Charles River Coffee House

I love this place. Great food. Had the kale and bean soup — delish.

walked out after another patron came in to return her blueberry muffin and the guy at the counter took it back and proceeded to put the muffin back on the tray to sell to another customer. disgusting!

This location has got the incredibly wonderful cookies! but a few things i enjoy by far the most is the trademark «foolish great banana pudding» it really is foolish great. wonderful however, not decrease lifeless wonderful and thus really soft! try out the pudding its really worth your $$. additionally they have a foral rooibos wonderful herbal tea that is special prefer but lighting. very really excellent to get inside a chilly time or request ice cubes and revel in in the summertime time.

Gonna give this place 4 stars instead of 5 because of my experience here yesterday, i usually go in here maybe 3 – 4 times a month and there is this girl who waits on me and does a 5 star job shes fast and never messes up my order, the food is ok the coffee and muffins are really good, yesterday i was waited on by a boy i have never seen before *guessing hes new* but he didnt seem like he wanted to be there and was texting after he took my order. and i had to remind him i was waiting. not cool, but anyways still like this place and will come back

Been coming here for years, they open at 6:30am and will take calls ahead to prepare food/​coffee ahead of time for fast tuck-​n-​roll pickup! The owner takes pride in his work and its evident with the quality of food/​coffee! Highly recommend the home-​made veggie cream cheese, they use fresh crunchy veggies… its the hotness’

Nice cute historic ambience and great toasted cheese bagel. Good local place with wifi. The surrounding area is gorgeous. This little coffee shop is way better than a franchise.

I made a Unilocal account specifically because of my experience here today. Having come to this coffee shop for a while, my experiences used to be great. However, over time the quality of service has gone downhill. When friends would say this place was over priced or overrated, I would defend them but not anymore. Today I ordered a wrap and was met by a quite ornery staff person. First off, they dropped the order slip on the ground and picked it up with the gloves on their hands that would be preparing my food. Thanks, I’m glad to be eating your floor germs. I was willing to overlook this and put faith in my immune system. After receiving my food to go, I later noticed there was no pickle or chips like normal and the person didn’t even bother to cut the wrap in half. It was like a big burrito. Also, the employee forgot to add specific ingredients that belong in said sandwich. It was extremely disappointing to drop $ 13 on a wrap and a small iced coffee to get some pissed off employee who didn’t even bother to try getting the order right. Sadly, this will be the last time I come back. It’s a shame too because their hard chai is amazing, as is the John Eliot breakfast sandwich. The recent service experiences make it an easy place to abandon. Get new employees.

i always make time to come here whenever im in town. the food is delicious and the coffee is to die for. the staff is extremely kind and efficient. it is a great place to study and relax as well. i recommend the cinnamon bun latte!

Always pretty good little independent shop. Good coffee and pretty clean place. Staff always efficient. Nice spot to check out, walk across Street for great scenery.

Great little coffee shop by the waterfalls in South Natick. Their drinks and sandwiches are fantastic, and the staff is friendly. There aren’t many seats, but I’ve somehow never had a problem finding a place to sit. It’s a great place to sip coffee and read a book.

Was here earlier this afternoon but accidentally checked into the ice cream place next door. Oops!
Anyway, stopped in for something cold to drink and this was the first place we saw along our drive home.
Beverages weren’t bad but weren’t great either. I had an almond joy latte which I had an idea of how it would taste but it didn’t live up to my expectations. The chocolate sauce tasted funky but I drank it anyway since I was thirsty. The other two members of my party had an iced coffee and and iced tea with no complaints.
I do have to say that this coffee shop is very cute inside. It’s also fairly pricey. They take credit cards and have free wifi as well. I’d try this place again if I’m in the area but I won’t have the almond joy latte a second time around.

Let me just start by saying that I have been coming to Charles River Coffee House for about 4 – 5 years. Usually only stopping by for a quick coffee because it was in a convenient location on my bike ride. I’ve always been thrown off a little bit by their SUPER expensive lattes that are nothing special and the SINGLE bananas that cost $ 1.50 but I had never given their sandwiches a shot.
So one day, before going apple picking with my girlfriend, we stopped here to grab a sandwich to split. I don’t remember what the sandwich was called but when we opened it up, we were in shock at what the 9 dollar sandwich looked like:
That THICK slice of something in the middle is the cheese. The single, thin slice above that is the one slice of turkey they put on it. Really? I mean, I probably got $ 15 worth of cheese in the $ 9 sandwich but it really couldn’t be eaten like a sandwich. We had to remove the cheese and just take small bites out of it.
never again.

Steve the owner is very nice. Yummy coffee, treats, smoothies and more!

Such a cute place. I love that it’s right by the library and a cute outdoor part of the Charles River. Natick needs local stops like this!
The only thing I’ll complain about is my breakfast sandwich: I ordered the Mediterranean (tomato, cucumber, egg, red onion) thinking it would be a healthy sandwich to start the day. There was: a MICROWAVED egg (sorry, I thought only McDonald’s does that?), tomato, sliced red onion, and NO cucumber. Oh, and they also added American cheese?!
Oh boy…

Visited with the fiancée.
Pros: Try the bagels with veggie cream cheese (amazing!). V got a hazelnut coffee and I got a Dos Rios. Both were very good. Free Wifi at good speeds is another bonus. Its super easy to get parking.
Cons: Cramped seating area. Service was a bit shoddy and varied based on the person running the counter. Closes at 4pm (boo!)
I’m definitely going back.

I love to stop by little independent coffee shops to reminisce on the days of old where we use to buy food from local neighborhood restaurants… well the coffee here quickly reminded me why we are obsessed with big corporate chains like Starbucks– because they taste good. The coffee here was neither good or terrible. Just forgettable.
Didn’t know how to order. The girls took the orders of the two people in line behind me before they took mine. They both assumed the other had taken care of me. They were nice but clearly don’t have a system for taking orders.
I got a tuna sandwich. I appreciated that it was prepared like a home made meal. Fresh, light, and not drenched in mayo like most places. but for $ 7.25 a couple of chips and half a pickle? it felt overpriced. Got a bowl of mushroom soup, it tasted ok But it was LUKEWARM so that ruined it for me.
Advice for the owner: the girls working here both looked like they just rolled out of bed. Sloppy clothes & hair. Just plain un-​professional. Made me a little weary that they were preparing my meal. As an owner I would implement some type of uniform/​appropriate work attire, or at least ask them to put their hair up or a hat on while they are working w food.
5 stars for atmosphere. 2 stars for the poorly microwaved soup.
Street parking only. Limited seating.

Alright Charles River Coffee — you got me…
And it ain’t for the coffee! Which is NOT to say that THAT isn’t GOOD. How should I know? I never had it.
But this week dad and I drove up to Massachusetts to visit my Great Aunt Frani who is widely regarded amongst the evil-​er members (OK: membeR not sss and she shall not be named) as a SAINT. Saint Aunt Frani, The Great. Dad says she’s enlightened. She lives like a monastic up there in here apartment in Needham all alone, and she’s generally happy. She’s very content with having little.
There are cow photos gracing the refrigerator and little cow trinkets and all sorts of cute cow clutter gracing each and every corner (ok not THAT much cow-​age but — you catch my drift — it is, after all, for dramatic effect) — Dad thinks she was Hindu. That’s some past life recall for all you bitches still reading this wondering «Where the hell is the review of the establishment in here?»
I’m getting to it I’m getting to it…
Aaaaaaaaaand —
We’re here! It is sunny. It is quant. There’s wooden floors and wooden doors and wooden pieces of furniture sourced from what appears to be anyone’s grandma’s house. Haphazardly. I wanted to make a surreptitious comment about feng shui while shuffling around my unwieldy wooden ‘sourced’ chair while eyeing the man having lunch in his sunny window seat — cornered — TRAPPED — by a veritable MAZE of unwieldy brown wooden giant heavy traditional… chairs. Yes, they’re chairs. Just chairs. But based on the disorganization of my tone, of this review, my increasingly frantic antics right here on this page: do you get a sense of the overload of furniture in a quaint sunny place like this? There, now you do.
On to the food: Dad and Frani enjoyed the Turkey sandwich in a wrap — I had a bite but since I’m ALL about veering my diet towards the «as vegetarian as possible» realm, a bite was all I got of the flesh… and… it was pretty good. Too wet and sweet for my taste, but I liked that they liked it. And that Frani got not one but TWO meals out of that wrap. It’s too big! For just one meal. I’m happy that THEY are happy. See, that’s the key to happiness anyways…
My lunch? Meh ok. I got the tomato soup, and I’ll say, never quite had tomato soup quite like that before. It had whole chunks of baby tomatoes and stalks of green beans, and the occasional chopped bit of simmered celery innit. Served lukewarm — I just didn’t bother having it reheated. Dad and Frani are fast eaters and I knew that I’d be eating foreeeevvvverrrr after them if my soup was actually hot. Plus its probably my new meds kicking in — they make me give a damn about just about nothing nowadays! It’s primo. Verrrrry modern chemistry indeed. All up in my head.
Dad eavesdropped on the (trapped?) man/​men in the window — turns out one was a lawyer and one was an antiques appraiser so — we’ll see how much Aunt Frani’s swag is worth one day. Bling!

While I’ve lived in the same town for nearly all my life, not more than a 10 minute drive from this shop, I’d never been until about a year ago when a friend suggested it as a spot to meet up for a quick lunch. Since then, I’ve been a number of times, mainly for a quick lunch or place to stop.
First the good. Food is authentic; you won’t find any frilly fancy speciality items on the menu here, but what they do offer is quality and tasty. I typically get a sandwich, which comes with a pickle and chips. They’re pretty accommodating as far as how you want your sandwich made and prepared, which is always nice. Good selection of bread, as well as baked goods. Food is served up somewhat timely, and staff is pleasant. Atmosphere is quiet relaxed and peaceful, a great place to meet up with a friend or for a quick weekend bite.
Now the bad. Shop is small so seating is rather limited. Likewise with parking, which is street only. There also doesn’t seem to be any set rules on how your order or dine — it’s really quite confusing. Do I pay before or after? Wait at the counter or you going to bring it to me? Clear my own plate? Trash location? Recycling?
Confusion aside, I definitely enjoy this place. Not sure if it’s worth a trip out of your way to visit, but if you’re driving by and have the rumblies, I wouldn’t hesitate stopping in. Adjacent to the waterfall and Elm Bank Park, it makes a nice spot to stop in after a bit of a walk or scenic tour as well.

Great spot tucked away in the town of Natick. I was really surprised to find such a cute place where all we seem to have are Starbucks and Peets.
If you’re hungry, get the Green Eggs & Ham.
If you’re in need of a caffeine fix, get the Cinnamon Bun Latte

I’ve driven by the Charles River Coffee House quite a few times with my friend as we tool around Natick on the weekends; we’ve never gone by at a point in time when we’re hungry, and its usually an afterthought on the afternoons we’re rabid for lunch and thinking up places to check out.
While my friend had been here once before with a friend of his, today was the first time we were in the neighborhood around lunchtime and I was keen on trying someplace new.
The building itself is in a great location — if you wanted to grab coffee or lunch and walk across the street to the park and sit there, it would be a lovely way to enjoy your meal — and since location is something you don’t always get with cafes that aren’t owned by some big franchise, this was a definite plus for me, especially when we pulled up and I noticed there were tables outside the place itself.
As for the interior — check out the pictures: the place is adorable, in my opinion, with all sorts of funky décor that makes you want to fall in love with the place without even trying anything on their menu. A few tables were topped with chess and checkerboard sets for people up to spending time sitting inside, one of the walls was painted in a big, colorful mural, and all sorts of zany baubles were hanging from the ceilings and chilling out on the wood shelves. It definitely had the vibe I was looking for in a new location for eats, and this got me excited right away.
Now, the part you’ve all been waiting for: the food. The menu is pretty good for breakfast, lunch, and coffee, with a variety of bagels, sandwiches, smoothies, and soups to choose from. I chose what was basically their take on a turkey club and, while the turkey was a bit dry, I was overall pretty happy with it. My only complaint on the food front was that it was a little disjointed and disorganized when it came to getting our orders to the short-​order cooks: they kept forgetting what we wanted and had to come back to double-​check our orders, and it took them about ten minutes to sort sandwiches out, which felt longer to me because I was hungry.
At the end, though, I’m excited to go back. I want to try out their breakfast menu, their coffee, and definitely get my hands on some of the stews they had listed on the walls. In short, I’m hoping to make this my go-​to place when I’m staying at the friend’s house (which is in the Natick area), because I have yet to find the perfect place for a good breakfast sandwich and a hot coffee or a deli favorite and a diet soda in the area, and I think the Charles River Coffee House has the potential to be It.