Yay I'm a fan, mainly because they do make a darn good cup of coffee and we can buy consistently good fair trade dark roast coffee. I personally don't like their lattes and fancy drinks, but do like their teas and tea selection. I do agree with a lot of other reviews that their hours are lacking, there have been many a night that at about 7:30pm while I'm walking around I'd just like a cup of tea and really can't since they're closed. I live with a celiac and they do not have any wheat free options other than ice cream that I am aware of, but then they don't have a full kitchen so I'm not going to hold that against them. I also think that they'd do well to take on Lizzy's in the area of frozen desserts. Competition is always good. read more

The coffee is great and the staff are always friendly! The only suggestion I would make is that they need some breakfast sandwiches not just pastries. read more

I purchased a coffee and a muffin, totaled about $6. More than I would have liked however supplanted by the quality. The coffee was dark and rich, something I could sip all day with a smile on my face. The default for coffee is in a mug, quite a nice touch. I've tried many muffins and have seen a host of good and bad. The muffins at Cafe on the Common are some of the best I've had. It had nuance and texture, perfectly sized with a sufficiently rounded top. Quite superb. I returned a week later and got the same order with equally excellent quality. I was even greeted with a smile as if I was recognized, color me surprised! If you are in the area, this cafe is worth visiting. read more

Love this place! Nice people, atmosphere and reasonably priced and the coffee and pastry was perfect!

I've been coming to this cafe for years and I have to say it's always great. The staff are friendly and the coffee is always excellent. Occasionally I order the zesty grilled cheese which is delicious. I will be moving out of Waltham soon but I hope to still visit cafe on the common in the future! read more

I've only recently started coming here, but it's a great place to study. I'm from Seattle, so I'm a fan of quirky, bustling coffee shops. There's free wifi, so it's perfect, and the staff is pretty friendly. The coffee is good, organic and fair trade, which is always a plus. They also have a good variety of loose leaf teas, which you can get in a little tea pot :) The food all looks really good, tons of patries and cakes, also quiche and burritos and sandwiches, but I have yet to try of them. I recommend this place to study, work, or meet with friends. read more

I am often here doing my graduate school work on my laptop. The cafe is large and can accommodate the different types of people- parents of young children, business people having meetings, students and other clientele. The coffee is delicious as a good cafe's should be, and the scones and cookies which are made in house are also very good. Although it does get busy during lunchtime, there is high turnover. read more

Went there July 25th. I asked if they had House Salad, and a women looked at me as if I was talking in different language. I ordered a salad with lettuce, red pepper, and tomato and olives with chicken. Chicken pieces wasn't big and wasn't a lot of them. Lemon tarts are good though but expensive. $3.50 just for a small tart. read more

Was my first time here , it looks like a bar and looks like mexican restaurant didn't have good time

Pretty good cappuccino, not overly bitter. It wasn't as wet as I like it, but that's my only complaint. The food isn't great. Pre-made sandwiches and microwaved quiche. The interior is a little odd. The space is huge, but has tile floors which make it really loud. It's not the kind of place you'd want to hang out in for a while. My suspicion is that CotC originated as one of the wave of 90's "this coffee isn't terrible!" coffee shops and it hasn't changed much since it's somehow the only coffee shop in Waltham. read more

A great spot for coffee, tasty desserts, and warm, relaxing atmosphere. I only wish it were open til midnight and more of them around!

I think for fair trade/organic coffee, the prices are reasonable. The variety of freshly baked scones is nice too. I wish they had loyalty cards/frequent buyer punch cards. read more

lo, there is no one can find a good hot cocoa in waltham, nor a good place to just sit and be content. the day i came, it was helllla hot in here even though it was quite chilly outside. my "small" cocoa was tiny and $3.50 and didn't have the good looking people / atmosphere necessary to balance out how expensive / subpar the drink was. i also got a pumpkin tart and it was okay. oh, waltham. if only back pages books was a coffeeshop. read more

I ordered a "Waltham Fog" today (subbed Irish Breakfast for the Earl Grey) and it was delicious. Only been living in Waltham for maybe 2 months, but I've already been here about a dozen times. Pretty much just what you want in a café--spacious, tasty beverages, friendly staff, cozy, unpretentious, central location, and customers from all walks. Thanks for being great! read more

was here once to have a coffee and work on a grad paper. it was OK, the server/cashier was a bit surly, at least not very warming, but i guess without a Starbucks or equiv in the 02453 (whats up with out one, but 7 Dunks) this place will get by, nothing extraordinary here. read more

I like this place but considering its location (Brandeis/Bentley), why aren't they open later? It would be so nice to come out of an early eve movie and sit down to have coffee and a nice dessert! read more

This place is like the cafe in Fried Green Tomatoes transplanted in the suburban northeast. High tin ceilings, the sound of ceramic coffee mugs clinking together, and homemade gastronomic delights all make me think so. read more

I've used CotC as a meeting place a few times, either with classmates (my school is right up the street) or new roommates. I like that it has two seperate seating areas so that you can either be crowded into the main cafe itself, or sit off to the side with a little more privacy. The main problem I've had is that every time I've been in there, without fail, the first 3 things I order on the menu are things they happen to be out of. And, no, it's not always the same 3 things. How does that even happen? Where is your stock?? The food's alright, the coffee's nothing to rant about, and service is.. meh. I wasn't upset with the staff, they just weren't any masters of customer service. However, on a positive note, it is a nice quiet place to sit and do work.. but so is Starbucks. read more

So much potential, but falls rather short. Particularly due to the hours. This seems like a perfect place for a cup of tea and dessert after eating at one of Waltham's many eating establishments, but it closes at 6 PM. They could tap into a whole other market if they stayed open late. I've had tea, hot apple cider, and ice cream here and all have been suitable, but I don't go here often because of their stinky poo hours. read more

Good mocha but the staff is so rude and unfriendly that I drive the extra 10 minutes to Starbucks.

My favorite coffee shop in Waltham. Staff are very friendly, coffee is delicious, and food is great (salads, sandwiches, pastries). Best part is that it's a dog friendly cafe! Wish they had gluten-free bread, but that's just me. read more

This is the only Coffee house in Waltham making an effort to be cultivated. It's much better than Starbucks because it has very good baked items, a design-your-own sandwich menu, better décor and plenty of spacious seating. Generally the products offered here are very good and the concept attracts a discerning, intellectual local crowd. I'd like to address some misgivings brought up by other reviewers: the main problem with any non-chain bakery/café for the customer is inadequate staff training (see Hi-Rise Bakery). This formula involves several skill/operations in a relatively small area: operating the espresso machine, building sandwiches, grabbing baked goods, and cashing customers. Typically in an untrained environment, the staff person taking your order will create your order. This leads to staff climbing over each other, staff switching tasks too frequently and thus getting confused, and staff fingers that touch money also touching food. Behind the counter is where Starbucks excels. If some meaningful order could be established behind the counter at Café on the Common, I think the staff would be more cheerful. That said, I'm really only addressing other reviewers, I've never felt annoyed by the staff here. I do agree, however, that the service process could be brought up a notch. read more

Apparently this place is super busy at 3 p.m., waited in line for 15 minutes. Ordered a large Chai tea latte and a red velvet cupcake -- Amazing! Great presentation, cupcake didn't get crushed on the ride back to work and has a really good cream cheese frosting. The frosting is pretty dense but the flavor is wow. read more

Nice place to read and study. Cafe's very spacious~!

Nice atmosphere. Great big windows with lots of natural light. Free wi-fi without a time limit. Lots of food options and tea/coffee options. A bit over priced, but food is good quality, put together well, and they even have a few vegetarian options. Chai latte has no flavor (waste of money!). And the staff is lame. Not very talkative or particularly helpful. They served me very nice tea without a plate to put the bag on! Anyone who knows anything about tea knows that oversteeping makes even the best tea bitter. I've been back, just to do homework. Thank fully that's what others seem to be doing here, too. read more

Cant say anything to bad about the place. food was ok. music wasnt bad and service was friendly. However it didnt have that ambiance I PERSONALLY look for in a coffee shop. Less indie and hip, with more of a comfy, diner feel. as an ex-west coaster I was a little disappointed by the local independent coffee shop. read more

Love their chicken burritos. Flavorful and generous, one of my favorite burrito places around. It's a hangout for a lot of creative types.

Ahh coffee in Boston, such a challenge. These guys do a pretty good job though. With a La Marzocco 4-group Linea and Mazzer grinders they put together a decent cappuccino. Lots of space for camping out with your mac, open wifi. read more

A friend and I wanted to meet up in a spot that was mutually convenient to each of our homes, and Waltham just happened to be a convenient location- neither of us had been to Cafe on the Common before but I was pleasantly surprised by my experience there. They do almost all of their baking in-house, and I had a delicious lemon-blueberry scone. Not dry like a traditional scone, so beware, but it was moist, rich & delicious. I also got a pretty good Americano (not the best, not the worst), and the seating was comfy and spacious. A great place to do some reading or catch up with a friend. The staff was helpful & very nice too! Only negative (not cafe related per se) is that the meters on the street only go for one hour, and we both got tickets one minute after the meters ran out! I didn't experience any of the negativity that other reviewers expressed, but business was slow at the time I went. As a long time independent coffee shop employee (not ever at this cafe, scouts honor) I think it's important to support a small locally owned business and let the manager know when you experience poor service so that they can correct it. More often than not, they want very badly to run a great place, and feedback in person (not on yelp) from patrons is the best way to get your point across. So, if you're on the fence about going here, I'd definitely say at least give it a shot - better than a chain any day! read more

Worst. Chai. In. My. Life. YECH! Ordered the largest chai tea latte they could give me this past weekend as I needed a pick up for the busy day ahead. What did I get? An extra large cup of luke-warm chai flavored water. I almost spat it out. I would have complained but I didn't want to be rude, now I'm glad I didn't after reading these other reviews about the rude wait staff. That would not have been a good encounter I bet. Basically I feel like they stole my $4. NOT HAPPY. The only good things here? How spacious it is and the pastries. But a cafe should be known for their drinks! read more

This place is a great location in Waltham, has plenty of wide, tall space, and the service staff are generally friendly. I typically get latté; it's never too sweet, or overpowering caffeine. There's also soups and salads which I've tried a few times, and found satisfactory. read more

Excellent atmosphere, food, super coffee in taste and size too. They even have great looking xmas tree read more

Cafe on the Common - Sandwiches Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

Great coffee, fresh and tasty food, wifi and a bright, quiet and relaxed atmosphere. Just a friendly cafe in the middle of Waltham! I just wish they were open later and had a few more outlets... read more

The best coffee (espresso) in Boston. Great crew of people, best wraps, comfortable atmosphere & best salads at reasonable prices.!! Bernadette B read more

Nice atmosphere, grab your favorite cup or tea and relax in one of their comfy chairs, read a book or hop on their wifi. A great meeting place for you and a friend. They have ice cream in the warmer months and hot cider in the fall! read more

I stumbled on to this amazing and cute shop. I am in Waltham for a view months and NOT a Starbucks fan. I love going to coffee shops that have character. This one has a delightful ambiance. Great vanilla lattes, a large selection of food items. Yummy scones and they are not dry. They have freshly baked Hermits. The lunch menu is vast for a shop this size. The shop is clean, bright and cheerful. The front counter people are friendly. The atmosphere is comfortable. What more can I say? Don't go to Starbucks. Take the time to go to Cafe on the Common. See you there!! read more

They make the best lattes and cappuccinos in Waltham that I know of. Also, really good bean coffee to take home. The pastries are okay, but forgettable. Downside: Often no tables are available, lines are long, and the service is sometimes slow. Oh well, good cap's take time to make. read more

I really like this place. I end up in there a few times a week for coffee. Lunch is good , burritos and sandwiches are about 8 bucks which is a little pricey compared to other places but the quality food is really high. Ive been to plenty of other coffee/sandwich shops in the greater Boston area and this is as good as they come. Also the building that the shop is in beautiful. read more

Given that cafes are a rather scare breed in Waltham (there is a Dunkin further down), this joint is definitely up there. The space is large and the arrangement is rather nice overlooking the commons. The cappuccino here is quite amazing and done right not some milky concoction that you'd get at starbucks. Finally the music is noticeably good - straight ahead jazz for the most part. It only sucks when the wifi is broken which is a rare event. read more

I have visited the Cafe on the Common several times. It is a great place to meet friends. The coffee is very good, but a tad on the expensive side. The selection of coffee, coffee drinks, tea and other beverages is impressive. I have had their pastries, which are so good and fresh. They often have a fresh fruit cup available, which is very nice. The location is great, with plenty of parking in the garage that is a 1/2 block away. The seating is very comfortable, and the big, open area is bright, but surprisingly quiet for such a busy shop. read more