Where to Get a Great Cup of Coffee in Boston

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Where to Get a Great Cup of Coffee in Boston

You can find a damn good cup of coffee in Boston. That’s why we put together an entire compendium of the city’s most prodigious roasters, brewers, and baristas.

When you think about the city of Boston, you probably aren't thinking about the ultimate cup of coffee. Although it's called Beantown, they're talking about another kind of bean entirely.

It's true: The city of Boston has an inextricable connection to that most noble sovereign of caffeinated liquids—tea. And, sure, we recognize that Dunkin' Donuts was created right outside city limits, but we can't really hold that against an entire city, can we?

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The truth is, you can find a damn good cup of coffee in Boston. That's why we put together an entire compendium of the city's most prodigious roasters, brewers, and baristas.

Click HERE for the MUNCHIES Restaurant and Bar Guide to Boston

So with any deep-seated prejudice aside, let's see if we can give the nickname a whole new meaning. Our brand new MUNCHIES Guide to Boston features a super-handy "Coffee" filter for you to find the truly inspired coffee spots that make the city of Boston great, whether they be hole-in-the-wall hipster spots where the fair trade cold brew flows aplenty, or non-profit cafes devoted to the promotion of sustainable beans.

Be sure to check out our entire city guide page, of course, but here's just a small sampling of some of the coolest, most caffeinated, spots that Boston has to offer.

Diesel Cafe: One of the area's O.G. hipster cafes, Diesel has anchored Davis Square for almost two decades. The large space isn't just a cafe—it's a neighborhood landmark and gathering place, particularly for the LGBT community who call it home. Whether you're looking to read, write, or socialize, its open-air cafe seating in the front and pool tables in the back have something for everyone.

Crema: The always-bustling Harvard Square spot is a favorite of students and neighborhood workers alike for coffee and lunch. The former is sourced from the nearby George Howell Coffee Co., although they feature a series of guest roasters that highlight a variety of styles. For lunch, the quiches, soups, and sandwiches are all warm and inviting, but it's the pastries—oatmeal jumble cookies, mudslide cookies, bread pudding, carrot cake, and more—that you shouldn't resist.

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Pavement Coffeehouse: The marriage of two cafes beloved by Allston college students (Bagel Rising and Espresso Royale), Pavement Coffeehouse has expanded to five locations around the city, all within stumble-in-before-class distance of the dozens of colleges near the various branches in Fenway, Allston, Comm Ave., Gainsborough, and Newbury. Single-source coffees via Counter Culture coffee, and crusty on the outside, doughy on the inside bagels are the specialty.

Render Coffee: The two locations, one downtown and one in the South End, are beloved for their pour-over brews sourced from all over the world: Rwanda, Papua New Guinea, Ecuador, and Colombia, to name a few. While you're hear for a jolt, the sandwiches aren't to be looked over either, like the "B.T.L." with applewood smoked bacon, tomato, spinach, cheddar, and spicy aioli on 7-grain bread.

Gracenote: This downtown espresso bar is the first retail collaboration between the Gracenote Coffee Roasters out of Berlin and the traveling Coffee Trike. As a cafe that uses their own roasts, you'd imagine that they'd know what they're doing, and they do—it shows in the cold brews and espresso bar drinks. The space is small but beautiful, making it ideal for that latte art Instagram you know you want to take.

Blue State Coffee: Blue State is the rarest of animals: a chain with a charitable purpose. There are two locations in Boston (as well as ones in Rhode Island and Connecticut), and each donates 2 percent of sales to local non-profits, voted on by guests at the cafe. The coffee is all fair-trade and organic, and the sandwiches and salads are quick and easy for the reams of Boston U students who keep the Comm. Ave locale busy.

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Thinking Cup: Just off the Boston Common, Thinking Cup is the go-to stop for Emerson and Suffolk students fueling up before class or squatting to do work. They serve Stumptown Coffee and Third Wave Coffee exclusively, single-origin pour-overs, and everything from breakfast burritos to Spanish dry chorizo and manchego sandwiches on crusty french rolls.

Fuel America: This designy-rustic Brighton cafe is a favorite of Boston College students, and features all of the drip coffee and espresso bar drinks and loose leaf teas you'd expect. With locations in Logan Airport as well, the cafe also offers inventive soft drink options, like one made with organic agave nectar, Persian lime juice, Valencia orange juice, seltzer, fresh basil, and lime. The breakfast and lunch menus are more expansive than the average cafe, too; try the ricotta and honey toast with mint and sunflower seeds, or a Cuban with slow-roasted pork, fontina, ham, pickles, and dijon on ciabatta.

Click HERE for the MUNCHIES Restaurant and Bar Guide to Boston