Had a hot chocolate here. It was decent. But the location is amazing. Very scenic surroundings. Grabbed a drink and sat by the tiny South Natick dam. read more

Used to be called "Monks", or something. This is a coffee shop worth a visit. I really enjoy having a cup o' Joe, here. It's right across from the dam across the Charles River with a little park, Bacon Free Library, etc. read more

I love the location & the atmosphere here. They offer a variety of coffees & teas, lunches & treats also. Only turn off for me was watching one of the women that works there continually applying make-up in full view of the customers & not washing her hands after touching her face (having worked many years in the restaurant industry in various capacities this is a no-no). Service can be hit or miss. Have had great experiences & mediocre ones as well. Usually we take our treats across the street & sit by the Charles. read more

Always pretty good little independent shop. Good coffee and pretty clean place. Staff always efficient. Nice spot to check out, walk across Street for great scenery. read more

I tried the latte here - sorry guys, it was awful. I think even McDonald's latte is better. 3 stars because they have huge food menu. However I didn't try any food here. read more

This place STILL has absolutely no idea what they're doing with an espresso machine, which is a shame for a place that sources such good beans. Unfortunately it doesn't matter how good your beans are if you don't know how to pull a proper shot. read more

This place has pretty good coffee but they completely lack hygiene and common sanitary practices. Go for the coffee but skip the food.

Nice coffee house. Great staff and atmosphere. The iced coffee is really good. I'll be coming back

I made a Yelp account specifically because of my experience here today. Having come to this coffee shop for a while, my experiences used to be great. However, over time the quality of service has gone downhill. When friends would say this place was over priced or overrated, I would defend them but not anymore. Today I ordered a wrap and was met by a quite ornery staff person. First off, they dropped the order slip on the ground and picked it up with the gloves on their hands that would be preparing my food. Thanks, I'm glad to be eating your floor germs. I was willing to overlook this and put faith in my immune system. After receiving my food to go, I later noticed there was no pickle or chips like normal and the person didn't even bother to cut the wrap in half. It was like a big burrito. Also, the employee forgot to add specific ingredients that belong in said sandwich. It was extremely disappointing to drop $13 on a wrap and a small iced coffee to get some pissed off employee who didn't even bother to try getting the order right. Sadly, this will be the last time I come back. It's a shame too because their hard chai is amazing, as is the John Eliot breakfast sandwich. The recent service experiences make it an easy place to abandon. Get new employees. read more

Although I like the coffee and bagels here, my most recent experience here will have me going elsewhere. The woman behind the counter was condescending, rude and careless--not exactly what I'm looking for as I start my day. A sign on the door indicated that they are looking for help and that applicants must be willing to work. I'd recommend that they also look for people willing to serve customers--you know, the reason they're in business. read more

Went for a mid afternoon sandwich. Each of us had a sandwich that was minimal in terms of ingredients, average bread. Just not a good value. Quality of ingredients was lacking. Would not come back. read more

walked out after another patron came in to return her blueberry muffin and the guy at the counter took it back and proceeded to put the muffin back on the tray to sell to another customer.. disgusting! read more

Coffee house is on my route to work. At other coffee houses they have usually been very helpful when I request medium coffees in a large cup. I usually do this to avoid coffee spilled in my car. I think the owner thought I was trying to cheat his establishment out of more coffee. Found the owner cheap and unfriendly. For sure will never set foot in the shop again. Other than the owner, the ladies that work there are the friendliest bunch. read more

Gonna give this place 4 stars instead of 5 because of my experience here yesterday, i usually go in here maybe 3-4 times a month and there is this girl who waits on me and does a 5 star job shes fast and never messes up my order, the food is ok the coffee and muffins are really good, yesterday i was waited on by a boy i have never seen before *guessing hes new* but he didnt seem like he wanted to be there and was texting after he took my order.. and i had to remind him i was waiting. not cool, but anyways still like this place and will come back read more

Sadly, The Charles River Coffee House misses the mark. It's close to where I love so I love its convenience. However, I just don't like it much. The interior seems dirty to me. The staff doesn't know much about coffee and the place is tiny - which wouldn't be a bad thing if it was good/decent. I ordered a cold brew - which was way overpriced and came out of a plastic jug. Ick. The owner doesn't seem to care too much about his patrons. I can't speak about the food - haven't tried it... and sadly won't. read more

tiny and cute. okay coffee. i shrug. (-1 star). very very quaint ambiance. (+1 star) looks like you're hanging out in someone's old country shop. old hardwood floors, high ceilings, rustic and homey. didn't try any of their food, but the pastries look amply sized and there are a ton of folks here, making it look like a town staple. free Wi-Fi! a teeny amount of off-street parking. read more

I like the atmosphere here, but the food is awful and totally overpriced, and it is NOT clean. I just paid $10 for the worst chicken salad sandwich of my life--gloppy, flavorless, liquidy, cold bread, and if there's a piece of chicken in there I'd be shocked (it's like ground up--probably to hide the fact that there is no actual chicken in there, and the lettuce is brown on the spine). It is so inedible I'm actually considering throwing it away. And while I like the "vintage" (not overly perfect) decor (and music), the kitchen does NOT look clean and it's obvious the bathroom isn't. If you can't afford to redo the bathroom before opening a new place, you probably shouldn't be opening it. And if you can't hire someone to clean the bathroom, you shouldn't stay in business. Would it kill you to install a new soap dispenser (or at least buy a soap dispenser that isn't a used condiment bottle--it's not actually "cool") or replace the cheap, rusty paper towel holder? And the bathroom wouldn't be so bad if it were at least clean, but it's clearly not. Nothing about this place says that it's owned/run by a professional, or even someone solvent. It's more like "I'm trying to put as little back into this business as possible so that I can funnel every penny of profit toward my summer house on the Vineyard" (or, I am making so little money I don't know what to do). One thing is clear--you're not going to make more by hiking up the prices--if you'd make a decent sandwich at a decent price, the increased volume will up your profits. And CLEAN THE COOKIE DISPENSER for once, would ya? Coffee is decent. read more

I've only been here once, and it seemed fine, but not too much of a fan. The coffee was okay, but nothing special, and the ambiance seemed a bit staid and cheesy. Seems like a good place for local families maybe to spend time on a Sunday, or if you want to go somewhere other than Starbucks, but otherwise it seemed pretty mediocre. read more

This place is great. It is situated in beautiful south natick. It has such charm, too. They offer so many different types of coffee, including Kona. The people who work there are so friendly, too. Now it has free wi fi. It has a rustic setting inside, with tributes to local photographers and the city of Boston. read more

I love the location/ambiance of this coffeehouse. Food and coffee are both good. Prices are a bit high.

This place is a true gem. Especially, if you are tired of the "chain" type coffee places... Yummy food and coffee, great atmosphere, wonderful location - it is right across the street from Charles River waterfalls, historic Bacon Free library and museum, and just a minute drive from Natick Community Organic farm and Elm Bank. They frequently display artwork from local artists and photographers. In warm weather, they have outdoor seating across from the river. read more

i always make time to come here whenever im in town. the food is delicious and the coffee is to die for. the staff is extremely kind and efficient. it is a great place to study and relax as well. i recommend the cinnamon bun latte! read more

Terrible, just terrible. We'll not be coming back here. We ordered 4 sandwiches and it took 40--yes 40-minutes. The chicken salad sandwich was obviously made on store-bought plain white bread. And the chicken salad was almost non-existent. I am a small person, but I was still hungry after finishing it. Huge disappointment for a $9 sandwich. The peanut butter and jelly (for my 3 year old) was , well, peanut butter and jelly--not much good or bad to say there. The falafel was unremarkable, and certainly not worth $9 either. The grilled cheese was probably the best of the 4, but it was also nothing to write home about. Each sandwich was supposed to come with chips and a pickle. We got zero chips, zero pickles and zero apologies for the poor quality and long wait. read more

So going to decide between a sandwich at Lola's and this place....don't even consider this place. ON the same order we had two BLT sandwiches..two different gals made them side by side. When I was handed the order I had to ask if one was a large and one was a small, there was THAT much of a difference..The man behind the counter who was training the gal responded, "thats just the way the bread comes out"..I couldn't believe he said it. Then he said we will remake it if you want me to...No thanks waiting the painful 10 minutes it took to make the sandwich in the first place, I was all set. Let me mention, this was no inexpensive BLT.. AND one more thing, if you put tomato in your small size sandwich that you charge good money for, do you have to put the tomato end in? I wouldn't even do this to a sandwich I would make at home. Please if you are gonna get a sandwich near the falls go to Lola's hands down. BLECH. and the the cider donuts...dry another BLECH...... read more