VESTER Southie — Restaurant in Boston

As you approach what can only be described as a WeWork "employee enrichment room" from the outside, you find yourself shocked as you make the questionable choice of entering. Immediately emotions start whirling In the pit of your stomach. Confusion, dismay and unplaced anger assault you when you've come to the realization that you've entered what can only be described as an IKEA office section without horse meatballs. What you can order, however, is decidedly more unappetizing. You have a vast array of choices, including the most prolific: expensive soggy bread. And for those with discerning palates, soggy bread with tomato, or avocado or both or whatever it is yuppies like to spend 25+ dollars on. I grabbed my double espresso, which, came in a paper cup, of course, and furiously poured it down my throat lest it cool down before I took my seat. I then spent the remainder of my time taking in the scenery. This place exudes an uncanny aura of Holiday Inn lobby chic. I found myself mezmerized by the clientele, The diverse millennial Yuppy in its natural habitat. They had it all. Macbooks. Airpods. Birkenstocks. No one was talking to each other and everyone was busy "project manahing"and "making sure Jessica completed her deliverable by fourth quarter". The espresso left a sour taste in my mouth. I wish I could only be so kind about...

Maybe we came on an off day, but Vester disappointed in all categories aside from the atmosphere. $34 yielded two black iced coffees, a bacon egg and cheese (which arrived without bacon), and a fairly meager avocado toast with egg and smoked salmon (a $5 upgrade above the base price for the avo toast).

Quality was on par with a cruise ship buffet; The bacon-less BEC was remedied with a huff and two strips of bacon that had been sitting in a warmer, but despite our requests for “over easy” eggs, both of us got cold eggs that clearly hadn’t been cooked within the most recent hour. Despite never being asked if we would be dining in, our food arrived in to-go disposable Tupperware, which further cheapened the experience, especially when compared to the myriad photos online that flaunt fresh and well-plated entrees.

Props to the PR firm that helped get our hopes up to try Vester, but for the price paid, better options can be found...

My friend and I had the opportunity to work from a location in South Boston that's part of a larger organization. The space is quite spacious, well-designed, and provided a comfortable environment to get work done. There were plenty of tables and seating options available.

We also sampled a few items from the café: the Coco Ube Latte, a regular latte, the Cherry Mocha Latte, the Truffle Turkey Club, and the Green Goddess sandwich. Everything was reasonably priced and very enjoyable. The lunch offerings were especially impressive—some of the best sandwiches I’ve had in a while. The ingredients were fresh and served on soft, flavorful focaccia bread.

The lattes were high quality as well, though the Cherry Mocha was our least favorite as it leaned heavily toward chocolate without much cherry flavor coming through.

Overall, it’s a great spot for studying or remote work, with the added bonus of an excellent...