The Smoot Standard — Restaurant in Cambridge

Was hoping that this place would match the now gone Darwin LTD. It gets close, but it is not quite there.

The coffee is not bad, but it's not amazing. It's not a "modern espresso bar" with lighter roast, microfoam, latte art, etc. It is better than Starbucks, dunks, or 90% of random coffee shops.

The croissant was undewhelming, not fluffy and very "bready". There are 5 locations within walking distance with better croissants.

The breakfast sandwich was tasty and decadent. Haven't tried their lunch sandwiches yet.

As for the inside - same airy space, many tables, plenty of bar style seating for singles with laptops, nice cosy second floor nook - all makes it perfect for WFH or a breakfast/lunch...

I finally made my way here for lunch, and I had a great experience! I got the beef brisket sandwich, and it was delicious -- plentiful tender beef, perfectly paired with chewy bread, melty cheese, and sharp mustard. It was a pretty perfect sandwich in my book.

I also tried the fried green tomato sandwich, which was very interesting. The tomato seems to be pickled and then fried, and has a sweet relish and some thinly shaved ham. I much preferred the beef sandwich, but this was also interesting.

We also got the raspberry streusel, which was pretty good but I imagine would be better warm!

I'd definitely come back for...

Nice place for some food, chat, and do work! I sat in the loft area which was very homey and quiet, and had a great iced coffee and breakfast sandwich for a reasonable price! The sandwich had a nice, crispy hash brown that paired well with the egg and super soft brioche bun.

My only small issues is that the WiFi wasn’t very good, especially in the upper area. Also, for the breakfast sandwich , you can’t sub out meat for avocado without paying extra, so just beware for other vegetarians!

Overall, an underrated spot to get some great food and do work, can’t wait to try some of their...