There used to be an Espresso Royale near my old building at BU, so some nostalgia and happenstance brought me here. The prices are way better than Starbucks, the ambiance is less yuppie and more hipster (but not in a bad way), and in particular the interior here was very homey with a fireplace and lots of cozy couches.
There were vegan baked goods to be had (yay! something Starbucks should really get the memo about, vegan isn't exactly cutting edge science or anything), and of course plenty of soy and almond milk latte options. Unfortunately, the coffee immediately brought me back to my grad school days... typical burnt Espresso Royale flavoring. Oh well. I'd still go back, and maybe order tea!