The 7 Best Coffee Shops In Boston

For Bostonians looking for a wicked cup of coffee – or caffeine-craving visitors – there’s plenty of choice in the city to have a cuppa or three. With a thriving coffee scene, independent roasters and cosy cafes have popped up on almost every street corner, but we like to narrow things down a little.

With our list of only the seven best coffee shops in Boston, you only have to think about whether you want a flat white or cold brew…

The 7 Best Coffee Shops In Boston, How do these rankings work?

1. Longfellows

Longfellows is an independent community-driven coffee shop in the heart of Cambridge, nestled in Lamplighter Brewing Co. (so yep, you can come here for coffee in the AM and a beer in the PM).

Classic French Press always comes steaming and delicious, and they do a mean Peppermint Cold Brew.

2. Gracenote Coffee

Gracenote Boston is a standing espresso bar in Boston’s Leather District that can get pretty jam-packed, but is always worth the crowd. Each day the shop has two espressos to choose from: Alpha, Gracenote’s take on a classic profile espresso, and a single origin which rotates daily.

3. 4A

If you want fresh-roasted, quality-sourced specialty coffees, this is the place to come. The passionate owners do the coffee roasting in small batches, meticulously brewing them on their Slayer espresso machine.​ It’s low-key, but the coffee always hits the spot.

4. George Howell Coffee

Owner George and his daughter Jenny work directly with these farms that share their interest in social responsibility and environmental sustainability, so the beans are as ethical as they are tasty. You can buy bags of their single-origin coffee to take home and trust us, you won’t be able to resist.

5. Thinking Cup 

Thinking Cup was the first coffee shop in Downtown Boston to serve “Stumptown Coffee” and “Third Wave Coffee” products exclusively. Now with three Boston locations, it’s a handy place to refuel. Their friendly baristas are highly knowledgeable about all things coffee, so don’t be shy to ask any questions you may have.

6. Barismo

Barismo’s original location in East Arlington is home to a lab-style coffee bar, with an extensive selection of retail coffee and brewing equipment. There’s rotating manual methods (pour overs, syphons, etc), as well as a basic classic espresso service. Add in expertly sourced beans and this is a haven for coffee geeks.

7. Render Coffee

Render Coffee has two super locations in Boston, both of which brew up coffee from beans roasted by either Tandem Coffee from Maine and Gracenote Coffee from Boston. Choose from Americanos, cortados, drip and cold brews, and keep an eye for a table out on the pretty patio.