Best Coffee in Boston — William Charleton

I thought a post sharing some of the best coffee shops by neighborhood would be very useful for many people. I wouldn’t call myself a coffee connoisseur, but I do enjoy it very much. After 12 years of researching coffee shops around Boston, here’s what I’ve found. Keep in mind, my usual order is a double espresso or a cappuccino.

Back Bay

Alright, so Back Bay is going to be broken up into two categories. One is best coffee, the other is best milk. I’m going to get some flak for this one, but Eataly has the best espresso in the neighborhood. It’s dark and nutty and a little bitter. So good. And they used to have great milk too, High Lawn farm grass fed jersey cow milk. That was until the wu-flu shut them down. When they reopened, they had something that looked fortified and ultra pasteurized.

The other winner in Back Bay is Pavement, formerly Espresso Royale. They have a great drink menu, and consistently use High Lawn grass fed jersey cow milk. Probably going to take some heat for this opinion too, but their espresso sucks. To me anyway. It’s too floral and sour. It’s almost fruity. It’s not that bad, I still get it in drinks, but I wouldn’t order a double shot at Pavement. Good options here: Maple Latte, a latte with maple syrup, or a Maple Death Cream, half and half, cold brew and maple syrup.

South End

I put this out as a question to my Instagram followers, and in 15 minutes the only response was from a spam bot selling followers who’s reply was blank. And that kind of sums it up for me. I received some suggestions for Jugos, Cafe Madeleine and Render. Of those three, Jugos was by far the best. The espresso was dark and chocolatey, but the best part was…wait for it. For sweetener, they poured freshly made sugarcane juice into the espresso. Divine

North End

No question, Cafe Vittoria. I don’t know what milk they use, but I don’t care because it’s not about that. The whole ambiance, sitting right on Hanover, the smell of the baked goods, you can’t beat it. Actually, yes you can. Get your coffee to go and head downstairs to Stanza Dei Zigari and enjoy it with a cigar.

Theatre District/Downtown/Chinatown

I’m not really sure which neighborhood George Howell in the Godfrey Hotel, is actually in. Some maps say that’s the Theatre District, others say Downtown and some Chinatown. Anyway, George Howell is a local company. The similarly named founder, previously built up Coffee Connection which he sold to Starbucks. They put a heavy focus on sourcing good beans, and it shows well. At least through a double espresso. They have panela for sugar too which is pretty nice. Check out my IGTV for a more in-depth review.

If you or anyone you know is looking to move closer to a place to get great coffee, I’d be happy to help! I can be reached by phone at 617 528 8461, or email me at willy.charleton@nemoves.com.