Blue Bottle Coffee

First the San Francisco juggernaut crept south to Los Angeles, then rolled over New York, opening 14 cafes (and counting) since its 2010 arrival in Brooklyn, where it upgraded its Berry Street roastery for the current, larger Bushwick facility that handles East Coast roasting and baking. Then it fanned out, south to DC and north to Boston, where its current cafes number three (including one across the river in Cambridge, amid Harvard buildings). As for the Back Bay location, yes, it’s in a mall, the Prudential Center—but it’s a mall with co-tenants like Eataly and Warby Parker. The shop carved out a prime corner for itself, open and glassy, with all the barista action happening inside a giant oval ring. You know the drill: tunes on good-looking, natural-wood speakers, diminutive pastries straight from the Bushwick bakery, and espresso served with a shot of sparkling San Benedetto water.

—Alexander Henry