In the first seven minutes out of the fryer: five glorious stars. Any more time and you're in the danger zone (of slightly less than perfection). So if you chance by The Coast Cafe, drawn in by that glorious smell of a sizzling fry, sweet and cakey cornbread and braising potlikker from those hearty, tender collards, follow these simple steps: 1) Order a fried chicken plate for $12. Your two included sides: salty mac and cheese, and collards with smoked turkey. Yass. 2) Candy Crush for 15-20 minutes. Those bone-in thighs and breasts are cooked to order, and well brined meat takes time. 3) Receive your bundle of joy, and eat it at one of the four seats in-house, or out on the curb. Or in your car. DO NOT WAIT. 4) If you have to prioritize, kill the chicken first. The shelf life on the sides is a wee bit longer. 5) Break all traffic laws to make record time getting back to wherever you're comfortable finishing your meal. 6) Send Damien $1. The house-made hot sauce is awesome. Chicken is king - fried plate is tops, but I've been tempted a number of times by the wings, too. read more

The Coast Cafe - Soul Food Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Best Comfort Food of 2006 and Hidden Gem? That's what the Phantom Gourmet says about Coast Cafe and it's hard to disagree with him. It's not gourmet high-end food but it's true home-made comfort food on the cheap. This little take-out stop in Cambridgeport came to my rescue when I was feeling unwell and needed something hearty and comforting. I can't believe I'd not been here before as it's so close to my house, but after a morning tucked in bed watching cricket live from Jamaica I had a hankering for some 'Soul Food' of the South/Caribbean kind and had to go. I had the fried chicken sandwich - taking note that the Fried Chicken was the Phantom Gourmet's 2006 Comfort Food winner. It was good. Damn good. Only to be surpassed by the sweet potato pie... wonderful. I'll be back for much much more fried chicken as well as fried catfish, rib sandwiches, sweet potatoes, candied yams, banana bread, banana pudding... and a lot more. The menu is very inviting, although probably not for vegetarians. NB - you need to spend 8 dollars to use a card ----------------------------------------- EDIT: Been again and again and never gets worse, just better. The Mac & Cheese. THE Mac & Cheese. read more

The Coast Cafe - Soul Food Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

It's like being home. But if home was deep fried, wrapped in foil, and laid down next to a warm bed of collard greens and creamy mac and cheese topped with buttery bread crumbs and decided to settle snuggly into your belly. Yeah, Coast Cafe is like that. Halfway between Central Square and Inman, the coast is a small building with maybe 2 chairs tucked into the corner, a ledge counter top with room for four elbows, and a big counter for ordering. If the interior doesn't give it away, this is not a place for a sit down meal but that doesn't mean your getting fast food fare. Absolutely not. This menu is filled with fried chicken, home style baked macaroni and cheese, greens, and other southern style dishes with the added bonus of beef patties ( made more in the style of Spanish empanadas then Jamaican patties :/ still delicious though). Order your self a bit of everything ( for around 20-25 dollars you can get a pretty hefty meal for one or a nice pile of things for two) and do NOT skimp on dessert. If there's one rule I've learned in life it's that if there is a small restaurant with the line out the door on a Tuesday and they sell sweet potato pie? You buy that sweet potato pie. Warm with a buttery crust and the right amount of cinnamon and nutmeg singing in harmony with that perfect potato bite. Yeah, they've got the right stuff. The menu also has fried catfish, because these people are smart. And burgers, fries, and chicken fingers, because this restaurant is in the middle of cambridge and sometimes, you gotta feed the masses a simple item or two. I would recommend ordering anything BUT the burger and fries, not because they taste bad, but just because they serve chicken and catfish and who ARE you to not try some of that? read more

The Coast Cafe - Two piece chicken meal with a side of collard greens and macaroni and cheese - Soul Food Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Very small establishment that you can easily drive right by without a second look. No legal parking for non Cambridge residents so call ahead so your order is ready when you get there and you limit the chance of getting a ticket. The young lady behind the counter was very nice and said she would bring out my food so I can keep an eye out for the parking officer. Good lookin out Coast staff! Crispy fried chicken seasoned just right for me. Macaroni and cheese is kick ass but not overbearing. String beans are straight out of a can unfortunately. Their only downfall in my opinion. Put this place on your list for great Soul Food. PROPS to the staff at Coast. It was very hot outside but it had to have been well over 100 degrees inside while they toiled away at making great comfort food for the masses. read more

When the pregnant wife wants fried chicken... YOU GET THE PREGNANT WIFE FRIED CHICKEN! The options for friend chicken are not great in Boston. BUT... This place is a great find. We had 2 fried chicken plates. The Mac & Cheese is very good, the corn is eh, and the collard greens are good. You HAVE to get the plantains, well cooked, not too dry, not too wet, not too firm, not too soft. as Goldilocks says, just right. I will be heading back again, and the staff was super nice and friendly which means a lot to me too. NOTE: There are 3 seats at a counter available... that is it. and no A/C. read more

This is some pretty ridiculously good fried chicken; crispy, juicy, lightly not heavily battered, and with just enough seasoning to give it that little extra flavor. It takes a while to get your order, but if they're making it fresh to order I'm not going to complain! The sides were also quite good; the collard greens were tender and not bitter at all, and the macaroni and cheese was very cheesy (real cheese, not that velveeta-style junk). The best part though? Banana pudding for dessert. That stuff was amazing! Lots of chunks of fresh banana, and the pudding was packed with flavor. read more

Solid four stars for The Coast Cafe. I've ordered different entrees and the protein (be it catfish, chicken, or beef shortribs) is always phenomenal. The side dishes are where The Coast Cafe stumbles a bit. While the greens with turkey meat are consistently superb, the mac 'n cheese, mashed potatoes, potato salad, rice and beans, and the like are all mediocre to weak. read more

Yup, the fried chicken is as good as everyone says. Lightly breaded and not battered with a mild seasoning. Crispy, crunchy skin with a juicy meat. The crisped breaded skin crunches away perfectly with each bite, no worries about pulling the entire skin off of the piece of chicken. Mac & cheese, baked deliciousness with bread crumbs on top. Seasoned to not even need salt or pepper with a combination of cheddar, parmesean and American cheese, I venture to guess. Collard greens not bitter at all and claim to have a turkey base although the tenderness and flavor out did any turkey I tasted. Beef and cheese "pattie" as a starter was phenomenal. Empanada like crispy shell, deep fried with a spiced ground beef and melted cheese mixed together to create one hell of a delicious flavor sensation. A couple of these little tastes of heaven would probably serve well for a dinner and at 2 bucks a pop pretty cheaply as well. And yes, sweet potato pie. They are literally a store front with 3 stools and a counter to sit at, call ahead for chicken or any fried items since it takes 15 minutes. Mostly a take out joint but they have ribs - gonna be back for them, no question. Virtually no parking so again, good reason to call ahead, you can stop for a second, pay and leave. read more

The Coast Cafe - sweet potato pie - Soul Food Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Ah Coast Cafe, I do love their fried chicken so! To date, it's still my favorite place to go in Boston/Cambridge for good fried chicken. The breading is light but well seasoned, tasty, and excellent. It's crisp and not greasy, while the meat within is tender and juicy, the way it should be. Sides include standards such as collard greens, sweet potatoes, rice, beans, and are generally tasty as well. Seating at their location has expanded from 3 to approximately 7, so it's helpful to have a place to eat the food fresh from the kitchen. It just won't be the same once you take it to go, since fried foods are best consumed as fresh as possible. read more

The Coast Cafe - Deliciously juicy, tender, crispy and well-seasoned chicken. I can't get enough of their fried chicken! - Soul Food Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Stopped by this tiny doorfront for a snack. Amazing soul food - chicken is fried-to-order, lightly seasoned, not greasy. Kitchen takes pride in their work, love the staff. Sweet potato pie is yum. Not quite a cafe (standing room only) - catering/take-out primarily. read more

If you're looking for a slice of Southern heaven, come here for some amazing comfort food. This is the stuff of grandmas. I highly recommend their tender, perfectly crisp fried chicken and the creamy, creamy mac 'n' cheese. The collard greens were a little on the sour side but were plentiful nonetheless. The place is tiny and only has bar seating for two or three people, so it's definitely a take-out place. If you do manage to snag a spot, enjoy the TV they have blaring entertainment programs. I learned a lot about Whitney Houston during my meal. read more

The catfish is ridiculous. The first bite into the (grilled? I think) catfish po' boy, I had to take a moment, set the sandwich down and proclaim it ridiculous. I literally spoke to a sandwich, that's how ridiculous it was. The fish is just cooked perfectly and whatever seasoning they put on it makes you want to eat it forever. I know fried is the way to go with Soul Food, but screw that, get the grilled. The sides were not too exciting. I didn't end up saying anything to them. Kind of a let down after such an insane sandwich experience. The place itself is adorable, just tiny stuck in the middle of a street that is residential except for the overpriced cesspool of a grocery store down the block. The service is kind of an in-and-out deal and they don't seem particularly inclined to get your order done in any reasonable amount of time, so I recommend ordering ahead. I'll be back, if for nothing else than a sandwich worth having a conversation with. read more

My roommate Tom raves about this place so I really really wanted to love it. I tried, I tried so hard eating through the menu searching for that elusive thing that would make me love it. But alas no, I could only resolve to like it. Two Sister's Kitchen could arguably be one of the world best soul food restaurants and unfortunately Doris's home cooking and fried chicken set the bar pretty high. Don't get me wrong, Coast is one of those places you'd always default to when you're not sure what you want but know you want it hot and good, it's just shy of the mark of great. The meatloaf lacked zang, the fried chicken was a little bit of a hit or miss but the sides, you can't go wrong with the sides, they were delicious. read more

The Coast Cafe - Meatloaf Sandwich - Soul Food Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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So I wanted to love this place but I think I only like it. I came here for the fried chicken, and though it was crunchy and overall not bad, I wish it was better salted. I think overall I prefer Southern Kin in Assembly Row for the fried chicken. The potato salad here though was very good. Fries were okay. Value was prob 4/5, taste prob 3.5/5. Side note: everything is cooked fresh which is nice but expect a 20ish minute wait for your food. read more

The Coast Cafe - Mixed chicken platter with black eyed peas and collars greens - Soul Food Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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We ordered a tray of fried wings from Coast Cafe for a party and couldn't have asked for a better experience. Wonderful food and equally great service. Thank you to the team for making our gathering so special! read more

For my last meal in Central Square, I chose "Food from the Soul" at the Coast Cafe. Walking the half mile stretch from the Central Sq. T stop in the blazing sun, I thought to myself, "Damn. This better be good," and it sure was. I ordered the Fried Chicken Breast plate which comes with 2 sides and cornbread for $9.25. Sides include: Mac & Cheese, Collard Greens, Candied Yams, Jag (yellow rice w/ lima beans), Mashed Potatoes, and more! Their menu is extremely extensive for such a small, compact space. Other items include: BBQ or Teriyaki Chicken, Fish (Haddock and Catfish), Sirloin Steak, Meatloaf, Stir-fry, Hamburgers, Hotdogs, Pork Chops, BBQ Ribs, Wraps, Sandwiches, and Salads! They even have lunch specials from 11am-2pm. It's an ideal place for a simple to-go lunch or a large take-out dinner! Save room for their homemade desserts! Banana Pudding and Sweet Potato Pie for just $2.75! Sooo sinfully good, it can only be soul food from the Coast Cafe. read more

The Coast Cafe - Coast Cafe Menu page 2 - Soul Food Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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Soul food. On River Street in Cambridge on the way to Central Square, The Coast Cafe serves extremely fresh and made to order Southern classics. Limited seating and great for take-out. The combination plates are the best way to try a little bit of everything and they all come with a delicious corn bread muffin. The pork chop (comes with two) plate is hearty and the meat is served on the bone. The BBQ pork ribs are extremely tender with a tangy and sweet BBQ sauce. The highlight is of course the fried chicken with the perfect ratio of moist meat to crispy skin. Try a little of the house hot pepper sauce. The chicken does not need help but adds a pleasant spicy zest. The sides equally stand out and two come with each combination plate. Collard greens with smoked turkey are flavorful with sweet and sour notes. The cole slaw is mild with a vinegar-based sauce and the potato salad is incredibly creamy. Fried plantains are always a nice "dessert" with plenty of cinnamon and char. read more

The Coast Cafe - Special Combination Plate - BBQ Pork Ribs and Fried Chicken with Fried Plantains and Potato Salad - Soul Food Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Wish that this place had more competition - the food is better than average, but both times I've come here, the person right in front of me has ordered food that the kitchen staff "decides" is out when I order it. read more

I'm very sad to write this review, but my experience with this restaurant yesterday was.... Not good. Which really disappoints me because as someone who lived in Tennessee for several years as a kid I really had high hopes for this place based on the reviews I saw on here, but I was definitely letdown. So I ordered the chicken thigh combo plate(2 fried chicken thighs, 2 sides and cornbread), and the good news is that the cornbread and candied yams were both great. No complaints on that front from me(and were the reasons why this review isn't an outright 1 star). You also get a fair amount of food for the cost. I could've split the meal in two and been satisfied each time in terms of how much food I ate(about $20 after tax for the combo plate, which could easily be 2 meals for me). But the mac n' cheese, at least to me, tasted very flat and bland. I also got a couple of very dried out pieces of fried chicken, which is especially surprising since thighs are dark meat. This is particularly disappointing for me because the small portion of one of the thighs that wasn't dried out actually tasted incredibly delicious, but that was only about 1/3 of one of the two chicken thighs I got. It looked really good too, and the breading and seasoning was was well done for sure, but that can't save it from the inside being very dry and overcooked. I really only finished my food out of a sense of obligation since I paid a decent amount for it. I don't know if maybe I just got them at a bad time since I did order the day before Thanksgiving, a day where it wouldn't be surprising if employees get a bit more lazy, and orders are perhaps a bit more slow so maybe food was sitting around a bit that they needed to use up, but I was very saddened by my experience yesterday. read more

Best food i ever had and the coast cafe wings is bomb !!! Great costumer service !! Clean restaurant !!

Food: 3.5/5.0 Service: 2.5/5.0 Value: 3.0/5.0 Decor: 2.0/5.0 Overall: 3.5/5.0 The chicken is juicy though I thought the total package wasn't really as out of this world as I was expecting. I may be nitpicking, but the skin on the pieces I got were fried past their apex, the seasoning wasn't quite doing it for me, and the sides were pretty mediocre. That said, I can't name a better fried chicken spot around here, so I'll probably be back. Small shop with seats for about 7, and the food takes 20 minutes to come out (a good thing). read more

3.5 Stars GOOD OL' southern food. Fried chicken.. mac and cheese.. and a beef patty. WIsh I had room for some banana puddin too but I was STUFFED full of fat after my meal. The fried chicken was crispy and flavored with salt and pepper.. and shockingly, as everyone else had said, it wasn't greasy! The mac and cheese had lots of flavor.. probably one of the better ones I've had around here. As for the beef patty, I'd say save the calories for something else... it's nothing special. It's a little bit of a trek from the Central Square T Stop.. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to come here again, but if i'm in the area I'd probably stop by! read more

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This is the real deal for soul food! Everything I tried was hearty and chock-full of flavor. You can order a plate that comes with one main, two sides, and cornbread. I shared with a friend and got to try the fried chicken thighs, fried catfish, collard greens, Mac & cheese, candied yams, and fried plantains: - fried chicken: The crispiest I've ever had, with the batter literally shattering in my mouth. I believe it's a cornmeal batter? The meat inside was incredibly juicy as well. Definitely delicious, but I would maybe prefer more spice. Add Frank's RedHot to take it to the next level - catfish: SO GOOD. Fish was perfectly tender and flaky, and batter was crispy and golden. Must try! - collar greens: another fave of mine. The collars are cooked down really soft in pork fat, and are a tantalizing mix of bitter and savory - Mac & cheese: this is how I like my Mac, very thick and creamy with a crusted over layer of orange cheese on top - yams: maybe my favorite side. So sweet and buttery, these are a straight up dessert - fried plantains: very good, but not on the same level of deliciousness as the other sides - cornbread: good and sweet and in a muffin shape, so you get a great mix of crispy edges and a moist bottom This is so worth a try, but it is a bit pricy. Our two plates came out to $35. Still, I would 100% recommend. read more

I got to The Coast just before lunchtime and managed to get my order in before the crowd began to appear. Even then, it was still a 10 minute wait or so (but who is really counting anyway?). I ordered the beef ribs and fried chicken plate as well as a jerk chicken and cheese patty. Because I had to wait for a while, I was served the jerk chicken and cheese patty first. The jerk chicken was seasoned well and came in chunks that were nice to chew on to get all the jerk flavor out. The cheese held the meat together and gave the filling a gooey texture that was comforting in every bite (on a cold Cambridge morning). The fried chicken thigh was crispy and juicy and not overcooked. It was not greasy and went well with the Franks hot sauce. The star was the beef ribs, which had its fat very well-rendered and the flesh thoroughly perfused by the sticky, slightly sweet, smoky black marinade. The flesh came off the bone easily and burst with natural juices. As part of the plate, we also got the collard greens, mac and cheese and cornbread. The collard greens were cooked nice and had little morsels of pork that added to the flavor. (But I prefer the version at Sweet Cheeks with thicker chunks of fatty pork in it haha.) The mac and cheese was okay, although a little stodgy after being left out for a while. I liked the cornbread because it was sweet yet not overly buttery. read more

The Coast Cafe - Beef ribs and chicken plate with cornbread, collard greens and mac and cheese - Soul Food Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

so first I will say there food is not bad but not great either. I will give my opinions. we ordered off the online menu, this should be noted the that the prices are not the same so do not go with exact money. the place was small only 1 table so I would recommend eating out, we ordered the jumbo wings, a medium side of collard greens and medium side of sweet potatoes, and 2 pieces of cornbread. the chicken to me wasn't really jumbo they were wings cut into wingdings. wasn't what I was expecting. I felt that the wings were kinda cooked perfectly close to being a lil raw which I don't like. the good things were the chicken was crunchy and seasoned good. collard greens were good wish the size was bigger, and sweet potatoes were better then most. they had cinnamon in them so if u are not a fan of sweet potatoes with cinnamon then u might not like them. bad thing about the sweet potatoes were they were a bit too sweet so if you had no collard greens left it was a bit much. the corn bread wasn't as good as I am use to and if you have ever been to soul fire can not compare to theirs. overall the food was good. and I am looking forward to just buying a plate of sides. read more

The Coast Cafe - jumbo wings, collard greens, sweet potato - Soul Food Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Food was great. Very nice staff and they even threw in a bunch of extra chicken strips. I highly recommend this place. read more

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Been in Massachusetts for almost a year now and have been lookin for a real soul food spot. Been to quite a few different places. Buy The Coast Cafe is definitely a Jewel. The food is on point and the seasoning has the home cooked smell/taste. Will definitely return. It was slightly pricy for the portions. But hey bruv, we're in Cambridge Ma. Let's keep it in perspective. It was worth it overall. Thank you for a taste of the south in the middle of the city. read more

No frills restaurant with BOMB fried chicken. Literally a 7-seater in the middle of a neighborhood. Their BBQ plate with ribs and brisket was decent but it wasn't up to southern standards. The chicken, on the other hand, we keep coming back for more. I think they make the chicken fresh as we were told it would take around 20-25 minutes for the food to come out. It was worth the wait though because the waffle was soft and fluffy and the chicken was so moist. Such a crunchy crust!! We also had mac and cheese and collard greens, which were both perfect. Only thing we didn't really enjoy was their banana pudding. Nilla wafer to cream ratio was way off and I think we've been spoiled by Magnolia's. But a great meal nonetheless! read more

The Coast Cafe - Fried chicken & waffle and mixed thigh/breast plate - Soul Food Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

So happy to find a bit of the South while I was in Boston. Blackened fish platter was awesome.

Today I ordered two fried chicken combination plates including Mac & Cheese and Collard greens. The fried chicken was unseasoned but looked seasoned... super confusing. The Mac & Cheese was should of only be labeled at macaroni, because it only had a few sprinkles of cheese barely holding it together. The greens were ok. During the meal I asked my boyfriend if his food was good and he expressed the same concerns. This is not Soul Food. On a positive note, they were adhering to the Covid-19 protocols. read more

This place is the best and worth any wait necessary. If you're looking for a black-owned soul food eatery look no further. I have tried their fried chicken, ribs, macaroni & cheese, green beans, candied yams, and collard greens, and everything was perfectly hot and seasoned. read more

I lived in Cambridge for 5 years and didn't discover this gem until I moved out of the city. But it doesn't matter because I have found it now and I love it. Crispy fried chicken, tender ribs, solid sides (I don't eat just anybody's collards...these were very good), and great sweat treats. And the takeout travels well. I am a fan! read more

The Coast Cafe - Soul Food Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

This is the best fried chicken and Mac and cheese you can get. Don't sleep on Coast Cafe!

I'm not a huge fan of soul food but my takeout from the Coast Cafe lived up to expectation. Portion size was large, fish was fresh, sides were really good (collared greens, plantains and cornbread) but the accompanying sauces were a bit disappointing for me. Overall though a decent option for home style takeout in the Cambridge area. read more

The Coast Cafe - Grilled haddock with collared greens and fried plantains - Soul Food Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Everything we got was so delicious! We got beef patties, chicken & waffles, and ribs with mac & cheese. Definitely will be ordering again.

Nothing needs to actually taste this good. Like, you could reduce flavorocity by 50% and I'd still be licking my fingers. It is kind of a long wait for what should be, judging by appearance, about ready to go. To-go orders seem to be prioritized over customers at the counter, which I'm sure there's a reason for, but can be frustrating when you're standing around for a long time. Will definitely be ordering ahead next time. When I finally got my food, I was hangry and thinking "this better be worth it!" the whole walk back to central square... and it was. Perhaps this was a one off experience - I can't wait to visit again to find out! read more

Shout out to Coast Cafe for the very good ribs and tasty collard greens we had delivered by Grub Hub. Next time, we'll add the yams, they look great! read more

The food was good here but unfortunately by the time it was given to us it was super cold. They didn't notify us that there was no Mac and cheese when we put in the order only to arrive and find out that they had no more Mac and cheese. They told us it would be a 30 min wait and we decide to not wait and just get the rest of what we got. When they have us the food it was really cold. Really disappointed. I was looking forward to enjoying this place. read more

A hidden gem for fried chicken in the greater Boston. Best fried chicken in town. Hands down

I really liked it! The prices are expected given the area & The menu has a lot of options. Only thing I wish they had was a different kind of fish (not a big fan of catfish). But it was still yummy none the less. The candied yams and the macaroni and cheese were good as well. I also picked up a slice of their sweet potato pie and the vanilla cake with almond frosting. Loved both! read more

The Coast Cafe - Fried Catfish Candied Yams Mac & Cheese - Soul Food Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts