Best coffee shop
People-watching at 1369 Coffee House yields the kind of stuff you can't make up: as a schoolgirl plays Uno with her grandfather in one corner, absolute ringers for Mick Jones and Joe Strummer trade Cockney accents over teacups in the next. Such is the surreal life at this small yet warmly inviting Inman Square hangout and its Central Square sibling - not that the day-to-day details aren't rich enough in themselves. In the morning, estate-grown coffees pair with locally baked scones; at noon, organic teas complement a homemade soup, salad, sandwich, or slice of quiche; and specialty sips such as the super-creamy chocolate-turtle latte harmonize with fresh cookies come snack time. Still, who knows? - maybe tomorrow you'll spot Elvis swigging chai.

A self-styled espresso bar, Francesca's is like an almond brioche to 1369's bowl of granola. Red walls, a brushed-metal lunch counter, and local artwork put a chic slant on an otherwise sunny, wood-trimmed space filled with South End yuppies sipping fancy frappes like the Mad Tea Party (chai, chocolate ice cream, and milk) and munching on any of 12 salads, 20 sandwiches, or scores of displayed sweets like huge Rice Krispies Treats and holiday cupcakes. There's even a specialty tea called Sex on the Counter - oh, the urbanity.

1369 Coffee House, 1369 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, (617) 576-1369, 757 Mass Ave, Cambridge, (617) 576-4600; Francesca's, 564 Tremont Street, Boston, (617) 482-9026.