Reviews of George Howell Coffee (Coffee Shop)

SSS

Five stars if based only on coffee they got deducted a star because of the egregious price. If you are okay with paying an arm and leg for good coffee ☕️ this is the place for you. They have detailed technique and delicious brews.

faraz firoozabadi

Best coffee in town !

john eckert

Their coffee is ok they used to have good food but now only pastries. Some of the baristas can be a bit grouchy but they are all real people and they act like real people. This is an good place to people watch

Dominic Lopriore

George Howell coffee roasts some of my favorite coffees. I frequently buy beans for home use. I can't really comment on the quality of everything on the menu, but I found that they pull their espresso on the harsher side, the coffee cake is great, and the staff seems to know what they are doing with cappuccinos. I haven't had one there I'm a while, but I remember it being pretty good. If you are going here to buy coffee for home, you won't be disappointed with the selection and variety. I have had great experience with the Nicaraguan coffees here.

Rayleen Tritt

Perfection! Best coffee shop in New England hands down!!!

Daniia Roxyo

great service

Mark Sheldon

Best coffee anywhere.

David Johnson

Best espresso in Greater Boston. Mochas are amazing as well, using Taza chocolate.

Samara Peters

This coffee was amazing. So smooth and tasty. Small cafe, but very cozy.

Asaf Gaon

Awesome coffee shop

Alexander Cristofaro

Awesome beans from Kenya and South America. The coffee was roasted within 4 days ago and even includes time of harvest for the enthusiasts

Paige Guy

Cortada with a maple shot was amazing. The guy who has one every morning is truly great at his job! (Didn’t get his name)

Zach Swanson

George Howell is a fixture of coffee in New England and his cafe does not disappoint. Coffee beans are roasted locally in Acton and served fresh here - and the staff is meticulous in ensuring that only fresh beans are served. Baristas are well trained and expert in the craft. The only downsides are the small space and the crowds - the place is packed in the mornings.

Natalia Tapia

Good coffee but very slow service

Joseph Kaming-Thanassi

George Howell never fails to impress. Some of the best coffee and espresso around.

Dick Dawson

Simply the best coffee in Boston or anywhere. Go.

Jared Woods

Some of the best coffee ever, definitely the best coffee in the Boston area.

Sid Swenson

Nice place with good coffee. Loved how the staff here treat and talk to customers. This is what I expect from a place such as George Howell coffee. Not my first and not my last visit.

Anahita Vieira

Such friendly baristas and delicious iced tea + desserts. Thank you!!!

Chris Ferguson

GH is one of my 3 go-to cafes when I want a real coffee drink and/or a good pastry. The only reason I have three options is location based, they aren't everywhere. (Just FYI to readers, Starbucks is NOT in my top 3 of go-to cafes). If you are in Newton or Boston, swing by for a good espresso based or cold brew drink. Their beans are also amazing, it is our primary bean for our espresso machine at home.

Dan Kalantar

One of the best roasters in Boston, and a great coffee shop. I believe this is the original location and probably the best.

Darren Rosebrugh

Had a really great drip coffee here selected off the specials board. Usually, I add some sugar to coffee, but this was good enough that it didn't need a thing. The atmosphere is really good too.

Lev Agranovich, EA MSA CFC PA CDFA

George Howell was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Specialty Coffee Association of America in 1996, for having raised specialty coffee quality standards to a new level through his Massachusetts based company The Coffee Connection (1974 – 1994). He had grown The Coffee Connection into 24 company-owned stores in the Northeast, and sold his high-quality popular coffee company to Starbucks in 1994.

Gautam Ramchandani

The coffee here is amazing! They also give you a free iced coffee with the purchase of a line of their coffee beans.

Mark Poirier

The only coffee shop I need! George Howell is top 3 cafes in the metro Boston area for me. Coffee and espresso drinks are crafted to perfection. I really appreciate that they give you a free beverage with a purchase of beans. Pastries aren’t made in house but are always fresh and delicious. Definitely worth a visit.

Katherine Broderick

Always excellent, friendly service and great coffee. The ceramic mugs are nice. Good WiFi.

Dajana Doutlik

Nice, neat coffee shop

Alex T

Whenever I am in the Boston area, George Howell is my go to coffee spot. George Howell has fantastic coffee and I always grab a bag of beans to take home with me on my way out.

Marie Pruessmann

One of the best coffees I had in Boston!!

Alexia B.

Good drip coffee for boston but 10 bucks for a pour over?? Come on. I've been to dozens of upscale coffee places all over the US and never have I seen exorbitant prices like this.

Shelton Guo

Good coffee but the place is a bit small

Karen Wang

Slow, poor service. Good baked goods and coffee

Emilia Diamant

Great coffee, at OK prices. The folks behind the counter are quite nice, and the food is also delicious. I highly recommend a frozen hot chocolate in the summer. Good for a light breakfast/lunch as well!

Wesley Alford

Always friendly customer service, with the best coffee I've ever had. There's a ton of different whole bean roasts to buy from traditional to experimental.

Mike

Cute little coffee shop in Newton near the train station. Overall I found the coffee to be good, but not amazing (I had their house blend espresso). On par with Starbucks I’d say. The shop is small but clean and well decorated. The staff was friendly and the service was quick. The tables were full of individuals on their Mac’s so it seems to be a popular working place. I may come back again if I’m in the area.

hannah buan

Super friendly staff, LOVE the manager and baristas - makes nice conversation in a warm setting

Abraham Sachariah

Best coffee in the entire area. The George Howell staff takes your order with care. If you do to-go bring your own reusable cup. I think they give a slight discount for that.

PJ Shapiro

Excellent coffee.

Jessica Polito

Great coffee, nice people

Grace Sullivan

Quaint coffee shop

Joel Tenenbaum

One of two good coffee places that I've been able to find in Newton. Excellent coffee, staff, atmosphere, espresso. Also try L'Aroma in West Newton.

Kyle Paczkowski

The only coffee shop that has coffee worth paying for.

John Holland

so much yes, possibly one of the best cups of coffee around, delicious snacks, and fun company - all around George-ous experience... sorry I'm a little over caffeinated.

James Pansarasa

Great coffee! So good to see George roasting. I mourned for years the loss of the Coffee Connection.

Brett Felter

I thought this place was terrible. The environment is somewhat toxic, at least when my wife and I went. Very uninviting to certain groups of people. Loud and uncomfortable seating area. The staff were not friendly and again uninviting. Asking them to repeat themselves on a question they asked was a great chore. The tea was ok and the coffee was nicely presented but again subpar. Don't recommend this place but maybe another time with different staff you might get a different outcome.

John D'Amore

Best coffee for purchase by pound in suburbs. Highly recommend!

Sam Archer

Great selection of coffees for retail and service. It was bustling when I visited on Saturday morning. I came to this shop because I ran out of filters for my Hario coffee dripper, and this is one of a handful of cafes that always seems to have them in stock. I picked up a bag of beans as well and got half off a Chemex hand pour coffee, the Rwanda Kansu. Service was quick despite the busy morning, and the coffee is delicious!

brielle8383

Amazing coffee!! The latte drink was fabulous!

Jason DeFuria

Nice, knowledgeable staff and great coffee and espresso options.

Benjamin Trigani

A lovely selection of coffees,tea,and pastries.

Mandy Reynolds

Really great service, even on a large order! The coconut iced tea was SO delicious.

Asha Marshall

Expensive homemade lemonade that taste horrible! I think this is more of a place concerned with Aesthetic. Also, when I walked in all eyes were on me...why?

Steven Yoo

Best coffee in Massachusetts. Wonderful light roasts that bring out all the nuance and character of each region's beans

Ron Peleg

Best coffee and service in the Boston area! Been going here for years and it's always made perfect. Whether you're a coffee connoisseur or not this place has everything you need - for treats and various drinks. I love this spot!

Benjamin Wittenberg

Great for coffee and pastries

Devon A

Amazing quality. My first latte here was so incredible that I ordered a second one as soon as I finished the first cup. They also have great food. Only drawback is how cramped it can get in there when it's busy. Also, the music they play (at least the times I've been there) has been annoying 90s pop. They should really play café jazz / anonymous acoustic type stuff which would better suit the atmosphere.

Eli Gelfand

Best coffee aroubd

Sergio C Jaramillo

In a world of pretentious coffee purveyors, these guys do it right and do it well. The pour-overs are executed the right way and the coffee is delicious. Having only tried a few different varieties, I was afraid to post but am confident in what I've purchased this far, that the rest of their offerings more than pass muster. It gets crowded on the weekends; buy beans to go and enjoy it from home.

Mike S

Delicious!

Igor K

Local cafe - very decent coffee and small but tasty variety of pastries. A couple of tables outside.

Thaer Momani

One of the few places that take due diligence in making a decent cup of coffee. Their hand poured coffee choices are a must. Make sure to watch them as they prepare your coffee with passion and enjoyment

Seth Galentine

Excellent beans and phenomenal coffee.

Anmol Sharma

That's some GOOD coffee.

Andrew Smith

A very small coffee shop on Walnut Street in Newtonville that deserves its good reputation. Excellently prepared espresso drinks, staffed by friendly personnel. The few small tables are usually occupied.

Andy Scholand

Amazing coffee latte - perfectly roasted.

Maurice Karpman

The best coffee I've had in a long time. Nice ambience, friendly staff.

R F

Best coffee bar in Newton, maybe all of Boston

Xiao Chen

I'm less of a coffee drinker than a flavor taster. A great holiday starts with a good drip of the day. Chocolate, apple, walnut, a drip of all the good stuff.

Marco Ocana

Simply the best coffee shop in Newton. All kinds of espresso drinks professionally prepared. A choice of exotic coffees from around the world a available for pour-over. And a great selection of freshly roasted whole bean coffee from George Howells online store that can be picked up without the S&H fee. They also have some teas and baked goods, but coffee is the star of the show. Only complaint is seating is limited and tables are squished together awkwardly. There are a few seats at the counter as well.

Shelly Levy

Excellent coffee, great service in cozy atmosphere. Although when I cleared the table and mistakenly brought dishes to the counter instead of putting in the bin, another server was snippy.

Ralph Reed

Very tasty

Krista Chavez

Decent local place, coffee ok not great.

Bill Hahn

For those of you who remember the old Coffee Connection this is George Howells new store and it's fantastic this is where to buy your high grade excellent coffee, with every bag of coffee you get a free coffee to drink there as well.

Skip Paul

Superior coffee specializing on single estate beans which are locally roasted.

Enrique Lozano

Great attention to detail with the espresso. The atmosphere isn't great (small, crowded), but I'm voting solely on the quality of the coffee.

Dylan Mashini

Good Coffee.

Oleksiy Lysenko

Cortado not rich, muffin is dry.

Peter Morris

Excellent coffee, though pricey. Very disappointed they recently stopped giving tabs for a small coffee with purchase of beans. Staff turns over (too) frequently.

Michael Nestrud

Incredible coffee experience!

Timothy Killilea

Some of the menu is simple, but the coffee options are diverse, at George Howell Coffee. Named Taste years ago, the George Howell brand became something of a more popular coffee name amongst locals and internationals alike. The drip coffee was a bit fruity the day I tried it, however, the roast and bean may vary depending on the day. The coffeeshop does offer some food options, however, this is a place for a good cup of coffee, and some excellent tea. Parking is generally available, but on busy days you will find it difficult. A parking lot behind the coffeeshop was recently demolished to put in housing, so be aware that parking space is even more limited. Try their turmeric latte!

Rosanna Pacitti

Love their coffee, great variety of brews. Delicious scones. Highly recommend

Austin Jones

Great locally roasted coffee. Free coffee/espresso if you buy a bag.

Chasser

Coffee is sensational. The waiter is also very knowledgeable and can direct you on what and how to buy.

Lindsey Athanasiou

Hands down my favorite coffee ever. You're doing yourself a disservice if you come to Boston and don't try it. Really cool backstory, expertly curated and roasted beans, cool and comfortable cafes, knowledgeable baristas, everything you'd want! I have as many off-site meetings as I can at GH. And I buy all my beans there for home brewing. Can't say enough good stuff about this place and their coffee. Go, go, go.

Sergey V.

The service isn't good. They are friendly till you know which coffee you want. Either way they will confuse you to the moody state and don’t even say a good word back at the end

Keith Kaminski

The coffee and atmosphere are nice. 5 stars for the cafe. But, George Howell no longer puts a roast date on their bagged coffee. $18 plus a pound for stale beans is absurd.

Jennifer Nelson

Nice local spot to stop by and grab a great cup of coffee. I prefer it over the local Starbucks. The staff is always friendly, too.

Quentin Fennessy

First quality coffee, great atmosphere and staff.

Angela Nicholapolous

They have awesome coffee! The flavors are amazing...I have a sweet tooth so I usually get the ones with caramel! Definitely worth trying!

PunkAndOtherStuff -

Great lattes and hot cocoa but food is average and staff are snappy if you come with more than 2 people

Spencer Ross

Starbucks wouldn't be if not for this place. George Howell was the original coffee snob. It's nice to have a place in the area that has solid, direct trade coffee, where relationships with farmers cycle back into quality coffee, and where baristi are coffee-competent rather than towing a marketing line. Oh, and the pastries are great also.

Jonathan Montanez

This place has fantastic coffee.

tim humphreys

Good coffee and art too

eamonn kelly

Hi end, which these days means lighter roast coffee. If that's your thing, its probably great. If you like something darker, go around the corner to Starbucks.

Kevin Osborn

Excellent coffee friendly staff and a small selection of good pastries. It’s a reliable place to get freshly roasted beans from a variety’s of countries.

Laurie Singletary

Starbucks is closed, visit this lovely shop around the corner!

Dariel

Love George Howell coffee! I've never seen a roaster with such a variety of different coffees available from around the world. You can make an argument they are the best coffee roasters in Massachusetts. The baristas are all very well trained and are very friendly and knowledgeable. They also will include a free drink if you buy a bag of coffee! Such a shame that people in Newton are going across the street to Starbucks when they have such a gem here.

Lucas Browne

Love this cafe and everyone who works there. Best coffee in Newton by a long shot!

samar .a

Great coffee taste, 4 stars because coffe wasn't very hot. More like warm

Viktor Goldmakher

Starbucks coffee cannot compare with the taste of George Howell excellent coffee

Colubrifer x

The best coffee in the suburbs, maybe the best in Boston. Cozy little place to hang out & the baristas are friendly. Pastries are pretty good too!

Kol Chu Birke

Solid upscale coffee shop.

Jim Courville

Great coffee, some of the best in Boston!

Kay Miller

coffee shops tend to be the same ol same of - even non-chain ones like this . but this is owned by Mr. howell , one of the most knowledgeable people regarding coffee . consequently their java is topnotch , and you have a diverse crowd , which makes this one of the more interesting places in town . the workers are great - and go the extra steps to make you feel welcome . between the diversity of the customers and the small coffee shop feel , this is one of the better coffee shops anywhere . one can tell there's a lot of love and detail .

Thomas Barrasso

Great espresso options, haven’t tried the drip yet. Prices are normal for the area and quality. The Newton location is fairly small and the indoor seating could be improved (uncomfortable chairs and tables that wobble).

Jan Taylor

I've been here before for coffee, which is quite good. Stopped in this morning with my husband to get a breakfast sandwich. We sat at the coffee bar and chatted with Matt, who is the new manager. Such an engaging and nice person - he really made the experience. We will be back because he was so pleasant and the coffee/food are delicious.

mohdع muneer

Overpriced cup of pour over coffee

Altaf Rana

We came all the way from Lexington but we were greatly disappointed that this coffee did not meet our expectations. Cappuccino we ordered was not hot enough.

Swetha Valas

Small cafe but cosy. Their tea menu is amazing!

Adam Clark

George Howell has some of the best coffee around. The majority of my visits here are to purchase bags of coffee to brew at home. The customer service is great. I pick my bag of coffee, tell them what kind of coffee maker I will be using and they grind it for me. Plus you get a free small coffee with the purchase! The coffee is definitely not the cheapest, but you get what you pay for.

Dmytro Florov

Not the best place to hang out, but the do brew the best coffee in the area. They constantly use new sorts, which is fun.

Matthieu Tahmasebi

pretty over rated and i don't know why! Cappuccino was very bad and pastries were nothing special. Pretty small, cold and uncomfortable place.

Yasmin Diederiks

Great coffee and friendly staff.

Howard King

Excellent place. Latte's are legit.

Alex Feinberg

Not sure Newton even deserves coffee this good.

Elysia Moy

Cozy and warm coffee shop, great for meetings! I'd totally come again, but maybe order something else. I got the Turmeric "Golden" Latte with almond milk, and it was ok. It was made from a turmeric tea, rather than ground turmeric and its other spice friends. The barista made my friend's mocha with beautiful latte art, and she was super friendly. When we were on the way out, she made sure to say bye. Something I want George Howell Coffee to change is to be more environmentally conscious. They do not have a recycling bin. However, they ask each customer "for here" or "to go" to give people a chance to use their mugs, which I appreciate.

Andre Tol

Way better coffee than the Starbucks next door.

Ricky Ojeda

Great coffee comes with a high price. This is better than Starbucks and way cheaper! I will gladly pay their prices because of the quality of their coffee.

Michael Alfaro

Best chocolate croissant i have had in a very long time. The best thing is that they are warm a fresh out of the oven. Very good coffee and oat milk!

Peter Kronberg

3 places to get espresso around here, George Howell's, Cafe Fixe in Brookline near Beacon and Washington Street and Simon's near Porter Square in Cambridge.

Mary Sue Ankner

A perfect cup of iced coffee. Love that they have simple syrup.

Nick Burka

Great coffee- had a superb cafe au lait- and the pastries are tasty too. It's a small place so seats fill up fast.

Luis Escobar Jr.

Good coffee

Celia De Pinho

Excellent capuccino

David Hayrikyan

Expensive, but delicious and effective. Once a week it's a cool place to grab something nice.

Daphne Petri

It is the best coffee in the Boston area. I never understand why anyone would stand in lines at Starbucks .... Also recommend the morning egg sandwiches.

Matthew Henderson

The coffee is great and the staff always friendly to me. Today I accidentally knocked over my half consumed macchiato and they brought me a whole new one!

Beata Pawska

Best London Fog Tea Latte with soy milk!

Bonnie Berger

Best espresso in the area! Great staff.

Adelle Fitzpatrick

Great coffee, good baristas and you get a free coffee or espresso when you buy beans. Will definitely be our go to for the area!

David Rose

Best place for a latte in Newton

Molly Troy

With my limited coffee vocabulary, this coffee is some of the best I’ve had, because it’s so smooth, has so much flavor and richness without being burnt.

Shae Riedinger

amazing food, drinks and service loved the atmosphere!

Christopher Vane

Expensive, but the mocha is delicious.

Yu-Tsun Shao

Their dirty chai is by far the closest I can get in the US to the standard I've had in Melbourne.

Bill Blanchette

Very friendly staff, good quality coffee

C.W. CHUCK Self

ONE OF THE FINEST CAPPUCCINO I HAVE EVER TASTED. ** A GREAT TAKE ** FINE COFFEE HERE, VERY BUSY ONE OF THE BEST IN ALL OF METRO CAMBRIDGE/SOMERVILLE GREAT LATTES, TOP NOTCH CLASS COFFEE 3RD WAVE COFFEE RULES

Ameen Zafar

Perfect coffee. Good atmosphere. High quality.

Chris Wirth

Great coffee, but not the best atmosphere.

Ahi Kodi

Good quality coffee

Tommy Xia

One of THE best latte and chocolate croissant I've ever had in the region!! The drinks and food could be a little bit pricey, but nice place to stop by and grab a drink!

Kristina Alekseeva

Perfect cappuccino!

Ilir Bajraktari

The best espresso in Newton and Watertown

Komphak Eng

Quirky and intimate little coffee shop.

Nb Rj

The manager is very rude and not friendly,most of the customers go to Starbucks because of her she doesn’t Have any skills to be a manager. I have come to this coffee place in (newton) for a long time,she is the worst manager. Most of the managers I know they are way better than her .she is not good for business

richard lambert

I'm here every morning. The coffee is really, really good

Comedia CHS

Ambiance was amazing and coffee was exquisite

Naveen Venkataraman

The best coffee around.

Badea M

Best lavanderlatte in the WORLD ,thank you guys!

Mike Ciolino

Great community cafe who really care about quality of coffee beverages serviced.

terri

Excellent spot for pretentious hipsters with something to prove! Coffee is gross and expensive.

Ben Bayes

Great coffee!

Joshua Thomas

Blehhhh. It was better as Taste.

Grant Smith

The first and best

Alex Rosen

The espresso drinks are all great here. I feel like they may have changed the vanilla syrup they use though, because I can't drink it anymore. Pastries are always fresh and delicious. All in all, a cozy place to grab a bite to eat.

KokLeong Tham

Lovely coffee, very popular local place

Matthew Roberts

As good as coffee can get.