Great place to read or study or write, or just sit and think, especially upstairs. Coffee is consistently fairly good, and the sandwiches and salads are delicious! The music here is really something else all together - you really NEVER know what you're going to get! I've listened to Strauss switch to Russian pop over the course of one chapter in my textbook. I'm still recovering from that. NOTE: I have been out of Berkeley for two years now, and I realized recently that Milano is my favorite place IN THE WORLD to write, read, or hang out with my laptop for three-four hours. This contradicts all logic and reason, but for me, this is the single best cafe on the planet. There is something about the light, the acoustics, the super nice Mexican guys who've worked there for years [yet don't look like they've aged a day], the trees that grow inside Something about it all makes it perfectly conductive for concentrated THINKING. Five sexy stars, baby! read more

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I usually come here for studying or to meet up/catch up with people. In general, this is a really nice place. The workers are nice and the food is ok. My favorite drink to get is the orange juice. You can tell that it's freshly squeezed. I also like the chicken sandwich (all their sandwiches are really cheap but you get huge portions!) and the chicken caesar salad. The only thing is that wifi is pretty spotty and sometimes doesn't work at all. Overall, I really enjoy coming here :) read more

Location is perfect and I definitely appreciate this cafe more during the summer. Lately I've been coming here to study and I find their music entertaining. The drinks are mediocre and like the other reviews, the wifi is spotty. I highly recommend this cafe to anyone looking for a place to catch up with friends and getting some studying/reading done before a class. Not sure if I can last at least 2 hours here especially with the noise level during the school year. read more

Cafe Milano - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great sandwiches and salad. Everything taste fresh. And the Chicken Pozole was excellent.

I want to give this place more stars, but there are just too many issues to warrant 4 stars. The good: Ambiance: amazing. Looks like a cafe straight out of a sitcom. Tons of seating among two levels. Brick walls and fun posters on the walls. Easy to get a semi-private corner seat. I've yet to not find a seat for myself. Price: super cheap, especially considering its excellent location so close to campus. Their menu is also decently extensive, featuring a number of food items. Location: perfect, as I mentioned before. Staff: so far, they've been pretty cool. Although you SHOULD purchase something, they're chill if you don't and still hang out at the cafe. The bad: -There are very few outlets for charging laptops -The wifi SUCKS and rarely works -LOUD, odd, orchestral/theatrical music (think over the top movie scores) -The coffee is mostly god awful, especially any espresso drinks. The worst cappuccino I've ever had was purchased at cafe Milano (PLEASE train your workers to make a good espresso beverage). Dish water foam + unbelievably burnt, bitter espresso is not what I want to drink. That being said, it's kind of a UCB campus staple and I have a certain affectation for it. Just please, cafe Milano, get better coffee. read more

Besides the hairs in my sandwich, the unsanitary handling of my sandwich (no gloves or washed hands, even after being at the register), and having to wait at the cafe for 10+ minutes to find out that my sandwich was stashed unannounced on some random counter, the sandwich and experience was okay. read more

don't know what problems others are having with the internet but it works just fine for me. been coming here since berkeley was a ghost town over the summer, and this place was my safe haven. still is, just a bit busier, which is great news for the business. atmosphere is superb, seating readily available most of the time, coffee is dope and their bagels are so good i could cry. 10/10, would recommend read more

Tried: the iced Americano. The coffee was below average, and the tables in the seating area were all grimy. Barista clearly did not understand the ins-and-outs of good coffee. It's a shame that Cafe Milano isn't run better, because the space itself has so much potential-- lovely upstairs area with natural lighting and a beautiful raftered ceiling, plenty of seats and room to sit down and study. read more

the people are always very friend here, the ambiance of the place is phenomal, the music is perfect, and the food and drinks are generally pretty great. my only complaint is the wifi. it is always terrible and you cannot really do anything productive unless you have a hotspot... still giving this place five stars though because this is my go to cozy cafe to snuggle up with a good book. read more

This has been my go-to coffee shop during my years at Cal. It's got a great, uniquely-Berkeley vibe, and their coffee (normally I get a cappuccino) and pastries are soo good! I'll certainly miss them when I move away, but I hope to be back someday! read more

The tabletops of this indie café have been polished by thousands of Cal kids' resting hands and bookspines. The photon-spoiled, lofted space welcomes students by the droves; it's always bustling and buzzing with chatter no matter the time of day, and draws many a laptop so be prepared to battle for a plug. Gourmet this is not, but it's a leap up from motor oil and the staff's cheery enough. After a quick bite, it seemed to me that the people eat there because it's available, and to justify taking up space. Considering going back to the books but don't know if you can handle the student world again? If you can stand it here for a few hours without wanting to smack someone, you're well on your way to success. read more

Every semester I always tell myself just how much I hate Milano. I say I won't go back unless I will literally starve and I say I will remember it the next semester. Every semester, around finals week, I somehow have a GSI that holds office hours here, or a study group that decides to meet in this location. When that happens, I forget just how much I hate Milano It's standard Cafe Roma espresso except worse... It's often very burned, the coffee is okay at best (my cafe au lait was barely drinkable... not quite sure how you screw that up) and the service is horrible except for one man who I presume is the owner. The cafe itself is spacious, including an upstairs area, but the bathroom is often dirty and located right next to the kitchen. The service is unpleasant, as I mentioned previously, and the muffins and super dense and chewy... I thought muffins were supposed to be light, not dense. On the plus side, they do make a damn good Chai Tea, but hopefully now that I've yelped Milano I will actually remember not to go back. read more

Cafe Milano is a decent place to have coffee and a nosh, and at a still reasonable price. It's also a good place to study and otherwise hang out with friends. This time around, Gayle and I stopped in as we were finishing up another wedding venue exploratory expedition. I was also looking for a Sather Gate parking validation, of which they looked at me like I was a brother from another planet. At least they still make a very good latte. read more

Cor! A cafe in Berkeley sharing the same name as of one of my favourite Italian cities in the whole wide world?! Definitely gotta check it out! I have gone in a few times to check the place out, still have yet to chow down there. There is an upstairs level along with the downstairs level. At times it is quiet, at other times it is quite noisy with Cal Students holding court with study groups or gatherings amongst themselves. (Mostly downstairs.) It appears to be hit or miss as to when the best times are to go in to Cafe Milano without le riffraff to chill out and study. Le Professeur announced this is place he would be holding his office hours at instead of Free Speech Movement Cafe to the class. It would be quite a challenge for him to hold court there because it is quite crowded not to mention to find a table, and to which I replied, "Thank You!" (see my review of Free Speech Movement Cafe). His reasons being there is more room and he would be able to find a seat and table more accessible to the entrance so his students can easily find him. Of if need be, he can be found upstairs where it is guaranteed to be less noisy. I had my appointment with Le Professeur at Cafe Milano to discuss ideas and to get some guidance on a paper assignment he gave us this past week. I got there early before my appointment and ordered a Mocha Bianco which was served quite nicely in a glass stein. I heard my order given to the barista in Spanish. So I spoke some Spanish, which surprised the cashier; he seemed taken aback that I knew Spanish. (I think he suspected I heard about a customer's unpleasant experience with this establishment.) Le Professeur eventually arrived and ordered a sandwich and a salad which he munched on during our appointment. It looked like Rueben sandwich, looked quite fetching. (Note to self: try some of the food offerings.) Le Professeur and I chin-wagged about my topic related to and more about Cinéma Français and La Nouvelle Vague (the French New Wave) that were quite influential to Hollywood and global filmmaking, especially the films of Jean-Luc Godard. As of this writing, it appears that coming to Cafe Milano is best when Cal is not in session during the summer months. That may change when Session B commences next week. During Session A, it is not so bad. I will be back for a lunch at Cafe Milano. Ciao, á bientôt! read more

Dearest Cafe Milano, I love you. You and I were introduced to one another by one of my high school teachers that liked to take his students to public lectures in Berkeley on the weekends. As a class, we would meet at your tables near the windows. I remember knowing, when I stepped foot through your doors the first time, that you would always be my bae. Our relationship started slow, though. We were separated for weeks and even months at a time. I would only see you when I took my ever-infrequent trips to Berkeley or during the summer when I participated in those summer programs on campus. As I approached the end of my senior year in high school I panicked. Whatever university I went to, unless I were to somehow be accepted into UC Berkeley ("Yeah, right..."), we would probably never see each other again. Never would I enjoy your ethereal nectar; never would I experience your mochas with shots of raspberry or your Mexican hot chocolates. I would be too far away from you. I would probably forget about you. But, by the grace of the universe, we were able to be together. Now I visit you at least once a week (okay, more like three times a week) and I indulge in your delicious cappuccinos and your amazing BLTAs. Oh god, your BLTAs... It's true that the way to a woman's heart is through her stomach. I thought I was in love before, but oh no, no, no. I didn't know what love was until the little piece of heaven that is your BLTA graced my taste buds. It's now been almost four years since I first laid my eyes upon you in my junior year of high school, and I can confidently say that with your friendly staff and your beautiful architecture, you are still, without a doubt, the hottest cafe in Berkeley. Yours 'til Niagara falls, Marisa read more

This is a completely biased review having spent 9 years *YES! NINE* years of my life as a student at Cal. And I loved Cafe Milano then as I do now. Besides the great coffee & tea and the adequate food & pastries for bargain basment prices . . . the entire place has that disgusting-dirty-cool-charm about it. I managed to sit down at the table that I've sat down at about a million times before and chowed on the special: a chicken sandwich with a side salad with a superb vinagrette . . . oh for 5 bucks. It was subjectively so-so, but was real tasty like a home cooked meal. Nostalgic bite after bite. Yummy. Everything was the same. Beat up chairs. Crazy tweaker serving up the caffeine. Insane 50-something year old bum in need of 12 showers and a make over . . . spewing out eloquently groomed italian to passer-bys. Pimple faced graduates in cap & gown with proud parents (obviously divorced). TAs having their last office hours. And Me. A REAL coffehouse misunderstood by most except for those having experienced life . . . love . . . and final exams at UC Berkeley. read more

As a freshman at Cal I took German 1. Midway through the semester, when we could string together sentences, our class had a debate: Was Cafe ist besser: Strada oder Milano? The debate got rather hyphy. I myself used to prefer Strada for people watching, al fresco coffee drinking, and getting some sun. But there is something missing from Strada that Milano has: FOOD. FOOD comes in handy when you are braindead. When you have a Clinical Psych "midterm" during the third week of the semester. When you have to memorize Hamlet's first soliloquy to perform in front of one hundred people. When you have to conjugate irregular verbs. Ad infinitum. The FOOD is good. Big salads a la Seinfeld. Sandwiches. Not just cookies and croissants, although they have those too. One barista does some latte art, though he is a one trick pony. It's always a girl's face and a big bosom. Rather flattering depiction, actually. It's good to have some lovin' when you have four epic poems to read in two days, plus an illogical logic set to complete :) read more

I like when the baristos do latte art on the top of my drinks but how come their smiley faces always look like a pair of boobs? A great place to study. read more

Currently sitting here doing my Yelp reviews with my Mocha Bianca! I just have to say this place has given me a love for Cafe's. It's like a small mom and pop shop with great workers. The place is fairly large and I come here to study/chill all the time with the nice classical music playing in the background. It's just something about cafe's now that makes life so relaxing. I keep telling my friends that if I were to ever go anywhere in the world I will always make an effort to come back here and get a dose of my Mocha Bianca. Why is that? They make the foam just right (I have tried so many different places and it is just not the same). The foam is fluffy and fresh giving the coffee that extra oomph. If you get the right barista he will make a little picture with the foam which is one of the first places around Berkeley that I have seen done this. Not only that, but the coffee is strong even though the drink is sweet, so you know it's not just filled with sugar (ahem like Starbucks). Milano is right next to campus so I always relied on it for a nice warm cream cheese bagel and a mocha bianca. =) Perks: Free WiFi, nice large windows to gaze out of, second floor with an open ceiling providing plenty of light, has food along with all their coffee and pastries. read more

What a nice find that's so close to work. Sandwiches were great and the pastries on par with La Farine! Small hole in the wall in a commercial strip center. Staff and chefs very nice and happy. I look forward to coming back often. read more

I am a big coffee fan and always went to Milano for their strong coffee in between class, breaks, etc. Definitely strong, and will keep you awake and running all day: one of the best coffee sources in Berkeley. Try the soy latte! Delicious! People working there are great- really friendly and always cheerful. Good place to study with your readers and books, but not many outlets for your computer. Also can get loud during lunchtime and afternoon. The sandwiches weren't too exciting- the salads however, were great. Big portions with options for chicken and delicious focaccia bread. Sandwiches were average- they used a sweet salad dressing sauce on them, so it was a bit odd. Overall, cute place with great classical music in the background that is good for chilling and meeting up with friends, with some studying. read more

The good: Big, open space and lots of seating. The bad: No wifi and the milk in my cappuccino was burned. This place is good for a quick caffeine boost, but if you want a place with full flavored espresso and talented baristas that take their job as an art form, skip it. read more

I usually come here to study just because of its convenient location. That being said there a few reasons why I don't like Cafe Milano. There are a few pros and cons to this place. Pros being that the food is moderately priced, the ambiance is nice and it's open really early. The cons, however, are that the WiFi is horrible (and virtually nonexistent), it can be hard to find seating during their busier hours and there aren't any outlets. Also what is up with the dramatic classical music and like Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack they have playing in the background? If you sit upstairs the music can get really loud and distracting. In terms of food I recommend their chocolate croissant but strongly advise against their muffins (which are dry and impossible to digest). My favorite drink is definitely their cantaloupe agua fresca which is so refreshingly delicious. All in all, a good place to study in between classes or if you're craving something sweet. read more

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Convenience and location to the UC Berkeley campus is prime, but everything else is...eh. The food is just ok, the coffee is just ok, the access to outlets is just ok, the Wi-Fi is either just ok or unreliable, and the cleanliness of the bathroom is usually between terrible and just ok. Good place to study for a bit if you're lucky enough to get a good spot, or to briefly chat with someone close to campus, but...eh read more

Their sandwiches and salads are delicious. I wouldnt say its the best place for studying though because lighting isnt great and there are many ports around for cables and such. But food is good! read more

I don't understand why this place is so PACKED during midterm and finals season. Their coffee is horrible, their lattes all taste the same and the environment has a musty-like feel to it with poor lighting. The only pluses I can think of are that there are a lot of seats and it's across the street from campus. And the sandwiches are decent. Overall, a good place to meet up but a bad place to get any serious studying done. read more

Ambiance: This is a nice place to study and currently it's my favorite cafe to study at because there's plenty of room. However, it does get quite loud because so many students study here. Food: I used to get their mocha bianca all the time, and it was pretty good but nothing impressive. Recently I've started ordering their Mexican hot chocolate and it's really good. It's a great motivation for me to go study when midterm season rolls around. Service: Just like any average place, servers are friendly and tables are usually clean. read more

Tips: $2.00 minimum purchase for card. (Very easy to achieve.) --------------------------------------------- I just have to say that I think Cafe Milano has the best sandwich in the area. It's super unique because the sandwich is on focaccia with a pesto sauce and peppers. It tastes amazing and I think everyone should give it a try. There's a selection between turkey ($6), ham($6), pastrami ($7), and many more. I think if you haven't tried it that it's worth giving a try. I also really like their caramella and chai tea latte (more on the milky side without much spice). They even provide a simple syrup to make your iced drinks taste sweeter if you prefer it that way! Any cafe with simple syrup is a great cafe in my book. (Because I tend to like sweeter drinks) read more

This place is my go-to study spot only because it is so deliciously close to campus. $2 minimum with card. Can't buy cookie alone without cash. Sad. I've tried (and hereby rate out of 5): Hot turkey pesto pepperjack cheese whole wheat sandwich with roasted peppers (5) Tuna sandwich (3.5) on focaccia (5) A bunch of different HUGE hearty salads (4.5) Chicken wild rice soup (2.5: cream-laden stuff, not clear) with Mexican roll (4) Snickerdoodle (5! my first ever snickerdoodle!) Almond raisin cookie (3) Almond croissant (4) Mocha (4) Americano (4.5) Espresso (4) Hot milk (3.5: good for winter) Hot tea (rip-off) Hot water (it's hot water, chill out) Generally, the baked goods, hot dishes, and cold foods are all doin' okay. I like the side salad that comes with your $6-$7 sandwiches. Tables are small but plenty. Sockets are not plenty. Prepare to ask nicely whether you can share a table because you're too lazy to find another cafe. Sometimes it smells weird upstairs. Not a fan of their wi-fi either. On second thoughts, I upped my 3 star rating to a 4 because their music has been getting better and better! I think this week might've been movie soundtrack week. I was eating an almond-raisin cookie when my finals-wrecked brain registered "Pirates of the Caribbean" - shiver me timbers! Writing about the fiscal cliff never felt so epic. Then we went through some rounds of Harry Potter before your typical classical music resumed. Thanks for putting up with us, though, Milano. We like you really. read more

This place is nice for getting some work done. It's close to campus, and has decent coffee as well as yummy-looking food (haven't tried their food yet). I need background noise in order for my mind not to stray, so I need to come to places like this to study. Milano is perfect since it has plenty of tables and background noise. Thank you Cafe Milano for providing me with a place to study other than the catacombs/library. P.S. - I don't know for sure if this place is an Espresso Roma in disguise. I got my coffee in an Espresso Roma labeled cup. *shrug* There are also swarms of flies in this place, which makes me question the cleanliness of this operation. Once I spaced out and watched the swarms for a while, trying to figure out their flight patterns. Maybe I can train them to do my evil biddings. read more

Ever since I heard a certain former favorite Cafe of mine in the area was infested with rats and cockroachies, I've stayed away. As a result, I have sought refuge at Cafe Milano. Great place, good food, good service, what more can one ask for? There's plenty of room for people to sit: either on the first floor, or on the second, the latter having an open roof/skylight for people to enjoy on warm sunny days. Though I have to wonder, what do they do about the lack of roof when it rains??? The people who frequent this place are cool too, students studying, folks chatting, or lunch goers like moi! The employees who work here are for the most part great. Today I got a free agua fresca watermelon with my sandwich order. It includes fresh pieces of watermelon, not too sugary and hit the spot! My recs for what to order: Hot Chicken Sandwich and Italian Salad (I always add chicken and minus the garbanzo beans to mine. Not a fan of garbanzo beans). As a cafe staple, their bran muffins are huge! Prices aren't too shabby either. Another recommended Berkeley lunch spot! read more

In the five years I have lived in Berkeley, this is by far my favorite coffee shop. Located right next to the UC Berkeley campus, it's within walking distance from almost any class. From the nondescript salmon-colored exterior, you would not expect to walk in to find weathered marbletop tables and 20-foot trees which touch the vaulted ceiling. Lots of sunlight can get through the tall windows on the right days, and the stark styling of the wooden benches and upstairs seating area oozes timeless character and color from brick wall to brick wall. Milano has an assortment of sandwich/salad combos and all the coffees you would want. I personally love the lattes they have here, which they serve in glass mugs if you are staying for a while. My favorite sandwich is the chicken breast, which is simply a bun cut from a loaf of bread, with mozzarella cheese, green and red bell peppers, marinara sauce, and a chicken breast (the reconstituted kind, like at subway, not natural chicken breast, but it's still good) all toasted together. It comes with a salad, which has an AMAZING tangy dressing...I would say it's somewhere between French and Italian dressing, but trust me when I say it is awesome. I always get these items when I eat here, and it's perfect for eating while studying/reading, since the sandwich will not make your fingers messy. It can get loud inside when it's crowded, so if you need a quieter coffee shop it's not the best place to go. But it's great to shoot the breeze or host a small meeting. The only downside to Milano is the spotty wireless network signal. You can only use the campus wireless and you must be a student/staff to log on, and the signal is unusable unless you sit closer to the front door. If you think Starbucks is the best coffee shop ever, I implore you to widen your palate and realize that the best things do not always come in corporate wrapping. For everyone else, this is the Berkeley hole-in-the wall coffee shop you were searching for. read more

Cafe Milano, like 4 other Berkeley chains, use Espresso Roma beans to make their coffee and espresso. Even though these chains use the same brand of beans, a lot of the end taste is dependent upon preparation methods and time. Some other chains that use Espresso Roma are like French Hotel and Espresso Roma on Ashby and College. I'm not fond of the methods Cafe Milano uses to prepare their espresso. They're notorious for pulling their shots long. This makes the espresso murky, black, runny and very VERY bitter. I ordered an Espresso con panna (double shot of espresso with dollop of whipped cream on top) and they gave me a full cup (small sized) of espresso. I gave the barista a look and my eyes kind of posed the question "THIS is a DOUBLE?" His look back told me, "Yeah, don't worry." I went back to my seat and look a sip of the espresso. The consistency was that of water, but the taste was that of the most bitter espresso I've ever had. They must've pulled this shot for at least 35-40 seconds. I was wondering how long they were going to let that go on for and I didn't think I needed to even taste it to know how bitter it was. After that sip, I just left the cup. There was no saving that cup now, not even the whipped cream. BAD COFFEE. I give this place 3 stars because their salads save them considerably. Their salads resemble that of Cafe Intermezzos. They use the same sized wooden bowls to serve their salads in, but they use more exotic ingredients than Intermezzos. The salad isn't piled like Mount Everest like it is in Intermezzos, but I feel the quality definitely is worth it. I usually order the Italian and that comes with fresh mozzarella, roasted bell peppers, garbonzo beans and other veggies. This is topped with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and then with a big fat piece of focaccia bread. The bread is so fresh - melts in your mouth. The atmosphere is nice when you're there during the daytime. The lighting becomes rather dim at night and doesn't make for a great place to study. If you're upstairs at night, you might as well be in the dark. I've tried studying upstairs at night - you can't see a thing. I'm really fond of their skylight upstairs that brings in natural night on sunny days. The indoor trees also add to the positive ambiance. Good place to study in the daytime which is why it probably reflects why they have a lot less customers in the evening. read more

I usually frequent this place when I'm too lazy to go far from campus. But I've noticed that the more I come here, the less I enjoy it. 1. It's only at this cafe where I notice random bugs appearing on my workspace. I could be in deep study-mode and then BAM, an ant or other tiny creature decides to stride across my paper. This could be due to the fact that they have plants lined up across some of the benches where you sit, and it's hard to escape since that's where the outlets are :/ 2. I've normally enjoyed their focaccia sandwiches, but their last sandwich made me race to the bathrooom. On top of that...that same day my partner found two pubic-looking hairs in his sandwich. (I don't think I need to further explain why that's extremely gross.) 3. Their white mochas are a lot more on the sweeter side (a little too sweet for my liking). At one point, it just tasted like hot chocolate. 4. If you're looking to do heavy online work, I wouldn't suggest this place since their wi-fi is extremely slow, and thus you will be extremely frustrated when it takes like 5 minutes to load a page. 5. They have one bathroom...and this bathroom is gross. 6. The flilpside - they have a lot of tables and study space. read more

I feel sort of bad giving Cafe Milano such a low rating, but honestly, I *have* experienced better! The few times I've gone to Cafe Milano, it's always been ridiculously crowded. The Internet isn't exactly speedy, to say the least, and the noise level is hugely distracting when you're trying to study. Now, I understand that maybe Cafe Milano's not the best place for studying. But what about as a cafe? Even in this aspect, I've seen better. Their beverages and pastries are mediocre at best (I think I prefer Starbucks!) and their pricing is relatively pricy for the food quality. To be honest, I think the only thing Cafe Milano really has going for it is the awesome location. Everything else? Meh. read more

Shitty wifi, decent coffee. Love the dim lighting and the upstairs seating. Music is occasionally straight up hilarious. Pretty decent place for editing your paper or catching up on some reading, but not the best location for meeting a ton of people or working on something really attention-demanding. Oh and good luck finding an outlet. read more

To be honest, my friends wanted to sit down somewhere at 9 PM so we just went to the nearest cafe, which was Cafe Milano. I ordered a frosted latte, and it was soooo sweet. It was like a Starbucks frapuccino, but sweeter and with chunks of ice. I couldn't finish it. Way too sweet, and didn't taste like coffee at all (even though it's a latte). Very dim atmosphere. We sat upstairs for more of a quiet atmosphere since downstairs was packed with college kids on their laptops and talking with each other. It was a lot quieter and less people were up there, but very dark. I don't see how anyone could study up there. Around 10, this guy who worked there said the store was closed and tried kicking us out. I'm pretty sure the cafe closes at midnight... read more

It's a really beautiful, inviting place to eat, but the food's just OK. Don't get me wrong; I'm all for the thrown-together cafes on Bancroft, the ones at which the cook line is along the west wall and there are random Print Shoppe* clip-art signs everywhere that advertise their newest^ menu items. But this place looks a lot classier than it is. I really wish they would allow you to bring food from other places in here, because if they did, I would spend a lot more time here. And yes, that might take away from their business generally because what restaurant wants to allow people to bring food in? But they would make money off of me because I don't really come here very often now, but if I could bring other food in here, I'd camp out and order lots of overpriced drinks. The upstairs dining area is really all you need to know about. *Remember Print Shoppe? If you don't, your life is not as meaningful as it could be. ^By "newest" I mean newest circa 2006. There's just some weird thing some breakfast places have about updating their menus. I realize it takes time to go through and add things in their appropriate places, but isn't printing up all those NEW ITEM signs also a lot of work? read more

Currently my favorite cafe study spot in Berkeley. The setup inside has this disorderly comfortable home-y feel. At the same time it is such a pain in the ass to find an outlet sometimes. If you sit upstairs, there are only 2 outlets!! One at the table right parallel to the stairs and the other in the corner overlooking the entrance! Opens until 12! They do this annoying thing where they flick the lights on and off when they try to get you to leave at closing...it's becoming amusing. There is one guy that works there that looks like he came straight out of a horror movie that makes funny faces in my hot chocolate...so i guess I have to take back the horror movie comment. Negatives: saw a mouse running around once.....YEAH minus a star because of that....and the whole plug ordeal read more

I swear that every expresso drink or cup of coffee I've had here has been horribly burnt. That being said, they are extremely strong and will definitely get you wired. Apparently, they bake their pastries everyday, and all the pastries, especially the bundt cakes and the croissants, have throughly filled my butter and sugar daily quotient. The salads are decently sized, although this cafe would benefit from more unique options besides the usual caesar and greek combinations. I remember the caprese sandwich to be fairly delicious! Lastly, the wifi is terrible, the tables are wonky, the music is completely random (I've heard jazz launch right into Katy Perry), and the lighting will make you go blind slowly but surely. Yet as one of the few cafes open til midnight, Cafe Milano has its place in Berkeley life. read more