On Friday, Oct. 3, Marylou’s coffee shop held their grand opening for their Framingham location. Originating from the south shore of Massachusetts, Marylou’s is a coffee shop chain that now has 47 locations spread out across the state and Rhode Island. They offer a wide variety of specialty coffees, unique flavors, Redbull infusions and other drinks all served in their signature pink cups.
I got to try some of the menu options from the grand opening of the Framingham Marylou’s, and will be rating the coffee shop out of ten stars: four stars will be dedicated to the quality of the drinks and food, another three to the cost, two to the atmosphere and one to the service.
Food and drinks:
When I went to Marylou’s, there were so many different options and flavors of coffee we could choose from. Some of the funky flavors that stood out to me included Carmel Lou, Chocolate Mint Cookie and Chocolate Raspberry. My friend and I ordered the Chocolate Raspberry flavor and the Twix flavor in our iced coffees. Each coffee flavor originally comes unsweetened and without cream, however, we decided to add regular cream and regular sugar. My first impressions on both of the coffees were that they were extremely sweet, so if your taste buds aligns with mine, then I recommend getting the regular cream and regular sugar in your drink. However, if you don’t like your coffee being sugary, then you can ask for less or no sugar. Marylou’s is very flexible and can tailor your drink to your taste.
Now let’s move on to the different flavors. To start, I really disliked the Chocolate Raspberry iced coffee, which was weird because I usually love the raspberry chocolate combo. This drink had such a weird taste: it’s rich, but then an odd sweet flavor, assumingely the raspberry, hits your tongue. However, the Twix flavor on the other hand was so good. The caramel and chocolaty notes swirl on your tastebuds. It was rich, creamy and milky, which is everything you would expect from a Twix bar. I would absolutely get the Twix flavor again and recommend it to others.
For food, we got a cinnamon roll and a red velvet muffin. Because Marylou’s is a coffee shop, not a restaurant, I expected mediocre food. My assumptions were correct. The cinnamon roll was solid, with its cinnamon sugary filling, and its smooth glaze. However, it was dry and it reminded me of the packaged cinnamon rolls available at school. The red velvet muffin was definitely a step up, but it was also on the drier side. The cream cheese filling did elevate the muffin, helping balance out the dryness. Out of the two choices, I would get the red velvet muffin.
All in all, I would not come to Marylou’s just for the food, but I would make the trip out to drink their coffee again. They have a flavor for everyone, and it’s a great option for your morning fix. Out of four stars, I would give the food and drinks three stars.
Price:
Marylou’s price point is definitely an upside if you compare it to other coffee shop competitors, like Starbucks. For example, a small (16 ounce) Gourmet Iced Coffee from Marylou’s will run you $3.41, while a grande (16 ounce) Starbucks Iced Caffè Latte is $6.48, which is almost double the price. Marylou’s is so much more affordable than the other options in our town. In total, one small Gourmet Decaf Iced Coffee, three small Specialty Iced Coffees, one muffin and one cinnamon roll totaled to a little over $21. If you compare this to Starbucks, this is a very good deal. Marylou’s was smart in opening a cafe down the street from Wayland High School, as this is more accessible to high school students who don’t have a lot of money.
In total, because of the affordability, I’ll give them three out of three stars for pricing.
Atmosphere:
Marylou’s is well known for their bright pink color, so the whole Framingham store was built around that. It was cheerful and very welcoming. There was limited seating, as it was inside a gas station, but for a grab and go place, it had just enough.
In all, for a quick in and out place, it had a very good atmosphere for people grabbing coffee. The pink color got me into the coffee mood, but I would not suggest going inside to eat, as the seating is limited. I give the atmosphere a two out of two stars.
Service:
The workers were very fast and friendly at Marylou’s. When I went, there was a long line, but the workers got through the line very efficiently when taking orders. We only waited around five minutes for our coffees after ordering. The workers were very accommodating and welcoming to all the customers. I have no complaints for the service.
I would give the service one out of one stars.
Total:
I would highly recommend Marylou’s to anyone looking for affordable coffee. It was very good, and they nailed the grab and go aspect. However, I would not go for the food, as it didn’t blow me out of the water. In total, they have earned nine out of ten stars from me. I will definitely be back, and I’m sure they’ll do well in their new Framingham location.
