Café Fixe

A very white decorated coffee house abandons some of the rules of a normal coffee setting. This place is responsible for a new-​found love of Great Barrington Coffee’s Esperanza blend. Last few times, it wasn’t offered, but their coffee selection is exclusively Great Barrington and they brew it even better than the shop on Newbury St.
Though historically friendly with no issues among a mostly chill staff, one guy compelled us to go with ceramic mugs for staying in and almost wouldn’t allow paper cups (often preferred) without a fight. This was a real bother, didn’t need the side of pompous tude, served up hot.
Well-​sized cookies and other minor treats go along with coffees. Décor is minimalist, almost purgatorial with an incomplete feel (just put up one picture!). Much welcomed jazzy music in the background goes in tune with the setting if you can find a seat among usually café types who camp out for hours with their Macbooks. Castille soap in the restroom is a major plus.
Tapered off from coming to Café Fixe after the last time, feeling like a refugee onto the sidewalk because of no seating anywhere, again. Should of made away with a ceramic mug after that one.

$ 10 credit card minimum at a coffee shop. Let that sink in.
I went in on my way home from lunch to grab a cold drink. My husband got a gingerbread molasses cookie, and I got an iced latte. I didn’t see it marked anywhere that the minimum on credit cards is $ 10, but we wete gruffly told so by the cashier (the service was fairly unfriendly, as many other reviewers have pointed out). We were lucky my husband had cash on hand, as neither of us usually do. For what they sell, a $ 10 minimum is ridiculous. I get that there are fees, but you’re selling coffee that costs around $ 4 on average. Had we not had the cash, we would’ve had to order more items (annoying) or cancel the order and go to Starbucks or Athan’s across the way.
The latte was good, but really not significantly better than I’ve had elsewhere. Certainly not worth having to deal with the minimum order or the not-​very-​friendly employees.

I wish I could say I tried their coffee.
This place is about halfway between a friend’s house and where I live, so we met up for a study session. She had already ordered and didn’t have any more cash, and when I went up to order I discovered there’s a $ 10 minimum for cards. At a coffee shop. Where a drink will run you less than $ 4. I’m not going to create an extra $ 6 worth of… what? more coffee? two pastries?
The bank across the street charges a $ 3 fee, my bank charges $ 2. I’m not spending $ 9 on a cup of coffee.
I get it. I used to work in an independent small business retail shop — I know the cut credit card charges take. But it’s a really awkward amount for the consumer given the goods they sell.
Shop clean, seemed popular but for the most part not a lot of day long hang-​outers (I don’t think there’s wi-​fi for a reason). Baristas seemed friendly enough.
Probably won’t be back though.

Delicious coffee!
Nice and very clean place.
Would go in there more often if they had freshly baked pastry.

No question. The coffee is good. Expensive, but that is par for the course for good coffee in this neck of the woods. The main problem here is that Max, the owner, is the Coffee Nazi. His employees are under strict orders not to do anything for you beyond the absolute minimum. Don’t ask for anything beyond what you ordered the way they deliver it. After many visits, I will not be returning.

So happy I stumbled upon this café! Such a nice little find in Brookline! The décor is modern, simple, and refreshing — felt like I was in a café in New York. It’s a nice place to grab coffee with a friend or do work and the staff is very friendly. The café is quiet and the classical music playing in the background adds to the relaxing vibe.
I got the latte and a raspberry filled buttermilk dutch cookie — latte was a bit too strong but the buttermilk cookie was really good.
I will definitely be coming back to get some work done! Also, there’s a $ 5 card minimum, so bring cash!

As I had a half hour to kill, I thought it a good idea to scoot in here for a cappuccino. What a mistake. A $ 4.00 SMALL cappuccino tasted so bitter there wasn’t enough sugar to disguise the burned «flavor». Oh, and I needed to use the one and only sugar dispenser (although I didn’t know it was the one and only until I was «asked» to bring it back by the rather unfriendly barristo du jour) to apply prodigious amounts of sugar to my undrinkable cappuccino. As (I’m sorry) I didn’t see the bus tubs when I arrived, I returned my 2 cups to the register area (btw, not one customer was near that area), only to be told that next time, I’m to avail myself of the bus tubs. Sorry, there will be no next time. Good luck with that awful coffee.

In the world of great quality coffee, Café Fixe meets (and exceeds) all of the standards. It has a lovely, jazzy, & calm atmosphere for sitting down with a book or with a friend. Without Wifi, this isn’t quite the sit-​down-​all-​day place where you can easily drink/​eat/​work your way through an entire day. It is, however, a fantastic break spot for any time of your day. Customer service has only been adequate during my visits, but the product meets my expectations! It’d be 5 stars for slightly faster service (or a statement on when you can expect your drink to be ready) and a smile or two when being served. Would highly recommend stopping by for your own Café Fixe experience!

Poor service skills and just okay coffee. Don’t let the hipster mustaches and snobby attitudes trick you into thinking you don’t know enough to understand what they are selling. This is a one note shop with too much ego behind the counter. Skip it.

Their coffee is GRrreeaat! (in a Tony Tiger voice.). I’m serious though, I gave their coffee beans as fucking Christmas presents two years in a row…
I love reading the outraged reviews on Unilocal about this place. Who writes a 3 paragraph tirade because of some minute ridiculous imagined (or actual) offense??? Who cares if you received a medium latte instead of a large latte?
In fact, all the 1 star reviews on Unilocal crack me up — if you didn’t like something why spend the time rehashing your experience — just try a new place man — life’s too short…

Classy brightly lit space, there are always people doing interesting work. Sound really travels though, so not good for private conversation or work that has to be done in silence. The drinks are artistique, the capacinos wet, and the pastry flaky and light.

I hung out here for a while and did some work. Coffee was tasty and atmosphere was great for either hanging out or doing some work.
Would go back next time I’m in the area.

Best coffee spot in Boston! This place is great. Very feiendly ataff and the best coffee i have ever found. The lattes come with a beautiful design on top, making you feel extra special. The scones, muffins, etc change and vary daily, but you really cant go wrong no matter what you order!

Not gonna shock anyone here — good coffee, rough customer experience.
I ordered a chai latte with an espresso shot (because I like that and I like caffeine). The person working at the counter asked the barista behind her, who without even looking up from the coffee she was making, remarked that my request was «gross». The woman behind the counter, nicely, tried to explain that their chai was strong and the two flavors would be too intense together. I scratched the order and got an iced coffee, so as not to anger the coffee god at the espresso machine. The iced coffee was good, but to a non-​aficionado it wasn’t radically better than any other coffee.
This was just the second time I had been here and the first experience was very similar. The first time I asked the gentleman working for a recommendation on a coffee, because clearly they know more about it than I do, and he scoffed at me. (Damned if I do, damned if I don’t!)
For the record, however, if Café Fixe is reading this (which they surely are not, otherwise they would adjust their approach to customers) here are a couple suggestions:
1. I know what I like and I know how I like it. Even if it means making a drink that compromises your coffee values by combining two strong flavors, if I order something that tastes bad and want to throw it away it as a result of my decision, at least you have my $ 6 first.
2. If you truly are concerned about my experience enjoying the drink I have ordered, instead of dismissing it as «Gross» without even acknowledging me, perhaps take the approach of «just to give you a heads up, we use a very strong chai and some people find that it’s too strong combined with coffee.» It seems compassionate and engaged, and still allows you to consult your customers on the proper experience of coffee. It might even make them repeat customers!
There is so much potential for this place, but the attitude towards their paying customers is too much to bear. I’ll be back, you can bet on that, but mostly just to mess with the barista. Based on all the reviews, it sounds too damn easy.

I live in Washington sq and I have checked Athens, Starbucks and DD. I love Israeli/​European coffee and this is the only place that actually brings me close to the taste I know.
I’m giving you 3 stars because a business is not only its coffee but it’s customer service.
It takes you 10 min to make a coffee and if this place had better service it would have been my number one choice

Ordered iced latte, which the cashier repeated back to me. Received my drink as an iced coffee. When I informed her that I had ordered an iced latte she quickly responded with a rude «well, I charged you for iced coffee… Like I can make you an latte but I’m gonna have to charge you». To which I should have responded, «it’s not my job to understand my order. is it?» However I did not respond in a rude way and settled for the drink I did not order. I have been in the service industry for years, and the right thing for her to do would have been apologize for misunderstanding and give me the drink I had ordered. I’m not a cheapskate and don’t expect any freebies, but that’s how the service world is supposed to work.
Also, came here to do work, so I brought my computer. However they do not have wifi. Thats no big deal because I still needed to to stuff without the internet… Which brings me to the final problem; their outlets do not work.
Overall extremely disappointed with this overpriced café that clearly cares more about their image than their product… Because the iced coffee that I didn’t order, but drank, was sub-​par to say the least.

No wifi. No outlets. No space.
Staff is rude and pretentious.
Coffee is acceptable.
Nice minimalist décor.
Definitely not the best place to get coffee and sit and do work, which is maybe not the type of customer they want since they don’t have wifi/​outlets.

Excellent espresso. Many choices for other beverages. They know how to make it.
They play jazz, a welcome change from bad indy in most cafés.
Good afternoon light.

It was my second visit this noon and I have to say, I don’t like their service today. I wanted to have scone but the staff said they didn’t have one today. I asked whether they will service scone tmr but the staff just buffed me off, saying I don’t know ! and serve the next customer. Can this shop have no respect?

I wanted to love this place. I really did.
They do make very good coffee, and the location and décor work for me. However, the owner’s profound narcissism permeates every aspect of how the establishment is run, which made for a rather unpleasant experience each of the the three times I tried this coffe shop. The condescension and outright rudeness are disguised as attempts to instill in the customers the appropriate respect for the rituals of coffee-​drinking.
I will most definitely not be back.

Best coffee shop in Washington Square, hands down!!!
I often come in here and wonder: Are they baristas or RISD grads… and then I think more carefully, and I see the irony in the thought process.
The service is exceptional; I ordered something and though she had it, she chose to make it again, so that I would have it made fresh. When has Starbucks ever cared about making fresh coffee for its patrons? I love the intricate details with which they decorate their milk. I’m no artist and I’m definitely not a barista, but I know talent when I see it… at least I think I do.
So, why 3 stars? I acknowledge that this review is relative to what I expected and not specific to its quality, which is better than any Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts.
So, it’s good. But– there aren’t a lot of seats, the products are either over-​priced or under-​priced, and there’s no predicting what it will taste like from drink to drink. Most people will consider this a good thing, since it’s crafty to make the same drink different. As a creature of habit, forever, I can’t fully accept this.
If you’re in the Washington Square area, skip 7/​11, skip Dunkin, skip Starbucks. Go to Café Fixe!!!