Tatte Bakery & Cafe

Though the focus is a bit more on food than coffee, popular Boston-area bakery/cafe Tatte offers a welcome hit of Stumptown in a town that nearly lacks it. Founded in Brookline, a nearby suburb, by Israeli-born Tzurit Or, Tatte has proliferated rapidly, thanks to investment by Ron Shaich, founder of Panera and Au Bon Pain, who has lately become the patron VC saint to Boston's quality-oriented fast-casual restaurants (Life Alive and Clover being the notable others). Tatte’s downtown location on Summer Street, opened in early 2019, gives a good idea of the brand: a pleasingly Europhile look with bentwood chairs, white tile floors, and black banquettes in a soaring space, with a coffee bar at one end. Lunchtime crowds get intense on weekdays. Shakshuka is a go-to dish, attractively presented in a cast-iron pan. 

—Alexander Henry