Bloc Cafe, located in Somerville, doesn’t seek to reinvent the culinary wheel as its menu encompasses remarkably simple yet excellent food and beverages. Plus, this reconverted masonry bank building allows you to enjoy your meal in peace in an old depository vault (it stays open, so you won’t get locked in). Besides that idiosyncrasy, they close at 5 pm, which is later than most artisanal coffee shops in the area.

According to their website, Bloc Cafe’s credo pertains to unifying people through a common purpose and instilling a sense of community. Given the locals’ proclivity for dwelling in little coffee shops, attempting to do so around great comfort food and beverages certainly pays dividends. In fact, among other dishes, copious sandwiches using high-quality and fresh ingredients can be ordered. For instance, the Terrace, a sandwich incorporating fresh turkey, avocado, bacon, tomatoes, red onions, and garlic aioli between two slices of sourdough bread, exhibits rich and delicate flavors. Each bite exposes an array of textures, at times, juicy, crunchy, and soft. While I usually settle for an iced latte with oat milk, many of their drinks, utilizing Intelligentsia Coffee based in Chicago, never disappoint.