I work in central square area and got excited about the prospect of a great new sandwich, especially considering they make their own bread title. I had a grilled chicken on the grain. The bread was bland the chicken tasted microwaved or something, which was surprising considering it took 15 minutes to prepare. Also was overpriced for the size, ingredients and taste. Service is slow and indifferent. I had to ask for a bag and then got no thanks for coming etc. Ambiance is boring and cold. I do not recommend trying . I am giving two stars only because I have only been here once, however I will not be going back so go figure. SUGGESTION: They need to just do a bakery or just do a cafe or wrap it up all together! read more

Great food - not so friendly service. The lady at the counter had to ask me four times how I wanted my coffee because she wasn't getting it/wasn't paying attention very well. My greatest disappointment is that they don't offer wifi to their guests. read more

A nice place to read and relax, full of quiet, introverted MIT students. The espresso is far too watery, unfortunately, but the baked goods are excellent. The scones are delicious. I'd give five stars if the coffee were good. Excellent free wireless. Update: the coffee isn't quite as bad as I had remembered, five stars! Maybe the barista just gave too long a pull. update: how could I give a place with such lackluster coffee five stars? heh. Nice biscotti though. read more

A friend of mine proclaimed Mariposa to have the most amazing breakfast sandwiches. We tried to come here on Black Friday, but it was closed. The anticipation made me want these sandwiches even more so we made a second trek the next day. The sandwiches come on either bagel or toast and with the options of avocado, turkey bacon, or turkey sausage with the egg and cheese. I ordered the turkey sausage and waited. My disappointment when the sandwich came out was similar to when I found out that Santa was not real. Okay, maybe not as dramatic, but you get the idea. This pedestrian sandwich could have been made by any college student. I'm pretty sure I could have made it with my eyes closed. Their idea of a turkey sausage egg sandwich is a hot dog sliced in half, a fried egg with some cheese on an oversized piece of white toast. The bread was bland, and the proportion of meat and egg to bread was terrible. I think it took me three bites until I finally got to the inside. The turkey tasted nothing more than your average hot dog. Hot dogs don't really fit onto pieces of toast, even when they are butterflied. You would think that a bakery would also use their own bread for their sandwiches. Save your $5.50 and take your business to Subway instead for a footlong. read more

PLUS-My blueberry streusel muffin was yummy. :) MINUS-My table was dirty. :( PLUS-My ability to read due to the low volume of the radio was nice. :) MINUS-The girl behind the counter acted like she was doing the world a favor by working there. :( PLUS-My blueberry streusel muffin was really quite memorable. :) MINUS-My latte was extremely uninteresting. Kind of bitter. :( PLUS-No ones forcing me to go back. :) MINUS-Mariposa Bakery could be a really nice spot if they cleaned it up and found friendlier people - but so far they haven't. :( read more

Okay, seriously, take a breath and relax if you complain about signage that clearly has HAD to be placed due to not-so-bright customers. Bottom line: this is a sandwich shop/ bakery, and the sandwiches are phenomenal. It's like they somehow put an extra dash of "holy ^&**, that's awesome!" in every sandwich. Get your chai down the block. Buy your sandwich here. Oh, and the guy behind the counter took the time to give me a cold cup of water for my dog - so much for bad service. :) read more

After strolling by this place a gazillion times (it's on my walking route to/from my job), a girlfriend and I decided to stop in to grab something quick. "Quick", it most certainly was not. After waiting ~15 mins in line, we placed our orders. The waitstaff was friendly and didn't seem the least bit annoyed with having to take (very minor) special orders. This is where the good news ends. We literally waited 20+ minutes for two pretty standard sandwiches. And the place wasn't even packed! We could see three people in the kitchen who LOOKED like they were working furiously, but that couldn't have been the case, or else we would've gotten our food in half the time. Now usually, when I'm unhappy with the wait time, I'll tell myself that the food will be worth it. NOT HERE. The sandwich I got (Italian chicken) was THE BLANDEST sandwich I have ever tasted in my entire life. Not to mention that the pastries were covered in flies. I should've kept on walking and never stopped in. read more

I went here for the first time over the weekend. I didn't have coffee, but tried the tea and a sandwich. I will review that and the atmosphere. The eggplant & mozzarella sandwich that I got was surprisingly flavorful. It comes on a thick slice of bread, which I thought might drown out the flavor, but it served as a nice compliment to the toppings. I'd recommend giving this sandwich a try... it will definitely fill you up. The tea was fine although they only have one tea size... I had to get a pot. So just be warned that they won't offer you a small. The ambiance is nice for studying as they have brick walls with relaxing paintings and a decent amount of seating. The one problem I kept encountering though is the wi-fi kept cutting out which killed my productivity. (Maybe bad luck?). Ultimately, this place will not blow you away but gets the job done. I'll have to come back to try the coffee! I could update my review at that point. read more

Mariposa, which I've recently learned is Spanish for 'butterfly,' has perhaps not yet emerged from its cocoon. Despite offering solid baked goods, it is a bit disappointing. In my handful of times venturing to the small café, I was once served lukewarm coffee and was once completely forgotten after ordering. Perhaps 'Polilla' (Moth) would be more fitting. read more

Awesome turkey sandwiches. Might be one of the best turkey sandwiches I've ever had. They offer a variety of house-made breads, all of which are fresh and delicious-- PARTICULARLY their pretzel roll, a dense, doughy, decadent roll sprinkled with coarse salt. How this is not a standard staple at every single bakery and deli across our great nation, I will never know. Please, somebody alert Pepperidge Farms about this bread breakthrough for mass production. I'm kind of lukewarm on almost everything else they carry. I do like the lime green walls, and their obvious environmental efforts (hand-written signs everywhere about where to put what, and what will eventually happen to it). A solid 3 star experience, possibly more if you tackle the turkey sammie or the pretzel roll. read more

So disappointed. We had a living social deal here, and we live near Central, so we went here excited to hopefully find a new go-to cafe, but nope. Your sandwiches for costing around $8-9 each are just not good. They pretty much had no flavor, and leaving a meal feeling completely unsatisfied is just a no no and instant downer in my life. Seriously. The cafe itself is cute, with exposed brick and little tables here and there, and everyone who works here is nice too, but for $20 getting two sandwiches and one cookie, that is kind of steep. Especially when paying those prices I could get a Daves Fresh Pasta sandwich which a) are gigantic and b) come packed with flavor--both opposites of mariposa. We got their pressed chicken sandwich which should have had cheese, and it should have had an aioli on it that actually tasted like something. Plus the chicken was dry. The homemade seeded wheat was okay at least. We also got the pastrami and the oatmeal wheat bread they used instantly fell apart leaving a pile of pastrami just falling everywhere. And the meat itself also tasted dry and just didn't have that juicy pastrami goodness at all. Matt J. said "ehhww" in response to his sandwich. In a nut shell, Mariposa I don't think we would really come back here, except maybe to grab some coffee. read more

When Cafe Cezanne closed and this opened up, I was excited. At first the enthusiasm was warranted - the baked goods are delicious, especially the strawberry oatmeal scones. I love the coffee, one of the few brews that don't require sugar and milk to mask the bitterness. However, a few months after opening, things went downhill. I had an arugula salad that was so doused in dirt I actually thought for the first few bites they had poured too much nutmeg on it, because how could there POSSIBLY be so much dirt? (I was spaced out from writing a thesis, so give me a break.) The space got dirtier, too. The service is slow and weird. Only sometimes do you get what you ordered. I like the menu and like the space, but when such potential slides into such poor reality, and stays there for years, I no longer hope they'll improve. I really wanted them to succeed. Now I'm kind of wishing they would just close up and give someone else a chance. Central Square needs what they are trying to do, but done better. read more

Worst service i've ever seen- ever. I've gone multiple times, each time hoping that the previous was just a fluke. Unfortunately, the same curly-haired guy is still hired and just refuses to give good service. Between the condescension, the rudeness, and the refusing to help, and just lack of service period (i once stood at the counter for 5 minutes without seeing a single employee), i refuse to go back. sad, because their food is pretty decent. read more

This place is wonderful if you have time to kill alone and would like a snack. Or maybe if you're looking for a casual date, it could work. I love their mochas and Moroccan mint tea. I've also really enjoyed all of their sandwiches I've tried, especially the curry chicken salad and meatball. Their pastries are delightful, and they make a mean cheddar scallion scone. All in all, I've loved everything I've ordered here. Now the downside is that the line takes a while to move and the sandwiches/specialty drinks take forever. But still, all worth it. read more

I randomly dropped in this bakery one day on my way to work and found myself coming back repeatedly for their cookies and scones. I am definitely a fan of the pastry selection. Specifically, I adore their cherry oatmeal cookie and strawberry oatmeal scone. It's soft, not too buttery, not to think nor too thin, and has yummy pieces of fruit. The homemade lemonade is just a tad bit sweet, but i still get it from time to time. It's still good. read more

Mariposa is lacking the extra star because they close at 7pm. Other than that mere compliant its a great place to meet up for coffee and a bagel in the weeeee hours in the morning: 7am. I especially love the bagels they bake themselves, and the Tuna Sandwich --probably the best in town. I find the staff extremly friendly. There have been a few times they've played classical music.... which I applaud and shout "BRAVO! BRAVO!" to them (as I love classical music, and wish more cafe's would play some as well.). It's just so pleasant. BRAVO! Mariposa te amo! read more

Wasn't impressed. It's kind of expensive and the service was slow. The cashier didn't know how much an item was that didn't have a price, and didn't seem particularly troubled by this. The mocha I ordered was okay, but not great. Plus, they have a high dollar minimum for using plastic, which pisses me off to no end and I'm pretty sure this is illegal. Cafes need to start getting on the ball when it comes to using cards. I don't care if you have to make a payment on your end that makes it slightly less profitable. The face is that it's an inconvenience, and makes me not want to shop at your coffee shop. read more

Mariposa is OK. If I walk past it, I'll often go in and sometimes I'll buy something, but it's never a destination for me. I agree with earlier posts- the staff used to be sort of flustered (often there wasn't enough staff) and most of those issues seem to be resolved now. I also agree that Mariposa often seems to run out of key ingredients which can be disappointing. I'll add that I have always found the display of food there less than appealling (I'm big into aesthetics...). I will also add that Mariposa is such an amazing, cool space, and I have always felt like it's not being used to potential. How about some comfortable chairs? Some better tables? Something? I mean, this is a place with a green wall, high ceilings, and a very cool peninsula (is that what it is?) in the middle. This place could be mind-blowingly cool inside, and somehow it never lives up to my atmospheric expectations. Finally, when Mariposa first opened I had the most delicious chocolate chip loaf there. Not a cookie but a slice of loaf - almost like bread. It was heavenly. I've never seen it there since. Please, Mariposa, bring back the chocolate chip loaf. I'll come by regularly if you do. read more

Do not order a sweet potatoe pie from this bakery, it's the worst i ever had in my life

I've had their strawberry oatmeal scones which are great, if a little pricey. Their other baked goods look pretty good, though I haven't tried them yet. A friend and I stopped in for lunch today, and was stunned by the slowness in service. The menu mainly consists of sandwiches and salads, two of the easiest food types to make - why does it take that long?? The people behind us (though the place was NOT packed) were getting pretty fed up too,and 30 minutes later we both finally walked out with our food. My turkey sandwich was good but not great. The bread is wonderfully soft with an overly crusty top. The sandwich as a whole could've used a little more seasoning or some kick to it - they need to consider either a spicey or a more seasoned condiment than the aioli they use. While the sandwich was relatively pricey, the portion was big, so the value wasn't bad. Overall, I'd give this place 3 stars for the food, and 1 star for the service. There seems to be enough bodies, but clearly there are some organizational and process issues that look like they can be fixed if someone gave it the proper attention. read more

More 3.5 stars rather than 3. I like the coffee here! I didn't encounter bad service but I also went when it wasn't crowded on a lazy Saturday afternoon, so perhaps am not the best judge of that. It wasn't too noisy, and tables aren't too close, so it seems like a great place to study or meet up with someone. It's also nice that sunlight floats into the cafe as they have high windows. Also had a scone here - it was ok - so forgettable that I can't remember what flavor it was. Not that it was bad or anything, just very normal. They have a good assortment of baked goods that I do hope to try next time though. read more

I decided to give this place a try instead of going to my usual spot and it was a mistake. I ordered a breakfast sandwich with avocado and tomato to go. Took over 15 minutes to get my sandwich which IMO is too long. I asked the guy behind the counter "how much longer it would take" and he begrudgingly went into the back to check. When he came back he had my sandwich and handed to me without saying a word (i.e "Sorry for the delay" or "Have a nice day"). When I got to work, I discovered that the sandwich had no avocado or tomato on it. I called to inform them and they were unapologetic and did nothing to correct the situation. Lowlights: - Customer service is nonexistent - Staff entitled and rude - SLOW service *** The egg sandwich wasn't that bad hence the two stars. I had high hopes for this place as I work in Central. I'll be sure to steer friends and co-workers away from this place. read more

I am a huge, huge fan of the cherry walnut scone. Scrumptious. Less good, but still delicious are the blueberry, blackberry, lemon, and orange scones. Their salads are great and the sandwiches are done on homemade bread. They have a tea menu and the counter staff (ok, some of the counter staff) understand the different teas. The downsides are that the service can be very, very slow (like glacial) and it's impossible to see what baked goods they have until you get right up to the counter. read more

Never go here or order delivery from here. We just wanted bagels. They took forever and didn't say anything about being out of bagels. When our order arrived half was missing and the other half was a crappy sandwich instead of our bagels. Delivery from this place is a scam. read more

Good coffee (by the Boston/Cambridge standard). Can't say much about their food... I bet they are average. In fact, if you have a lot of time to wait in line watching people working over the counter, I bet Carberry's have better options for baked goods. If you have a lot of time to wait in line watching people talking and screaming (but not working), I also know where to go... the only coffee shop run by commies in the hood, you know. read more

This place rocks. It's a low-key, hippie, organic place. The ingredients are fresh like the thick gourmet loafs of bread they use for their yummy sandwiches. Curry Chicken Salad is the best. The coffees and teas are awesome. The counter peeps are cool. Yes it's a bit messy, yes it's a bit self-serve, but that's just the chill bohemian sandwich place it is. read more

Friendly wait staff- breakfast sandwich was great! Went in an hour before close and they were out of bagels, but they offered to make me a fresh batch- and actually went through with it! Certainly exceeded my expectations read more

I most recently went a few weeks ago, ordered a mocha and a sandwich, and experienced service that I don't care to experience again. After I placed my order, the guy at the counter disappeared into the back for a couple minutes, while I lingered at the counter, expecting him to ring me up. He finally reappeared and told me to take a seat. Five or so minutes later, he had my mocha ready and only then asked me if I wanted it "for here or to go" (fail!). Then I finally paid for my food. Some amount of slowness later, I finally received my sandwich. As an aside, I found a bug in my drink, but given that it probably fell in there after they had made it, I chose not to complain about it. But needless to say, that didn't improve my mood. I'd been there a few times earlier, and although the service was also lackluster, this most recent time was definitely the worst. Their coffee drinks are tasty enough, but their sandwiches are kind of mediocre and bland for me, meaning the average person would probably find them to be really bland. read more

I want to give this place 5 stars. I really really want to. The space is cute, the service is generally fine (one girl in particular) the rest of the staff is not very friendly, helpful, or fun the way typical cafe staff are, the food is good, and the pastries are great. However, there is one thing that prevents me from falling head over heels with Mariposa, and that is the wait time. Oh my lanta, this place is so, so, so, so very slow. If there is more than 1 person in front of me when I walk in I'll generally leave. I once ordered a breakfast sandwich at 8:40AM, and didn't get to work until 9:30. It takes me 10-15 minutes to get to work. My most recent purchase found me waiting a half an hour for two breakfast sandwiches, and 10 minutes to order. Espresso beverages can also take awhile to get. I think the big problem is probably under-staffing. This being said, Mariposa is great with nice people and delicious food, but this is not a place I will go to before work anymore. If you're in somewhat of a hurry go somewhere else, or get a pastry and a drip coffee. Mariposa is a place I enjoy, but frequent with caution and only on weekends. read more

I've already read the reviews. I've already experienced long waits for certain types of food. I've never had a problem with their baked goods. But I've had to bring back soup and have them reheat it, and yes, they are damn slow. And today I didn't want to go there, but I was starving and didn't feel like bumping into someone I knew at 1369. So the cookie is fine, the coffee is okay, but the quiche or frittata or whatever it is...they didn't even bother heating it. At. All. I was almost going to make them do it for me, but by then there was a deceptively short-looking line I knew would take at least ten minutes, and I just didn't want to deal with it. So I ate my cold fritatta. Serves me right. read more

I think this is my favorite coffeeshop in Central. There isn't always seating, but more often than not during off pean hours you'll be ok. It's the only place where the service is actually positive, and you're made to feel welcome. Coffee drinks are great and I especially like the Mexican Hot Chocolate. Food is decent. read more

Good, strong iced coffee in a pretty chill atmosphere. There's free WiFi and lots of tables for work/studying! They also seem to have a large variety of sparkling juices read more

I had a bad feeling when I entered this place. It some how felt stuffy and stale and sort of dirty. I ordered a chocolate chip muffin and a cappuccino while my friend ordered the eggplant sandwich. The muffin was stale, the outer of the muffin (yes "outer layer") completely came off...the inside wasn't cooked well and was all doughy...the coffee was passable...the sandwich could've actually been tasty if the egg plant was like an egg plant should be and if the bread was baked better... The seats were torn...there were flies flying around the area where the muffins are kept...and they charge a lot for the kind of quality they provide in short...they should close down read more

Look, there's absolutely no reason to pay this much for what you get. Go to Flour instead if you're looking for an overpriced sandwich and a hipster waitstaff. If this were in an airport, I would probably stop here every time I flew. But it's not in an airport, which makes its food quality relative to price ridiculous. Given all the other similar (and excellent) options in the Central area, there's absolutely no reason to go to Mariposa for food. If you'd like to go here to have a coffee, work on your Macbook Air, and feel like a not-really-poor-artist/hipster/dressed-in-flannel-folk, be my guest. I will be over at Starbucks. read more

This was not an inexpensive foodstuff experience, but the food itself was high-quality. I had wonderful organic poached eggs on toast. The eggs were poached perfectly and the toast was toasted perfectly. Atmosphere-wise, Mariposa had great light, nice colored walls, and was really clean and minimal. It was relaxing, though the music choice (Sublime) was sort of jarring compared to the menu and aesthetic. It was a lovely alternative to Toscanini's brunch; I would say for deliciousness and compared to many other establishments in Central Square, Mariposa Bakery is your best bet for breakfast foods of the non-Egg McMuffin variety. read more

I do like Mariposa. I do. The coffee is good, the vibe is good, it's cute, and it's in a good location. But something MUST be done about the service. Last night I met up with a friend and she ordered a sandwich. We had been chatting for about 25 minutes and we realized that no one ever said it was ready. So she went up to the counter to ask, and it was sitting there behind the window just waiting. The woman at the counter could have actually told my friend that it was ready, but instead she just stood there doing who-knows-what for who-knows-how-long. Very odd. Then my friend said, "I ordered it on multi-grain...this is salted pretzel bread..." It wasn't like the place was swarming with people (it was practically empty) and somehow an order got mixed up. It was just wrong. They didn't offer to re-make it so my friend just ate it, but she was not pleased. Another time I went and ordered fresh fruit (which is on the menu). It did not arrive for 45 minutes! Every ten minutes or so I would go up and check, and the guy said, "Oh, I don't know..." Did they have to harvest and pick the fruit? Again, very weird. So Mariposa, please get your act together. Seriously. read more

While nutzo sometimes, this place is pretty decent. I love coming at night when it's a little calmer, but great pastry and nice staff, Just wish they served decaf coffee and not just americanos. It's nice to have an option. read more

Mariposa is my cafe-of-choice in Central Square. The pastries are all very good, and the coffee, while perhaps not the best in the area, is always freshly brewed and delicious. My only complaint is the lack of seating, as the tables are typically taken by those who are using their free fast wifi for V-E-R-Y long periods (some cafes give a 30 min window per person - a smart idea imho). I saw that some people noted that the service was slow, but I have found the opposite. People also keep to themselves (in sharp contrast to 1369, where strangers have butted into my conversations on numerous occasions). read more

One of my favorite café / sandwich shops in the Greater Boston area. Good, healthy food. Staff doesn't bug you if you work for a few hours (please buy something, though). Purchaseable art on the walls. A little brick and beam architecture. Price point in line with Cambridge. Overall great spot. read more

My sandwich, smothered with avocado, sunflower sprouts, radishes, carrots, cucumber, and some kind of aioli almost made me want to go veggie again. It was so delicious. Luckily, the fact that I'm not a veg anymore means I get to try the meatball or chicken sandwich next time I'm here (and I don't get sick as much- I wasn't very healthy about it). I loved the cool green, deep plum, and black palette of the decor as well as the awesome paintings, exposed brick walls, and wood floors. This place was charmingly simple and the menu was exciting for a quick lunch. Most of the sandwiches run at about $7, which isn't cheap, but isn't too bad. The boy who was working was friendly and sweet (I think he was flirting), so I didn't have any problems with service... One qualm I had was that this place is called a bakery, but the baked goods selection was pretty typical/kinda limited. The bread was great but I'd still call it a cafe. I'll be back to try out the breakfast pizza and make sure the service was as good as it seemed. read more