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Whether due to the pre-professional culture poisoning college life or the dwindling free time in student’s schedules, the “coffee chat” runs rampant throughout Harvard campus. Initially devised as a mechanism for networking in corporate America, Harvard students have expanded this practice to now include maintaining basic friendships, completing homework, and recruiting fellow students to time-consuming extracurriculars.
It feels like there’s at least 100 cafes, restaurants and grab-and-go coffee options on campus to accommodate this urge. So how is it possible that all of them are below par? Despite the ever-growing population of java purveyors in and around Harvard Square, one must continually balance a mental account of the pros and cons of each establishment, as they pertain to their needs at any given moment. Therefore, the need for a comprehensive guide for both average coffee consumers and luxury espresso seekers alike is undeniable. This list — loosely ranked best to worst — includes a relevant evaluation of the primary coffee shops in Harvard Square, assessing ambiance, convenience and, of course, quality of coffee and accompanying pastries.
Jenny’s Cafe
Nestled in the corner of the Harvard Art Museums, Jenny’s has grown in popularity as more students have discovered it. Conveniently close to the Yard, it’s a reliable stop for caffeine and light fare. The espresso and cold brew are solidly average, though milk drinks tend toward excessive foam. Jenny’s shines in its inventive matcha flavors and surprisingly affordable sandwiches and salads. Pastries, however, underwhelm — more bake-sale than bakery-quality — and the metallic, utilitarian seating makes little effort toward coziness. Still, it’s an easy, functional spot to grab coffee and study between classes.
Tatte
Helmed by Panera’s former CEO, this upscale, not-so-regional chain feels antithetical to Harvard Square’s indie charm. Tatte’s chic, millennial-industrial aesthetic and glass mugs make it a photogenic study spot — if you can snag a seat. Its aesthetics damn it to an overcrowded tourist hell, even despite a recent renovation meant to alleviate the chaos. Still, Tatte’s food and pastries are undeniably excellent: the pear tart, lamb hash, and tomato soup stand out, even if prices verge on the absurd. The espresso is good, and the cafe’s proximity to classrooms keeps it useful. Despite its crowds and commercial feel, Tatte begrudgingly remains one of the more dependable options for coffee and ambience.
With its artsy interior and website-that’s-just-an-Instagram-account and always-ambient playlist, Faro would be the perfect place to cuddle up for a few hours and romanticize the act of completing homework. However, Faro is famously a part of the pious — and arguably useless — no-laptop revolution. So unless you’re an English concentrator who dared to actually buy a physical copy of that novel, this coffee shop is unlikely to meet the typical needs of a Harvard student. Despite its artisanal presentation and hefty price tag, the espresso lacks complexity, the latte designs disappoint, and pastries lean dry. Aesthetically perfect but functionally flawed, Faro falls short of its own promise.
Flour
Founded by Harvard alum Joanne Chang ’91, Flour’s reputation as Boston’s pastry powerhouse is well deserved. Its pain suisse, coconut cake, and ham-and-cheese croissant outshine all campus competitors. Even the gluten-free muffins impress. Despite weekend crowds, the line moves quickly, and seats are usually findable outside peak hours, although the immoveable barstools aren’t comfortable for anything longer than 30 minutes.
The coffee, however, is holding Flour back— machine-pulled espresso tastes closer to Keurig than La Marzocco, and iced drinks are often poorly mixed. Staff interactions are often rushed and disinterested, service is relatively slow, and menu prices push toward absurdity ($17.75 for a sandwich on the current menu). Yet, for baked goods alone, Flour reigns supreme.
When Cambridge gained a George Howell location, coffee connoisseurs rejoiced — only to find it a bit underwhelming. Despite the fancy Mavam milk steamers, the drinks miss their mark: milk too thin, mochas too runny. Pastries are decent, but not transcendent.
Lovestruck’s bubblegum-pink decor makes it an ideal gossip-with-a-girlfriend destination, but not a serious study spot. Laptops are limited to the bar, and the bright lighting and white walls feel more like a Gigi’s Cupcakes in 2015 than a cozy cafe. While charming in concept — bookstore, cafe, and wine bar all in one — it feels more like a 2015 cupcake shop revival than a timeless Harvard haunt. Still, pairing a latte with a romance novel here has undeniable appeal.
Pavement Coffeehouse
Pavement’s modern design mirrors the Smith Campus Center’s clean efficiency, making it a convenient place to camp out with a laptop. Unfortunately, its proximity to the Visitor Center guarantees a steady influx of tourists. The coffee is objectively bad: weak espresso, watery iced drinks, and over-steamed milk. The pastries are uninspired and inconsistent, hailing from A&J King Artisan Bakers — the same distributor who provides much of the city’s mediocre baked goods, including Blue Bottle Coffee locations and Blank Street locations.
With the recent Starbucks closure in the Square, the advantageously-positioned Blank Street now finds itself in the prime location to sell quick caffeine. That being said, the service at Blank Street is anything but quick — unless you embrace your inner iPad baby and order ahead on the app, you are setting yourself up for a lengthy and chaotic wait. At any time of day, overstimulating club music, turned up a couple notches too loud, seems to emanate through hidden speakers and baristas let countless coffee and matcha orders pile up on the counter. Blank Street pretends to have seating, but the four tiny table tops are borderline nonfunctional. With no bathroom for guest use, a WiFi password you have to ask for, sparse outlets and hoards of students and tourists crowding into the window space while they wait for their mediocre beverages, this is perhaps the worst cafe to study in on campus.
While the chain’s fun branding and creative flavors hope to imbue a specialty bent, a closer inspection reveals that this is just a Starbucks in Gen Z’s clothing. The espresso has the dim taste of something carelessly made in a rush, and all of the flavor syrups are grotesquely saccharine. The mocha is perhaps most egregious, and tastes more like an attempt at milk chocolate Swiss Miss than anything made with a coffee bean. The pastries are the exact same pastries available across the street at Pavement, so nothing to write home about.
It seems as though the littering of imperfect coffee shops throughout campus is a consequence of the booming tourism industry which the Harvard Business Association has enabled and encouraged. This excess of middling chain coffee purveyors in the places of small businesses — like Café Pamplona, which closed in May 2020 after six decades on Harvard campus — and the mishandled, constant congestion of clientele, transcends a complaint of everyday inconveniences into the realm of a distinct lack of student focus. Further, the absence of well-rounded coffee options in the square encumbers not only campus life, but the residing Cambridge public, who have now lost the community-building opportunities to become regulars at convenient, endearing, and locally-owned cafes.
No coffee shop can have it all, but, in a market this saturated, they could at least try to serve their core consumer base.
—Staff writer Kate E. Ravenscroft can be reached at kate.ravenscroft@thecrimson.com.
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