Sooo service has gotten better... in the last 7 years, wow. So lied in my original review it is worth some of the frustration to partake in their wares. Since the rise of Flour I'm even more appreciative of what a good little bakery really is. Maybe absence makes the heart grow fonder... Im only occasionally in the area and when i am i try to work in a trip to Mariposa. This place has excellent food, baked goods, an awesome selection of teas, fancy soda, and good coffee. And it says ALOT when a little place with high staff turn over maintains its product quality for over a decade. And at least for the last couple months service has not been bad, you might even call it good. They still seem to be short staffed, but the place runs, the scones still pwn. read more

Nice little bakery. Has everything from scones to breakfast sandwiches. Multiple variety of scones. Usually they have some leftovers at a discount. read more

Mariposa Bakery - Pastry bar - Bakeries Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

In what I can only assume is some sort of obscene, sugarcoated tribute to the "outie" bellybutton, their glazed donuts each come with their own hole neatly tucked inside their center. But in spite of those bulbous, phallic little belly-knobs, the glazed donuts (the only donut option in the house) are all sorts of delicious, as Mariposa mixes a mean dough and fries it perfectly. Aside from the $2.25 price tag, the only shortcoming is the glaze itself, which is the sort of half-sweet, shellac-y nonsense you might find adding window dressing to an overpriced almond croissant. In the end, that bland glace leaves you desperate for the root-canal-ripping sweetness that every other self-respecting donut shop smears on with a trowel. I also was a little bit sad it took them an average of about six minutes to serve each customer. Of which there were many. read more

Mariposa Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Okay, so they now have WiFi (welcome to 2010+), but don't have beer/wine or jazz brunch or the hours like Luna (oh but they are open for 12 hrs per day) across the street, but they do have everything organic/farm raised/natural/homeade (or a combination of the above). The food at Mariposa I find to be just lovely. The soft, lightly salted, fresh baked mini pretzel roll (as an alternative to bagel in the AM), the daily frittata (which has inspired me to create my own at home), the bagel (especially poppy double toasted), the sandwiches, the seedy bread, mmmm.... I think Mariposa is great for meeting a friend for a light snack or dessert, because it's spacious and comfortable inside and the menu is vast. There is plenty of seating for meeting, planning, socializing, chatting... Also, Mariposa's architecture is a lot like my home. So it kind of feels like home. Just ... the cooking is waaaaay better. I still miss the banana chocolate chip muffin with cream cheese frosting. :( read more

I go to Mariposa on mornings when I feel like I really want a tasty scone and coffee, quick with no lines and no waiting. There are plenty of cafes in Cambridge that offer breakfast and coffee options but often going to them means I'm going to spend at least 10-15 minutes in line for an overpriced item that may or may not hit the spot. The coffee's good here and paired with a lemon scone, I have what I need to start the day and hop back on the train to continue the commute. read more

The Chipotle sandwich wasnt good at all. There was littlw dressing and i could taste lumps of salt in some of my bites. Not to mention, the place is expensive, but the service was slow and unprofessional. read more

The location, space, atmosphere, and food here are delightful. The service is usually good too. The espresso drinks are delicious and come in a real mug. It seems that at least some of the baked goods are made in-house. There is free wifi but here are signs on the tables requesting that you not linger for too long (two hours). The rest rooms were tidy. read more

Way overpriced!!! It's super cute inside and in a good location, but the food was not great at all for the price. An orange juice was like $4 and the sandwich was probably $12- but it was about 2 centimeters thick!! The iced latte was $6 and very average. Nice aesthetic but definitely overpriced. read more

Mariposa Bakery - Overpriced and underwhelming Sunrise Sandwich - Bakeries Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

A hidden gem! Try the PB oatmeal chocolate chip cookie- it's melt in your mouth amazing. Stopped in before an interview down the street to kill time and everything looked so good. Next time I'm getting the toast plate- their fresh bread looked so good. Dare I say this place is better than Flour? It just might be. read more

Mariposa Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

I enjoyed the decorations and how bright and friendly the staff were. I ordered toast with avocado, salsa and salmon and proceeded to wait. I went in at around 7:50am and no one was in line so I expected to wait around ten or fifteen minutes. However, I ended up waiting a total of 25 minutes! I think that for what I got, I might as well just go to Dunkin Donuts which is a lot more affordable and even the presentation is better. I was expecting this was going to be similar to Flour but it was quite a disappointment. I think I'll stick with Clover or Flour for breakfast foods. read more

Mariposa Bakery - Toast with avocado, poached eggs and salmon and salsa mixed together on the side. - Bakeries Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

I recently tried a variety of items from the pastry case at Mariposa. I enjoyed the morning glory muffin (coconut, carrots, currants) which was still warm first thing in the morning. The cherry walnut scone had an excellent consistency, and was my favorite of the selection. The cheddar chive scone was also pretty good, but the blueberry one had a texture that was more like a muffin. I liked the flavor, but I think it used a different kind of flour. Since I work in Central, I'd go back to try the pumpkin muffin and other menu options. read more

Had a carrot cake made for a 50th Birthday....it was the best carrot cake anyone had tasted!!!! Thank you so much!!!!! Called from NJ to ask if they could do this(found online because it was close to our Air bnb). Staff was friendly and helpful. The baker called me to see what I wanted. It all worked out perfectly and the cake was homemade deliciousness!!!!! Thank you!!!! read more

Mariposa Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

This place should be called Mariposa Cafe not Bakery. While their scones are tasty they apparently only know how to make one other baked good, muffins. Very very disappointed in the bakery selections. When there are bakery's like The Biscuit and Flour close by its hard to make a strong case for visiting Marposa. 1369 has a larger selection of baked goods than this place. Their coffee is okay but nothing spectacular. I honestly can't vouch for the sandwiches. All things considered I couldn't convince myself to pay the $9. On the positive side I love the feel of Mariposa. It's very inviting and you feel that you could stay a while (as long as you're not there at a peak hour). Bottom line: it's exactly what a bakery/cafe should feel like but not what it should taste like. read more

It is a cute cafe, but my most recent experience was unpleasant. They forgot about order but did not really apologize. Also, one of the baristas was checking her phone while making the drinks. Not sure how sanitary that is. Again, cute cafe and I'll not be back. read more

This a little gem. It has a very warm feeling. The sandwiches are very tasty and the bread it comes on is the bomb. I really enjoyed the eggplant sandwich with the pesto aioli. I definitely recommend this cafe. A+++++++ read more

Mariposa Bakery - Grilled eggplant sandwich on a pretzel roll - Bakeries Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

See all

D. To the licious. wow, bostock...... The husband & I stopped in here while our daughter was at a concert down the street. It was just too cold to walk further down to flour bakery so, we stopped here. I'm so glad we did! It was busy but, timely service. Hubs got the bostock I got the chocolate sour cream mini bundt cake. We both got coffee. The cake was moist & delicious with a crispy outside soft decadent inside. The bostock was INCREDIBLE. I think I love it more than the macarons I was headed to Flour to get! Great job Mariposa! read more

Mariposa is worth a try but can be very hit and miss. The experience largely depends on the staff. On my first visit I was served by a charming (and gorgeous) tall brunette who made sure my coffee was made perfect and my toast was just right. She even apologised for not having Marmite - what an angel. When will I see her again? sigh Others times I've got the young guy who told me he couldn't make me any of the food as 'he didn't know how' and he was on his own. WTF?? Oh well.... And another time when he did feel like making me a curry sandwich it was quite mediocre and exorbitantly priced for what it was. read more

Ok, so for the good news.... they have fabulous bread of all kinds, creative pastries, quality ingredients, VERY good coffee and breakfast pizza. Also, I like the aesthetic, though the tables are sometimes so close together that you have to slide your ass along someone else's table to get in. For the bad news... the 3 times I have gone in, the guy behind the counter has been so incredibly annoying that I nearly had to leave. As far as I could tell this was a cafe, not a karaoke bar.... so why were we forced to listen to him sing? I don't understand.... just take people's orders... no need to preform or editorialize. read more

Dear Pretzel Rolls, Even though I now live in the land that loves pretzels the most, I still miss you. Love, Jason read more

Meh. Really not as amazing as a friend claimed it to me. The oh so gloried $5.50 breakfast sandwich was pretty lame. Turkey sausage with egg? Dude, my brother who can't cook could easily make this on a super lazy day. You can make a dozen of these sandwiches yourself with the same amount of money... and you could likely make it way better. Essentially it was texas toast with one sad looking sliced hot dog and an emo egg. Definitely didn't like that they didn't slice the hot dog up into smaller pieces to cook with the egg and make it more spread out. The avocado breakfast sandwich looked significantly better, with more contents to the sandwich. Mariposa, if you can call these breakfast sandwiches if they barely contain anything..... it's probably better off being called toast... with a side of hot dog and egg. read more

How sweetly surprised I was when I decided to give Mariposa another chance. I recently returned to once again order a mint mocha and egg, cheese, avocado and tomato breakfast sandwich on a bagel. It was delicious, natch, but it was also made really quickly! The friendly dude behind the counter informed me that they got a new toaster, which has really helped speed up their food production. Hooray! I also recently came here for lunch for the first time, and was really pleased with the experience. The bakery was calm and quiet, a welcome respite from my job, which involves a lot of college students and answering telephones (fun). The sandwich I had was a special (Italian salami & goat cheese, YUM), but I will definitely be back to check out the regular items on the menu. Mariposa has definitely stepped up their game! read more

I don't understand all the 3 stars on this place. Have you people not tried the sandwiches on pretzel rolls? PRETZEL ROLLS. So many yums, I can barely find the words. I have been working in Central Square for a year now and I'm really upset that I haven't been getting lunch here on a more regular basis. It's a bit of a walk down Mass Ave from the T (let's face it, it's a smelly walk. Central Square does have a unique odor) but it's totally worth it. Go eat a pretzel roll and enjoy your day, ok? read more

This place makes me feel like a cooler, more grown-up version of myself. Funky yet tasteful green walls and lots of space to read the paper (or atleast more than your other options nearby!). Let the record show this place is also *clean* which is in contrast to many of its cafe neighbors in Central. The chef comes from Rialto, and infuses the menu with quality, gourmet ingredients. The Grilled Chicken sandwich is fabulous with chipotle aioli & really flavorful parmesan. Get your sandwich on the "pretzel bread" - dense, soft and slightly sweet with a kosher salt studded crust. I can also vouch for the scones - a great balance of fruit/nuts and not too sweet. read more

There was a time in my life when my dinner consisted of oatmeal cookies with dried cherries and an Izze or Vitamin Water from Mariposa. I wish I could tell about the brownies or baked goods at the counter. Or their breakfasts. Or the pies that they make around the holidays. But I can tell you the people there are great. I always got a smile with no judgment every day I got the same thing. I will report back with more insights I swear. I just never get down to Central Square when they're open. Sad! read more

I am updating my previous review. Initially, this place was not my favorite cafe, however, I start enjoying working here during the weekend. The hot black coffee, lemon poppy seed muffin, organ ge poppy seed cookie are unbelievably good. It's not too crowded and people are super nice here. read more

Mariposa Bakery - Lemon poppy seed cookie and muffin - my favorite - Bakeries Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

See all

I see what people are saying about the service and staff, and I would agree that it's not that good. A lot of stoned faces getting near minimum wage. But I really like the food, especially the breads they use for the sandwiches. Especially the pretzel roll. They also sell the pretzel roll in a tiny version by itself, so you can just buy one of those, too. The breads run out when they run out, and they also don't necessarily have all of them when the cafe opens (not very organized, I'm guessing), so you kind of just roll the dice and get what's available. I had to go several times before I finally could get a pretzel roll sandwich. I'm glad I persevered, though, because the pretzel roll is not just a big pretzel, which I had originally thought, but something way better and with the most amazing doughy consistency. The baked goods are also pretty good, but I mainly just go for the sandwiches. Bonus: free unlimited* water on the ledge. (*Unlimited in theory, but since it's just a big Brita filter tank, someone who works there has to keep an eye on it when it gets low, which...well, stoned people don't care that much about refilling water tanks.) read more

I am eating a Mariposa-wich at this very moment, and I am mightily disappointed. Why? Because it isn't what I ordered. And because this is the third time this has happened to me. For 8 bucks a pop, that is JUST. NOT. RIGHT. I ordered: Italian Tuna, homemade mayo, fennel, arugula, on seeded 7 grain I got: Bland watery supermarket tuna, a couple of mixed greens, dry flavorless non-seedy bread. No flavor - zero, zip, nada. I just choked it down. I'm bummed. This is almost as bad as the egg salad blandwich I was served up back in March. Perhaps I came on a bad day? Perhaps they were out of those other ingredients? Perhaps they don't give a rat's ass? The sullen ladies and gents of Mariposa need to pay better attention, perhaps, or get a different job. Ugh, this yelping gets me so worked up sometimes... read more

Mariposa Bakery, what can I say. Your chicken sandwich was decent sized, bread was soft, it was tasty... but I don't know if it was worth the $ because you're a bit on the expensive side. My iced chai tea latte, tasted like watered down chai tea. I had to add a crap ton of sugar in the raw to it before it started to have some more flavor. Did I enjoy my lunch, yes... but for the $ I spent I could have gone somewhere else, gotten same/better food, and probably at least a side of some kind (mini side salad or something of the sort). Shame, because you're hella convenient to my office! read more

I have come here a few times to grab some lunch and have been really unimpressed every time. The service is slow and they always seem put off by me ordering something. Like I am asking them to go out of their way to make me a tuna sandwich! C'mon, it's your job dude! The menu is very limited. I have ordered an array of sandwiches and each time I think they are not so hot. Not bad, but not good either. And they are pretty expensive. The pastries always taste stale. I was excited when they moved in but am very disenchanted with them at this point. I go across the street to Luna or down to Harvest to get a custom sandwich for half the price! read more

Super quaint little place with fantastic coffees and a huge selection of donuts and baked goods. The space is great to chill out in. I don't think I would bring a laptop and work here because it seems more like a meetup place or a cafe. It is really a cool place and the coffee is some of the best I've had. read more

Mariposa Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

The drip coffee here is decent, there is always seating, and the staff are extraordinarily friendly. That being said, I cannot ignore that their WiFi is consistently down, it is dimly lit, and their espresso-based drinks and tea lattes are both terrible. I've ordered lattes and mochas and the espresso tastes burnt. I ordered a chai tea latte, only to learn it was a plain cup of black tea in hot water with a splash of almond milk (virtually no flavor, and cost me $5). I've had some of their pastries and found them to be very bland and overpriced. To top it all off, the WiFi almost never works. read more

I think if you have some free time and aren't in a huge rush to get out the door on your way to work, Mariposa does a decent job at delivering good coffee/tea selection along with a nice menu of breakfast and sandwich items. The thing is that among its local competition, it is probably second best in just about every element. The coffee is good, but not as good as Andala or 1369. The atmosphere is nice, but not as good for chilling as Clear Conscience or Andala. The food is pretty good (i had a breakfast sandwich on a bagel), but not amazing. To top it off, my bill was like $8 for a coffee and breakfast sandwich. A little pricey for what you get. On the plus side, the sandwich came in this adorable cardboard box rather which made me feel like a 4th grader taking my Ninja Turtles lunch box to school. read more

I have mixed reviews about this place. I haven't really been impressed with their sandwiches and I've had some pretty lackluster baked goods, like the brownies for example. On the other hand, I've had a tasty slice of quiche and AMAZING scones. I think I'll keep it simple when I visit from now on and only stop in for breakfast. I'm done stepping outside the box and trying out different menu items here. I keep being disappointed when I do. read more

I really wanted to like this place more than I did. I walked in with pretty high expectations and to be blown away by this little spot, but really wasn't. The service wasn't great, the place is in need of a new paint job and some cozier furniture, the breakfast goods weren't really labeled well, and the selection wasn't great. The upside? My scone and coffee were really delicious. I got a lemon scone to go, and when I got a chance to eat it, the icing was tangy and perfect and the scone had a great flavor to it. I really liked it. And for $4.25 for breakfast, that's not a bad deal. To go, it was a good experience, but I wouldn't hang out here.....the counter service was lacking (I don't like being looked through when I am greeted, but maybe that's just me) and the atmosphere isn't warm and inviting. read more

The four stars are for the pretzel rolls and the sandwiches they come on, in particular the BLT. So. amazing. Their chai lattes aren't sweet enough, but that might be a matter of personal taste. I've liked some of their other drinks. The service is fine. It's not really a place I would hang out at with a coffee, but it's great for grabbing some breakfast or lunch. read more

I love this place. Sure, the baristas seem like they are stoned out of their minds, and the small coffee holds about two sips. But this is still my favorite coffeeshop, especially when I want to sit and work. The sandwiches and baked goods are yummy. The tables are big enough to spread out, and the music is not oppressively loud (*ahem* 1369). Plus the bathroom is extremely clean. read more

cozy vibes, super friendly staff, DELICIOUS coffee. love this local gem in central square!!

I visited this place a few times when I go to Boston for work. It's not the best cafes they have there which is surprising because it's in such a good location. Their lattes tastes tastes very weak and somewhat strange as if the flavors they are using have gone bad. The pastries are overly sweet and have an artificial sugary taste to them. Their breakfast sandwich is tasty if you can stand the wait. It takes them a long time to make anything. I thought it was a Boston thing but it seems like other Boston reviewers are commenting on their slowness as well. The servers are really nice though so I feel bad for giving it only 2 stars but with all the other great cafes around that area, I'm surprised that place has survived. It is a nice place to sit and work/study. read more

I met up with a good friend who also happened to be in Boston the same time I was there for a little breakfast and to catch up on our lives. It was a tuesday around 8:30am when we got here. The place wasn't crowded, and the baked goods on display looked pretty good. I ended up ordering an egg, tomato and avocado sandwich on a toasted sesame bagel. It was really good and hit the spot. I didn't have any coffee here, so I can't comment on that. The place wasn't busy at all, but I wonder if it ever gets busy. It's near the Central Square Station on the red line, which is between Harvard and MIT, each having a closer stop. Perhaps this bakery was not close enough to be either campus to be a regular for students. Not sure... nonetheless, it was clean and I liked it. Glad we randomly passed it on our search for breakfast that morning. read more

I went here the other day because this place is very close to my office. It was not someplace i would want to hang out, there is nothing cozy or inviting about the place although they are in a nice space and it seems like it could be designed better. i ordered an iced latte, my usual drink everywhere. while it wasn't terrible tasting, it also wasn't good. AND there were grinds in the bottom of the cup, which is just yucky. really the only star they get is for using greenware biodegradable cups. read more