Barismo

Reviews 11

CR

Cristina Ruiz

After finding Dwelltime on a Thrillist list of top coffee shops in Boston, we ventured down Broadway to its unassuming location with our books in hand, ready for good coffee, breakfasty bites, and a relaxing atmosphere. What we encountered was something much different. Brunch was being served, so we were seated with menus by a waitress in the somewhat loud space (made louder by the screaming child just one table over). The menu boasted that it was from December 2014, so it seems that at least some of the offerings change monthly. Looking to be warmed up on a chilly day, I ordered the pineapple spice oat bowl, and the bf got the frittata with roasted veggies. For drinks, the Guatemalan pour-over was delicious with some fruity notes. The machiatto was a bit too bitter for my liking, but my caffeine-centric partner drank it with gusto. And it had some art on top, which Im always a sucker for. The food came, and it was just kind of lukewarm. I need my oatmeal hot to maximize comfort, so I asked them to please warm it up for me. They took my bowl away, and I had a wait a good amount of time to get it back (how long does it take to stick something in the microwave?), When I did take a new spoonful, it was a bit warmer but still not piping. Fine enough. The pineapple mixture on top was nice - not overly sweet and flavored in a Caribbean motif with cinnamon and rum. The fruit bowl on the side was meh - melons (filler fruit, if you ask me), a few pineapples (which I already had enough of in my bowl), and mango (the best part). The oats under the pineapple topping were pretty tasteless, so I wasnt tempted to finish the bowl (which I guess could be a positive thing?). The fritatta on the other hand was much more flavorful and really cheesy. The roasted veggies on the side were also done well, although again I would have preferred it to be served hotter. And another disappointing fruit cup made an appearance. The portion was pretty small, so I would not order these brunch items if youre trying to get the most "bang for your buck." Considering the noise level and waitress checking on us every few minutes, D-Time is not the type of place to lounge with a good read. We ate, caffeinated up, and headed out to find somewhere that actually embodied the coffee shop experience. It was fine, but one of the best cafes in Boston? Im not sure that Thrillist editor gets out much.

---

AR

Arthur Burkart

Ive visited twice. The first time, I tried to get breakfast, but having waited 20 minutes at a table without being delivered a menu, I left and ate elsewhere. The second time I visited, I waited 15 minutes before receiving a menu. Its a very confusing menu. Its mostly empty, yet all the text is compressed in such a way that its unclear where one item ends and the next begins. Given that the place is severely understaffed for the amount of different venues theyre pretending to be (5 people staffing an art gallery, study space, restaurant, bakery, childrens playpen, and coffee shop), it is no surprise they constantly run out of cups for their patrons. My ~14oz(?) glass of cold brew quickly turned into two 10oz glasses. They literally delivered me two full glasses. The food was delivered fairly quickly, but it was strange to say the least. I ordered eggs Benedict. One was served on a cracker with a tomato and chipotle sauce and the other was served the same, except it had soggy, wet, icy greens underneath the egg. On the side there was about three spoonfuls of cubed potato and a cup of diced pineapple and pear. The presentation was delightful. Now Im racing back and forth to the bathroom in my apartment wondering if eating at a place filled with house flies was a good idea after all. I give barismo 2 stars because their food looks good. Unless youre looking to take a picture of some pretty food, I would not recommend.

---

DI

Dina Deresh

Barismo... Your coffee is still the best in the area but your brunch! Im sad that you guys decided to change it fundamentally. I loved the meticulous nature of it in the past: 2 of each fruit in the fruit bowl, cut nicely into squares; clean plating... It made me feel like whoever wss behind the food cared about it. Todays benny had sour hollandaise, and was on top of charred biscuits. Not carefully made. Still tasty, but not as good as before. Ill definitely come back for the coffee though.

---

MI

Michael Sadler

Love it and hate it all at the same time. Food is amazing. Coffee is incredible. This is the BOUGIEST place to get a cup of coffee in Cambridge, no exceptions. There are some real snots that pour coffee there though. A good drip option (gasp!) could do great things here. Seems like no one really has a grasp of the signage in the cafe ... appear in the spot marked "pick up drinks" and youll likely have to flag the confused beardy barista to your position.

---

JO

John Subranni

Amazing coffee - the best around. Read other reviews about the coffee, I cant say enough how good it is. Whats really amazing about this place besides the coffee is the food. Ever have a tofu skin sandwich? Didnt think so. Its go***mn amazing. Even still, youll find the food menu after the checkout on a tiny clipboard - understated. Nice employees and the best roaster/coffee and food + a beautiful space = go there now.

---

CA

Cage Sarin

Nice open space and good coffee. Came for brunch and had the braised chicken. Food quality was okay but nothing to write home about. Even after I ordered the $13 chicken dish and several espressi costing $7, they wouldnt let me order the kid size portion of waffle because Im not a kid. Plenty of friendlier places around here with just as good coffee and food so I wont be coming back here.

---

AD

Adam Zaloum

Painfully average. Atmosphere is that of a cafeteria... Staff is clueless, soy milk was rotten, coffee was nothing special, entire place smells like a crappy kitchen. I let most of this go until I was told that there is No WiFi on weekends in order to "encourage socialization"... I call it someone needs open their wallet a little more

---

MI

Mike Oltmans

I cant say enough about this place. The Batistas love making coffee and it shows. The ever changing baked goods are great and I love the Italian style coffee bar where you can stand and drink your coffee and chat with the Batistas and customers. Its a great way to enjoy a quick drink without rushing back into the world right away.

---

AN

Annah Kim Nelson-Feeney

Lots of light and character and with some good music. Its a nice place to sit and relax, read, or do a little work. I usually come for coffee and pastries but I seriously love their lunch and brunch offerings. Recently introducing "Waffle Saturdays," I think Ill be back more often on the weekends.

---

PH

Philip Tellis

Used to be great, but recently they have halved the serving sizes. Croissants used to be the size of a banana, now theyre the size of a tomato. Eggs Benedict used to have large eggs on standard sized English muffins, now theyre small eggs on kiddie size muffins. Coffee is still good though.

---

CH

Charlie Brummitt

They sell a variety of coffee in bags from little farms in Central America, but their prices are a bit high ($16–20 for 12 oz.). The draft latte is tasty, and its something you do not find in many coffee shops. Unfortunately, they do not have wifi, so it is not a great place to get work done.

---

---