Intelligentsia Coffee Watertown Coffeebar

Tucked away in a quiet residential area straddling Cambridge and Watertown, Intelligentsia Coffee offers a great cafe experience with an excellent selection of pastries and coffee.

I’ve been coming here for the past few months to get some work done on the weekends. From their drinks, my go-to is their Avena latte. It's a medium-bodied blend, surprisingly light, with a bold cayenne kick that somewhat eclipses the subtler vanilla and cinnamon notes. As a latte enthusiast, it still captures my palate.

Besides their good coffee, I like that they have a rotating selection of pastries sourced from some of my favorite local bakeries like Sodoko and La Saison. Another perk is their free parking lot, a rare find in the city. It’s designated for takeout customers, but there are still plenty of street parking available nearby.

While its location might not be the most accessible, Intelligentsia Coffee is well worth the drive for anyone seeking a coffees shop experience in a cozy, welcoming environment.

Great little coffee shop on the outskirts in Boston. Definitely on the expensive side but they serve great coffee. The homemade vanilla syrup was very good in my latte!

Coffee was delicious! On top of that the staff was kind and were really on their game. I got my drink quickly and it was perfect.

I also enjoyed the esthetic of the coffee shop. It looks like a nice place to sit and work, read a book, or meet with a friend. The outdoor seating and cozy and under comfortable shade.

Highly recommend!

It's a pretty cool place to check out.
And the signature coffees there are really creative.
The expresso has a traditional taste as expected.👌

Relative to Watertown, it’s the best coffee shop for around 20 miles. Baristas are friendly and seem to love making coffee. If you come late in the morning, you might not be able to get the pastries you want - but otherwise has everything you want in a coffee shop. I recommend the avena latte! Nicely spiced and just slightly sweet.

GREAT coffee, especially the selected pour overs and cold brew. Had the Honduran pour over option today and it was delicious 😋 Lots of seating inside, options outside, and lots of parking in the lot or on the street. Never very busy when I come. Great spot to sit and work or read.

I love this place. It got everything. WiFi, plenty of plugs, plenty of seats and tables indoor and outdoor, great location that is accessible from all three of Watertown, Belmont, and Cambridge towns, and most importantly on the list of top 4 cappuccinos I ever had in entire MA. Definitely recommend it if you are planning to take a walk and have a coffee. Oh, and so much for the lovely coffee decoration. 10/10 brightened my days. I am so grateful to the essential workers who put an smile on our face with their arts and hard work. I didn’t go there to study but it was rather a short stop between my morning walk. However, I saw many people studying there. If you plan to study at a coffee shop, this is definitely a great choice.

The coffee shop is conveniently located near the BlueBike station by the Star Market so if you are into coffee and rides, this place is certainly for you. The outdoor sitting area is also very great.

Perhaps one of my top 10 cappuccino of the year. A cute spot with an amazing barista. There is ample space to work or enjoy quiet conversations. There is limited parking in the lot but plenty on the side street.

Great coffee. Great service. Space is industrial and beautiful. Avena is a fun drink if you like a spicy latte. Not a huge fan of forge but la saison products are great (but pricey).

The coffee you get here is incredible, and the baristas are also friendly. They offer barista training classes every month, and they provide some tips to make your home coffee game strong!

It’s usually crowded on week days in the AM, their Avena latte is a must try (slightly sweet with orange and spicy flavor), cappuccino is also great. Glad to find this gem as it’s just a couple of miles away from my apartment!

Had their Colombian drip coffee and cinnamon bun. The coffee was exactly to my liking, fruity and light. The breakfast pastries were also good. The croissant is an 9/10, palmier was a 5/10. The cinnamon bun is 8/10. There is plenty of seating, parking can be hard to find.

June 18 and June 25, 2021 updates.
They’ve eliminated their outdoor seating in the parking lot, and it’s just the benches along the side +3 small tables out front. They do have A couple of tables in the front and in the back indoors now, and masking is optional.

They continue to offer the excellent Avena latte, and today I got it with milk instead of the suggested oat milk. It’s still yummy! See details below.

May 30, 2021 update
I tried their flat white, which is the new 8 ounce latte at many barista places.
But Intelligentsia does it different, they add 4 ounces of milk only to the double shot of espresso, and it’s in a smaller cup of about 6 ounces. So it’s more in the direction of a Cortado, compared to many shops which make it a full 8 ounces..
I had it with the shot of vanilla syrup, and that took the edge off the harshness of the espresso for me.
Quite yummy!

October 31, 2021 update

I tried the excellent Avena Latte Seasonal Drink, which is the Black Cat Latte made with Oat milk and spiced with ginger, cinnamon, vanilla, and orange peel. I got the optional sprinkling of cayenne. I was skeptical of the oat milk, but the barista said that it’s a core part of the drink so I accepted it. And the drink was excellent! The cayenne bites hard initially and then becomes a nice background tingle. I love the mix of spices as a nice fall drink, and it’s an unusual and tasty alternative to the typical pumpkin spice latte offerings.

They have indoor seating as well as the two nice areas of outdoor seating, and a couple of benches.

My favorite is their mocha, which has a nice dry darker chocolate taste and is one of the best mocha‘s in my area.
I’m also a big fan of their ham and cheese croissant from Forge bakery which has everything seasoning on top of it. Very flaky and tasty and definitely best shared so that you don’t get all those calories yourself!

If you are driving, their driveway is one way flow, northbound, from Mount Auburn Street to Belmont Street. I can often find parking in their 5 off street spots.

Best coffee. Price reflects the high quality. Great batistas :)

Cozy spot tucked away off the road. Parking out front. Clean, modern bar with artful coffee and pastries. Of the big coffee chains, intelligentsia reigns supreme, in my opinion. And this may be my favorite spot of theirs I've tried.

The vanilla latte, sweet bun, and chocolate chip cookies were all delicious. Staff was great. Parking was limited though.

I'm a fan on Intelligentsia and was happy when I found their second location in the Boston area. This one is so different from the one in the financial district, yet has such a cool vibe as well. Coffee is good as always, service fast and friendly, they also sell pastries and some merchandising. There's seating inside and a few seats outside. It can be easily overseen from the street, watch out for the sign (picture). Nice spot to get some caffeine in your system on a trip to Fresh pond or Mt Auburn!

Great coffee. Tasty scone. Kind and helpful staff. Welcoming and fresh atmosphere. Loved it. Will go back.

I got a really nice latte, and just like it is decribed, finely crafted foam. Highly enjoyable. The foam lasted throughout the drink even until I about finished it-I loved that -at some places the top foam disappears in 30 seconds or less, so this was much appreciated. I could really taste the espresso through the frothiness, it was terrific, like it's supposed to be, which is also something that does not always happen at other places.

a cozy coffee shop. I ordered a oatmilk cappuccino which had a strange taste, but other people had said in other reviews that it’s an acquired taste so I probably wasn’t used to it. My sister tried the hot chocolate and loved it!

Friendly staff, Perfect latte, free wifi & a few parking spots. Good place for reading or meeting a friend. Sometimes it can be difficult to find seat but it’s worth it.