the best coffeeshops to get work done in Boston
Hi, I’m Nancy, and I’m weirdly obsessed with coffee shops.
Even long before I was a full-time remote worker, I spent most of my free time in coffee shops studying and working on passion projects. There’s something about the buzz of people around you, the background chatter, the strong smell of espresso, that invigorates me.
Also, being outside my house is immensely helpful for my productivity.
Having lived in Boston for the past 5+ years, I’ve explored many of the coffee shops in the city. Here are my absolute favorites, depending on what area I’m in — think of it as your map to coffee shops in the city (with some non-coffeeshop places to study at the bottom…).
Back Bay
Barrington Coffee Roasting Company
Pros: Matcha (unsweetened), great cold brew, has nitro cold brew, strong wifi
Cons: Don’t have much food that’s gf/df
Loyalty program? Yes — enter your phone number
**EDIT: 4/7/19 They have now been closed to focus on coffee distribution.
North End/West End
Equal Exchange
Pros: Friendly staff, plenty of snacks (and chocolate!) including gf/df/vegan options from Jennifer Lee’s Bakery, plenty of outlets, has oat milk
Cons: Can get very crowded sometimes
Loyalty program? Yes — enter in your phone number or use LevelUp
Chinatown/South End
Jaho Coffee Roaster & Wine Bar
Pros: Good coffee with food options too, has macadamia nut milk and oat milk, serves wine/beer/spirits (for you night owls), lots of seating and outlets
Cons: It’s quite pricey and they’ll frown upon you if you bring outside food, not super friendly
Loyalty program? No
Farmer Horse Coffee
Photo courtesy of @hanmcduffie on Instagram
Pros: Breakfast sandwiches, decent wifi, nice staff, near Northeastern campus
Cons: Very small space, not many outlets
Loyalty program? Not sure
Render Coffee
Pros: Good coffee
Cons: Not many spaces with outlets
Loyalty program? Yes — enter your phone number to earn stars
Union Square
Bloc Somerville
Photo courtesy of @blocsomerville on Instagram
Pros: Large seating space, has food with gf/df options, has oat milk
Cons: No almond milk
Loyalty program? No
Multiple Locations
Pavement Coffee (Newbury St., Fenway, Back Bay, Allston/Brighton)
Pros: Has bagels, salads/sammies with gf/df/vegan options
Cons: Cold brew is really pricey
Loyalty program? Yes — you collect stars by entering in your phone number
Caffe Nero (Central Square, Downtown Crossing, Seaport, Government Center, Newbury St.)
Pros: Strong wifi, strong coffee
Cons: Uses sweetened almond milk (Almond Breeze) rather than Califia Farms or New Barn barista blend
Loyalty program? Yes. Get a punch card, use LevelUp, or download the app
Peet’s Coffee: Assembly Row, Harvard Square (2), Ink Block, Boylston
(some of them are in a Capital One)
Pros: Strong wifi, the ones in Capital One cafes usually have rooms you can call or work by yourself in, has food/snacks
Cons: Not super “cutesy” (more of a corporate environment), homeless people like to hang out in some of them
Loyalty program? Yes — download the Peet’s app (you also get a discount if you have a Capital One card and pay with it — at Capital One Cafes only)
Honorable Mentions
Tatte Bakery (Back Bay, Fenway, Seaport, Harvard Square, Downtown Crossing, Northeastern)
Pros: Great food and coffee with a lot of options
Cons: Slow wifi, very crowded, not often a lot of outlets, gets randomly very cold in the winter
Loyalty program? Yes — get a punchcard. Only works on espresso drinks (i.e. anything except tea)
Life Alive (Central Square, Brighton/Allston)
Pros: Amazing vegan food and CBD teas
Cons: Can get quite busy
Loyalty program? Yes — get a punchcard
Fomu (South End)
Photo courtesy of @tmfoodies on Instagram
Pros: Vegan ice cream!
Cons: You’ll probably be on a sugar high while you’re studying (they do have coffee and tea you can get too/instead of ice cream though)
Loyalty program? No
Thinking Cup (North End, Back Bay/Newbury St.)
Photo courtesy of @jeffs_table on Instagram
Pros: No wifi (if you’re studying/writing and don’t want to get distracted)
Cons: No wifi (if your work involves being on the internet), it’s quite dark and cramped
Loyalty program? No
ByCHLOE. (Back Bay, Seaport, Fenway)
Pros: You can get vegan food, matcha, dessert, coffee while you study/work, decent wifi speed
Cons: You’ll end up smelling like fries (not necessarily a con), can be distracting with the decor, is pricey
Loyalty program? No
Loyal Nine (Cambridge)
Photo courtesy of @loyalninecafe on Instagram
Pros: Brunch. Also beer apparently. Good wifi speed. Outdoor patio space is nice in the summer.
Cons: Not very many seats or outlets, not many gf/df options for food (but then you get hungry smelling everyone’s non gf/df food)
Loyalty program? No
