Woodstar Cafe

This is the first review I have ever typed and I am so happy to be doing it for Woodstar. I have had too many of their pastries to talk about openly, so this is to talk about the most delicious gluten free birthday cake we ordered for my daughter’s 8^th birthday! It was so pretty, the perfect size and the frosting and cake were so tasty. I’m so excited that we will have a definite go to place to get her cakes from. We all know there are some pretty questionable tasting gluten free options out there. You wouldn’t have known this cake was gluten free at all. I highly recommend Woodstar for all their pastries and now definitely for their cakes. Thank you so much!
Side note: the gentlemen who took my order over the phone was very nice and accommodating!

My friend was raving about the coffee from this place. We stopped in while browsing through Noho on a hot Saturday. I had an iced ginger latte which was amazing. The ginger syrup is home made and has a nice kick to it. It was so good we decided to stop in a second time before leaving the area that day. This time I couldn’t taste the ginger in my latte and ended up asking the barista twice for some more syrup. He was really nice and even offered to remake my drink. I was surprised at how nice he was because my friend had said the employees were quite snobby. I can still taste the ginger latte. Definitely way better than Starbucks or similar coffee chain!

This place has the best baked goods in town. Their croissants are sheer perfection. Woodstar is clearly a local favorite for a reason. However, their service is not great. I came here five times last week while finishing up a project and even though I ordered a regular coffee every time, the barista forgot to pour the cup ²⁄₅ times (on 2 separate days, 2 different baristas). One of those baristas was very rude when I inquired after waiting more than 10 minutes on a cup of coffee! Come for the baked items! The long line is completely worth the flaky buttery experience. Get it to go and get your espresso drinks somewhere else…

Ginger Chai!!! That is my fav drink of all time now! I also love the huge choc chip cookies, the selection of bagels and sandwiches. Service has always been friendly and quick.

Hipster heaven is a good way to describe this place. I really like Woodstar. Not sure what would make it a 5. I have only gone in for baked goods and coffee. I really need to go there more often for lunch. There is a wide variety items to chose from on their menu boards. They have great baked goods and coffee and teas. Woodstar and Sip are probably my two favorite coffee places in Northampton. Woodstar is bigger and has a wider variety of offerings though. I have always found the service to be very good… and they do get busy. There are plenty of tables inside and out. They do tend to attract the hang out and work in the café types though (isn’t that what the library is for). Anyway, vibe is cool, prices are good and you really can’t go wrong. This is a great local business, it deserves support and patronage. Starbucks can only aspire to be this cool.

Food is decent, customer service is pretty bad. I ordered 11 coffee drinks for my co-​workers, called ahead to see if they wanted to take the order over the phone. They didn’t. When I gave them the list of the orders they didn’t seem thrilled… I spent $ 50 on coffee drinks! Then they were just putting them out on the counter as each was made with nothing written on any of them. I don’t know if this is common or if they were just doing it to mess with me but when I asked if they had a sharpie which I clearly needed to keep everything straight the girl looked at me like I had just asked for her first born child. Rude and the coffee if weak! I won’t even go into being overcharged and having to find trays to carry the drinks myself…

I came to Woodstar for lunch today with a friend and was pleasantly surprised! I used to go there on a somewhat regular basis, but I don’t remember ever being blown away or anything, but we were quite pleased with our food this time around.
Everything was solidly yummy. I got the bagel margherita sandwich, which had pesto, cream cheese and tomato, and the «super focaccia,» which was an individually sized piece of focaccia bread topped with pesto, olives, roasted peppers, and some other stuff. The focaccia was very oily and I would’ve liked a higher topping-​to-​bread ratio, but both items were very tasty.
My friend got a sandwich with turkey, pesto, tomato and lettuce. She smiled and said, «I love this sandwich!» so I guess it was a hit. She also enjoyed her (giant) chocolate chip cookie and iced mocha.
The table and booth seat certainly could have been cleaner, but that didn’t take away from our meal — the food was very good, it was prepared quickly, and the person working the register was friendly. I was pleased with our experience at Woodstar!

I don’t go a week without eating here. Amazing food, best chocolate éclair I’ve ever had, amazing Mochas… love the healthier choices too especially the smoothies, raisin bread, honey lemon ginger, and the Nantucket sandwich.

Went here yesterday afternoon and got a peanutbutter cookie and a soy ginger chai tea. Both were super tasty.
The peanutbutter cookie was vegan and gluten free… and I think sugar free too and sweetened with maple syrup… It was so delicious and the texture was great… Kind of warm and undercooked, in a really good way.
The soy ginger chai tea was very interesting and balanced. Sometimes chai tea is a bit too sweet to me, but this one was perfect… the ginger really cut the sweetness.
I’d definitely come back here if I was in the area and order the same things.
Employees were nice and the atmosphere was OK.

Oh dear god why oh why Woodstar Café do I have to write this? I got two breakfast sandwiches to go (and an Americano) and when my boyfriend was halfway through his, there was not one, but TWO dark hairs. There was no way I could eat mine, nor could he finish his.
I called Woodstar to let them know that whoever was preparing the food was leaving hair in it, and the woman that answered was extremely apologetic.
That being said, I cannot get the vision of multiple hairs in my food out of my memory and therefore I will never go back. Furthermore, there are a few other cafes in the area that are not only less expensive, less crowded, but have better (and less hairy!) food.
EDIT: I received a very kind response from Woodstar. They were upset about my experience and promised to reexamine their food handling policies and procedures.

So glad we made a pit stop here to refuel our car and our bellies! Charming area off the main street, and filled with students and people on their laptops, but plenty of seating. There is a huge case of house made cakes, pastries, and cookies. We ordered the Nantucket sandwich and a bagel sandwich with salmon with a clever name I forgot, both were delicious and I am sure the other sandwiches wouldn’t disappoint. For a treat we got the last lemon bar, tangy and sweet, and my favorite part of the meal the ginger chai! The chai had a distinct ginger flavor that was not too spicy but just right. If we drive down this away again, we know where to stop!

I went to Woodstar Café today for lunch. I don’t dig the ultra trendy, busy café vibe but the food is great. My Berkshire sandwich was awesome and the county sour dough bread was fantastic. The hot cocoa was delicious as well. I don’t enjoy the people hogging the tables with laptops– learn to study in the library– it makes table turnover a bit lagging. A few points off for the ambience i.e. typical Pioneer Valley hot spot with a bunch of college students (fortunately fewer due to the time of year) hanging out and chaos but that’s sort of what you get in Northampton. I’m over it. I lived here for years– I prefer somewhere quieter and more simple, but the food is spot on.

I really enjoy the food and drinks at Woodstar! I think they have one of the best iced mochas I’ve ever enjoyed anywhere. The nantucket sandwich is awesome, and I’m a huge fan of their sweets.
They offer a great selection of gluten free treats (i’m not GF but i try to notice for friends).

How I love you NOHO, so many great choices for lunch, dinner, pastries, coffee, you name it. Seriously if I didn’t already own a house I would pick up and move closer to this place. I always find when I have time off I’m frequenting NOHO, Hadley, South Hadley… anyhow I digress. I’ ve been here twice now and the 1^st time was quite a long time ago ~18 months ago. Why has it taken me so long to go back? No good reason, the food was good (mayhaps a little soiled by the fact that I visited this place with my curmudgeonly in laws). Honestly I just forgot about this place. One of our favorite places is Esselon Café (not to brag but I’m currently the Duke… no big deal). A cool thing about Esselon’s menu is they list all of the local purveyors that they use for their food andbeverages. Woodstar café supplies their baked goods (cookies, breads) which are fantastic so we figured we would revisit for lunch.
Food: I got the Brookline and the wife got the Nantucket. As normal we went halvsies with our sandwiches. WOW… they were both amazing, I honestly didn’t have a favorite. All of the ingredients were fresh and the bread was amazing. Nothing ruins a sandwich quicker than mediocre bread… you certainly don’t have to worry about that here, you will not be disappointed. We also got some german pastry that I can’t pronounce or remember the name of no less, but it was nothing short of spectacular.
Ambiance/​staff: The place has your normal sandwich shop feel with comfortable seating and a spot to add your cream/​sugar to your coffee/​tea or grab a cup of tap water. We had a few questions about pastries and the staff were happy to answer without making you feel bad for asking (one of my pet peeves).
Overall: Definitely a place to check out if in NOHO and looking for a great sandwich or pastry.

When you live in a town like Northampton, few debates can get more heated than those concerning which cafes have the best coffee. I will admit: I am not a fan of Woodstar’s coffee. But the fact that I’ve gotten into some very heated debates with other Northamptonites about the coffee served here is proof that it’s a good place.
Coffee aside, their sandwiches are the absolute best in town, and everyone who works there is incredibly nice. Their baked goods are great, too. I don’t frequent the Woodstar as much as I should, but it’s the first place that comes to mind anytime I want a treat or something tasty for lunch.

WARNING: Mothers with babies in strollers are *not* welcomed at Woodstar Café!
Unless you want to be given dirty looks and have the staff roll their eyes at you. This place is staffed by incredibly rude hipsters who will give you a bland smile to your face then turn right around (in front of you!) and make snide comments about you to the other employees.
I get it, hipster barista, your life sucks. You work in a coffee shop and have grown numb to the niceties of social interaction. But that doesn’t mean you get to be an asshole.

This is a really nice café off the main streets of Northampton. I appreciated having a bagel sandwich (the Vermonter) with ham, cheddar, and apple, with a price point that was just over $ 5 with tax.
The interior, like the staff, seemed cheery and welcoming.
My sandwich was a bit dry, though. Maybe heating it or adding a bit of a condiment would have helped.
Still, it’s a good bakery/​coffee/​luncheon spot with a nice selection of things to eat. Service was quick enough, too, to warrant a working lunch or take-​out.
For me, this wasn’t a true stand-​out, but it was quite nice.

A great little bakery! All of their baked goods are delicious and their sandwiches are great too. My favorite drink is the carrot smoothie! A nice spot for a quick breakfast or lunch that doesn’t disappoint.

Stopped for a quick coffee and treat on my drive up to killington. They bake everything there and support local farms (eggs, veggies etc.) Their chai tea is great, not too sweet and doesnt taste artificial like chain coffee shops.
BEST CHOCOLATE CROISSANTS EVER. So flaky. So butter. Heaven in my mouth.

Meh-​this place is average in most respects although I haven’t tried their sandwiches. The baked goods are mediocre at best, nothing memorable with the exception of the slightly above average chocolate croissant. The pear tart has hints of nutmeg and cinnamon that I liked but the cowgirl cookie, chocolate éclair and chocolate decadence cake are just average.
The coffee is a bit watery for my taste. I prefer strong coffee so if you like a weaker brew, this place might be for you.
Lastly, the free wifi is awesome but there are too few outlets to accommodate the number of laptops requiring power. So for me it isn’t an ideal study spot. The back room would be FANTASTIC for studying if only it were air conditioned.
I’m still on the hunt for the perfect coffee shop in Noho.