☕😳 Bostonians DON’T run on Dunkin’?

🥞 One thing that *wasn’t* on our 2025 bingo card? Shawn Mendes trying Brookline Lunch’s famous baklava pancakes. But that’s exactly what happened this weekend, and it looked incredibly wholesome.

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Let’s be real: When it comes to local coffee shops, all brews are NOT created equal. But if you know where to look, Boston is absolutely bursting with great coffee.

So, since it’s National Coffee Day, for this month’s small biz telephone tag, we asked Boston’s best local coffee shops for their favorite cup in the city. Here’s what they said:

☕ George Howell Coffee wants a sip of Cicada Coffee Bar. Zenday Wong, a cashier and barista at George Howell, loves to support Asian-owned coffee shops. And Cicada, with its Vietnamese coffee beans and aesthetic atmosphere, is one of the city’s best. Wong orders the Cicada Phin Drip with condensed milk and sea salt. “It’s just a little bit sweeter than like normal drip coffee, but it really brings out the taste of the beans,” she said.

🧸 Cicada Coffee Bar wants a sip of Intelligentsia. If Cicada barista My Phan wants an excellent espresso drink in Greater Boston, you’ll likely find her at Intelligentsia’s Watertown location, where there’s ample space to hang out, and friendly baristas. Her order? The citrusy espresso tonic. “I just really love the way they add like a little bit of orange bitters,” she said. “It's really crushable and it's really yummy.”

🤎 Intelligentsia wants a sip of Broadsheet Coffee Roasters. Broadsheet has great drip coffee, said Intelligentsia barista Isaac Bailey. But what really makes it special? Everything else is just as good. “They have the entire thing down,” he said, “which is what I kind of look for in a quality coffee shop.” Though a great menu top to bottom = very little consistency in Bailey’s order, with GORGEOUS pours like this, we think a latte would be a solid bet.

🥐 Broadsheet Coffee Roasters wants a sip of Newbery Street Coffee Roasters. A good barista can totally transform any coffee experience, said Marty Souza, Broadsheet’s head of wholesale. And Pack Katisomsakul, founder of coffee pop-up Newbery Street, is a great one. “I can tell that there's a lot of like pride in what he's doing, and it seems to also bring him a lot of happiness,” said Souza. Souza’s favorite Newbery Street roast: This yuzu-lemon blend from Ethiopia.

🎧 Newbery Street wants a sip of … George Howell. Actually, Katisomsakul has five recommendations for excellent local pour-over coffee, including Little Wolf, Gracenote Coffee, and Yego Coffee. But George Howell’s longtime commitment to sourcing ethical, high-quality coffee from big and small farmers alike puts it over the edge. “Boston has had a big impact on the coffee world, and George Howell is the one that actually made this happen,” he said. “Also, their pour-over is always on top.”

🐉 ⚔️ 🔮 Your mission: show up at the Boch Center Shubert Theatre Oct. 3–5. Your reward: an interactive fantasy adventure where you don’t just watch the story — you shape it. At “Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern,” the audience chooses the heroes, battles the monsters, and decides the ending in real time. No two shows are ever the same, and local legend Jack Lepiarz joins as “Mischief” during evening performances. Grab your tickets (student rush tickets are just $30 the day of the show), rally your party, and prepare to roll initiative.

⚾ The Red Sox punched their ticket to the post-season! After an appropriately dramatic walk-off W over the Detroit Tigers on Friday, the Red Sox are heading to the playoffs for the first time since 2021, ending their longest post-season drought since 1985. The vibes were absolutely immaculate in Fenway, and players didn’t waste much time breaking out the champagne … which, apparently, they hit pretty hard. But they don’t have too much time to relax: Their best-of-three Wild Card Series kicks off against the Yankees tomorrow in New York. LET’S GO!!!

😭 Your neighborhood Starbucks might be gone for good. The coffee giant appears to have shuttered 18 Greater Boston locations on Sept. 28 as a part of its plan to close hundreds across the continent. The closures are another piece of the company’s old-school rebrand, which, so far, has included trimming down menus and bringing back ceramic mugs. Among the closures: Government Center’s iconic steaming kettle location (R.I.P. to Gia’s after-work chai), plus Cleveland Circle, Coolidge Corner, Davis Square, Downtown Crossing, and Harvard Square. Here’s the full list.

✈️ Wanna skip Logan’s security line? Head to Framingham. Seriously! Next summer, Massport is hoping to pilot its first “remote terminal” … in a Framingham parking lot. Here’s the vision: Travelers would be able to check their bags and go through TSA screenings in Framingham, then hop on a Logan Express bus to Terminal A or C, where they’d skip security and head right to their gate. If the TSA approves, the pilot is planned for June to August, and if all goes well, it could expand to Woburn or Braintree. 

☕ This year’s National Coffee Day deals are PIPING hot. Here’s the lowdown on today’s deals: George Howell is offering a $1 small coffee or cold brew at all cafes from 12 to 2 p.m.; Day Shift in the Lineup food hall will have free coffee for anyone who brings their own mug from 7:30 to 10 a.m.; Dunkin’ app users can get a free medium hot or iced coffee with a purchase; and finally, B-Side Members get a free pumpkin spice tiramisu latte(!) with any pastry from Lakon Paris Patisserie. Happy sipping!

💬 Chitchat with total strangers … Minus the social anxiety! Skip the Small Talk’s BIPOC Speed Friending is BACK tonight at Long Live Roxbury. They pick the conversation topics, so you can focus on making connections. 

🪩 Watch Robert Irwin strut his stuff. Also, 11 other less hunky C-Listers. “Dancing With The Stars” is officially appointment television, and Harry’s Bar & Grill in Brighton hosts a watch party every Tuesday, including Sept. 30. 

📚 Meet your new bookish bestie. There’s no assigned reading at Boston Figurative Art Center’s BYO book club on Oct. 1 (it’s in the name, after all). Bring your current read, nibble on free snacks, and chat with fellow bookworms.

🧛 Pay homage to the granddaddy of all romantasy. Obviously, we’re talking about “Twilight.” The iconic series turns 20 this month, and Lovestruck is celebrating Oct. 1 with a night of lore, wine, trivia, costumes, and … glitter.

☕ Spend your evening in Stars Hollow. OK, Brothers & Sisters Co.’s Oct. 2 “Gilmore Girls” watch party is in Brookline Village, but expect cozy fall vibes nonetheless. Candy and popcorn will be provided, but BYO pillows and blankets.

🐶 Paint a portrait of your pooch. Boston Public Market’s popular paint your pet event Oct. 2 will provide a sketch of your pet, plus expert help to make sure your painting is as cute as they are.

⭐ Make the whole place shimmer. Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” drops when the clock strikes midnight on Oct. 3, and the Swifites are gathering all over town for release and listening parties. Our faves include Remnant Brewing, Lou’s, and Time Out.

💃 Enjoy your salsa two ways. You can eat AND dance the salsa at the UnCommon Corner’s free ¡Baila Boston! Salsa Night Oct. 3. Free dance lessons and a special salsa flight await.

For the first time EVER, the C’s will step on the court … without green uniforms. This season’s special “City Edition” jerseys just dropped. And spoiler: There’s not a drop of green to be found. 

Instead, the new unis, which the C’s will wear at select games throughout the season, have a white base with gold accents, outlined in black, marking a major shift from last year’s modern neon green-and-black look. 

Apparently, the shift from green to gold is in reference to the team’s long history of success. “As we look to our past, sit in our present and plan for the future,” the team said in an IG post. “We will recognize the accomplishments of all that have come before us.⁣” 

Here’s a peek. 

— Written by Gia Orsino

🏀 Thanks for reading! Let’s just hope all of that “success, achievement and triumph” rubs off on them this season …

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Boch Center, for supporting local journalism and bringing epic adventures right to the city stage.

🚌 The results are in: The B-Siders have once again proven their moral superiority: 86% of you have never, ever parked in a bus lane! One reader said: “I try to never park anywhere in Boston.” Honestly? Smart.

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].