Algiers Coffee House

Café Algiers has the best ambiance of any coffee shop in Harvard Square (which is rife with coffee shops). It has a high vaulted ceiling, Moroccan tiling, and Arabic scripts on the walls. It’s the perfect place to chill out with a game of backgammon, or hunker down with the laptop.
The coffee and snacks are yummy, but otherwise would be nothing to go out of the way for, which is what knocks off a star. There is also a small balcony area, which is very pleasant in the summer.

One word: mice!
Came here on a late Sunday evening, sat upstairs unfortunately quite close to the women’s bathroom and saw two good size mice scurry into a crack in the door. Although the food and drinks are quite tasty, this really ruined it for me. For the high prices, seems they could afford to do something about this.

Nice space to people watch (5 stars), decent Mediterranean food (3 stars), barely serviceable tea (2 stars), nice but sometimes phantom slow service (2 stars), kinda expensive (2 stars), wretched coffee (1 star and that’s being nice).
Noteworthy but can’t blame Algiers: some of the worst conversation starters or pick-​up lines I’ve ever heard from various awkward conversationalists (0 stars or 5 stars depending on your humor).
However you do the math, it’s a 2 star deal and I’ve personally had better. I’d still come back on occasion for the conversations tho… it’s rather astounding (oh, humanity).

My friend waited 30+ minutes for an Italian soda that never arrived. Told the waitress we were leaving because she was slammed on our way out and she mumbled some obscenities under her breath. Here’s a hint: schedule more servers on a holiday weekend! Duh. Only saw one for the entire upstairs that was packed to the gills.

4.00 for ONE cookie? 7.95 for french fries? Drinks were decent but im not gonna get food here.

I had my first visit to this café a few days ago. I am glad that I chose to stop in rather than braving a very crowded café nearby. The interior is just what I look for in a café: low lighting, unobtrusive music, eclectic décor, and enough room to breathe. There was even seating upstairs, but it was not crowded enough for me to venture up there.
I had a very tasty cranberry scone, a hot chocolate, and French toast. The French toast was excellent and came with fresh fruit in the middle. I split it with a friend. I liked the scone so much that I decided to get another one to go. It was firm, but not rock hard and crumbly like other scones that I have encountered. I thought that the texture and amount of sweetness were perfect.
My friend ordered an espresso frappé. I would not recommend it to anyone who does not like very strong coffee. He was expecting something akin to a coffee milkshake, but instead it was more like a dark roast ice coffee. It was not bad, just not what he was looking for. Neither of us drink coffee, so we are not the best judges.
We had to wait a while for the check, but we did not mind. The atmosphere is cozy enough that it is nice to sit and relax in. I will definitely be going back, especially since I now know that it is open until midnight.

I loved the ambience and interior of this café. As well as how you can come here with company for food and chat or by yourself to study/​kick back some Sunday reading in a corner much like European cafes. Upstairs is definitely where you will want to sit. The nooks give some privacy while the middle area gives you a nice view below and at the skylight above.
The food sadly was unimpressive and pricey for how mediocre it tastes. The mint orange hot chocolate saved judgement based solely on the bland overcome moles nature of the merguez wrap.

El sitio es agradable e íntimo y no me hubiera importado pagar 8,50 por un mocca y jna galletita si estubiera rico. pero todo lo contrario… el wifi tampoco me funcionó…

I agree with many of the other reviews here. The interior is charming. It’s a great place to read. The food is quite good, but not plentiful (I’ve had quite a number if items off their menu over the last few years.)
I’d strongly recommend the hummus, the hot chocolate, and the cheesecake (but not if you’re from New York).

A tad expensive Christine? If I correctly read the menu a few weeks back, they wanted $ 4.25 for a small bottle of Coke which they were out of!

If this review was based solely on the drinks and food I’d give it a 5. Unfortunately as a restaurant it was a disappointing experience. We came here to get some sit down hot cocoa and a baclava. My friend got an orange mint hot chocolate with whipped cream that was amazing. I got the mint tea. The mint tea was the best mint tea I’ve ever had, tasted like fresh mint leaves. Delicious. Unfortunately there was very little of it. For $ 5 I would hope not to still be thirsty after my tea! I’m not sure if they would have refilled the hot water, I was unable to ask, which brings me to the next part of the review.
It seemed like there was only one server for the entire restaurant, which is crazy. She looked extremely overwhelmed and had no time for anyone (not her fault at all). Several people came and sat down and got so frustrated by no one taking their order they got up and left. We waited for about 20 minutes just for the check and finally had to go downstairs and have someone track her down to get the check (which was $ 17.50 for two drinks and a small square of baclava, pretty steep). All in all just getting a hot cocoa and tea took an hour and 20 minutes, which is just insane. Based on service and price I wouldn’t come back.

This coffeehouse didnt live up to my expectation :(
The architecture and design are so-​so, although the dome and the bookshelf corners are pretty cool. The bathroom can use some cleaning up however — it’s not dirty but everything looks so old in there (not the vintage old though)
The food is wayy overpriced — I got a basic omelette, no stuffings, with home fries for $ 8 ! It tastes so-​so too.
Drink is better — I got the hot orange mint chocolate for $ 4, which tastes fairly unique and comforting although it’s a hot sunny summer day lol.

Expensive. Mint coffee was okay. The ambience and interior is nice though. Free wifi is a plus!

A tad expensive, but the place is such a nice place to sit and read at, it’s worth it if you’re determined to get work done. Or heck, take a friend here — the interior design is very lovely and a homage to the name.
First time here, I got the famous mint coffee, which was just as good as folks said it was! You can do without the whipped cream if you wish. Second time around, I got the special hot mint tea, while a friend got the Viennese cinnamon coffee. The mint tea was very fragrant, although I wish they gave it in a bigger pot — it was only big enough for one person to drink a medium sized mugs-​worth.

Mmmmmmmmm.
So, first things first — the interior is to die for. I love the middle-​eastern feel! The lamps are gorgeous, so are the tables, walls, and everything in between.
The Shepard salad & chicken is my favorite. Comes with a side of pita bread. Mm. Mmm. Mmmmm. (I’ll stop here for now).
Teas are fresh-​brewed, and, although rather pricey, are totally worth it (hey it’s better than Starbucks AND they have internet that actually works).
Not onto the most important part — you must get the basbousa dessert. It has the most exotic flavor, reminiscent of roses (don’t quote me — I have no idea if any roses were actually stolen from boston common for the, but hey, the FLAVOR… It similar).
One thing to note — gets very crowded on the weekends, so I wouldn’t plan to get much work here on a Saturday. Perfect for weekdays though.

I’d never been here before, and found it to be a really beautiful and fun looking café from the moment I walked in. I only got coffee, which was good, but I was pretty shocked by some of the food prices. Everything seemed really overpriced honestly. Maybe people who spend $ 15 for sandwiches daily won’t feel the same. The ambiance is 5 stars, but the service was really slow and the prices pretty insane.
Worth stopping by for coffee, but come prepared to spend some significant cash if you plan on having a full meal here.

I’ve walked by this place so many times but never really had Algiers on my radar as a café to visit. I had heard about this coffee house from a friend recently and decided to give it a shot.
I came here for some mint orange hot chocolate on a very cold evening. Granted, you get both mint and orange flavors, and they both taste nice together, but it overpowers the chocolate a little. Additionally, it’s pretty pricey here: for a coffee cup you’d see at a diner, you have to shell out over $ 5.
The service was fine and the décor was warm. The books along the walls and the interesting architecture make this place a cozy spot for a drink and some studying.

A cozy café and pretty good option for working. The upstairs is beautiful, but the tables are small and it gets crowded pretty often. The drinks are a bit overpriced, but I come here more for the environment and ambiance. It’d also be a cute spot to meet up with others for afternoon coffee or tea, though!
Free wi-​fi makes it a good alternative to nearby Crema Café.

Algiers isn’t that great, but for some reason… I love it.
I always go upstairs. It’s very dark, kind of an intimate feel, and some of the tables are super close together. The service is usually pretty bad — someone will come up to give you a menu, take your order, and then never really come by again after delivering your order. Perhaps that’s because I never order food?
Their tea is pretty good, and their orange mint hot chocolate is SO good. A lot of flavors so I was skeptical, but it really works! Perfect for wintry days.
Also — the bathroom is behind this mirror on the wall that is actually a door. It’s right behind a table so you either climb past people (if you’re not sitting there) and bump into their chairs or you’re constantly interrupted by people (if you are sitting there).
Yet for all of these inconsistencies… I have fond memories of Algiers. A great place to sit for a while and read /​think /​chat outside of the Harvard square atmosphere.

Came here for breakfast since Alden and Harlow was closed. I think it’s a great place for coffee and studying but not for breakfast. The breakfast options are basic and good but do not justify the high cost.
My eggs over medium were fine but my toast was slightly burnt. My husbands pancakes were good but nothing to write home about.
I’d come again for coffee drinks and maybe some lunch or dinner to try but I’m not excited to return.

This is not so much of a West Coast place. I asked a friend who’s often in Cambridge for work where to go for coffee and a quiet place to work. He suggested this place to me. He clearly knows me better than I know myself. I loved the place. It’s not something you’d expect out of Harvard Square during commencement week. It’s quieter than most that is. I was tired of working out of Mower Hall and made an escape out of the yard at 4 PM. A coffee break indeed.
Mint coffee, very strong, and reminds me of Philharmonic coffee at Philz back at home in San Francisco. Reflective ceiling, and staircases leading to a quieter area for work, unusual. Combo veggie salad was as exotic as I could get in that part of the country. I sent photos of this place to said friend, and he emailed me back and said, «Jealous.»
I all of sudden started to miss home.