restaurant review #8: the coast cafe
want a hug in your stomach this juneteenth? check this spot out.
an introduction
happy juneteenth, y’all! let’s get into it quick, since it’s been a couple of weeks since my last review, and we got some shit to share. today’s food review is in honor of the holiday and will focus on the coast cafe, a delectable, black-owned comfort food spot located right in cambridgeport.
before we start, a quick reminder on how my food reviews are structured:
a quick, 5-sentence review that summarizes my entire experience, along with a numerical rating out of 5
a more detailed, in-depth review that spills ~all~ the tea
cool? cool.
the tl;dr 5 sentence review
the coast cafe is a southern-cooked soul food takeout spot located in the cambridgeport district (right outside of central square) in cambridge, massachusetts. if there’s ANY spot you should know in the boston area for southern food, this place is it. the coast cafe has some of the best of the best of the best - every single bite of every single food item i’ve had here feels like the warmest, softest hug in my tumtum. the food, service, price, and value - all there. hours, location size, and actual location could all hopefully be improved for the long run so more people can come into the coast cafe fold.
rating: 4.75/5
the hot and juicy deets
the reservation.
the coast cafe doesn’t take reservations, mainly because the spot they are located in is small and there’s very little seating space. no, you’ll need to make sure you’re available to order some take out from the coast cafe during their operating hours. they do offer delivery from uber eats, but BOO uber eats. if you have the means to be able to order directly from coast cafe and pick up the food yourself, i’m sure they would appreciate the full bang for their consumers’ bucks. i’ll hop off my uber eats soapbox now.
the operating hours at the coast cafe are outside the standard norm for spots around town. they’re only open from 3pm-8pm on wednesdays and thursdays, and 12pm-8pm on friday and saturday, which means that the stars practically need to align for you to be able to get food from here. i hope in the future that they are able to move to a bigger location and can be open for longer hours! but if the stars do align, by all means go full throttle. you won’t regret it.
the location, getting there, and accessibility.
the coast cafe is located in an interesting spot in cambridgeport. it’s technically located in the area, but pushes as close to the area border as possible - the coast cafe is closer to the charles river on the cambridge side than central square. i think this location choice makes it a little less accessible via public transport than it would be if it was located right in central square. the 64 and 70 buses all stop close by, and the central square stop on the red line is a breezy 10 minute walk. you could drive, just know that river street can get incredibly chaotic, and parking may be difficult in cambridge.
the vibes.
the two words i would use to describe the coast cafe vibe is neighborhood cozy. the spot is (as mentioned 90384903284023 times by now) small - there’s only a handful of seating spots, and you directly face the order / pickup counter for food with the register. the counter area is also surrounded by homey whiteboard signs that list all of the menu offerings.
they definitely have made the space as efficient as possible for food production and distribution, but have added a few touches of home with the blackboards, lights, and other fun decor choices.
the drinks.
to be honest, the focus of the coast cafe review was on the food, not drink. the coast cafe does offer some pretty standard non-alc drinks (sodas, water, juices), but i usually have a good stash of drinks at home to compliment my takeout dinners. my drink of choice for my coast cafe dinner was a limited edition blackberry non-alc spindrift. SPLOOSH. i’ve been a huge fan of spindrift since the first can i saw here in boston back in 2014, and am SO glad they were able to bring this flavor back! just a hint of sweet and tart in that good good bubbly. yummers.
the food, price point, and value.
the food here, as mentioned, is southern-cooked soul food. they focus specifically on appetizers, chicken boxes, sandwiches, specialties, and combo plates (which come with sides). those who have allergies or sensitivities may find it harder to dine here, as many of their menu items are fried, meat-based, gluten-based, or some combination of the three. i would say that pricing overall is decent, especially for a combo plate. my go-to order (fried wing combo plate, which comes with two sides and cornbread) is only about $21, and gives me about two meals. not too shabby! the only point of contention i have with the menu pricing is for their sauces. i feel like the prices are a little steep for just their 2oz cups - but they’re pretty damn good.
as mentioned, i have a go-to order here. i usually get their fried wings combo plate, with candied yams and mac n cheese. let’s get into the nitty gritty.
the chicken wings.
i’m what the kids would call a giant fucking veruca salt level SNOB about fried chicken. growing up with korean fried chicken (which i will take time to acknowledge here is due thanks to black american soldiers in the korean war who taught koreans what’s up) does something to a person, and it makes the standards way too high for a nice chicken wing. but y’all, coast cafe hits the mark every time. first of all, the batter is incredibly well seasoned, which starts the flavorsplosion in the best way possible. but then, that batter is also INCREDIBLY FUCKING CRUNCHY, leading way to nice, juicy, tender chicken meat. yum yum yum. it’s so good. i’m quite actually drooling on myself just writing about these wings!! 10000000000000000000/10.
the candied yams.
honestly, there’s times when i’m on my period where i wish i just had a pint of the candied yams to scoop out and eat. oh. my. god. this is some of the best candied yam i’ve ever had in my life. i LOVE the consistency of the yams here - nice and mashed - but holy shit. the butter. the cinnamon and spice. the SUGAR. ugh. a scoop of this could probably substitute shrooms for a solid heavenly food trip into another dimension.
the mac n cheese.
this isn’t your standard kraft mac n cheese, people!! this is the GOOD shit. nice, big, thick mac in a delectably creamy and well-seasoned five-cheese sauce, topped with some incredible biscuit coating?? oh my god. actual heaven in your MOUTH. again, another side i would love to shove into my mouth during periods of intense emotional turmoil and distress.
the sauces.
i decided to try out the jerk, hot, buffalo, and honey mustard sauces with my wings to see which ones i liked the most. after much consideration, the ranking is: buffalo, honey mustard, hot, and jerk.
the buffalo sauce here is a little more than your standard frank’s redhot. it’s a little more buttery, which honestly i think compliments and supports the other flavors in the buff sauce a bit better. i like that their honey mustard sauce was a little more mustard-centered than honey-centered, the slight swetness really helped enhance the sharper tangs of the mustard!
the service.
the coast cafe team is small and mighty, and gets shit done. troy has had more interactions with the folks over at coast cafe (he picks up on the way home from work) and mentions how incredibly kind and efficient they are every. single. time. thank you to the coast cafe team for always bringing the heat, and the love!
a conclusion
i hope y’all like this special juneteenth food review! let me know what you think, and if it sounds enticing enough for you to make a trip. or, is there a restaurant you would like to see reviewed next on the newsletter? sound off in the comments, and maybe, just maybe… you’ll see your spot reviewed here very soon.
if you liked what you read, please consider sharing the word on my substack with those who you know would enjoy it.
love, sally
Another place to check out nearby!
looks soooo good! thanks for putting more black owned businesses on my radar!