Blue Bottle Expansion Continues This Week With New Back Bay Cafe

California-based coffee roaster and cafe chain Blue Bottle has made an aggressive first push into Massachusetts this year, opening in Harvard Square in February and downtown in May. This week, it’ll open in Boston’s Prudential Center as well (800 Boylston St., Back Bay).

Tuesday, July 10, will be a “community day” at the new location — coffee will be on the house, while all sales of food and merchandise will go towards Blue Bottle’s local non-profit partner, Artists for Humanity, which helps under-resourced urban youth get paid work in the fields of art and design. (Customers are welcome to make a donation to Artists for Humanity when making a purchase at any of the local Blue Bottle locations.) Then, the cafe will celebrate its grand opening on Wednesday, July 11.

Like at its other locations, Blue Bottle will serve a variety of pour over coffee and espresso options at its Prudential cafe, as well as Liège-style waffles, pastries, and more. The locations differ a bit in design, with each one meant to fit appropriately into its surroundings. The interior of the new spot was designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the firm that was also behind the two other local Blue Bottles, and per Blue Bottle’s opening announcement, it’s meant to evoke the feeling of Danish coziness known as “hygge.” Swing by later this week to find out if the team has achieved that. The exterior and envelope of the space were designed by Cube 3 Studio, based locally in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Boston has been fairly welcoming to Blue Bottle and other out-of-town coffee chains, such as Intelligentsia and La Colombe — as long as they don’t get too big and try to invade especially historical areas. No word yet on whether Blue Bottle plans to open even more locations in the Boston area. The 16-year-old company currently has locations in five states around the United States as well as a handful around Tokyo and Kyoto in Japan.

For Tuesday’s community day, Blue Bottle will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Regular hours will begin on Wednesday, July 11 — 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Also at the Prudential, a new location of ritzy steakhouse Del Frisco’s is expected to open later this month.

Update, 6 p.m.: This article has been updated to correct the name of the design firm that worked on the cafe.

Update, 7/12: This article has been updated to clarify information regarding the two design firms that worked on the project.

• Blue Bottle Coverage on Eater [EBOS]