Simon’s Too

I am updating my review after returning because the coffee here is pretty damn good. The place still needs to work to eradicate the irksome stench of meats and cheese.

TL’DR — skip to the conclusions
I’ll break this review out in three parts. Food and price, service, and comparison to Simon’s Too (the previous café).
1. Food and price: Café Anthony has increased prices and decreased the quality of it’s sandwiches. I’ve tried their roast beef, cubano, and chicken panini sandwiches, and their coffee. The meat in their sandwiches are tough and the sauce is piled on. They have on days and off days when it comes to food but I would say it is becoming more and more frequently an off day.
For example, today was one such off day (albeit more off than usual). I am sure that the meat in my sandwich had been sitting on the grill for more than an hour, waiting to be put in the next sandwich. It was tough, and the outside was browning and toughening up indicating that the chicken had indeed cooled and dried prior to being put in my sandwich.
I’ve also ordered their roast beef sandwich where the meat that was being cooked was so tough that I could not bite through it as I was biting through the sandwich. It just slid right off and I had to gobble up the entire piece of chewy meat to not make a mess.
On another occasion, a coworker who ordered a sandwich wanted to be sure the meat was not deli meat (a chemical in deli meat makes her extremely ill). They said that it was cooked in house when it was quite obvious that it was indeed, deli meat.
I do not think this kind of food is worth the $ 8 price tag. The prices here used to be $ 7 to $ 7.50 but the increase in price is not warranted by (and in fact, is contradictory to) the quality of food they are now serving.
2. Service: I understand that they are trying to give great service, and I think that comes through. However, it is not the warm service associated with a café. It is frequently brusque and unappealing. The wait for food can also be quite long. Just today, I waited 15 minutes to get my sandwich.
3. Comparison to Simon’s Too: Other reviews have already indicated that Café Anthony was Simon’s Too before the change in ownership. Simon’s Too was an excellent local café that I went to frequently for the coffee and food. The food was great and the coffee was amazing. The service was also excellent (though sometimes a little slow). The atmosphere was also much more appealing then compared to now. As someone else noted, there is now a HUGE soda refrigerator pressed up against a beautiful painting.
Conclusion: This place is now what I consider a grab and go place. I would not bring anyone here for a cup of coffee. I would only go here if I needed to and I would not look forward to it either. The food is sub-​par and price is relatively expensive. The service, while not dismal is passable. The experience in the café itself is not appealing. Having the big soda refrigerator pressed up against a beautiful painting shows where these owners priorities lie — profits, not a good café experience.

I love the new menu and now it is open till 12am great for a cappuccino or a dinner or take out

I used to like Simons Too. This new place feels like it has taken over what used to be a really pleasant, relaxed space serving excellent coffee into a frumpy, constricted one that lacks all sense of character. The dowdiness begins with the ugly font in which the name is written and extends to the cheap (looking) generic chairs and tables that have replaced the benches and stools that Simons Too had. And somehow the vibe has changed completely too. The coffee was still OK but I doubt I’ll be back. What a shame.

Mem Tea, and a whole assortment of it, by the adorable kettle with matching cup and saucer. A small case of pastries, and breakfast sandwiches on brioche or bagel.
WiFi is still free, continuing the Simon’s tradition, however (as other Unilocalers have noted), the seating is standard table and chair, and is packed quite tightly. Private conversations, biz meetings or volatile breakups should be conducted elsewhere — urrone hears urrthing.
If you’re a people watcher who wants to keep to themselves while scoping passersby on Mass Ave and lurking Tinder for your ex, post up here. It seems the new, more sterile vibe has left a few seats open, albeit crammed together.

I’m bummed that the new owners have totally changed the space — tore out all the beautiful benches and put in just a bunch of same-​old-​same-​old chairs. It seems some of the regular staff are no longer there anymore either which sucks. Here’s hoping there aren’t more changes in store! (Oh, and it’s called Café Anthony now)

They have been bought and are now Café Anthony. Staff are very nice, coffee is staying the same (they told me) strong and GOOD. Great location.

Lost between the bustle of Harvard and Central, Simon’s is a great place to stop in for coffee/​espresso and sandwiches. I had their cold brew, which was outstanding. Takes iced coffee to a new level.
I also grabbed a turkey, avocado and cheese sandwich. Sounds pretty simple but that’s how I like my turkey sandwiches. Everything was fresh and served on well made whole grain bread. Going to need to come back to try some of the other hot paninis and test out the espresso.
Seemed like a nice place to sit down for a while and chat or work if you need to. The wifi is free and there are a few outlets throughout for anyone with a laptop in tote.
Definite gem.

My go-​to place for coffee in Cambridge. Very good lattes, properly made. Great pastries. Inviting, sunny atmosphere. Friendly staff. Free, un-​metered wifi.
Compared to 1369 (down the street), Simons Too has equal/​better coffee, much better pastries, and a much cleaner and more welcoming environment.
And it’s justly popular, which means that, with only seven tables, you may not find a seat.

Delicious pastries like the original Simon’s on Mass Ave. I got the hot cider this morning which had a good spice to it and a nice frothy texture.
Seems like the Mass Ave location generally has a better scone selection but Simon’s Too has a leg up on seating. There aren’t a lot of tables but they’re arranged in circular shape that has a cozy vibe to it. Plus, it’s located about halfway between Harvard and Central which it makes it quieter than a lot of other places. Great spot for some reading!

Went to work, but seating was pretty limited. I figured I’d try it out anyway. The expresso machine was broken so I ordered the Moroccan mint tea. Pretty good! Also had the egg cheese spinach bfast sandwich, which was fine as well. Nothing remarkable. Stayed for less than hour though, because I couldn’t get much work done.

Solid place to grab a latte or iced coffee. The staff is very friendly and prices are decent. I’ve recently discovered the food. You can’t go wrong with any of the sandwiches. My personal favorite is the cubano. If you need a caffeine fix or a quick bite you can’t go wrong at Simon’s Too.

I came here on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I was feeling unmotivated to do anything at home so I decided to move my butt to Simon’s Too, which was only a few blocks away. The place is right on Mass Ave and quite inconspicuous, that I walked past it many times without noticing its existence.
Inside is pretty small with limited seating and few power outlets. I definitely felt a bit guilty hogging up a table with my laptop and notebook spread out in front of me. Décor is simple and cozy with wooden tables and seats, and a few small paintings up on the wall. The space is brightly lit thanks to the tall windows — Good way to soak up some sun and vitamin D in the colder months!
Despite the popularity of espresso here, I ordered a green tea latte. The matcha powder was a bit too much for my liking. The bitterness lingered on my tongue. It also wasn’t as strong as I had hoped for.
Service is fast. Staff are friendly, super chill, and good at what they do. I would visit again to try the food and cappuccino.

Lovely setting — high windows so sunshine flows right into the coffee shop and makes it really beautiful to be sitting there in the morning on a sunny day.
Coffee was good, croissant was okay, normal. Could be better, but compensated for by their good coffee and atmosphere.

Awesome, awesome latte! The coffee was of excellent quality, the milk was perfectly steamed and swirled into an adorable heart! Love! I also had a salad with goat cheese and cranberries that was pretty good and my colleague enjoyed her tomato and mozzarella panini. They atmosphere is nice, a bit classier than expected from the outside. If I lived closer, I’d come here all the time and choose this place over Starbucks.
Credit cards accepted.

I’ve walked past this place for years but yesterday when hunger struck and I needed a sandwich I stepped inside.
The place is adorable. The space is divided into entrance/​line area and a sitting area by a piece of custom made furniture complete with an inset to rest some jugs of water, milk, and other coffee amenities. Some of their pastries are all wrapped up in plastic wrap which detracts from professionalism but serves to remind you that yes, someone did make this for you. There are also some rotating paintings on the wall by local artists that add a nice vibe.
Service is pretty good. They’re certainly warm and kind! They have one of those credit card literal plug-​ins for iphone which makes it pretty easy to leave a tip if you are so inclined. I ordered a portobello melt to stay but promptly changed that to go when I realized there really wasn’t any seating space left. Alas, the curse of the cute coffee shop. Too many people nurse their coffee for hours on end in exchange for a seat outside their home and some free wifi.
Back to the food, the portobello melt was really tasty. Coming in around $ 8, I did find the price to be a bit high but they do give you a satisfying amount. The portobello was maybe less cooked than in some other places but nicely complemented with some seriously fantastic caramelized onions and salad greens inside. The bread looked to be whole grain-that’s not a problem and I do prefer it but if I remember correctly the sign said it was with sour dough… you should probably ask. And how many times have I been to a sandwich place only to be given frozen stack? Ok not frozen but I’m a person that likes her sandwiches hot and Simon’s has that down. They’ve got a list of hot paninis, but let’s call them by what they are: toasted sandwiches! Toast makes everything better.
They’ve got some interesting sandwich varieties as well that I’ll be coming back to sample. On top of their permanent menu they have any from 2 to 4 daily/​seasonal sammies. One in particular that I have my eye on is the roast beef sandwich-​beef roasted in house!

The café has a cute and cozy ambience– great for settling down with your laptop to work for a while. The barista was also pretty sweet.
Our coffee however was terrible. I wish I could post a picture of my husbands face when he first tasted his cappuccino– hilarious. My latte wasn’t much better, even though most of what I could taste was really very very hot milk… It upsets me when I can make a latte better at home with my small machine than a professional barista on their shiny la marzocco… But maybe they were having an off morning?

The coffee is good. The service is obnoxious. They acted like I’d never had an espresso drink in my life… Like I was underneath them. It’s a snooty place filled with snooty people. I make better espresso in my own house, thanks pricks. I’ve been there maybe 5 times b/​c it’s literally around the corner from my apartment but every time my bf or I stop in we get treated like idiots.

Nice atmosphere with a sort of circular seating area — makes for a cozy café, in my opinion.
I had the turkey and avocado sandwich — it was tasty, the ingredients were fresh and it came with a pickle on the side, but I felt like for the price it wasn’t super worth it. It was quite small and was nearly $ 9.
Glad I stopped in and reasonably happy with my lunch, but don’t think it will be somewhere I run back to.

The sandwiches are amazing. I wish the bulgogi would come back!
The sun can ruin any chance of working on a laptop. But also make you feel like a cat basking in warmth and coziness of sun rays.
Be prepared to ease drop or be listen in upon. Regular conversations ruin any peace due to close seating and poor acoustics.
I can see another reviewer’s opinion of the music potentially being loud. I happen to love their music choices. The DGC rarities compilation… louder please.