Society, accessed October 2026
- Exchange Coffee House, Boston, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
- Dunkin', Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
- Espresso Flights and Stadium Seating at Ogawa Coffee's First U.S. Shop (Nick Brown, June 16, 2015), Daily Coffee News, accessed October 2026
- El Recreo's Second Retail Outpost is Boston City Hall's Permanent Coffee Spot (Howard Bryman, August 1, 2017), Daily Coffee News, accessed October 2026
- Cambridge, Massachusetts, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
- Somerville, Massachusetts, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
- Davis Square, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
- At Dunkin' Donuts, coffee 'regular' has a limit (Roberto Scalese and Megan Turchi, June 17, 2014), Boston.com, accessed October 2026
- Menu (updated September 2026), Diesel Cafe, accessed October 2026
- Massachusetts Ballot Question 5 election results: tipped workers (updated November 7, 2024), CBS News Boston, accessed October 2026
- Menu, Caffé Vittoria, accessed October 2026
- Phin Coffee House (Brian Williams, May 3, 2022), Brian's Coffee Spot, accessed October 2026
- Cicada Coffee Bar review (Halianna H. Leland, November 2024), The Harvard Crimson, accessed October 2026
- Broadsheet Coffee review (Cloris F. Shi, September 2026), The Harvard Crimson, accessed October 2026
- Coffee prices in Boston keep climbing (Zeninjor Enwemeka, December 22, 2025), WBUR, accessed October 2026
- Caffeinated Commentary: Nine Bar Espresso (Natalie Bricker, March 7, 2023), The Tufts Daily, accessed October 2026
- Boston coffee prices rising (Neena Hagen, November 30, 2025), The Boston Globe, accessed October 2026
- North End, Boston, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
- Back Bay, Boston, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
More to read
Guides
City guides
Coffee in New York from the cart to the roaster
How New York drinks coffee: street carts and bodegas, Brooklyn and Queens roasters, late Yemeni coffeehouses, 2025–2026 prices, cash rules and tipping.
How to orderTipping in cafés and coffee shops, country by country
Do you tip at a coffee shop? Tip jars and screens in the US and Canada, Québec's pre-tax rule, UK and Irish service charges, New Zealand and South Africa.
FAQ
Cafés in Boston: common questions
How much does a coffee cost in Boston?
Toast payment data put the median price of a cup of coffee in Boston at just over US$4 in November 2025. In September 2026 Broadsheet Coffee Roasters in Cambridge charged from US$3.85 for an americano, US$5.50 for a latte and US$7 for a seasonal black sesame latte. A 7% meals tax comes on top, and tipping is optional.
Which neighborhood of Boston has the most cafés?
Downtown & Chinatown and Somerville: Union & Davis Squares have the most cafés, followed by Kendall Square & East Cambridge. Downtown, several cafés keep office hours and close at weekends; in Somerville they gather around Davis and Union Squares and along Broadway in Ball Square.
What does a regular coffee mean in Boston?
In Boston and across New England, a coffee “regular” means coffee with cream and sugar. At Dunkin’ counters the standard in 2014 was “three and three” for a medium: three creams and three sugars, with two and two in a small and four and four in a large. Ask for black coffee if you want it plain.
Are Cambridge and Somerville part of the city of Boston?
No. Cambridge is a separate city directly across the Charles River from Boston, incorporated in 1846 and home to Harvard and MIT. Somerville, north of Cambridge, has been a city since 1872. The MBTA Red Line connects Boston with Kendall/MIT, Central, Harvard and Porter in Cambridge and Davis in Somerville.
Do you tip at cafés in Boston?
Tipping at Boston cafés is optional and usually added on the card reader when you pay at the counter. Massachusetts allows a tipped wage of US$6.75 an hour as long as tips bring workers to the US$15 state minimum, and voters kept that system in November 2024 when they rejected Question 5.
For café owners
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