It was 2019, my first year at Tufts. I was grabbing coffee with my soon-to-be best friend when we luckily made the decision to venture away from Dunkin’s watered-down coffee (hot take, I know) and walk into Danish Pastry House. Needless to say, since that day, I’ve been loyal to DPH.
For the next semester and a half I continued to study, drink coffee and try every menu item at DPH. Then, March came. While students were sent home, forced to adapt and navigate Zoom classes, DPH was fighting a battle of its own. After experiencing akitchen fire two months earlier, seeing many of their student customers leave the Medford area, and — of course — having to adjust to the new COVID-19 protocols, DPH faced adversity. Sitting thousands of miles away from campus, I wondered if my favorite coffee shop would be forced to close down. I was getting sick of whipped coffee, banana bread and all the other TikTok trends; all I wanted was to be sitting in DPH with a kringle and a hot cup of coffee.
Fast forward six months to the day I finished Tufts’ fall semester arrival quarantine … I eagerly walked down Boston Avenue and was relieved to see that DPH was open for business; a new sign welcomed oncoming traffic. While some aspects of DPH had changed (mask wearing and social distancing were enforced and tables were frequently sanitized), the coffee shop managed to maintain its high-quality food and welcoming atmosphere that first drew me to it. The Tufts community played a large part in this; students have continued to pick up their morning coffees from the small cafe. In short, the Tufts community came together to support DPH in a crucial time.
So, what do I order?
Best pastry: If you couldn’t tell from my earlier reference, it’s the kringle. Like a cross between an almond croissant and a Danish, if you try one thing from DPH, make it the kringle. A true game changer.
Best drink: Iced almond milk latte.
Also-deserves-a-mention: Toffee chip cookie. They are moist, chewy and delicious. Pro tip: Ask for it warmed up and enjoy with a glass of milk (or that iced latte). Whoever said Oreos are milk’s favorite cookie has not had one of these.
What I’m trying next: The carrot cake! I’m loyal to Tufts’ carrot cake but this carrot cake looks amazing — plus, it’s not packaged in an extremely-difficult-to-open plastic container.
How I finesse the menu: If I’m ordering to-go, I order an espresso shot — or two. Then, when I get back to my room, I mix it with my own vanilla almond milk (which I've taken from Dewick, of course) and pour that over coffee ice cubes (Dewick coffee that I freeze in my ice tray). Boom: I’ve saved a few dollars and made a vanilla latte that won’t get watery as I walk home.
