It’s a good thing the coffee is so good at DIESEL CAFÉ because the service can be so lethargic that by the time you receive your order, you’re so infuriatingly caffeine-deprived that you want to reach across the counter and yank the dreadlocks out of a staff member’s scalp. Still, the joe here is worth the wait, and so are the gussied-up coffee and espresso drinks. Diesel is a tried-and-true independent coffee shop, and the ratio of pa-trons to MacBooks is 1:1. Forget any hope and prayer you might have of getting a table on a weekend afternoon, unless you storm the place within 10 minutes of opening.

DIESEL CAFÉ | 257 Elm Street, Somerville | 617.629.8717 | diesel-café.com