Sugar Bowl Cafe

Authentic coffee shop with great history and environment. I met the owner this morning and he’s a great guy. Proud of the area and a truly cares. Plus great food and coffee. I live close by, this will be my new spot.

Great coffee! It costs a bit more than Dunks across the street, but tastes way better and who doesn’t want to support a local business? I come here several days a week.

Stopped in for a coffee, breakfast sandwich and a blueberry muffin. Everything was yummy and I loved the atmosphere. Apparently dogs are allowed which is totally baller. I just moved into the neighborhood and I know this is going to be a favorite spot!

Cool place. Tough to review since I just had coffee but love the style and character.

What a lovely coffee shop. There is a Dunkin Donuts across the street with slightly cheaper coffee, but I continuously come here because the quality and service cannot be compared anywhere in Boston, and I’m too lazy to walk an extra hundred feet.
The coffee is terrific, and there is a wide selection of flavored coffee that can’t be beat anywhere else in Greater Boston. Staff are warm, genuine, and hard-​working.
The Sugar Bowl also hosts a terrific atmosphere which is exactly what you’d want in a coffee shop. Small tables up front and a back room with an interesting older décor and comfortable chairs that you sink into and relax. Very nice experience.

I spent several hours at the Sugar Bowl tonight.
I love the ambiance of mismatched chairs/​tables and the ice cream parlor feel. The purple paint outside is fabulous!
The coffee I had was hot, and yummy — a sharp contrast to coffee from other establishments that are more expensive.
The staff was excellent and very accommodating.
One can sink into the comfy chairs in the back and unwind.
Met the owner Joe as I was leaving — seems like a great guy!
I will be back!

What’s better than having an amazing coffee shop down the street where you feel like part of the family?! Joe, Kathy and all of the girls who work there make the Sugar Bowl a great place be!

I wandered up Dot Ave on a rainy Sunday afternoon & dropped in to check out the Sugar Bowl. I like the name. The kind of name you’d see in some small town like Brenham, Texas. I immediately liked this place. Friendly counter service. Tasty treats. $ 1.50 for a MUG of coffee. Funky interior. Eclectic music. I’m new to this end of Dorchester and I’m glad I found a local coffeehouse.

Awesome gem in Dorchester. Local (born and raised) owner who loves his customers.
I came in today and had some trouble with my card trying to get cash out of the ATM (it’s cash only) and the owner said don’t worry about it, just come back again and bring a friend and we’ll call it good.
I’ve been here a few other times and the service has always been good, coffee is great and food is yummy!

I just returned from Sugar Bowl, and have to say that it is quite good. First, it is good because it is an actual coffee shop where you can go in, sit down, hook up to the wifi and work, or just read. As a person who moved to Quincy just recently, I am surprised at the lack of coffee shops of this type in the general area. Actually, Sugar Bowl is the first one I’ve come across. I’ve heard that there are other genuine places, but they all seem to close ridiculously early. Perhaps I was just spoiled by spending a year in Northampton…
Regardless, Sugar Bowl is good, and could probably hold it’s own in Noho. They have the standards — good coffee, espressos, lattes, etc., and some more innovative things. I ordered a mocha latte, and that was good. It wasn’t the absolute best (that would be the mocha served at Esalon Café in Hadley, Mass.), but it was quite decent. I didn’t try any other pastries, but there was a good variety, even just before closing. And ice cream — there was ice cream, which I also did not try.
The atmosphere was exactly what a coffee shop should be. Sort of cute, sort of cozy. Several tables with chairs, a stuffed chair, and lighting that was not overly bright. The feel was nice and subdued.
The only real con (aside from it being a bit of a drive from my apartment, but that’s all relative, isn’t it?) was that they don’t accept cards. They have an ATM, but that costs $ 1.50 (and, if you have Chase or Bank of America, and additional fee from your own bank).
I’m glad I learned of Sugar Bowl.

Positives–
Good coffee
Friendly service
Cool old school atmosphere with lots of room for relaxing
Reasonable prices
Negatives
My breakfast sandwich bagel was stale
Cash only
I will be back but probably just for coffee

When you walk into the Sugar Bowl the décor brings you back to a happier time in America. a time when things were simpler. It’s just an awesome place to actually sit down and have a coffee and donut; or even better, a sandwich and home made soda, or some ice cream. The owner is very personable and fun-​loving. The staff made my day Ola and her colleague were more than gracious ambassadors to the Sugar Bowl brand. Before yesterday I would pass this place all the time and I always considered stopping in well I’m glad I finally did. Try the chicken salad with bacon and a grasshopper you’ll want more.

Sugar Bowl is a solid 3.5, but I’ll up it to 4 because of a great experience with the owner.
We have been in the neighborhood for almost a year and I was thrilled to find a non-​Dunkin coffee option. Their flavored coffees are on-​point and they always have one or two «specials». The bagels are decent and the sandwiches are great! I took my cousin here for lunch and tried a turkey-​cranberry sandwich (seasonal) and it was delicious. We split some cake that I can’t remember now but was very good.
The owner was there and introduced himself. He is very grateful to get business and really friendly.
They don’t take cards but have an ATM with a low-​ish fee (for Boston). When it gets busy you do wait a time. Efficiency is not their strong suit. But it’s a super cute place an great to have in the neighborhood.

A cute little shop my friend and I go to every time we’re at umass boston and there’s nothing else to eat. The staff and owner are extremely kind and friendly, and always make you feel welcome.
You can’t go wrong with their iced coffee and sandwiches — my favorite is the grilled cheese… so simple but something about this place makes them so damn addictive!

I think this place is great! I’m new to the area but have a good sense of what makes a coffee shop good. It all depends on the person and the vibe you’re looking for, but this place is chill, local, not too pricy, and simply a very pleasant place to sit and drink your morning away. Cash only, but free wi-​fi and awesome coffee/​food.

It was a very simple place, that went straight to the point. Provide good food at a quality price. The atmosphere was very old school, with the décor from the 50’s (??) The service was good, I had no complains. There were some old folks there that seems to be very much townies. Either way. I grew up in the neighborhood back in the 80’s so it was nice just to be back in the old hood and get something delicious.. The sandwich I got was a very simple Ham egg and cheese. The bread was just whole wheat toast It wasn’t oozing with cheese, so it wasn’t overwhelming to my preference. If you want something quick and simple come here. Not sure about their other sandwhiches.

A cute little coffee place in Dorchester! Hint: just look for the spoon on the ground and you’ll find this café :)
Funny thing is, my 3 classmates and I stumbled upon this café during a class observation of the area for a needs assessment class. Of course, this quaint, cute little café caught out eye.
The coffee was solid and the interior was really nifty looking with all the war propaganda adorning the walls. Also, if you’d like to use their wifi, just have an employee type the password in for you!
Also, the owner caught us on our way out and was super hilarious and chatty. I guess he could tell her weren’t locals!
One drawback is cash only… but, there is an ATM inside.

Awesome place with tons of character. So relaxing and chill atmosphere. Staff is friendly and super helpful especially because I couldn’t decide what to get since it was my first time there.
One of the best cafes in the area. Definitely going back to try everything else on the menu.
Only thing that sucks is it’s cash only but they have an ATM inside.
Highly recommend it!

I love this place! I can’t believe I haven’t written a review yet. I come here every couple of weeks because it’s in a convenient location; well, that’s why I started coming here. I continue to come because the coffee and sandwiches are excellent and reasonably priced, the atmosphere is chill, they have wi-​fi, and the service is great. The front seating area is has a 1950’s coffee or ice cream shop vibe, and is perfect for people watching. The back seating area is made up of vintage posters and furniture, and is usually pretty quiet, which makes it a perfect spot to go work or read.

This is an update to my prior review. J.P., the owner of the Sugar Bowl, reached out to me regarding my first experience and wanted to make it up to me. He was so friendly, and his wife couldn’t have been more accommodating! His commitment to providing great customer service and his passion for what he does showed both in me talking to him, and my visit there.
They treated me to a sandwich and coffee — I got the turkey club and a latte. Both were very good. His wife kept checking on me to see if I needed anything — since she kept asking, I decided to also try the banana nut iced coffee :) I can see why the iced coffee has good reviews — it was very good.
I also enjoyed the cozy back room with couches — it had a lot of character, and was a great place to chat and have a coffee (and enjoy the wifi).
I talked with him again afterwards, and mentioned updating my Unilocal review, but what was most important to him was that he wants me to come back again. I’ll definitely be back — next time I’ll try some breakfast items. Thanks again, J.P.