Thinking Cup
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Thinking Cup is a convenient place to get a refreshment for your Newbury St shopping day! Despite being busy, the staff are helpful + efficient. We tried their brownie which was thick, fudgey, and indulgent. Their americano tasted relatively standard... slightly too sour though. The flavor could've been smoother.
Service was good, there was a lot of indoor and outdoor seating. It was a little loud but not too bad. There weren't any outlets in the top section indoors, but the area on the bottom floor closer to the bathroom had outlets. There weren't any prices in the display box for the desserts and pastries, so I was pretty surprised when the tiramisu and matcha basque cheesecake totaled $16. I thought it was definitely overpriced so I wouldn't go again, but the food was pretty good as well.
Classic turkey sandwich cut into quarters for easy sharing. Hearty helping of turkey, nicely toasted grain bread, Dijon mustard, lettuce and tomato. Classic! We sat in the back room which didn't have great atmosphere and needed a good sweep, but the front room was full and noisy with people having a good time. It is a little run down.
Came here years old and came back to try again and still had not disappoint. This is definitely my go to spot for breakfast! Such cozy vibes and very inviting. They make their coffee and matcha just right, their breakfast selection is amazing starting from pastries to even their steel cut oatmeal. The staff members here are nice and friendly. All very accommodating which is very appreciative! Every time I come here is already busy and crowded but the line moves fast. It can be tough to find a seat but if you're willing to wait, then it is worth it! Or better yet, just grab your food and coffee and enjoy it at the nearby public garden !
"And my cold hands needed a warm, warm touch And I was thinkin' about you" (Norah Jones) We had a big group from our conference walk over for breakfast and Thinking Cup treated us very well. When you enter the Thinking Cup, you'll see a big menu on the left wall and a long showcase of goodies on the right wall leading to the register. They sell quite a variety of coffee drinks - drip coffee, café au lait, espresso, macchiato, latte, cappuccino, mocha, Americano, French hot chocolate, chais, and plenty of teas. Thinking Cup's website has quite a statement about the coffee they sell! Ever hear of Portland Oregon's Stumptown Coffee. I wasn't familiar with the name at all, but apparently it was named "Best Coffee in the World" by NPR, The New York Times, Food & Wine Magazine, and USA Today. It lived up to the hype and was very good. I should have ordered a second cup for the walk back to the hotel. Food is very well represented as well with breakfast bagels, breakfast sandwiches, breakfast burritos, smoked salmon, and deli sandwiches. Of course they have plenty of baked goods -scones, croissants, muffins, cookies, Biscottis, focaccia, rice crispy treats, macaroons, tortes, Madeleines, and tiramisu. Oatmeal and chia seed pudding were also available. My wife and I grabbed a bacon scone ($3.25), Madeleine, and an almond croissant ($3.50) from the showcase and sat in the back dining room. Those of our group that ordered egg sandwiches or egg plates had their orders brought over to our table pretty soon. My scone was wonderful, crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside with delicious bacon sprinkles cooked within. The Madeline was great too - a sweet little sponge cake pastry. Service was great, we had a group of at least 20 and they handled our food and drinks flawlessly. PRO TIPS They're open every night until 7 or 9:00, so you can grab dinner or a late-night snack. Don't overlook the very cool tables in the front room with copies of old Boston newspapers embedded into the tabletops.
I really like this Thinking Cup on Newbury St. It's got that cozy, quaint feeling. The coffee is always good and the baked goods are great. They have one of the best almond croissants anywhere. To the review bashing this place for a ban mi sandwich try going to a Vietnamese place. Who gets a Vietnamese sandowdy at a Cafe???? To the other reviewer complaining about Wi-Fi, seriously? You give a place 1 star for that? Ignore the bad reviews please. This place is a gem. Staff is alwyas friendly. It does get very busy so plan accordingly. I enjoy going first thing in the morning when it's quiet before the hell of work begins. Arrivaderci!
This is by far my favorite cafe in all of Boston! Time and time again, it delivers on all levels- flavor, price, vibes, and service. I always have a great experience coming here to get work done, its has the perfect calming New England atmosphere to create a space for productivity and creativity. Also, their food is delicious despite being incredible cheap especially for Boston. You MUST spend an afternoon here at some point if you live in the city, it's such a fun spot.
A busy coffee house with delicious looking desserts (we did not indulge). Service was fast and efficient. My latte was good with no bitter after taste. Just wish my coffee was a bit more robust. Overall, I would recommend.
The last time I visited Thinking Cup, I enjoyed a delicious grilled cheese sandwich made with sourdough bread and Aged Manchego cheese. So, when I was back on Newbury Street, I couldn't resist stopping by for it again. As always, the café was super busy, but don't let the crowd deter you--service here is impressively quick and the cafe is quite spacious considering the location. The staff are friendly and efficient. This time, however, my grilled cheese fell a little short of perfection; the cheese wasn't fully melted. While that was a bit disappointing, it was still delicious.The nutty taste of Aged Manchego cheese is the backbone of this sandwich in my opinion. I'll definitely be back to Thinking Cup to try something different.
Loved this little coffee shop on Newbury. Nice menu for breakfast and lots of delicious desserts and pastries . I did order the cinnamon honey latte and it was good, not great. Lacked the flavor I expected. Wonderful ambiance and seating is fairly plentiful but nice view out front. Outdoor seating as well. Very friendly staff. Definitely would come back and try the latte again!
Great pumpkin spice latte - was surprised as I'm not fan of pumpkin spice even if I've tried before. This is just so good than any chained coffee shops... not too sweet! Or disgusting after taste. Also tried regular latte, pretty good and smooth as I wanted a decent cup of caffeine as I enjoyed people watching. Ordered for a quick bite, ham and cheddar brioche bread. Oh it's so soft and flavorful at each bite of a bit of ham bits and cheddar bits! Very filling even if it's small. The service was quick even if it's busy.
Thinking cup was recommended by a friend who used to live here, so I had to do right by her and check it out. The ambiance reminds me of my college days, it's lovely but not too loud, has an ample amount of seating, different coffee options, tea, juices, and bottled drinks. The food menu covers everything you'd want from small bites, fruit, desserts, sandwiches, and cakes. I ordered a cortado and a coconut macaroon. The cortado was smooth, had a nice creamy foam top, and went down nicely. My husband got a cup of drip coffee and a slice of carrot cake. The guys behind us saw what he ordered and followed suit, which seemed to be a thing, since they were out of carrot cake when we left. It's a cute shop and someplace I'd recommend.
2 years ago
I had the pleasure of stopping by here while in boston earlier today, I had gotten a butter croissant as well as a Madeline cookie, and my friend got the chocolate hazelnut croissant. The total for our order only came to 11 dollars! I was shocked at how cheap it was in comparison to a lot of other cafes I have visited! The madeleine was super soft, and surprisingly sweet! The croissants were both airy and flakey-- just absolutely cooked to perfection! And don't even get me started on how adorable it is in there! It was way fancier inside than we had anticipated, but all-round absolutely gorgeous decorations! They have 2 sitting rooms inside, as well as one outdoors! We chose to sit in the second room inside, it was a bit noisy, but that was to be expected when you are sitting inside of a busy cafe. BUT, don't be fooled- even though they are busy, there is hardly any wait at all to place your order, or to receive it! We let 3 or 4 groups pass us in line while we were gazing at all the pastry's, yet there was still no wait when we were ready to order. The young woman who took our order was very pleasant, and gave us our food for us the second we ordered it! I would highly recommend stopping by this place if you're in the area! read more
Thinking Cup appears to cultivate the best atmosphere for doing work but they have no public WiFi. Their coffee is great, as well as their pastries. I recommend their lemon poppy scone, or even some of their gluten free pastries. They also have a wide variety of food options such as sandwiches. Though they have great space for seating, their lack of WiFi really makes it difficult to do work. read more
Super crowded around 10:30AM on a Saturday (line almost out the door)! Pros: -Pastries--tons, including donuts! -Several gluten-free dessert options -- "Nutella" Croissant ($3.50) Flaky, buttery croissant with what seemed like homemade hazelnut filling inside--it tasted more hazelnutty than Nutella but was delicious. I wish there had been more, but overall, this was pretty good and I would consider getting it again! Pumpkin Brown Butter Donut ($3.50) - Gluten-free Moist pumpkin cake donut with brown butter(?) icing and tons of pumpkin seeds. I enjoyed the moist pumpkin donut but the massive amount of seeds took away from the donut. Would have been better with just a few, or none! read more
I ordered the medium hazelnut latte, pumpkin cheesecake, and Jittery Hen. The Jittery Hen was alright, but did not taste that impressive so I would not order it again. I tried my friend's sandwich, the Barcelona Bliss, and found that much more appealing and flavorful. It paired really great with her clam chowder as well. The hazelnut latte was decent in portion-size and beautiful in presentation, but I did not taste much of the hazelnut flavor, so I was disappointed. I prefer my coffee sweeter so this latte simply felt alright to me. The pumpkin cheesecake was amazing! It had a slight pumpkin taste to it and tasted light with the perfect amount of sweetness. I honestly wish I had more stomach room to try their other pastries as they all looked gorgeous through the glass displays. Service was pretty fast and they had a decent amount of seating considering how busy they get. The atmosphere is really comfortable for a nice café so I would definitely come back here with friends! read more
A Georgetown feel in a basement coffee cup hangout--After all Boston is the Epicenter of Edin the world! Killer double Expresso, NY caliber bagels and a wide variety make this arguably the best coffee spot on Newbury street. When going to visit the ghost of Arnold "Red" Auerbach Thinking Cup should be on your coffee list! Double Expresso Baby! Time to Ball read more
I was just a little overwhelmed by the efficiency this morning. Sure, I want a coffee but there wasn't enough time to really look at the menu before I was suddenly at the register and it was time for my order. I ended up with the ham and butter sandwich which was the first thing I saw on the menu and easy enough to order. A decent portion as well. Coffees are prepared to order and there was only the one barista which meant that the sandwich was ready almost immediately and the coffee took nearly more than a couple of minutes. Decent workspaces and they have a wifi. read more
5 years ago
Nice...reasonably priced place to get a coffee and a quick breakfast. Service was top notch and my sausage/egg/cheese was good. Cold brew was ! read more
3 years ago
6 years ago
First time going to the Newbury location & the quality is consistent to the times I have frequented other Thinking Cup locations. The food is very good & has fairly decent prices. Amazing café. My go-to: Quiche w/ spinach, mushroom, & roasted red pepper havarti served with arugula salad ($6.95). Amazing as always- I love the texture and it tastes really fresh. I have also tried the fruit tart at other locations and it is amazing! Note: I would recommend getting your food to-go at this location as it gets fairly busy, and it definitely doesn't feel as safe during COVID as a mainly sit-down restaurant. Hard to social distance in such a small location but the restaurant employees all seem to be wearing masks and taking necessary precautions. read more
6 years ago
Good coffee, GREAT banana bread, and decent bagels. All locations are great but I go here most often. We made a video about our latest experience where we rated just their bagels:) https://youtu.be/AgPegLZD01g read more
8 years ago
Was in Boston for a wedding and was staying nearby and saw the great reviews so wanted to try this Place out. Had a caramel latte and it was delicious! Loved the art on top of the drink! Made it special! Also had the potato quiche- delicious breakfast! read more
7 years ago
7 years ago
One of the loveliest, coziest cafes in Boston! Conveniently located on Newbury Street, I've been a fan of Thinking Cup for a while, for its ambiance, menu, and cheery staff. The cafe gives me cute, warm, old-school antique vibes, perfect for grabbing a cup of coffee and reading a good book. The Newbury street location is decently small, but there are over a dozen tiny tables and nice natural lighting. Thinking Cup has a fairly extensive menu, from breakfast items to sandwiches - they have more than what's listed on their menu too, a full display of pastries for your enjoyment. My go-to is a churro croissant and hot chocolate, although the last time I went I got the Italian sandwich for dinner. The portions are fairly big and the prices are fair, though I feel that the drinks are slightly on the pricier side. I definitely recommend Thinking Cup if you're looking for a place to study, read, or catch up with friends! A great perk are it's long hours - they were open until 11PM on a Sunday, pretty unheard of in Boston. read more
This place has an amazing atmosphere! When you walk in it's below street level and has a very historic feel to it which makes you feel like your in Boston. The latte was crafted nicely and was good and so was the breakfast sandwich. They had some pasties that looked very good so I would go here again to try those. read more
3 years ago
Boston is surprisingly not an easy place to find a relaxed sit-down place to have brunch! We went to Thinking Cup because of all the rave reviews it has received on Yelp. The first thing I noticed is how busy the place is! We were there at around 11 am and the line stretched nearly to the outside. The entire facility was absolutely packed with really no place to sit. I guess this is just big city Boston for you :). It felt very bustling and lively. In terms of food, I ordered a fruit tart and a Banh Mi. Honestly, I think I may have ordered the wrong foods. The fruit tart was a bit meh and I personally think the fruit tarts from the grocery store tastes much better. I had the same experience with the Banh Mi whereby the bread was rather hard and the ingredients were not impressively fresh. To be honest, a Starbucks would have been much better. Sorry! read more
3 years ago
9 years ago
It's a lot smaller than the other locations but it's also probably one of the busiest ones I've been to. It was still crowded and impossible to find an unoccupied table, even though it was a rainy Sunday. Despite all that, quality is still there. Great customer service and the extremely tall Asian guy cashier was friendly and funny. He convinced us to get the almond croissant and that was the best decision ever. It was absolutely heaven and deliciously paired with the hazelnut latte. Honey cinnamon latte tasted like milk, let's just stick to the delicious hazelnut latte. It was well worth circling forever to park, and being drenched in the rain. read more
4 years ago
Small cafe coffee sandwhich spot Went 9:30am on a Thursday busy but it moved fast Find a seat with your beverage they call your name for the order Had a medium coffee and breakfast burrito just under 10 bucks Egg black bean salsa and hard aged chorizo About size of a small hand - filling for me You can do a lot people watching I would back for easy quick meal read more
Overall: An easy option for those looking for something quaint yet trendy, with a diverse menu to go along with your caffeine fix. The good: The breakfast items here, from savories to sweets, are top notch for a cafe. The quiches that we got were fluffy, flavorful, and filling. The combination of cheeses, bacon, and potato really hit the spot. The coffee was good and the atmosphere was cozy and humble with the garden unit vibe of this location. The not-so-good: It can get very crowded, we were lucky to get a table for 2 before our food came. That also means it's pretty noisy when it's prime time. The food also took a good minute to come out. And, the options for sweets far outweigh the savory choices, breakfast-wise at least. Atmosphere: 8/10 Service: 8/10 Food: 9/10 read more
4 years ago
Nice atmosphere and pleasant staff. Only issue is no wi-fi. Their Tea (English Breakfast) is probably the best I have had. read more
3 years ago
The coffee here is great--as an Oregonian I am glad to see Stumptown represented at fancy coffee shops around Boston! There are some classic as well as unique pastries here. The pastries are pretty average, but they are still tasty either way. The indoor space has a fantastic ambiance, although it is usually hard to find a table since there are so many people always here already. There is outdoor seating as well, but with the busy street and wire tables I think it is nicer to sit inside read more
8 years ago
I am giving this a solid 5 stars - I love this place! On a spring Sunday morning my husband and I wanted to wander around Newbury Street. After feasting my eyes on high street stores (Tiffany's, Ugg and Georgetown CupCakes), we walked into the Thinking Cup. This is a perfect blend of a European Cafe mixed with an American coffee shop. Think Mozart's Vienna meets Monica Geller's New York! The decor is great - musical instruments on the walls, the tables are unique each with a Bostonian newspaper and an artifact or two under a glass cover. Beautiful! The food and wonderful - they have a mixture of pastry and sand which breakfast items - and the highlight is the coffee: superb quality! Looking forward to going back - I really liked this place. Great customer service, very clean. read more
4 years ago
I am a huge coffee drinker, so of course I was excited to try some cafes in Boston! This particular Thinking Cup is close to my friend's office, so she decided to take me here. I am so glad she did! On the weekends, they are super busy. While the line moves pretty quickly, the seats don't turn over as quick. All the seats inside were taken, but luckily with the warm weather, the outdoor seating was available and we found an empty table quickly. For my drink, I ordered a medium latte. We also wanted to order something to share for a light breakfast. At first, I was hesitant to try the brioche buns because I'm not a huge fan of sweets, but once my friend told me that they were known for their brioche buns, I decided we had to try one. Of course the chocolate nutella brioche was my choice for breakfast. The gluten free blueberry lemon baked donut was an impulse buy. They were sitting on the counter near the cashier and looked too yummy to pass up. The baked goods were delicious!! The brioche bread was fluffy and it was stuffed with a huge dollop of nutella. The gluten free donut was also surprisingly delicious. I haven't tried that many gluten free items that I've truly enjoyed, but this was a different story. It was moist, full of blueberries, and glazed with a lemon icing! Seriously, the baked goodies were soooo yummy we went back the following morning to grab brioche buns and donuts for me to take home to NYC. :Q I'm so glad I don't live in Boston, because all of my money would go straight to Thinking Cup! read more
I can't speak to the food or pastries or even the regular coffee for that matter, but the cappuccino was good, latte art and all. The seating is limited and cramped, but if you're patient you'll be able to get a seat. The turnover is pretty quick. The overall vibe is chill, but with no free Wi-fi you can't much work done. Also, try not to sit by the door, not only does it slam shut every time it's opened but on a cold day you'll be hit with a cold gusto. read more
Stopped by on my way to work, it was a little crowded but the line moved fast. Just a simple croissant and mocha to go. They have several breakfast options including dairy free and gluten free. I will defiantly be back to try the smoked salmon on a bagel. Update------- I tried the smoke salmon on a bagel and it was just as good as I expected. The salmon was fresh and it paired well with the everything bagel. read more
3 years ago
2 years ago
5 years ago
We went to a different location from yesterday. The cappuccino was excellent! We liked this spot better. A little smaller and a little quaint place! read more
A cute, small little coffee stop on your way shopping down Newbury. So many coffee options and their baked goods are all made in house! My vanilla latte was perfect (I always order a vanilla latte the first time I try a coffee place so I can compare places fairly) and the staff was very kind. The space inside is a bit tight so don't count on getting a table to do work if you're coming on a weekend, but I imagine it wouldn't be a problem on a weekday. I'll definitely be back the next time I'm in Boston! read more
7 years ago
Nice cozy place Delish coffee Pastry is terrific - smallish selection but fresh Always busy Cons No WiFi No power for laptops read more
More info about Thinking Cup
85 Newbury St
Boston, MA 02116
Back Bay
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(617) 247-3333
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http://thinkingcup.com
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Do they have wifi and are they still open for dine in?
Unsure about WiFi, yes for dine-in
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