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...

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 ...

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, ...

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...

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...

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...

Cupcakin' Bake Shop These are more than just your regular cupcakes and cookies! They are made specially to be the most exquisite and creative take on cakes, cupcakes, and cookies that you will ever encounter.  Entering the shop, you will see an assortment of cupcakes and cookies arranged neatly behind the glass. You will notice a variety of colors and many original flavors.  Each cupcake is a work of art, crafted out of fine ingredients and made with a recipe that is moist, yet airy and fluffy. Each one has a buttercream frosting that is decadent yet attractive. Admire it in all its beauty before biting in--and see if you can resist devouring the entire creation in seconds!  The store has some vegan and gluten-free items in its selection for those who have dietary restrictions.  It also sells day-old and two-day-old cupcakes at a discount.  Cupcakin' Bake Shop has multiple locations all over the Bay Area and takes orders online. BERKELEY - TELEGRAPH 2391 Telegra...