Coffee and Cotton

This is a beautiful wooden space located in the bohemian treasure that is Mill 5. Perfect place to meet a friend or get some work done. They would get 5 stars easily were it not for the lack of any plant based options for sandwiches. They were great about crafting a veggie sandwich for me when I requested. If they could have hummus. That would be perfect and easy to pull off…

I love kombucha on tap! It’s a rare find here in New England. Cool place to hang too.

This hipster place was mediocre at best in my opinion. It was located in the old mills which are NOT easy to find and parking is not easy either. Navigating a baby carriage through there in order to even find the elevator was tricky.
I arrived on the 4^th floor (finally) to a dark hallway lined wth really neat looking boutiques. The problem was; everyone of them was closed. On a Friday afternoon. What gives? And why the dark wood?
Anyway I arrived and ordered a maple latte and a bacon/​egg sandwich. I saw they specified it’s scrambled which is fine.
Then it arrived and it was a loaf of square «scrambled» egg that tasted like rubber. The cheese was okay and the bacon tasty so I removed the egg and had a bacon/​cheese sandwich instead. The maple latte was essentially flavorless. And gross.
Next to me were a few folks on laptops which is nice to see in a café. And a group of teens/​20 somethings talking about college.
Definitely hipster. And not so good at it. Hipster is FINE if you do it right and it tasted good. More effort on the food and drink and less on trying to look cool by placing your café in an old mill.

Price is really good. Coffee is even better. Very hipster place, I love it. Live music was definitely a plus. Staff was very friendly.

5 star ambiance and location. I could sit here all day. It’s a perfect place to meet with clients too!
However, my 4 star is mainly for the service. The few times I’ve been (and the main reason I don’t go out of my way to go back). As a former barista, I know there is just no reason why it would take two baristas 10+ minutes to make 4 lattes. There was no one ahead of us, no one behind us… I know that some days are just off and maybe I happened to get three off days. I like to think everyone else had such great experiences so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.

Warm and welcoming, like a friends house. Plenty comfy seating, sunlight and soft music. Good coffee and fresh baked goods at fair prices. Perfect for reading, working, or catching up with friends and family. Wish I’d found this place sooner!

Descent coffee, at a good location, but I agree with previous reviews, the coffee shop lacks identity, and the service is very variable.
It is a «better than nothing» place, and that’s it.
It’s like going to an expensive dunking donuts, but with a decent place to sit down

Coffee & Cotton is worthwhile. The hours are good, the food works. It’s comfortable. The service is well … … …
A good barista takes that extra 3 seconds to make the coffee experience special. When this minuscule amount of time for a shared moment of happiness over the coffee doesn’t happen you might a well just go to Dunkins.
The service at Coffee & Cotton is variable. Never really bad but it is missing an identity. Somedays is it coffee café heaven. Mellow alternative /​Jazz, we’d like you to stay a bit & enjoy your coffee moment in a comfy chair before the fire place. Other days it is Starbucks or Dunkins. Efficient, prompt, expedited. No fire because we can’t be bothered for just one customer, Frank Sinatra anxsty, drink your coffee & get your B out of here.
I wish they would decide. Because on the bad music mornings I sit in the uncomfortable hallway porch furniture hiding from Frank. On the welcoming mornings I sit by the fire.
Go there. Either way you will find a way to like it.
This was 4-​Star but when you wait 2 minutes for the staff to wash the counter and they just ignore you … … … .,

this café, and Mill 5 in general might be the best things in Lowell (along with cambodian food).
the only downside is that it was hard to find from the street. Inside, the old woodwork, leather chairs, books, and mill woodwork were a great setting for great coffee and pastry (i had the blueberry turnover).
After a day of being disappointed by the merrimack valley, I found this place on Unilocal and it saved the whole trip.

I updated my review to a lesser three stars only because I’ve realized the prices are far more expensive. Lattes are $ 3.00 plus tax and only come in one size– 8 oz. That is a very small cup for that price, in my opinion.

When my friend told me about what they were doing to the old mills, I got SO excited and came for Small Business Sundays. Absolutely love what Lowell is turning into with such character.
This coffee shop is about midway through the hall of markets. I absolutely love the look and feel and how it’s connected to the great seating area for a little R&R. However, I was extremely disappointed that I waited about 30 – 40 minutes for my drink. I counted and about 8 – 10 drink orders went ahead of me during that time frame while my friend’s tea got out quickly. I know it’s busy but that wait felt pretty ridiculous for the smallest, pricey latte ever. Not to mention, we specified for her since well… we were literally sitting and waiting but they still put it in a to-​go cup. They tried to make me feel okay but they were getting stressed with me standing there. I could hear it well in their voices.
I’m giving this place a 4 stars just because of the ambiance and the benefit of the doubt that this may have been a fluke considering the 5 star record from other Unilocalers.

It was wonderful to find a non-​chain café that’s actually open late! It was the perfect location to meet some clients a few weeks back and I was pleasantly surprised, so much so that I’d drive there 25 minutes again just to go to the café and spend time there.
I love the mill location, décor, and vibe, it’s a place that feels welcoming and you’re not rushed out. We were there for a good two hours and had a little nook all to ourselves, spacious common space and a few more private seating areas throughout. Service was wonderful and staff very friendly.
Since it was my first time there, I had to ask around for Mill No.5 and then walk through alleyway and up an elevator, it would have been a shady place to walk through if it wasn’t well lit! It looks like the Mill is a work in progress but so far the remodeling has made really great use of otherwise wasted space right in town. I hope more shops, cafes, and restaurants pop up there!
My tea was superb, but I’m not a coffee drinker, so I can’t say anything about that. I really liked their selection of local goodies from local farms and artisan food creators! Definitely coming back and a nice addition to my list of «great non-​chain café to meet a client» and to support a local business!

Checked out Unilocal for a coffee place to meet some out of town friends, the place we usually went closed. Found this and decided to give it a try. What a lovely place to sit, have a coffee/​tea/​cocoa/​cappuccino. There is a choice of tables that appear to be old sewing machine stations, and /​or couches/​chairs. Free WiFi, laid back atmosphere, you can actually have a conversation. The aisle contained quaint shops, all with ancient wooden floors of the old mills. Definitely will return.

Love their breakfast sandwiches and friendly service. Ambience is wonderful plus they host acoustic music nights.

Not only the best coffee in Lowell, but the best coffee I’ve ever tasted! As a lifelong tea drinker, it’s strange to find myself craving their cold brew, but dang, this stuff is the nectar of the gods!
Stick around awhile to enjoy their really tasty breakfast sammies (so many bread choices!) and on-​point baked goods (have a brownie — you’re welcome in advance). The atmosphere is ideal for a couple of hours’ worth of laptop time or a chat with friends, or cozy up with a special buddy in their little private nook. Love the rustic interior, complete with antler chandeliers and Edison style light bulbs.
Major high fives for the staff — friendly, attentive, knowledgable, and welcoming!

I’m a sucker for old brick mills, especially in these historic industrial towns and so Coffee and Cotton gets auto stars just for its very cool setting on the fourth floor of an old mill and truly comfy interior with all types of nooks and crannies. My daily roast coffee was lukewarm and while the friendly staff was nice about offering an exchange for a fresh, hot cup, it took 25 minutes, so one star down. The coffee was very good when it came and unlike so many coffee cafes, the pastries were absolutely delicious. My $ 3.50 square of apricot shortbread with almonds seemed pricy until I started eating it; it was fresh, moist, dense, not-​too-​sweet and straight up great. This place is a bear to find the first time, but persevere. I can’t wait to find an excuse to get up to Lowell again and return for coffee and atmosphere.

if you’re lucky enough to be informed of the wonderland that is on the 4rth floor of Mill #5 on jackson street, you will undoubtedly be graced with a visit to coffee and cotton, an urban yet victorian oasis of organic teas, coffees, homemade pastries and pre made take out meals made by kale yeah! catering company. during my week in lowell i repeatedly wended my way here, and not just due to the somewhat magical experience of walking through this renovated mill hall and seeing all the quirky establishments that make their home there. seriously, if lived in lowell, i would do everything possible to live in this loft building, just so that coffee and cotton could be my daily sanctuary.

Hunting cabin/​woodshop décor housing durn fine pastries, and kombucha on draft. Bummer the latter’s Turmeric Surprise was surprisingly… dull.
Please understand, I’m not a coffee drinker, and those who are will find a great deal of care going in to the hand-​crafted Barismo-​backed beverages poured over/​cold brewed/​French pressed here.
I am, however, a baked goods eater, and the chocolate chip, fig, and hazelnut wonder played more like a super dense ultra-​cookie than your Mama’s made-​with-​love Toll House. Tried telling myself to only eat half, but lo, it was lunch. Boom, incredible.
Perhaps my ‘buch expectations were a bit high, as the promise turmeric stirs fond allusions to my homemade Fire Cider. And no, I’m not expecting that potent punch, but this fermented offering felt a bit lifeless on the tongue. Did I hit the top of an new kombucha keg, where all the tasty sediment settle the to the delicious dregs? Maybe. All I know is this batch tasted like room temp water hit with a SodaStream, a clean nickel and, well, nothing else.
Please tell me I’m wrong on this! Doesn’t matter. I’ll be back for that delectable looking apple hand pie, and a chai or an iced tea or an actual fizzy water. Point is, I’m coming back — Co&Co is a winner. (Free wifi. Super friendly staff, too!)

Located on the 4^th floor at Mill No. 5, Coffee and Cotton is straight up darling. Warm rustic wood everywhere, exposed Edison bulbs and in an old renovated mill no less? Ok we get it, you’re adorable. It has all that coupled with an exceedingly friendly staff, a nice variety of drink and baked good options, cozy welcoming seating, and the perfect balance of quiet and white noise. This feels like an ideal place to post up with a good book, get some work done or linger over coffee with friends.
Aqua Vitea Kombucha on tap, coffee from Barismo (a local roaster in Somerville), Spindrift sodas. This place is all about the local love. One (of the many) reasons to love Mill No. 5 and this unexpected pocket of cool things going on in Lowell.

Don’t go here! Ever! I want this place all to myself. Yes, I am greedy and no I don’t want to share. Just because I found this place doesn’t mean you can show up here. My coffee place, not your coffee place. Mine, Mine, Mine!
Seriously! If I were to give this one word it has to be «AWESOME»!