Cafe Fixe — Restaurant in Brookline

We have given this place a chance twice. Both times, we had the same barista who seems to be the owner (although I’m not 100% sure but he acts like he owns the place). He was incredibly inhospitable and rude to every customer including us. He doesn’t know what a flat white is and despite it being on the menu (the first time), he told me that I could order it but it would just be a latte. We come from Australia, one of us a barista from Melbourne. We tried to explain that flat whites, which come from Australian cafes, are in fact different from lattes in subtle ways. This guy clearly thinks he knows everything there is to know about coffee and has no interest in hearing any feedback from paying customers about what they are actually asking for. The second time we went was during COVID and they do seem to be taking things seriously which is good, except for that we and every person that tried to come into the cafe at that time were immediately yelled at upon entry to wait outside. There were about 4-5 people in the store already... we were fine to wait outside just didn’t appreciate being yelled at upon arrival, I looked for a sign on the door and there wasn’t one specifying to wait outside or max people allowed in the cafe, etc. The menu now states something snarky like: Latte *aka flat white, cappuccino, etc. I will absolutely never give this place my money or time again. We went back a second time because the coffee was OK the first time and we have had a hard time finding good coffee since moving from Australia. The coffee here is is mediocre and not worth the super rude and arrogant servers. Save your money and spend it somewhere that they actually value your presence...

The way the Barista (and it seems manager or owner) here speaks to customers and employees is horrible! He was practically screaming at the cashier, who seemed new to the job, over nothing. When a customer was confused about the terminology on the menu, instead of just explaining what something meant, he was condescenting and rude, treating this person like an idiot because they didn't weren't an expert on coffee and just wanted to make sure they understood what they were ordering. Everything about the way he interacts with people reeks of condescension and a superiority complex. I also overheard him bragging to a customer he seemed to know about coming in to work with Covid even though he was still technically supposed to quarantine. On top of all of that, there was grime all over the walls and I saw two cockroaches! Clearly health and safety are not a priority here.

The coffee wasn't even that good, certainly not worth the treatment or the unsanitary environment. I figured I'd give this place a chance despite the negative reviews because some people can be hard on food service workers, but in this case the reviews are absolutely deserved, and maybe even a little too forgiving. I don't need a smile or any overt kindness from restaurant workers, and I don't expect or agree with the attitude of "the customer is always right". All I need is for them to treat people like human beings and not be aggressive and mean to customers and employees who do nothing to provoke them. This guy needs to find a career that doesn't involve interacting with...

Despite the very good coffee, we will not be returning to Cafe Fixe.

On our first visit, we were turned off by the attitude of the barista, who we assume to be the owner or manager. Although there is certainly valuable discussion to be had regarding an "appropriate" way to enjoy a given food or drink, he was condescending both as we ordered and as he gave us our drinks. Again, there is nothing wrong with respecting the product and the craft of espresso, but the barista seemed to operate under the presumption that we, the customers, were ignorant. He was pretentious to the point of being unwelcoming.

Even worse was our second visit, during which he criticized my wife's order and, when she responded that it was how she wanted it, made a snide remark about being happy to collect the upcharge for her request.

After this, the girl working the register--who seemed to be new or currently in training--accidentally charged us 50 cents too much. No big deal. However, the barista openly scolded her, saying "why would you do that?" and condescendingly remaking that she needed to "focus on one thing at a time," as though this simple error meant she was incapable of working the register

We were on the fence about returning when the barista was rude to us, but the way he spoke to his employee was disgusting.

I would caution anyone against patronizing such a place and such a person. There's a lot of good coffee in the greater Boston area roasted and brewed by people you can feel good...