I came here on a weekday afternoon, where it was peaceful but there were a few other customers. The…read moreemployee was friendly and was wearing a high quality mask which I appreciated. They have an extensive menu of tea, I decided to get the black mango tea, which is indicated as high caffeine. They told me to keep it to less than 1 min steeping or else it gets oversteeped. They were prompt with coming out with my tea leaves and teapot, and gave me a towel to put your teapot on in case of spills It was bitter, but definitely has the fruity notes I was seeking. I was able to make several potfuls of tea which still had some flavor in them, so the leaves seemed to do well with re-steeping. They provided me with a kettle so I could continually reboil the water, so I felt it was decent value (since total it cost only slightly more than the average boba costs nowadays). I'm thinking I'd like to get the lychee or hojicha next time. The worker didn't mention to me if they offer milk, which I wish they did. But they do sell snacks. The bathroom is clean. They have free wifi but the day I was there, unfortunately they were having issues with the wifi. They have a 2 hour time limit on weekends, but no limit on weekdays. I appreciate that they have outdoor seating, for those who are airborne illness conscious, and also so you can enjoy nature and sunshine while having your tea. A lovely spot overall, right on San Pablo Ave so you can take the 72 bus lines to reach it.

Very cool tea shop with a variety of teas. Came here with a friend this past Saturday at around…read more2pm. They have a wide selection of teas, so it was hard to choose. The staff member was super helpful and friendly in recommending us different teas. We ended up picking the Yunnan Gold and Moonlight White - a black tea and a white tea. The Yunnan Gold had more of a bold flavor and smelled and tasted wonderful. The Moonlight White was much lighter but still very nice and pleasant. Each table has its own kettle so we got to brew the tea ourselves. I know tea always comes with brewing instructions but I never really paid attention to those. However, this experience made me realize the importance of brewing tea as instructed to fully enjoy the flavors and notes each tea offers. Overall, my friend and I had a great experience. We were able to try new teas and catch up in a relaxing atmosphere.

omg let me tell you, new fav tea spot in Berk! imo they have dethroned Asha Tea House, which I…read moreabsolutely love but their tea is just next level. I also love that it's on a quiet street with easy parking. Asha is really only accessible by bart or walking downtown (parking is not easy unless you get lucky). I have only gotten one thing at Blue Willow and that's their chai which is a perfect blend of spices and tea. You can sweeten it with sugar or date syrup (which I highly recommend). It's also a great quiet place to get some work done if you happen to be a student or wfh employee. I find the weekdays to be less chaotic than weekends ofc. It's fantastic!!!

If you are a tea person, you will love this spot!…read more To begin it exudes tranquility. There is bar seating and tables available in a quiet area. There is also a separate tea ceremony space. They have an extensive selection of teas, ranging a variety of flavors and blends. The staff was extremely helpful in finding blends we would enjoy. It's a great place to try out new teas and you can even buy loose leaf!

Ended up here for an impromptu tea experience because we had no idea what we were doing. We tried…read moretwo different tea leaves; I only remember mine being the duck sh!t one. Wasn't blown away by it but always nice to try different tea.

Came with a friend to drink tea and chat. Got here right as it opened on a Friday and the small lot…read morefilled up fast. But most people were in and out. No reservation, just shared two pots gaiwan style, one pu'er and one white tea that they recommended. Sat outside and it was so lovely. I have my own gaiwan and am familiar with that style but was a bit surprised they didn't offer any instruction on using it. But they were so friendly when helping us choose our teas I'm sure they would have if we asked for help. They pre-rinsed the tea leaves and left us a hot thermos of water that we used to brew our teas. Friend bought her own gaiwan and some teas on our way out. They have so many cute teapots for sale, I suspect many are handmade.

at this point I have tried most of the Matcha places in downtown and this is the only one I have…read moregone back to multiple times. The Matcha is always a beautiful bright green color with a large depth of flavor. both the hot matcha and strawberry iced matter matcha are my favorite depending on the weather. Also they have adorable tea and California enamel Pins for sale at reasonable prices. I can get my morning cane and birthday present shopping done on the same day.

I moved to Berkeley about a month ago, and Asha quickly became one of my go-to spots for matcha. I…read morelove the vibe and decor of the cafe, the baristas have always been sweet and friendly, and the menu has a great selection. I especially appreciate that they have genmaicha, which can be harder to find. Their version has a distinct roasted tea flavor that doesn't taste watered down, which I love. Their strawberry matcha is also delicious, with a fresher, juicier strawberry flavor than a lot of other spots. I would honestly give this location 5 stars based on the drinks and regular barista interactions alone, but my last experience was really off-putting. I noticed that people often study there with laptops, so I came in with mine and brought a small lunch from Oori down the street to make a morning out of it. I've done this before without issue, but this time, a woman with crazy eyes who seemed to have a higher role came out and very abruptly scolded me, saying, "You CAN'T eat outside food here," while aggressively pointing toward the door as if I needed to leave immediately. I completely understand having a no-outside-food policy, and I would have had no problem following it if it had been communicated respectfully. But the way she approached me felt unnecessarily harsh and honestly pretty upsetting. I apologized right away, packed everything up in a panic, and left. After processing it, I realized how inappropriate the interaction felt for something that could have been addressed with a simple, polite reminder. Overall, Asha has great matcha, a cute space, and friendly baristas, but that experience really left a bad taste in my mouth. Just a heads up: the drinks are good, but you may want to be careful about bringing outside food in, because the policy might be enforced in a pretty unpleasant way.

Advertisements for the latest Matcha are around but I would go for the coffee. Arabic music plays…read moreand the decorations are reflective of their culture. Brought me back to my childhood in Saudi Arabia. The barista was welcoming and the overall vibe was quiet even with the music. I would come here to study. I ordered the orange blossom mint decaf and it was delicious. I should have gotten the Turkish coffee but my body can't handle the caffeine.

finally checked out Heyma and it is such a vibe. I've been looking for a new place to lock in and…read morestudy and this is definitely it. The aesthetic is 10/10 with the cool ceiling tiles and murals about Yemeni coffee history. It is way better than sitting in a crowded library basement. Service The staff is honestly so sweet. The server was super welcoming and actually took the time to say hi. You don't always get that when places are busy so it felt very community oriented. Coffee and Food I ordered the Heyma Latte and it was gas. The espresso is smooth and not bitter at all. The latte art was actually insane and I almost didn't want to drink it. They also have some wild sounding specialty drinks like a Dubai Latte and a Banana Date Smoothie that I am definitely coming back for when I need a midterm pick me up. Ambiance The marble tables and the lighting make it a great place to post up with a laptop or just hang with friends. It is clean, cozy, and just has a really good energy. Definitely adding this to the regular rotation. If you are tired of the same three coffee shops you need to check this place out.

What a delightful find after a morning of bike ride into Berkeley. We stashed our bikes and…read morequickly became immersed with the variety of colorful, tantalizing pastries beautifully displayed inside the cafe. Eclairs galore! Friendly server quickly got our tea and iced latte out. I also couldn't resist a chocolate dipped scallop shaped cookie which turned out to be two sandwiched together. Very flaky texture and lightly sweetened which was perfect. We saw that they also offered different savory sandwiches and a "French taco" lol. Will have to return and try next time!

My boyfriend and I grabbed a quick lunch here after studying next door at Heyma. The cashier was…read morereally friendly and answered all our questions. We shared the Merguez Sandwich and a Rose Pistachio Turkish Delight. They don't have any indoor seating but have a few tables outside. We waited about 10 minutes for our sandwich. The sandwich was delicious! We got it medium spicy and it was perfect for us. I would have loved it if it had a bit more sauce to it because it was a bit dry but the flavor was great. The turkish delight was so yummy and I thought it was also well priced. I'll happily be back in the future to try more of their foods and pastries! There was also plenty of street parking in the neighborhood.

Cute store. Very clean. I like that they display each donut and muffin in the case with its name…read moreand price (vs just a list of flavors on a menu) so you can see exactly what you're getting. The lady at the counter was super nice and personable. She was easy to talk to and friendly. She asked if we wanted our treats warmed up but since I was taking mine home, she recommended to heat it up for 45 seconds at home. Thank you!! I ordered: * black sesame mochi muffin - nice chew, great sesame flavor, and not too sweet * churro mochi muffin - covered in cinnamon sugar, so good. Great texture as well. * banana bread pudding - looks so ooey and gooey! I took an edge piece because I like the chewy crispy texture. Love to return when I'm back in the area.

Very cute little bakery in a quaint area surrounded by other small shops and plenty of outdoor…read moreseating! The bakery itself seems to mainly be a takeout spot, with minimal indoor seating which felt pretty inconvenient given the limited space for customers, however it did seem to serve more of a purpose as a waiting area anyways. The structure of the bakery leaves a bit to be desired as well, as we found the glass display cases as the only form of menu, so being in the front of the line while still deciding what to order caused some unnecessary anxiety. Regardless of those nitpicks, the baked goods themselves were pretty good! Service was instant, and all of the treats looked delicious--it was hard to choose what we wanted! Our favorites were the Thai Tea and Ube Coconut Mochi Donuts. Both had really strong flavors--the Ube in particular was very clear in comparison to most other Ube desserts in my experience. The textures of the mochi donuts were really well done too, with soft exteriors and chewy, glutinous interiors. The same can be said about the Mochi Muffins, though with crunchier parts around the edges. We found the contrast of textures to actually work really well! However, the flavors of the Muffins were lacking a bit--the Red Velvet didn't stand out much, with the frosting tasting a bit too sweet, and while the Five Spice had a really interesting flavor, it was also a bit too sweet, drowning out the more unique citrusy flavor. Overall, however, all four of the goods we had were enjoyable eats, and would definitely return some time to try out other flavors!

I came by to try the chai with a friend as we live nearby and it was too late in the day for…read morecoffee. I really appreciated how spacious the interior is and it feels nice and secluded for SoMa. I got an iced oat chai and it was just perfect for me, someone who doesn't enjoy sweet drinks. I loved how earthy and almost chocolatey the chai is and the oatmilk gave it more richness which I love. I will definitely need to be back to try the banana einspanner and the espresso drinks!

I've been hearing about the karak chai of elaichi from a really long time, finally tried it today…read moreand I must say it's the best chai in Bay Area. If you are looking for strong chai this is it, perfect on sugar and perfect on that creaminess.