Polcari's Coffee

Love the coffee. Always get the Italian roast. They grind it for you. Also spice and dried herbs. The dipping mix is great. Great old North End institution. M

If you're in the North End, DO NOT SKIP POLCARIS. They'll mix the beans for you if you want just the right flavor for you. In my case I'm widway from the Medium or Dark Roast. Tell them what you like and they'll blend the beans and offer to grind. Also have great oils, deserts, snacks.....if I'm brining in out-of-town friends, this is where I love to take them before we go for dinner.

Local Legend! Italian coffee beans at its best. No exaggeration here, they have probably 20+ flavors of beans. All smell wonderful. The expert staff there are not only friendly and patient to bring down the jar and let you smell it if you can't decide, but they are also polite and knowledgeable. You can slice and dice however way you want, half a pound of this, half a pound of that in whole beans or even quarter pound grounded in front of you. This is such a gem. No wonder even Harvard bookstore features this Polcari's Coffee in one of their postcards! And I've seen some paid local tour guide also feature this as a "mandatory" stop. It is that good. I'm a self proclaimed latte artist and nerd; I can tell you that their coffee beans provide a very even grind and distribution. Most beans extract for 16 to 25 seconds and their beans extract for 47 seconds in a fine setting and produces great aroma. Their coffee beans have the perfect consistency and amount of oil that you can tell is expertly blended and roasted. Bonus fact: they serve really good Lemon Slush until early October (when cooler weather starts).

Not the kind of shop I was looking for when I went to find a coffee, but I’m glad for it. While the coffee isn’t my preference, I appreciate the authentic feel — as well as the lemon slush cups!

We were introduced to this places while on a food tour (North End Little Italy Food Tour with Bobby). The smells outside lure you in and the guys working could not be more friendly. They were very knowledgeable and had Great conversation. A fun place with a lot of history. Be sure to stop and get your coffee here! They also have a wide variety of spices