Appleton Cafe

Aside from its convenience, Appleton Café falls short. They really don’t have that «wow» sandwich and the chicken they use for both the sandwiches and the salads is often times tough. Additionally, when they use the chicken in the sandwich, they don’t slice it properly which makes it too tall/​unbalanced and the entire thing falls apart.

Lunch only review.
I’ve had their chacarero multiple times, and I believe it to be better than the sandwich shop named after this Chilean delight. The avocado and spicy spread tastes exactly the same as the sandwich chain (which is its best attribute), but the other fillings are a lot more fresh at Appleton Café. They also allow you to customize your heat level; I tell them to go extra hot, of course.
I will be back, but I can’t see myself ordering anything else — since the chacarero is so good. Oh, also, the inside is what people might deem as «cute» and the staff is über friendly.

Cute café but the Panini was pretty awful. Maybe I should’ve gotten the sweets instead because the giant cookies and brownies looked awesome. The arugula was soggy and cooked, cheese was not melted (I saw a lot of shredded cheese on one side of the sandwich) and egg was overcooked because it got the rubbery texture.

Great neighborhood café, very friendly attentive staff and good tasty. Very good spot to get work done with large tables. Has a nice small business feel. And my favorite coffee in the south end.

The first time I went here I got the mozzarella pesto Panini and that was pretty good. Today I went and made a terrible order — the chicken sandwich. Ive never had a dryer piece of chicken, it was inedible. So the average of zero stars and fours stars is 2. Voila.

First time here. The staff is super friendly. I ordered the Grilled Chicken Sandwich (chicken breast, lettuce, tomatoe, avocado, bacon and swiss cheese) and it was super good. Organic green tea was also good. I went back the next morning to try the French Toasts and it was.

Coffee is good, pastries look good, but the hot menu coming out of the chefs kitchen has been slightly disappointing for all 3 of my visits. That being said I’ll drop in again for a quick ice coffee if I’m walking by, but I’m not planning to go out of my way, if that makes sense.

Unfortunately the sandwiches have gone a bit downhill since past years. I’ve had lunch 3X since management /​ownership has switched and each time, I hope it turns back around but it hasn’t. For example, my go to sandwich, the tomato mozzarella pesto: they are using this rosemary style ciabatta bread which is unnecessary in my opinion, standard mozzarella instead of fresh and when the sandwich is supposed to come with a spread, it’s a light coating which leaves the bread dry and tasteless. My colleague who came with me last time ordered the chicken salad but unfortunately the order came out wrong 2X, the second time, he didn’t bother to trouble them again. The soups are okay and the salads the same. Unfortunately the sandwiches on the menu haven’t changed much but the quality of ingredients, and portions have.
On the other hand, the desserts are terrific.
With the inconsistency, it’s really too bad, this used to be one of my favorite sandwich places in the south end.

This place has a lot of potential, if only more thought and care when into the preparation of their food.
Stopped by on Tuesday afternoon for lunch. Ordered the Arugula salad and added chicken to it, ordered the Spartan sandwich, and two cookies, the oatmeal raisin and the Better than Brownie. The Spartan sandwich was my 4^th choice of sandwich as I was informed the previous three I attempted to order were not available.
Sandwich was decent, too much olive oil on the sandwich overall. The cookies were good, but nothing noteworthy compared to other local bakeries. The biggest issue I had was with the salad. The chicken was definitely dry, looked like it had been sitting for a bit. Apples on the salad were cut into large portions, way larger than anyone could fit into their mouth without cutting it. The flavor was good for the rest of the salad.
Overall, disappointed, but the bones of a great place seem to be there. Will be a while before I revisit.

On the pricier end, wish portions were a bit bigger (salads) but you get quality food every time, I love how when I walk by in the morning to work they have their daily specials written outside. Free Wi-​Fi which is always a plus, especially the friendly staff! Coffee is a little too strong for me, but that is a good thing, right?
I did however order a chai tea latte and it really wasn’t good at all. But I’ll be back for the food!

You will get 2 more stars IF:
–you open before 7am
–you offer coconut milk and/​or almond milk
–YOUR STRAWS ACTUALLY FIT INSIDE YOUR CUPS!

I want this place to be awesome, and it’s one of the only non-​chain coffee/​breakfast spots on my walk to work. Every time I go in, though, there’s either a wait (once because both employees were making themselves coffee), my order gets messed up, or something else frustrating that makes it hard for me to want to keep going back.
The food is pretty yummy– sandwiches, bagel sandwiches, pastries are all top notch. The coffee is decent. However, my order is messed up more often than not– we’re talking a bagel toasted with butter coming without the butter.
In terms of the wait, I of course understand that a south end coffee shop gets a little busy on weekday mornings. But it’s the seeming lack of caring that the staff has to get people through the line quickly so that they can get to work, and to make the coffee shop look good, that bothers me.
If you’re ok with waiting and having to double check your food order, go to this spot. It’s got potential, but the poor management of the place is really killing it

If this place had some outdoor seating and made more than 2 – 3 maple oat scones every day, I’d give it 5 stars. I really love their maple oat scone (obviously) and their overall pricing for baked goods and sandwiches is better than Flour and the Buttery. But I often come here on a Saturday at 9:30am and they are already out of their best baked goods!
Other pluses: the staff is lovely and they have mini doggie treats at the counter, which is always a sweet touch. :)

I so want this place to be great but it never gets there. I keep going back hoping the problems will be fixed but it never seems to change.
The wait times are insane. With nearly no one in front of you a wait for a simple sandwich can take 10 – 15 minutes. There always seems to be one ingredient missing or just something off. The other day I ordered a Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil sandwich to go. The ingredients are literally in the sandwich name and when I got home there was lettuce instead of basil.
Appleton Café is so close to being a good corner café for the South End but it constantly steps on its own foot.

I love this place and their waffles are the best and I am NOT a waffle person.
Everyone who works there is super nice I’m so lucky this place is only around the corner from me

It doesn’t seem like it should be too hard to get breakfast right. There are many cafes in Boston that do. Again, since I live nearby the only reason I continue to go here is that it is in a convenient location. Since I last wrote a year ago — the kitchen situation has not improved. The wait times are horrendous and unapologetic (25 minutes for a breakfast sandwich on a Wednesday??) and (as I just re-​tried the smoked salmon) the bagels are still stale and not toasted, ingredients such as tomatoes do not taste fresh. My husband just ordered a breakfast sandwich that was missing 2 of the 4 ingredients. I could literally walk to Foodies, buy all the ingredients I need, and cook myself a better sandwich in less time.
The 2 stars are only because I will still go here if I want a cappuccino or iced coffee — but I’ve just made the executive decision that I’m never ordering food from here again.

I have been coming to the Appleton Café for many years before the newest owner had taken over.
Despite some good food, the wait times here are dreadfully long — Do not go here if you are in a rush, even if you order on the phone… The two people at the counter can take a long time and both be back preparing large orders. Every time I go there the person in line in front of me has some large order with 6 drinks and both people behind the counter are focusing on it instead of one person manning the register and taking orders for the rest of the line — thus, a 15 minute wait just to give the order… Inefficient…
Next step– waiting for the order. The kitchen is extremely slow, the workers have ADD and have zero sense of urgency. This place would never last in NYC, but we are not in NYC… Frequently the kitchen staff makes mistakes with the orders– at least half the time I go there they mess my order up and almost always they mess up someone else’s order.
Someone please call Gordon Ramsay to get his Kitchen Nightmares show to the Appleton Café, stat!

I’ve come here because our guide recommend this place. I don’t know why, because it’s not a great place. I ordered a sandwich with an orange juice. The orange juice was not natural like they try it to look at, the baby carrots that are served with the sandwich are from the typical plastic bag and the sandwich was very normal nothing special. If you choose to eat there you have to do it with a plastic folk and knife.
The staff are not very friendly neither.

I want to like this place, I really really do. The biggest problem with Appleton may be me however, but I am sure I am not the only one that is busy and does not have the time to sit down for a meal there every day.
On the weekends, this place is usually pretty busy, often with a line out the door. Their food is quite good albeit the menu has not changed much in about a year or so. The space is nice with two or three tables outside in the front. Can be cramped at busy times but for the most part if you have the time, which you will probably need (read on), you can usually find a place to sit.
Now here is the largest of all issues. THIS PLACE IS SO SO SO SO SLOW. I have never had a problem with the cashiers or any liquid based purchase. They are quick and quite nice every time I have gone in. The problem is the kitchen, 100%. There is not a single time where I have gotten my sandwich in less than 15 – 20 minutes. They do not have super complicated sandwiches either.
This morning I waited 20 minutes for a egg sandwich on a bagel, I watched the man look at my order slip 4 times, go into the back of the kitchen, come back with nothing, start making someone else’s order after mine, disappear again for 5 minutes, and small talk with someone else in the kitchen before coming back, wrapping my bagel, and LEAVING IT ON THE PREP TABLE. I stared at it for 2 minutes before asking if I could just have my order. It is ridiculous that it takes that long in the morning with 2 tickets for the kitchen to toast a bagel, cook and egg, and combine them.
A little sense of customer service in the kitchen would be really great. If you have an hour and want to get some work done, go. If not, go to Flour or The Buttery, you may spend more money but, at least you will be on time for the rest of your morning.

A hidden gem in Boston!
The Appleton Café, a cozy little spot two blocks from Back Bay Station on the corner of Dartmouth & Appleton. This is the 2^nd time I’ve been here and haven’t been dissapointed.
Try the chicken salad or the French Toast or anything for that matter.
The staff is friendly and all of the entrées are made to order right in front of you.
Not a lot of tables, and only one for a large group. There is some outdoor seating in the summer.