The 10 best coffee shops in Boston
Ten independent coffee shops inside the city limits make this list, from a North End cafe that has poured espresso since 1929 to roasters in Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury. The list is for people who live or work in Boston and want a regular spot, and for visitors who would like something other than a chain near the hotel. Every entry gives the address, the hours and what to order.
The list favors shops that roast their own beans or bring a point of view to the menu, and it spreads across neighborhoods on purpose. Several of the shops also serve wine or stay open into the evening, noted in each entry.
How we chose
The ten are listed alphabetically, not ranked. Each one is inside the City of Boston, locally run, and publishes its own addresses, which is where the details below come from. Half roast their own coffee. The list reaches from the North End and the Financial District out to Brighton, Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury, so that most readers have at least one entry within a short T or bus ride. National chains are left out.
Hours and prices below come from each business and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.
Caffe Vittoria
Open until midnight every night, Caffe Vittoria is the late option on this list. The North End cafe dates to 1929 and describes itself as the first Italian cafe in Boston. Order a cappuccino or an espresso affogato, and add a cannoli, a slice of tiramisu or a sfogliatella from the pastry case. Gelato is on the menu too. The address covers 290 to 296 Hanover Street in the North End, and the doors open at 8 a.m. for anyone who wants a quieter cup before the day starts.
Hours: Daily, 8 a.m. to midnight.
Address: 290-296 Hanover Street, Boston, MA 02113 (North End)
Why they made the list
- The cafe has been in business since 1929, by its own account.
- Sixteen hours of service a day is the longest stretch of any shop on this list.
- The menu pairs espresso drinks with Italian pastries and gelati.
Farmers Horse Coffee
The beans at Farmers Horse Coffee come straight from Ethiopia. The shop, on Massachusetts Avenue, says it imports its coffee directly and roasts it locally in small batches. The menu goes past drinks, with signature teas, pastries, breakfast sandwiches and lunch specials, which makes the shop a workable stop for a meal as well as a cup to go. Takeout orders can be placed online ahead of time. Catering is available as well, with sandwiches, wraps and fresh fruit.
Hours: Check current hours before you go.
Address: 374 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
Why they made the list
- The shop imports beans directly from Ethiopia, according to its website.
- Roasting is done locally in small batches.
- Breakfast sandwiches and lunch specials are served alongside the coffee.
George Howell Coffee
Three Boston cafes carry the George Howell name: one at the Godfrey Hotel in Downtown Crossing, one inside Boston Public Market and one on Newbury Street. The company roasts its own coffee and runs two more locations outside the city, a cafe in Newtonville and the roastery itself. The company’s website carries a “50 Years” anniversary page along with roast profiles for its coffees. Addresses and hours for each cafe are posted on the individual location pages, so check the one you plan to visit.
Hours: Check current hours before you go. Each cafe keeps its own schedule.
Address: The Godfrey Hotel (Downtown Crossing), Boston Public Market (Haymarket) and Newbury Street (Back Bay)
Why they made the list
- The company lists five locations, three of them in Boston.
- Roast profiles for the coffees are published on the company’s website.
- One of the three Boston cafes is a counter inside Boston Public Market.
See the full directory listing
Gracenote Coffee
Gracenote Coffee runs two very different rooms downtown. The Leather District shop on Lincoln Street is a daytime espresso bar that closes at 4 p.m. on weekdays. The second, inside the High Street Place food hall, adds wine and coffee cocktails and keeps going until 10 p.m. at the end of the week. That gives Gracenote a daytime shop and an evening one under the same name. The High Street Place bar is closed on Sunday, when the Lincoln Street shop is open. The roastery and all of the coffee bars close on Thanksgiving Day, the company notes.
Hours: Lincoln Street: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. High Street Place: Monday through Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; closed Sunday.
Address: 108 Lincoln Street (Leather District) and 100 High Street (High Street Place), Boston
Why they made the list
- The High Street Place bar serves wine and coffee cocktails as well as coffee.
- The Lincoln Street shop opens on weekends, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Gracenote roasts its own coffee.
See the full directory listing
Jaho Coffee Roaster
Late hours are the reason to know Jaho Coffee Roaster. The shop at 665 Washington Street, on the edge of Chinatown and Downtown Crossing, stays open until 11 p.m. every night. Jaho started in Salem in 2005 and now has three Boston locations. The company is a roaster, a coffee shop and a wine bar in one, and its bakers and cooks make the pastries and food on site. The other two are on Huntington Avenue in the Back Bay and farther down Washington Street in the South End, and both close earlier in the evening.
Hours: 665 Washington Street: Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. 116 Huntington Avenue: Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. 1651 Washington Street: daily, 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Address: 665 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111; 116 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02116; 1651 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02118
Why they made the list
- Jaho was founded in Salem in 2005, according to the company.
- Wine is served alongside coffee.
- All three Boston shops open by 7 a.m. every day of the week.
See the full directory listing
Kohi Coffee Company
Kohi Coffee Company began in Provincetown in 2014 and has since opened two shops in Boston. The South End shop is on Berkeley Street, and the other is at Boston Landing in Brighton. These two are the only Kohi locations that take online orders for pickup, placed through the shop page on the company’s website, which helps on a weekday morning. The Brighton shop keeps the same hours all week. The South End shop opens half an hour earlier on weekdays and an hour later on weekends.
Hours: South End: weekdays, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.; weekends, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Boston Landing: daily, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Address: 40 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116 (South End) and 92 Guest Street, Brighton, MA 02135 (Boston Landing)
Why they made the list
- The company was established in Provincetown in 2014.
- Online pickup orders are offered at both Boston shops.
- The Brighton shop is open seven days a week until 5 p.m.
Phin Coffee House
Two drinks define the menu at Phin Coffee House: the Coconut Coffee and the Citrus Espresso, both listed by the shop as signatures. One shop is in the Financial District on High Street. A second shop operates in the David Rubenstein Treehouse at Harvard University, which is on Western Avenue in Allston, inside Boston city limits. Both keep the same schedule and both close on Sunday, so plan a weekend visit for Saturday. Either one works for a quick stop before 5 p.m.
Hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Sunday.
Address: 10 High Street, Boston, MA 02110 (Financial District) and 20 Western Avenue, Boston, MA 02134 (Allston)
Why they made the list
- The shop names Coconut Coffee and Citrus Espresso as its signature drinks.
- Saturday hours start at 9 a.m. at both locations.
- The Allston shop is in the David Rubenstein Treehouse at Harvard University.
Recreo Coffee & Roasterie
Every bean served at Recreo Coffee & Roasterie comes from one place, the family farm in Jinotega, Nicaragua. The company calls itself a single-origin roaster and handles the coffee from the farm to the cup. The cafe is on Centre Street in West Roxbury, and the company mentions a second Boston location on its website. Weekday hours start at 7 a.m., an hour ahead of the weekend opening, and the doors close at 4 p.m. every day.
Hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Address: 1876 Centre Street, West Roxbury, MA 02132
Why they made the list
- All of the coffee is grown on a single family farm in Nicaragua, according to the company.
- Recreo roasts its own beans.
- The cafe is open seven days a week.
Ula Cafe
Inside the Brewery Building on Amory Street in Jamaica Plain, Ula Cafe is a neighborhood cafe with a kitchen that makes most of the menu in-house. Expect savory dishes and pastries alongside coffee and tea, with vegan and gluten-free choices marked. The cafe is Black-owned, woman-owned and veteran-owned. Two details set the room apart: an art gallery and a Pay It Forward wall. Parking is free. The kitchen closes 15 minutes before the cafe does.
Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Address: 284 Amory Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Why they made the list
- Friday and Saturday hours run until 8 p.m.
- Vegan and gluten-free options are on the menu.
- The cafe also caters and rents its space for events.
See the full directory listing
The Well Coffee House
Buying a coffee here pays for more than the coffee. The Well Coffee House is a nonprofit, and the organization says it partners with a different set of local charities and businesses each month while donations fund its programs and expansion. The stated aim is a welcoming community space. The Well lists four locations in Greater Boston, including downtown Boston, East Boston and Everett. Two of the shops are downtown, on Tremont Street and State Street.
Hours: Check current hours before you go.
Address: Downtown Boston shops at 78 Tremont Street and 1 State Street; also in East Boston
Why they made the list
- The Well operates as a nonprofit coffee house.
- Monthly partnerships support local charities, according to the organization.
- Four locations are open across Greater Boston.
See the full directory listing
See a place we missed or a detail that has changed? Send us a correction.
Run a place readers should know about?
Get listed in the directory.