Sherman Cafe & Market

Five stars for the super-​convenient location right in Union Square and decent selection of baked treats. Zero stars for the lack of care on the part of those who work here– is it really that hard to toast a bagel and put jam on it? And everything here is on the pricey side. This place isn’t worth it.

This place is is a great find. I had a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a bagel. The sandwich was great, but really could have used another egg. Only the middle had any egg.
My girlfriend had a similar sandwich with avocado on an english muffin — this was perfectly portioned. We also had a fruit smoothie and a cold brew. All were delicious.
I will definitely come back here.

A tiny breakfast sandwich and a coffee will run you at about $ 10. It’s decent quality and the space is quite nice but that’s more ludicrously expensive for what is essentially an egg on a muffin.
Don’t pay the gentrification/​pretension tax for Union Square hipsterdom, there’s better bang for your buck near and far.

I haven’t spent too much time in the café, as I usually take my coffee to go, but I find the staff here so friendly! Every single time I’ve come, someone behind the counter has struck up conversation with me, or simply been happy and welcoming and enthusiastic about their products. Greet me warmly, compliment my clothes, jewelry, and/​or dog tied up outside, and I will be a repeat customer. It doesn’t hurt that their muffins are awesome and they get me my coffee quickly enough for me to catch the bus as its rambling down the street.

I went here for a late breakfast during the weekend with a friend. I had a coffee and the salmon bagel. The coffee was good enough, though I wouldn’t come here *just* for the coffee. The salmon bagel was pretty tasty and they were rather generous with the spread.
The place itself doesn’t have a ton of seating, so it wasn’t overly crowded or loud, which was nice. Also, I had no issues with the people working there — the two people I interacted with were rather friendly!
I don’t think I’d go out of my way to come back here but I think it’s a nice option if you’re in in Union Square.

Have been coming to Sherman regularly since I discovered their egg and cheese sandwich on homemade English muffin. It’s the best egg sandwich I’ve ever had!
They’ve changed the décor and seating since my last review. It’s a bit cleaner but you still feel like you’re sitting in someone’s garage. The music is hit or miss. Sometimes it’s great, but this Sunday morning my eardrums are bleeding.
The staff is what kills this place for me. They don’t acknowledge you or make eye contact and they all seem stoned, all the time. Really, really bad customer service.
Ha! Just as I was writing this, they came over and told me they were out of what I ordered… After 7 minutes of waiting.
Bye, Sherman. I gave you many chances. Going back to Bloc 11!

Sherman’s is great! Their baked goods are a sure bet; I especially love their scones and their English muffin, which is house-​made. Bagels are from Iggy’s and come with choice of unusual cream cheeses like honey walnut or pumpkin. They often have very creative specials for sandwiches and salads. And their coffee is excellent!

Came in for a sandwich on a Tuesday mid-​day and it was pretty dead. The atmosphere leaves something to be desired. Not sure if they are under renovation or what, but it was definitely not a comfortable vibe.
I ordered an iced coffee and the sweet potato hummus sandwich. The iced coffee was fine. Not too watered down, not super flavorful but palatable. Definitely not the best iced coffee I’ve ever had (nor did it really come close to other coffee shops in the area). My sweet potato and hummus sandwich was definitely very tasty albeit very small for the price.
All in all, it was a pleasant experience, but I probably won’t go out of my way to get back.

I am surprised at the amount of hipster hating going on in reviews for a Café that is attached to a sustainable market. I mean are you really shocked that they have some funky choices of music? Or that the whole place feels ‘overly indie”. Maybe it’s just not your scene, which is fine.
I think the food is OK, the coffee good, and I like some of the quirky hipster things about it. I’ve never had a problem with service and everyone has been friendly enough to me when I have been there. It doesn’t strike me as pricey or yuppie as bloc 11 and I am pretty sure they have free WiFi (although it seems like that may have changed since the last time I was there?)
Also I give them bonus points for being attached to a sustainable market. $ 5 sustainable eggs, tough to beat that price.

Sherman gets a few props for being one of Union Square’s earliest hipster-​serving hangouts. For a while, they were the only ones in the square peddlin’ classy caffeine, baked goods, and wifi. However, times have changed and I much prefer other options that have since opened. I kinda gave up on the Sherman years ago. But today, I had a relapse, and so was reminded of all the reasons I do not frequent this place.
It’s the freakin service that makes me nuts. Are they stoned? They always seem surprised when someone comes to the counter and places an order. Are they like that guy from Memento? («What am I doing… Ordering food from this lady… No, she’s ordering food FROM ME».)
Seriously, the most mundane of orders (two bagels, two ciders) can take multiple conversations, transactions, confusions, clarifications. It takes FOREVER to go from the point of saying what you want and paying. It’s totally befuddling.
And why don’t they wipe the tables? And why was there a tin bucket of dirty stuffed animals on my table today? Hubs ate his bagel with napkins on his hands because he was so grossed out about the lack of cleanliness.
The food items are honestly pretty good, but ugh… I cannot take the oppressively passive-​aggressive overly-​indy attitude in this joint.

Did… did I just pay over ten bucks for a skinny sandwich? And a few bucks more for cold, bitter coffee? Damn you, hipsters.

As a grad student I am always looking for more cafes to try. I get bored working all the time in the same spaces! So I was pretty excited to come across this place while biking around. It is definitely an artsy, indy type of spot, and sadly, if you aren’t one of those types of people which I am not really, I think you manage to get a weird vibe here. I couldn’t help but think that everyone was staring at me for being in their space ha ha
Their coffee was good though, and there is a decent amount of space here too. The walls are bare though, and for a place that is so artsy and whatnot, I sort of expected it to be a little more inviting inside, ya know? Get a little color in there! This is supposed to be a fun outing spot! Okay, it is fun, and people here obviously are pretty happy, but you know what I mean!
It ended up being pretty quiet too. So if you like quiet spots with good coffee and you are the artsy type so you will feel comfy there, this place is awesome. I would definitely come back, but the quietness actually doesn’t work well with me and studying, so my search for more cafes continue!

I have given Sherman a try about 5 times. I dig what they are doing with the food and the coffee is really good. But the wait times and service combined with the pricing is pretty insulting.
My last experience sticks out in my mind, but they are all about the same…
–Rude girl took my coffee order and walks away before I’m done
–Guy at the register waked away as I go to place my sandwich order
–He comes back; get the toy that corresponds with my order (aw, cute.)
–Finish coffee while waiting 25 minutes for my sandwich in a café filled with wifi users
–Check on our order. they ask for our name…
–BUT they don’t have our name because they never asked for it cause they gave us the toy (aw, remember? not as cute anymore.)
–Told our wait is because «they have a lot of orders.»
–I think back to my other hundreds of experiences in busy cafes when I didn’t wait 30+ minutes for an egg.
–Order our sandwiches. Again.
–Newly annoyed waitress slumps out 15 minutes later and gives me my sandwich rolling her eyes
I get it. I live in a hipster neighborhood. I embrace it, but there are too many cafes with good food and appreciative staffs in Union to go here. I just sit in there feeling (hungry and) horrible I deprived a server at Bloc or Fortissimo a tip and instead paid $ 27 dollars for 2 coffees and 2 sandwiches to be treated like an annoyance for over an hour.

The good stuff:
— LevelUppable.
— Great aesthetics, chill vibe. We went on a Sunday afternoon and it was relaxed, not too crowded, sunny with a good, low noise level.
— I had an Autumn Harvest tea latte thingie; it did indeed taste like autumn.
— The ancient coffee ring stains on the beechwood tablehead.
The less good stuff:
— It took quite a bit for my latte; 5 mins? Given that I was the only drink they were making, it just seemed a little long.
— Broken wifi. They had run out of logins, and «the company [was] closed today». Uh… Hm.
— The beechwood bench was good to look at, less comfortable to actually sit in. Not the place I’d come to relax and lounge.
— Outlets, outlets, outlets!

One of the great perks about living in /​by Union Square are the number of locally owned and operated coffee shops nearby. I foolishly expected The City (which is what I refer to as Boston /​Cambridge /​Somerville /​Brookline) to have an abundance of amazing coffee shops… alas, Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks are there instead.
With that being said, Sherman already started off with three lovely stars.
I have attempted to do homework and grab some grub here once, but it was way too packed to do anything. So, friends, if you are lucky enough to find a seat, high five yourself instantly.
However, my dreams came true last Saturday (1÷19÷13) when my housemates and I found a place to sit and be true academics! Once we tossed our junk down, we got a beverage (I opted for a black coffee — just like my soul) and I was served it in a nice little mason jar (which reminded me of Seattle). I then purchased a scone (have you tried the ginger chocolate scone yet?! If you haven’t, what are you waiting for) and made my way to the wooden bench.
I am a fan of benches, there’s something spectacular about them. Perhaps it’s the full-​back support or that there is always enough butt-​room where I can cross my long legs. The tables, however, were a little small (but seriously, beggars cannot be choosers).
Why did they not receive five stars do you ask? The waitresses /​baristas (whatever they wish to be called) are rude and pretentious.

1. Why does everything here take *literally* 15+ minutes to receive? Including drip coffee. Including a toasted bagel with cream cheese. Everything.
2. Why are the breakfast sandwiches as expensive as most subs? I get the local food thing. I love the local food thing. But. It’s an egg on a bagel.
3. Are skinny pants some sort of required dress code?
I live around the corner from this place and I simply don’t go anymore. The food is pretty good, the coffee is pretty good, but it’s such a weird blend of pretension and boredom I kind of can’t handle it. Bloc 11 is also a hipster retreat, but faster, more efficient, and with better selection.
As other reviewers have noted, it’s a beautiful, light, cheerful interior and a pleasant place to sit.

I get why people love Sherman. I think I could even love Sherman. On paper, they’ve got so much going for them. Totally convenient whenever I’m walking through Union, baked goods and sandwiches pieced together from local offerings, wide range of coffee & tea options, plus a good amount of space all packed into this Indie coffee house favorite.
Unfortunately, every return trip leaves me feeling non-​plussed. Never wanting to post up for long and usually with the pup in tow I’m almost exclusively a to-​go-​kinda chick here. The baked goods have ranged from alright (muffins) to amazeballs (blueberry scone). The sandwiches mostly come on Iggy’s, and my orders have always been tasty if a little overpriced. My standard soy chai latte is a bit too sweet for my taste and seems pitifully small for the $ 4 but mostly what leaves this mind boggled is how it can take *so.damn.long* to make. I think with a little better organization between staffers around an order-​taking/​order-​making system Sherman could cut wait times and make for a better overall experience. Maybe the wait times don’t grate on those patrons who are staying and don’t mind a few minutes settling in before they get their order. But when you’re in a hurry or you’ve got your dog tied up outside, it’s kind of a pain.
Major bonus for these guys (and one of the key reasons I come back here time after time) is that they take LevelUp. I’ll endure the wait and sacrifice a little spice in my chai to cater to the fact that I’m always forgetting my wallet at home and these guys allow me to pay with my trusty iPhone.

You can’t poop here and they will screw up your order to death. Twice, they’ve screwed up the orders of ¾ of the people in the place, which was actually kind of cool. It was a humanizing moment.
I guess you could poop here if you’re desperate, but you have to go up a stair or two to a bathroom door that faces the place where everyone sits. They all watch you go in, they know how long you’re in there, and they smell your poopstink when you leave. Get tea, not coffee. Espresso drinks can only be ordered to go.
You probably don’t want to eat too much asparagus the night before either.
In spite of all of this, I still dig the place. Sometimes the food is great, and I like staring out the window.

All for the housey indy coffee shop, and the Sherman puts its best foot forward. Thing about feet, though, is they rub some the wrong way.
There’s nothing I dislike about the café, and on the converse, nothing I love. In two seasons, I’ve walked in and felt a film envelope my exposed skin that just takes the edgy nature of European cleanliness and stands it on end. No testament to the people or the product, but I’ve definitely been moved to take my order to go. It’s not a comfortable dining area.
Having tried two baked goods, the sweet basil, ricotta and strawberry roll could have been light years better if warmed (or at least, not stale) and the muffin has already faded from memory. The iced chai, sampled twice, fell to the formulaic shortfall: too sweet, no spice. And at a little over $ 4, that chai should be something fierce, not just sweetened milk.
Perhaps I should listen to Unilocalers and return for their legendary scone, but unless I’m cruising through UnSqua (coined here first!) en route to Taza, Bull McCabe’s or the bitchin’ farmers’ market the Square throws down on Saturdays, I’m not sure I’d rush back.

Hey there Sherman Café, it must be your lucky day. I finally had some time on my hands after driving by you countless times on my way back to Central Square. Your locale had me amiss and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I am loving working on my laptop in your open unassuming airy space with the AC on this hot humid day. Wish your wifi was free with my order instead of free for only the first hour but when you only have Bloc 11 to compete with in the neighborhood you have to do what your neighbors do, or do you?
Vegan cupcakes? That was a pleasant and yummy surprise, unfortunately I wasn’t so into my grilled Gruyère and caramelized onion sandwich; conceptually sound but not so tasty on the execution. Maybe if the mustard was less present and the bread thinly sliced? May I suggest taking a cue from Drink’s appetizer playbook? They did that same sandwich some justice. Maybe next time a little bit pro-​activity on the cleanliness level too? Since this is just our first date, I give you ample room to grow. If you fix the wifi I’ll love you forever *wink* *wink* XOXO!