Bread + Roses Bookstore and Café — Restaurant in Barnstable

TL/DR: Do anything you can to visit Bread + Roses.

If I could give this business 100000 stars I would. My partner and I stumbled upon B+R on our way through town. Having lived on Cape before this was the last thing I would have expected to find here, and it surprised me in the best ways.

Upon entering I immediately felt at home—the environment is friendly and cozy. There are plenty of comfortable places to sit, read, eat, create, mingle, etc. There’s even a comfy nook in the back with a piano and guitar for creating and enjoying music. The long wooden table in the center of the shop feels like it has the potential to hold many a profound discussions about society, philosophy, arts, humanities, people, love, community and everything in between. It feels like a perfect communal meeting place for a happy, healthy community. Very rarely have I felt so welcome upon entering a space — intention oozes out of every nook and cranny of the space. There are also many bistro-style tables and chairs in the cafe area if you’re looking for a more “leave me alone so I can get sh*t done” kind of vibe. It’s a very dynamic space and can suit any mood or preference.

The bookstore/retail space is so beautifully and intentionally curated it physically took my breath away. As a life-long lover of books and reading and art I’ve stumbled into a lot of amazing local bookstores in my years and B+R is far and ahead the most unique one I’ve ever seen. Sadly, it knocks my favorite local bookstore at home (Burning Books in Buffalo, NY — in case anyone wants to look for a similar vibe and support another small radical bookstore like B+N. Sorry for the shameless plug lol I just love my hometown bookstore) out of the running for my Favorite Bookstore Ever. If you’re a person who loves people and learning and social justice and arts and community and diversity of thought then Bread + Roses is for you. It took everything in me to not walk away with one of everything.

The last thing I think worth noting is the environment/vibe/staff/ambiance. I couldn’t help myself from speaking to a man I noticed stocking shelves who turned out to be the owner. We had the most beautiful conversation about the shop, our communities, and our mutual love for the magic of Cape Cod. You can just tell that this business is as intentional about WHAT they sell as well as HOW they sell it. Cape Cod can be pretty inaccessible for a lot of different people and communities, and Bread + Roses is paving its way into the local community in a way that I have never seen done before. This business NEEDS to stay open. This business NEEDS to continue to do good for others in that community. This business gives agency to people whose voices need to be amplified.

This business needs support from locals and tourists alike. I promise if any of this review has spoken to you in any way it’s worth a trip out of your way to visit. I’m not affiliated with this shop, it just made such an impression on me. Please patronize B+R. I guarantee you won’t regret it. And maybe you’ll even learn something new and meet some cool people along the way. At the very least, you’ll be sure to get a bomb cup of coffee/snack and a cool place to gather or just sit and watch the world go by.

To the staff: I’m sorry I’ve already forgotten your names (my silly memory has limitations). But you made a deep impression on me. I cannot wait to visit again soon. Thank you for all you’re doing for a place that I...

PSA: this place is no longer plant based/vegan or social justice oriented. It’s under new ownership who for some reason has kept the name and branding but absolutely nothing else.

First, the positives: the vegan double trouble breakfast sandwich was super tasty, as was the chicken (Caesar) wrap. I also got a strawberry lemonade that was delicious though it was sort of a slushy-type drink.

The negatives: -the old decor is all gone. No more local art, no stickers and jewelry for sale, no giant Pride flag or Black Lives Matter sign/flag. All the character is gone and the space feels soulless. -the books are almost entirely gone with only a few shelves in the main room left, and a single shelf in the second room. It’s not clear if the books are even for sale, but they certainly don’t seem to be getting any attention from staff. -my lemonade was NINE DOLLARS?! I mean I get there’s a recession, but jeez. It was listed under juices and I wouldn’t have even considered it if the price had been listed on the menu. -speaking of the menu, it’s completely new. The whole place used to be vegan/plant based, and that’s obviously not the case anymore. While there was a small vegan section on the menu, my partner and I had different items listed on our menus and we had to ask a worker which menu was correct, and they weren’t even sure at first. Not the fault of the staff, but it seems like maybe the menu is being changed frequently.

My biggest complaint is that I felt deceived going in. The last time I was here was October of 2024, and I was looking forward to visiting one of my favorite places on the cape. I don’t understand why the new owners haven’t updated the website or changed the branding at all - or even the name! The name is a super intentional choice that has roots in women’s suffrage and the labor movement, a connection that made sense under previous ownership. But without the focus on social justice, political activism, or any of the other things that are now gone…it just feels deceptive to keep the name. The new owners should absolutely change the name, but at the very LEAST they need to change the website to reflect the new ownership. I went in expecting to find a queer friendly community oriented space, instead I found a lackluster environment with completely new staff, a much much smaller menu of things I could eat, and no sense of...

First, the positive -- the new owners have brought some very tasty Brazilian food to the menu, which I quite enjoyed!

On the less positive side, this place actually used to be a very decent coffee shop (fun, funky vibe + daily-ish music acts), but it really can't be considered that anymore. I say this to be helpful & constructive, not mean: the staff really needs to learn the difference between a latte, a cortado, and macchiato -- all of which are listed on the coffee menu. If you order any of these, you will get... a mediocre latte. On my first day in here, I ordered a cortado, and I got ... a large latte. I started to explain to the barrista what a cortado was, but there was a pretty steep language barrier so I just let it go b/c i I didn't want to be that guy.

Second day, I ordered a macchiato (see photo) to see if day 1 was a fluke .... and... I could tell by the fact that they were pouring the not-quite-steamed milk into 12oz cup instead of a 4oz cup it was going to be the same issue. I wonder what I would have received had I ordered a latte AND a macchiato AND a cortado ;) ? Now, I will say, if a coffee shop doesn't actually have a cortado and a macchiato listed on their coffee menu, it can be caveat emptor if you order one of the less common-ish espresso drinks; but if it's on the menu, you should know how to make it semi-correctly. Honestly, I think they must have just left the same coffee menu up from the previous owners without really appreciating what the different types of espresso drinks are.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned, there is somewhat of a language barrier with the staff, so it's difficult to communicate the distinction. It's not the staff's fault, really -- they are super nice, and just haven't been trained (and are still learning english). I would love for the new owners to address this-- it can be a very simple fix (and incredibly easy to train staff on)! I look forward to coming back once they've had some time to practice :)

Verdict: if you are dropping in for a bite, it's worth trying! But if you are looking for a coffee shop, I'd say you're better off trekking to Nirvana coffee (Barnstable) or Three...