coffee in and around MIT! my list & mini reviews so far...

I find that I'm strangely productive only when I'm in a coffee shop.... only now have I found a tweet to truly *accurately* sum up this worrisome tendency:

After really feeding this tendency and making my way through a decent number of coffee shops around MIT in Cambridge and Boston, I present ..... *drum roll please* my "spend an outrageous amount of money on coffee and the coffeeshop aesthetic to get productive on the weekend instead of withering away in your dorm and actually explore boston" list!!

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1. Pavement Coffeehouse This place is definitely one of my favorites if not THE favorite! The atmosphere is terrific and they have a great vibe with cool art and nice abstract, decorative tables. This place is also good for a weak coffee drinker like myself lol who likes to get the drinks that border on "is this a dessert???". The spanish latte and cortado that I've had here are both pretty good. It is a fantastic study spot with cool tables, a good college student vibe (it's right by berklee and MIT) and lots of outlets. It's also close to campus, just a walk or quick bike across the bridge on Bolyston Street which is especially nice in the fall or in the spring :)

+ good coffee

+ cool atmosphere! v artsy

+ nice seating: artsy/painted tables + comfy armchairs

+ lots of outlets!

- v v busy especially on weekends

2. Tatte Bakery At a close second we have Tatte! Tatte is a staple in Boston, this place is well known among college students for being a great brunch and study spot. It's aesthetic as fuckkkk with white tiling all along the walls, black accents in the decor, and really bright, warm boho-y lighting. I went there with my big from my sorority for brunch one day at their larger, berklee location and man do I get the hype now... it was PACKED. It gets super super busy on the weekends; it can be hard to even find a spot to sit!

+ super aesthetic

+ really good signature lattes

+ awesome food... the shaksuka can't be beat! really good portions too

- kinda expensive though be ready to shell out close to 30 bucks for a latte, pastry and an entree oof (said from experience)

- v v busy on weekends, so there can be a line/hard to find a place to sit especially for a large group of ppl

3. Flour Bakery

and of course... we arrive at Flour!! Another staple cafe/bakery of Boston... this list would not be a proper list without Flour Bakery! Flour has a pretty much a cult following of sorts among MIT students haha. I know some people who would *die* for Joanna Chang (their founder). Flour is the closest coffee shop to campus and pretty much everyone at MIT loves it! They have amazing, and I mean AMAZING pastries and sandwiches. They often cater for MIT events too and some people will go to these events just for the catered food lol.

+ AMAZING food: their cauliflower melt sandwhich is absolutely phenomenal and my fave

+ closest to campus

+ amazing pastries

- kind of a small space so it can be hard to find seating

4. Darwin's Darwin's is a definite favorite among MIT students with good coffee and a warm, kind of rustic atmosphere. They have very woodsy, natural, cozy decor. It's very close to MIT, just a quick walk down mass ave and lots of people like to study here! So far I've had an iced coffee and matcha latte here and imo they were just eh... oof no one come at me haha. Personally, I prefer Tatte, Pavement, or Flour over Darwin's. I haven't tried the food here yet though!

+ cozy vibe

+ super close to campus

- bad drink experience so far but I'm sure it's just what I ordered lol

5. Vester Cafe Vester is in Kendall Square and is a European cafe inspired by Copenhagen. It is a bit overpriced imo but also quite lux. I got vietnamese coffee here and also the yin yang (which was supposed to be milk tea and coffee mixed together but just tasted like watery slightly bitter milk tea to me oof). However, the aesthetic is fantastic. They have these marble tables that are super chic as well as black walls with hanging plants and very aesthetic, instagrammy vibes. I haven't gotten food here before but it looked pretty good. They serve staple cafe fare with sandwhiches and salads. However, the wifi isn't great and it's more of a restaurant than a coffee shop, it's not great for studying. They're also not open on Sundays.

+ aesthetic, aesthetic, aesthetic

+ close to campus + my UROP (Kendall)

- drinks were meh... especially for the price

- pricey

- wifi isn't great

6. Blue Bottle Blue Bottle is also in Kendall Square. It's only a bit away from Vester. Before I went, I had heard that it's a good spot for good coffee but to a coffee newbie like me, I frankly can't tell the difference lol. I just know there's a bunch of hype. The space is very practical and minimalistic. There isn't too much seating though and they seem to have more bar seating than the typical coffee shop seating that has lots of small tables for 2 people. I did get a shit ton of work done here though, it's just a bit of a trek and not worth it in my opinion especially when I can make the same trek and go to flour, pavement or darwin's.

+ close to campus

+ minimalist vibe

+ good coffee (??)

- pricey

- not much seating

7. 1369 coffee house 1369 is in Central Square in the opposite direction of Pavement Coffeehouse. It's past Hmart and Target in central. I uhhh had an interesting experience here but ya know it was pretty good. What happened was that a sketch person came in and tried to steal something from the barista... then people on both sides threatened to call the police and it got quite *rowdy* in the shop. Anyway.... back to the description, it had a very cozy and homey kind of atmosphere that made it definitely more family and community oriented if that makes sense. I feel like coffee shops geared towards college students and working professionals are much more focused on being sleek, aesthetic, hip... that kind of thing. If you're looking for that this place is not what you would like since it's quite small and not the ~aesthetic vibe~ that I personally really like.

+ good food + coffee

+ friendly staff

+ cozy, homey vibe

+ good prices

- not my preferred atmosphere