Square Roots

The Square Root, in the Boston neighborhood of Roslindale, is a cute little coffee shop cafe that regularly showcases area music talent. My concert buddy and I came here one recent evening for a show. We parked across Belgrade Avenue at the MBTA Commuter Rail’s Roslindale Village Station for a fee. The irregularly shaped brick building is rather interesting, being shaped more like a rounded triangle, and certainly not a “square”. The food here is good. We had a flavorful enough buffalo chicken pizza, although the crust was very hard with little or no taste. The menu has plenty of drinks from which to choose: tap brews, wine, cider, sodas, and of course, plenty of hot and cold specialty coffee options. My latte and eventual beer were both very good. The room is rather small, and with a band set up there’s very little space for the audience, and that’s okay, because it was the packed audience, along with the performers, who brought the atmosphere. The counter server, the apparent owner, and the house sound tech, each displayed different levels of being on the uptight side; not quite rude but certainly not friendly. Maybe that’s how they roll in Roslindale; I don’t know- I had never been here - but I do know that a friendly smile goes a long way. Nevertheless, it’s a nice little intimate space music venue where the packed crowd is face to face with the entertainers.

We came to the square root to hear jazz. The place holds jazz evenings once every two weeks on Sundays. The place is cozy, well ventilated, good acoustics and most fun, ir serves good food. We ate great pizza with ham and bacon and a cinnamon roll with excellent coffee. Highly recommended. With the music - 5 stars!

Places like Square Root are so central to making Roslindale a great place to live. I often head over during the day to get some work done with a nice cup of coffee, but what really sets it apart is the variety of nightlife they bring to the square. Live music, movie nights, art installations... People lament the lack of "third spaces" in modern life... well, there's a good one right here. (This review was made in connection with a Toast promotion.)

Fantastic café. Excellent value! Quality, product, service, and vibe. Great little spot. I did some writing there. Excellent!

This used to be a great place to go and enjoy coffee or time with friends. The new staff is what makes me post this review. The young ladies forget that they work in the service industry and are not gatekeepers for speech. I can overlook the fact that many items on the menu aren’t available. I can’t overlook rudeness from the short brunette. If you’re expecting a family friendly, welcoming environment don’t go here. And what’s worse, they can’t make a decent cup of coffee without insulting you nor refusing to bring you your cup. Why tip when you don’t get good service?