Polcari's Coffee

boston's coffee scene runs deeper than dunkin' and starbucks, though you wouldn't know it from the tourist maps. the north end keeps its secrets close, and polcari's coffee on salem street is one of them. this isn't some newcomer trying to make waves with third-wave theatrics. polcari's has been roasting beans and serving the neighborhood long enough that you can smell the coffee from blocks away on good days. the regulars know what they want and the counter knows how to make it. no fuss about brewing temperatures or extraction times, just solid coffee done right. you'll find yourself coming back for the dark roast, which hits exactly how it should on cold mornings when the harbor wind cuts through the narrow streets.