Common Ground Cafe

Thank the stars they’ve closed. I’m all set. As much as I don’t want to say karma is a bitch, but… I’m going to say it anyway.

There is a big «for rent» sign in the window. Closed? Looks like it.

I loved this place, and supposedly they were closed for renovations, but I saw a for lease sign in their window and fear they have closed for good or are moving elsewhere. :(

It doesn’t get more uncommon than Common Ground. This place was organic, locally grown, and homemade before any of these notions emerged as trendy.
Common Ground is simply good. From the fresh mint tea to the simple perfection of the peanut butter, honey, banana sandwich, this place nourishes rather than feeds.
The charm of the handmade décor makes you feel like you aren’t in a major metropolis but stepped into a hobbit home.
Religious undertones aside, it’s not a religious place but the food makes a convert and believer of me every time. I am devoted to the smoothies, pray for more basil tomato soup, and worship the homemade bread.
The prices — unbeatable and the menu– extensive for a café, making this a place where all groups can, indeed, find common ground.
Note: they close early and aren’t open on weekends. Plan accordingly.

Apparently they are remodeling this place to improve their recruitment rate into their cult. The cult part of this place is creepy but the food is excellent. They usually only try to recruit teenagers so, if you dont ask questions about them they leave u alone or if they do try to recruit u, they will invite you to one of their ‘weddings’.
Hopefully the new menu will keep the tuna melt and the mexican pizza. I hear the salmon sandwich is good as well. The turkey sandwichi is great too. I guess they will be adding more entrees to the menu to attract a dinner crowd. Hopefully they also adopt a BYOB policy.

Every time I’m in the east coast, I have to have a salmon sandwich with lemon mate ice tea. Fantastic. The people are friendly and the food is great, give the mexican pizza a try. I am definitely a fan.

Creepy cultishness aside, this place makes the best/​freshest greek salad I’ve ever had. Paired with a hot roll and a little pat of butter, I’m in.
Common Ground Café is not somehwere I frequent often, but when I’ve got a hankering for that salad, let me through.
It’s true, the whole Twelve Tribes thing is creepy and weird and I understand people who don’t want to support a community of haters, but it happens. Haters gotta make a livin’ too.

I dearly love this place but the service is super slow, which is good if you want to linger, bad if you dont… usually i dont… as in i dont need 1 ½−2 hours to be served and eat a sandwich, do you? oy baby.

I’d call this place sort of an Amish infused sit down sandwich restaurant with really cool décor but don’t hold that against this place it really offers a great lunch experience. Always an excellent sandwich at the Common Ground.

OK I understand that cults are creepy, homophobia sucks and mind control whatever else they’re guilty of is weird and bad but this little hobbit hole has good food and good tea, they don’t pray for your soul (openly at least) nor do they force their beliefs on you.
Points for the fact that I was able to curl up in one of the little tree house looking booths with (live!) harp music playing and suffer through a term paper on the Cold War, which by the way let me tell you, was misery at it’s finest. I felt a little more Middle Earth elven than stressed out college girl for just a bit while savoring a delicious turkey wrap and delicious tea. No one bothered me until I was ready to be bothered, I got no sideways glances for walking in frazzled with an arm load of books and all the staff was honestly far more friendly than some of the other joints around.
If you’re the kind of person who can enjoy something just ‘cuz it’s enjoyable and you enjoy good food and fairies, hippie not trendy naturalistic atmospheres and tree houses (all of which I’m kind of a closet obsessive for) I’d say go here and enjoy BUT if you get all uppity about the political stuff and the brainwashing and so on… just skip it. It’s not like your missing out on the best kept secret in town (unless your you know, the elves and the fairies and such).
Common Ground however DOES get points off because, I mean hey, bottom line is that it is run by brainwashed homophobic cultists I’m just not gonna get all hot and bothered, just gonna leave it at the three stars and call it a day.

I work down the street from here, so its hard not to go to once in a while. This is one of the few places in the area that serves a nice healthy wrap. Try finding sprouts at Pats accross the street! On a hot day, the cool, dark dining room can be pleasant. On a cold day, a matte Chai can hit the spot. The staff is always friendly… if the slightly vacant look in their expression doesn’t get to you… and service is realtively quick. The prices are reasonable, but no great deal. The very limited menu lost them a star right off the bat.
The other lost star is purely political. I know that 12 tribes is a very conservative, somewhat cultish organization. I am hesitant to give them my money… but they don’t seem to push they’re beliefs on others, and are probably less destructive than McDonalds, Walmart or inBev… so I keep going. Still cost them a star for being a cult…

Alright, so it seems like some people like this place. Common Ground certainly does have a few good reviews. But I can’t bring myself to stamp em’ with anything above a 1-​start because a visit to that odd little café is just really not a great experience (with, or without the whole «Twelve tribes» thing). Here’s how our visit went:
Walked up to the guy at the counter who looked exactly like Luke Wilson in a Wes Anderson film (the dazed and confused expression, and tight-​fitting vintage polo shirt included). This look-​alike sighting was the high point.
After that, we asked for a brownie.
«A brownie???» Luke Wilson said, tipping his head to the side quizzically.
«Yeah, like on the menu.» we replied. It wasn’t rocket science, give us a brownie, please!
«Ohh, those. Yeah, we haven’t made those yet today.» Luke bobbed his head.
It was 11:30 AM, I would have expected most NORMAL food establishments serving baked goods to have them MADE by that time in the day, but oh well, we tried another route:
«How about a blueberry muffin?»
In a soporific haze, Luke turned around to check the menu again.
«Those? Yeah, we haven’t made those yet either.»
I’m sorry, what?! It’s 11:30 and you haven’t made your BLUEBERRY MUFFINS yet? I get it if they’re sold out, I get it if you only make them on Wednesdays and today is a Friday, but SERIOUSLY – it’s 11:30 and there should be some morning pastries!
SO, after that, we took our mediocre beverages (and NO pastries!) and looked around the little retail area, which if you were into the whole health food movement before places like Wild Oats and Whole Foods homogenized and sanitized it, that place is a TOTAL flashback. Interesting walk down memory lane, but not enough to make the rest of the painful/​weirdness worthwhile.
So, that’s a no, AND no.

I got to share a little Common Ground snack, and be a little cookie monster, from their stand at Earth Fest. This helped complete the Lou Reed «Oh it’s such a perfect day» buzz in the sun at an outdoor free 90s rock concert. I’d give a fifth star but I would need to cover more ground on the menu.
Hibiscus cooler. I am not a fruity drink freak but this drink is the nectar of the goddesses and it’s great on a hot day. Do try. It tastes just like that ostentatious red Hawaiian flower looks and smells, the one my Long Island mother brings inside in the winter and cuts down until it’s repressed spikes.
Also, Common Ground has the best soft, and delicate peanut butter cookie I have ever tasted, hands down, and peanut butter cookies aren’t too high up on the cookie totem pole. Don’t you just love those foodie, «best ever» moments? I appreciate how green restaurants choice quality ingredients and don’t mask natural goodness with too much sugar, this should be more common–

I love this place. Don’t get caught up in the religion of the people who run it. I grew up in this area when I was a kid, frequented their café when I was a teen, went to one of their «gathering celebrations» years ago and actually thought about joining them until I read up on them a bit more. Forget all that. Go there and experience their calm atmosphere, wholesome foods made from scratch and friendly service. It seems like their menu hasn’t changed in 10 years which is pretty funny, but the little that they do offer is done well! They have a shop which is connected to their café. It offers fabulous homemade soaps, lotions, candles, wood furniture and a few other things that are not easy to find in the Dorchester area.
They are closed on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (bad days to be closed in my opinion, but its done for religious reasons). Go there if you’re stressed. You’ll leave content, full and feeling healthy.

eating at the common ground café is like eating in an elven village, or a tree house. i wish i’d known about this place when i was 4 instead of now. people who are into hippie shit and fairies will like it. its run by the twelve tribes, judaeo-​christian cult that came out of tennessee. they are friendly, laid back, and like talking about their organization.
this is the weirdest place i’ve ever eaten. but their food is wholesome and their prices are reasonable. if you’re okay with financially supporting the 12 tribes belief system (homeschooling, homophobia, shit like that), go at least once for the experience.

I’m not gonna go on a full-​blown rant, about 12 Tribes or anything.
I had gone to the Common Ground a few times, and thought they were some sort of harmless hippie-​type group.
Then a totally hilarious and lovely girl I knew got sucked into it. Next thing I knew, she was married to a guy (who the cult picked out for her), and was punching out babies. Suddenly, she «wasn’t allowed to talk to me, anymore», because I’m Gay. So I checked out the 12 Tribes thing. Holy Crap! If you think scary cults are only in Nevada, and Texas, think again.
So, really, I wouldn’t go giving them my money, if I was you.

What finally got me here on a day off from work was Hillary M’s suggestion of carrot cake. Wow! It’s almost like gingerbread, and the frosting dripping over the top and down the sides is fantastic. If you’re a frosting fiend, you probably won’t be disappointed. I also had the tuna melt, and the bread was so fresh and tasty, really complementing the sandwich. The home-​made lemon yerba mate was like lemonade with a kick, and I saved my lemon for the water I needed to wash down the carrot cake.
Sitting here eating a leisurely lunch, knitting, and listening to the country/​celtic-​y music made for great people-​watching. If I hadn’t needed the light, I would have found a dark corner to nestle in, since I came early; by the time I left there were definitely people waiting for tables. The staff was friendly and just the right amount of chatty (maybe it was the knitting?), and they totally didn’t rush me at all. It was listening to the guys at the coffee bar who only got into the religious stuff who people showed an interest – very low key – along with the pamphlets on the table. The coffee bar guys were also super friendly with regulars and new people alike.
There’s a market off to the side which sells the mate, bread, and other whole food and products. For awhile the café wasn’t open on weekends, but the market and coffee bar are open on Sundays from 10 – 5.

People keep reviewing Common Ground Cafes as being run by a «cult». I would call this a little on the extreme side. Twelve Tribes is definitely an oddball hippie church. Yes, they are interested in proselytizing to a certain extent. But if you make it clear that you’re just in for a bite, they’ll leave you alone in a second. Mind control? No way.
The bottom line is that the food and the environment is too good to pass up. Anything, ANYTHING you get here will be super tasty and good. I highly recommend the yerba mate tea, hot or iced. The stuff is strong, but it gives you a nice little buzz without all them jitters that coffee or regular tea will give you. I’ve drank this yerba mate for years and it’s just wonderful stuff. I highly recommend any of the sandwiches or pizzas. Or just sit in your little tree house cubbie and chill. I don’t care if this place is run by a so-​called «cult»…like Marky Mark said, it’s such a good vibration!

Although the atmosphere alone is reason enough to visit (indoor fireplace, tables cut from trees, deep wood tones), the tasty organic food and quality smoothies is what keeps me going there.
It is run by the Twelve Tribes, however, I have never seen them push their beliefs on any customer.

The Common Ground Café is one of those places that should be experienced at least once. Unfortunately, you may lose your appetite when you realize that it’s run by a cult, The Twelve Tribes (
). Depending on their mood, the wait staff/​cult members may leave you pamphlets and other religious ephemera or proselytize to you directly. In the restroom, the walls are literally covered in newspaper articles about conspiracy theories, blasphemy, etc. (I even saw something equating John Lennon to the devil… Fuh-​reaky.)
But, nutjobs aside, the restaurants (there are two locations in Massachusetts, and I’ve been to both on several occasions) are gorgeous, like walking into a treehouse in an enchanted forest. The music is soothing (of the Celtic variety) and there’s an all-​around surreality to the place.
The food served is all natural and made on-​site, using ingredients harvested from the cult’s own farm — and it’s excellent. However, because of that, the menu is fairly limited, and one must enter with an open mind since this isn’t your standard burgers-​and-​fries type of joint. If you don’t mind alfalfa sprouts or wheat grass, then you’re good to go. (There are, however, some variations on old standbys for people, like me, with extremely picky pallets. Some years ago, they served a divine bean burrito that was TO DIE FOR. Unfortunately, the last time I was there — summer 2006 — it wasn’t on the menu.)
In all, the Common Ground Café is the type of place you should try at least once. While I don’t like the fact that it’s run by a cult (one rumored to be anti-​semitic, no less), I admit that I’ve brought out-​of-​town guests there simply because it’s a memorable experience.