Roust Sandwiches and Coffee

Tried for the first time and overall enjoyed the experience. Drinks: Mocha was well balanced and tasty. Sandwiches: Got the Darwin’s Mt. Auburn (turkey sandwich) and Strawberry Hill (beets sandwich). Both tasted good but were pretty messy to eat. They seemed a little hastily made (ie: bread toasted but cheese was not melted) and fell apart easily. People complain the sandwiches were too small, but I disagree. The Darwin’s was massive and the Strawberry Hill was a normal portion that would leave you satisfied. Atmosphere: cozy cafe vibes on one side. Prices: Felt a little high for lunch sandwiches but experience was positive enough that I felt like I’d gotten good value. Would return!

Wow, finally a quality and adventurous sandwich place with vegan and vegetarian options. Delightful with long selection of breads. The vegan chocolate chip collie was also a treat. The coffee is super and the baristas and service is super friendly. Plenty of seating and very warm atmosphere.

I never miss breakfast here when I’m in Boston, and I’m grateful that Mike managed to carry forward the Darwin’s magic under its new name and ownership. I think the Porter on sourdough is my all-time favorite sandwich, but it’s truly hard to go wrong. I hope they bring back the breakfast burritos!

Cappuccino review on Friday, July 21, 2023. I got an 8 ounce cappuccino for here, that had nice steamed milk, more like a latte. It was a smooth, tasty cappuccino with no bitterness. The flat white is also an 8 ounce cup, but the latte is 12 or 16 ounces. You can order espresso drinks at the sandwich counter or at the coffee bar. Note that at the sandwich counter they don’t list the flat white as an option but it does show on the menu behind the coffee bar.

Had the Harvard Yard breakfast sandwich. Good quality ingredients but too salty. Not a lot of seating and half the tables were hogged by single patrons staring at their laptops. Most of these people seemed to be finished with their food and drink while other patrons with fresh orders had to wait for seating.

First time here, nice vegan and vegetarian options with tasty coffee and plentiful seating. My open face sandwich was a bit small but fresh. Wish they'd use non-disposables for serving the food and drinks. Free doggo treats!

Great sandwiches and fresh ingredients. Wish cafe would serve all drinks and food in nondisposable plates/cups for less waste. I got my coffee in a ceramic mug but had to request it. Overall lovely employees and fun vibe.

Came here a couple of times since Darwin’s closed. Coffee is still great, but their food leaves something to be desired. We got 2 sandwiches and in 1 of them there was a big piece of plastic wrap, and in the other some of bacon was raw. Although we received a refund for the plastic in the sandwich, they did not seem apologetic, and rather like we were bothering them. Additionally, although the place was almost empty, one of the sandwiches took 20+ minutes to come out after the first was finished. Overall, not worth the $40 price tag anymore.

Luxor Cafe has truly transformed since its soft launch months ago. When I first visited, in its first week of operation, a lot of the kitchen and restaurant space was being set-up and modernized. The food options were also quite limited and the menu was unclear. However, that has all changed since the operations have now streamlined. Luxor's interior is roughly complete with a soon-to-be released Egyptian seating in the basement area, with imported cushions and decor that looks stunning. There's also activities for customers to engage in like taking Polaroid pictures and sticking it on the wall. The menu is also now fleshed out, but is still being refined. On the note of food, the kitchen offers a variety of options and has begun digging into its Egyptian roots. My personal favorite is the hawawshi, but there are all other sorts of options now available. The Dubai Chocolate French Toast is going viral across social media, and for good reason! I'm particularly excited about the potential items the cafe is looking to roll-out over the next few months including rotational French toasts, unique Mediterranean granola, as well as further Arabian flavored lattes and coffees brewed on sand--like you'd find in Egypt! As a last note, this is perhaps the only restaurant I've been to where the owner is on-the-grounds from all hours of the day, helping with orders and socializing and remembering all his different customers. Abdulrahman has managed to transform this cafe from being just a sandwich shop into a community center that is bustling with activity and events. One thing is clear to me: Luxor is still growing and finding its footing. But between its friendly, community vibes and unique Egyptian and Mediterranean food offerings, it's already leaving an imprint on brunch-goers who are coming back for more.

This experience was interesting! The cafe itself had cool vibes. I ordered just a black coffee, and as I walked out of the store, the employee chased me out to get my coffee back-- they had brewed it in correctly (you are supposed to grind the beans before brewing). Great service in that respect! However, when I finally got the correctly made cup of coffee, it was a fairly dark, slightly overroasted flavored blend, and I got a big old mouthful of grounds at the end. I was given a card with all the stamps to redeem a free coffee my next visit, so I will be back. But for now, not my favorite cup of joe in the city!

I think we as a community need more cute, cozy, and spacious cafes like Luxor!!! This place is such a treat and is absolutely perfect to spend a cold winter day. I was shocked how big this cafe is on the inside.. despite coming in the middle of the day there were plenty of seats available. The environment here is very relaxed, so it's easy to spend a few hours. What makes it even better is the food is delicious! I loved the baklava latte and their shakshouka, but I feel like you can't go wrong with anything on their menu.

We ordered food though Uber Eats on a Sunday morning with snow going on while we were visiting our kids in Medford. It took a bit for food to arrive but everything was great! We ordered honey, cheese and turkey bacon sandwich (the Maryam), The Harvard sandwich (egg and turkey bacon), the eggs with pastrami and two types of French toast (om Ali and the fruit one). Funny thing was that there were three dishes coincidently with the Sam name as my children/ maryem, aadam and baba (I call my oldest)! Good to have a Halal breakfast cafe!

I arrived at Luxor on a Saturday and while there were other people inside, it was not overly busy. I decided to order the Baklava latte and Om Ali French Toast. They have plenty of seating and even another floor downstairs which has a great atmosphere for studying and working. I found the tables a bit too short for the seats, so I preferred sitting upstairs. The staff were very nice and keen on answering questions about the menu while giving their recommendations. I was handed a beeper to notify me when my food was ready. Unfortunately, there were quite a bit of incidents which made me hesitant to rate this cafe higher. When my beeper rang, I went to grab my French Toast only to find that it was a different French Toast from what I ordered. Thankfully, the staff realized the error, so I went back to my seat to wait. It was only then that I realized my coffee was still not ready yet. I was then told that they had run out of pistachio sauce for the latte hence the delay. I realized that the same sauce was used for my French Toast as well. After about 20ish minutes, my French Toast was brought to my table. My coffee was then ready sometime after. Aware of the long wait for my coffee (it took about 30 minutes), the staff did offer me a free pastry which I gladly took to pair with my meal. Now onto the ACTUAL review of the food and drink. The French Toast was simply delicious. It was not overly sweet, and I enjoyed the pairing of the sauce with the almonds and coconut flakes. My only qualm is that each slice of bread looked overly burnt, but that was not a major issue as it did not ruin the taste. The whipped cream did not have much flavor by itself, but it was light and nice when paired with each bite of the French Toast. Overall, it was quite filling without being too heavy and I enjoyed it. Now, the Baklava latte left me with mixed feelings. The coffee tasted smooth and nice, but each sip resulted in bits of pistachio swirling around inside my mouth. I understand that the pistachio was used for the sauce but imagine trying to have a sip of coffee only to have to bite down onto each incoming pistachio bits throughout the entire drink. Despite the prevalent number of pistachio bits in the drink, it was not very strong flavor-wise. Overall, this is a wonderful place to come and catch up with a friend with quite an extensive menu. I would love to come back and give them another try as their service is great and friendly. Hopefully next time they are slightly more prepared with their ingredients at hand.

Great tea abdelrahman is the goat. All the seating is nice and varied, good vibes, not a cookie cutter cafe. Definitely the sort of place I'm gonna come back to.

Churro latte was really delicious and I am always down for a new flavor when it comes to coffee. The coffee was a perfect combination of sweet but not too sweet. The people working made my experience. They were not only friendly, but helpful in answering questions and curating a perfect drink. Inside was cozy, airy and definitely somewhere nice to catch up with a friend. I can't wait to go back and try the french toast and other breakfast items! This will surely become a staple in Harvard Sq for coffee, food and good vibes.

So excited about a new Egyptian spot opening up with such a unique and fresh vibe! We ordered the baklava latte iced which was absolute perfection. Sweet, but not too sweet and tasted just like baklava. We also ordered two of the breakfast dishes which you could tell were made fresh and with care. We were lucky enough to meet the owner, a kind young man who is so so proud to share about Egypt and all the incredible dishes they have to offer.

It had just opened so I was one of their first customers. I use to be Roust and prior to that it was Darwin's. They have a deli but the food is limited and they take the orders from the attached coffee bar. The selection of food in their refrigerator is limited. They have plenty of seating. My coffee was delicious. I would certainly return if I were in the neighborhood.

If you're serious about great espresso drinks. This place is it. Had a cappuccino with mocha and the roast was rich and robust almost like a Turkish or middle eastern coffee (not like the light almost flavorless shots that are so prevalent these days at coffee chains). Barista was super nice too. 10 out of 10 recommend! Will make trips here just for the coffee. Bonus: went holiday record shopping at the record store next door.

Great place for good coffee and snack in the heart of Harvard square. Service was pleasNf and efficient. I'll be back !

SO GOOD! I was meeting a friend who was running a bit late but didn't mind the wait at all, they have great people watching benches outside. I had the Sahra and a jasmine green tea lemonade, both delicious. Also tried a bite of my friend's pistachio french toast and it was even better than my food so I might have to get that next time i go, will def be returning

Awful staff. Food was cold and gross. Saw multiple insects near the baked goods. When this used be Darwin's it was truly wonderful. Hoping the health dept does some random inspection soon.

If I could leave no stars I would. Waited 45 minutes for a breakfast sandwich. The place is dirty and seems to be violating many food/cleaning codes.

The kitchen was extremely unclean, and despite being marketed as an Egyptian restaurant, it offered only one Egyptian dish. There were no Arab chefs, and it seemed like the place relied heavily on paid influencer reviews and social media hype rather than quality. Given the state of the kitchen, if a health department inspector visited, the restaurant would likely be shut down the same day. Additionally, it was overpriced. In response to your message, I'm not sure what you're referring to. I visited for a latte and baklava with a friend around 11 a.m. Do you close at 11 a.m.? I'm not concerned with your business operations or the specifics of your message. Also, I work in biotech and am Turkish--now you made up story about me having a resturant?

Great service! The staff seems relatively young, but very lively! I ordered "The Baba" sandwich and.... 10000/10. They even let you customize the sandwiches, which I feel like most places never do anymore, or at least not for anything under $20. Will be returning soon and adding this place as a cafe food staple to Harv. Sq!

This is one of the most beloved cafe spaces in Cambridge, former home of Darwin's, now Luxor. The space is large, it seems they have been in a 'soft opening' for a few months with pretty limited options. Good place for a coffee or tea, but unsure about the food - nothing was terribly appealing to me and ended up with an ok bakery item that was probably Iggy's. The staff is kind. The cafe business is really tough.....you need to wow ppl so they come back.....Luxor isn't really doing that yet. I'd suggest figuring out some unique food options that ppl would want to eat.

Cozy spot with friendly staff and a fantastic cortado. A great place to relax and unwind!

Absolutely amazing food with next level service. A MUST go! All the dishes we had were fresh and tasted so good. The service was one of the best I have ever experienced. As for the ambiance, it was really unique and very classy!!!