Herrell’s

SUPERCALAFRAGAThe icecream was outstanding-​the service drippy LISTICESPIALODOCIOUS
ESPRESSO ICECREAM DREAM. MUDPIE MOUTH MARVEL.
You will suck on this icecream in heaven. (Easily, easily, better than non-​store-​made JP Licks My) Not a lot of choices, but whatever. Small cone is for babies on a diet though. I like my icecream in proper binge portions.
I think I caught the famed Herrell’s on a off-​day because the AC was down– making the icecream soupy. They were out of waffle cones, the portions were quite small, and the young hipsters somewhat uppity. The x-​boyfriend used to work here back in the da-​y (hey.mike) and I Know he was friendly to the pleebs!
CREME FAT SUGAR CHOCOLATE
OUT OF CONTROL QUALITY-​HERRELICIOUSNESS
Who cares about the service and why I couldn’t resist the urge to touch the dirty decorative toys. Have a cone of summer.

This place is crawling w/​roaches. No joke, although it’s been several years, I won’t go back.

The strawberry frozen yogurt is to die for. Small, in a cone, is about $ 2.50 — a delicious, refreshing treat on the cheap! Awesome!

Extremely solid place that may or may not now be called the Allston Café. I saw them putting up a new sign yesterday. Anyway, they carry delicious and rich butter pecan ice cream, and serve an abundance of it for what you pay. I got mine with caramel and Heath bars, and tried some of their cupcake samples while I waited. Based solely on the thumb-​sized slice of carrot cake cupcake, I could say it’s one of the tastiest I’ve ever had.
Overall, definitely worth a stop after dinner.

Good: breakfast all day and strong coffee.
Better: vegan breakfast all day that goes beyond a fruit bowl.
I’m not sure I can express in writing how much I like this place. The faux meats are what you’d find at a grocery store, but the sandwiches are put together well. It has a multitude of vegan options, including wraps, «ice cream» (note: «no-​moo» = far superior to tofutti) and baked goods. It’s hard to get a seat during peak hours, but I can see why. The music is always a win too.

While sifting through the trash… I mean, walking through Allston…
My roommate and I were on a hunt for smoothies. With Fun Food Snackery gone, and discovering the other smoothie place on Brighton Ave. had gone out of business… we walked into Herrell’s for the first time.
The menu was huge. The staff were silly and friendly. The décor was cool, all (i hope local) art for sale. The smoothies… YUM.
I would definitely come back for another, and maybe even breakfast.
This place is a staple in Allston and obviously keeping up the good work since they haven’t been thrown out like their neighbors.

Customer service is awesome. They are really nice people, and it’s just a very chillaxing place. With awesome décor as well.
I’m just not sure whether or not I’d order an ice cream milkshake from them again. Eh… The vegan cupcake was yummy though.

I was first introduced to Herrell’s out in Northampton (
) and had been curious how the Allston location measured up.
The Northampton headquarters is an ice cream shop, plain and simple. The clear focus is the ice cream and everything that goes with it; the toppings, smush-​ins, and the home made fudge and caramel. Allston has all that… plus a vegan sandwich shop? WTF? Herrell’s IS ice cream. They were making up flavors and smushing toppings into the ice cream long before Cold Stone came to town. I don’t see why they can’t just be an ice cream place. There’s already JP Licks and Emack & Bolio’s proving that an ice cream stand can be successful in Boston.
If Herrell’s Allston was anything like Herrell’s Northampton, I’d take the walk up to Brighton Ave every sunny weekend this summer; but it’s not, so I won’t.

So here’s the deal for anyone who is a Herrell’s hater — The people there are great. I mean the coffee is good, the sandwiches are tasty, the super extra large iced tea is amazing in the summer and I’ve been known to enjoy an ice cream now and then BUT the staff makes my morning/​afternoon hangover actually enjoyable. I’ve gotten the occasional free coffee along with tattoo, piercing and rummage sale tips. If you live in Allston (or are walking through the neighborhood after a rough night) and need a pick-​me-​up (stimulant beverage + friendly conversation), go to Herrells.
Who doesn’t love service with a smile?

I love Herrell’s. There, I said it. I have yet to be anything less than completely satisfied with the place; I’ve enjoyed vegan treats (big ups to the no moo chocolate mint ice cream and various vegan cupcakes), sandwiches (current favorite: the taj of blts), and coffee (favorite: carmel mocha latte).
Conveniently located at the corner of Harvard and Brighton Ave, Herrell’s is pretty ideal for either running in and grabbing food to go or to sit, eat, read, and people watch for extended periods of time. My roommate and I have begun to make a habit of camping out and reading here for extended periods of time; so far I’m convinced it’s a great decision. The employees are friendly /​seem cool and generally have good music playing. Local artists are also regularly showcased on Herrell’s walls. The tables are small but painted with cute /​interesting designs. Oh! Also, they have boardgames, which is amazing, but good luck finding all of the little black pieces for Connect 4.

Herrell’s holds a special place in my heart. It’s a fun neighborhood hangout and you certainly see some of Allston’s more colorful characters in there. I once sat next to a woman who had a giant live snake around her neck. Another time I heard a man complaining about injuring himself while attempting fire-​eating.
The food is really good and inexpensive — I love the breakfast stuff (french toast, tiny mighty, oatmeal), as well as the soups and sandwiches. Coffee is a little bitter for my taste, but I still drink it. Free wifi is a big plus. The ice cream is delicious, almost good enough for me to eat ice cream when it’s –30 degrees outside. The staff is always friendly (with a hint of sarcasm) –they remind me of the displaced East Village New Yorkers.
My only quips: the tables are a little small (esp. if you bring a laptop) and the «muttering guy» mentioned in others’ reviews can be distracting. I know, he’s not hurting anyone, but sometimes if I see him in there, I’ll take my business elsewhere. He’s obviously mentally ill and has no where to go, but he literally never stops talking!

The goods: DELIVERED
there are always smiling, creatively thinking, helpful people working here rocking out to queen, thin lizzy or weird al and i’m usually rocking out too although less enthusiastically because i’m not in the middle of making sandwiches for all of the curmudgeons who gave this place a 1 or 2 star rating. you have to stay focused somehow i guess.
This place is crucial for:
(1) Short stack of blueberry pancakes
(2) Mint Oreo vegan cupcakes
(3) Egg Sandwich (everything with jalapeño cheese keeps me stinky)
(4) the bottomless of mug of coffee (sometimes hard to get a refill if it’s busy, but who cares)
(5) The Fruit whathaveyou if i’m feeling healthy
(6) Free wifi and a comfortable couch
(7) The muttering guy (Gary?) who is always going on and on about his Jewish landlord. Just recently found out he’s from Buffalo!
funny story: one time i went in and they were making cones with sprinkles and candy stars on them. the guy made a few with a streak of rainbow sprinkles and stars and said «i’ve got it! it’s called the ‘more you know’ cone.» i thought that was pretty genius.

I have only been here for ice cream, which is always very good They have a nice variety of flavors, including some you wont normally see, like malted vanilla. I usually get the mud pie which is coffee ice cream with hydrox. The hydrox were super soft, but now lost in the ice cream which made it extra perfect.
The staff is always super friendly and don’t treat you differently if you aren’t a typical Allston hipster, which I am not.

Herrell’s, I will continue going to you three or four times a week until whenever it is that I finally move away from here, but here are the problems I have with you (and know, I have been two-​timing you by trying out Second Cup and Eats & Treats lately):
1. You always run out of bagels by like 11 on the weekends. I mean, seriously? And how hard is it to keep a consistent roster of Tofutti on board? You’re a coffee shop, I’d like a bagel to go with that. I’ve heard enough unsubstantiated rumors about how unsanitary the kitchen is there (and they’re frankly not hard to believe, considering how you tend to handle the food even right out in front of the customers) to never want to order cooked food from you, but the bagels seem safe enough. Why are there so few ever stocked?
2. More on bagels — what is with the portions? You spread the cream cheese and hummus as if it’s a thin layer of butter. Please.
3. Coffee — thanks for finally stocking up on mugs and doing the free refills w/​a mug thing. Pretty rad. Your coffee is not all that great, but it will do as long as the refill is free (and I’ll continue to tip on every refill, anyway). Café Americano — it doesn’t matter that i’m not going to put milk in it, that doesn’t mean that you’re then free to fill the mug all the way to the rim with hot water. Doesn’t work that way!
4. Tables — for god’s sake, fix your tables. Wobbly. Sad. I witnessed one poor guy spill a whole mug on his most-​likely completely ruined Mac laptop, and I typically spill some on myself at almost every visit. I have taken to sitting on the bench seat in the window and just putting the coffee on the ledge as a result of this.
5. The crazy regulars — still can’t decide if this is a pro or con, and I’ve been listening to these guys talk crazy talk for about 7 years.
Everything else about you, I love. Free wireless all day long. The weird cliques of kids that revolve around every changeover in staff, the strange and quiet regulars, the picture perfect view of the street corner there, the warm feeling inside in the evening, whatever. It’s the bedrock place of Allston, but it could be soooooo much better!

Never woken up in this area so their brunch is a mystery. But the cider is cinnamony delicious and internet is free. If you can find a seat, it’ll prolly be uncomfortable cuz the couch is so rarely open, warmed by some recovering hipster sipping a hot tonic.
Want to eat? Vegan muffins, ice creamy goodness lacking in variety. Basic sandwiches, salads etc. C-​H-​E-​A-​P.
Every two weeks they have an art show for creative locals whose art could be nothing further from the style of Michaelangelo’s Creation on the ceiling of the entrance. I’m confused by this revamping. What happened to the grungy, grittiness that so exemplified the Allston experience?

Their ice cream is good, but expensive for what you get. I’m not sure it matches up for the amount you get.
I was disappointed with when they made my hot fudge sundae… It was tiny and I couldn’t get to my fudge!
Basically, they put a huge pool of fudge at the bottom then proceeded to stuff ice cream on top. NO FUDGE ON TOP? I didn’t get to enjoy any of it; trying to dig down through my tiny little sundae cup would cause all the ice cream melt and and Twix crumbles to spill all over my hand. I missed the hot fudge. :/​
But to even this out and say something nice… Their staff is really cool and friendly. That’s always a good thing when you just want some happy ice cream.

Because my idea of a good time is to wait what feels like hours in a ridiculously long line of Allston kids just to buy some mediocre breakfast. And then stand around like a fool waiting for a seat to open up.
Plenty of useless flyers and posters to shove down your friends’ pants while you wait though.
Real good time.

Oh good lord, Herrell’s used to be the holy grail of ice cream. Now a mere shadow of its former self, this ice cream shop cum café just blows in ways that the work «horrible» only begins to describe.
Aloof service, filth galore, and low inventory on mediocre ice cream make this place a ‘must avoid’ on the ice cream voyage around Boston.
I was there earlier this week and tried the Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream, something I remember having enjoyed in the past. It was a scarring experience. After three bites I threw out the nearly three dollar cup — it was salty, unchocolately, and had a dry, unpleasant mouthfeel.
Suck city.

We must discuss the way they «cook» (aka scramble) their eggs here. They put the cracked eggs into a stainless steel cup and steam them using the steaming wand from the espresso machine. Next time you stop in take a look at the wand. Let me know if you see a yellow-​ish residue.
Other than that gross fact, I love this place, grit and all. And I’ll still order the Veggie Breakfast Wrap, with the steamed scrambled eggs, because it’s that good! I mean, it has vegetarian chili in it.
I’m a big fan of the coffee too. I’m a hot-​coffee-​even-​in-​summer-​kind-​of-​guy but I’ll drink the iced here. I also like that their coffee of the day is actually something new and not just a darker roast.
The fresh squeezed OJ, as in they cut the oranges and squeeze them right there, could be the best thing I’ve ever tasted. It is goodness. People rave about the pancakes, I still have to try them.

So it’s not the nicest, cleanest place in the world, but they do a good job of making this place worth brushing off a table.
Sandwiches are great, and decent sized. They also do a mean grilled cheese and tomato soup combo. And I’m particularly a fan of their baked goods– I love their vegan cupcakes (they make me feel like I’m eating healthier, even though that’s a total psych-​out), but last time I was there they only had non-​vegan ones left, so I happily scarfed one of those down. Such a treat!
If I lived closer, I’m sure I’d be here caffeinating and eating pastries far too often.