Lacto
Ovo
American
Take-out
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Coffee shop offering a food menu of sandwiches, soups, and salads. Several vegetarian sandwiches. Will substitute soy milk in your drink.
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257 Elm St (at David Square), Somerville, Massachusetts, USA, 02144
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Last update on 18 Aug 2014 by Guest
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14 Reviews
First Review by slithers
GJaen
Points +356
Nice atmosphere - Edit
Cool vibe. Good coffee. Not great if you need actual food beyond a snack
Read moreGuest
Brittany.nikki
Points +673
Good vibes but terrible tea - Edit
I got the chai latte with soy milk but it tasted more like chai infused water.
Read morePros: Good vibes , Nice baristas
Cons: Terrible chai latte
Guest
CatieAnderson
Points +562
Tasty - Edit
Nice sandwich options, some baked goods, oat milk doesn’t cost extra, good portions (food and coffee)
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-10-14
Guest
hannahsf
Points +485
Solid vegan option, but a bit pricey - Edit
I got the breakfast sandwich with tempeh and tofu. It was pretty good but definitely expensive for what it is. I believe they also have a vegan breakfast burrito. Didn’t see any vegan baked goods.
Read moreGuest
sofia.f
Points +28
Good atmosphere and food - Edit
I've been coming here for a couple years and honestly I love it. The atmosphere is good, so it does tend to get busy. they have a few food options that you can modify to add more veggies or tofu to including avocado toast, toffuti for bagels and a club sandwich (you have to ask to get it toasted lol). They also always have a baked good, smoothies and no upcharge for plant milk. It IS on the pricier side I will say, but overall I love this place!
Read moreGuest
gcoll01
Points +34
Need to Get Better About Veganism - Edit
They told me the mayo in the veggie club was vegan. It was not. Now I smell terrible and have a stomachache.
Read moreGuest
Prajna
Points +5990
Great atmosphere and food - Edit
Diesel is a classic spot to hang out. They have a funky decor, even with a photo booth and two pool tables.
Read moreThey have great sandwiches and can easily accommodate vegan alterations.
The staff is friendly and the whole place is worth it.
Guest
OleanderShadowFox
Points +64
Fantastic veggie club - Edit
I go here for the vegan veggie club sandwich. If you get a latte, the soy milk is free and they have other options for an additional charge.
Read moreGuest
kelseyfayep
Points +462
Nice coffee shop! - Edit
Has a couple of vegan baked goods and both breakfast and lunch items that can be made vegan. A fun indoor setting with lots of art
Read moreGuest
veghead007
Points +259
Nothing vegan - have to ask - Edit
Nothing here is vegan, but you can ask to make the veggie sandwich vegan by substituting the special sauce for mustard. So annoying. Why not go the minimal effort to list a few items as vegan!? Two stars for having tempeh and tofu though!
Read moreGuest
jonh
Points +160
how hard is it to offer a vegan option? - Edit
They have a couple of vegetarian sandwiches, but nothing that's vegan by default. Annoying thing is that at least one of their sandwiches would be vegan if they just used vegan mayo! But no, instead you have to ask them to replace the mayo with avocado.
Read moreGuest
cameodemon
Points +157
Don't let the cute facade fool you - Edit
I get why people want to hang out here. This is where the young and beautiful and lonely go to hang out and 'do work', obviously. But the coffee and food is not good and quite expensive. People pay for a place to hang out but it's usually overcrowded and you can't find a place to sit anyway. I get it's an institution. Frankly Starbucks is better for vegan options, is across the street. It just lacks the cool factor and decor, which Diesel obviously wins at.
Read moreGuest
NealCormier
Points +24
Pretentious is a real thing. - Edit
Diesal Café is a tad bit better than say, Starbucks, and yet thinks it's a lower East Side coffee shop.
Read moreIt's not.
The lattes were okay as long as the female baristas were working. Three males in a row were all bad apples, another 2 I noticed, didn't seem to work much.
Great décor, average coffee. Wifi, average speed. Booted me off somewhat frequently.
Also - The following happened like 4 or 5 times in variations at Diesal in my first week living and going there - everyday - after just having moved into Somerville:
I ordered a caramel latte with a breakfast burrito, and scone. It took 23 minutes.
One bro looking 'barista' told me my latte wasn't mine, after I waited like 10 minutes staring at it dying in the coffee window.
Then he insisted it was someone else's, half paying attention, then without even looking at his screen, told me that it was mine after all, when he'd called out the wrong name several times. No acknowledgment of a mistake. At all.
Five people stood there like idiots waiting for their average $7 drinks.
Finally I took the dead latte to my table. Its heart, no longer recognizable. Then tasted it.
No caramel! OMG.
- I brought it back and asked for caramel.
- The Bro did something seemingly abstract with his arms and the latte behind the counter.
- I took it back to my table.
- No caramel. Not even at the bottom.
The guy there had actually just lied to me.
On top of another guy serving me an old breakfast burrito, really--DRY. The original 'bro' then refused to remake my drink and gave me an attitude like I didn't know what I was doing in his private club. Wow.
Then, he refused to refund my coffee until I insisted more severely. Which I did, pretty severely insist upon.
Never going again.
Pros: Decor, Ambiance, Bathrooms
Cons: Service, Male servers, attitude
Guest
slithers
Points +705
some vegan options - Edit
Back in 2000, Diesel used to be one of my favorite vegan friendly places in the area, but while the world has grown more vegan-friendly, Diesel is slightly less so than it used to be. Still, it is better than its sister cafe (Bloc 11 in Union Sq).
Read moreDiesel usually has 1 or 2 vegan items on the menu, plus 1 or 2 vegan baked goods & sometimes vegan soup. Like Bloc 11, the can modify menu items as desired & they have bagels & soy milk.
It's a big place, but usually crowded & can be hard to get a table at times. The vegan options the have are OK, but nothing to go out of your way for. Plus, there are plenty of vegan-friendly eats in Davis Sq.
Diesel is very queer-friendly, so if you're gender-nonconforming like me, you'll be socially at home here.
Pros: Some vegan options, Vegan baked goods, Good atmosphere
Cons: Crowded, Not many nor great vegan options
Guest
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