Simply Bold Cafe | Boutique | Bookstore

I’ve been to Bold Cafe twice in the past week, and I just had to leave a review because the experience has been consistently amazing.

Both times, two different baristas made my drink exactly as I asked—perfectly customized, which honestly is rare to find. But what stood out even more was the energy… the friendliness, the genuine kindness, and the positive attitude from the team.

You can truly feel the culture that’s been created here, and it says so much about the leadership behind it. It’s not just a great place to grab a drink—it’s a place that feels good to walk into.

Highly recommend if you’re in West Reading 🤍Jen L

Great people, great food, great coffee!! Also love the book shop! We have bought books for my husband and I and our two month old already this year. We stop in for the specialty coffee all the time. The owner and the baristas are fabulous. Overall wonderful!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Five stars all around! I come here for every event they host and also every saturday! May I also mention how attractive the staff is 💁‍♀️

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

A highly recommended experience. The coffee is excellent, the atmosphere is very pleasant, and the service is incredible. It is definitely a perfect place to relax and enjoy a good cup of coffee. I'll be back soon!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The breakfast sandwich was obviously microwaved with a frozen sausage patty (see photo), and the “delicious bagels” advertised were clearly basic store-bought bagels. Nothing about it felt fresh or made in-house.

What made it worse picking my plate up from a back counter area where no one was visible and the “kitchen” was… not really a kitchen. The thought of microwaved eggs and sausage being assembled out of sight in that setup was honestly off-putting.

Charging café prices for what amounts to reheated grocery store ingredients is disappointing and quite frankly frustrating when you’re intentionally trying to support a small business.

The caramel macchiato and smoothie were average. Nothing special, nothing memorable, and definitely not worth the price point.

If you’re going to market yourself as a quality café, the food needs to reflect that. I’ve had better, more satisfying breakfasts at Wawa — at least there you know exactly what you’re paying for and how it’s prepared.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 4

absolutely adored my visit here! customer service was very kind and timely. the food was amazing. i got the GOAT breakfast sandwich and an iced vanilla chai. it was the best chai latte i’ve had so far! the sandwich was so flavorful. the atmosphere was so cozy and welcoming. other guests there were even kind to us. great for small group hangouts (we had 4 in our group), and for cute pictures and a great bite! will definitely be coming back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great vibe, friendly staff and awesome coffee. The place has plenty of cozy seating with views of the quaint Penn street happenings. And when you are done with your coffee and yummy breakfast sandwiches, go upstairs for the eclectic giftshop and cool book store. The owner is also warm and friendly and always improving the place. My favorite spot to meet with friends and hang out for hours.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Quaint and cozy cafe with a lot of nooks and crannies. A perfect spot for a coffee date or an hour or two of remote work.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Such a neat spot. It was my first time visiting Reading and I’m so happy we ended up coming here! Hands down the best matcha I’ve ever had! It was soo good. I looove the setup of The cafe, bookstore and boutique all in one. Loved shopping, chatting with the owner, and checking out the variety of books. Also, For the locals in the area, There’s always events going on and a monthly book club!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

My sister went to the cafe yesterday with her friend and got food poisoning from an avocado toast with egg. She was driving home when she said she felt dizzy and had to pull over to throw up. I feel obligated to report this to the staff/owner so that proper cooking procedure be executed in the future. Unfortunately, no one answered the phone and the voicemail box was full, so I had no recourse but to write a review. Especially after spending $20 on breakfast, we are quite upset.

Food: 1

Service: 1

Gorgeous and homely place for a cup of Joe and studying, working or chatting away. The bookshop is a small, well curated collection clearly handpicked with love and devotion. The Franklin Lloyd Wright-esque window patterns are a classy touch.

Unfortunately, my coffee tasted extremely bitter and tasteless and was basically undrinkable.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 4

Great staff and environment-positive, lively, creative vibe and recently highlighted in Berks County Living’s “8 Cozy Cafes to Visit in Berks” - congrats - well deserved!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Cafe Bold is a cozy, comfortable and warm place. One can hang out there and do work (they have several small seating areas and internet access). Coffee and food are good.

Two minor gripes. No Splenda, and coffee is by default served in paper cups rather than china, even if one has it in house. I feel like for such a place, the default in house serving option should be china or glass, not paper.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Love this place but unfortunately even if you buy food and other drinks they will not provide you with water, you must buy it bottles from them.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3

Came here for two iced coffees. Service was fast and the staff was friendly. Will come back here next time I visit Reading.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5