Café 26 — Restaurant in Boston

Unfortunately we did not enjoy our time at Cafe 26.

We were seated in an awkward corner behind the stair railing and next to the air conditioner. It was a little cramped, but manageable. I understand space can be tight in a morning rush, so we were appreciative of having a seat with no wait. That being said, the service left much to be desired.

We were rushed though ordering. The menu did not reflect what was available and we were given curt and dismissive responses to questions or selections. I understand it was busy; however, their menu being incorrect led to us having to change plans and ask questions thus causing the interaction to drag on.

The Chai latte tasted like steamed milk with cinnamon sprinkled on top (pictured below). The Shakshouka was fried eggs on top of a red sauce with barely cooked veggies including bell peppers and red onions with some feta sprinkled on top. The French toast was mostly soft and chewy, not unpleasant but missing the crisp edge you would expect. We asked for a side of bacon that never came. I suspect that’s because the handheld ordering system is clunky and annoying for the servers to use.

The nail in the coffin for Cafe 26 was the fact that the other customers around us received water when we had not, the others were asked how they were and checked in on, we were ignored with only so much as a glance. I had to speak up and flag down a server in order for them to pay attention to us. Again, I want to restate, we were set into an awkward corner… but if you are going to seat parties there, you must still give them the best service you can. This wasn’t our fault.

All in all the food was not terrible, but it certainly wasn’t good. The service was non-existent, and generally we felt unwelcome.

If you must go here, I would recommend sticking to the breakfast basics like eggs, pancakes, and bacon (if it...

The breakfast sandwich was pretty good - eggs were cooked perfectly, the bacon was decent - but the brioche bun tasted like it may have come from a supermarket. Although they did grill it, so that made it nicer and was a step up.

Cheap prices - sandwiches come with a small pinch of dressed greens and a generous portion of home fried potatoes for about $8, which is really reasonable, especially around this part of town

Service was lackluster, though. The woman who took my order was pretty prickly, and didn't seem to know if they had half and half or even what it was (maybe don't have her working the register at a coffee shop?). When my coffee came out, it was just adequate - on the weak side, like the beans had been soaking in a hot bath for about 5 minutes and suddenly remembered they had somewhere else to be. And the half and half didn't taste very fresh. Luckily, I didn't have to wait long for my food - maybe 10 minutes.

I sat at a table right in front of the register to wait. I saw a bag being packed up with stuff and then stapled shut. The men behind the counter continued to talk and animatedly gesticulate, leaving the bag on the counter, just sitting there. After a minute, I walked up and asked, "Is that my order?" They looked momentarily confused, then one of them said, "Oh, yeah, yeah."

That was it. No handing it to me, no further acknowledgment. Kinda rude, like owning and working at this cafe was a side hustle to their main job of shooting the breeze and arguing. It's okay, I can find another breakfast place around here easily.

Also, as I was walking there, Google maps said this place was "Busier than usual". When I went in, there were two men sitting at a table. It made me laugh...

Cafe 26 did exactly what it was supposed to do. I woke up fairly early last Sunday morning after a bit of bourbon the night before. A breakfast sandwich was clearly in order. I was staying in an area in the middle of pretty much everything, so it wasn't hard to locate an establishment within a block that had what I needed. I side-eyed a brunchy bougie place on the corner but decided it was too high maintenance for the occasion (and it felt naughty to go in there in my sweats). This didn't require a bunch of fanfare; eggs and cheese were the only pre-requisites.

This isn't so much a formal sit-down restaurant as much as a breakfast deli counter situation with a handful of tables to sit at. It's very no-frills and reminded me of a lot of the bodega/delis in NYC (I spent most of the weekend comparing neighborhoods and features to NYC - North End/West Village, etc.). I may be mistaken, but I definitely got a Mediterranean/halal vibe from the establishment, especially given some of the menu items. That said, the menu also prominently featured exactly what I was looking for. I ordered two egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches (one for my top-tier chum who literally went to the school of hospitality), as well as a chocolate croissant to split. The full order was provided in less than five minutes, and the service was efficient/courteous. No issues at all. Both sandwiches were consumed happily a few minutes thereafter. Decent portions and perfect for the situation.

Most of my reviews go on for pages and pages, but this is a rare instance where there's not much to say. Breakfast sandwiches were required, they were provided, and they...