Cambridge, MA
Experience the ultimate coffee journey at Cicada Coffee Bar — where Vietnamese phin drip coffee meets a warm, inviting atmosphere. Black rice bowls, pho salads, house pastries, and a brew lab where we test the world's espresso machines so you don't have to.
Vietnamese coffee, Brooklyn roasted
106 Prospect Street, Cambridge
The Prospect Street bar
Open today until 3 PM
Experience the art of coffee
At Cicada Coffee Bar, we believe every cup tells a story. Ours begins at origin — with small-lot farms we can name — and ends at your table, where a barista who knows your order sets down a cup that was dialed in at dawn and roasted within the fortnight.
We took our name from the cicada's long, patient season underground: good things take time. Our cold brew steeps for eighteen hours. Our croissants laminate for three days. And our espresso machine reviews come from weeks on the test bench — not a press release.
Beans never sit. Every hopper is filled with coffee roasted no more than two weeks ago.
Fifty-plus espresso machines tested at 50 brews each. Our reviews are earned, not briefed.
Oat, almond, and soy milk at no extra charge. Compostable everything. Local wherever possible.
Gigabit wifi, outlets at most tables, and a mezzanine made for deep-focus afternoons.
49
In-depth machine reviews published
13
Vietnamese coffee drinks on the menu
2+
Weeks hands-on testing, per machine
7
Black rice & pho lunch dishes
What we offer
Four pillars, one obsession. Everything at Cicada is made by hand, sourced with intent, and served without hurry.
Brooklyn-roasted Vietnamese robusta from Nguyen Coffee Supply, brewed phin-style with sea salt and condensed milk, or pulled as espresso.
Wild black rice bowls and rice-noodle pho salads built around cashew herb pesto — with baked salmon, lemongrass chicken, or charred eggplant.
Organic hibiscus cold brew, turmeric golden latte, and fresh lemongrass ginger — steeped with local honey.
Ham & cheese croissants, banana bread, and a rotating seasonal fruit danish to go with your coffee.
From the bar
The drinks and bakes that built our regulars. Pull up — or browse the full menu for the whole story.
Traditional phin drip with sea salt and sweetened condensed milk.
Cà phê trứng — local knotweed honey, robusta espresso. For here only.
Customer reviews
Real people, real cups. Unedited reviews from the community that keeps our grinder busy.
106 Prospect Street
Cambridge, MA
“Cicada Coffee Bar is my new favorite spot. The ambiance is so calming and the coffee is next-level. I'm a huge fan of their oat milk latte — it's consistently perfect, and you can tell the baristas really care about what they're doing. The fresh pastries are a must-try. It's the ideal place to start my morning or take a break in the afternoon. Highly recommend!”
“Came here with a friend for a quick catch-up and was so impressed. The staff was incredibly friendly and gave us some great recommendations. I tried the cold brew, and it was so smooth and flavorful. We also split a savory pastry that was delicious. The whole experience felt so welcoming and relaxed — Cicada has a great vibe, and I'll definitely be back soon.”
“As someone who works remotely, I've tested every café in Cambridge. Cicada wins, hands down. Fast wifi, honest espresso, and baristas who remember your order. Their Jura machine review actually helped me pick my home setup — these people know coffee at a technical level.”
From the brew lab
No brand trips, no borrowed opinions. Every machine we cover spends weeks on our test bench before we publish a score.
Coffee MakersThe best compact coffee makers for low cabinets and small kitchens: Bonavita 5-Cup, Mr. Coffee 5-Cup, Keurig K-Mini Plus and Nespresso Essenza Mini, with heights and footprints.
Coffee MakersThe best single-serve coffee makers that brew with ground coffee, no pods: Ninja CM401, Hamilton Beach FlexBrew and Moccamaster Cup-One, plus what to look for.
Coffee MakersThe best plastic-free coffee makers: Bunn VP17 with a steel basket, Sterling Pro French press and Hario V60 ceramic, plus 'plastic-free' machines that aren't and what to check.
Runs Cicada's espresso machine testing bench — every machine is brewed with daily for weeks before a review is published. Ratings are scored across six weighted criteria — espresso quality, milk drinks, functionality, ease of cleaning, build, and value — and revisited whenever prices or firmware change. We buy or borrow every unit; no manufacturer sees a review before you do.
Good to know
The essentials — and the things people actually ask us at the bar. Anything else, just holler across the counter or send a message.
You'll find us at 106 Prospect Street in Cambridge, MA, open daily except Mondays.
Absolutely. Oat, almond, and soy milk are always available at no extra charge, and our pastry case always includes at least two vegan bakes alongside vegan savory options at lunch.
We rotate single-origin lots from small-lot importers, roasted no more than 14 days before they hit the hopper. Our house espresso is a washed Ethiopia–Brazil blend; the slow bar features two rotating guest roasters each month.
Yes — free gigabit wifi, outlets at most tables, and a quiet mezzanine designed for laptop sessions. We just ask that you grab a refill after a couple of hours during peak times.
Every single one. Machines live on our test bench for a minimum of two weeks and 50 brew cycles before we publish. Our reviews are written by Daniel Voss, our lead equipment reviewer, and updated whenever firmware or pricing changes.
We do. Fresh 12 oz bags of our current roasts are always on the shelf, plus brewers, grinders, filters, and everything else our baristas actually use at the bar.
Sip. Relax. Connect.
Find us
106 Prospect Street, Cambridge, MA
Hours
Today until 6 PM
Mon–Fri 6:30a–6p · Weekends from 7a
Written by · tested by the Cicada Coffee Bar team
Lead Equipment Reviewer, Cicada Coffee Bar
Daniel leads the equipment-testing side of Cicada Coffee Bar. Every super-automatic, semi-automatic, and grinder featured on this site is bought or sourced independently, set up on the test bench, and brewed with daily for at least two weeks before a single word is written — tracking espresso quality, milk texture, ease of cleaning, and long-term reliability. Reviews are updated whenever pricing or firmware changes.