Cafe on the Commons Waltham

Cafe on the Commons Waltham 

Phone: (781) 647-2456

Address: 677 Main St, Waltham, MA 02451

Outside view

Hours: 

Sunday	7AM–6PM
Monday	7AM–6PM
Tuesday	7AM–6PM
Wednesday	7AM–6PM
Thursday	7AM–6PM
Friday	7AM–6PM
Saturday	7AM–6PM

Cafe on the Commons Waltham is a 45 minute drive from the university and is situated on a main street with little to no major corporate competition. Also, the shop is located close to Brandeis University making it a lovely stop for workers, students and their visiting family. The environment inside is just so lively and friendly it is practically impossible to not strike up a conversation with a stranger.

Inside view

  The shop has magnificent tasting pastries, delicious meals and amazing coffee, lattes and espressos. The shop is a proud member of the fair trade movement and gets its coffee from Dean's Beans. Dean's Bans is a local beanery located in Orange, MA. 

       The coffee I received was the Aztec Two-Step from Mexico. It had a smooth and nutty flavor with a long after taste. I would describe the coffee as a blend of light and dark roast of Mexican Chipas coffee,

Cilla's Coffee House

5 Liberty Lane, Norfolk MA
Review by Theresa Dustin

Located near the Norfolk train station, Cilla's is the perfect location to grab a coffee or some breakfast to begin your day, before heading on the train. Or if you are in the area, stopping by Cilla's Coffeehouse is definitely worth it. 

When you arrive at 5 Liberty Lane, you will see Cilla's Coffeehouse, next to a Physical Therapy business. Cilla's has been in business for about a year now. 

As you enter into Cilla's, it is a comfortable, relaxing, and welcoming environment. There is no drive thru, but the line is not too bad, at least on a Sunday morning. The atmosphere makes you feel like you are at home, with the fire place and television. It is the perfect place to bring your family and have a conversation over a cup of coffee or some of the breakfast foods served. All age groups seemed to be enjoying it, as parents walked in with their young children, there were some elderly couples, and a few teenagers, but not many. Although most people were simply enjoying each other's company, there is Wi-Fi available, as well. 

 

The Guatemalan coffee taste just right and is brewed to perfection. Need some flavor? Perfect there are all sorts of flavors to add, which are seen in the pictures above. However, it taste just right as black coffee, as well.

If you are interested in stopping by and grabbing coffee or some breakfast the open hours are as followed:

Sunday	7AM–2PM
Monday	6AM–5PM
Tuesday	6AM–5PM
Wednesday	6AM–5PM
Thursday	6AM–5PM
Friday	6AM–5PM
Saturday	6AM–3PM Also, if you like their page on Facebook you get 10% off your order, so go ahead and like Cilla's Coffeehouse on Facebook before stopping in!

Bridgewater Bagels and Coffee

Bridgewater Bagels and Coffee is a small, local coffee shop who receives their coffee all the way from South America. Employees were friendly and approachable. The establishment was very clean, so no remnants of food or waste were lying around. They owe their success to their distributor, S&D. The establishment itself is rather busy, especially towards the late hours of the morning ( 9:00 am ). Employees say that their success also comes from the following: They don't use generic syrups to make their coffee, they have better parking, and have more space than the Mary Lou's across the street. I would highly recommend this coffee shop if you're a fan of iced coffee, or if you like the clean and friendly environment the store creates.

Jack Mannion

Geography

April 13, 2016

Reflection: Coffee Corner

       Coffee  Corner in Hingham is a very successful small coffee shop by Hingham Harbor.  It is owned by Alicia Harkness who works single-handedly almost every day behind the counter.  She opened the shop about five years ago in a small space where not too many stores or companies have lasted too long.  However, this shop has blossomed.

       It is in a great spot for the purpose it serves, as it is near a bus stop, a shipyard, a train station, and it is within five minutes of Hingham High.  It is not much of a sit down restaurant as there are only a few tables, but it is great for workers that take public transportation or students going off to school.  People in these fields are able to stop in quickly and grab a coffee or something to eat and take it for the road.  The shop is predominantly known for it’s coffee but it also serves things such as bagels, muffins, and breakfast sandwiches. 

       The store is open from 6:00 until noon, but the attendance is usually highest from 7-9, as most people are going to work or school at that time.  It can get very busy around that time but it is often sporadic for the rest of the day.  The customers tend to be the same people, and many of them come almost daily.  Some customers sit and read the paper every day, as these are the rare ones who do tend to have a sit down breakfast.  These are often construction workers or retired elderly people who are Coffee Corner regulars. 

       I am not a coffee drinker but I still find this shop to be one of my favorite breakfast places in town.  As a family friend of the owner, I am happy to see the success of the shop to this point.  I would definitely recommend it to anyone living in or visting the south shore. 

Better Bean Coffee Co. - Bridgewater, MA

Sunday	Closed
Monday	7AM–5PM
Tuesday	7AM–5PM
Wednesday	7AM–5PM
Thursday	7AM–5PM
Friday	7AM–5PM
Saturday	8AM–4PM
Better bean coffee co. is located in Bridgewater, MA. It is located on the rotary in the center of Bridgewater, a walking distance from Bridgewater state university. Although parking can be limited, it is worth the walk if you live on the campus. I visited with my boyfriend on April 22nd, and it was about 75 degrees outside. It was decently busy inside, and there were several students doing work and a few professors talking amongst themselves.  


There were two young people working, but one was fairly new and didn't know how to make the drinks. There is a huge assortment of hot and iced beverages, including frozen drinks and smoothies. They're very popular for their unique sandwiches, so i ordered one called 'What a Ham'. The sandwich was big enough to split in half, and although the wait was long, it was well worth it. 


I ordered a frozen chai, and my boyfriend ordered a strawberry smoothie. Under any other circumstance I would have ordered coffee if it wasn't seventy five degrees out that day. There was also no a/c, but they did leave the door open to let in the breeze. 


I asked the barista if she knew the origins or anything about the type of coffee they brewed there, and she did not know much as well as the other man working. They were both relatively knew, so all they could tell me was that it was very fresh. I was disappointed at the lack of information I had about the types of coffee they brewed, but I was happy with the frozen beverage i ordered. I did go back that same week on a colder morning and ordered a hot latte, which was much more satisfying than dunkin donuts. Since I work at dunkin donuts, it was a nice change of scenery and taste. I brough my laptop with me to do homework, and it was a very relaxing atmosphere. I plan to go back many more times in the fall when I return to school. 

Brewed Awakenings

I visited Brewed Awakenings Located in Hingham MA. It located in downtown Hingham about 5-10 minutes from Hingham harbor and was surrounded by other small stores and restaurants. I went on a Monday at around 1130 AM. As soon as I walked in I noticed it was a very open, roomy building. I approached the counter where I was greeted by a friendly young barista asking how she could help me. The menu was displayed on the wall behind her and there was about seven different boards displaying a huge menu that included hot, cold, and frozen drinks as well as a huge lunch and breakfast menu. They offered breakfast and lunch sandwiches, pastries, and desserts.

The menu was displayed on the wall behind her and there was about seven different boards displaying a huge menu that included hot, cold, and frozen drinks as well as a huge lunch and breakfast menu. They offered breakfast and lunch sandwiches, pastries, and desserts.

The atmosphere was very typical for a coffee shop. I noticed that there was no music playing and it was very quiet and relaxed. Most of the customers consisted mostly of older people in their 60s and 70s. They were meeting with friends, eating breakfast, and reading the newspaper. There were people who just came in, grabbed a coffee for the go and left but the majority of people sitting and spending time there were older. The shop provided free wifi making it possible for people to work on their computers while enjoying a cup of coffee

I ordered a cup of tea while I was there and it all natural and very good. My friend got an expresso that also exceeded our expectations. Both were very hot and fulfilling. After speaking with the barista I found out that Brewed Awakenings gets all of it's coffee from Java Tree. Java Tree makes specific coffee for the shop and although they get their coffee from regions around the world, the beans used in Brewed Awakenings are from Guatemala. Their beans are not only delicious Arabica beans they are also Fair Trade and Shade grown.

My overall experience at this coffee shop was a positive one and I recommend it to all the coffee lovers out there and look forward to returning.

Coffee Break Cafe

Coffee Break Cafe is a specialty coffee shop owned by a married couple. It has been operating for 20 years, with three locations now in the area of Quincy MA. I've had the pleasure to come for the first time, and try their service. 

My visit was at the end of the day, but i found the place to be very relaxing and welcoming. Everything was well arranged and cleaned. With some chairs and round tables. They also had some couches and chairs for children. 

They have a wide variety of pastries, including bagels, muffins, sandwiches, cookies and home made spreads. I was unlucky as they were all sold by the time i got there. 

Coffee Flavors

As far as coffee goes, they offer many flavors: Chocolate Banana, Chocolate Frenzy, French Roast,  German Coffee Cake, Hazelnut, House Blend, Hypercafe, Jamaican Me Crazy, Rainforest Crunch, Salted Caramel, Toasted Coconut. Most of these flavors are obtained through different levels of roasting, but also have infusions of oils to the beans during the process.  As i was also informed by the barista, their most sold coffee is the Jamaican Me Crazy. 

I had a medium House Blend, plain hot coffee. And enjoyed my visit with low lighting and music in the background, creating a good environment. I was there for about two hours, from 4 to 6 pm. During this time, most of the customers would buy coffee for takeout, but about 5 different groups stood there for a couple minutes. I noticed most of the customers to be in their mid 30's. But the barista, who has been working for two years, informed me that earlier in the day, they usually get older people but also teenagers after school time. 

 

Bags of roasted coffee are on sale from the store as from their website too. T-shirts and Coffee Mugs with their logo were also available to buy.

77 Parkingway
, Quincy

617-786-8888

Hours: 

M-F 5:30a-6:00p, 

Sat 6:00a-6:00p, 

Sun 6:00a-5:00p