From the Author: We lived on Revere St. on Beacon Hill for 4 years, and Mike worked on Myrtle St. for over 6 years. We love this neighborhood and know it well. If you have any questions, we respond quickly to comments!
Whether you’re looking to grab a great cup of coffee to-go, or need a proper coffee shop where you can get some work done, Beacon Hill has you covered.
My wife Mackenzie and I have personally been to every coffee shop on the Hill, and several simply stand out above the rest.
Here’s a list of our favorites, in order!
NOTICE // We try our best to keep the information in this guide as up to date as possible. If you notice anything has changed, please leave us comment down below.
LAST UPDATE:
1. Tatte Bakery & Cafe
Are you even from Boston if you’ve never been to Tatte Bakery & Cafe? With over 20 locations, Tatte has become one of the most popular coffee shops in the city over the last decade.
Their location on Charles St. is one of the most well-rounded coffee shops on Beacon Hill – great coffee, great food, indoor and outdoor seating with some space to do remote work.
The one down-side is just how popular this location is. Expect to wait in line when you order and you’ll have to fight to get a seat.
Insider Tip:
While you’re here, you must try their Traditional Shakshuka. It’s a North African dish consisting of poached eggs, sitting in a tomato sauce, with a side of sour dough bread for dipping. Served piping hot. It is delicious. I probably ordered this dish over a dozen times when I used to live right across the street from Tatte.
2. Blank Street Coffee
Blank Street Coffee opened up two locations on Beacon Hill recently (2022), one on Charles St. and the other on Cambridge St.
If you’re looking for a mom-and-pop operation, this ain’t it – Blank Street Coffee is a venture capital backed chain that’s been rapidly expanding as of late. Their business model is pretty simple – highly automated processes that create good coffee.
And they’ve largely succeeded – their coffee is good.
But it’s worth noting that the Blank Street coffee shops on Beacon Hill are both better suited for grab-and-go – they are all about getting customers in and out quickly.
3. Flour Bakery + Cafe
Flour on Cambridge St. is probably the best coffee shop on Beacon Hill to go and get work done. They have two floors of seating at this location & free WiFi.
While best known for their pastries and amazing sandwiches, Flour also makes a great cup of coffee.
Insider Tip:
Download the Flour app and order ahead! Unlike other gimmicky apps, Flour actually spent a lot of time and money to make an extremely user friendly smart phone app. It beats waiting in line!
4. Blackbird Doughnuts
Blackbird doughnuts is known for, you guessed it – doughnuts! Made from scratch every morning.
They have a fun menu – it’s seasonal, so it get’s rotated out every few months with new doughnut options. But my favorite is one of their “classics”, Boston Cream.
Their Beacon Hill location also has a pretty extensive coffee menu as well – lattes, cappuccinos, drip coffee, cold brew and more.
Don’t plan on staying however, as this location is tiny and meant for grab-and-go!
5. Beacon Hill Books & Cafe
Beacon Hill Books & Cafe is entirely unique, and a must visit if you’re on the Hill.
It’s a bookstore with a beautiful indoor and outdoor Cafe attached.
The entire aesthetic of this place is perfectly “Beacon Hill”.
Insider Tip:
The Cafe is relatively new and they don’t do “take out”. If you’re planning on getting some food and coffee here, you’ll want to make a reservation ahead of time (only accepting parties up to 6 people for the time being).
6. Cobblestones a Beacon Hill Eatery
Cobblestones is new to the Hill and has one of the better coffee shop “storefront” locations on Charles Street.
Well suited for both grab-and-go and dining in (plenty of seating, inside and out!).
I only got a medium ice coffee, which was good, but I did see lots of tasty looking food being eaten while we waited in line.
7. Capital Coffee House
Capital Coffee House is a must visit if you’ve never been.
Located right across the street from the Massachusetts State House on Bowdoin St., this coffee shop has so much history. When you step inside, it feels like you’re going back in time – it has an old school diner vibe.
This is definitely the “locals” coffee shop. Family owned, affordable prices and proud of it.
8. Starbucks
Starbucks has two Beacon Hill locations, one on Beacon St. and other on Cambridge St.
Starbucks is Starbucks – not much to say there. I actually enjoy their coffee, but there are just too many other fun coffee shop options on the Hill to justify coming here.
That said, both of these locations have decent space for remote work if that’s what you’re after.
9. Whole Foods Market Coffee Bar
This addition may surprise you, but it probably won’t surprise anyone familiar with Beacon Hill.
I’ve spent a lot of time in the Whole Foods on Cambridge St. and they make a great cup of coffee.
No, it’s probably not what you had in mind when you started looking for a Beacon Hill coffee shop, but Whole Foods deserves to be on this list.
Oh, and they sneakily have one of the best remote work setups. TONS of tables, space & free WiFi.
10. Dunkin’ Donuts
I couldn’t leave Dunkin’s off this list entirely – this is New England after all.
Dunkin’ Donuts locations are everywhere here, and Beacon Hill is no exception – they have three separate coffee shops – two on Cambridge St. and one on Beacon St.
But lately I find Dunkin’ coffee and their locations to be entirely uninspiring – sorry Dunkins!
