Boston News Cafe

Reviews

• Rebecca K.

  star star star star star 24 May 2026

  I love this little cafe located right in Downtown Crossing!
  It's located at the back of Franklin Street (behind 77 Franklin) with doors on the side (Arch) and the alley. Tucked away this is a hidden treasure!  
  Hot breakfast served until 11am. Lunch served all day. Order sandwiches or soup, or make your own salad. Choose from salad toppings like walnuts and cranberries, feta and shaved Parmesan, fresh veggies, tuna salad and chicken salad, etc... basic but with a nice flare!  Popular in my office (we run down for lunch often) are chicken pesto sandwich and hummus veggie wrap.
  They also do catering. Order online. Delivery available of course.
  The ladies that work here and the family that runs the place are super friendly.
  You can pick up and go or there's counters along the windows in one corner of the place to sit and eat (approx 10 chairs).
  A bonus... they offer a few sundries types of items so you don't have to run to somewhere else if you need floss or a Kind Bar or lighter :)

• Mike D.

  star star star star_border star_border 24 May 2026

  The big selling point for Boston News Cafe is that they sell Boar's Head, and the sandwiches that incorporate Boar's Head are great.  But unfortunately, either the meat sits out for too long, or a lot of the other sandwiches don't use Boar's Head... regardless of the sticker they slap on the packaging.
  
  I've had their Chipotle Chicken sandwich twice, as it's one of their specialties.  Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed with it both times.  While the sauce was creamy, spicy, and flavorful, the chicken was dry and dull.  The food comes out relatively slowly depending on what you order.
  
  I was found the layout and operation a little annoying and off-putting.  There isn't any sort of semblance of a line... it's more of a crowd of people where there's some general understanding of who's been waiting longer.  There's no apparent flow... you order somewhere along the long display case, then pay at an arbitrary cashier station on the other side of the store.  There's no signage or lines to help you out, they just sort of assume you know what to do.
  
  The confusion is compounded by another problem:  since there is no line or organization, people who have already ordered will stand around waiting in the same spot they ordered in.  So when you walk in during the lunch rush, it's impossible to tell who has ordered, if it's your turn, and how to navigate through the chaos.
  
  Their business would be significantly improved by simple putting up a divider in front of the display case.  This would create an organized line, people entering on one end, ordering their food, getting their food, then paying at the other.
  
  All in all, it's not a bad place.  The sandwiches are decent ("A-OK", as a Yelp 3-star review will say), and it looks very clean.  I come here every now and then for lunch, but never *ever* after 11:45AM.  The earlier you get here, the more chance you'll avoid the hectic lunch rush.

• jennifer r.

  star star star star star 19 May 2026

  I walked by here a couple times and today I decided I should give it a try since I did not bring lunch to work
  
  My first impression was how clean the place is.
  The place is spacious ( there's no seats indoors to eat). The sell breakfast, sandwiches & wraps. They also have snacks like chips, fruits, candy etc.
  
  I ordered a Tuna Melt sandwich without the bacon and it was really really good! They toasted the sandwich which made the sandwich that much better. The ladies there are very kind, easy to deal with. Very quick service no lines at the time I went (2pm)
  
  I will definitely be returning whenever I don't bring lunch to work or whenever i'm in the mood for a good sandwich.

• James I.

  star star star star_border star_border 18 May 2026

  I've never tried their food, but I come here every now and then to grab a drink or a snack. Everything is usually in stock, the staff are okay  but I like the cute brown lady at the register the most. This is a convenient store which is near my job, so I'll return here...FYI the granola that comes with the parfait is pretty gross, so do avoid that lol.

• Kevin H.

  star star star star star 16 May 2026

  Had a last minute client office lunch meeting with 16 people. Needed lunch delivered to client's office less than 24 hours from the time I was placing the order. Not only did the online ordering system work seamlessly, but they loved the sandwiches. Two people in the room literally said, "This is the best sandwich I've ever had". Great work BNC. Thanks for helping me keep up my Don Draper reputation. You'll be my go to lunch catering spot when I'm in Boston.