Intelligentsia Coffee Post Office Square Coffeebar

Intelligentsia, the Chicago-based roaster acquired in 2015 by Peet’s (owned in turn by JAB Holding Co.), follows the welcome trend of cafes appropriating office lobbies. Patrons of the handsome, open bar at its downtown location spill out onto leather settees and armchairs; the scent of espresso keeps the corporate-modernist lobby from feeling too severe. Coffee preparation is always spot-on, and pastries, from nearby Forge Bakery in Somerville, never lack for freshness. A second Boston location in the Cambridge-adjacent suburb of Watertown has more of a southern-California feel, with its freestanding building, roadside sign, and easy parking.

—Alexander Henry