Cafe 57 & Grill

The waitstaff wad very nice but with all of the waiting we did it was little consolation. The food was decent but it took hours. The cook had no idea what he was doing and all of our steaks were overcooked and came out at different times. It took over an hour from the time the first entrée came to our table until the time the last one arrived. Not likely to try this place again.

I really liked this place – but they were forced to close do to corporate bullying. It seems the owners husband owns 3 Dunkin Donuts franchises in Boston, and Dunkins sued them over «lost business». Anyone that lives in this area of Brighton knows the closest DD is down Washington St in Brighton Center, so the lost business in BS. There is a new place opening in its place, called the Happy Owl. I hope they do well!

Nice place! I have been going here a couple times a week on my way to work. Good coffee. Good muffins. Good egg sandwiches. Haven’t gotten down to 57 for lunch or dinner yet, but as far as a quick breakfast for the road — they’re exactly what I need. The lady that runs this place is a peach. Always friendly. Great service.

Folks — You have to be kidding
plastic plates, plastic utensils, undercooked toast, one broken egg out of two… breakfast potatoes a pile of mush
nice atmosphere and staff, but I can never go back here again
I’m not 10 YO any more

Great price, good food, friendly staff. I live right near hear and the small family owned buisness is always making great conversation and suggestions. But I’m goin to eat now. Peace!

I live very close to Café 57 & Grill (I would say a 2 – 3 minute walk), and I have to confess it is definitely one of my «go-​to» places of the moment. The proximity helps of course but I am a fan of the good food, cleanliness, and warm atmosphere.
I feel there are good reviews already about the quality of food here so I will concentrate on the staff and service. It is operated and I am assuming owned by a Greek family of three. Aside from the father, mother, daughter, and chef I have seen no one else working there. That, however, is a big reason I keep coming back. They make an effort to get to know everyone regardless, it seems, if they believe they will ever see you again or not. I can testify to this as I often study there (free WiFi I might add) and I see them display the same warm and welcoming demeanor to everyone that enters. I’ve always loved these so called «mom and pop» businesses and this place has only reinforced my belief.
The only reason I give it ⁴⁄₅ is because of the hours. As I hinted at I used to study here, used to because when they first opened they had longer hours but have since cut down. It is understandable I suppose as, I have explained, it appears that only the family and one chef works there. Ever since the hours have been changed I find it harder and harder to have a chance to come in. I believe it is especially unfortunate that this place is closed on Sundays as that would be the PERFECT time for such a place to be open. Regardless, if you can make it during their store hours you will not regret it. Coffee, in particular, is excellent as are all the panini sandwiches (yes, I’ve had them all).

Great little neighborhood breakfast/​lunch place, lots of fresh food made with apparent love.
I’ve always felt a little sorry for Brighton; it’s a lovely residential neighborhood, but seems short on decent places for a quick bite. Living next to Allston’s embarrassment of budget-​restaurant riches must help, but that doesn’t quite replace being able to walk to a casual breakfast or lunch joint. A neighborhood needs its own affordable, independent restaurants that trump the typical chain outlet or back-​up-​the-​Sysco-​truck pub, serving food that tastes like somebody gave a damn when they made it. So I was pleased for Brightonians when I finally stumbled across Café 57, an easy-​to-​miss storefront opposite St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center.
The idiom here is healthy café meets Greek-​American counter-​service sandwich shop, and the mother/​daughter ownership team executes crisply across a range of sandwiches, salads, soups, small plates, and pastries. Breakfast offerings range from egg/​cheese/​meat sandwiches ($ 2.25-$ 3), to three-​egg omelets ($ 3.50, plus 50 cents-​$ 1.50 per filling), to quality Greek yogurt with honey ($ 2.25) and steel-​cut oatmeal with dried fruit ($ 2.45). Filter coffee ($ 1.45-$ 2) and espresso drinks ($ 1-​$ 3) make for a fine wake-​up call. Lunch kicks off well with deep-​flavored, homey soups ($ 3/​cup; $ 4/​bowl) like rich, dark-​brothed vegetable and subtle chicken lemon. Fresh-​tasting sandwiches include an excellent, craisin-​studded chicken salad ($ 6) in a generously filled wheat wrap. Steak Delight ($ 7) is representative of the hot sandwiches: a quality steak bomb made memorable by a good baguette. Fries ($ 4) are hand-​cut and cooked to order, and taste it. More of these terrific fries accompany souvlaki bites ($ 4/​one four-​kebab skewer; $ 5/​two) that are moist and unusually tender, as they’re made from marinated pork tenderloin.
Salads ($ 5-​$ 6) are sized to make a goodly but not overwhelming meal: the unsurprising standout is a Greek salad with above-​average feta and olives. The home-​style flavors continue with baked goods like house-​made cupcakes ($ 2.50), muffins ($ 1.50), and most endearingly, koulourakia ($ 3), three braided, buttery shortbread cookies made by the family’s actual grandma. The space is airy, sunny, and window-​lined, with 20 seats, a couple of comfy armchairs, and free Wi-​Fi. Residents should be thankful for a new, locally owned café they don’t need to board a bus to enjoy, especially given the care in the cooking, the overall high quality of ingredients, and the owners’ extraordinarily cordial service. It’s not in my own neighborhood, but Café 57 is so tasty and charming that I expect I’ll be making the trek from downtown back there soon.

We went here twice for breakfast and it was pretty damn delicious according to my boyfriend. We have been back twice since in February and March and they where not open.
The wifi is nice. I just wish they where open more.

i’d give them a 3.5 for the checken pest decent bread ok chicken and ok flavor to decent. walking in at first wow beautiful flooring really a stand out and two leather beautiful leather chairs and the setting the design well done thats 5 stars actually all things the environment is clean and friendly service but i go to eat so the food is alright 3/3.5 stars. honeslty the chicken pesto at dave’s in somerville easily beats this but hey if your in the area it’s an option ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ if i want to leave it on my list but i have some doubts. the service is good so i’d suggest you try it but i am keeping my rating as is.

Yummy !! The food is delicious — slight variations on old favorites, as well as some unique dishes. Lots of home-​made goodies. I just finished a slice of apple pie and it was incredible !! There coffee is also excellent!
As good as the food is, I was totally won over by the staff! They are so helpful and sweet — they totally make you feel welcome !
What a surprising experience in a little sandwich shop — I definitely recommend it — and will be back !!!

I had high hopes for Café 57 & Grill; I walked by many times as it was undergoing renovations. Now that it’s open, I’m pleased to say that Brighton Center can lay claim to a well-​priced, relatively healthy, delicious place to eat. I’ve stopped in a few times now and continue to be impressed.
The Area 14 ($ 6.50) is a solid take on the classic Italian sub (I love it when I can enjoy prosciutto and salami on the same sandwich), and it goes without saying that that the grilled cheese and bacon panini ($ 5.95) is ridiculously awesome. The souvlaki spears and hand-​cut fries are also quite tasty and well-​seasoned. Café 57 & Grill is quickly becoming a regular part of my neighborhood routine.

This place just opened up on the corner of Washington street and Cambridge street. The sandwich prices are v. reasonable, about a buck less than some other places I’ve seen. The bacon grilled cheese is awesome, natch. The décor, however is kind of boring, and that’s why I’m taking off a star. It reminds me of any number of national sandwich chains, but the place is new and it should develop some character over time. I’m going to come back and update this review after I try a more demanding dish, but I wanted to be the first to post this place up on Unilocal.
That’s because the place is locally owned and I got into a conversation with one of the owners, Peter, as he made my sandwich. He was very friendly and likeable. The family is Greek ethnic.
Anyway looks like a great lunch place to add to the rota for the work crowd, especially because of the extra buck in your pocket. Peter said they’re going to add breakfast soon. Definitely worth a look-​see.