Been here a 3-4 times and always satisfied until last week.... Great coffee, great intention, great shop overall. Unfortunately it seems they stop serving drip coffee after about 3pm. Strange to say the least. Would be 5 stars if I could get drip when I wanted, it's a cafe, by definition, at least in my mind, coffee is served. I know they have an incredible espresso machine, excellent beans and pull/pour beautifully tasty drinks but..... read more

I think the oversensitive people need to realize that what they figured out here at Cafe Fixxe is that they are selling a product: Awesome coffee. And just because you value awesome coffee doesn't make you a snob. It makes you informed. I can't afford to go here all the time, and the high limit on using credit cards (I think its like $10?) is annoying but when I do go , WOW. I can actually remember the taste of he coffee just writing this review. And I can see that it is really catching on and I am happy to support a business that has the nerve to open up a coffee shop acrossed from Starbucks. Competitition. American Spirit. David taking on Goliath. CAFFEINE!!!! read more

Great cup of coffee at a reasonable price- you're paying for the quality. Clean and calm ambiance- and a quiet enough spot to catch up with a friend. Long list of teas, and small teapots/french presses are available. Experienced good customer service and although it was busy and all seats were filled- everyone was respectful and the place felt quite cozy. Nice to sit at a window seat and watch the world pass you by. read more

First time in. Appreciating the beautiful macchiato with unusual flavor, the sunny south-facing window, the intimate space, the friendliness of a Western Mass cafe (chill barista guys), and the coffee selection and craft-level quality of an Amherst/Northampton/Greenfield Coffee. I'll be back -- today! read more

Nice place, but they are extremely arrogant. I asked for a vanilla late, skim milk, extra hot. What I normally get from other high end coffee shops. First answer, "we don't have flavors"... ok. Then, "we don't have skim milk", ok, I'll take whatever you have. Then comes the punch... "we don't do extra hot... it burns the milk". Here I answered that many Battistas can heat up the milk without burning it... hoping he'll at least try, and I know about this because I do it at home every morning... then his answer is... "we are not that good"... com'on... how more arrogant can you be? Are they in the business of delivering to their clients what they think clients should have or what clients want and desire? Isn't this why we are willing to pay a higher price, to get our coffee the way we like it???? Since I rode my bike all the way just to get a coffee from this place and try it out... I ended up going to Cafe Nero across the street and got the coffee the way I like it. Highly recommended by the way. read more

It's not illegal in Brookline to be openly rude to people with children -- it's just a really bad business practice. Brookline is full of people with children. Even if your establishment is not geared towards children, being rude to one's patrons is bad. It was a very hot day and I had been to Fixe before and enjoyed good coffee there. So, I went in with my 2 year old, a friend, and her 5 year old. I thought the barista was a bit reserved, but I knew we would only be there a short while. A few minutes into our culinary adventure, my friend is called back to the counter. It seems that her 5-year old decided to imprint the wrapped date bars by the counter with his thumb. They were well-wrapped in plastic but there was definitely a thumb print on them where there had not been one before. Having worked in food service, I am well aware of how restaurants generally deal with such problems If the food itself was touched, it's a loss and either you ask the customer nicely to pay or you chalk it up to the cost of doing business. If the food was not touched, as in this case, a variety of options are open. The barista could have cut the date bars in half (and made more money on them). He could have squished them back together, safe in their packaging. What happened in this case was the following: Barista: Your son has damaged the date bars and now I cannot sell them. You will have to pay for them. (Really. If you're going to deliver these kinds of lines, couldn't you at least affect a British accent?) Friend: Really? I'm sorry, I didn't see. But I'm afraid I don't want any more food. Barista: I cannot serve them so you will still have to pay for them. Friend: Well, could we give some food back instead of buying more food? If you saw him do that, why didn't you stop him? (Some negotiation about possible food return ensues.) Me: (furious, sotto voce): Look, I will pay for them but I am not happy about it. Brookline has a lot of people with children I don't think you want negative reviews online saying that you are not friendly to families. Barista (smugly): There are also lot of people in Brookline without children. (Me): Yes, but we are patrons here and this is very rude. We are allowed to come here with children. Barista: It's self-selecting. Let's consider this concept of "self-selection". Self-selection refers to the fact that people independently often choose to go some places rather than other places. For example, people with children often self-select against places like the opera, fine restaurants, library reading rooms, meditation centers, strip clubs, and war zones. A *cafe* is not generally a place that people with children avoid of their own accord. In fact, the opposite is true, at least in Boston. It is common to see families with children in cafes, even if those with modernist decor. Regardless, being rude and unwelcoming to some customers and not to others is not "self-selecting". It is discriminatory. Mind you, five minutes before this exchange, a woman *without* children, put her glass into the bus bin and *broke* it. We all heard the glass break. She gave a half-hearted apology. The owner demurred. She left. I have to pay for date bars and she doesn't have to pay for her glass? As for those of you who enjoy having a quiet place away from children -- I understand. Quiet places are nice. You have a right to your preference. But sadly, we all have to share public space -- even if I don't like you and you don't like my kids. The first rule of business is to treat your customers well. *All* your customers. If you can't do that, you shouldn't work with people. There are professions that do not require work with people. Running a cafe is not one of them. I'm sure you're all expecting me now to say that people with children should stay away from Cafe Fixe. Au contraire, my Yelp friends! I encourage *everyone* with children to come to Cafe Fixe *regularly*. Take up all the seats. Hold new mother's meetings there and bring your screaming infants. Nurse while facing the windows. Please, do me this favor. I will be forever grateful. read more

The coffee here and espresso drinks are quite possible the best in Boston BUT the owner is so pompous and rude he once made me cry. He was so pushy and arrogant about his opinions on coffee and I was so shocked and embarrassed at his "customer service" I stepped outside and burst into tears. I've never and will never go back. read more

Ok, let me preface my review by saying the following: a) I'm from Minnesota (moved to Waltham 9 months ago for grad school) and therefore I fit and believe in the stereotype of "Minnesota Nice" b) I drove nearly 30 minutes to try this cafe that so many people on Yelp here have raved about c) I will proceed with my review =) : First off, let's start with the positives: 1) cute/swanky location in Brookline (my first time in this city) 2) conveniently located to the T and 3) clean, modern environment. Now to the core of my experience at Fixe: I walked in and it was not busy whatsoever, and I went to the counter where, presumably, the owner was, and asked for a "skim cappuccino" (I'm lactose intolerant so I try to go skim or soy) and he informed me that not only do they NOT have medium sizes, they also do not have skim milk. Okay, no biggie, I looked past it and agreed to a small cappuccino, where I paid $3.55 for a very small, bitter cappuccino that my taste buds would not allow me to finish. Interestingly, the small cappuccino had only one shot of espresso in it. Moreover, the large cappuccino's also only have 1 shot of espresso and cost $4! Additionally, as I was at the counter inquiring about the wi-fi they have (which is a perk--only if you don't overstay your welcome, that is), a snobby, impatient woman behind me waves her cash in front of my face at the owner and asks if she could just carry on with her order. Apparently my 2 min (only 30 seconds of which she actually was in line behind me) annoyed her. On top if it, the owner actually DID take her order before mine without politely asking her to wait or nicely asking if I wouldn't mind waiting a second (which I wouldn't have minded, respect was all I'm asking for!)... so when he finally deems it's my "turn"--although I was there first and the only one in line, he replies to my internet inquiry and statement that I am always on the look out for cafes to read or do school work, he said: "We highly discourage that here." Um okay... wow. I told him I'm new to the area, it was my first time at Fixe, is this how he expects to get my continued support? Oh, I forgot to mention that my Visa wasn't good enough to pay for the nearly $4.00 cappuccino--so I asked nicely if he wouldn't mind making an exception this one time since it was my first time and I was unaware that I had to spend more money in order to use my Credit Card. The insides of the cafe are just fine, the jazz music was relaxing--but in-conjunction with the overall attitude of whom I believe to be the owner, the snobby woman behind me and the Jazz music, this place is HIGHLY pretentious (and yes, I DO know what this word means and I am using it correctly in this context). I felt very cold and uncomfortable there. I would, and I do pay the extra money for good coffee, friendly service, and drive out of my way to cafe's that treat me well in order to support the local "little man" coffee shops such as this. But there are many more out there that are deserving of my money, time, and respect. (check out my profile if you want to seriously know the best cafe around and where you WILL be treated like family and with respect and you will never out stay your welcome). Most importantly, to respond to the most recent post regarding Fixe cafe, and the apparent "cafe" expert--it doesn't take a dictionary definition to know that what people want out of a "cafe" in addition to great coffee. What people want is a friendly atmosphere whether they have an elaborate menu (something Fixe definitely doesn't have) or "snacks" to tide you over while you "take up space in a lounge chair while using the internet." People want to be treated with respect in any cafe they walk into, something I did not experience today at Fixe Cafe-which will be my first and last visit. p.s. In Europe, it's tradition and expected that one sits in a cafe and drinks coffee til' their hearts content. Lounge for hours and chat with friends or visit with a good book. That's the definition of a cafe in real terms. read more

I work a ten minute walk away from Cafe Fixe, and started stopping by in the mornings for a coffee. The coffee's good, espresso drinks are whatever, the customer service is hooooorrible. Oh my god. I've been a barista before, and I realize that good coffee sometimes takes time but OH MY GOD. SO. SLOW. Which, ok, it's the morning, and a rush for them seems to be two people in line. I get it. But wow, staff is rude and constantly washing dishes/staring at the register (and not acknowledging the person waiting) rather than ringing people up. I've sometimes waited and left after ten minutes when literally no one was at the front counter that entire time. The sad thing is all I planned to order was a drip coffee, would have taken them all of five seconds. Not sure if the people working have a horrible system behind the counter since they can't seem to produce a drink faster than five minutes and thus are stressed, or if they're told to be obnoxiously rude because it's "European." Space is pretty small, and the patrons that somehow already look like they've been sitting at their table all day even though it's 8AM are rather rude about space (park your stroller in a different corner, not in the line area! Why do you have to sit with your legs out away from your table? And have giant bags of stuff just laying around on the floor? Whyyy). I gave them a lot of chances, but I think I'll be passing on Cafe Fixe in the future. read more

I went a while back, and I won't return to this place.the espresso that I purchased tasted great, but the owner who made it for me was seriously rude.my friend and I were there in the evening and sat for a while to talk, and the whole time we were there, we didn't feel welcome to stay. I would say that if you're just grabbing coffee on the go, this is an ok place, but I wouldn't recommend sticking around! read more

The person working behind the counter, who I am told is the owner, was SHOCKINGLY rude and nasty throughout our interaction. He gave snide, obnoxious responses to my simple questions and would not "allow" me to drink out of a to-go cup while in his store. I will never be going to Cafe Fixe again and have already begun telling all of my friends of my experience. Absolutely awful (and absurd!). read more

The guy working the counter was rude. Just stopped in quickly to get a coffee for work since it was on the way. The latte was tiny and I got charged an extra 70 cents for a drop of hershey syrup to make it a mocha flavor. Couldn't even taste the mocha! Was not worth $5 for a small latte that was the size of my palm. Then when I tried to use my debit card, he told me it had to be a $5 minimum. I should've just not gone back when I went to my car to get cash. Screw this place! Better off going to starbucks. The only decent thing about this place is the design they make with the foam on the top. read more

Great coffee, and that is really all that matters. Nice staff, definitely not rude in my experiences unlike some other reviewers. Got my coffee, had a quick chat, read a bit while I drank it, then left. Fantastic spot with a bright persona that does exactly what a coffee shop should focus on and do: sell you great coffee. read more

i was so excited when cafe fixe opened. it seemed elegant, its pastries looked delicious, and i loved the fact that it had free wi-fi - unlike athan's, my coffeeshop of choice across the street which unfortunately does not. but, as much as i wanted to like cafe fixe, i could not get past the cold and condescending owner. i went back on several occasions, hoping that i had perhaps caught him on a bad day the previous times. but he was unfriendly, even rude, every time. when i went in with friends, hoping to do a couple hours of homework, we were chased away by his pointed stares and rude comments - he did not think that having bought a drink and pastry each was quite enough to allow us to occupy a table for more than thirty minutes. a great coffeeshop is as much about ambiance as it is about good coffee. cafe fixe might have mastered the espresso, but its owner has a lot to learn about providing a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere that makes customers want to return. read more

I agree that this cafe reminds me of Europe, the owner does not understand American customer service principles. We sat down at 11:15 on a Sunday morning and waited for the line at the counter to clear. I went up to order at 11:25 and asked to have my coffee in a to go cup so it would stay warm while I sat at the cafe. The owner refused to let me have a to go cup justifying his behaviour by telling me that I had "made a bad impression" by sitting down before ordering. While his staff are kind and try to be helpful he manages to belittle his customers and makes having coffee at his shop a stressful experience. Not a nice place to bring your work to sit for an hour. The owner will probably tell you what he told me, "do you need directions to the library?" read more

Barrington Coffee and high-end espresso are always welcome additions to any neighborhood coffee bar. And the coffee at Cafe Fixe is pretty good. So everything is fine and dandy, until you realize that the owner has created a literal clone of the Northampton Coffee shop. Undoubtedly, the atmosphere and space of a venue plays a large part in how a consumer interprets and feels about their experience. For those of us familiar with Northampton Coffee, the blatent infringement upon creative and intellectual domain negatively affects the overall coffee and dining experience. read more

In the interest of properly setting expectations, I want to clarify one thing before I get onto the meat of this review: "cafe" is the French word for coffee. I say this because there seems to be some disagreement about what a "cafe" should be. So, let's put it out there: - If you want your "cafe" to be a breakfast-and-lunch restaurant that also happens to serve some espresso drinks (or not, whatever), Cafe Fixe is not for you. - If you're a wifi-sucking laptop zombie and you want your "cafe" to be a place where you can get a comfy chair, wall current so your laptop battery doesn't run down, some tasty snacks and a staff that will let you occupy that comfy chair all day for less than five bucks worth of business, and you're perfectly happy with meh-Starbucks-quality coffee, Cafe Fixe is not for you. If, however, you came for the coffee...then you came to the right place. I should explain something: I'm not a coffee snob. I have a low tolerance for caffeine, I drink very little of it, and I certainly haven't done a comprehensive survey of cafes (the coffee kind) in the Boston area. I also don't look down my nose at lesser attempts at coffee -- I'll stop by the Starbucks near work for a cappuccino on occasion, because it's there, it's convenient, and it's okay. But even my uneducated palate can tell that there's an enormous difference between what Starbucks is turning out (or the horde of independents who clear the Starbucks quality bar...but not by much), and what you get at Cafe Fixe. How to describe it? I don't know, there are coffee terms just like there are wine terms and I don't know them. It's rich. It's lovely. It's a liquid with texture. It is skillfully prepared and presented. It is worth the money (which, do the math, is not much more than Starbuck's), and it is worth the trip, and that is why I go there as an occasional treat. As for the charges of pretentiousness, I think that some reviewers need to get a better grasp of what the word means. The people at Cafe Fixe ARE serving a superior product -- that's not really a matter of opinion. They believe the difference matters -- and in the context of a cafe (that word again), it does. They don't stand there and lecture you about it, and they don't make excessive claims, and they're not in the least affected -- they take your order and make your drink and serve it to you in a perfectly courteous and civilized manner. If you're indifferent to the quality of what you're drinking, you'll probably get a bit defensive around people who care about what they're serving; I suspect this is behind many of the charges of pretension. My advice: if you don't care about high standards, don't patronize an establishment where high standards are important. Find a cafe whose definition of "cafe" fits with what you're looking for, and everybody will be happy. read more

Poor service skills and just okay coffee. Don't let the hipster mustaches and snobby attitudes trick you into thinking you don't know enough to understand what they are selling. This is a one note shop with too much ego behind the counter. Skip it. read more

Terrible service. Rude staff and extremely unfriendly. I would hold me desire and take my coffee elsewhere. read more

This place is so hip and cool I felt like it was in LA. Or NYC. Minimal, cool, good jazz playing. Loved it! Until the Barrista rolled his eyes at me, guess I wasn't cool enough and I definitely didn't endear myself by asking for whipped cream on my espresso. And when I asked for a larger cup so I could put in some half and half you would have thought the world had cracked in two. The espresso was excellent, no problem there. Check time, whoops, my bill was only 4.15! Luckily had some cash on me. Even left a generous tip despite the abysmal service. THEN, mr. eyerolling barrista let me know it was "self service restaurant and I need to bus my own table" talk about blatant humiliation! Especially when the buspan is so beautifully hidden in a minimalist cabinet. So coffee 5 stars Music 5 stars Minimal environment 5 stars All destroyed by condescending service. If you can abide by the rules spoken and unspoken, this place is for you! read more

The coffee is very good but the owner is always giving people a hard time if they ask for something a bit different. He's rude and not sympathetic. On one occasion a pregnant woman asked for a Late with half a shot of espresso and he tried to convince her to get the drink the regular way. Today when I went there, a woman ordered ice late and asked not to have too much ice in the coffee, so the owner told her that it was going to cost 75 cents more. She said OK and paid. She then told the owner that it seems to be a bit pathetic, especially for someone who is a regular. He started discussing the issue with her trying to explain why he's charging more. I heard the entire conversation and his explanation didn't seem logical to me. I think that with the prices that they are charging (higher than other places), they don't need to be charging 75 cents more when someone asks for a bit less ice. The staff there is very nice, my only problem is the owner. He needs to be a bit nicer and listen to his customers. After all, it's coffee, not a gourmet restaurant, where it's harder to change the menu. One of the reasons that I go to a coffee shop is the service and the atmosphere. In terms of coffee, I can get good coffee other places. I have decided not to go there anymore because of the obnoxious owner. Today 8/3.11 is the first time I read reviews about this place and the owner's answers to the criticism is rude. "Our mission" he write over and over again - we're talking about coffee here! And as much as I love coffee and understand what good coffee is (I'm from Italy), the owner has taken this to the wrong place. read more

As I had a half hour to kill, I thought it a good idea to scoot in here for a cappuccino. What a mistake. A $4.00 SMALL cappuccino tasted so bitter there wasn't enough sugar to disguise the burned "flavor". Oh, and I needed to use the one and only sugar dispenser (although I didn't know it was the one and only until I was "asked" to bring it back by the rather unfriendly barristo du jour) to apply prodigious amounts of sugar to my undrinkable cappuccino. As (I'm sorry) I didn't see the bus tubs when I arrived, I returned my 2 cups to the register area (btw, not one customer was near that area), only to be told that next time, I'm to avail myself of the bus tubs. Sorry, there will be no next time. Good luck with that awful coffee. read more

Meh. The best thing about Cafe Fixe is that it is so over-priced that you will begin to feel like the prices at Starbucks are actually a bargain. The coffee is good, but I've not been blown out of the water the way some yelpers apparently have been. However, the snobbery of the place is truly first class. (Also, I have never before seen a business so vigorously mock its former customers on yelp.) In a way, I guess I respect their consistency in so completely not giving a crap what their customers think. If getting your coffee from an independent place makes you feel superior and righteous, Cafe Fixe is probably for you. You will enjoy the pretentious airs. If you are like me and simply want to exchange, you know, currency for good coffee, then I don't see the point in putting up with all the 'tude. read more

I wish I could remember details of the beverages I've ordered, but I was so blind-sighted by disdain that it's hard to recollect anything regarding the actual food and drink. Plainly, I must have liked what I ordered because I have been back four or five times. Cafe Fixe is run by a man who seems to be of great expertise, knowledge, and experience. Unfortunately, his exactitude and demand for high quality isn't balanced by any sort of warmth or sense of customer service. More than anything, I would love to be able to just ignore the atmosphere and focus on the coffee, but I haven't found it possible to prevent the owner's brazen superciliousness from spoiling each experience. Maybe friendly service is just not considered important in some establishments? If that were the case with Cafe Fixe, I would be less confused about the way they treat their customers. read more

As others have noted, there is a $10 minimum for credit cards which is a problem for most people. My real problem is that they won't serve espresso to go, as "they don't do that." We asked if we could just have the espresso in a large paper cup instead, and again were refused. The reason for this is hard to understand. Instead, as we were in a rush to drive north, I had a black regular coffee, it was pretty bad (acrid, and burnt). The iced coffee my wife got was virtually undrinkable it was so bitter, and this is from someone who only drinks strong, black coffee! You would be better off, and better served, virtually anywhere else. The attitude here is even worse than the coffee. read more

I just walked in here with a friend to read a book and do some homework. We spent $8 on drinks (which are good enough, though there is clearly no care put into making them and no interest in sharing any information about their products or processes). My friend went to plug in his laptop charger and was informed that none of the outlets work. I went to ask if a fuse or circuit had blown in the heatwave (high of 102 degrees out today) and he said 'No. We leave them off because we don't want to encourage "camping out" or staying here for very long.' Wow! Admitting that you are unfriendly, unwelcoming and do not want your customers in your store despite having 10 tables with chairs, free wifi and the appearance of outlets. The conversation continued like this: 'wow that's kinda messed up, huh?' I asked, thinking that maybe he was trying to commiserate with me by sharing a miserly and mean-spirited managerial policy. 'No.' He shook his head blankly. 'Well, that's what coffee shops are for.' Drinking coffee, sitting around with friends, getting stuff done. If not, why would there be tables and chairs? Wifi? Non-disposable cups? Plates for food to sit and eat off of? I picked up my drink and walked away as he muttered to my back 'well that's narrow-minded of you!' At this point my friend jumped in to say, 'she's not saying that's all they're for, but it's part of what happens in a coffee shop.' The barista kept arguing and talking back until my friend also walked away. Not only did this man openly and rudely argue with two customers, he admitted that he doesn't like any of his customers, value the work they may do here or want any of them around. Frankly, he's a greedy docuhebag. I guarantee I will never spend another dollar or minute here again. What a cold, falsely superior, mediocre and uninformed facade of a cafe. read more

I came upon this place on a lazy Sunday afternoon and ordered a delicious latte and chocolate croissant. I was really looking forward to relaxing and reading a book. One hour and ten minutes later, I hear the barista loudly calling out to me from across the room, "Miss, if you aren't going to buy anything else, I'm going to have to ask you to leave". He didn't even come over, nope, just screamed across the room like I was some crazy hooligan. Crazy indeed. I understand that the Cafe doesn't want people working on their laptops for hours, but this was totally uncalled for. In short, great coffee, just make sure you order it to go. read more

The coffee is good. No arguing that. The owner, on the other hand, seems full of himself and a complete a@@hole. Doesn't greet customers. I've overheard him be overtly RUDE to his employees---creating a really tense atmosphere. Once I heard a customer ask why they put granola in the yogurt and instead of a professional response, he said 'well i don't' rudely. My friend went there for hot cocao for her kids and she wanted less milk or something and he responded that he can't control the machine and she said "well just stop it before it fills the cup up" and he responded 'this isn't a place for kids. ' Can we say PRIDE, much? Today I wanted my iced late and said less ice please. He said "you want more milk" I responded "I want less ice" --like duh I get that means more milk you d bag..... then I said "I just don't want my cup full of ice to the top." The guy has serious attitude issues, atrocious customer service.... DO NOT GO HERE unless you don't care about being treated like crap! read more

A very expensive, mediocre latte (tiny for a large) and the worst soy chai I've ever had.

I went to Café Fixe this afternoon and was looking around Yelp and decided to check the reviews of this place. I was surprised by all of the negative reviews....then I read them. No one can seriously complain about the coffee or tea here. To my mind, the quality of the coffee and tea should be relatively important factors influencing your decision to go to a place that serves coffee and tea. But what do I know? The people who work here are kind and friendly. No one has ever been rude to me. However, I also refrain from bringing food/drinks into a place that sells food/drinks and expecting to be treated like royalty. I wouldn't bring a six-pack of Bud Lite into the Publick House and then order an appetizer and eat my food at the bar and expect them to be cool with it. I don't bring Pinkberry fro-yo to Chill and ask if I can just buy some of their raspberries and Oreos as a topping. I wouldn't bring Pizza Hut to Giacomo's and ask if I could get some of the Giacomo's sauce to dip my pizza in. It's hard for me to understand how someone could think that this kind of behavior isn't rude. I have a hard time believing that you could bring Dunkin Donuts coffee into Starbucks and not get a raised eyebrow from someone. Not every business will sacrifice their self-respect for your $$. If you want to see rude employees, go to the Dunkin Donuts in Cleveland Circle. Side note: I love Starbucks, it's not about that. But it has its proper time and place. At other times, you may want to be in a coffee shop where people aren't screaming at the baristas that they somehow screwed up on their "iced grande half-caff, no-whip, soy, mocha carmel frappacino." Sometimes you don't want to listen to people in a business meeting, or a job interview, or an argument on a cell phone. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate those people - I just don't want to spend hours in a coffee shop with them while I'm trying to relax/study. The people who work at Starbucks are great, but sometimes I wish they would exercise a little less tolerance for the behavior some of their incredibly arrogant and annoying clientele. They may have good wifi and great seating and awesome baristas, but the customers somehow manage to frequently negate all of those positive qualities. Starbucks's policy of bending over backwards to impress and adapt to even the most unreasonably demanding of customers has unfortunately resulted in attracting those people to its stores and creating a safe haven for them to act upon their selfish and sadistic impulses. It gets annoying when they get confused and think that just because it's ok with Starbucks, it's acceptable behavior for adult human beings. If you're in the mood to verbally assault a perfect stranger who's making minimum wage by working on their feet - Starbucks is your go-to destination. If you're not in that kind of mood, you'll have more options to consider. The prices at Café Fixe ARE decent. I can actually get things done in here without having to listen to people scream. I can sit here for hours without losing hope for humanity. There is not a ton of seating and it's usually pretty full. But if you do get a seat - the music is PERFECT, the seating area is CLEAN, and the people who frequent this place are not consistently obnoxious. Oh, and the coffee and tea are amazing, if that's something you care about. read more

The place was great to get a decent cup of coffee (pour-over is my recommendation) or a latte, that's for sure. However it can be very awkward being in there since either the music transitions from nice jazz to Leonard Cohen sounding like he just swallowed a bunch of ball bearings. It's also uncomfortable when you're getting stared at by old people or the "artist" types when just carrying a normal conversation. The customers can be pushy and rude, prompting a nice, swift elbow to their face which tempts so very many. The owner is good at what he does, that's for sure, and that's the art of coffee. Just don't talk politics to him at all. Just a pro-tip unless you want to hear something that came out of a tumblr blog. My honest advice? Go to Starbucks, Athans, Blue State Coffee, or Fuel America. There's far less d-bag attitude involved. The fact that Maks (Max) has to sift through these and offer snide, Mother Jones commentary shows how much of a manchild he's being about his business. Sooner or later, his business is going to be shown where the crayfish spend the winter. read more

Decent coffee with friendly staff but they miss the mark in a few areas. First, the service is very slow. I know they're working hard but when it's packed I've noticed they forget orders. Second, the cash only under $10. I understand they don't want the transaction charge but often that means I go elsewhere. Overall not a bad place and the staff seem friendly but I'm disappointed this place isn't better. read more

I'm writing this review purely as a result of reoccurring arguments with my girlfriend over this cafe. We went there only once and witnessed the barista make a customer pay for all of the food that her child had allegedly touched. The coffee was expensive, but fantastic, but, at every turn, the barista was a pretty mean character. On the walk home, we discussed the experience. She works at a different Boston coffee shop and defended the coffee shop's right to prioritize coffee over customer service. Sure, that's their right. But it'll get terrible Yelp reviews and, more importantly, leave a bad taste in people's (figurative) mouths. For some reason she believes that you can't have great espresso while employing human beings with some degree of empathy.... She now tells me that she thinks this barista was the owner. So going to Cafe Fixe puts bread onto his lonely, lonely table. She says that he doesn't care about bread - only coffee. You'd imagine that someone living his dream would come off as a bit happier. Here's my main argument. I expect two things from a coffee shop: good coffee and decent customer service. I'm giving this place 3 stars because it failed the second requirement. To be fair, I'd likely give Starbucks 1 star (if it would make a difference) because Starbucks inept at brewing drinkable coffee. Sure, people accept Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, and gas station coffee... but that's not as coffee - not really. It's morning caffeine supply. Customer service can't overcome terrible product. Maybe this review is too subjective. Perhaps I should rate "1= bad coffee, 5= great coffee." But I can't. I value empathetic, smiling employees. I don't hate Cafe Fixe and I'm not turned off by its "pretentious" scene or "snobbery." I appreciate expertise and craft. I just expect a base-level of customer service from any sort of establishment. read more

Okay, I just have to write a review to clarify some things for people who are reading these reviews, because some of the negative reviews absolutely TERRIFIED me that I would be laughed out of the place or berated for accidentally asking for a "grande." Here's my assessment after about four months of going to Cafe Fixe regularly: 1. This is the best cappuccino I've had in Boston. By far. Maybe in my life. It's strong and a little bitter but sorta sweet and flavorful. Perfect. I'm so lucky it's right by my house. 2. The people who work here are super chill and nice. They remember your order if you're a regular. They'll chat with you (as long as it's not holding up the line) about what's new, etc. They'll also just be expedient and professional if you need to get in and out. They say "have a nice day" when you leave. IF you are pleasant and nice with them. 3. Most of the reviewers who have complaints are basing their complaints on this place not being like Starbucks. Correct. I'm not a "coffee snob," and yeah, sometimes I need a play with big chairs where there are lots of outlets and they'll make my drink however I want and there's one every six blocks and it's consistent but not great but whatever it's Starbucks. Cafe Fixe is small. The seating is nice but it can get crowded or full. There's not a million packaged food items for purchase. It's not Starbucks. Those whose complaints stem from this comparison might as well complain that their local European grocery that carries hard-to-find imported items sucks because they don't have Cheerios and the Russian girl behind the counter was very rude when you asked where the Snickers bars were. Just go to Star Market for those things. It's fine. 4. Also, regarding the people who were treated in a way they considered disrespectful, I'd just say this: small businesses have a hard go of it. If you went into Brookline Booksmith and said "the price on amazon is x, can you match it?" or something insensitive like that, I think they have a right to get huffy. I will say that no one has ever judged me for my order, or for where I was standing, or for bringing my kids in, etc.. ONCE Max called me out for taking someone else's drink. Because I DID. I totally understand someone not liking the vibe there, or feeling like the experience they want isn't the one they can get there. But to you, the reader, who is trying to make up your mind about going, my experience there has been only 100% positive. Just don't order a "grande." :) read more

Way too much D-bag with my tea bag...don't waste your time with a guy who won't even make half the things on the menu.

Beautiful coffee, in fact some of the best I've ever had, and lovely talented folks that work there but the owner unfortunately is unkind to his employees (overtly) and appears to have some significant difficulties interacting in kind ways to others so much so I am uncomfortable giving them business. read more

Extraordinarily rude staff -- get over yourself dude, you're not working in a Parisian bakery, you're in a pretty crappy cafe that's failing at competing with the Starbucks across the street. Worst hot cocoa I've tried in a looong time. Don't take credit cards for purchases under $10. Really inconvenient place for working. No Wi-fi, not outlets, tiny tables. VERY loud atonal music that I guess an optimist might call "jazz" on a good day? So yeah, not really sure what positives there are about this place. read more

Horrible. Decor has all the human warmth of a dentist waiting room. They ran out of "drip coffee" at 2:30 in the afternoon (making you buy the more expensive stuff) and sealed up their plugs for laptop users. It's like they're trying to send you across the street to Starbucks. read more

Didn't get a chance to try to the coffee I'm sure it's good. Decor is pleasant enough, lots of light. But the attitudes of the staff were what you'd expect from an elitist cafe in Brookline. Went in early on a Sat to get some work done. Sat near the only outlet in the place to realize it was marked 'Does Not Work'. As I walked along the rear of the cafe to find another outlet the penis behind the counter told me 'there are no outlets here'. I asked is this was to discourage people using laptops? With a smug grin he admitted that it was. So I was forced to go to the daycare center across the street called Starbucks. read more

I think most of the previous reviews are really accurate about this place. Essentially the owner does treat his staff poorly, is really unpleasant to customers, and generally seems like not a nice person. That being said the coffee is good. But I realized that what you spend your money on is one of the largest expressions of what you value and after witnessing yet another example of unpleasant behavior from the owner I'd rather not contribute to this place anymore. Thankfully with equally good coffee shops recently opening nearby (hello Fuel America and Blue State!) it's not much of a sacrifice to stop patronizing such an awful owner. ps David S. - loved your review. I totally caught the irony of an small business owner who could easily choose to be a "cash-only" business if he really wanted to practice what he preached instead choosing to lecture you about using your debit/credit card. read more