Boston Common Coffee Co., Downtown Crossing

Boston Common Coffee Co. is a café with three locations all in the city of Boston. This weekend I visited the Downtown Crossing location on Washington St. Plenty of seating, a pleasant atmosphere and varied menu make the Boston Common Coffee Co. was a worthwhile experience. I stopped by late morning on Saturday and ordered my usual iced latte. I also ordered an egg and cheese sandwich on a bagel.
The woman who took my order was pleasant and friendly. My latte was made to order by an authentic barista (as opposed to someone operating a push button machine). My latte was absolutely perfect. It was a delicious and balanced combination of milk and espresso.

My bagel sandwich was also delightful. I have had my share of egg sandwiches for breakfast, and I don’t usually love them. I hate the scary mixed egg from a carton or worse pre-cooked eggs that are warmed up again for my sandwich. At Boston Common Coffee they made my egg right there on the grille and put it on my bagel. Wow! Not many places do this anymore. They also offer sausage, bacon and ham on the egg and cheese. As well, breakfast sandwiches are available on toast or croissants in place of bagels. In addition to breakfast sandwiches, Boston Common Coffee Co. offers bakery items like muffin tops, scones and croissants. The selection would appeal to a wide variety of people.

I was so enchanted with my breakfast experience that I decided to return later for lunch. Boston Common Coffee Co. offers a range of yummy paninis, wraps and salads. Sandwiches come with a side of your choice of mixed greens, three bean salad or tortellini salad. Special paninis are available daily. I ordered “The Traditional” panini with tomato and fresh mozzarella. My sandwich was satisfying and yummy.

My recent experience with Boston Common Coffee Co. was ideal. The staff were friendly and accommodating. They even remembered me from the morning and did not need to ask for my name with my order the second time. My son was with me and they were pleasant about giving me an extra cup so that I could share my water with him and a bowl for his fruit cup. The prices at Boston Common Coffee Co. are a good value-delicious food at a fair price. Additionally, sales tax is included with all of the prices on the menu, so it makes for easy figuring when in line. The bathrooms are locked, so ask for the key at the counter. The restaurant was clean, light and inviting. Visit Boston Common Coffee Co. at one of their three locations soon and I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Common Grounds Cafe - Methuen, MA

In the spirit of adventurousness, I stopped at the Common Grounds Café in Methuen, MA on evening. I was hesitant upon parking, but at my husband’s encouraging I went in and placed an order. The place did not disappoint and not in a good way! The store was dirty and I felt gross being inside there. If you know me, you know that I am in no way a neat freak. However, this place gave me the creepy-crawlies. I ordered my iced latte (as always) and noticed that their menu offered a variety of food offerings included pizza. There was a keno counter behind me. The coffee was bad. I asked for an iced latte and got a “mocha” with Hershey’s syrup….definitely not what I was expecting. If I had received an actual mocha made with delicious syrup that would have been a very different situation. I didn’t try any of the foods that were offered, nor did I play keno. On the plus side, there appeared to be ample seating in the café area and the people who worked there were very friendly. The espresso was pulled from a regular espresso machine….not push button. Bottom line: I would not return to this place. They had plenty of seating, friendly people and no push button operation. On the negative side I did not receive what I ordered and what I received was not very good. As well, the place appeared dirty. Keep sipping and I’ll keep writing!