The VU

Video Underground in Jamaica Plain Is Adding a Cafe Fall 2019 | Eater Boston

"In Jamaica Plain’s Egleston Square at 3203 Washington St., I visited a combination movie rental shop and cafe known for its extensive Blu-ray, DVD, and VHS collection that is expanding into the adjacent unit to add a black-box screening room and a sit-down “cinema cafe” that could be ready sometime by the end of September or the beginning of October. The current cafe offers a wide array of coffee drinks, teas, blended drinks, pastries and baked goods, and the in-house menu is advancing to include bread puddings, fruit danishes, cinnamon rolls and monkey bread; hot food will continue to include sweet and savory crepes with plenty of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options, and there are plans to introduce hot cereal in the morning and soups and stews in the afternoon for a full-on cafe menu. Open since 2002 and long-hosting screening nights that range from silent horror to the Marvel universe to ’80s blockbusters, the shop emphasizes variety in its programming, and the new screening room will be completely blacked out, soundproofed and designed to replicate a tiny theater. The expanded space will keep commuter service while adding seating for folks who want to eat in, movie-themed drinks and food items, antique cameras in the windows, rows of video cases for media subscribers, and the ability to enjoy anything on the cafe menu while watching films; there are also hopes to introduce a late-night menu, and the shop remains mostly open during the buildout so I can still rent a moody French film (or a goofy teen comedy) and sip an espresso." - Terrence Doyle