Tamper Cafe — Restaurant in Medford

I’ve been coming here for like 4 years, so this review is overdue. This place is amazing. -Their food is simple and delicious. Its strength comes from fresh ingredients and thoughtful thorough preparation. -I’m a breakfast junkie: My goto is the sausage egg scramble with the chocolate chip scone is the (IMO the best in greater Boston). Besides that, I’ve never been disappointed by anything. (Shout out to the patty melt) -The lattes (especially their mocha) are top tier. The baristas are beasts, and consistently produce amazing drinks. -The open minimalist interior is perfect for a chill meal. They do try to limit laptops at the booths on the weekend, which I prefer, otherwise there’d be no room to eat. -10/10 on value. You won’t get a better combination of value and quality in Boston. Given the quality of ingredients and service, ( and I mean this in the best possible way): It Feels like the owners operate at a loss to bring good food to their community. -The place is a labor of love, whoever runs this cafe does it because they love making good food for people.

Tldr; Amazing food meticulously crafted from high quality ingredients. (See: lattes, scones, and sausage egg scramble). The people who run this place are invested in good food at...

This place market itself like a healthy joint, and I love the menu design, but the execution did not deliver on health. I got their mushroom kale bowl and it consisted mostly of rice, there was very little kale or mushroom, and there were tons of oil. I couldn't even finish it because of how much oil it had, it was too heavy for my stomach.

Secondary to this, because I understand they are basically on a University campus, they forgot about my order. I paid, they gave me a number which gave me some sense of assurance that I was going to get my food delivered to my table like everybody else, but 20 minutes passed and I went to ask about my food and they didn't even know what I had ordered. It took them another 15 to put it out.

I hope the next time I come to the joint I can modify this review, but as far as first experiences go, this is not a place I would be inclined to...

[+] The location is good, with plenty of bus access and on street parking. [+] The service I got was friendly. [+] The interior has space for groups and individuals, with several tables of outside seating. [+] The prices are reasonable and in line with larger cafes (at least for black coffee) [+] The baked goods all looked great. The cookie I had was the best I’ve had in a long time. melted chocolate with soft gooey inside, but just baked outside.

[–] The coffee was good not great, if you enjoy strong coffee. [–] The inside is loud at times, not from the music, but from ambient noise. Not a problem if your head down in a phone/book, but may be difficult to have a...