Cicada Coffee Bar Review: Bustling, Bubbly, and Bright

A buzzing haven of community and caffeine sits just a five-minute walk from the Central Square MBTA station. Named Best Coffee Shop in Boston by Boston Magazine in 2022 and 2023, Cicada Coffee Bar is focused on cultivated care and excellent quality.

A small building with a line out front and garden out back hides, unassuming, on the quaint Prospect Street. The facade of windows reveals a warm atmosphere for passersby. Behind the glass, a perfectly curated, homey coffee shop awaits with a wood bar and cushioned stools. Tables line walls scattered with polaroids, drawings, and books. Plants and lamps hide in each corner alongside an occasional poster, painting, or sculpture. A colorful mural overlooks an outdoor space at the back of the shop with a long community-style table in the open air.

Established by Vinh Le and Duong Huynh, Cicada is carefully designed and arranged with particular furniture and decorations — Le studied urban design and Huynh studied architecture. Each aspect of the shop feels carefully curated and attains a perfect middle ground between modern and eclectic.

Cicada proudly sells blends from Nguyen Coffee Supply — a specialty Vietnamese coffee brand that roasts organic green coffee beans imported from a fourth-generation family-run farm in Vietnam.

Cicada also offers a select menu of lunch items and pastries. Black rice dishes and pho salad options feature different proteins including chicken, salmon, and tofu.

Cicada’s specialty iced drink, the Sea Salt Shaker, is a sweet and salty burst of flavor and energy. The drink features Viet phin drip coffee, condensed milk, and sea salt from Maine — all topped with a bubbly foam on top. The drink is a creamy, buttery, and smooth delight. The salty note perfectly balances the sweet richness to create an outstanding and nearly addictive experience — it is a struggle to stop sipping. Customers can watch baristas shake each drink live from behind the bar.

The shop’s other staple coffee drinks like their cortado and cappuccino feature espresso made with Viet Robusta mixed beans roasted in Brooklyn, New York, and oat milk.

The food is just as excellent. The baked salmon pho salad is a well-balanced mix of flavors. The warm dish contains sweet, spicy, sour, and salty elements brought together with a creamy and herbaceous sauce coating the filling rice noodles. The baked salmon is tender and delectable. While the food and coffee are not especially cheap, the quality of the dishes justifies the price.

With an eye toward community building, Cicada purposefully does not provide free WiFi to its customers. Their goal is to create an atmosphere without an emphasis on online work. A small sign over a table near the register specifically asks customers to refrain from using technology.

From the coffee to the food and atmosphere, Cicada is one of the most perfect coffee shops any coffee fanatic or foodie will find in the area. The energy is high, and constant conversation hovers above calming music. The carefully crafted space preserves the special social setting a coffee shop can and should be while their food and coffee check every box. With plenty of natural light and friendly faces, visiting this coffee shop is a bright and cheery experience.

Because Cicada has made a name for itself in the neighborhood and Boston foodie-sphere, any visitor should be prepared to wait in a sizable line during the afternoon, particularly on the weekend. With a little patience, the experience is well worth the wait.