"Loved the super friendly staff, including the owner who stopped by to ask how everything was going; the menu was quite varied and healthy, & lattes great, especially the 2 seasonal ones we tried; ambiance delightful — lots of sunlight, good mix of seating, cheerful decor w. lots of goods from local farmers & vendors in market section, free WiFi, & location central to subway & bus stops, though on edge of busy and bit chaotic traffic circle, making cafe signage not as prominently ideal. Outdoor seating a big plus during warmer months which this clearly wasn’t, but chairs still optimistically there :D Cafe works hard to operate sustainably and therefore participates in an innovative local program that offers recycling of fresh flower arrangements post their short life at a special event, so not wasted. Very creative! Highly recommend checking out as would be a regular IF lived in NYC, and not Somerville, MA!"

"I got to know this place thanks to my daughter Natalia, and it was love at first sight. 💜 Purple Waves is a beautiful, cozy spot with delicious coffee — perfect for eating, working, or simply enjoying a peaceful moment. What I loved the most was its coherence and purpose: if you want your coffee to go, you need to bring your own cup; they even sell products like milk in returnable glass bottles. 🌿 A truly genuine commitment to the planet! I had the pleasure of meeting the owner and talking about sustainability and purpose… such a lovely and inspiring person. Without a doubt, one of my favorite places in NY. Highly recommended from the heart! ☕️💜"

"Great gift to the neighborhood. Food is not just tasty but good for you. Ingredients were outstanding. I enjoyed delicious crunchy toast with hummus, whole chick peas and shredded multi colored carrots with pickled veggies. All of the menu looked good. Espresso drink with oatmilk was perfect. Come with your own cup for take out coffee because there really isn’t good recycling for all those #5 tops. New addition of packaged foods from local farms is a bounty for this area and well worth a visit. Cafe inside and out was very pleasant."

"Overall a good experience. You do pay up mostly for the ingredient origin - i didn’t find the food to be that great otherwise. The coffee wasn’t the best - note that they won’t serve you To Go unless you bring your own cup, which is an interesting choice being at the corner of a subway station."

"Our first experience here was great! Maple sea salt latte was flavorful, raspberry donuts were delicious. Second visit, tried the winter spice latte, another specialty. It was good but not exceptional, not distinguishable from a regular pumpkin spice. Asked about the raspberry donuts and was told they were a special and wouldn’t be coming back. Fair enough! Can’t carry everything all the time. Tried the lemon loaf, which was good but the tiniest slice of lemon loaf I’ve ever seen. Overall an average visit, not worth the trek out of the way or price paid. Third visit, tried their “artisan milk alternative” with their honey cinnamon latte. They “don’t have” the reusable travel cups that they used to sell and don’t offer disposable cups, making the only option for coffee to sit in the shop and have it in a mug. Truly one of the nastiest coffees I’ve ever tried. Inedible. Burnt, bitter, almost medicinal in taste. The barista was able to remake the latte with regular milk but told us that’s just how their speciality milk tastes, which seems off to me. Also, for a shop to insist on customers sitting in for their coffee, you’d figure the latte art would at least be the standard little heart shape or simple pour, but no. Some of the worst looking lattes I’ve ever seen. Disappointing after such a promising first visit."