Diesel Cafe

Awesome decorations and excellent choice of beverages. Lots of creative drinks. Good for hanging out, studying, or just a lazy pastime. Will try their pool table next time!

Friendly staff and the atmosphere is great. I come here almost everyday and they recently have free wifi for 45 minutes which makes it even better.

Single-​handedly got me through my MBA. Great food (especially the breakfast burrito) and great coffee for those long days studying.

The green tea with mint is the best! The blueberry muffins with the crumble topping are to die for. I would hang out here all the time if the Wi-​Fi was free. Id spend a lot more money eating and drinking here if the Wi-​Fi was free. This place has cool character, pool tables, and is a nice spot!

Had high hopes about this place being that it’s located in Davis Sq, but honestly there was nothing ‘Diesel’ about this café. I get that it was late in the day but the staff members weren’t that friendly, I was made to feel like my service was a bother. Absolutely everything on the menu was overpriced. There were a few dingy tables tucked away in the back with small signs taped to them explaining that the vent above leaked. This warning sign was apparently deemed sufficient enough to the staff/​owner/​proprietor or whatever, but not in my mind; that’s a solid four or five lost seats in a café that seems to be always packed; get your vent fixed. As for cleanliness… damn. I’m far from a neat freak but everywhere I looked I just prayed that Mr. Clean would magically appear.
Also, I’ve heard you have to pay for wifi here… lol why…
On the plus side the breakfast burrito was pretty good, but that’s coming from someone who likes eggs in any shape or form.
Will probably never return, and they probably don’t care, which is part of the problem.

This is specifically for their customer service and not their food. Their food is good, but it’s a shame they don’t care about their customers. I contacted them asking why we can’t have the eggs on their breakfast fried instead of scrambled. Just a simple question. Was just wondering the answer since the cashier just told me the reason why was because they made the food down stairs. I wanted more detail as of why. I really didn’t care either way. The sandwich is still good. I wasn’t complaining. But obviously they could care less about the customer. I contacted them several times and still no answer. So screw you guys. I’ll take my business somewhere else.

One of the best mocha latte in Boston, and I’ve tried them all. (Note: Bloc11 and Forge serve exactly the same stuff.) I’m here on a daily basis the regular baristas have started to learn my name/​order which is cool. They always get the milk temperature just right and balance the espresso and chocolate well.
Diesel is always busy. During 9 – 5 on weekdays and especially on the weekends people camp out with computers a bit which makes it a good walk stop but hard to plan to meet at since more often than not there are no seats. This fact is strange to me because they charge for wifi.
I dislike the change made last year to only offering one latte size of 12oz. Honestly, I prefer a large latte with more milk than espresso. Im happy to pay for it and ask to «upsize to 16oz» to get it. I still get a few eye rolls, comments with attitude «we only off one size» from new folks (the regulars know, cause I do it often), but they all usually accept the request. There was one especially weird time the register attendant held up the line to go find and ask a manager – it’s extra milk I want to pay for, not a 10 year bank loan. Priorities.
The baked goods are great! My favorite is the maple toasted oat scone. While it has toasted oats these days, in my opinion, it was better in 2014 with walnuts. The croissants are fresh and insanely good, they go really quickly though!
If you love coffee & baked goods I highly recommend this place, though, I’m probably adding to my problem of never being able to find a seat. I really hope this business continues to succeed!
(P.s. interesting trivia– Diesel was used as set location for ABC Family’s Chasing Life pilot.)

COFFEE: The gasoline of life. Diesel café is party in the front, business in the back, type of place. Whether you are looking for a nice place to hangout with your friends, or a cram-​in-​day-​before-​test, this is it! I was extremely excited to hear that they serve intelligentsia coffee since it is too hard to find in Boston. The only thing is that you have to pay for the wifi, and there is no other service, all you see is xfinity and verizon, that’s annoying. But if you sit at the front of the shop you can catch the near by green mermaids internet, starbucks that is. #coffeebeantown
follow my instagram account: @coffeebeantown

First stop in two years. This place epitomizes Davis sq for me, this and Anna’s taqueria. Fuck Starbucks,

If you’re looking for a café with good atmosphere, interesting people, and plenty of space to setup and work /​study /​chill for a while, Diesel Café is great.
Up front: the wifi costs money. $ 14 /​month. But go to the Starbucks across the street and experience the pain of slow, overloaded, unsecured free wifi and you’ll gladly pay for Diesel’s if you plan on coming here more than once.
With that out of the way, let me tell you why Diesel is awesome:
— Lots of space. I’ve never been unable to find a seat, even on the busiest days.
— Plenty of outlets, for laptops. By the tables in the front, in almost all of the booths, all along the walls in the back.
— Great drinks. Good dark roast coffee, tasty hot chocolate, and plenty of my friends are fans of Diesel’s tea.
— Friendly staff.

Can’t speak for anything else but the espressos here.
Frequented here earlier during the summer; Diesel provided a nice place to escape the heat and take a breather.
Nice interior with plenty of space — not sure if I can vouch for that now school is in full swing.
If you find yourself in Davis square, hazard a trip here.

Do NOT sign up for their wifi account. It’s a total scam. If you sit in the front area, you can get free Wifi from Starbucks.
I tried to cancel the account I foolishly signed up for a while ago, and have been charged for the past six months. The company managing their accounts does not respond to phone messages. There is no way to email them. They have no way of recovering your password on their homepage (??), and the Diesel staff has no idea how to cancel either.
Love your coffee and staff Diesel, why are you choosing to work with a scammy wifi provider?

It’s impossible to find a place to sit for breakfast/​coffee here because of the laptop crew. Somervillains can’t write their screenplays at home, so they congregate at Diesel. Coffee is good, but takes forever, and they don’t have many different sweeteners, just Sugar in the Raw and jars of sugar water. Prices are high, seating is scarce and be prepared to stand in long lines, while other people’s names are called ahead of you.

This place has a great atmosphere– very relaxed and casual. Everything I’ve had here has been delicious from sandwiches to drinks. I love that they have Thai iced tea, since not many places do. I highly recommend finding seating before you order if you plan to sit because it is usually super crowded.

Diesel is prime. They serve Intelligensia coffee the way the overlords of Intelligensia would want it to be served. This is extra-​special because some *other* coffee shops in Boston (that shall remain nameless and thinking and in a cup) serve phenomenal coffee and burn the living shit out of it. RIP Stumptown.
Back to Diesel: the white girl inside me (although technically I am also a white girl on the outside, think Russian nesting doll-​style white girl tendencies) just like, can’t even. Finding top-​notch LA-​based coffee, quietly sold in the heart of the Dunkin Donuts Belt is too much. I doodle little pictures of their almond milk latte in the margins of my notebook. I bought a bag on the spot. They ground it for me because we’re friends. I bring my own Stevia because I’m the worst.
There’s also adequate, comfortable work/​play space. Without free wi-​fi, I’m forced to work or talk to «real» people, and I appreciate those confines. There’s parking. There’s almond milk. Sometimes the baristas even smile. I really love Diesel, especially because it’s one-​of-​a-​kind ’round here.

Heard a lot of great things about Diesel, but have been continuously disappointed the few times I’ve been here. The service is always great though!
Pro: Breakfest burrito — It’s the best one in Davis Square! SUPER filled and delicious
Monkey wrench sandwich — shouldn’t be able to mess this up, but their bread tasted really old and was hard to chew
Thai iced tea — tasted watered down
Con: You have to pay for wifi — really???
Atmosphere: awesome! very chill place to hang out, great if you like playing pool

Love this place! They have very good fresh food and their coffee is always fresh. The staff is always super friendly. I’ve never had to wait long for a sandwich to be made.
A tip of you’re in a rush: call ahead and say you want to put in an order for pick up, especially if you’re going during lunch time or dinner time.

***Part of our Cambridge (Iced) Coffee Crawl 2015***
For our annual coffee crawl this year, my wife and I are biking around Cambridge (and Somerville), MA and trying to determine the best place for iced coffee. We are reviewing based on for categories: taste, coffee/​ice ratio, atmosphere, and customer service.
Diesel Café
***Cambridge (Iced) Coffee Crawl 2015 Winner***
Taste: *****
Wow. I expected great things knowing that they brew Intelligentsia Coffee, but these are some of the best iced drinks I’ve had. My honey latte was fantastic. Perfectly balanced coffee and honey flavors with an espresso that really complements the honey. The espresso has a sweet caramel and fruity palette that works really well for iced drinks. The star of the show, though, was the salted caramel latte. The homemade caramel sauce combined with that espresso is just about the perfect drink. Whoever came up with that recipe is a genius as it’s just a perfect pairing. The saltiness and sweetness balance out, keeping the drink away from cloying and safely in the refreshing summer drink range. It’s definitely a bit dessert-​y, but not in a bad way by any means.
Coffee/​Ice Ratio: ****
They make the drinks and mix them all separate from the ice, so you know your drink is going to be properly made every time. Enough ice to make it refreshing, but a little too much if you don’t out-​drink the melt.
Atmosphere: *****
Again, top marks here. There is tons of space, so even though it’s crowded, it doesn’t feel like it. There’s a great vintage industrial feel to the inside, complete with a garage door that opens up the whole front of the shop to outside. My one small complaint is that they charge for WiFi. Since there is no signal here (at least for Verizon), that’s annoying. You can connect via xfinity, though, so there’s that option at least.
Customer Service: ****
They were busy, but were still polite and didn’t rush us at all. The barista was very professional and quick. The whole staff is very well dressed, polite, and makes great eye contact. I’m sure on less busy days, they’d be more talkative and engaging.
Overall, this is a great spot with great coffee… Can’t go wrong here.

NO FREE WIFI
I’m visiting town. I walk in, and it looked nice, cosy, and bigger than it appears from the street. I bought some coffee, which is tasty, and went to go look for a table and do a little work.
I opened my laptop and saw that the WiFi cost like $ 8/​day, or $ 4−5/hr, or like $ 13/​month!
So, I checked that they do not, in fact, have free WiFi for paying customers, and I left. Super disappointed; you should not have to pay for internet in a café these days.
People beware: YOU CANNOT USE WIFI HERE WITHOUT PAYING MONEY!!! Other reviews I saw, that said they had free wifi, must be outdated. If this doesn’t matter to you, it looks like a cute place.

Diesel Café serves food that is way better in taste and quality than at typical cafes. With that being said, my only complaint that it is a bit pricey considering two sandwiches and two drinks (iced coffee and Thai iced tea) cost almost $ 30. I’ll excuse the price since the coffee was flavorful and all the veggie ingredients in my Forager sandwich were super fresh. I also have tried the Branch Tomsho sandwich, which is bigger than the Forager (better value). The carrot hummus on the Tomsho, was SO good and had a kick to it.
The desserts looked quite decadent even though I didn’t try. The general vibe is retro and casual with open air windows in the front and booths with pool tables in the back. I’d go back to try other sandwich types.

This isn’t a review for Diesel Café’s capacity as a coffee place. As a café, it does as advertised; they will give you coffee in exchange for money.
What I’m reviewing Diesel Café for is its capacity as a cafeworking space. Let me explain.
Every time I come to Cambridge, I end up going wherever I can find wifi to spend a day working remotely. This usually means going to Atomic Bean on Massachusetts Avenue between Central and Harvard, because every other place is either too small, too packed, or too wifi-​less. While Atomic Bean is great (it’s a huge space that never gets too full and they let me sit there for hours using their internet connection for free), there are a few drawbacks. One is that their coffee and food are very decent, but nothing special. They’ll get you through the day, but they’re not very exciting. Another is that if you sit there long enough, you’ll realize they’re usually playing some kind of Pandora station of 90s rock, which can get very boring (especially given that the quiet environment amplifies the music).
The other day I was trying to find somewhere new to check out, and I remembered Diesel Café in Davis Square. A lot of the reviews for it complain about its paid wifi, but if you only think of it as less of a café and more of a coworking space, it’s a steal. You can get a monthly (monthly!) wifi connection for $ 14. That’s a lot cheaper than the more average $ 30 per *day* that coworking spaces charge. And the wifi is fast and almost never drops (I think they’ve recently upgraded their connection). This is untrue of other cafes, notably where the wifi is free.
So why is Diesel Café a more attractive option than other cafes? For a start, it has many different kinds of seating. You can sit in a booth! You can turn the countertops near the back wall into standing desks! You can be up against a wall or at a table for two. And lots of that seating that’s up against the walls have numerous outlets, an obvious plus for spending the day here.
Other advantages? The coffee and food are both above average. I’ve enjoyed their Vietnamese coffees, lattes, even teas. And for lunch they make some really great sandwiches (yesterday was the Vista on a baguette (sticky sesame tofu, spicy slaw, avocado, cucumber, greens) and today was the Little Piston (Fiore Di Nonno’s fresh mozzarella, pesto, onion, tomato, & greens), both excellent). They tend to get slammed at lunch time, because it’s lunch time, but they’re good at what they do.
The downside downside I’ll admit is that it’s usually pretty loud in the building, being one large space, and as such is a pretty horrible place to take calls or be on Skype meetings for meetings. It’s more of a come-​work-​with-​your-​head-​down kind of place. Or at least, come-​work-​with-​your-​head-​down-​if-​you-​want-​to-​work-​with-​the-​din-​of-​others-​around-​you. Which I do.

Okay Diesel, you’ve won this round.
Everything in my original review holds true, but the sense of being one feels just spending time inside of you is warm (like your Somerville Smog — Earl Grey tea, vanilla and steamed milk) and fuzzy (like the faces of fellow patrons, who happen to be incredibly aware of their time spent at tables).
Your staff is also unfailingly polite, and with all the business and buzziness that’s going down every single minute of your operating hours, it’s surprisingly easy to overlook the communal air you’ve fostered within your walls.
The nitpicks — paid WiFi, the occasional camper, skimpwiches — remain, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge most of my coffeehouse meetings take place behind your doors, with a croissant and a cuppa tea in hand.
Kiss me, you fool.

Diesel Café makes me feel like I am straight out of a 90’s sitcom… hanging in a cool spot, shooting pool, and drinking my latte out of a pint glass after class on a weekday afternoon. (You see what I am saying?)
Contrary to what it seems that people are wanting in a coffee shop, I love the fact that this place has a pool table. It opens up the options of a casual afternoon hangout spot where I am not asleep by 7pm after an afternoon beer.
You have to pay for the wifi here, which I think is kind of clever. While pricey, this definitely serves as a great method for crowd control. If you want to get out of your house to be productive, the last thing you want is to roll into a coffee shop where all the tables are taken and 90% of the people are online shopping or surfing social media. While I have been that person before, I do like the feeling of getting out of my apartment to get some work done as well, from time to time, and Diesel Café is a conducive environment. While the music may be a little loud, at least you can get some work done as well and not have to climb over 100s of people to do so. There are accessible outlets for your laptop (a good sign when you charge for using internet).
(This is not to say it doesn’t get crowded, which it does, they just have many seating options available and people are gracious and have made room at the communal table for me!).
I took off one star for the food. I got the oatmeal, which, while the portion was enough to feed me for 3 days, was stick to your ribs thick and had no memorable additions other than a hard lump of brown sugar on top. I think you can pay for dried fruit, but I would prefer a toned down portion with more sides.
The drinks are delicious, coffee is good and not too strong, and their soy London Fog perked me up and was not too sweet.
I wish there were more places like this!

This coffee/​sandwich shop boasts a cool, hipster vibe and sells Intelligentsia and Stumptown coffee beans, among other roasters, which is a definite plus in my book. Plenty of seating is available in an open environment. Restrooms are of acceptable cleanliness. For the steep price of almost $ 10, I got the tiniest lox sandwich with a side (can you even call it that…) of pasta about 3 tablespoons big. I left hungry, wishing I had ordered a sandwich with more bread to fill the emptiness in my stomach.
Bottom line? I would come back to try coffee but unfortunately not the sandwiches.

Hier ist immer was los! Allein die köstlichen Sandwiches (Monkey Wrench!) und der alte schwarz-​weiß Passfotoautomat sind einen Besuch wert. Auch Billiard kann man hier spielen, oder an den großen Tischen Bücher und Laptop ausbreiten und bei einer gemütlichen Tasse Kaffee lernen (WLAN kostet allerdings so weit ich mich erinnern kann extra).