Wired Puppy managed to become my favourite Boston Coffee Spot in a matter of days when I visited in 2013. Even though I haven’t exhaustively tried the other options available in the city (I didn’t even manage to try all the options on Newbury Street, where Wired Puppy is located!) any challenger will have to go a long way to beat Wired Puppy.

The space might not be to everyone’s tastes (I loved it, by the way), but the real killer is the coffee, which is awesome. I had three espressos in Wired Puppy (out of four visits) and each one was perfect. They were easily the best espressos on the New England leg of my trip. However, if espresso’s not to your taste, Wired Puppy has about 10 different beans/blends on offer, with a variety of brewing methods available. And if coffee’s not your thing, there are plenty of other drinks to tempt you.

Finally, the staff are really lovely too. Passionate, engaging and knowledgeable about their coffee, they go a long way to making Wired Puppy what it is.

February 2017: Wired Puppy has been taken over by Revelator from Birmingham, Alabama. You can see when my friend Bex made of it during her recent visit. For more about Revelator, you can see what I made of its New Orleans and Octane: Westside locations.

July 2019: Wired Puppy has now closed, although the original location in Provincetown on Cape Cod is still open.

You can read more of my thoughts after the gallery.

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It seems a little harsh to call Wired Puppy a regional chain since there are only two branches, the original in Provincetown on Cape Cod and the Boston branch. Sadly, I didn’t make it to Cape Cod on this trip, but I absolutely loved the Boston Wired Puppy. It’s on Newbury Street, itself a lovely part of Back Bay, which I’ve adored ever since my first visit in 1998.

Newbury Street is lined with three-storey houses which have been converted into stores. Most have two stores: one just above street level, the other in the basement. Wired Puppy, being one of the basement stores, is very much constrained by its surroundings. However, it’s done a wonderful job of working with the space it’s got while keeping many of the original features.

At street level there’s a small seating area and, beyond this, steps invite you down to the door. Once inside two more steps see you into Wired Puppy proper. It’s long and thin, with the cake counter to the left, and three small tables opposite it. Beyond that are the till and all-important espresso machine, while past the tables is a little area for the takeaway customers who stream in off Newbury Street.

Despite the small size, the interior of exposed brick walls and arches give it a really great feel. There’s a little annex at back with windows, a bar, a few chairs, a computer and more bare brick walls. Throughout there’s low lighting and a great but unobtrusive soundtrack which never failed to impress.

The best thing about Wired Puppy, however, is the coffee. Wired Puppy is passionate about its coffee and it shows. There are three different blends on the drip filter, the usual range of espresso-based drinks and, to cap it off, around 10 beans/blends available as French Press, Aeropress, syphon or pour-over. Wired Puppy has a close relationship with its roaster and all the beans, which you can buy in store, are blended specially for Wired Puppy.

I first visited in the evening, so I had a decaf pour-over in the interests of self-preservation. I made the classic mistake while in America of ordering a medium: it was huge! Normally, I would take it with milk, but I drank that one black, a sign of how good it was: really smooth and rich, expertly made by my barista, Lizie (who was very insistent about the one z). I was so impressed that I made three more visits, each time having an espresso. I was not disappointed: consistently very short, smooth and strong, they were easily the best espressos I had in Boston.

One of Wired Puppy strengths is that it focuses on doing a few things exceptional well. While it has a range of cookies, biscotti and cakes, you won’t find sandwiches, soup or any of the other accoutrements of a modern coffee shop. I can confirm that this strategy works: the mini-scone and corn muffin that I had were both delicious.

Finally, Wired Puppy’s staff are probably its best assets. There are six of them in all, including the lovely Lizie. I had the pleasure of meeting five of them and can confirm that they are all wonderful, friendly and passionate about their coffee and their coffee shop.

Liked this? Then take a look at the Coffee Spot Guide to Boston and Cambridge for more great coffee Spots.

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