Recreo Coffee & Roasterie — Restaurant in Boston

Recreo Coffee was my favorite place for meeting friends prior to COVID, especially the back patio, quiet and romantic.

But my first post COVID trip yesterday was a let down with their sanitary practice. They had tight counter dividers and everyone wore masks which were very good. But cashier who took my credit card, likely cash too from other customers, went to get pastry with the same gloved hands. When I questioned why not using tongs, her reply was that she used paper to grab pastry, but her thumb was on the side of paper that food was on. She offered to use tongs to give me another one, but out of habit, she used that same gloved hand into the paper bag to expand the bag. At this point, it was obvious that she did not understand the COVID compliance to protect the customers, she was just going her usual pre-COVID motion. Eventually she transferred pastry to me by napkins.

I felt bad for putting her on the spot, but there was no way I would take a piece of pastry from the same gloved hands that touched money. She was polite and trying but simply had no comprehensive knowledge of how to do it the COVID compliant way. I think their manager /owner needs to take the responsibility to train staff to walk through every step to keep cold food clean, to give customers confidence. Wearing the same gloves touching everything is not protecting customers nor themselves.

It will be a long time before I would go back again.

Thank you Miriam for your reply. I...

Giving one star so management sees this. I have had multiple encounter with one particular employee who is constantly rude to me and my partner. We have come in, greeted them cheerfully, and get not a single word in response. They just stare at us impatiently, waiting for us to order. There is zero customer service and they seem genuinely miserable. Because of this one employee and these rude encounters, we will not be back. It is a true shame because some employees are very pleasant but having an encounter with this one is not worth it. They genuinely put a damper on our moods as we leave the cafe. Management, i would love to describe this particular employee to you and hopefully get their attitude in check because as someone who has worked in the service industry for years, this is truly...

Recreo is truly special. I don’t visit nearly as often as I’d like due to my work schedule, but every time I do it’s a highlight in my day. Recreo is known as West Roxbury’s living room and it’s easy to see why. The owners Hector and Miriam have created a welcoming space for all to stop in and connect over coffee from the family farm in Nicaragua. Truly from farm to your cup! The barista team is friendly, knowledgeable and committed to making top quality hand crafted beverages. My favorite is a whole milk latte with an extra shot. I usually enjoy a mixed berry scone or mini blueberry loaf with it. Baked goods are made locally and are always fresh and tasty. There’s also a great selection beans for sale (freshly roasted on site). Eden has given me great suggestions on what to try at home...