Ogawa Coffee

Just paid $ 6.15 for an iced matcha latte – ! I looked online just now, and saw that it should only cost $ 5?! (still very expensive) What an overpriced joke of a coffee shop.

Unique addition to Beantown’s coffee scene! We got a Kyoto house blend black cup of coffee, a decaf cappuccino, & a glass of milk (for our toddler). The coffee and cappuccino were served hot and delicious. This is by far, the best cup of coffee I’ve had this year!

This update was inspired by a visit two days ago. Since my last review, I have been to Ogawa many times, but none were worthy of an update as the experience was basically the same.
Ogawa is a great place with polite, conscientious staff. They fuss over your coffee, but they get it right. However some of items are ridiculously mid-​priced. The aeropressed coffee costs $ 4.25. That’s half a lunch in downtown crossing. The $ 4.25 price is for the house Kyoto bean. The Panama bean carries a $ 3 up-​charge. That’s a $ 7.25 cup of coffee. That is insane. I would love to see the statistics on how many customers in a week get the $ 4.25 dollar aeropress, nevermind the nonstandard coffee up-​charge.
Now, perhaps if aeropress yielded a phenomenal cup, but I got a plain cup of coffee. Average, no better than that.
I get that no one forces anyone to buy anything, but this is part of the client experience. Insane prices put me off a place, especially if the product I get is mediocre.

Solid cappuccino, but Ogawa is a bit spendy for the quality, which is good, but not really in the top tier of coffee shops. The texture is spot on for my taste (wet), but the coffee they use isn’t particularly strong. They’ve made a decent use of the limited space in their downtown location, with a bar, a smattering of tables, and a bleacher area to maximize the seating in the fairly small storefront. It looks like they also do a wide range of other coffee preparations, from pour overs to aeropress, and that they have several bean varieties, which is nice and would give me more of a reason to come back frequently if I worked downtown regularly.

Although I am not a coffee aficionado I can appreciate a good technique and ingredients in the craft. Ogawa appears to take their trade seriously and this can be seen in the taste and appearance of their drinks. Originally attracted by reading about the signature drink it’s what brought us in two days in a row but sadly without success. Both days they were somehow still functioning as a coffee shop without their hot water working. The same situation was going on the following day so we settled for lattes and house coffee. Both these drinks were smooth and tasted of high quality. Thanks!

Great coffee, friendly staff, light yummy meals, and overall a great coffee shop downtown. They are definitely great at crafting lattes both from espresso and matcha. They have tables plus some stadium seating to maximize the smaller space.
A little pricier so I usually save this spot for a weekend treat.

One of my favorite cafes in Boston! This place is a little pricy, but it’s worth it. It has a clean, white interior with some unique bleacher seating. They have regular tables as well, and the free wifi makes it a popular study spot.
If you’re a matcha fan, I highly recommend the matcha latte. Honestly one of the best I’ve ever had — I love the strong matcha flavor. The matcha cake roll is also to die for.

OC breakfast. Classic kind of breakfast you would get in a Japan coffee shop. Egg, Japanese Style Thick cut toast (kinda like Texas toast but fluffier), bacon/​ham and a salad. Comes with a small coffee too. Although seems you can substitute.
Wish I had more time in Boston to try a latte as the pictures make it look awesome. Will likely stop by next month.

Ogawa is a great place to get incredibly tasty coffee and personalized latte art! You can ask for a special request for the latte art and they also usually have seasonal art they do depending on occasions.
Drinks are pretty pricy however so it’s more a treat coffee than a stop for some much needed caffeine. Also, don’t expect to find lots of seating options since anytime I’ve been its pretty much packed. Lucky to get a table once someone got up as we arrived but sitting on the stairs is quite uncomfortable and makes maneuvering drinks + food a hassle. Love the bar stool area however, as you get to have a more intimate experience.
Their food is just so-​so, would recommend coming more for the coffee than the food.
Highly recommend their iced caramel lattes, hot lattes and will return soon to get an authentic iced matcha latte.

I love this place! Definitely on the pricier side of coffee, but you can definitely taste the difference. The whole café also has a fresh, clean feel and also cool stadium seating! I love studying here on weekends, though it can get busy/​loud.
My favorites: cappuccino (ask for seasonal latte art!), tea latte, house coffee, green tea cake rolls.
Would also recommend just trying the house-​made ginger ale, lox bagel, Signature Drink ($ 10) that comes with 2 drinks.
Also the cashier on weekends is pretty cute :)

The stylish Japanese coffee chain makes its first jaunt in to greater Boston at a little nook off Milk St. Coffee, milk — cute.
Iced variety blends beans of Ethiopian and Japanese origins for a bold, in-​your-​face taste that shook this mild-​tannin cold brew drinker to the core. Had to pass in favor of a sweet and light banana smoothie ($ 6) that consisted of fruit, milk, maybe some simple syrup and… not much else. The toss-​back snack hit the 3pm spot!
Free wifi, stadium seating for you top dwellers to peer down on the common folk over rounds of Candy Crush, and baked goods by local purveyors (OMG! makes the bagels; most everything else in The Buttery), and salads/​sandos round out the savory.
Meet a friend or go alone — it’s easy to burn an hour here!

Basically this is the only Japanese coffee shops in Boston! This place is pretty cool and from their special $ 10 drink to the wooden stadium seating. The coffee here is also really good and I love how simple their menu is (not like starbucks where its sugar on sugar espresso drinks.) The only real downside is the place is a bit pricey and there is rarely seating on the weekend but I highly recommend coming here if you’re a true fan of coffee!

As with any high-​end coffee café, you need to know what to order or at least what questions to ask to get a great order. And you need to expect that it is going to cost more than a trip to Dunks or Bucks. That being said, if you love expresso and need a jolt that goes above and beyond, this is your place.
I highly recommend the El Enjerto expresso from Guatemala. It has a wonderful, bold flavor and the caffeine kick is off the charts. I do not take milk in my coffee but I’ve heard the lattes are good as well. The staff are very friendly and helpful as well and they let you know which expresso is more expensive which I appreciated.
The actual space is neat too — they have «bleachers» that you can sit on which sounds odd but it actually is a really neat addition and not like anything else I’ve seen in a coffee shop.

This little coffee shop inspired by Kyoto is such a neat find. The inside is very homey and casual. There’s tables and a high top bar area but the coolest part is the wall seating against the side wall. Its as if you’re sitting on the steps of someone’s house. Very unique setup. The inside could be a bit noisy with chatter and the high ceilings echo a bit but its a nice place to catch up with a friend.
The menu here is the standard coffee items (latte, cappuccino, espresso, etc.). The prices are a bit on the high end but for what I tasted, it was worth it. I opted in for a matcha latte as Kyoto is known for the matcha. It was delicious! Definitely didn’t disappoint. It wasn’t overbearingly sweet like the ones Starbucks makes. The frothy top and the creamy bottom was a perfect blend. You can really taste the green matcha flavor but the hint of sweet milk is very well mixed into the drink. Topped with beautiful latte art, this was great for a cold winter day. Wish they had one of these locations in Florida!

Easily the best coffee in the area. I actually can’t speak for espresso drinks but the hot/​iced coffee is far superior to anything else open downtown — the coffee is SO rich and smooth without any bitterness. I could drink this stuff black. Also, the prices don’t run as high for non-​espresso drinks, which is nice if you want to stop by frequently.
High ceilings and bright interior are very chic, and the amphitheater waiting area is cool. The fact that they serve South End Buttery pastries makes me love it even more.

I was so glad to find Ogawa Coffee open in the otherwise desolate weekend Financial District! I had a small cappuccino for $ 4. The espresso was strong and rich, with almost a dark chocolate flavor to it? The drink was not especially hot so I felt compelled to drink it quickly, even though the dense foam didn’t dissipate over time. The ratio of milk to espresso was lower than at some other places, which I appreciated, but it did make for a modest serving size.
You can get your drink for here or to go, although you really should make the time to stick around and sip because you’re paying for the experience (and latte art!). There’s plenty of seating, including the fun risers you can see pictured.
I know this is a silly complaint, but the person working at the register seemed a bit… overly chipper? Like, insincere. It made me uncomfortable, but I guess it’s an improvement over some upscale coffee shops where you get attitude.
Overall, Ogawa makes a great cappuccino. I want to try some other places in the area before I return here, but I would take this over Starbucks any day of the week!

I’ve visited Ogawa on a few occasions now. The coffee has been well crafted and presented in an artful manner for a lot of their offerings. I even tried one of their signature drink ($ 10) which consisted of two drinks, a chilled blended espresso served in a martini glass and the second drink that it came with was a Cappuccino. I wouldn’t rush to order it again but it was tasty and some strong java!
I think their food offerings are a bit lacking. I wish they had more in the way of pastries and other goodies.

High ceilings, lots of light, stadium seating… Incredible coffee. This isn’t your basic b*tch Starbucks, let’s be real. No pumpkin spice lattes and Uggs in here. Just people who enjoy legitimately GOOD, quality coffee in a space that is just as well designed as your best cuppa is brewed.
Apparently this is a Japanese coffee chain, and I’m elated it expanded internationally. I’d do backflips if I had any flexibility /​athletic ability beyond touching my toes.
They have an incredible matcha latte (which tastes like a delicious cup of morning green tea ice cream) — the prettiest green concoction to ever live in a latte cup. It’s a bit on the $$$ side, at $ 5+ a cup of coffee, and $ 25+/small bag of beans, but it’s great for an occasional day of #treatyoself ;)

Lattes made by a world winning latte foam artist
Really good matcha and coffee
Get the brownie and ask for it warmed up, it’s soft and gooey and will warm even the blackest of hearts

Amazing coffee! And more importantly, an instagram-​worthy photo opportunity! If you have no shame, ask for a cute latte art.
Keep in mind the drinks here are pretty pricy… They also have a signature drink which is insanely $ 10 — pass.
The place is also super modern… I’d totally come here to just chat with friends. However, it gets pretty uncomfortable sitting there for long periods of time.