42 Best Coffee Shops in Berkeley

“I recently visited Roaming Bean Coffee, an outdoor gem that exceeded all my expectations! My drink was perfectly balanced with rich, smooth flavor and delightful frothy top. The staff were incredibly welcoming and attentive. Overall, Roaming Bean Coffee is a fantastic spot for coffee lovers looking for tranquil outdoor setting!“

“Espresso is consistently amazing, never bitter, never burnt. The two owner brothers bake everything themselves overnight!! So every morning you’re greeted with cases full of fresh, beautifully crafted pastries.
Don’t miss the coffee noisette, the horseshoe pastry and the petite four cookies.
Get there early – their croissants are truly exceptional and often sell out! Thank you, guys!“

“I love everyone at el tiny! Great, quick coffee! Delicious pastries! Their tiny burritos are a perfect, cheap filling brekky. Only minor negative point is it feels a little gloomy inside - not sure why, maybe dark walk or low lighting. I’d go more if it was brighter! Also they shut kinda early.“

“A clean, well-lighted place for exquisite coffee, tea and pastries. They owners (very nice people) are very particular about their coffee using high quality beans from Ethiopia. Their decaf espresso is delicious. They have mocktails too.“

“Best specialty coffee shop in the bay area, hands down. For pourover enthusiasts, it doesn't get any better.

Whether you're deep into pourover or need an alt-milk latte, these guys deliver in an uncompromising, intimate setting with a super focused menu. I think you gotta enjoy this now before they blow up and scale up.

They're rotating globally top-tier coffee brands like Tim Wendelboe and Big Sur, while also being a micro-roaster themselves with a specialization in Chinese origin coffee. The curation is second to none, everything is superb.

Pourover and espresso are all faultless. The gear on the bar is all unmatched and cutting-edge, think Dragonfly and Orea drippers and I've actually seen them brew with (not cheap at all) Sibarist Fast filters.

The cups are absolutely dialed in with hyper clarity. These are real-deal pourover gods. The milk drinks are so elegant that you can pick anything and be sure it'll be good.

I could go on and on... but will just say this is the finest specialty coffee experience in the bay right now. Oh, and they're super nice guys.“

“Finally got to try this spot and can say that the matcha quality is very good! The hojicha as well was toasty and nutty (aside from the sesame that blended with it so well). The service was also very pleasant and helpful. Definitely will stop by to try other matcha and hojicha types.“

“Wow! The Heyma latte is my absolute favorite coffee in Berkeley. The staff is great, patiently answered all my questions. Super space, lots of seating, some folks typing, some chatting, but everyone enjoying delicious coffees and wonderful pastries.“

“Sway worked closely with us to host a successful event at the Codi space in San Francisco. The central location in Embarcadero 3 provided easy access for our guests, and the unique ambiance of Codi Space, with its high ceilings and surrounding windows, created a memorable experience.

Our event hosted 65 people, and we had plenty of space to eat, drink, talk, and listen to the presentation. There are nice wooden tables in a variety of sizes and around 80 chairs that are yours to use and can be moved around to your liking. Adam, the owner of Sway, offered top-notch customer service, responding quickly to our many questions.

An added bonus was that Sway provided an employee, Ishaan, to be onsite to assist with the setup and kickoff, ensuring a smooth and stress-free start to our event. We had access to the space all day and night. They represent many locations in the Bay Area, which will be helpful in the future.

We look forward to hosting another event with you.

Thank you for your help Adam and crew!

Cheers to you,

Meg Lynch Wiskind
Petaluma“

“You want sometime for breakfast because you are at the hospital. This is the place, a lot of baked goods, iced and hot chocolate or coffee. Yes it is tiny and has only 4 seats outside, I call it a hole in the wall even tho it is well known.“

“I’m obsessed with their avocado coffee 🤩 and love their everything bagel egg cream cheese thing. My parents loved their cappuccino and croissants. I need to come back and try their pandan croissant & everything else on the menu 🤤. The service is always great and the decor is a vibe ✨.“

“It's hard to get really good chai in the SF area, so Elaichi was a great discovery. Their chai is great, whether dairy, oatmilk, hot or cold, their cardomon buns are a treat, and the atmosphere is calm and respectful. Every time I come to Berkely I stop in.“

“Gem of a neighborhood coffee shop! Excellent coffee and very friendly staff. Only downside is that seating is limited, it’s always so crowded and hard to snag a table. It’s become my new favorite to walk to in the morning especially if you live in the elmwood/college ave area“

“The vegan banh mi was so flavorful and satisfying. The tofu is really well seasoned with some kind of five spice-adjacent flavoring, the daikon and carrot pickles are crunchy and the perfect mix of sweet and sour, and they add some kind of crunchy condiment to the sandwich that is both incredibly flavorful and also adds an amazing texture to each bite. The bread is also really nice, both in texture and flavor. One of the tastiest vegan banh mi I've had in a long time.“

“Really cute cafe on the other side of campus! The matcha einspanner is the highlight here but they have rotating seasonal drinks. Solid! But the cream on top is not the crema you imagine, it’s more of a really dense/stiff whipped cream (almost frosting like). I think having a less whipped crema would’ve better mixed with the latte. I tried the seasonal early grey matcha and it was nice, the earl grey tea didn’t overpower the matcha at all. Because it’s so small, it’s always packed. Came on a Saturday morning and all the tables were already full with students studying.“

“I love this place! I have been going here since it opened and it has always been wonderful. Everyone is always so kind and welcoming, and the food is great. They are also very fast, which means my family can always get food when we are in a rush.“

“By far the most creative and exquisite coffee drinks! Plus Pepples vegan donuts!! Danger Will Robinson...addictive And live music on Sundays.“

“Wow! As a vegan with a non vegan coffee connoisseur, we both left fully satisfied. So peaceful, can sit down and have a coffee. I can’t believe all the pastry options they had for vegans and you can even go to the bakery next door as well“

“We tried each of the three vegan options - soyrizo, zucchini, and mushroom medley. They were all fantastic, tasted just like I remember from Buenos Aires 🤩. I meant to take a pic but then we ate them too fast. The chimichurri was also great and the mate 🧉 latte was tasty. I made sure to leave a review since there haven't been any in a couple years. It's still here, still serving vegan empanadas, and still great!“

“Fabulous assortment of specialty coffees and a delicious food menu. My favorite go-to is the quiche!“

“It was the first Peet’s !!“

“Beautiful sunny, quiet cafe in Adam’s point. The best Ethiopian food I’ve ever had. The food tastes very healthy, fresh, and simple but literally so full of flavor at the same time. Home cooking made with time and care. Just SO good. If you are thinking about going just go. Wow. And the injera is 100% teff and gluten free which can be hard to find these days. Plus the vibe inside is so peaceful and warm. I love.“

“I live their expert roasts!“

“Good speciality coffee with clean, cozy and ornate environment!

I was firstly attracted by the exterior of the cafe when we were driving. It’s a Middle Eastern-inspired cafe that sells Turkish coffee and pastries.

We tried the ice Yemeni latte and ice hibiscus tea. The latte is unique with flavor of cinnamon and cardamom. It’s aromatic, smooth, and not too sweet. The tea is refreshing, lightly sour and naturally sweet. Love them both! And I wish the tea is larger, so refreshing!“

“After trying espresso beverages at several cafe's in Berkeley, this one is my absolute favorite. They make an out of the park espresso every time. It's never burnt or sour like most places I've tried and consistently worth the money. They also have excellent biscotti!“

“The best place ever. Love them ❤️ 💕“

“There were three in my party. We ducked in here to take a break from the cold rain. We ordered a chai, a golden/turmeric chai, and a caffé latté, all with oat milk. It’s our first try of oat milk. We all liked it a lot. The foam on my golden chai was lovely. I’d reorder it anytime. I tried my mate’s latté with oat milk, I can recommend it. The pastries we ordered were all worth the consumption. I’m so glad there was one pretzel cheese bun left. It was delicious even though it wasn’t warm. I highly recommend them. We also ordered a quiche, a chocolate croissant, and an almond pastry. They were all superb. The almond pastry which was super light and flaky tasted like baklava more so than an almond filling. I liked the vibe here. So often I want to grab my order and split, not here. I felt fine taking refuge from the outside environs. The staff were sweet regardless of their spoken English being nearly impossible to understand. It was cool assuming they were part of the refugee program. It felt good being a patron there and the inspired conversation it led to. I am sure my party was surprised I was already knowledgeable about the topic on current refugees. That made our café and conversation time only that much more enjoyable.“

“The owner of this cafe saved me by allowing me to charge my phone very early in the morning when my phone run out of power and I couldn’t find a power outlet all the way from the Oakland Airport to the Ashby BART station. The owner is very dedicated, friendly, and helpful. The service is warm, fast, and professional. The place is clean, tidy, straightforward, and calming. I had a very good morning here and hope to return. Thank you so much, Ada Cafe!“

“Lovely place- would come back and recommend! Good spot to read or work with plenty of outlets, free wifi, open bathroom, and table space upstairs and downstairs. I got the cheese/green onion scone and a warm date latte and enjoyed both. Service was great and atmosphere was calm & relaxing. Came in on a Tuesday from 12:45-2:45pm and was very quiet and not very busy. I essentially had the whole upstairs table to myself for a couple hours.
Note: it seems like oatmilk substitute costs an extra 75 cents.“

“🙃Came to visit and didn't know what to expect but I'm glad that I did! Some of the best Lattes I had in the Bay Area and the ambiance is really nice and relaxing. The people here are what makes the place thrive and people love to come back again and again because of it! 😋“

“One of my favorite places in Berkeley to work on my laptop. There’s this bristling, cerebral energy in the air and people stay for hours. It feels like a cafe, coworking space, and start-up launchpad all wrapped in one. I love the mix of students, artists, freelancers, and entrepreneurs.“

“I was really surprised to see yet another Binge location open up in the East Bay!

I usually get their coffee drinks, so this time I went for the Melon Matcha to see what the rest of their menu has to offer.

If you’ve ever had a Melona, or a Korean melon bar, imagine that melted into a shake and then mixed with matcha! It’s absolutely delicious and super refreshing. The bitterness of the matcha adds a nice twist to this nostalgic flavor.

I am really glad that even though Binge is expanding and opening multiple locations, the quality of their drinks has stood strong. The ease of ordering, at all of their locations, but especially this one, is streamlined by having multiple ordering kiosks. I believe his location has 3-4 ordering kiosks and you can order at the counter as well.

Since the space is so large, it’s perfect for studying for a bit or even a good spot for “working from home”!

We came during their soft opening & honestly, I can’t wait to see how they continue to grow. I already love how this location has Berkeley themed cup designs!“

“muy rico el caffe y muy amables las personas que te atienden“

“Operated like a mom and point coffee joint even with the big brand name. Coffee is great and next door you NEED to get a pastry at Fournee.“

“The womlettes are delicious! the teas are great too. Definitely recommend "party at the beach"“

“it's a great place, especially if you're looking for a place to work and eat/drink“

“This place was spectacular. It blew all expectations out of the park, perhaps even out of Berkeley. This is now one of my favorite coffee places on campus. But one thing outshone the rest, and that was the service. Sophia gave me a very special drink, a drink that was one of its kind. As my friends know I actively hate oat milk, however, this drink may have changed my opinion on oat milk. I had no complaints and the drink was perfection, perhaps now I like oat milk. If you ever have the chance, be sure to visit this nice establishment and make sure you say hello to Sophia.“

“Very good cappuccino: not just a small latté. Lox, egg, capers, on gluten-free toast was well done. Lots of Palestinian baked goods.

Nice corner location on Shattuck. Great light and solid wood tables. Outdoor tables too.

Order in-person or by touchscreen.

The EDM playing is on the mellow side.“

“had a nice brunch before class started and was on a budget, cashier was sweet and recommended me a nice sandwich and i tried a smoothie which was way better than expected, workers were all sweet and i sat for a bit while waiting for my next class to start, will come back again“

“Great coffee and elegant atmosphere. $195 for a manual Brewer? $85 for tin coffee pot? I think I'll pass.“

“Best of the best. Tons of choices, exquisite French patisseries, true North African specialties… there is so much to choose from. High quality and scrumptious! We will be back!!!“

“Tesoro! I drive from Hilltop“

“Great location and great coffee. Perfect for a leisurely morning“