Exploring the Bay Area

Cafenated Coffee Located on Vine near the corner with Shattuck, Cafenated Coffee has stripped-down modern appearance and in and outdoor seating. It has its own laid back personality that goes well with the simple modern interior and the peaceful music played on the speakers. The space is a great place to work or meet because it’s peaceful, organized, and there is no rush to finish. Walking by Cafenated Coffee, it appears to be a small shop with a little bit of seating I front, but if you enter, you will find it extends a fair distance back. It even has a large patio behind with a more peaceful seating. I consider it to be a hidden oasis in the middle of Berkeley for studying, meeting, working, or just relaxing. When you enter, you can order and pay a cashier at the counter, or you can use the self-service kiosk. The service is good, and your order will be ready shortly. There is also a takeout option, which for some reason costs 25 cents or so more. This coffee shop features most of th...

  Bench Cafe Bench Cafe is a simple cafe that serves only coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and pastries in its very small shop. Upon entering, you will see a small spiral staircase leading upstairs and a brightly lit, small room with limited seating. When I came, two baristas were working diligently behind a counter. In the way of coffee, they serve a house drip, an au lait, a cappuccino, a latte, an espresso, a macchiato, and a cortado. In the way of tea, they serve Persian Rose, Persian Black, Berber, Dream, Azul, and iced tea. They also offer specialty beverages, including banana cream ice coffee, banana cream chai, matcha latte, mocha, chai latte, hot chocolate, cold brew, and golden milk latte. There was also an assortment of pastries like cookies, muffins, and scones along the counter.  The prices are not listed on the menu, but they are what you would expect from a coffee shop in this area. I decided I would like to try the banana cream iced coffee because it was an interes...

Espresso Roma Cafe Open daily from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm, this cafe is a great place to start your day or stop by and grab a bite. There is an impressive coffee menu and an impressive food menu. It is a cross between a coffee shop and a casual dining restaurant.   When you walk in, you might be overwhelmed by the number of options, which include eggs, sandwiches, soups, burgers, breakfast burritos, and salads as well as a variety of coffee and tea options. They also have a juice bar and an assortment of sodas.  When you finally choose, you can place your order at the counter, where they will ring you up and accept your payment. They will either prepare your order on the spot or give you a number to put on you table. After that, you can be seated. This cafe has lots of seating. The majority of the seating is outdoors, most of which is under a veranda. There is also a small lounge and eating area inside. The vanilla latte (pictured above) was fabulous. The coffee flavor was deep a...

Dessert N Spice This cute little bakery can be found along University Avenue in Berkeley. The bakery is not large, so there are only about three tables and a few more stools along the bar against the wall. It's a nice place to stop for or pick up a sweet treat. Entering the bakery, you will see sunlight streaming through the big windows and three big glass cases illuminated by bright lights. Inside these cases are premium pastries like specialty cakes, muffins, baklava, croissants, cookies, and macaroons. Each one looks like a work of art.  They also serve caffeinated beverages. They have an americano, a caramel macchiato, a latte, a caramel latte, a dark mocha, a white chocolate mocha, steamed milk, hot chocolate, and chai tea. They also have a selection of canned sodas.  When you have decided which of the pastries you want from behind the glass, you can order and pay at the counter, where they accept contactless payment. The service is very good; the people are polite, and ...

Way Station Brew Way Station Brew is a dark and mysterious restaurant, cafe, and beer garden. It is decorated in dark colors and dimly lit, with jazzy instrumentals playing in the background. Half the walls are dark red exposed brick; the other half are painted a dark teal that seems to absorb the light, leaving the room with a dark appearance. There are two black leather sofas, a black leather booth running along one wall, and several black leather bar stools, some at the high-top tables and some along the bar. Both of the long walls are adorned with bright, colorful, modern art displayed on them, adding some childish personality to this mysterious den.  The door opens to Dwight Avenue. The storefront has windows that overlook the street. Upon entry, you will see a piano pushed up against one of the walls, and beyond it, a lounge area, and even beyond that,  a small bar.  Behind the bar, you will see an espresso station that extends for the length of the restaurant on t...

  Gold Bean Cafe Gold Bean Cafe is a great environment to sit and work. The wifi is free, fast, and reliable. People tend to talk quietly or sit alone working on their own projects. The speakers play pleasant Latin pop at a medium volume that I found actually helped me focus on my own work on my computer.  The entire cafe has a clean and modern feel. The black and white design is simple yet elegant. It is not a large cafe, but it has an ample amount of seating indoors and outdoors. The outdoor seats have some nice umbrellas to guard them from the sun. When I came in, I studied the menu, which is displayed on the screens above the counter. This cafe serves some interesting breakfast options, like breakfast sandwiches, bagels, and avocado toast. For lunch, they serve a variety of sandwich and panini options. They even had some delicious-looking fruit smoothies, juice, and lemonade, as well as some pastries on display in the glass case on the counter.  But their specialty wa...

Penelope's Coffee and Tea Walking into Penelope's Coffee and Tea is like entering a serene oasis in the middle of the city. The coffee shop is pristine and immaculate with clean white marble tile along the wall, wood tables, black chairs, wood-like linoleum on the floors, and a pop of blue from the wall supports, the sofas, the cups, and the logo. A pleasant tune plays on the loudspeakers. You order and pay at the counter. Then you find your seat in this comfortable cafe. The service is friendly and fast, so they will have your order shortly. The prices are typical for a coffee shop in the Bay Area. The menu is on televisions mounted behind the cashier, and you can find a printed copy in front of the cashier. Penelope's Coffee and Tea has an extensive menu of typical and interesting coffee beverages and a variety of breakfast dishes.  They have hot and iced Greek coffee, available in standard, white mocha, or mocha. They also serve a Freddo cappuccino and Freddo espresso, ...

Helacio's Deli and Cafe Helacio's is a small cafe and deli on Sacramento Street that serves a wide variety of options. This includes pastries, breakfast burritos, sandwiches, salads, paninis, soup, coffee, fresh juice, smoothies, and ice cream. The entire menu is displayed either on the chalkboards on the wall behind the counter, on signs posted along the counter, or in the glass cases that make up part of the barrier between the kitchen and the rest of the restaurant.  You order and pay at the register at the counter. They accept credit card and contactless pay. Almost as soon as you place your order, they will begin preparing you food or beverage. The service is relatively quick, even when it's crowded. The environment is very comfy. The entire restaurant is painted in soothing shades of brown, ranging from a cute orangish brown to a light tan. They have some cute and funky decorations that add intrigue to their shop, including a Super Mario-themed knick-knack on top of ...

The Coffee Hut This coffee shop is more like an outdoor coffee stand than a conventional coffee shop. Located along busy Shattuck Avenue in downtown Berkeley, this small "hut" is just big enough for one barista to prepare and sell drinks and snacks. This small building stands erect along the sidewalk. It has no indoor seating, but it is surrounded by some nice outdoor seating.  Outside in downtown Berkeley can be a very nice to stop and enjoy a caffeinated beverage. This so-called "hut" sits along Shattuck Avenue in front of a popular ice cream shop and a popular sandwich place, near the Bart station, and across the street from Target, making it a great place to people watch. Sometimes this place even attracts buskers.  It is also a good place to grab a beverage or snack and continue on your journey through downtown Berkeley. Everything is served in to-go cups and can be taken to go.  It may look like it is just a simple stand, but it sells a wide selection of coff...

Olympus Caffe and Bakery Nestled in downtown Mountain View on Castro Street is one of the Bay Area's best kept secrets: Olympus Caffe and Bakery, the Turkish- and Greek-inspired Mediterranean cafe. This restaurant serves fascinating Mediterranean dishes alongside dishes that are more common in this culture, ensuring that there is something for everyone. This is a sit-down restaurant where you order and pay at the counter, and then they give you a number to take with you to your table. When the food is ready, they will bring it to you. There are some tables indoors and some outdoors; you can pick what you prefer. If you sit outdoors, you may witness some live music or other entertainment on Castro Street.  One of their main specialties is their espresso bar. They have a wonderfully extensive selection of coffee and tea beverages, including lattes, mochas, and americanos, some hot and some iced. Unique to this shop are the options of Turkish coffee and Turkish tea. Every time I drin...

Caffe Chiave Caffe Chiave is a cute and homey Italian cafe overlooking San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley. The interior design has clearly been influenced by Italian style. Its design utilizes warm-colored wood and dark red trim, a color scheme that reminds the visitor that this is an Italian cafe. The cafe is not particularly large; it holds only about twenty small tables. This gives it a cozy feel. The speakers play instrumental music that sounds so Italian that it adds to the ambiance.  When you enter, you order and pay at a long wooden counter that bends slightly to conform to the shape of the room. It turns into a glass case showcasing beautiful cake, pies, and other artistically crafted sweets, and then a counter where you can get condiments and water. Behind that counter, you can see them make your order right then and there. You can hear the food sizzling as it is carefully prepared. Caffe Chiave serves as both a coffee shop and a restaurant. They sell coffee (including house dri...

Blue Bottle Coffee Walking into Blue Bottle Coffee, I was taken aback by it aesthetic appeal. I noticed that it was brightly lit by warm-toned electric lights and by daylight streaming through the storefront windows. Everything was immaculate, and on top of that, the entire cafe was sleek and modern. The gorgeously modern design featured clean white walls and counters, invitingly warm tones of wood paneling, and a pop of blue on the menu. Blue Bottle Coffee is an ideal place to sit and work. It's bright, comfortable, and beautiful. Free wifi is provided, and it is pretty quiet. Simple repetitive music plays just loudly enough to mask the noise of the baristas working in the kitchen and the sound of everyone else working. The seating is set up on stools along long white-surfaced tables, creating a great environment to focus on your laptop or whatever else you have to do. The menu isn't particularly extensive; this restaurant has a toned down menu to match their minimalist desig...

Royal Ground Coffee Royal Ground Coffee is a chain that operates in the San Francisco Bay Area. They sell a variety of pastries, coffee, tea, espresso, and hot chocolate drinks as well as a menu of twenty sandwiches, some that appear to be breakfast sandwiches (like #1, bacon, egg, cheese, and sausage or ham, which I tried), and some that you would think of more as lunch sandwiches (like the #16 the BLT or #19 turkey pastrami).  The inside of the shop has a spacious feel. The tables are spaced out and big enough to eat at. You order and pay at the counter, and then you sit and wait at your table for them to complete making your order. Meanwhile, you can talk with the people you came with (the spaciousness of the restaurant makes all the conversations feel very private), or you can log in to their free wifi.  There were lots of options when it came to coffee, but I eventually opted for an iced vanilla latte. They used a good amount of milk, and it was very sweet, but not overp...

Berkeley Espresso Berkeley Espresso is a nice place to stay for a while. The coffee shop is painted in warm, soothing tones. The windows let sunlight in and allow visitors to watch the normal action outside in downtown Berkeley. The speakers play comforting classical favorites at a low volume. They even have free wifi and half-price refills. Berkeley Espresso provides quite a few options when it comes to espresso drinks. They have lattes, white and regular mochas, cafe au laits, capuccinos, americanos, and espressos. All of these can be made with your choice of milk or sweetening syrup.  I have personally tried a vanilla syrup latte, a mocha, and a white mocha. Each time, I found myself very satisfied with the flavor. The underlying coffee flavor was only a tad intense, not too intense but certainly not bland. The added flavoring gave the drink character and intrigue.  The menu doesn't stop there. It also has other coffee and tea beverages. There is also an organic house blen...

My Coffee Roastery Located on the corner of Martin Luther King and Addison, this quaint little coffee shop resembles a cottage surrounded by a small eating area.  This coffee shop has a limited menu, sticking mostly to the basics. For example, they have espresso beverages, americanos, lattes, cappuccinos, mochas, cold brews, pour overs, matcha, chai, and hojicha lattes, and tea.  However, they have some more exotic options, like a lemon blossom latte, an orange blossom latte, an affogato, and a "fluffy," which consists of a double shot of espresso and cream soda.  Their coffee has a distinct flavor. It is smooth, light and bright--not too bitter or sharp in taste. Like the ambiance of the coffee shop itself, it is mellow and calm.  My Coffee Roastery also features a small selection of delicious sweets. They have croissants, muffins, waffles, cookies, and cake. Like the coffee, the sweets are carefully created for the maximum tastiness. This is a great place to stop ...

Coupa Cafe Coupa Cafe is famous in the South Bay for being a cross between a quality coffee shop and a proper sit-down restaurant. Coupa Cafe proudly serves coffee, pastries, smoothies, desserts, and full-fledged breakfast options alongside salads, crepes, paninis, wraps, and burgers. It delivers expertly-made food and drink items for an inexpensive price and welcomes guests to use the tables for as long as they like, There's a lot I could say about this restaurant, but simply put, it is a fantastic place to choose to visit. The food and beverages are yummy. The prices are competitive. Their tables make a great place to eat, drink, or meet, and Coupa is a restaurant that does its best for the community and the environment. It's even part of the South Bay culture by now, a place favorited by Silicon Valley executives and common folks as well.  Coupa Cafe has been family owned since 2004 and is a shop bursting with personality. They take real pride in what they do, as they serve...

Peet's Coffee Peet's Coffee is a national chain with a real stronghold in the Bay Area. I debated whether to review it on my blog about the Bay Area, but ultimately decided that Peet's is an integral part of the Bay Area's coffee culture.  Peet's is a chain that residents of the Bay Area frequent because it has consistent quality you can count on for a price you can afford. Peet's can corner the market on a simple yet winning formula for making espresso drinks and small bites. The beverages are handcrafted by carefully trained baristas, yet elegantly simple in their recipes; the coffee tastes like what you would expect a good cup of coffee to taste like. You can customize your Peet's experience, but in the end, you will end up with a finished product with the signature Peet's taste, a very typical but yummy blend.  The pastry selection is what you would expect to see at a coffee shop. Everything is baked properly with an emphasis on appearance and taste...

  Bandit This small restaurant and coffee shop, located in the Dogpatch region, is a wonderful find. It opens early in the morning every day (7:00 am to 2:00 pm on Monday and Tuesday, 7:00 am to 8:00 pm Wednesday to Friday, and 7:30 am to 8:00 pm on the weekend), so it has become one of my favorite places to grab a quick breakfast when I am in the area. The restaurant serves some nice breakfast items like breakfast sandwiches and breakfast burritos, but their  entire menu, including their lunch sandwiches and burgers, are also available all day. I like to get their cheeseburger, which is made with American Kobe beef and Tillamook cheddar cheese. The service is lightning quick. The prices are relatively low, and the food tastes wonderful.

Purple Onion Cafe If you are ever in Los Gatos and are looking to grab a quick but satisfying bite, this is a great place to stop! Open daily from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, this cute little cafe has something on its menu for almost everyone. This shop has an impressive coffee menu that includes espresso, americano, macchiatos, cappuccinos, lattes, cafe au laits, mochas, drip coffees, matcha lattes, chai lattes, and hot chocolates. You can add oat milk, almond milk, half and half, and a variety of simple syrups/flavors. Their coffee is masterfully handcrafted with lots of care and love.  I tried their mocha and was blown away by the superbness! The drink was warm with a thick, velvety texture. It was sweet, but not too sweet; it had a subtle but noticeable chocolate flavor. There also an enticing selection of sweets in their glass case. These baked goods include cookies, croissants, coffee cakes, muffins, and brownies. These sweets are not just your basic sweets; they have a sophisticate...

Cafe Etoile Cafe Etoile is a charmingly small cafe that takes a fascinating spin on French and Korean cuisine. It is a hidden gem that you will find if you explore Berkeley carefully enough.  It is both a coffee shop and a sit-down restaurant; they serve coffee and pastries but also full-on meals. You order and pay at the counter and then sit down and wait. You can watch them create your order in their small kitchen, or your can turn your attention to your laptop, the people you came with, or one of their televisions.  The coffee at Cafe Etoile is very good. They have hot and iced brewed options, mochas, lattes, and even affogatos with a choice of different flavored syrups. In my opinion, their lattes and mochas have a very good amount of milk and sweetness, and the bitterness of the coffee cuts the sweetness of the flavoring perfectly.  The pastries are fantastic! They make wonderful small snacks, side dishes, and/or desserts. They have lovely croissants, muffins, and sc...