Exploring the Bay Area

  Jaffa Coffee Roasters Jaffa Coffee Roasters is a proudly family-owned Berkeley cafe that specializes in the kind of intricate and delightful drinks and pastries that are impressively beautiful and tasty. It combines a modern aesthetic with a warm and friendly attitude, and the result is a smooth and enjoyable cafe visit, one that rivals even the nicest of the other coffee shops in Berkeley.  They are especially known for their seasonal specialty drinks; they rotate out many delicious, beautiful, and fascinating coffee and tea drink combinations, and they also sell a variety of professionally made, interesting pastries that taste incredible. Jaffa Coffee Roasters is famous among Berkeley coffee and tea lovers for its quality and unique touches; lovers of baked goods won't find themselves disappointed here either.   Jaffa Coffee Roasters is the kind of place I like to frequent; it has a sophisticated feel that isn't aloof, and it manages to be cozy even as it is upsc...

Dos Corazones Cafe Dos Corazones Cafe is a small cafe on a corner in Emeryville that will blow your mind. Offering delicious empanadas, pastries, and coffee, it’s a great place to grab a quick bite or refreshment. You can order from the cashier or kiosk at the front. They offer outdoor and indoor seating, plus takeout, and everything is reasonably priced. The empanadas come warmed in a bread-like but crispy toasted pocket, stamped with their flavor. I tried the ham and cheese empanada, which was stuffed with gooey, enchanting melted cheese and thick and savory chunks of ham. It was less than $7, but it was gone quickly because of its very addictive quality! I also was fascinated by the pastries being offered and ultimately indulged in a cherry turnover, which was a real steal at $3.5! It was absolutely delicious—flaky, sugary, and sweet in all the best of ways. It was light and airy and easy to inhale. To go with my morning snack, I also tried a hot vanilla latte. It was a solid latte,...

  Cocola Bakery Cafe Cocola Bakery Cafe, near the Stanford medical campus in Redwood City, is the perfect place for a quiet morning outing on your own or with a friend. This small bakery and cafe in Redwood City has an exquisite selection of baked goods, sandwiches, ice cream, and espresso/tea drinks; it may look small, but it offers all that and maybe more!   Walking up to the cafe, you notice its small size and cute eating area. Faintly at first, the smell of buttery baked goods and freshly ground coffee wafts toward you. And when you finally enter, you will see a wide and colorful display of baked goods on display. They also have a laminated copy of the sandwich menu by the cashier and a coffee/tea/drink menu mounted on the wall behind. There are so many options that it’s practically a sensory overload.   In addition to an impressive assortment of goodies, this bakery has a room for indoor seating and a small patio outside (which is perfect for Bay Area weather, even i...

Caffe Strada Caffe Strada is a popular cafe on the UC Berkeley campus with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating as well as a large capacity for to-go orders. Open from 6 am to midnight, this cafe is the perfect place to stop, snack, or study at almost any hour. People come to get a coffee or snack, work alone, or meet with other students socially or for classwork. The environment is very conducive to all these activities; people come here, and they come often. The staff here can whip up an iced vanilla latte (or almost any other order) in no time! The service here is extremely speedy. Almost as soon as I ordered, I was holding my drink. This near-superpower for speed helps the cafe quickly serve a large crowd of customers, mostly busy students. The line is usually long, but the wait time is still relatively short because they work so quickly. Customers rotate through the cafe quickly, with some staying in the spacious eating area for a while and others leaving immediately with their or...

  Lox Stock and Bagel Lox Stock and Bagel is a commonly overlooked cafe in Berkeley that deserves more attention. Open Monday through Friday from 8 to 3, this small cafe is just off the beaten path and has been around for more than 30 years, serving breakfast, coffee, brunch, and lunch. From bagels to waffles to sandwiches, this cafe has many affordable, delicious options. The menu with prices is mounted on the wall. There’s plenty of variety and no surprises when it comes to price. It’s not a large cafe, but it still has that spacious feel, and the tables aren’t too close together. It appears bright and sunny on the inside, and although the prices are low, the service is surprisingly enthusiastic and quick. Customers circulate in and out of this pleasant dining area, but I still think the high quality and low prices could draw an even bigger crowd if more people knew about it. It’s not all about bagels and lox, although you can find them on the menu. It’s also a great place to get...

Tanzie's As someone who loves to eat out and blog about it, I've been to a lot of restaurants in the area, but I'm not sure I have ever experienced a restaurant as enchanting and fascinating as Tanzie's; this one was truly unique and memorable. From the second I walked in until the second I walked out, I was captivated and enthralled by the ambiance of the dining room, which is painted a magical light green and decorated with real plants and flowers, and the exoticism yet wide appeal of the menu options, which stay true only to Northern Thai cuisine, all the while remaining beautiful and elaborate, proving themselves worthy of being served at such an exquisitely decorated restaurant.   Tanzie's is a beautiful but small restaurant with limited seating. It employs a staff so enthusiastic and polite that the entire small business gives off homey, welcoming vibes. The staff not only rotate efficiently between the tables in the dining room, but they also seem to know the...