Lyndell’s Bakery

I love Lyndell’s! The staff is so friendly and helpful, it is always a pleasure to go in there. I needed to select some deserts to bring to a holiday party and the manager personally helped me choose a selection of cupcakes and gingerbread men (and girls!). Everyone at the party loved them, it was a big hit!
You can’t leave Lyndell’s without trying the chocolate chip cookies, they’re amazing! Of course, you’ll need some coffee with that too =)

Went by there to get some rugulach … and it’s closed! Some notice for a burger place was posted on the front door … It’s a bit silly to review a closed business, but indeed they had a very nice assortment of cookies and cupcakes — great for nibbling on while working and hanging out in a fairly pleasant space.
Does anyone know if this Lyndell’s is related to the Lyndell’s in Somerville?

OH SWEET JESUS; NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Lyndell’s is closing. It’s official, they were unable to renew their lease. So what does that mean? That means you need to get your ass down here and jump face-​hole first into some of the most delicious baked goods you’ll ever have the luxury of sticking into your mouth. I recommend the Hekla – delicious cinnamon roll like pastries from viking-​land that are covered in sugar. They also have a frosted variety which will immediately send you into a diabetic comma, so have those insulin pumps ready. Oh, the half moons are also good. And the danish. And the cupcakes. Hell, just throw money at the cashier and tell him to pick something and luge it into your mouth. Looking for savory? Go with the breakfast sandwich on a croissant. You get to pick all your ingredients, but I highly recommend eggs, sausage, and cheese because when they toast it at the end it becomes simply heavenly.
Bottom Line: Lyndell’s I’ll miss you, but I’m going to eat everything you have left in stock before that.

Just saw a sign that this location is closing at the end of August! I’m really going to miss hanging out here and eating the delicious halfmoon cookies.

Perfect meetup spot for coffee and baked goods. Quiet Atmosphere.

$ 5.46 for a donut, a half moon, and a medium glass of skim milk (skim, because I’m obviously watching my girlish figure) sounds like a pretty good deal, but when you consider that the Boston Crème I had was really no better than one you’d get at Dunkins, the half moon was essentially a piece of vanilla cake with half-​inch thick (canned?) icing, and the milk was, well, milk, $ 5.46 may have actually been a bit steep. Perhaps the lovely dose of morning surliness from the cashier was included?

This review is for coming her many times before and seeing a significant improvement in food, service and ambience! Unilocal doesn’t always let you express that well.
The employees are super friendly. There’s good WiFi and the whole place is big enough that it doesn’t make you feel bad for sitting there and working for a couple of hours even though all you bought was a coffee and pastry. They also cut down on the portion size and charge slightly less. It used to be that you could get a gigantic cannoli big enough for 3 people to share and that was the option. This time, I enjoyed a mocha bar and a coffee for $ 4.
Five stars for improvement, but keep going! Desserts could be a little lighter with less creams. Also, portions could be smaller for things like the cupcakes etc.

I love this place. So does my credit card! Ha! I work near by and have been going there for years. The staff is very friendly! I love the make your own sandwich cards they have at the front. I can customize my own sandwich from almost all the ingredients they have at the whole store. It takes a bit longer to get your sandwich vesus the ready-​made ones but I dont mind. I like the iced coffee there so I sit, sip, and chat with the staff while I wait for my delicious sandwich. Free Wifi!
Nice Staff +1
Fresh food +1
Good coffee +1
Convient location +1
Parking lot and plenty of space inside +1

Stopped here for a Cuban grilled panini and coffee after arriving in Boston and before driving to New Hampshire. The Cuban panini was pretty good but not great. I have had better Cuban sandwiches at a few places in Georgia and at many places in Florida.
But Lyndell’s wasn’t too bad and it was certainly a large, generously portioned serving and could perhaps serve as a light snack for two people to share.
I warn you that the fare here is a little on the pricey side — 9 bucks and change for the sandwich and a medium coffee; however (Harvard U. /​Cambridge, Mass area), perhaps this is to be expected given the upscale /​trendy /​hipster neighborhood. Coffee was good but perhaps not as good as Starbuck’s.
The counter server was friendly and the vibe /​atmosphere was comparable to a Starbucks of San Francisco Coffee Company type of place, but with more food /​sandwich /​pastry /​dessert choices than the two aforementioned coffee places.
I recommend this place if you are in the Harvard U. /​Cambridge, Mass area. Perhaps deserves 3.5 stars but on this visit I will go with 3 (since parking is sparse; I had to park at a nearby Whole Foods parking lot).
PS — I do not recommend you park at the Whole Foods since there are signs threatening to tow or boot if you are not a Whole Foods customer.

Lydells, I love you for breakfast and lunch!
It doesnt matter who is behind the counter, they always greet me with a smile! the coffee is some of the best in the area, the pastries are wonderful, the sandwiches are huge and will fill you up for hours, they even have little pizzas!
They have Wi-​Fi and windows on all sides for some good people watching and well, i have nothing bad to say about this place.
Stop by and enjoy.

So this is a cute neighborhood café with all the basics and delicious-​looking pastries. I love their golden green ice tea here– tasty and refreshing. And the guy behind the counter is incredibly considerate!
I’m writing this review primarily because of the service and how nice the guy working here is! I came in, got my tea, and then noticed that all the tables were full. The guy at the counter told me that there would be some turnover and just to wait a few minutes. But then he went over, re-​arranged some tables and got a chair so I could have one. Then as I started to settle in, he noticed I had a laptop and asked if I was planning on using internet and when I said he did, he got the wireless code for me, without me even asking. On top of that, after I had been working for a bit, another table near the windows cleared, and he alerted me to the table, saying, «I notice that people with laptops tend to prefer these tables because they have outlets.» Wow, thanks!

Expensive, but local. And Lino is a great guy to know. He’s the general manager. And HE DESERVES FIVE STARS!

It’s very rare that I give a one star review, but I can’t give this place any credit. The coffee had a stale flavor as if it had sat out way too long. The staff was a snooty man who acted like he was talking down to every customer. All of the baked goods looked old. Maybe I just catch them at really bad times, but its been consistent every time I’ve been here.
Snooty cashier made fun of a woman for accidentally taking a coffee that was meant for someone else. Instead of saying a simple, «Oh that was someone elses, sorry,» he turned it to a rude, «Yeah… that wasn’t yours. You shouldn’t have taken it.» Check the attitude sir, you’re slinging coffee. The entire staff seems like they just don’t give a damn.
Lastly, the bathroom keys. Oh, the bathroom keys. They are kept on weird metal circles in a basket at the register. Next to a basket of uncovered fruit. They should be kept below the food, such as the basket hanging off the counter, not on it. Imagine someone not washing their hands and throwing the now contaminated disk right over the fruit. You get to eat that fruit. Enjoy the cross-​contamination with fecal matter.
I simply have no idea how this place is still in business.

Best macaroons ever. I mean ever. Plus not only do they have the original, classic coconut kind, but they oned up the macaroon world and have a chocolate kind that is literally out of this world. It will at least make you feel that way, because every bite of these delectable cookies, ever morsel that touches your tongue, all of it, is just a treat. They are not the cheapest cookies in the world, but I am telling you, if you like macaroons, even if you don’t, I bet you would like these macaroons. You have to be crazy (or allergic to coconut I guess ha) to not like these cookies. We kept the extra in some tuperware, and they still tasted just as good a day or two later! Incredible! Mmmmmmm was probably created because of these macaroons.
But where Lyndells falls short is their pastries. Definitely come here for their cookies. We also got their double chocolate, oatmeal raisin and their peanut butter cookies were also pretty darn amazing (nothing in comparison to those macaroons though!) but the pastry and the mini canoli we got, were just average I’d say. Their apple tart was pretty and I wish I had gotten my warm, but really, cookies and cakes are the game of Lyndells.
Plus this location has free wifi and they serve sandwiches and paninis here too! The ball square location definitely has the old time bakery feel to it, smells more like a home made bakery should, but there are not tables there or anything like that, so definitely a nice addition for this location, but I didn’t see any pies here for sale? Maybe they were out or something, but the ball square one always has pies and cakes out, and I didn’t see one here… I did see some tasty looking banana bread and of course I saw those macaroons and I am so glad I did!

This location on Prospect has a small parking lot, plenty of seating both inside and out, and two entrances. Self serve water is available near the back, as are the bathrooms — keys are found in a basket on the counter in the front.
$ 3 for a large cannoli — made fresh that day, but off site, so you unfortunately can’t ask for one to be filled freshly for you. The cream was rich and thick. The shell was no longer crisp, but was not yet soggy.
It was $ 1 for a Macaroon that didn’t cover the palm of my hand. It was almondy inside and out and had a nice chew. A nice light treat.
Chocolate Orange Croissant $ 2.95 was chocolate drizzled on the outside and had some kind of white filing on the inside that was orange scented. I tried it at room temperature. Maybe I should have toasted it a touch…
The Apple Tart $ 4.50 was individual sized, and the tall crust was filled with thick slices of apple that remained firm after baking. The crust was soft rather than tender, and not particularly buttery.

I’m not one for scathing review-​writing. If I’m going to take the time to write something out, it’s most likely going to be because it was So Good that I want to tell everyone I know about it.
If I write something bad, it’s because it was So Bad that I want everyone to know about it. Such is the case with Lyndell’s Central Square location.
1) It’s a bakery, so you’d think the baked goods would be fresh, right? Nope. The éclair I ordered was clearly previously frozen, and had that icky «refrigerator» overtone that quite simply ruins anything with cream, custard, chocolate frosting, etc. One bite and I put it down and stuffed some of my pre-toddler’s Cheerios into my mouth to mask the flavor. (I intend to bring it back and hand it to the manager and see how he responds, and based on how he responds, and whether he gives me something *fresh* and good tasting, I may edit this review.)
2) It’s a coffee shop, so you’d think the coffee would be fresh, tasty, customizable, right? Nope. Terrible, weak, flavorless coffee, and you (?!) can’t add your own cream? Huh? A few sips, and I tossed it. If I hadn’t been on my way to across town for the day, I’d have saved –that– for the manager, as well.
3) Oh, and the price for such high-​quality products? $ 5.25. Originally I was quoted $ 6.25, but then they asked the manager, who said the large éclair was $ 3.50.
In summary: walk the extra couple blocks to the local Starbucks, where the coffee is strong, priced appropriately, and customizable to your caffiene-​seeking brain’s content; or *better yet*, to the 1369 or the Clear Conscience Café, where you’ll get all that *and* be supporting a high-​quality, locally-​owned and run business that deserves our patronage. But until they get it right, avoid Lyndell’s.
Sorry.

The bake goods look tempting, but I wanted sustenance. I’m a big fan of how flexible their egg ordering can be. A few checkboxes later, I had an avocado, bacon, tomato and havarti cheese breakfast wrap. If that isn’t tempting enough, the staff popped this epic creation onto the Panini grill, toasting it to perfection.
Rating is for some quality tastiness.

Q: Was it everything you hoped it would be?
A: No, it was quite the opposite, really.
Q: What happened?
A: Well, we found parking, but you know that parking lot has ALWAYS been a bad idea… Let me not get distracted. The pastries and sandwiches all looked amazing. My mouth began to water, as I walked up to the register. Then it all went downhill, or spiraling? Not sure of exact direction, but it wasn’t good. Some lady held up the line (which included me, my dad, and her) and the THREE employees while she bought a loaf of bread that she carried up to the register, and a cup of tea. Seriously? One register, three customers, three employees, TEN MINUTES?! Hell no. I could’ve done way better.
Q: Why, was it all THAT bad?
A: It was the most dysfunctional interaction/​purchase I’ve had/​made in the last few months. So, yeah. Will make me think twice about making another stop there.
Q: What else?
A: It’s the same basic set up as Carberry’s had back about 12 years ago when I worked there. Almost all the same pastries too, weird… Sandwich and breakfast order slips are almost the same. They made a fairly strange/​bad job by getting rid of the condiment bar though — how the christ am I supposed to know that they put the sugar in? Nobody said, then I had to get the attention of all THREE of these guys to get sugar put in it? Can they not operate separately? What the christ… Then we got parked in, I went in, while my dad was honking — nobody looked up, not even the useless employees. Awesome guys. Love it! I am gonna stick to the Lyndell’s in the ‘ville. It’s closer and the parking is WAY less obnoxious.

They keep long hours and they make excellent baked goods. What’s not to love?
Things I personally recommend — carrot cake (sweet but now clawing), cupcakes (frosting in rich dollops), breakfast sandwiches (a solid variety, and tasty when panini pressed).

–1 star because I have attempted to come here once and it took so long to get my order in that I had to leave. The next time, I just waited and got the most delicious thing… But seriously, they have 3 – 4 people working but only one girl taking orders and making coffees and slowing everything down. There were 3 – 4 people in front of me and I couldn’t get my order taken in ten minutes. I know I shouldn’t say it, but Starbucks gets me in and out with less attitude!
I would give them unlimited stars though for their stuffed almond chocolate drizzled croissant. I could eat them all day. I ate half there and I was a little shocked by how greasy the paper bag was by lunch when I finished it. It wasn’t greasy tasting at all, but I know it must have had an entire stick of butter in it.
Their tables and chairs are a little uncomfortable (metally and loud to move) but I would probably come here to study for that unlimited coffee. And an almond croissant.