Darwin's Ltd.
Peet's coffee has been too crowded of late. whenever i go there, i can never seem to find a table. since it's centrally located in Harvard Sq., i suppose it's a natural gathering spot for many people. which is unfortunate because it's the only place i know of in Harvard Sq. with good coffee, spacious seating and a quieter atmosphere (no loud music playing). which made it ideal for enjoying a cup of coffee while getting some work-related reading done. even last sunday when we had the nor'easter and i trekked out to Peet's, it was jam packed! guess i wasn't the only one thinking that the cafes would be desserted when the streets outside were completely covered with about a foot of snow. so i decided that i needed to look into another cafe.
i had passed by Darwin's a few times and it looked like a good candidate so one day i decided to head over. the seating is fairly spacious - there are about 10 tables or so, each table is fairly good-sized for spreading out your reading/work material. the lighting is dim enough to give the area a cozy feel but not too dim such that it's hard on your eyes when you're try to read. one side is an exposed brick wall, the other dark wood paneling. which in combination with the lighting makes the seating area a pleasant place to linger. they sell your typical selection of coffee, espresso drinks and teas. i ordered their chai latte this time (had too much coffee earlier in the day so i was easing off) which was only ok. maybe i'm used to stronger tasting, sweeter chai lattes. but they made their chai latte with real spices in a teabag as opposed to the Oregon chai premade mix so they get points for authenticity. they have a small selection of pastries to choose from and they also sell soups/sandwiches/salads (their sandwiches are supposed to be really good).
it appears that their most popular items sold are the cookies. and they have about half a dozen varieties to choose from. they all look quite good and it's difficult to decide which one is more tempting. i went for the chocolate macaroon (almond macaroon cookie filled with rich chocolate ganache and dipped in chocolate) and it was quite yummy. i'm told that they get their cookies from Lakota bakery, a bakery in Arlington which specializes in cookies only. it's a bakery worth checking out if/when i'm out in the Arlington Heights area... i will have to try the lemon macaroons others rave about.
Darwin's Ltd. (2 locations)
1629 Cambridge St.
or 148 Mt. Auburn St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
Lakota Bakery
1375 Massachusetts Avenue
Arlington, MA 02476
(781) 646-0121
http://www.lakotabakery.com/index.html
i had passed by Darwin's a few times and it looked like a good candidate so one day i decided to head over. the seating is fairly spacious - there are about 10 tables or so, each table is fairly good-sized for spreading out your reading/work material. the lighting is dim enough to give the area a cozy feel but not too dim such that it's hard on your eyes when you're try to read. one side is an exposed brick wall, the other dark wood paneling. which in combination with the lighting makes the seating area a pleasant place to linger. they sell your typical selection of coffee, espresso drinks and teas. i ordered their chai latte this time (had too much coffee earlier in the day so i was easing off) which was only ok. maybe i'm used to stronger tasting, sweeter chai lattes. but they made their chai latte with real spices in a teabag as opposed to the Oregon chai premade mix so they get points for authenticity. they have a small selection of pastries to choose from and they also sell soups/sandwiches/salads (their sandwiches are supposed to be really good).
it appears that their most popular items sold are the cookies. and they have about half a dozen varieties to choose from. they all look quite good and it's difficult to decide which one is more tempting. i went for the chocolate macaroon (almond macaroon cookie filled with rich chocolate ganache and dipped in chocolate) and it was quite yummy. i'm told that they get their cookies from Lakota bakery, a bakery in Arlington which specializes in cookies only. it's a bakery worth checking out if/when i'm out in the Arlington Heights area... i will have to try the lemon macaroons others rave about.
Darwin's Ltd. (2 locations)
1629 Cambridge St.
or 148 Mt. Auburn St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
Lakota Bakery
1375 Massachusetts Avenue
Arlington, MA 02476
(781) 646-0121
http://www.lakotabakery.com/index.html
