This is your corner bagel shop and cafe.The decor is spare and the chairs are slightly worn and comfortable to sit in. Surrounded by windows, it’s a good place to sit and watch people and traffic. Not too loud with good background white noise- it’s great to work, and seating is flexible for medium sized groups.Coffee is decent. Bagel sandwiches are good. Prices are average for Berkeley. Also pastries and stuff.The friendly owner is ALWAYS there and if you come in a few times he’ll probably remember your order. The clientele is an eclectic mix of Cal students, construction workers from nearby projects, locals, and an “eclectic” Berkeley crowd. Also occasional families with young kids.Basically, Royal Grounds is the kind of unpretentious place you can drop into, come-as-you-are, for a coffee, bagel, and chill for awhile. A kind of stoic non-judgemental sanctuary to refuel, recharge, and go about your day.Your regular corner stop bagel shop ?Kid-friendliness: Wide open space. Good background noise. Friendly service.Wheelchair accessibility: Very roomy. Concrete floors and tables you can roll right up to.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Breakfast Sandwich
J Banks
Best spot in Downtown berkeley to sit and enjoy coffee or an Italian soda while you catch up with family or friends. Delicious variety of sandwiches and desserts.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Breakfast Sandwich, White Mocha Frappe, Bacon Egg Cheese & Ham
barbara henninger
Royal Ground is my neighborhood coffee place. It's the perfect place to have a nice coffee or a pastry or sandwich, and people- watch thanks to the big picture windows facing Channing Way, and Shattuck Avenue. The proprietors are friendly and make great neighbors.They stuck it out through the pandemic, where a lot of other businesses gave up. My favorite drink there is the chai latte. Delicious!Vegetarian options: I believe you can get good vegetarian sandwiches, also croissants and pastries.Kid-friendliness: I've seen families with children there enjoying the food and a friendly atmosphere.Wheelchair accessibility: It's easy to get in by wheelchair, and there's room to navigate inside.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Jeff
Very friendly at the register. Got the number five and a large house coffee with soy milk. Sandwich was hot and tasty. Coffee was very good as well. Perfect stop to grab a bite without a long wait. Will definitely be
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Breakfast Sandwich
fairy
I bought a simple cheese bagel with plain cream cheese. Half of my bagel wasn’t even covered in cream cheese, definitely was disappointed. I know it’s not the end of the world but I would’ve been better off just buying a bagel with no CC.
I K
Stopped and had a great brewed coffee here. It looks like a family owned business. Plenty of space and plenty of seating to read, write, study. With everything that is happening in Berkeley cafes and businesses on Shattuck it is great to see a cafe out here for the community.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 5
Anand Venkatachalapathy
The staff was very courteous and respectful. I love the environment and feel.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Douglas Unsworth
Great place to enjoy some tea and to work via WiFi.
A BLT and a 20oz coke shouldn't be $17.65 after tax. Or should it? I could have had Pad Thai or Hawaiian BBQ down the street!! Ugh.
Howell L.
TL;DR: Wi-Fi, outlets, tables, open until 4 most daysI am a regular at Royal Ground Coffee and love studying here, so I thought I'd give my review an update.AMBIANCE:Royal Ground is down Shattuck. Despite being next to a street with a lot of foot traffic and car traffic, it is never too noisy or full for me to enjoy myself. There are always a few patrons, but I haven't had any issue finding a spot to study.Some of the tables are a little wobbly, but they're easily avoidable. Many of the tables are near outlets, and I've never run into an issue charging my laptop. The tables are always clean.SERVICE: The owners of the cafe are very friendly and polite. You order at the register and they will take your card to tap it so there isn't really a chance to tip with a credit card. I like to tip whenever I go to a coffee shop and plan to stay awhile so I bring cash when I remember. After taking your order, it will be prepared and then they will call out your order from behind the counter. If you order to go, it will be nicely packaged in a brown paper bag. Otherwise, it will be on a tray.They regularly change the wifi password to reduce non customers from clogging it. If you want the password, just ask them and they will show you it clearly written down. It's almost always an easy and memorable password related to coffee.FOOD:I love love love the BLT here. I find myself craving it and will purposely go to this cafe specifically for the BLT. Next time I go, I will find and add a picture of it here.All of their coffee options are good and they offer non-dairy alternatives and decaf options. I've had the chai, the cider, the Vietnamese coffee, and the Italian Soda, and would recommend any of them.If you order the Italian Soda, they have large range of flavors to choose from. I've always gotten the strawberry, but maybe I'll try another sometime. Similarly, they can also modify your coffee to have flavorings like vanilla.Finally, my girlfriend loves Vietnamese coffee, and we've been looking for a french roast we can use at home. We buy the french roast they have here! They can be bought as beans or, if you have no way of grinding them, they can grind them for you. One bag has lasted us pretty long and makes a strong, delicious Vietnamese coffee for us in the morning.
Staff is very friendly and wonderful. Club sandwich on ciabatta is freaking delicious I would eat it every day if I could.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Laura Peterson
They don’t accept Amex and the people upfront aren’t very friendly. There’s way better options to have coffee in the area.
George B. “Diogenese' heir” Wolffsohn
The people who run the place are very friendly, efficient and remember their customers' preferences.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Danielle Barnett
The breakfast sandwiches we got were delicious. We also had an iced coffee and it was okay. They had some sugar free options and multiple cream options which was nice. The pecan bars were to die for so make sure you get one! ?
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ole P
Coffee is good, though it’s not cheap. Inside it’s nice, though no seating outside. They close really early — at 4 pm, so onlygood for mornings. They should stay open later.
This is your corner bagel shop and cafe.The decor is spare and the chairs are slightly worn and comfortable to sit in. Surrounded by windows, it’s a good place to sit and watch people and traffic. Not too loud with good background white noise- it’s great to work, and seating is flexible for medium sized groups.Coffee is decent. Bagel sandwiches are good. Prices are average for Berkeley. Also pastries and stuff.The friendly owner is ALWAYS there and if you come in a few times he’ll probably remember your order. The clientele is an eclectic mix of Cal students, construction workers from nearby projects, locals, and an “eclectic” Berkeley crowd. Also occasional families with young kids.Basically, Royal Grounds is the kind of unpretentious place you can drop into, come-as-you-are, for a coffee, bagel, and chill for awhile. A kind of stoic non-judgemental sanctuary to refuel, recharge, and go about your day.Your regular corner stop bagel shop ?Kid-friendliness: Wide open space. Good background noise. Friendly service.Wheelchair accessibility: Very roomy. Concrete floors and tables you can roll right up to.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Breakfast Sandwich
Best spot in Downtown berkeley to sit and enjoy coffee or an Italian soda while you catch up with family or friends. Delicious variety of sandwiches and desserts.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Breakfast Sandwich, White Mocha Frappe, Bacon Egg Cheese & Ham
Royal Ground is my neighborhood coffee place. It's the perfect place to have a nice coffee or a pastry or sandwich, and people- watch thanks to the big picture windows facing Channing Way, and Shattuck Avenue. The proprietors are friendly and make great neighbors.They stuck it out through the pandemic, where a lot of other businesses gave up. My favorite drink there is the chai latte. Delicious!Vegetarian options: I believe you can get good vegetarian sandwiches, also croissants and pastries.Kid-friendliness: I've seen families with children there enjoying the food and a friendly atmosphere.Wheelchair accessibility: It's easy to get in by wheelchair, and there's room to navigate inside.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Very friendly at the register. Got the number five and a large house coffee with soy milk. Sandwich was hot and tasty. Coffee was very good as well. Perfect stop to grab a bite without a long wait. Will definitely be
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Breakfast Sandwich
I bought a simple cheese bagel with plain cream cheese. Half of my bagel wasn’t even covered in cream cheese, definitely was disappointed. I know it’s not the end of the world but I would’ve been better off just buying a bagel with no CC.
Stopped and had a great brewed coffee here. It looks like a family owned business. Plenty of space and plenty of seating to read, write, study. With everything that is happening in Berkeley cafes and businesses on Shattuck it is great to see a cafe out here for the community.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 5
The staff was very courteous and respectful. I love the environment and feel.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great place to enjoy some tea and to work via WiFi.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spinach Quiche, Everything Bagel
A BLT and a 20oz coke shouldn't be $17.65 after tax. Or should it? I could have had Pad Thai or Hawaiian BBQ down the street!! Ugh.
TL;DR: Wi-Fi, outlets, tables, open until 4 most daysI am a regular at Royal Ground Coffee and love studying here, so I thought I'd give my review an update.AMBIANCE:Royal Ground is down Shattuck. Despite being next to a street with a lot of foot traffic and car traffic, it is never too noisy or full for me to enjoy myself. There are always a few patrons, but I haven't had any issue finding a spot to study.Some of the tables are a little wobbly, but they're easily avoidable. Many of the tables are near outlets, and I've never run into an issue charging my laptop. The tables are always clean.SERVICE: The owners of the cafe are very friendly and polite. You order at the register and they will take your card to tap it so there isn't really a chance to tip with a credit card. I like to tip whenever I go to a coffee shop and plan to stay awhile so I bring cash when I remember. After taking your order, it will be prepared and then they will call out your order from behind the counter. If you order to go, it will be nicely packaged in a brown paper bag. Otherwise, it will be on a tray.They regularly change the wifi password to reduce non customers from clogging it. If you want the password, just ask them and they will show you it clearly written down. It's almost always an easy and memorable password related to coffee.FOOD:I love love love the BLT here. I find myself craving it and will purposely go to this cafe specifically for the BLT. Next time I go, I will find and add a picture of it here.All of their coffee options are good and they offer non-dairy alternatives and decaf options. I've had the chai, the cider, the Vietnamese coffee, and the Italian Soda, and would recommend any of them.If you order the Italian Soda, they have large range of flavors to choose from. I've always gotten the strawberry, but maybe I'll try another sometime. Similarly, they can also modify your coffee to have flavorings like vanilla.Finally, my girlfriend loves Vietnamese coffee, and we've been looking for a french roast we can use at home. We buy the french roast they have here! They can be bought as beans or, if you have no way of grinding them, they can grind them for you. One bag has lasted us pretty long and makes a strong, delicious Vietnamese coffee for us in the morning.
Restaurantji Recommends
Staff is very friendly and wonderful. Club sandwich on ciabatta is freaking delicious I would eat it every day if I could.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
They don’t accept Amex and the people upfront aren’t very friendly. There’s way better options to have coffee in the area.
The people who run the place are very friendly, efficient and remember their customers' preferences.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The breakfast sandwiches we got were delicious. We also had an iced coffee and it was okay. They had some sugar free options and multiple cream options which was nice. The pecan bars were to die for so make sure you get one! ?
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Coffee is good, though it’s not cheap. Inside it’s nice, though no seating outside. They close really early — at 4 pm, so onlygood for mornings. They should stay open later.