The Crema Always Rises

Crema Café's coffee buzzes with complexity, bright acidity, and flavor free of any overwhelmingly burnt overtones. That, plus the skilled baristas and a badass Italian espresso machine, and it's little wonder this new Harvard Square coffeehouse has hit the ground(s) running. Crema trumps the megachains' prefab food with freshly prepped salads and sandwiches brimming with on-premises TLC. (Sweet-potato chips with that? They fry 'em themselves.) House-baked pastries lack the stale aftertaste of central distribution; try the lemon-curd cupcake, which packs a serious citrus punch and genuine buttercream. This bounty is best enjoyed in Crema's roomy loft, the sweetest spot for taking advantage of the square's free WiFi while watching the café bustle below.

27 Brattle St., Cambridge, 617-876-2700, cremacambridge.com.