Cafenation Cafe & Roastery

My favorite little local cafe! This place is amazing - the baked goods are delicious, they do really yummy breakfast and lunch sandwiches, and the coffee is also fabulous. All around favorite spot to stop on my way to work, especially on free avocado Fridays!

Brighton’s best neighborhood cafe has the GOAT of bagel sandwiches. The Otom is the it factor at Cafenation for me-I’ve gone to countless other places and nothing seems to compare. Their coffee and pastries are also delicious. The employees are very kind and friendly.

This was a quintessential neighborhood coffee shop. The coffee was great but the star of the morning was the breakfast sandwich. The otom bagel sandwich was the perfect breakfast sandwich in my mind and the price just made it all the better. Definitely will be coming more frequently.

I haven't been here in several years and this place has changed the menu since then. They used to serve crepes, but it seems like that is no longer on the menu. I miss the crepes they used to serve, but this place still seems like an excellent local coffee shop with sandwiches.

Service: I was greeted promptly as soon as I walked in even though the worker was busy making a drink. They take your name when you order at the counter in the middle of the cafe, and they call out your name when your individual items are ready to pick up from the counter. They do not serve dine-in orders within 30 minutes of closing. There are tables on either end of the cafe, but not much, so don't expect a seat during peak times.

Coffee: Served as is, the hot latte was foamy and velvety without any bitterness. Even though my order was to go, I was surprised to still see latte art when I took the lid off.

Food: I ordered the Otom sandwich, which includes egg, bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato & spicy aioli, on your choice of bread. I chose to have on an everything bagel, which had a perfectly substantial amount of chewiness. The egg was overcooked and dry, but the rest of the ingredients, like the tomato and the aioli, covered up the dryness. The spicy aioli is mild but does add a nice small kick to the flavors. It is a fairly greasy and messy sandwich thanks to the bacon and aioli, so be sure to have a couple of napkins on hand. Overall, it was delicious.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this cozy coffee place. Relaxing soundtrack, a few tables, chairs, and sofa where people do some work. The roast of the coffee settled very well with my stomach. The barista in the morning was super likeable. I like that they use mugs instead of disposable cups for some orders. Very limited food options, mostly a few muffins.

I often come over here for a medium hot mocha and either of a chocolate croissant 🥐 or a cream cheese everything bagel 🥯. The mocha here is one of the better ones in the entire Massachusetts. The cafe is designed very beautifully with plants 🪴 both on tables and also on walls and floors. It has ample seating and also WiFi and is very conveniently located in Brighton Common. Also, after each visit by entering your phone number you earn points through CashApp which is usually happening to be a discount for your future visits. All round, recommend this place for anyone who is a big fan of hot mocha ☕ The baristas at this place have always been very approaching, kind, and welcoming.

I’ve always loved Cafenation (Otom breakfast sandwich is a MUST!!) but this place has recently been TRANSFORMED by the new owner! It is beautiful inside, the staff is so friendly, they always have a killer playlist on and they now roast their coffee in house! In terms of food, they have great dairy free options- the bagels are fresh and they constantly rotate fun and delicious new menu items. If you’re local to the Brighton area do yourself a favor and become a regular, and if you’re not - it’s 100% worth the drive!!

Awesome locally owned coffee shop. Great atmosphere with reasonably priced food and drinks.

Such great coffee, love this place. Really good bagel sandwiches too. One of the best coffee places I've found in Boston.

One of my favorite cafe’s, conveniently located in the center of Brighton common. Love the atmosphere, they have plants everywhere! They have a really cool menu, every time I go I get the Mint Chip latte. Would highly recommend this place! Staff is super nice as well.

Such an adorable shop, and delicious coffee & food! They have so many options, so feel free to bring your non-coffee drinking friends. You could sit and do work or read a book here all day.

My favorite & go to for an ice vanilla latte with oat milk! The best and friendly staff with some delicious bagel sandwiches. My new favorite is the breakfast plate bagel: egg, cheese, HASH BROWN, BACON & maple syrup on a French toast bagel (or whatever bagel you choose) the best sweet & savory combo.

It's a nice place with fairly large bagels and good caffee 🙂 I ordered the otom (basically a breakfast bagel), it tasted good, the bagel was almost as chewy as a bagel in New York, wich I really like 🥯 I usually like to order whole wheat everything bagels, which they don't have, but the regular everything bagel tasted really good.

This was delicious! The bagel with homemade hummus was really filling and the capitano is was great too! Highly recommend coming here

This was such a neat little café to have breakfast with my daughter the morning of the Boston marathon! Their coffee was just as I ordered and their sandwich was heavenly. The staff was excellent as well.

Best place to go for coffee with pastry or sandwich. All of it is so good! Friendly staff and the atmosphere reminds me of my college days when I would go get a coffee, sit down with an open notebook and make plans to conquer the world. 10/10 never change a thing!

Good cortado, not the best but good. Corner cafe with mellow vibe and some seating. Avoid The Common bagel (unless you really like salty sage)!

The new revamp is so great and the paint job was much needed. The new owner, Caitlin, and her amazing staff are welcoming and engaging. I can’t wait to hang out here once COVID is over!

The service is very friendly and down to earth, it's taken me ages to finally get in here but it is a cozy little spot. The crepe was delicious,ill be back for breakfast soon.

Favorite cafe, great cozy local place! Only thing is that I wish not all cups were plastic and they had reusable mugs and plates and such