Great place to pick up desserts for party, or to sit and enjoy something sweet with a friend. I come here after dinner at the Washington Sq Tavern. Yummy! read more

I don't really think this has anything great. Their cookies are about as a good as a store bought no-name brand from the supermarket. So many of their desserts contain gelatin which I consider to be the lazy form of baking. Real European bakeries (Spain & France) are like a different caliber so not sure what European country they may be referring to. I think there are way better places elsewhere. read more

The best part of Athan's is its beautiful sitting area. With big windows that look over Beacon Street and lots of little tables, it feels like a European cafe. However, the service is so terrible that I rarely go there, despite living a mere 5 minutes away. I've been here multiple times during my tenure as a Brookline resident and I've yet to have one friendly server. Whether I was buying a latte or a bunch of pastries, I've never felt the staff was helpful in answering any questions I had or in ringing me up. read more

Athan's is one of the few casual places in Brookline that opens late. I'm usually here with friends for a piece of dessert and a pot of tea to chat. I've had both their savory sandwiches and their sweets. The savory's are alright. If you're hungry it'll fill you but I don't think any of their sandwiches are that great. The desserts however always leaves me happy. Depending on what you get though, some can taste a bit stale. The service here is a complete hit or miss. I come here pretty often, so I know! The cashier is usually very pleasant. But I came here this past Sunday around 9:30PM. The cashier seemed a bit rude. Just kind of rushed through our order and my friend whom paid before me didn't get her rice pudding until after he helped another customer get baklava. So imagine her... just standing there. After he took my order and got me my cookies, then helped another person after me get some baklava... meanwhile she's still standing there. All she wanted was rice pudding which he just had to pull out of the fridge. Then we all sat down to drink our tea and eat our food... by now It's 10:30. The barista girl screams out we're closing in 1/2 an hour. Okay... gotcha! 5 minutes later she comes over and tries to take our plates and mugs from us... But our plates still had food we were noshing on and we purchased a teapot to drink so WE ARE NOT DONE! In the end we basically scarfed down the remainder of our desserts and sucked down our teas and left at 10:40. So though you say your cafe closes at 11. You just want to get the hell out of work at 11. Big difference. read more

YUM this place is amazing!!! We tried the hazelnut mousse, and it was absolutely amazing. It is a bit pricey though (which is why I give 4 stars), but I would definitely go back. read more

This review is for the Athan's in Washington Square. At best, Athan's has its strong points and weak points, and you just need to make sure you're frequenting the "good points." As a neighbor of Athan's, I was really psyched to be so close to a cute little place I could get pastries, coffee, gelato, and chocolates! Alas: - My cappucino has been made with the wrong proportions (it only filled HALF the cup! And it ended up being a mocha because they put in far too much milk. WHAT?!) I blame this on very young baristas that don't really know what's what--a place like this needs good barista, and Athan's needs to be more thoughtful about the people they hire to represent. I love the coffee, but will not get anything more complex than that on account of high school age baristas. - The croissants are ick (far too dry!) - My experience was the gelato was so bad I no longer entertain the thought of gelato here (the blackcurrant was REALLY tart, and they didn't mix the matcha powder thoroughly for the green tea gelato--so there were LUMPS of powder in my gelato! Ick. On the good side: their pastries are yummy. You can't go wrong with anything behind the counter. However--for the prices and for the hype--not really worth it. Athan's, I want to love you--I so badly want to love you. But this is officially a bad relationship. read more

I'm sad to only give 2 stars for my most recent experience at Athan's, given that I usually love it oh so much. I came to Athan's this afternoon to get some homework done and have a lovely cup of tea. I get to the counter and the little blond at the register completely ignores me, asks the girl behind me what she wants, and never once makes eye contact with me. The girl orders, pays, and then I awkwardly stand there until another staff person takes pity on me and asks me what I'd like. I ordered a chai tea for here- assuming it was a tea bag, since it was under the tea bag category. Not once did I say "latte" in that exchange. Over 5 minutes later, as I'm again awkwardly standing and waiting for my little tea cup, the girl making the drinks brings over a latte and asks me if I'm waiting for a chai tea latte. I said no, I only ordered a chai tea bag. She said there is no such thing. And she made me a latte with milk, which I unfortunately cannot have. I said fine, I'll just take a latte but please make it with soy milk, and she says she'll have to charge extra for that. Trying not to punch everyone in the face at this point, she was nice enough to make one with soy milk, away from the prying eyes of her jerk of a boss, who I saw asked several people to move seats to make room for others. Such a relaxing, delightful Sunday! Oh, and the wi-fi barely works. great. read more

I heard they had wonderful pastrys, a nice cafe, and went for a try. The shopping corner seemed really nice, and the scone I had was great too. I took a seat in the cafe. Its clean and tidy, and the big glass windows were nice too, but I don't see the need for the waitresses to yell, "2 COFFEES" or something like that to get the customers to pick their drinks up. Can't they just serve or something? I hope they can get stronger wifi too. Overall, I liked the furnishing and atmosphere (4), satisfied with the cafe-au-lait and scone(3), and the service was not that good(2). Want to try the cookies sometime. read more

Solo customers be aware! If you come alone late in the game - you will be rudely asked to move your plate, your cup and your a.s to a bar counter in order to free a "big" table for a small group of teenagers. I was siting there for may be 2 or 3 minutes at this point. The owner bluntly explained to me the economy of scale concept without any apology, desire to make amends or anything at all to make me feel better. The corner I was pointed to move to was so dark for reading, I left without even finishing my cappuccino drink. Sure, their 30 bucks sniffs better then my 10, I understand. I am a returning customer, a patron of many years. The owner doesn't care, today I am bringing him a business worth of $10 and teenagers - worth of $30. Guess who will be treated with respect. It's not "What Happen", it's "How it happen". He needs to learn to respect his customers, ALL of them. Customer no more. read more

While living on Beacon Street, I always made sure that my jogging route passed by Athan's -- twice. I liked to imagine myself as Dorothy running through the scary world of Oz (pastries and cakes and gelato -- oh my!) and it took everything in me to make sure that I tapped my running shoes three times and got home without getting lost in a sugar haze. Athan's offers a little something for everyone, and the spread is as pleasing for the eye as it is the mouth. I've bought their cakes as gifts on several occasions and they are definitely worth it. If only they would open up on in Southie.... there's no place like Athan's, there's no place like Athan's.... read more

Thank god I don't work in Washington Square anymore, because I'd weigh three thousand pounds because Athan's is so damn tempting. I do miss going in first thing in the morning and grabbing a pain au chocolate or croissant or any of the baked goods. The chocolates are also amazing- I've given them as gifts and always get compliments. read more

Best croissants in the area, IMO, with Peets coming in at second place, and Starbucks at the bottom. They also have an apple thing with a great, tart, appley, ungooey middle. The chocolates are awesome -- my favorites are the milk chocolate heart ones, and the dark chocolate orange ones. Oh, and the almond cookies! It's hard to stay away. read more

This place definitely takes you out of Boston and into Europe...at least for a bit. It is absolutely beautiful and has some amazing unique pastries and cakes. BEST pistachio and sesame fluorentines!! Great place to go after a nice meal and enjoy a nice coffee. read more

I tried the Napoleon for the first time and I think it is one of the best desserts I have tried in Boston. Amazingly well done, not too sweet, great texture of the cream and the puff pastry. Light and the right taste. read more

Baklava was excellent. I am actually doing a research paper about Baklava for my graduate program at Boston University. I would love to meet up with the owner to ask him a couple questions to help learn more about this pastry. read more

I love the gelato from Athan's! esp my favorite is the hazelnut gelato and ROSE gelato:) also recommend Athan's lemon mousse cake with a cup of cappuccino! I always go here during the school days and love the style of the cafe...cozy and luxury european-style :) read more

I got pastries and baklava here to go, but would definitely consider going here for a nice evening with a cup of coffee and dessert. The tiramusu and baklava are aMAZing. The counter service is great--fast, friendly, and knowledgeable. I pretty much knew what I wanted, but my server was definitely able to offer me advice on what to purchase based on my tastes. It's also nice that they're open late, as it's a perfect place for getting dessert either after eating at home or eating out. They also sell cakes and will package anything up in a gift box, so it's a great place for getting some unique and tasty gifts for the sweet tooths in your life. I would definitely recommend the baklava, both for yourself and as a gift. I'm not a huge fan of nuts and have had baklava plenty of times that just didn't do it for me, but this is the real deal. The only problem I had with the place was their prices--so expensive! I got two pastries and a small box of baklava for the same price as a dinner out at one of Brookline's fine cheap dining institutions. However, I'd have to say that the quality is worth the price and I'd rather pay more to have Athan's than to get sweets that aren't home made and baked fresh, certainly. It's not the place I (just out of college grad student who's putting most of her income into rent) can afford every week (unfortunately), but then again, I probably shouldn't eat sweets that often anyway! read more

This place feels like more than just a coffee shop. It is a great cafe and meeting place. There are tables and a coffee bar on one side and some of the most decadent desserts on the other. I was shocked that while sitting at the coffee bar with a cup and saucer that there wasn't a free refill. It's a minor complaint but it did sour me to the place. That and the rude or maybe over worked and over tired staff. No chocolate deliciousness is worth that. I'm just saying. read more

Excellent customer service, good varieties of pastry, and very comfortable and relaxing atmosphere. The most special delicacy they have is BAKLAVA. I have never tasted such a heavenly delicious thing anywhere else. Looks like Athan's is a pioneer to this type of BAKLAVA! I afraid I won't be able to stop myself from coming there on the regular basis. read more

Go to this great bakery every Sunday with my daughter. Liz and Edwin are great. Best Hot Chocolate in the city. Highly recommend.

Hands down, best baklava in the Boston area. I'm sure everything else here is also great, but I have only ever gone here to buy a ton of bulk baklava. So many options. Pretty good pricing! $14/lb and all I want to do is eat all of it all the time. read more

Rockin, spacious european pastry joint. Full of gourmet treats, cookies, chocolates. There is a back room with plenty of seating. I believe there is also food/lunch type options but definitely not the main attraction. The options are pricey, but great if you are looking for some treats as gifts or to relax and enjoy a coffee and desert with a friend. read more

Maybe I went on a bad day or way too late for fresh baklava... who knows? All I know is that I showed up very excited! I got 6 pieces of baklava (2 regular, 2 walnut cups, and 2 with the chocolate in it), and bag of their GIANT chocolates for my boyfriend and a cappucino. First the cappucino tasted like water and milk foam. I'm pretty sure there was no espresso or coffee like flavor what so ever. The baklava when I got home I opened it threw a piece in my mouth only to literally SPIT IT OUT! It was soaked, drenched, drowning in honey. I understand baklava is sweet really I do but this was too much. There was no crunchy flaky goodness bc it was soaking wet. The bottom of the box literally had a pool of honey. It was super disspointing. Haven't had the chocolate yet but safe to say I won't be returning. read more

Just stopped in to try a few pastries out since I recently purchased a gift certificate on Groupon. The service was just meh. Nothing over the top, but also not that good either. I was in there for a good 15 minutes looking around at the pastries and deciding what I wanted without a greeting or anything. Other than the service, I ended up getting some crossaints, the apple streudel, apricot and almond streudel, and the cheese pie. They were so so. Probably wouldn't go back unless I had another Groupon. read more

MMMMMMMM, Athan's. This is my fail-safe stop when I am craving a scrumptious sweet treat. I love to buy a bag of mixed cookies (a couple dozen for $10!!!), and a cappuccino and sit in the little cafe section for hours with a good book. Be careful though - I recently took a bag with me on a trip to visit my family...every cookie turned into a fight over who got to eat it!! read more

We've only had great experienced here. Great spot to order a pot of tea and hangout, or grab cakes and pastries to go. We love their Almond Cake so much & my boyfriend's grandpa said it's the best cake he's ever had. Not sure why it only has 3.5 stars, but I think it's a perfect local bakery. read more

I had the most wonderful hazelnut chocolate dome pastry! Sooo good, but very rich... definitely enough to share. My accomplice had the panna cotta, which was very unique and yummy, but not as good as the hazelnut pastry. The gelato looked sooo good too! Coffee was yummy. Much better than Finale!!!!! So cozy, so cute, so goooood!!!!!!! read more

I actually used to visit Athan's Bakery about one a week on Sunday afternoons and it's not because the cakes, pastries, or coffee are all that extraordinary (mediocre to be honest) but I just love the vibe of the place (when you can find a seat to sit and chat with friends). It is the type of place that when I did finally find a seat with a friend we would sit there for an hour or two and talk because the place is homey...when it does start to empty out it is even better. However, I really wish the cakes and desserts were better...but unfortunately there are pretty bland. Yet if you want to grab a quick little sweet bite, a coffee, and the place isn't packed...it can have a great warm vibe like a European cafe! read more

They're amazing, they roast they're own coffee. They're pastries are amazing. Talk to Hunter, he'll get your order right...

I really don't understand why people like this place so much. I used to live down the street from here and we tried it so many times WANTING it to be better. The pretty little cake desserts are tasteless fluff. I had panna cotta there that had a skin so thick on the top it was difficult to bite through! The baklava is OK. Their coffee drinks are not very good because they are very different from time to time. It may depend on who is making them for you. And now that they have a sandwich shop we decided to try them again. The sandwiches are really awful. It takes a really long time for the "panini" to come out and when they do they aren't even warmed all the way through. The place is so cute that it really should be better than it is. Unfortunately the quality of the food it just very poor. read more

I passed by Athan's a million times, usually stuffed from dining and drinking beer at the Publick House, so I never went in. Big mistake!! I could have been going into Athan's all this time!! Last night after waddling out of the Publick House, my friends and I decided to get some dessert from Athan's to enjoy later in the evening. It was my friend's birthday, so we put him in charge of picking out a dessert. He picked out this really tasty strawberry mousse thing. It was a little expensive, but for what you get it was worth every single penny! Also, the guy working there must have overheard us discussing it was a birthday cake, so when we opened the box at my house it had a little "Happy Birthday" decoration on it. Really nice. Even if I'm not hungry when passing by, I'll buy something there for later. read more

Good coffee. I used to go to the one in Brighton when I lived in Brighton. They have all the same bakeries here. Their cakes are usually good. We got three cake slices. One of them was too dry on the outside, tasted like it's been sitting on the shelf for a whole day or two. But the other two were good. Would come here again hoping that their cakes are little more fresh read more

This is the cutest cafe in the area and definitely satisfies my sweet tooth. Get a cup of coffee and piece of raspberry chocolate heaven. They have another location on Washington St., Brighton that serves food. It is much bigger and more modern than this cafe feel location though. I wonder if Athans would find its way into the North End. I wouldn't mind having frangeleco in my cappuccino and a bite of their desserts!! read more

Such a charming little gem in Washington Square! I love just walking around this bakery, looking in the display cases. My friend and I split two of their decadent desserts--the napoleon and the bolero. The napoleon was one of the best I've ever had--just the right amount of sweetness partnered with perfectly flaky layers. The bolero, their signature pastry, was a great mix of milk chocolate and almonds. Although I'm an avid dark chocolate fan, it was still quite yummy! read more

I like Athan's a lot. I work nearby and it's a nice alternative to Starbucks or Cafe Nero when you're wanting to support a local business. The drip coffee is not great - pretty watery and not a very strong coffee flavor, but my own preference is for strong coffee. I always opt for espresso drinks and have become fond of soy lattes. They do brew their own chai concentrate, but lately I have found it not very yummy - kind of bitter and leaves a dry feeling in your mouth. Prices are more reasonable than the chain alternatives, and the staff is friendly. I love sitting at the bar when I meet a friend for coffee. They also have an impressive assortment of loose leaf teas which come served in a pot to keep the water warm and so you can refill as you sip. The place gets pretty crowded on the weekends so go early. There are often bar spots open. read more

I SO want to like this place, and I've given it many tries. It's in a great location, looks nice from the outside and appears very inviting. But this place is terribly overrated. The desserts always look better than they taste and have undertones of freezer burn. I have never had a friendly person help me there. The ONLY good thing is the baklava bar, but that may because anything dripping in honey and nuts tastes good. The new sandwich shop is extremely crowded and not worth it. It took them 15-20 minutes to make a panini on tooth-craking hard bread with dry, overcooked meat. I would not be so negative but I have given this places many chances, hoping that it will improve the next time. read more

The food and drinks are decent, but I have to agree with many other reviewer's comments regarding the service. I won't be going back.

The bathrooms at Athan's are worse than those at McDonald's. With that being said, I can only imagine how clean their kitchen would be.... I am pretty sure if Athan's was in NYC it would have a Sanitary Rating "F" on the front window. I also agree with "Chip M."-- the owner is an "obnoxious brute." He should focus his attention on the cleanliness of the place instead of breathing over everything his customers are doing. And a tip for the supposed owner (Aris, I believe)-- the customer IS always right. There are too many other good spots in Brookline, so don't spend your money here. Go to a clean, happy place that deserves your business. Cafe Fixe, Temptations or even Starbucks! (at least Starbucks cleans their bathrooms more than Aris and Athan's does). read more

I've been a loyal patron of Athan's for close to 7 years but what I saw yesterday made me completely reconsider buying anything there next time. The deserts are amazing but due to cost cutting or something else that is driving the owners, they decided to literally cut all pastries in half and sell for the same price. They didn't look finished and presentable as they used to before. I honestly felt betrayed. The pastries were not finished, uneven, as if they were taken from someones plate and put back for re-sale. I guess Athan's is also affected by the economy but perhaps there is a different way of selling and making profit.... read more

It's funny, the food here is not very good and the service is generally not friendly. But I keep going back. Why? Well, I live real close and it really makes just a great place to sit and chat over coffee and some treats. I can't understand why the cookies out front are not help yourself. They are also unlabeled. So I have to ask someone at the front (where they always act like I'm bothering them) just to get a few random cookies. It should be help yourself and then weighed at the front. They are also unlabeled so I have to ask what everything is. The desserts here look amazing, but they just never have much taste. I don't know what it is, but they're just not very good, and certainly not what you'd expect from a cute little bakery. Anyway, I like it here DESPITE the food and service because it's convenient and makes a very nice place to sit and hang out. But, I can't see myself going out of my way to go here if I was to move out of the immediate vicinity. read more