Located at the Porter Square end of town-line-defining Beacon Street, Cafe Rustica’s been a quiet go-to for nearly 25 years for the denizens of Cambridge’s Baldwin neighborhood and their Somervillian counterparts in Ward 2. It’s a cozy, eclectic gathering spot where you can get a java jolt, morning bakery goods and eggy concoctions on a croissant or bagel before it’s time to slide your eyes to the right on the chalk menu boards and find the lunch menu. (We wrote about Rustica breakfast in 2021.)
Rustica has a comfortable homeyness and an old-school, friendly vibe, but what keeps you coming back are the meticulously prepared sandwiches that come griddle pressed and packed tight, just right for handheld noshing, on sandwich baguettes – softer and doughier than the classic hard-crusted sort. Like all the breads here, they’re fresh from Iggy’s, which has been serving the area with fluffy yeastiness for just over 30 years.
Classic combos are the roast beef and brie, prosciutto and provolone, and chicken salad; don’t miss out on the Italian tuna and baked ham and Swiss.
I still miss the Mediterranean tuna sub at Village Kitchen, which closed in Huron Village early in the Covid pandemic, but Rustica’s version has a good, solid flake chunk tuna that comes with olive oil instead of mayo. At Rustica you can trick out your sandwich with complements such as roasted red peppers, pickles and onions. I always add the pleasurable zing of the cherry hots.
My favorite on the slate is the simple but divine ham and Swiss. The ham is lean and kept super fresh, and someone behind the counter at Rustica must have a Ph.D. in sliceology to produce these piles of paper-thin pork. Here again I recommend the pickles, mustard, red peppers and some of those cherry hots – you really can’t go wrong at Rustica by getting the works – but hold the mayo.
If you’re sticking with breakfast sandwiches, you can have your eggs your way and still run the gamut with customizations, including those cherry hots. Rustica also has daily specials and a rotating selection of soups.
There are shaded sidewalk cafe tables and a quaint back patio. Inside the shotgun eatery, there’s adequate table space (though signs ask for a 45-minute sit limit during peak hours) where the exuberance of the staff provides pleasant chatter that mixes with an ever-changing musical playlist. You’ll hear everything from Moroccan chant to Afro-Cuban world pop and the ’80s pop rock of Journey and REO Speedwagon. Rustica brings you back to the Someday Cafe in Davis Square and the early days of 1369 Coffee House in Inman Square, when local cafes had their own identity and the vibe reflected the personality of the folks behind the counter.
At one point it seemed that being a mom-and-pop coffee shop might go the way of the dodo, but one national chain closing almost all of its locations in Cambridge and Somerville highlights how our home-brewed cafes persist and even flourish, much to cafegoers delight.
Cafe Rustica is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. six days and closed Mondays.
Cafe Rustica, 356 Beacon St., Ward 2, Somerville
Cambridge writer Tom Meek’s reviews, essays, short stories and articles have appeared in WBUR’s The ARTery, The Boston Phoenix, The Boston Globe, The Rumpus, The Charleston City Paper and SLAB literary journal. Tom is also a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and rides his bike everywhere.
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