Tatte Bakery & Cafe | Coolidge Corner — Restaurant in Brookline

I ordered one thing, then was told I couldn’t have it halfway through my coffee because of “their system”. I had to order something else that included several items I don’t even eat in order to get 2 poached eggs and a biscuit. The biscuit was brought over cold & hard and, when I asked if it could be warmed, I was told no because I had touched it (fair, but I touched it to see if it was warm….they probably should have asked if I wanted it warmed initially)…so that had to go in a bag to go home. When my order arrived they had forgotten the second poached egg. They ordered the second, but did not update me, so I had no idea if it was coming or not and, eventually, had to get up to ask. Then, I watched the second egg sit in the window for several minutes while the rest of my food got cold. When I asked to just send the whole thing back for a refund, I was told no because I had “already eaten part of it” (I had not….I had only moved the corn & bread to a separate plate because I don’t eat those things). Giving up, I said “whatever” (which, admittedly wasn’t super friendly on my part, but I had just kind of had it with the experience) and decided just to eat the cold breakfast rather than involving the manager again. Then the server said something rude and walked off. And, finally, minor on its own, but when I asked the barista for a napkin to wipe up a little spill, she suggested I get up and go to the bus tub instead of offering the paper towel right in front of her. And, you bus all your own dishes there…again, no big deal on its own, but I definitely felt like what I paid for (service as well as food) did not coincide what I received

Basically, the food would be good if served hot and all together. They do not accommodate any dietary requests (no matter how minor or reasonable or how willing you are to pay for the requests) because their system is rigid with no a la carte options and the manager, while very nice & professional, has zero authority and is at the mercy of their rigid computer system. The person who took my order was very kind & accommodating, but not trained properly as he allowed me to order something that wasn’t allowed in the first place. And, my server was so bad and so rude that I would have paid twice what the meal cost to remove the 20% tip I left

Honestly, I paid $20 for breakfast and ended up with a lot of cold food and food I don’t even eat. They made so many mistakes…yet, in the end, I was made to feel like I was rude and unreasonable for being unhappy with the experience

Update: oh, but that biscuit heated with a little butter once I got home….so, so good Just get your coffee & bakery items to go…you’ll...

Walking into this establishment, you are surrounded by tile and this nicely curated Boston experience. There is an assortment of desserts that look fabulous… but that is where all the excitement ends.

With not particularly helpful staff, the vibes of this bakery/restaurant does not fit the terms of a true cafe.

In a cafe, we are often greeted at the front, asked whether this is our first time and given some recommendations raving about the food, dessert or drinks. None of that happened here.

The drink you receive is mediocre at best. With no latte art, poor milk froth with large bubbles and no regular/zero sweetener available to add behind the bar…this was not a great “cafe”experience. The matcha is also watered down. Yes, it is green but is it giving umami, delicious matcha notes? No. And for $6-7 dollars a drink, I expected better. The cortado is THE barista drink that can tell if the coffee and milk fares well together. And the cortado as very very poor. The chai was okay.

I would also argue this is not a very good restaurant/bakery experience. There are no waiters to serve on you like a restaurant, the round tables make it hard for space for two individuals with food and drink, and the seats are not particularly comfortable.

A true cafe has comfort as well as aesthetics. Not just aesthetics.

The entire floorplan separates 50% out to the kitchen, bakery, and a separate rounded drinks bar including common walkway. It is intended to be an experience, but misses the target. Larger tables, more heavy wooden chairs + cushions, and more seating would help even this experience.

The condiments station is against the wall with plastic tubs for dishes under it giving waitress station. For consumers, a larger condiment station is needed for space to place your drinks, and add any creamer or sugar. Dishes and trash should be placed at a different location from condiments. Or trash hidden from the condiments and dishes in a separate rack.

For the average consumer, this can be seen as good enough so a 3 stars is what I would rate it as. If these improvements were made, imagine how much more popular this place would be? -proper coffees with latte art + more syrups options + offering sweeteners behind the bar -full bodied matcha -better furniture -separation of condiment station from the trash and dish station -helpful staff that gives great recommendations to food, drinks, and...

I moved to Allston a few months ago and within 2 weeks, became a regular a Tatte. I love the variety of food, and the coffee is great. I always get a cappuccino with soy or oat milk.

Food wise, my favorite is the muesli cup/bowl. the "cup" is a REALLY small serving but I think the yogurt is full fat so it's filling. another fav is the turkey sandwich; the green herb dressing is the best. I've also had/liked the egg sandwich (I get croissant sandwich, sub w/ multigrain bread), and tartines (a fav!). My parents rave about this place from when they visited - the grain or warm winter squash bowl, smoked salmon sandwich, lamb hash.

Service - fast every time I've been here. sandwich/yogurt is out in 5 minutes even if they're packed. other food in 10-15min tops. I have to give a shout out to Denise, who I met my first time here, and she was incredibly helpful to my mom & I. I later found out it was her first week, I never would have guessed! She has remembered me and said hi every time :)

only critique - their coffee isn't the hottest. I like to slowly sip my drink if I'm dining in. After several visits, I asked my drink to be "extra hot" (I hate being that person) & it was still cool in 10 minutes. I've asked for it in a to-go cup but for here, still cool...