Barismo

Excellent lattes.
Pleasant atmosphere, good place to work.

Barismo is a must miss. The unfriendly Barista told me they had no decaf espresso, as if asking for a decaf latte wasn’t cool. I settled for a lukewarm «pour over» decaf coffee that was made more sad by milk, as they have no cream. No reason to recommend or ever return.

Perfect for that afternoon coffee! Barismo’s staff really puts care into every cup, plus it’s fun to taste the different varieties of coffee when they rotate them out. The staff is very approachable and informative as well. For anyone looking to learn more about coffee but not ready to go to classes for it, Barismo is a good place to start.

Not my taste. I’ve been here a few times over the past couple of years. I keep trying to like their lightly-​roasted coffee. I’ve had a few espressos, a pour-​over, and a macchiato.
The light roast produces unpleasantly tangy espresso and anemic drip coffee. I’ve given it a fair shot here and other acclaimed coffee roasters, and I have come to the conclusion that the emperor has no clothes.

I love Barismo coffee. I used to live near Dwelltime (their café in Cambridge). It completely spoiled me, and I thank Barismo/​Dwelltime for that.
I just wish they would get started on improving the Arlington space already, since the roaster function has moved to Somerville. Or is that plan dying?

This is a uniquely friendly and comfortable fine coffee establishment… Come in and enjoy the unpretentious atmosphere and excellent service… Enjoy for yourself!

So sad to give only two stars. I used to LOVE this place when it first opened. Simply the freshest and varied selection of premium coffees around. Best latte in Boston.
Unfortunately the Arlington location has taken a nosedive in recent months. They no longer roast in house so bags of beans are scarce and run out very quickly. Nothing to chose from the past 3x I went. Also didn’t have filters in stock or LIDS for my to-​go coffee! It’s a coffee shop, if there’s no product… what’s the point? Coffee is still great if you can deal with the pretentious attitude of the employees.

Why am I waiting ten minutes for a $ 3 cup of coffee when there is no one ahead of me in line? Oh, is it because the barista can’t be bothered to make my coffee? Yes, yes it is.
I don’t think I’m being unreasonable to expect the barista to start making my coffee within five minutes of me placing an order. Again, no one else is here. Slow and rude service. I don’t care how the coffee tastes.

«Cash only» is rule worth remembering at this tiny coffeehouse. I had a mellow and delicious cappuccino, even though I was only carrying a credit card — the barista insisted on giving it to me as a Valentine’s Day present.

Well I have returned a couple more times to the shop and I have to admit I have been pleasantly surprised with my experience. I have noticed a great variety of coffees being added to shelf and each time was graciously assisted by the friendly barista. It was explained to me that they were having difficulty with the roasting facilities, and as a result decided to bring the roasting equipment back to the shop. This has allowed them to keep the shelves stocked to keep up with demand. Please don’t get rid of the machines again it adds so much character to the place. Feels like old times again, keep it up.

I’m pretty sure this place might be either a performance art piece or an attempt to prove to the Pacific Northeast that they can be out-​hipstered. It’s really hard to order, because the menu is limited and the barista is monosyllabic and doesn’t explain anything. It took 20 minutes to make a pour over. But — the coffee tastes good even though there’s no cream, and any annoyance is easily dealt with by picturing what would happen if the store’s occupants were all forced to go to a Dunkin Donuts.

Getting a cup of coffee here is an artful experience. It is slow food in action. You need to be in a certain mindful head space to really appreciate and enjoy it. You can totally nerd out about coffee here which can be a certain type of indulgent portlandia-​ish pleasure. I am a foodie and really enjoy the sincerity and passion these folks have for their coffee. It’s definitely a stop, slow it down, think about what goes into making a supreme cup o’ joe from the practices and lives of those growing and harvesting the beans to the economics of the importing and collaborative business ventures to the precision and craft of the bean roasting and packaging to the recipe and practice of making a 2 minute pour over. Makes me smile. Now if/​when I just want a fast down and dirty hit of adequate caffeine while hurriedly on my way from this place to that, I can easily be saited by dunkin, starbucks or other of the convenience and consistent minded stores, but more often than not I find getting beans here or treating myself to a cup ‘o joe here is also a moment that I stop and settle and appreciate for a brief moment. It’s a luxury in a small happy way.
I’ve not had anyone chide me about not knowing the ins and outs of the pour over and perfect cup details but I have learned a lot about making my own home brewed coffee way more better.
Now we’ve been in the Boston area for less than a year. I would say that if snarky service has been an issue in the past, it seems that problem has been resolved.
Service has always been friendly and amiable. On an early visit, I brought in previously purchased beans to have them ground for me. While I was there, I got a cup of coffee intending to use a debit card to pay. I was informed in a nice manner that they are a cash business. I don’t know that it would’ve been okay with the boss but the barista ground the beans, gave me the cup of coffee I had ordered and asked in a non-​acusing way for me to pay for it next time I came in! I dug in the bottom of my bag and found enough coin to pay but I was blown away by the trust offered.
The only thing I would love to see added here is a «toast» program :) They have a few sweets like macaroons but i keep craving something more savory or substantial to have with my cup of coffee. A minimalist toast program would be a perfect fit.

Best latte I’ve had since living in Massachusetts. You can tell the woman who works there loves coffee and has a passion for it. She took time to make my latte, and I appreciate that! SO yummy.

Don’t come in expecting this to be your usual café! There are only 5 seats and it’s really just all about the coffee. There are essentially just three options — pourover, espresso, and cold brew. Very reasonably priced (was shocked to see that pourover was only $ 2.75, it’s usually more like $ 3.50 at other coffee shops in the area).
A lot of people are complaining about how slow the baristas are. Pourover takes extra care and time, and it isn’t something you want to order if you’re in a rush. This café is more of a roastery with café service so you can try their beans.
The baristas who were there when I went were actually quite friendly, so I have no complaints about service. Hopefully they can be consistently good so people aren’t turned off by the service. It’s really a shame because Barismo’s beans are some of the best around here.

Great still, but I really wish they kept better hours. It seems they’ve never been open when I’ve needed them most! I mean guys, if you’re going to get me hooked on your product, please make it readily available for me. I’m already willing to pay the exorbitant cost, just need accessibility to get my fix. Thank you

A bit too precious and for all the fanfare cold brew was not good. Not really a coffee shop to hang out in either.

Rude and Pretentious Staff. This place need to seriously revamp their customer service. I believe that drinking coffee is not only about the taste itself but the whole experience of buying-​drinking-​and enjoying the coffee. With such an arrogant attitude, I doubt Barismo will last any longer.
Please keep in mind that you are not the only coffee roaster in the world.

I dunno… I’m sure the coffee is really good but I couldn’t stick around waiting until the staff finished their post-​ironic discussions about their latest conversation pieces that they’ve put onto their bodies. Get over yourselves and if the boss is reading this, get a new staff altogether emphasizing customer service.

Delicious coffee in a super serious, bordering-​on-​pretentious café. But I didn’t have any problems with that.
When you walk in, the roasting machinery is really what you see first. Most of the café space is dedicated to that, with a small counter and a little table in the café area. I had a cup of pour-​over coffee, black, along with a lavender macaron from their sister café Dwelltime. Even though I was recovering from a cold, the coffee was the best cup I had had in a long while, and it paired perfectly with the delicious macaron.
I was waiting for my car to be serviced at a nearby auto shop, so I hung out there for a while. It was pretty pleasant and hearing these two guys talk to other customers, they are super into what they’re doing.
Bought a bag of the same coffee I tried… can’t wait to have it at home!

This is one of the better places to have coffee in the Boston area, and I’ve enjoyed their product at various shops around town. At Barismo ground zero the baristas take care in all steps of the glorious and time consuming espresso making process, and the extra care shows in the drinks. However, it’s mainly a roastery and if you’re expecting a typical café experience, you’ll be disappointed. This is definitely not sit-​down with a laptop and while away your time type of café and they have a very limited drink menu. So, if you want a ton of different options for your brew, like a lot of milk options, flavors, etc. you probably want to try a different place. However, if you want really good coffee/​espresso drinks, care about high quality and/​or are a coffee nerd, and could care less about the somewhat uninviting locale and/​or don’t mind carryout, Barismo will probably fit the bill.