The French madeleine is good with some dried fruit inside. The matcha latte is good (not the best though). The pour over coffee smells good but it's a bit bitter for me. The place is popular and is usually full of people. The only problem is that the seats don't have much space. read more

Thinking Cup - French madeleine and matcha latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

First time in Boston. The morning glory muffin and honey cinnamon latte are amazing! So glad I came.

Whenever i go to Loews for a late night show, I always stop by that cute little place. I love their hazelnut latte :) read more

The chocolate macaroon and passionfruit cheesecake were ok. The key lime cheesecake was good. read more

Cute spot to go for late night coffee or dessert. Nothing too fancy, but it really hits the spot. The cortados are lovely, and the varied selection of fun pastries is awesome. read more

I will start by saying the caffeinated beverages and pastries at Thinking Cup are nothing to complain about. Until today, I really only had a slight beef with the lighting and general decor. I have noticed one of the laminated newspaper articles from the 1940's has the word "J*PS" plastered across one of the headlines in huge letters. I left it alone, assuming it was left there out of naivete or ignorance, and not wanting to bother the absolutely kickass cashiers. When I noticed the owner, Hugh, moving about, I pointed out the article and asked whether he knew it contained a derogatory slur for Japanese people. He told me he did, and because the name of the place is Thinking Cup, he is glad that it inspired thought and dialogue (wtf?). I told him I would not have been happy if the slur referred to my nationality, and he immediately assured me he had examined all of the other laminated articles on the tables, and they made no references to Jews, Blacks, or any of the other commonly maligned groups of the day. He just felt like this article is a nice piece of history. When I pressed the owner on the double standard, he pointed out that he had lived in Japan, dated a Japanese girl, and has "the highest affinity for the Japanese people". I told him I appreciated his love for the Japanese people, but it doesn't sound like any of it qualifies him to casually display slurs of them in his business. Hugh then informed me that he has a business partner and the two of them very carefully considered this issue, but "made a business decision" to place and keep the table in their cafe. The fuckery went on until I thanked him for his time, and he asked me to please return so he could "take care" of me. I will not. Ignorance is one thing. Willful ignorance is another. Too bad. The coffee is awesome. read more

I'm not a coffee snob or anything. As a student, I need caffeine to survive some days. A coffee is just coffee for me. Any coffee from whatever cafe usually does the trick for me, and I'm not too picky. However, I think having the Stumptown Coffee from Thinking Cup has ruined me for "regular" coffee shops now. The coffee is so good that little old me can taste the difference, and now I can't go back. Thinking Cup offers a variety of flavored lattes to complement the taste of espresso ( I highly recommend the honey cinnamon flavor!) , along with an astounding selection of alternative milks. I usually alternate between almond and oat milk these days. Not only do they have great coffee, but a nice selection of pastries to choose from. It is super nice to just sip your drink and nibble on a pass on by in the streets and in Boston Commons. The atmosphere in the shop is great, if a bit crowded during peak business hours. Then again, I can definitely see why the place is so popular! read more

Amazing selection of Gluten free stuff. Gluten free Tiramisu! Gluten free snickerdoodles! Gluten free grilled cheeses! Cool vibe. Freezing cold though, since people keep walking in and bringing a draft. read more

Stopped by before an interview and ordered a small latte. When they called my name, the barista said "small cappuccino for Jessica". I responded nicely and said "I ordered a latte", and checked my receipt, and sure enough it said latte. And guess what the barista said after looking annoyed? He said "it's the same thing, I filled it to the top" ..................................... Really? Is that the kind of response that would make me happy? Was I supposed to say "oh! That's great!" A simple - "oh, I'm sorry about the mixup" would have been fine and I would have been happy to just take the cappuccino anyways...he wasn't even that busy! but that kind of response was so disrespectful and rude. How the hell is a cappuccino and a latte the same. So I'm guessing you make all your lattes and cappuccinos the same way so that you can make this your response every time you get your order wrong, right? Ugh. So angry. ANYTHING would have been better than THAT response. read more

Pretty good. Just got a plain latte. Nothing special. Very packed. Nice ambiance. Little pricey.

So, I've been going to the Thinking Cup for a few years now; and it never occurred to me to come on yelp and review them, but I'm not a big reviewer sort so I guess it's a moot point. I've read through some of the reviews on here, and then, looking at the low-rated reviews, I can't help but feel sorry for everyone who has issues with the thinking cup. For one, those who complain that the staff are unfriendly, I can't help but wonder how friendly are you to them? Smiles are free, but sometimes you have to spend to earn. And I know what you're thinking; "OMG I'm totally friendly! I mean, I even sometimes stop texting for, like, 10 seconds to place my order!" Do you engage the workers? Do you say hello? Do you ask them how THEIR day is going? Second, apologies, but while Starbucks may have cornered the coffee shop market mindset by brute force and financial clout alone, not every coffee shop you step into is going to have a homogeneous, Disney-fied, Joan-Baez-and-the-houses-are-made-of-ticky-tacky, indistinguishable product, decor, and workforce intensively trained with pamphlets and videos to deal with demanding customers with overly-inflated senses of entitlement. Welcome to the coffee culture circa early-90s that gave birth to Starbucks. Variety is the spice of life, and one pull of espresso, is elementally different from the last.Understandably your expectations have been set by Starbucks and their McDonalds-isation of the process where you expect every other coffee shop to serve the same product the same way every time Third, no por que-fi? oh no! Go forbid this independent chain not elect to take on the extra debt of installing a service that requires an expensive high-demand tier to serve the sheer volume of leeches and wifi campers who'll buy one itty-bitty cup of coffee and sit at a table for an eon or two while they try to "get work done" i.e surf facebook and tweet about how awful the coffeeshop they give their custom to five days a week is. Wifi is a privilege, not right, people! God forbid you get your noses pried away from your iDevice for 30 seconds and actually have a human interaction. And if it's that important to you, hey, this is 2013. Step outside. There's certain to be at least ten places within walking distance that have free and open wi-fi. Fourth; They're independent, the menu changes all the time, costs go up so prices go up; they don't have the might of an unstoppable corporate juggernaut behind them negotiating bulk discounts en masse for their supplies They don't receive weekly promotion, visual, and pricing updates from their corporate overlord instructing them on every iota and facet of their store that needs to be updated, lest - godforbid - some helpless waif be too robbed of any independent thought to - gasp! - ask a question regarding her order, the availability of something, or how much a cookie or macaron costs, and then get all passive-aggressive notes dot com on the hapless business when she gets to the register or sits down or is even half a mile down the street and happens to glance at her receipt. Things slip through the cracks, some new pasty might be put in the case and maybe the price tag fell down, or they even forgot to put it in there in the first place! Like you never forgot to do something! . Don't just be some sheep on the gangplank to the abattoir, speak up! Ask questions. Resigning yourself to silence, and you wind up dissatisfied with your ordered product, you have only yourself to blame. They can't read your mind here, Miss Cleo turned down their job offer.. Fifth; some in-search-of-a-cause whiny wannabe slacktivist complained that they saw a derogatory term against the Japanese people in the headlines of a vintage newspaper embedded in the tabletop. Oh dear - wait, what's that? It was common practice back then? But still, INDIGNATION! Did you write to Quentin Tarantino and object to the gratuitous usage of the N-word in his latest film "Django Unchained"? Quick, you better tell Warner Brothers their old Bugs Bunny WWII propaganda film "Bugs Nips the Nips" that it's grossly offensive when it's shown in a civil studies class! People! Seriously, stop your' whining. You sound like spoiled children. Yes, Yelp is here to give you a forum to air your grievances, but if you could see past the end of your noses for two seconds and realize that it ISN'T ALL ABOUT YOU and your needs, perhaps you and your egos might one day be able to occupy the same space without crowding each other out. In the meantime, if you're dissatisfied when you enter a place of business, instead of running to Mommy, or in this case, Yelp, to tattle about the big mean bully, try first speaking with the manager or the owner. Very often they're willing to make things right. And before your problems get too big, speak up in the first place. Obviously somne things cannot be helped, like wifi. And because I know someone will think it, no, I do not work for Thinking Cup. read more

Just over a hill on the Southern edge of the Boston Common and across Tremont St. next to Lowes Cinema lies the best coffee and cheesecake in Boston. Every time I stop by, it's smiling faces, and cheery Barristas. A must visit when in Boston for sure. read more

Thinking cup is one of the best coffee/dessert places I've been to in Boston. They have delicious cup cakes, and the mini cupcakes allow you to indulge without going overboard. Yet I cannot get myself to give it a 4-5 star rating. This is for a few reasons - 1. Almost every time I've had a coffee or two here and got lost in thought in stuff I'm reading, I am approached by the staff asking if I want something else, and if not would I be comfortable leaving because there are other patrons waiting. This was done in a very polite manner however I had been there for max 40 mins hob nobbing on my carrot cake and cafe mocha. I summed up the last bits of my dignity, emptied the remnants of my mocha and left. 2. On another occasion, on entering the store at 9.50 pm wanting a take away coffee I was told they are closed. This was a bit weird because their timings say 10 pm on weekdays. I find it weird that they feel alright turning their customers away early instead of staying on a couple of minutes late! 3. They offer good sandwiches here, but they are not value for money for 8-9 dollars. They also have limited options for vegetarians/vegans. All in all, go for the coffee. It makes everything else worthwhile. Special mention to the baristas who always make your coffee look like a cup full of joy!! read more

Amazing coffee. Ill say that. although 50% of the staff is very unfriendly. I get it, they are super busy and that probably wares on you a little bit, but sometimes it's slow and the customer service can be awful. For example, today I went there and it was very slow. 3 people sitting down, I was the only person in line. Girl at the register was very nice knowledgeable. She took my order with accuracy and asked me for a bag and my stamp card. She nailed it. The barista on the other hand, the worst. Young Asain man. my order popped up and he looked right at the screen. he then took about 3 minutes to finish his conversation with some random person before he even approached the espresso machine. Once he decided that his conversation was over he thought it was a good idea to actually start doing the thing hes being payed for and the thing i put 2 dollars in the tip jar for (wish I hadn't). Then he made someones Americano (someone after me) and then made my latte. I get it, some drinks are faster but when you're making me wait for your convo that's not fair. He then finished my drink and called out my name. I looked him right in the eye and said "Thank you" as polite as i possibly could. He stared at me, didn't say a word, and went back to making another drink. Jeeze, someone give this kid a lesson in customer service. I worked in the restaurant industry for 5 years and I can tell you, NONE of my employees would have been employed if this were a regular thing under my watch. all in all, the latte was still delicious so I will be returning (just maybe not tipping again..). read more

The thinking cup has a great atmosphere, I would love to come here and study or sit and chat with a friend. All of there staff were super friendly and very detail oriented. You can tell a lot of thought went into this place. I can't wait for them to open on wednesday! oh, and for the coffee- wonderful! I had a lovely latte :) edit: went back again today for another open house and tried the roast chicken sandwich. It wasn't warm like i was expecting for some reason but it was DELICIOUS! I'm definitely getting that again. It had thinly sliced deli chicken, sliced apples, a soft cheese, cranberry bread, cranberry spread, + mixed greens... yum! read more

Viva la Stumptown! Hairbender in Beantown?! Yes please and make it a double. A chocolatey smooth shot of caffeine to put a spring in your step is a warm welcome to Boston. read more

I want to love Thinking Cup. I really, really want to love it. Boston is seriously lacking in good coffee. I've been here a few dozen times because of the great quality coffee. The lattes are excellent, coffee decent, and the baked goods good. But, there is a seriously big problem with sustainability here: 1) If you try and bring your own to-go cup for your coffee, you are treated like you are crazy. Then, the baristas explain that they cannot fill the cup because they're coffee sizes are abnormally small. (Most insulated cups look a lot larger than they actually are because of (duh) the insulation... somehow these people dont get it). Not to mention, many coffee shops actually take off 5 cents for bringing your own cup. At this place, its like you loose money. 2) No recycling! How is it that a coffee shop in boston can get away without recycling!!!!! This is so unacceptable, I can't stand it. It takes practically no effort to put a recycling bin up. This reason alone is one that causes me to significantly pause when I go there.... sometimes I just walk by... Also, the staff can be terribly rude. Unbelievably rude. They should be trained to treat customers nicely... I've worked in service and I dont expect to be treated like royalty, for sure. But basic eye contact, a hello, thank you, have a nice day, etc., or whatever basic pleasantries are not that difficult. Hell, I'd take just acknowledging my existence. I'm friendly and nice to you, can't you treat me like a human being in exchange? read more

I'm totally diggin' this place - easily T accessible, in close proximity to so much action, spacious, cozy and comfortable seating, perfect chill but still upbeat music , and just a generally great all around vibe. Their soy mocha, soy hazelnut latte, coffee, choco croissant, coconut macaroon, cannoli, bacon/chive scone and ham/cheese sandwich were all pretty darned good. (The cupcakes are pretty average) And some high quality latte art! The only bummer is no wifi, which initially was points off for me, but then I realized how great it was to just disconnect, sit, drink and eat without the ringing. read more

The place is hands down the best coffee in Downtown. I work in the financial district and this place is worth the walk to the Common. Contrary to what some of the other reviews say, this is not the only place for Stumptown Coffee in Boston. Diesel Cafe and Bloc 11 have carried it for a long time now, this does not take away anything from The Thinking Cup experience though. The Thinking Cup puts a much more into the presentation of their brew, but at what cost? I hate to sound like a penny pincher but my $5 Hazelnut Latte was (delicious) tiny (8oz?), good thing all I wanted was a small, that's all they serve for their special brews. They also have a great assortment of pastries too. read more

This is my new favorite coffee place. I've loved everything I've had here coffee, sandwiches, soups, desserts. They're definitely coffee snobs. Try the cappuccino. It only comes in one size (sort of smallish) because they want the proportions "just so". It's worth it, though -- the coffee is rich and complex. It almost tastes like a mocha. And it's not bitter -- you don't need sugar. They are also purists -- you won't find a multitude of flavored lattes, just basic coffees and a mocha. The chocolate is all Valhorna. The other night they made hazelnut cappuccino with actual hazelnuts that they roasted and ground. This might be a tough sell with the Starbucks crowd, but I loved it. I'm just waiting for them to get wifi. read more

Stopped in here two weeks ago after a movie, and man, I LOVE the watermelon cucumber beautiful juice drink! Didn't love that it was $4, but whatever. WINNING. read more

Great small coffee shop. It was packed even at 10pm. The desserts looked amazing. We went with the carrot and German chocolate cakes - fantastic. Juices are actually fresh squeezed. Coffee was well chosen - not weak or burned like chains. read more

Outstanding pourover coffee, espresso, egg sandwiches and sweets; also great service for such a busy place; horrendous customers.

Great shop... love the pastries, double love the coffee. triple love the hours. but the best part? the great staff. yeah, they might be slow.... but that's cause care goes into your latte. it tastes better that way. read more

Wow. I can't believe anybody could give this place less than 5 stars. The place is top-notch, coffee tastes great. I drink everything black without sugar and milk and it still tastes great here! Comfortable atmosphere too. Don't live near by, but when I'm down on a common I always swing by. read more

Good atmosphere, coffee was quick even though they were very busy. Coffee was fair, about as good as a chain coffee place could get. I would come back. Great location on the park too, so you can just walk through the park with your takeaway coffee read more

As someone who recently moved here from Portland, OR, I must say this is the best option around Boston Common for a cup of coffee. Stumptown may not be the greatest coffee ever, but it is way better than Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts. Thinking Cup has good drip coffee, delicious hazelnut lattes and smooth Americanos. The pastries are fantastic. The location can't be beat. The staff is nice, for the most part. And I think the prices are reasonable. All of that being said, however, there are a few things I despise about Thinking Cup. I have seen staff members here doing things like blowing their nose and petting dogs that customers bring in, then immediately handling food and beverages without washing their hands. Frankly, that is disgusting. Second, there is hardly anywhere to sit because people camp out here for hours without buying anything. It is much too loud to study here and there is no WiFi (although I have come to the realization that this is a good thing because if there was WiFi, you would NEVER be able to find a seat here). Finally, the staff takes their sweet, sweet time, regardless of how long the line is or how many people are waiting for drinks. Nobody expedites anything here or seems to care that the line is almost out the door. While you may think that conversing with certain customers for minutes on end or running out from behind the counter to pet their dog (and then not washing your hands before you start touching things that people consume) is providing great customer service, it is not when there are other people waiting. There is no reason why getting a cup of drip coffee should take five or more minutes (when there is no line) to ten or more (if there is a line), not to mention how long you will wait if you order something that a barista has to make. In short, Thinking Cup has great coffee and delicious pastries, but they need a better system here to speed things up and the employees need to wash their hands because not all of us want boogers and dog hair with our coffee. read more

Wow, where do I start. I'm not sure why there are so many positive reviews because this place serves the worst lattes I've ever had. I ordered a green tea latte with soy milk and a regular latte. The latte was so watered down, I'm not sure there was really any espresso in there. The green tea latte came with regular milk instead of soy milk. Sure, I can over look that because I'm not lactose intolerant but I can't overlook the fact that the latte tasted like a mix of water and milk. It was disgusting. I tossed both drinks and went to a local Starbucks. Not to mention the service is extremely slow and the employees would rather finish their long conversations instead of actually doing their job. read more

I'd probably spend my life here if it wasn't for the lack of WiFi! Seriously Thinking Cup, is this the only way you can keep me away - because it's working. Booooo. I love going into Boston on my work from home days, but it is a giant pain to look for a coffee shop with both decent coffee and WiFi. I gotta say, I forgive Thinking Cup because of the food. Sometimes, I sneak the food and coffee from here into Cafe Nerro around the corner, to fulfill my two needs. The iced lattes, especially the hazelnut, are my go-to's - absolutely scrumptious. I've tried a number of different drinks and have never been disappointed. Thank you SO much for not adding sugar to my coffee! There is always way too much in the coffee I get elsewhere. If you aren't craving coffee or tea, how about that Mexican soda? And the sandwiches, YESSS. They are so flavorful, so filling, but so expensive. I treat myself time to time, because it's honestly worth it. I love the grilled cheese, but I get so excited that I order way too many fillers (bacon, ham, meat, meat, and meat) and somehow, I have a $10+ grilled cheese errrr melt. I usually get a macaron as well - I find the hazelnut and pistachio to be my favorites, since they aren't too sweet. And the pastries... OK definitely rambling at this point. Good coffee, food and pastries. Even though the line and wait may be long, you'll be happy. By the way, the bathroom pass is 1245 ;). read more

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Great spot for breakfast or lunch. Healthy options and delicious treats. I especially enjoy their english muffin breakfast sandwiches. Egg & cheese is my go-to. They have great macarons too. I know they've added some different desserts since I've been last so I can't wait to try those. read more

Thinking Cup - Egg & Cheese on english muffin - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Cool spot to grab a coffee and walk around the commons. Went there a couple times while in Boston.

Dear Thinking Cup, please expand. I love your coffee shop so much but every time I go, I can't spend more than 10 minutes there because of the crowd! I want to enjoy my coffee in peace and even study in a cool place like yours. But your popularity and lack of space is keeping me away. I still love you though, just please get bigger. xx. read more

A tremendous new addition to Tremont! The place to enjoy the finest coffee, tea and sweets. Amazingly styled and staffed. Don't miss this place. read more

The Thinking Cup is awful. I got a vegetarian sandwich, which consisted of 2 slices of mozzarella, one slice of tomato, and perhaps 5 leaves of mixed greens. For $8. My sister got a $4 breakfast sandwich that she also didn't like and thought was bland. I can't speak for the drinks, but after looking at the price list, they seem ridiculously overpriced. Furthermore, the service was pretty poor. The woman who took our order seemed annoyed, and it took forever for our sandwiches to be made. Tremont is dearly in need of a nice coffee shop, but I'd personally still take Dunkins over the Thinking Cup. One positive: The atmosphere at the Thinking Cup is great. I loved the decor - and especially the tables! But I wouldn't let the appearance deceive you into thinking that what this establishment offers is good. read more

I met here for a business meeting and was happy that the other half of my party suguested this place. Super cute little cafe, little cramped but I was able to snag a seat so can't be to upset! My latte had some lovely steamed milk art (love) and tasted just as expected. I might not go out of my way to come here (prices are around the same as starbucks from what i can tell) if I'm in the area or meeting someone I will come back! read more

Had the fruit tart and coffee in the middle of a blizzard. Cozy and inviting, great place to stroll to at the end of the night.

This review is mainly for customer service. Who knew that I'd be back near Boston again for my work? I decided visit this coffee shop again when I was in Boston for Columbus day. I do not like leaving a bad review, and I already gave 2 stars for this place so I thought I could give this place a second chance. The line was not that long (only 4 people ahead of me), but it took almost 20 minutes to get my chai tea... I could probably get a meal somewhere else in 15 mins...okay. Whatever. We all bought coffee and tea at Thinking cup, but because we weren't interested in their pastries we decided to try a few pastries that we got outside just to taste them (we did not plan to finish eating those there). While I was waiting to get my chai tea, my family members were informed by a cashier that we were not supposed to eat other shops' food here. We did not even see the sign and the cashier pointed it out; the sign was not very obvious as you can only see it briefly when you enter the coffee shop (cannot be read in the coffee shop). Usually, coffee shops let you eat whatever you want as long as you purchase something there, but I guess it wasn't the case with Thinking Cup (this was not mentioned in the sign) I saw what was going on, and it was rather humiliating that we were the only group that was confronted by the cashier. In the coffee shop, there were other people eating food made somewhere else.. In terms of what we drank there, we did not think that chai latte and coffee were mindblowing; maybe I got spoiled by my good barista friends in DC. We immediately left after the incident. We won't be back this place again. read more

Favorite old haunt of mine, the service is always quick and polite and the coffee is impeccable. Bonus points for the vegan cookies they sell :) read more

Always too crowded. Coffee is fine. Service is okay. Not super friendly. Feels like a transient spot rather than cozy.

Great coffee and breakfast spot if you are in the Commons park area. The line mives very fast. Perfect breakfast burrito. And coffee like I make at home. read more