The VU

The Vu is truly a hidden gem, and it’s a shame that more people in Boston don’t know about it! It’s Boston’s *only* video rental store (cue the nostalgia) AND they’re a micro-batch coffee roaster with a full-service coffee shop. Not only is the coffee delicious, but it’s so reasonably priced, which is such a rarity these days. They also have a microcinema where they hold screening events. Super happy to have a spot like this in the neighborhood!

Looooove this place. I’m not even a movie guy, I just like the vibes, and the coffee is absolutely phenomenal. Some of my favorite drinks in the city of Boston. Creative and properly brewed. The pastries and snacks are also excellent! What a JP gem. I hope the VU lasts forever.

This place is amazing! Like many I found it accidentally while walking around the neighborhood and i'm so glad I did! There's an amazing collection of movies and if they don't have what you would like, you can always request it. Any appreciators of film will love this place! There's also screenings on Fridays and you can book the place for events. I went here for movies and found they have incredible coffee (pour over anyone?) And I've tried a bunch of different drinks here and they're all amazing, as are the fresh pastries! Not to mention the truffle salt popcorn! There's also cool art for sale! Seriously this place is amazing and I'm so glad it exists. The price for rentals is the best you'll find as are the prices for beverages. Check it out! You'll be glad you did!

Absolute stellar cup of jo! Baristas are super friendly and laid back. But even if had been snobby and rude, I’d still come back because the coffee is GREAT! If I were local, I’m sure I’d geek out on DVD rentals too.

The VU is an essential staple to the Jamaica Plain neighborhood. Not only is the coffee excellent and affordable, but it's always great to chat with the hosts and pick out a fun movie or two to bring home.

Best coffee in Boston. The biscuits are crazy good - all the baked goods are great, but somehow they keep coming up with new biscuit flavors and there’s simply never a miss. The coffee and snacks should be enough to get you in the door, but we’ve also been movie rental subscribers for about two years now. This enabled us to cancel our streaming services and experience the joy of picking out movies together, while visiting a neighborhood spot that we care about. I love this place so much.

You've gotta check out this brilliant spot that gives off a proper geeky, Gen Z/Millennial/Gen X vibe. They've got a ton of classic DVDs and Blu-rays that you can rent (I reckon?). But listen, even if you're not into that, you've gotta swing by for the cuppa and tea because they are absolutely smashing. Plus, the baristas are dead courteous and cool. Trust me, you don't want to miss this place! Cheers!

Fantastic coffee, they roast their own coffee and very meticulous about the beans and process. Really cool retro movie selection.

The Vu is truly a hidden gem, and it's a shame that more people in Boston don't know about it! It's Boston's *only* video rental store (cue the nostalgia) AND they're a micro-batch coffee roaster with a full-service coffee shop. Not only is the coffee delicious, but it's so reasonably priced, which is such a rarity these days. They also have a microcinema where they hold screening events. Super happy to have a spot like this in the neighborhood!

Great coffee Very tasty snacks Great service Will return often and I don't live in area

Great coffee, fantastic service! Kevin always remembers my order so it's already being made when I walk in!

Come for the movies, stay for the amazing coffee, snacks, and friendly, knowledgeable staff.

lovely staff, delicious coffee and pastries, and good vibes! one of my favorite spots in JP

We stopped in to grab a cappuccino and for me to do a bit of work. The barista welcomed me but shared they did not have a rest room or wifi (I needed both having driven from Cape Cod) we got our coffee to go. The barista was super friendly.

I can't say enough about how much we love the VU. M and I have lived in the area for a while and stop by to grab a coffee or pastry probably close to once a week. The owner Kevin is there a lot of the time and he's super knowledgeable about movie options. First, the cafe aspect. Excellent coffees and homemade tea blends. They also offer monthly specials (on the chalkboard outside) that are often really tasty. Kevin is also a great baker and makes all their treats from scratch onsite. The cheddar jalapeño scone is our favorite but everything we've ordered is consistently good and there's a variety every time we visit. Next, the movie rental aspect. Basically it's your friendly neighborhood Netflix back when Netflix was mailing DVDs to people. $20/month for unlimited rentals, no more than 2 out at a time, and Kevin is quick to buy new movies as soon as they're available. They also have a mini private theater you can rent out for events like birthdays or to watch events like the Oscar's or Super Bowl. I haven't used that yet but it's cool to know it's there. Great neighborhood staple and one of those little businesses that makes you feel glad to live in a city. Strongly recommend!

Their coffee is the most superior in Jamaica Plain! It has become me and my wife's Saturday tradition to stop over to pick up a coffee. Try the pour-over, you won't regret it! Love the selection of films and cinefile community space that they're trying to build there too. May check that out this winter.

This place is a neighborhood gem and my only regret is that I didn't start going here years ago. The coffee drinks are all amazing, you can get whole beans roasted in house, and their movie rental membership is a worthwhile investment for movie lovers. With a membership, you can attend free movie screenings hosted twice a week. It's just a lovely little spot where the employees learn your name and coffee order, and the movies are sorted in categories like "man babies." What's not to love?

How does this amazing place exist??? Even if I didn't enjoy movies, I would still want to patronize this place simply because it's just awesome and deserves to exist- not to mention that the owner is clearly passionate about what he does (& very knowledgeable about movies/talented in his drink-making) and definitely cares about his patrons. We were here recently for a (free!) screening of the Stonewall Riots documentary, and movies aside, I was impressed with both the drink selection and prices- got myself a huge rootbeer float with 2 scoops of (housemade???) vanilla ice cream for only $3.50. There's a (non-alcoholic) drink here for everyone- coffee, smoothies, Italian sodas, Arnold Palmers- and each is made with care and love. They also offer a selection of candy and (local?) sweets, and we snagged ourselves a huge snickerdoodle for only $2- the only snack missing for me is the popcorn, otherwise everything's solidly covered. I'll plan on stopping by soon just to sample something from their coffee selection, which everyone seems to rave about. As for movies, the selection is extensive, weird, and wonderful, and ranges from popular/known to totally obscure stuff only film majors would be familiar with (we were personally eying the John Waters section and the Bad Movies section, and recently were able to snag some hard-to-find Christopher Guest flicks)- and the owner is happy to help you navigate the selection. Monthly rental subscriptions are totally reasonable and awesome, so if you're local I highly recommend you take advantage. Their in-person screenings are varied as well- this month is all 80s classics (Raiders of the Lost Ark, anyone?), and next up they'll be celebrating individual directors (I remember a mention of Wes Craven, along with others I hadn't heard of). The screenings are right in the middle of the store, with 3 risers of movie seats across from a projection screen, and is a intimate but welcoming and friendly experience (think the smallest theater room at the Coolidge) where it's not just about the movie itself but the shared experience with your fellow patrons and the proprietor. I echo everyone else in saying this place is a gem and I can't recommend it enough. Please please please patronize it (whether for the coffee, the screenings, or the rentals) so that it can exist for years to come.

Their pourover coffee is the best in JP, and high on the list of best coffees in existence. Iced coffee also a hit with our family. We recently discovered this gem and will be regulars. Plus the staff is super friendly and helpful with recommendations. They're like midwesterners (a group stereotypically known for warmth and friendly greetings).

A quirky gem hidden in JP. Superb, superb coffee drinks (certainly the only real flat white I've had in JP and the best in Boston (only other place that could compete is Gracenote). And a movie rental place with an amazing collection to boot. What!!

Iced coffee with a maple bacon biscuit and some other assorted baked goods was delicious. Loved chatting with the folks who run the place and of course found lots of beloved movies that took me all the way back. Fave!

A quirky little coffee shop on Washington Street. Very friendly service. Delicious coffee (best in the area). Lots of fun to browse the shelves full of old DVDs while you wait for your drink.

We love The VU! Do they offer the best espresso in town? Try for yourself. Great place with a welcoming vibe. It's kind of your friendly neighborhood coffee shop with a hint of nostalgia for all the old movies. They also occasionally offer some Mac and cheese which I understand is wildly popular.

This place has great vibes. Drinks and pastries were both delicious. Very friendly baristas. Will definitely come back when I'm in the neighborhood again.

Go for the coffee and scones, stay for the friendly chats. I love this place so much! These are coffee wizards. They take their craft seriously and do such an amazing job. Everything made in house is delicious. I can't recommend enough!

got a cappuccino and a cookie both were quite yummy! loved looking thru the movies and staff was nice and cool. playing a story board version of princess mononoke pretty kewl

I can't say enough about this place - every baked good is delicious and many gluten free! The crepes are amazing and it's my favorite chai latte around. Such friendly staff. And you can rent out space fire movie viewing!!

You might be able to guess from the outside that this is an awesome video store where you can borrow DVDs on a subscription model and that they seem (okay, he seems) to have EVERYTHING. What you would not know from the outside is that Kevin, the proprietor, serves the best coffee in Boston and also makes bomb-ass crepes and other treats. Get in here for a screening, or to pick up a DVD of that popular or obscure movie you want to watch or to have a cup of coffee and shoot the shit with Kevin and whoever happens to be sitting in the movie seats at the time. You won't be disappointed.

I love this place! Today was my first day discovering The VU. The crepe was so delicious, and the people working there are so kind and SO fun to talk to. I am coming back tomorrow for my birthday coffee! Can't wait!! Thanks guys! :)

The kindest staff, personal service, delicious coffee beverages, highest quality coffee and teas. Nice baked goods. A true neighborly approach to business. And we love renting DVDs from them. They are safe and careful and caring

So we're lucky as hell to live one block from the VU. It's pretty impressive that Kevin (the sole everything to VU) can pull off a video rental business in 2018. He also happens to pull the best shot of espresso in JP, sells bags of coffee from great regional and national roasters, goods from Third Cliff Bakery (also a JP/Dorchester local business), sometimes makes ice cream from scratch (if you're lucky), and will have a conversation about pretty much anything. He hosts public movie screenings every Friday for at 7:30 - $5 for non-members - and offers private events other nights. I believe he'll be switching from couches to actual movie theater seats in the near future. He's there 12 hours a day, 6 days a week (at least). Stop by! We don't have Netflix, Amazon, or any other streaming service. But, we do have a VU subscription. Kevin has annual and monthly rates for this, but you don't NEED a subscription. He knows movies more than I ever will and always has good suggestions of what to take out. VU is very active on social media so it's never hard to know what he's serving up next. In short: there's nothing else like this in Boston. A must stop, especially if you're in the Egleston Square area.

Just popped in by coincidence passing through, the crepes, coffee and service were among the best I've ever experienced in Boston. Will bring friends here to hang out just for the great atmosphere, incredible all-around!

Great films (always ask as there's more in the back!), lovingly prepared coffees, nice homemade naked goods and movie treats plus all-around friendliness and individualized service. A neighborhood gem. If you don't have a disc player, get one. The quality of subtitled films is much higher and the bonus tracks are worth it often enough.

Super cute cafe! You can browse their DVDs as you wait for your coffee or food. I made my own crepes and they were delicious and big. I ended up getting an iced latte, coffee cake, and two crepes and it was about $23! Would happily come here again - the service was quick and they were very nice.

I am so glad Video Underground exists. I have a Netflix subscription (sorry) and I still come here to rent films almost every week. Want something highbrow and obscure? They've got it. Lowbrow and obscure? They've got that too. Not obscure at all? Old and classic or new and in wide release? For kids? For adults? Critically acclaimed? Panned? Never released in the US? They've got it. Don't really know the name of the movie you heard about but you can *kind of* describe it? The owner can probably tell you exactly what it was, and where it is in the store. Don't know what you feel like watching but can name a few movies you like? You'll probably get a spot-on recommendation and some weird film trivia to boot. They've got deals that change daily, like rent-two-get-two-free, or rent-one get-one-top-100-free etc. If you're smart (and brave), use those extra free rentals and rent something you have no idea about - maybe with a strange cover, or an intriguing title (that's how I ended up with "Profit Motive and the whispering wind" and "Cat Soup" - both very different, both VERY worthwhile). Get weird. Further off the map than Netflix would ever get you. (Or, conversely, don't get weird, and rent something totally ordinary. Or get weird by renting something ordinary.) And if you're feeling chilly from the walk there, the owner now sells hot beverages (including his custom tea blends named after films, various coffees, etc.) I've never actually enjoyed the indecision of wandering around a video store before, until I came to this place. It is welcoming and unpretentious and gets you excited to go home and watch the movies you rented, rather than feeling like "oh wow, I don't feel like watching ANY of these movies, maybe I don't like movies, what is wrong with me," which is how browsing Netflix sometimes makes me feel. And how Blockbuster sometimes made me feel. So in short, Video Underground is SO much more than a lone throwback survivor in a landscape purged of Blockbusters. It's an amazing resource that I'm so glad to have in my community, where I can rent foreign language films from the 1940's and get "Airplane" free, where I can overhear a conversation from someone in my neighborhood about their weird, extended pursuit of all films of a very particular crime-boss variety. Do yourself a favor and come here.

This place is an amazing neighborhood coffee shop/bakery/video store/movie house. Kevin, the owner is super friendly and helpful! They have the best and cheapest pour over coffee in Boston. You can choose which beans you want him to grind to order (they have Number 6 Depot coffee, among several fantastic brands). You can get a pastry and a pour over coffee for $5, which doesn't exist anywhere else in Boston. COVID19 ordering is super simple-- call in advance and tell them what you want for pick up. During the weekend they have homemade cinnamon buns, which my husband gets pretty much every weekend. I really miss their movie screenings, which are on hiatus due to COVID19. The screenings were $5 and the treats available amazing! I'm talking truffle oil popcorn, root beer floats, fancy coffee drinks, etc. and all SO much cheaper than at any movie theater (I think the popcorn was $2-3). Come here for coffee, stay for a fun chat with Kevin :)

A great business. Really happy they are still around. I remember finding a really great tape here years ago at their previous location, and I'm happy to see them still around doing business now.

Can't recommend this place enough. Not only is it the best coffee in JP whether you are looking for cold brew, iced, latte art, espressos, cappuccinos,pour over or any other variety, it is an amazing piece of the community. Movie screenings on Fridays for 5 dollars, private screenings for rental subscribers, and the coolest organization I have ever seen to a movie rental space. Looking for a certain directors filmography, a certain genre, top 100 wide release, classic films, black and white, Kevin has got it all. Never have had a bad coffee or a bad conversation. Do yourself a favor and stop in.

I'd always been a big fan of their smoothies, especially "endless summer," and today I finally got to try their crepes. I got the Uncle Boonmee crepe with tofu, peanut satay, crushed peanuts, and bamboo shoots - I also added spinach. Super delicious, generous portion, very satisfying! Vegan, too.

I don't leave reviews, but for Kevin and The Video Underground I couldn't help myself. In a world of Netflix, Hulu and Amazon prime you ask yourself why go to a video store? Simple answer: When you don't know what you want to watch, instead of scrolling on your computer for 20 minutes, Kevin will brew up the best coffee in Jamaica Plain and talk you through his VAST movie knowledge. I have found movies I would never have been exposed to without The Video Underground and have thoroughly enjoyed the conversation that was had while browsing!

Kevin is awesome. great conversations every time i go in. We do the monthly rental deal and its great and he is super helpful in selection, helping me think through what is age appropriate for my kids etc. Also. the coffee is dope as hell! he convinced me to drink iced coffee in the summer and I am about it now! my go to is the hot latte with whole milk. Love it, my whole family loves the place. Thanks for existing!

Dude, an extroverted introvert this place is the jam. I don't feel embarrassed ordering weird drinks like decaf espresso mint mocha iced and I can browse movies while I think about stuff I want to stay. The owner is so friendly and also like an expresso artist crafting his drinks. Idk why he doesn't charge more bcs the stuff is top notch. And there's like literally 8000 movies here, that's all the movies. U pay for a membership for one month and u can take out three movies at a time as often as u want. If anyone can succeed in the video café business it's Kevin! Peace man

Even if you don't come here to borrow DVDs, you should come here to try out their teas and crepes. I was pleasantly surprised by the subtle unami flavor of their iced green teas. Their crepes are crispy and loaded with whatever filling you choose. Definitely will be coming here as a regular

Kevin is super nice. Coffee is legit, honestly, I was expecting it to be so good. It's right up there with Brassica as far as JP coffee goes. Also they sell movies do screenings. I would totally recommend going. As of today they have amazing popsicles too. Worth it.

So it has been a few months since I've been for obvious reasons- but I have to say this place is a real gem! Not too far off the orange line in JP, it's limited to about 10 ppl in what looks like an old school movie rental. And it is awesome- the owner is really friendly and serves up snacks before the film. The mocha frappe personal favorite. Then the movie begins on old school projector with a q&a afterwards. Once we are allowed back out it is one of the first places I going- I suggest you do too.

This place is a neighborhood gem. Can't believe I haven't been there before. Delicious 12oz cup of pour over coffee for only $2.25!! Something like that would usually cost at least $4 elsewhere. Plus friendly owner and what looks like a huge DVD selection if that's what you're looking for. They also sell sweets from a delicious local baker.

This place is a gem! Kevin is so nice and knowledgable about so many things - from cinema to coffee. One of the few places to get a good pour-over in Jamaica Plain! His film screenings are so much fun - great variety of movies, great price, and a great ambiance. I'm so so glad this place exists.

Kevin makes the best coffee in Boston; I recommend this place to many people. He also has an an unparalleled knowledge of film, along with sophisticated opinions. The selection of films/movies is impressive, as well as well organized. I cannot recommend this place enough. Even if you think you are fine with Netflix, Hulu, etc, you will be glad to have rented films from here.