Good Vybes $ Brews opened a year ago on the ground level of Link Apartments. Entrance is on 4th St…read more side, not Madison St. Some nearby parking available in afternoon, unsure about mornings. Small central room with an adjacent one for leisurely sipping & lap topping. Able to order promptly as it's less busy in afternoons. Confirm with owner/associate that Asahi Matcha was available. No tipping policy here. Offerings: espressos, matcha lattes, coffee brews, teas, filter brews, classics, flavors+, toppings+, pastries, snacks.... Sips: Asahi Matcha (9.25) -Asahi described as a rare single cultivar, less than 1% of matcha is Asahi. With Oat milk, matcha was bold, full bodied, rich Unami, creamy, smooth. Very unique. Bits: rugelach (4) -made by Ukrainian bakers following old Ukrainian/Polish recipe. 4 flavors. Choose chocolate, least sweet amongst the fruit fillings. -hand rolled baked confections made of cheese dough. Liked the delicate light chocolate taste. Has slight resemble to rolled Thai ice cream. 5 stars: Worthy! Service: Fab. Quality: fantastic, made to order, quantity: reasonable pricing. *Kirishima & Uji matcha also available.

The owner was very nice to talk to and knowledgeable about the different matcha varieties he had. I…read moreordered the matcha latte with macadamia milk and earl gray syrup per his suggestion. For a matcha latte that cost almost $10, I was very disappointed. The drink was very bland other than the hint of earl gray I got from the syrup. It felt like I was drinking green milk, there was no nutty or sweet notes I was expecting from the matcha. I do not recommend getting matcha from here.

Delicious, delicious cappuccino!!!! The whole staff is very friendly and contribute to the vibe…read more Will buy beans next time. Great coffee roast smells and the drink was on point with the right temperature and nice foam art.

Was waiting for the train going inland, and know of the location in Japan, so I decided to walk…read moreover from the Jack London train station. This is the HQ location, with a roastery on site, and quick food options, so I got a warmed curry chicken breakfast burrito with an oat milk matcha latte. Highlight: Not the chill ambiance, not the knowledgeable staff, not the Asian influenced selection of pastries, no. A local patron walked in with the cutest Staffie mix. She was adorable, and so regal. I hope to come back here, and visit the Japanese location too!

Earth Grown drinks are both delicious and beneficial to your health. They use only the freshest…read morefruits and no artificial ingredients in their recipes. They even offer non dairy options for their smoothies. Great service from the owners. Parking can be tough during peak hours so phone in your orders ahead of time. They also have bottled grab and go drinks made fresh daily. A nice change from all the milk tea shops and sugary boba drinks.

Love Earth Grown! It was my third time coming here and I always bring friends. They have clean and…read morehealthy ingredients, I am always trying something new. Tony and Jennifer are so helpful and so knowledgeable. Would definitely recommend!

Look, I'm a man who respects the process - so I know what it means to apply yourself and deliver…read morequality. That's exactly what Lane-e Kefa Coffee does with their food. I pedaled my bike over there this Wednesday morning, aiming to secure a proper breakfast that would actually carry me past 11 a.m. The shop is cozy, definitely on the smaller side with a few seats inside, giving it that familiar, neighborhood spot feel. It's not a sprawling, antiseptic café, and I appreciate that. I ordered the Laney Breakfast Sandwich, which features egg, fresh spinach, sliced turkey, and Swiss cheese on a toasted English muffin. What impressed me was the intentionality--this wasn't something sitting under a heat lamp, looking defeated. It was clearly made to order. The egg was seasoned right, the turkey wasn't flimsy, and the spinach added that necessary fresh bite. It was a damn good sandwich, simple as that. I paired that with the Berry Lovers Smoothie. The original recipe calls for banana, but I asked if they could swap that out for mango. My people know that mango adds a different kind of sunshine, and they executed the substitution flawlessly. It came out thick, perfectly blended--a rich mix of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and that mango kick. It was super refreshing and didn't taste like I was drinking melted ice. The service was quick and friendly, which is key on a weekday morning. Everything tasted clean, fresh, and intentionally prepared. If you're looking for high-quality breakfast fare that feels less commercial and more like something someone actually cares about, stop by. The short bike ride and the intimate seating are worth it for what comes out of that kitchen. They earned this review.

I order a plain toasted bagel and a double espresso. the espresso was not too bitter. bagel was…read morekind of remarkably akin to the one I used to get in New York City on Broadway South of Houston from the guy in the middle box before work. it was a low bagel a work a day bagel, if that's what you get here. three stars, nothing, boring. but the espresso it's good. so, 4

I would thought Sweetheart Café opposite to the Chinese school was closed down for good; but nope,…read morestill opened for business, especially during the Chinatown Night Market at nighttime. The one small local business in Chinatown of East Bay, the bubble tea café in the high crime rate area, will always continue to serve customers, locals and foreigners alike. It's good to see shopkeepers taking time to make healthier drinks like my açaí coconut milk smoothie. Along with deep fried chicken wings my brother liked, they slowly and surely got the orders right. Not too shabby knowing their bubble tea shop was currently the only one serving açaí other than the black sesame paste. Sweetheart Café wasn't my best go-to bubble tea café in Oakland. At least I'll definitely treat it as normal everyday café selling candies and bottled drinks.

Sweetheart Cafe, Oakland's Chinatown…read more This Sweetheart Cafe location has been here for more than 30 years. It originally sells snacks and tons of candies in different aisles . Later on, they sold dried fruits also. Eventually they sold hot foods like popcorn chicken, curry fish balls and different boba drinks. They have seatings as well. Their boba drinks had became so popular that they opened locations in Berkeley, San Francisco and Milpitas. I love their bobas, it's sweet, bouncy and great chewing texture. They used to have small tapioca options which I had loved, but it isn't an option anymore. All their drinks are pretty good so you can't be wrong what drinks you choose. I highly recommend their drinks and their popcorn chicken. I will definitely come back and try other drinks as well.

I really hate to have to write this review but Cafe Da Fonk! needs to get it together:(…read more Came here on a Saturday and was really stoked since I wanted to go to their location in SF but noticed they moved to Oakland and I happened to be in the area this day. Our orders were taken and we sat down to wait. There were a TON OF FLIES buzzing around and I kept having to wave them off especially when we got our order to the table, which honestly was gross. We were called to pick up our order, but only 1 of the 4 items was ready: Zadie's Masterpiece Breakfast Sando - Really tasty and enjoyed the biscuit it was on. Skimpy on the bacon, there was ONE piece but overall good breakfast sandwich. Next item ready 5 minutes later: Khadija's Slow Burn Harissa Hot Honey Breakfast Burrito - Really tasty. Definitely flavor packed and would order this again. *BUT there was an issue. Apparently the person that ordered before us asked for the same burrito to go...they NEVER got it and yet our order was ready. The person was pretty cool about it but they were definitely annoyed and gave us a look although it wasn't our fault. *The ordering system seems unorganized with the cashier writing orders on a slip of receipt paper and putting them on a stand by the kitchen. I wonder if the slips were out of order or fell and they skipped this persons to go order? IDK but they need a better system! We tried waiting for our coffees before starting to eat but then our food started getting cold...YOU KNOW WHY?... because the poor person that was taking orders was also in charge of making drinks. Having one person as cashier and barrista is NOT a good idea on a busy Saturday morning. It was hard for them to take a moment and focus on the drinks becuase people kept coming in an placing orders which means we waited for 20+ minutes before getting our drinks. By then our food was mostly eaten! Thankfully we noticed they had a water pitcher for free water which was a saving grace! The wait for drinks was so long that people that were already sitting when we arrived and had already eaten their food were JUST getting their drinks before us. HORRIBLE! I felt really bad for the cashier/barista :( Another turn off, there is no understanding on what to do with dirty dishes. Do we bus our table? If so where do we put it? We noticed people leaving plates by the water pitcher and cups, some put them on the long counter by the coffee area. There wasn't a garbage or compost bin, so we weren't sure where to put food scraps. There was a bin for "Plastic Only" but only the cup lids were plastic and the cup itself was paper, so where TF do you put that? We noticed a black plastic bin that someone had brought out from the back, so we placed our stuff in there but wasn't exactly sure. We tried to ask the cashier/barista but they were slammed with customers so we ccouldn't get their attention. IDK the place is just poorly organized and messy! There are tables for people to make artwork which is nice but on a busy Saturday it might have been nice to clean those areas up to allow people to sit. Sorry guys... *You need a dedicated barista! People waiting 20+ minutes for drinks is insane especially when the food comes out relatively fast. *Please clean up your restaurant. The amount of flies was gross and no one wants to swat them away from food & drinks. *Tell people if they should bus their own tables and if so.... *Make it clear where to leave plates, cups, garbage, compost etc.

What a hidden gem. We found this place driving by and am so glad we did. They are so friendly and…read morethe food is AMAZING. This is the best biscuit i have had in the BAY. It's super soft, buttery and perfectly salty and she even butter and jams it for you. The breakfast sando was a hit. The cinnamon roll was SO GOOD. It had cinnamon sugar on every bite and the kids LOVED it. They weren't busy when I went but i hope this hidden gem stays and thrives. We will be back(probably this weekend). She even makes her own syrups for the coffee. Try it and you won't be disappointed!

The service is attentive, nice and friendly. The ambiance leaves a little to be desired but to be…read morehonest we are here for the pho. The pho broth is delicious and tasty and the cuts of meat are flavorful and fresh.

We came here on a weekend morning and decided to order some pho here and get some fried donut next…read moredoor to go with it. The Vietnamese coffee was filled only 4/5 of the way, so that was a little disappointing, but the coffee is strong. The pho broth was just okay. It was on the saltier side and also had more spices in it and therefore a little on the thick side. But the service was great. She asked voluntarily if I wanted tofu in the broth, which was nice of her to ask given I didn't see it on the menu. Overall, this is a no-frills place and it's overall fine but nothing amazing. They are cash only, so that's important to know before you order.

The Quickly brand will always have a special place in my heart. In college, for hours at a time, I…read morewould study at the local Quickly while munching on fried snacks and sipping boba. Although I now have higher expectations for what constitutes a good pearl milk tea, I still visit Quickly from time to time for my fried fish ball fix. This particular location has fish balls for a cheaper price than some of the other Chinatown spots, and they always come out piping hot. Judging by the adorable mommy and me umbrellas I saw stashed in the corner today, I believe this location to be a family-owned, independent franchise. If you're looking for some fried snacks consider supporting this local business!

Whenever I roam around the Oakland Chinatown this is one of the few places I like to sit down and…read morerest while enjoying a wonderful drink. The lady at the counter is very nice and she does a wonderful job at making my order fast!

This is the most efficient and reliable tea shop in the area. It has an old school HK vibe to it…read morewith the size of the establishment. It's basically like a window you walk up to and order at. The small shop is well staffed for its size you get your drink relatively quickly unless you order a rare tea which takes just 10 minutes. You can order in Cantonese or English. I wouldn't say they are trendy, more like an institution of Oakland Chinatown. They have been around for a long time and don't seem to be going anywhere, so it's really within their right not to riding on any da hong pao longjing coattails. They do what they want and they do it well. My fav is to order a nice drink from them while the sun sets and bring it to the courtyard near the library and people watch or read my book. It's a tranquil space and you can hear people speaking Toi Wah (Sun Ning Wah). It lends to the nostalgic I-Tea experience.

Small shop, available for take-out only…read more I appreciate they offer Iced Milk Series since Purple Kow I can never pay a visit ...but good grief the sweetness lol 50% sugar taste like 100% and even then, I had to add 5 more big chunks of ice cubes to dilute it down