Best coffee place around downtown Berkeley. Good cappuccinos and good lattes. I love sandwiches there, the best! read more

This review is for the coffee only. Came in for a latte - service was quick and friendly. The coffee was great and I wondered if they have bags of the beans on sale. I initially got my coffee to have in store, but needed to head out quickly and the barista was kind enough to pour my coffee into a to go cup. They did have a selection of baked goods, but I didn't have a chance to sample them. Come here for the coffee if nothing else! read more

See all

My personal favorite spot to study in Berkeley. They open early and close late everyday and every holiday (even opens on Christmas), so this has been my togo place during holidays and late afternoons. They have a lot of outlets, which is not as common in other coffee places. I have also noticed that many elderly customers would stay to read, play games, or chat. Everyone is doing their own things in a very chill environment. They also plays classic music in the background which I thought it's kinda funny but cool. The food here is ok. I like their coffee because it taste stronger and more smoky (?) than other places. They also have all kinds of tea and several basic pastries. They do provide sandwiches and bagles for meals, but I agree they are not the best sandwich / bagles in the town. But I mostly come here to study, not to enjoy their food. The drinks have been fine for me, so I am completely ok with it. P.S. The baristas / servers here are interesting. They look serious and not smiling, even a little intimidating. So I was a little bothered at first. But then I found that 1) they are like this everyday all year long and to everyone; 2) They are hardworking and constantly busy with cleaning, taking orders, making drinks, taking away empty dishes, etc. 3) They never actually give me any attitude and doing great at their work, and if you ask for help, they will immediately help you out or answer your question. So yeah. I think that's pretty cool. read more

I love this place....The coffee, space, and people are top tier!! Please visit if you are in the area! The prices are moderate, and it is a local coffee shop, which is a bonus!! read more

Berkeley Espresso has the best ambience, atmosphere to location to grab a bite to eat. One of my favorite cafes in Berkeley. The McLaughlin coffee is the best. So traditional and smooth. Very fitting for a town as chaotic and at times stressful as Berkeley. Coffee, Tea, food and snacks. Original favorites with nostalgic vibes from the 1950's only 20 years young this cafe rocks! Shout out to barista Louis, let's go Giants! read more

Berkeley Espresso - Uno cafecito, por favor. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

Came here on a Thursday afternoon, not too busy to order but there were a lot of people studying inside! Very cozy and open, not stuffy at all. Staff were very friendly and efficient! We got our orders within 5 mins! We were both craving a Frappuccino, so we got a white mocha (right on pic) and reg mocha (left) both with soy milk. They have one sub milk option, which is soy. It was pretty good, and frothy on top. Also the perfect amount of sweetness (not intensely sweet but not too bitter either)! Overall, great price for coffee ($5)! I would come back for a study session and try their seasonal options! read more

Berkeley Espresso - Blended Frappuccino - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

Middle of the road coffee shop. Lots of tables to study and meet with friends. I always get the chai and it is solid. Service is fast and staff is friendly. read more

This was my first time at this coffee shop as we were visiting Berkeley. I love visiting local spots. This seem to be a very popular destination a lot of patrons on laptops and enjoying coffee they had pastries, not much for gluten-free but everything else I had an iced coffee With sugar-free vanilla and half-and-half. It was a good coffee. read more

See all

What a great friendly place! They have inside and outside seating with a super chill vibe. The staff is friendly and funny. I love that! We ordered a cappuccino and matcha latte to drink. They are both top quality products. Love when I can taste the true matcha flavor! Their pastries are satisfying but wouldn't write home about it. read more

Berkeley Espresso - Iced matcha latte and cappuccino - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

Good , solid space to do work at. There is coffe and sweet traits. There is a bathroom and charging port .

Perfect work café. It's not too loud, there's enough space to be productive for hours, and the vibe is genuinely cozy. Staff is 10/10, coffee is elite, and the sandwiches are reliably good. Great spot to post up. read more

Stopped in on a Friday afternoon for a snack and got a maple walnut scone. It was flavorful and crumbly, just what a scone should be. And only about $3! The guy working was very nice. There are lots of tables and outlets, plenty of people working while others chatted or read. All in all a good ambiance. read more

The bagel was much needed and really good. However, my boyfriend and I stumbled in to this place and I usually don't just walk into places without looking it up because I've had bad experiences. But, my boyfriend wanted to so I guess here we are. I ordered an oat milk lavender latte and he ordered a Thai tea latte. My latte was DROWNED in the lavender syrup. No kidding it took up 1/4 of the cup. The espresso tasted fine, but too much of the lavender syrup overpowered everything and was too sweet and gave me a headache. The guy at the front that took our order was lowkey kinda rude too. When my latte came out, he didn't even acknowledge my order. I'm giving 3 because my boyfriend for some reason liked this place and my bagel was much needed. But that latte was $7 and was thrown away. Just bad. read more

I looked up the coffee shop on Yelp before visiting, specifically to search for a cafe that is ideal for students studying or people wanting to get some work done from their laptops. I thought I found one... and perhaps it is usually that kind of cafe, being in close proximity to UC Berkeley. I ordered a cappuccino and it wasn't amazing, but it was a standard cappuccino. I was pretty disappointed in the ambiance though. It didn't really feel like a "special" or ideal coffee shop in the sense that it provides that sort of atmosphere for studious students and academics. It felt like any other coffee shop these days, unfortunately. There was no working wifi, or my laptop couldn't connect to it for some reason. To be fair, I noticed there were a few persons who might be regulars, in that sense... read more

Best Ever service, I had a iced white mocha and it tastes amazing! The vibe is really calm and definitely will come again, and i recommend this place to anyone in the Bay Area!! , I also really recommend this place to study since the vibe is very calm and quiet! read more

Berkeley Espresso - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

I go to this cafe often as it's by campus, and I love everything i've tried so far! The coffee, pastries, bagels, and egg sandwiches are all great and reasonably priced (my favorite are their mochas). The baristas are super friendly as well and the service and ambience of the place is great. Highly recommend :) read more

love the ambiance and the selection was nice! will definitely be coming back again since it's so close to Berkeley Way West! Service was also amazing and super kind! read more

Berkeley Espresso - medium iced mocha with soy milk! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

Awesome place to study at. Love the classical music. The egg English muffin sandwich is a great deal!!

Quick Summary - Plenty of chairs and tables to sit - Coffee isn't sour I was attracted to the coffee place by its name and also the delicious coffee pictures that appeared in this account's photo. Although I would have wanted to try the white mocha, for the first round I decided to order my usual latte. My relative ordered the mocha. We both ate a large meal before visiting here, so we weren't looking for snacks to fill up. The latte was delicious; it was my type of coffee. The bitterness was comforting and there was no sourness in each sip. The temperature was perfect too, piping hot the whole way. There are seats inside the cafe and some lined along the exterior walls. The seats are evenly "socially spaced" out, so I felt comfortable sitting and drinking coffee. read more

Berkeley Espresso - latte (front); mocha (back) - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

Food: 6.5/10 Good quick bite, tastes homemade. Drinks are okay as well but not great or memorable. Service/Ambience: 8/10 The cashiers and baristas here are kind and seem to enjoy talking to the regulars. I love that they play classical music so this place is rly great for studying imo. Also a lot of seating, but can be crowded sometimes mid-day and afternoon. There are some outlets along the walls. read more

Berkeley Espresso - Bagel, Cream Cheese, Avocado, Tomato and Onion (no avocado) - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

Amazing coffee shop, amazing coffee. My go to place. Early morning espresso pulls from Luis are the best---and he has dozens upon dozens of fun latte art designs. Calm, warm, chill ambiance, comforting vibe, smooth jazz playing. Always see lots of regulars enjoying their morning papers, book clubs, and working away. And solid free wifi. Literally the best coffee shop in Berkeley in my opinion-- splendid combo of ambiance, delicious coffee, and a warm atmosphere. read more

Outstanding coffee drinks,beer and wine too. Pasteries arr fresh. Drawback for me after being in the food bz for 30+yrs is watching the counter help make sandwiches and salads with bare hands, no gloves. So, I haven't ordered any made to order food there. read more

Matcha was just right amount of sweetness. Soy milk smooth, not clumpy! Enjoyed this spot, might need to work here a bit remotely! read more

Berkeley Espresso - Small soy matcha, not too sweet! Just right! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

The titular espresso is really good, but so are the lattes, chais, and teas. Since Au Coquelet and Cafe Mediterraneum went out of business, this place is the last of its kind--a place to sit for hours and read and write and talk on Berkeley, where the elder professorial types, the gossipy undergraduates, the stressed out graduate students, and the unhoused converge like salt and fresh water in an estuary--it's a place to be. The windows are beautiful and open, there are large plants in the interior, the local Berkeley characters are an endlessly entertaining flux of people to people watch, and, best of all, all the baristas are some of the sweetest men I've ever met, who remember orders and names and ask how you're doing. It feels like coming home here--not a slick Blue Bottle experience, but a genuine neighborhood place where the coffee and bagel sandwiches will sustain you through writing at least three pages of that essay you have to write by Monday. read more

I mean I've been here twice and that'll be it. Last month. Guy with tattoos was nice but old guy with mustache has a weird attitude - not sure if he's the owner. Fast forward today. Went in to get a sandwich and it was the mustache. Was pretty rude and it's like dude, I'm already having a bad day. I place my order and it's just awkward. He looked at me stupid cause I gave him a dollar more of what I'm charged because it's a tip and I even threw an extra in the jar. I don't know why I did that. I should've went somewhere else. Sandwich was okay cause I like bacon but it was made with hate :( read more

Is it wrong of me to think of this as a UC annex lounge? Certainly felt like a study hall when Jamie W. and I entered the premises on a Saturday evening with hardly a word spoken in the entire space. Just the tap-tap-tap on the various keyboards interspersed with the occasional sigh and the once-in-a-while expletive. I just got a $4.45 Cafe au Lait (photo: http://bit.ly/2qVU3Md) and shared a $3 Pecan Bar (photo: http://bit.ly/2RdkEiw) with Jamie because I believe in spreading those calories around. Otherwise we felt naked without laptops. COFFEE - 3 stars...noncommittal caffeine AMBIANCE - 3 stars...whisper if you must SERVICE - 3 stars...speaking of noncommittal TOTAL - 3 stars...do I get credits for coming here? RELATED - Looking for coffee in the East Bay? Here's a collection of places tried and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2EHMfBv read more

See all

Sunday Morning, 9A- Small Americano $2.85 Tasty coffee, friendly and quick service. read more

Berkeley Espresso - August 2022 - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

Walked in around 8:50am on a weekday morning and was in and out of the door in about 5 minutes, which is great given weekday AMs = sleep-deprived student coffee rush. Coffee was just a tad sour but it did the job! Love the location and super convenient! Berkeley Espresso has TONS of both indoor and outdoor seating, making it a great place to study or hang out. I'd recommend getting there early to snag a table though, as many of the tables were occupied on a weekday morning. read more

Came here to get some studying done, and while I was here, I ordered a bagel sandwich. The bagel was pretty average, but at it was pretty cheap so I can't really complain. Honestly I mostly come to cafes for the vibes, and the ambiance here was okay, definitely not the nicest cafe I've been to. Honestly I feel like there are nicer cafes in the area, but might come again if I'm nearby. read more

Love the 16 ounce latte, but the breakfast burritos are truly nasty. Beware! The service wasn't bad, and there's plenty of seating. The lox and cream cheese bagel had neither onion nor capers on it, minus one star there. The chili verde burrito was truly awful. The first one they served us was still 1/4 frozen inside, but then they made us a new one and it's just like what you might find at a gas station. Minus one more. If you want food this is not your place, but if you want a big-ass coffee then that's great! read more

Berkeley Espresso - Enormous coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

Came here today for the first time to have a coffee meeting with someone. When I got here around 8:30am, the place was pretty crowded. People were studying, reading newspapers, or catching up with old friends. I ordered their white chocolate mocha. It was really yummy! It also looked like they had a variety of things to eat like bagels, cheese cakes, banana bread and more! I'll definitely have to try those the next time I visit. Pros: -it was crowded, but not loud. -restroom available -I didn't get hassled by staff for sitting here without ordering anything until I met up with someone -great white mocha Cons: -n/a read more

Berkeley Espresso - White mocha with whipped cream - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

Luis gave excellent customer service at the register. It was my first time here and he was very helpful. The Matcha latte (with oat milk, hot, unsweetened) was the perfect amount and delicious. I love the seating and the vibe. I love the big fig leaf plant, I can sit by read more

Great study spot with lots of charging outlets, as well as wifi. Good iced lattes! they play jazz music, gives a very chill vibe.

Chill vibe, great service. I order the large mocha and yes it's large! Very good bang for your buck! Great place to study!

It's a typical over-priced coffee house. During a recent visit, I got a latte that costs a bit more than your typical Starbucks ridiculousness. I was shocked. I suppose that is what they have to charge for people who work on their devices there. The latte was fine in terms of taste but for the price, you'd expect a nicer and cleaner place. This place was just ok. If it weren't for the fact that my friend chose it, I would not have gone. read more

This is a solid study spot during normal times with ample seating and an abundance of outlets to plug your devices. This is one of the few places where the WiFi actually is reliable even when the cafe is packed. Right now it's a great spot to stop and get coffee during a walk outside. They are allowing people to sit outside ( as far as I have noticed) on the tables so you can always chat with someone while social distancing. I always get a regular coffee or americano from here and one of their pastries which is decent. read more

Man working the counter was very abrupt. I had just purchased a coffee and returned to the counter to ask for the wifi password. Instead of telling me the password he asks if I purchased anything and if I did to just look at my receipt. He knows I just bought something since he took my order 1 minute earlier, and also he never gave me a receipt. I then later ask for a togo cup for my coffee, he rolls his eyes and is very rude when handing it to me. Really rough experience here was hoping for better. read more

The staff is awesome! Tried the oat milk chai and it was amazing!! I'm a chai nerd, so trust me when i give them a 5/5. They could reduce the sugar, but that's a personal preference. There are bunch of plug points throughout the cafe and wifi is good. Solid place to crank out some work. The music choice is also read more

Facts about this Berkeley Espresso: 1) Great free/fast wifi 2) Decent amount of seating with a limited amount of power outlets 3) Stinky people, who may or may not be homeless, will be in here sharing their latest scent 4) Nice Spanish-speaking employees who will make your latte art (bear!) 5) This one huge dude next to me kept burping loudly every 5 minutes Alright, number 5 is a fact that might not be true on every visit here, but I had to put that statement somewhere. I mean, it's Berkeley--there will be grungy people everywhere, especially off of main roads. So, this place is great for some studying, people watching, or grabbing/going. I would not have a baby shower here though. read more

Berkeley Espresso - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

Anyone not leaving 5 stars is just a straight up hater in my opinion. The service here is amazing. The owner and all of the staff are SOO sweet. This is one of those places in Berkeley where they have a ton of everyday regulars. People definitely feel safe and comfortable to make themselves at home here. It is lovely. The coffee is top notch and they care about making sure you get what you want. I spent almost everyday here for at least a month while I was job hunting. The wifi is free and effective. They are always playing mellow music that is easy to work to or you can put in headphones. They sell beer and wine also which is dope if you just want to relax with a little drinky poo! I always get the iced coffee with oat milk and often an espresso to boot. The espresso is delicious. I love this place so much. Whenever my niece and her Mom visit, they always give her a treat on the house. This kind of service doesn't go unnoticed. read more

Berkeley Espresso - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all