Cosi

I don’t know, but am sure, that everyone has commented on the «insane» line by now. I mean, the bread… everyone has mentioned the bread. Unlike most places I review about, I didn’t actual read anyone’s review for this place, yet. At any rate, that huge, monstrosity of a line is technically 2 lines if not 3; salad line, soup/​sandwich line, and coffee line. And while the line can be out of the place and outside, it moves very quickly. First thing I saw when I walked in was a big over and two guys making freshly baked bread. That bread looked good! You could watch the guy cut it into the sections you get with salad and the ends he’d toss into 2 bowls on the counter for people to take a piece. That bread is awesome! (When no one is looking, you can easily snag a second piece)
My coworker ordered the signature salad and I got the Shanghai chicken salad the very first time I went, so the Shanghai has become a go-​to for me. They make it all fresh in front of you and they do it in an assembly line, so orders go quickly. They give you a decent looking portion in a nice little takeout container, and a slice of that awesome bread. Seriously, I think it’s the best bread I’ve ever eaten. The salads are generally tasty though a little inconsistent with portion size depending whom you get. I’ve tried the Adobo lime, tandoori chicken, and smartfit salads. I’ve also tried their steak rice bowl. Everything is pretty solid, but Shanghai is still my favorite.
Back to the bread, by far the best part of lunch. Even after 5 or so minutes, it was still HOT. It was so fresh and warm and tasty… ahh, it was the best. Seriously, I frequently contemplate getting a loaf on the way home from work some weeknights. It’s that good.
The actual café/​restaurant part is pretty nice. I can’t get a good idea for how large it is because it was packed with people all over the place. It looks like it seats maybe 20 – 30 inside and they have a nice patio and outside seating for maybe another 20 more. Everything looked clean and the staff were all friendly enough. And when you go to pay, they bag your food and put in napkins and plasticware. Good on them!
Also, about the bread — when they ask if you want bread, if you give puppy dog eyes and ask nicely for two pieces (holding up two fingers helps), they generally give you the second piece for free.
Also also, it’s been a few years since I’ve had one, but I remember their breakfast sandwiches being very good.
Menu Selection: Good — very Good
Price: Good
Value: Good
Cleanliness: Very Good
Parking: N/​A
Overall: Yes, even if it’s just for the bread.
3 stars for the food, 6 stars for the bread (yes, it’s that good).

Been here a few times over the last couple years and enjoyed their sandwiches, the bread is especially delicious. It’s unfortunate then that today I popped in and picked up a BLT to bring back to work. At my desk I was dismayed to discover the bacon strips were about 50% raw. Sorry Cosi, I’m not interested in getting food poisoning… I won’t be back.

I came here because I was craving the delicious peruvian palm salad they offer. I am terribly dissapointed with the service. The lady who took my salad order was rude and unpleasant. The interaction was like this:
Rude lady: what do you want
Me: Good morning, can I please have a peruvian palm salad?
[rude lady starts throwing stuff into the bowl. when she came to the avocados she put only 2 pieces]
me: Can I please have some more avocado?
Rude lady: [Grabs a scoop of avocado puts it in and tells the next lady to charge me 75 cents extra]
me: [talking to the other lady] Can you please remove that extra scoop? I only asked for more avocado because she only had 2 little pieces for it.
Result: peruvian palm salad with one piece of avocado (see attached picture)
I am never coming back again to this Cosi. The other Cosi in south station is MUCH nicer, friendlier, and most importantly they provide GREAT SERVICE.

Average menu. The bread is delicious, but sandwiches are too small in my opinion. Fresh tossed salads and sandwiches made to order.

Update: The Manager of this location contacted me and even followed up with a couple of free coupons. I will try Cosi again next time I am in the city.
I recently relocated from Southern California, and frequented Cosi when I lived there, so I am confident that I hit this Boston location simply on a bad day.

I get breakfast there a lot. You usually get a piece of fruit if you buy a breakfast sandwich. I get the TBM squagel. It’s tomato, basil, mozzarella and scrambled egg on a square bagel. It’s tasty! Their granola, fruit, yogurt is good too. Definitely pricey, but you have to get your day started on a full stomach, and they make it good.

While Cosi is good at quickly producing okay-​quality food, ultimately the experience just leaves more to be desired. Their seating area is cramped, their prices are high enough to make you frown once you get to the register, and it all just seems unwelcoming. Their salad was okay, as was the sandwich I tried, but never in my life had I seen a sandwich prepared with less care and enthusiasm.
Ultimately, just go to UDG or Café de Boston.

Great lunch place! I used to eat at Cosi on a daily basis back in the day when I used to work in downtown. I moved to the Back Bay area and I didn’t see any Cosi around there. I am back in Downtown now so I can enjoy it again.
The food is good but a little bit more expensive than at Panera.

I work in the area and come often to get their salads. Extra quick service, very efficient employees, salads are fresh and delicious. Try the chicken carribean salad!

Lovely seating area and super clean. The staff was really friendly, especially the woman who made my vanilla kiss latte. The scone was absolutely delicious. The latte wasn’t that good– there were chunks of cinnamon in it that really detracted from drinking it. I would try them again though as the prices and selection were good!

Great service. Good food. Price is comparable. Service excellent. Thank you Debra.

What can you say about Cosi? It’s an overpriced chain sandwich shop, like so many places to eat in the Financial District. However, the manager of this Cosi is ridiculously nice. I was admiring one of their ads for their crab cake sandwich, and after chatting me up a bit, he gave me his business card and wrote the words «free lunch» on it, telling me I could stop by and try a crab cake sandwich on him.
The food’s nothing special by any means, but go here for the service, for sure.

The staff here are pretty nice and upbeat, but I’m not sure about the quality-​price ratio. I think all the salads in the Financial District are pretty much overpriced, and this is no exception. Still, the quality is usually quite good, and they have a nice selection of pre-​designed salads. Their bread is to die for, and their sandwiches are often (though not always) quite yum. Skip the flavorless plain chicken in your salad, though, and go with the Bombay spiced chicken instead.

Super fast, delicious sandwiches in crusty bread. Good quick lunch option for the downtown area.

The service was outstanding. A very handsome and helpful man greeted me and knew I had not stopped in before from my dazed and confused look.
He offered me a menu and gave me a quick run down while I had a tasting of the hot bread right out of the oven. Talk about fresh… yum.
Ok he hooked me. It was very busy so I let him order for me since I am a newbee and all.
For $ 11.75 I got a half and half and a Chai Tea.
The TBM (Tomatoe, basil, mozzarella) was very good but a bit on the small side. Wrapped in foil it looked like it might be a small burger. It was yummy and something I would probably get again.
The signature salad was very good. I would order that again in a pinch. It was sweet like I like it. The grapes, pears with pistachio nuts and Gorgonzola cheese was a scrumpsious blend. Def not on the healthy list in terms of protein low sugar but that is why it is signature and tastes so darn good.
The bread on the side and the sandwich was good. Coming out of the oven fresh hit the spot on this chilly day. I am typically not a big bread persons so for me to devour the entire piece says a lot.
They have a catering menu as well which we may need to try out.
4 stars overall (a bit pricey) but good flavor and excellent service.

This place gets 3 stars because of their high prices for salads, however almost everything I have tried here is extremely good. Their fresh baked warm bread they give you in line is some of the best I have ever tasted. Their Signature Salad is also good but check the nutrition it’s hardly healthy.

I went through a hardcore Cosi phase last year, but I’m so over it now. It’s way overpriced, especially the salads, which do not have enough protein to sustain me until dinner. $ 8 for lettuce, several handfuls of veggies, and about 2 ozs of chicken? For real?
And the lines at this location at lunch are notoriously murderous. The reason why the line is out the door is because Cosi strategically places a bowl of hot, fresh bread pieces in the middle of the line. And the bread is heavenly, but only when eaten within 10 minutes of being pulled from the fireplace oven. After that, it turns into mere flour.
So really, it’s the prospect of nibbling on a pre-​lunch snack of salt and oil-​slathered refined carbs that brings in the crowds. It’s certainly not the food or the customer service behind the counter (the cashiers are pretty solid, though).

I love Cosi but this location is a hot mess.
A. The lines are a wreck. They make less sense here than a normal Cosi which is pretty bad.
B. Staff seemed disinterested after the lunch rush. They were busy yelling at one another and not paying attention to customers/​what they were doing.
C. They messed up what is a simple sandwich. Seriously, where was the hummus on my hummus/​veggie sandwich? WHERE?!?
I typically go to the Milk Street location but was over in this area so I stopped in. I won’t be making that mistake again.
Stick to the Milk St location if you want your Cosi fix.

My friends haven’t yet caught on that whenever they ask me to join them for Cosi, I do not eat. Sure, I sit there with them — I love some fantastic lunchtime gab sessions, no doubt — but I won’t eat. And no, I’m not on a starve myself mission or anything silly. I just can’t get into the hype that is Cosi.
First of all, who could love the line out the door and around the corner? All for that tasty bread? Come on, folks! The bread is heavenly, but no oil-​soaked carb is worth that wait. Fight the power!
But OK, let’s say you get through the line unscathed and you’re still full of patience. (I’d give you a hug right now if I could — you’re a better person than I.) What have you waited for? Overpriced sandwiches and salad items that have been sitting out all day? Nice! And sure, you could choose a soup or something similarly likely to be fresh and tasty, but did you really just go to Cosi for soup when there’s actual soup places right around the corner with 15 more options daily? Oh, snap.
If I wanted something frozen and reheated for lunch with a high price tag, I’d make two Smart Ones meals and call it a day. Line’s a lot shorter by the microwave at my work.

Did you know Cosi has one of the coolest desserts ever?! Make-​your-​own smores at your table with a little campfire, graham crackers, and Hershey’s chocolate. Seems like they used to promote it more than they do now, but it’s definitely available and fun. Great date idea.
And oh yeah — the rest of the food is awesome, too! Some Cosi locations aren’t open at night, though, so keep an eye on the hours. I would go back all the time if I could.