This social justice-minded java joint, housed inside the rehabbed Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building, fuels its Roxbury neighborhood’s recent renaissance. Yes, the charming café offers espresso drinks, beer and wine, plus eclectic eats using locally sourced ingredients—including healthful rice bowls named for historic female figures. (Michelle Obama’s curry chicken, anyone?) But it’s also proved a generous host to community organizers’ events—from poetry slams to paint nights—and recruits employees through partnerships with local youth programs.
Dudley Café
15 Warren St., Boston • (617) 445-1000
dudleycafe.com
Other Winners
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Coffee Shop
2014 Winner: Thinking Cup
Coffee lovers who have graduated from pedestrian Dunks and Starbucks can choose from a growing range of small, independently owned Boston cafes...
- 165 Tremont St., Boston
- (617) 482-5555
- thinkingcup.com
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Coffee Shop
2015 Winner: Barrington Coffee Roasting Company
Once upon a time, simply saying “venti” was enough to make one feel oh-so-informed on coffee…...
- 346 Congress St., Boston
- (857) 277-1914
- barringtoncoffee.com
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Coffee Shop
2016 Winner: Jaho Coffee and Tea
You can’t rush a good cup of joe, and Jaho owner Anil Mezini has been slow-brewing his business for a decade. ...
- 665 Washington St., Boston
- (857) 233-4094
- jaho.com
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Coffee Shop
2018 Winner: George Howell Coffee
- 505 Washington St., Boston
- (857) 957-0217
- georgehowellcoffee.com