Written by Emily Padgett, Greta Gaffin and Eric Falley
Coffee Shops
Pavement
http://pavementcoffeehouse.com
Address: 736 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215
Distance from BU STH: Across the street, 2-3 minute walk
Wifi: Free and it works!
Outlets: A little over half the tables have access
Cost for 12oz Latte: $4.75
Cost for Hot Tea: $3.50
Noise level: Soft background music and conversation. Fairly noisy near the barista and pick-up counter.
Space/crowd level: Medium, with room to navigate between tables. Often a short wait for a table.
Hours: Everyday 7AM-4PM
Atmosphere: Seating area is in the back. Comfortable, busy, with a long wait, especially at class changing times. I recommend the app to place your order 30-45 minutes in advance if you want something during the day
Starbucks in the GSU
https://www.bu.edu/dining/location/starbucks/
Address: 775 Commonwealth Ave
Distance from BU STH: 1-2 minute walk
Wifi: Free and it works!
Outlets: A little over half the tables have access
Cost for 12oz Latte:
Cost for Hot Tea:
Noise level: Conversation level varies from soft to loud
Space/crowd level: Fairly crowded in the day, especially around lunch time, & fairly quiet after 5pm
Hours: Monday through Friday 7AM-9PM, Saturday 9AM-8PM & Sunday 11AM-8PM
Atmosphere: Part of the student union. The wait during the day is between 15-30 minutes typically, and about 5 minutes in the evening or on weekends. Coffee quality is iffy, often lower than most other Starbucks.
Newsfeed Cafe in the Boston Public Library
Address: 700 Boylston St
Distance from BU STH: 1.5 miles, 30 minute walk, 13 minutes by T (get off at Copley)
Wifi: Yes
Outlets: No
Cost for 12oz Latte: $3.55
Cost for Hot Tea: $3.30
Noise level: Fairly low, quiet background conversation
Space/crowd level: Not often crowded, pretty busy on Saturdays, with a possible short wait for a table
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 9am-5pm (Closed Sunday and Monday)
Atmosphere: Adjacent to the Boston Public Library (BPL). I highly recommend their seasonal drinks and refreshers!
Note: You cannot bring food or drinks into the BPL except the courtyard outdoors. In the fall I love ordering from Newsfeed and then taking it to the BPL courtyard!
Trident Booksellers & Cafe
https://www.tridentbookscafe.com
Address: 338 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02115
Distance from BU STH: 1.1 miles, 20 minute walk, 12 minutes on the T (get off at Hynes Convention Center)
Wifi: Not working, you have to hotspot
Outlets: None
Cost for 12oz Latte: $4.95
Cost for Hot Tea: $3.75
Noise level: Easy to have a conversation, some background noise and chatter
Space/crowd level: Mostly people getting together for a meal, a mix of tourists and locals. Highly recommend the food here, but it isn’t super cheap either! Make sure to check out the second floor seating area, and check out the bookstore.
Hours: 8am-10pm daily
Atmosphere: Designed for talking and eating, with good food available. It is one of the few places open later that you can study at. The second floor occasionally hosts evening events.
Tatte Bakery & Cafe – Beacon Street
Address: 1003 Beacon St, Brookline, MA 02446
Distance from BU STH: 0.4 miles, 8 minute walk
Wifi: Yes
Outlets: Maybe one? Not easily accessible
Cost for 12oz Latte: $4.50
Cost for Hot Tea: $3.00
Noise level: It is very crowded indoors at this location, but they have lots of outdoor seating
Space/crowd level: This particular Tatte is a great place near campus to meet people for coffee and/or a pastry. They have superb food and a wonderful bakery as well as drinks!
Hours: 7AM-8PM Monday through Saturday, 7AM-7PM on Sunday
Atmosphere: This is a favorite of the locals! They have several locations around Boston. I’ve immensely enjoyed everything I’ve tried here!
Caffe Nero – B Line Commonwealth Avenue
Distance from BU STH: 0.9 miles, 20 minute walk, 6 minute T ride (get off at Babcock Street)
Address: 1047 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215
Wifi: Yes
Outlets: Yes
Cost for 12oz Latte: $3.90
Cost for Hot Tea: $3.05
Noise level: Medium-Low
Space/crowd level: Fairly crowded around lunchtime. Largest of the three Caffe Neros on this list, though seating capacity is about the same.
Hours: 6:30AM – 6PM daily (opens 8AM on weekends)
Atmosphere: Lots of college age students. Baristas have sometimes been inattentive. Least cozy atmosphere between the three Caffe Neros.
Note: They have an app
Caffe Nero – C Line Beacon Street
Distance from BU STH: 1.8 miles, 40 minute walk, 18 minutes total if using T (walk to St. Mary’s Street C Line stop and get off at Washington Square)
Address: 1633 Beacon St
Wifi: Yes
Outlets: Yes
Cost for 12oz Latte: $3.90
Cost for Hot Tea: $3.05
Noise level: Low
Space/crowd level: Fairly crowded around lunchtime. May need to wait a few minutes to find a seat. Generally a more spacious set up in the cafe than the other two Caffe Nero’s on the T
Hours: 6:30AM-6PM daily (opens 7AM on weekends)
Atmosphere: Highest quality of coffee between the three Caffe Neros and pretty cozy. Perhaps the best Caffe Nero for studying but the furthest away of the three. One of my favorite places to study in the area!
Caffe Nero – D Line Brookline Village
Distance from BU STH: 1.6 miles, 30 minute walk, 16 minutes total if using T (walk to Fenway D Line stop and get off at Brookline Village)
Address: 1 Harvard St
Wifi: Yes
Outlets: Yes, somewhat limited
Cost for 12oz Latte: $3.90
Cost for Hot Tea: $3.05
Noise level: Low
Space/crowd level: Can be crowded, but probably the least crowded of the three Caffe Neros.
Hours: 6:30AM – 6PM daily
Atmosphere: Probably the coziest of the three Caffe Neros, with some chairs near bay windows. Somewhat more geared for relaxing than studying, but there are still plenty of tables for laptops.
Pressed Cafe
https://www.pressedcafe.com/menu-boston-ma
Distance from BU STH: 1.5 miles walking, 25 minutes on the T
Address: 105 Huntington Avenue Boston, MA 02199, Ground Level of the Prudential Center
Wifi: It does not work
Outlets: Limited, only on one wall
Cost for 12oz Latte: $4.5
Cost for Hot Tea: $3.25
Noise level: 2 (1 out of 5)
Space/crowd level: I have always found a table available, even when it is fairly full.
Hours: 5am-10pm
Atmosphere: A wide variety of people come here. There are people getting lunch, people studying, tourists, and people coming before or after shopping at the Prudential Center.
Law School Cafe
https://www.bu.edu/dining/location/school-of-law-cafe/
Distance from BU STH: 100 feet or so
Address: 765 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215
Wifi: Yes
Outlets: Yes
Cost for 12oz Latte: 3.25
Cost for Hot Tea: 2.25
Noise level: Minimal
Space/crowd level: Not crowded
Hours: 8am-2:30pm
Atmosphere: Lots of law students, a good place to go to focus if you want to get out of the School of Theology to study but don’t want to travel far
Caffe Bene
Distance from BU STH: 1.4 miles, 30 minute walk, 17 minutes if using T (get off at Symphony on E line or get off at Hynes Convention Center and walk south on Mass Ave)
Address: 333 Massachusetts Ave
Wifi: Yes (sometimes have to look at receipt to get new password)
Outlets: Available at most spots
Cost for 12oz Latte: $3.50
Cost for Hot Tea: $2.95
Noise level: Medium-Low.
Space/crowd level: Often crowded.
Hours: 8am-9:30pm Monday-Friday, 8am-10pm weekend
Atmosphere: Cozy study nook but tables are almost always taken. Seats on the window bar are often free. Not a lot of other tables for group studying. Also serves meals.
Jaho
Distance from BU STH: 1.6 miles walking, 23 minutes via the t from BU STH
Address: 116 Huntington Ave
Wifi: Not that works
Outlets: Yes, but limited
Cost for 12oz Latte: $3.64
Cost for Hot Tea: $3.85
Noise level: Somewhat noisy, I bring noise canceling headphones in order to study
Space/crowd level: Not empty, but usually I can find a table without waiting
Hours: Monday to Sunday 7AM – 10PM
Atmosphere: Fun music, nice place for late night studying/hanging out when you are tired of Mugar Library, but not cheap!
Farmer’s Horse Coffee
http://places.singleplatform.com/farmer-horse-coffee/menu
Distance from BU STH: 1.5 miles, 33 minute walk, 20 minutes if using T (get off at Symphony on E Line or get off at Hynes Convention Center and walk south on Mass Ave)
Address: 374 Massachusetts Ave
Wifi: Yes
Outlets: Yes
Cost for 12oz Latte: $4.00
Cost for Hot Tea: $2.50
Noise level: Low
Space/crowd level: Pretty small.
Hours: 7AM-6PM daily Atmosphere: Cozy and more affordable than other coffee shops in the area, but tables are small and very limited! Some seating outside.
Fuel America
Distance from BU STH: 2.9 miles, 30 minutes by the t
Address: 152 Chestnut Hill Ave Brighton, MA 02135
Wifi: Yes
Outlets: Yes
Cost for 12oz Latte: $3.50
Cost for Hot Tea: $3.00
Noise level: Medium-Low
Space/crowd level: Many tables and outlets, lots of conversations as well as people studying. Does not typically feel cramped, even on a Saturday afternoon
Hours: 8AM-5PM daily Atmosphere: Cafe and coffee shop! I like their avocado toast pretty well! They have quiet background music
Free Study Spots
BU STH Library
https://www.bu.edu/sthlibrary/
Distance from BU STH: Zero! (on the second floor)
Address: 745 Commonwealth Ave
Wifi: Yes
Outlets: Yes
Noise level: Very low, this is a nearly silent studying space
Space/crowd level: Always plenty of space
Hours: 10AM-4PM Monday-Friday, Closed on the weekend
Atmosphere: Studious, great if you thrive in a whisper quiet study space
Other Perks: There are a couple of computers you can use. Free scanning. There are also printers you can use. It’s not free, but all STH students receive 500 dollars worth of printing money per semester. Your textbooks may be on reserve here.
Mugar Library
https://www.bu.edu/library/mugar-memorial/
Distance from BU STH: Less than a quarter of a mile
Address: 771 Commonwealth Ave
Wifi: Yes
Outlets: Yes
Noise level: Medium for basement. Low for 1st-3rd floors. Silent for 4th-6th floors.
Space/crowd level: Depends, typically easy to find a spot but busier during finals week
Hours: 10AM to 11PM (closes at 6PM on Friday and Saturday). Hours later in the semester are sometimes extended to 2AM or later but the help desk closes at 11PM.
Atmosphere: Lots of undergrads, but overall a positive, study-focused atmosphere. The main room can be quite crowded during finals week. There’s a back room that overlooks the Charles River that is quite nice and has some sofas. Each floor has different study spaces. 5th and 6th floor have private reservable study rooms.
Other Perks: There are a number of computers you can use. Mugar has free scanning. There are also printers you can use, including color printers. It’s not free, but all STH students receive 500 dollars worth of printing money per semester. The religion section of Mugar is very good. The archival center (you will need to request access) has collections dedicated to Martin Luther King, Howard Thurman, and Elie Wiesel and other rare books.
The GSU
https://www.bu.edu/dining/location/gsu-food-hall/
Distance from BU STH: A couple minutes walk up the street.
Address: 775 Commonwealth Ave
Wifi: Yes
Outlets: Yes, but limited. Third floor study space has a decent number of outlets.
Noise level: The first floor is loud during meal times. Second and third floors are low volume.
Space/crowd level: First floor extremely crowded at lunchtime during the week. The Ziskind Lounge on the second floor and the study space on the third floor are less crowded.
Hours: 7AM-10PM Monday-Friday, 9AM-10PM Saturday-Sunday
Atmosphere: The first floor is a food court atmosphere with plenty of seating options. The second floor Ziskind Lounge is spacious and has options for lounge chairs or tables. The third floor space has plenty of tables to work at but lacks air conditioning and decent ventilation.
Yawkey Center (3rd – 6th floor, above Marciano Commons Dining Hall)
https://www.bu.edu/cpo/project/yawkey-center-for-student-services/
Distance from BU STH: 0.5 miles, 10 minute walk
Address: 100 Bay State Rd
Wifi: Yes
Outlets: Somewhat limited
Noise level: Low
Space/crowd level: Spacious, not very crowded.
Hours: 7Am-9PM weekdays (closes 5PM on Friday), closed weekends. Floors 5 & 6 open 11AM-8PM on Sunday.Atmosphere: Modern with nice chairs and great views but not many tables. Nice place for simply reading a book or work that you do not need a table for but less ideal for researching/spreading out your stuff.
Boston Public Library (BPL)
https://www.bpl.org/locations/3/
Distance from BU STH: 1.5 miles, 30 minute walk, 13 minutes by T (get off at Copley)
Address: 700 Boylston St
Wifi: Yes
Outlets: Yes, but not in the reading room.
Noise level: Fairly low, but there are always lots of people walking around.
Space/crowd level:
Hours: Monday-Thursday 9:00AM – 8:00PM, Friday-Saturday 9:00AM-5PM,
& Sunday 11:00AM-5:00PM
Atmosphere: The BPL is a large library. In the new wing, there are computer stations if you don’t want to bring yours, and lots of seating with outlets. If you’d prefer an antique vibe, the reading room in the old wing is beautiful, but if you want to do work on your laptop, make sure it’s fully charged. There’s also a delightful courtyard to enjoy when the weather is nice!
Other Perks: The BPL has free book scanning. You can also get a library card and get access to a world renowned collection, both of physical books and digital access. Their reference librarians are top notch. The rare books room is currently closed for renovations, but they take requests from researchers.
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