This coffee shop is quaint, warm and cozy. Great place to study or have a casual lunch/brunch. The paninis are incredible. All the ingredients are super fresh. The cashier that usually works here is the sweetest man. I always get chai tea lattes here and a fresh cookie! Yum! read more

Has the potential to be amazing, if only they could get good pastries and fix up the broken and dilapidated benches.

Part of the Cafe Roma empire that includes the French Hotel, the Cafe Roma on College and a bunch of others, these guys have espresso and lattes down right. A single here is twice as strong as the milky muck at Starbucks, with just the right burnt taste. The Hopkins store is on the sight of a former service station, across from Monetery Market, and a neighborhood hang. The variety of pastries is good, with two of my local delicacies: cheese puffs from Fat Apples and Cinnamon Bread from Acme. My only complaint: they only provide sugar and Sweet and Low. I prefer Splenda or if I have to, Equal, to Sweet and Low, and can't do too much sugar. read more

I need to find a new place to work...when I stay at school to grade papers, I'm inevitably mobbed by kids and nothing gets done, so I've been exploring new places to work. This place is cute...the guy at the cash register was really vibrant and nice, and I was excited to get started. The seating outside is ample and pretty, and this would be a really great place to come on a nice day. Inside is meh. The seats weren't really comfortable, and the panini that I got wasn't very good -- a ton of spinach and some of it was cold. No outlets for my computer, so I had to cut it short and leave. I wouldn't really come back, unless I lived close and wanted to read or write on a pretty day. Otherwise, there are a lot of other options. read more

This was the hangout for all of druggies at nearby high school so I was pretty scared to go here until Junior year of high school. That being said, the food here is great, as is the lemonade. I would recommend the chicken and turkey paninis with roasted peppers (they just dont taste the same without the peppers). All in all, a good place to just sit and read and eat...that is if you can find a table. read more

This is one of my favorite Berkeley cafés. I love the outdoor seating options as well as the indoor seating options. The café is located in a beautiful setting with side street parking. If you come here during the morning on a weekday, they have premade delicious breakfast burritos that you can get with or without bacon for a few bucks. They have a delicious array of pastries and pastas, as well as a kitchen that serves pizza & other food. Above all my favorite part of coming here is the great coffee that they serve. read more

My wife recommended this place and thought I'd give it a try. I'm kind of surprised at some of the other reviews saying the coffee is average or even below average. I had a mocha, and it was one of the best I've ever had. The one downside, as other have mentioned, is that it doesn't seem very friendly towards the laptop crowd. No outlets, and when I was there the wifi was bad or nonexistent in spots. But when I want a great mocha, I'm coming back here. read more

My favorite local coffee shop. Amazing staff and great vibes.

Had a breakfast lunch at this place today the sandwich special was excellent the meat was sliced very thin and fried very tasty and the salad had just the right amount of dressing on it the service was good nice place to have breakfast or lunch I would go back and try their breakfast very good read more

Sunny with a slight breeze, Monday afternoon: So, why is the faithful Roma Cafe completely empty of anyone, even the "regulars", today? Could it be the price increase? Are they finally fed up with the rickety tables and uncomfortable metal chairs? And where is our favorite Barista, who served us with smiles the last ten or more years? Change is in the air. Even the Monterey Market across the street is undergoing some kind of big dig, with monster machines chewing up the parking lot. Given a little attention, this cafe , in a perfect location, could become charming again. read more

A small front area, a larger back area, and a pretty garden area that I'll try out when it hasn't been raining. The front seems to attract pushy mothers and their slightly smarter brats. There really is something about women who just take over the entire space around them because they've seen fit to spawn. (Adam's word, not mine, but I've co-opted it.) I'm not looking to get into a parent/childfree argument here -- there are some cool parents and some schmucks, and in Berkeley, the schmucks often proliferate. Go figure. Coffee here is super expensive. More than $2 for a 16-ounce glass, and $1.50 for a refill? Food looks okay, though I didn't try it. Setting is nice. The verdict? A nice change every so often, but certainly not a habit. Also reminds me to re-up the birth control. read more

I can sit here for hours and catchup with old friends. There is wifi, but outlets are hard to find. The items here are a bit pricey, but then again you're in Berkeley. I like siting out doors and watching the cars drive by and talking about life. During the hotter month's its cool, other than that it gets chilly. You can bring your own food and sit there for however long. read more

Awesome place to come and relax and have a nice cold beer! Food is excellent and the vibe is great! read more

Espresso Roma Cafe - Scrimshaw - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

Good salads.

Just moving to Berkeley from the city, and not having any other cafes for a work meeting, we set one up here. Bummer... Definitely a neighborhood bohemian vibe, where even a casual meeting seemed awkward. One of the guys ordered lunch and it didn't look that fresh but it sure looked comfort-foody satisfying. read more

The stars are mostly because they had food & I love the patio...2 poached eggs on bagel with proscuitto was kind of dry except for the egg yolks. Nice patio hang. read more

Espresso Roma Cafe - 2 poached eggs & proscuitto on bagel. Comes with potatoes...was kinda dry, good thing for the egg yolks. - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

Cute neighborhood cafe. Very nice setting. People ignor you if you are outside the established clique. Table servers not very friendly speak little bad communication. read more

Espresso Roma Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

Why, why, why??? This place could have been such a jewl! Right by Monterey Market, Gioa Pizza, etc. It's dingy, pricey ($2.50 for a small regular coffee... One more buck and I could get a latte!), dog-unfriendly, and the cashier is so rude! I avoid this place as much as I can but it's right by my daughter's school and I need my afternoon coffee sometimes. I don't recommend it. read more

The option to sit outside is amazing, with birds and sunshine. They have really good employees and service. They bring out your food really quick. They have amazing semi Freddie pastries, sandwiches, drinks, and meals. read more

Because my church is walking distance from this place, I've come here quite a few times before or after church or just because. The parking can be a bit iffy, but I do like working or reading here. I don't think they have outlets (although they do have internet) so bringing a laptop isn't always the best bet. love their STRONG coffee on hot days and their iced coffees or italian sodas. their breakfasts are pretty yummy and they're just SO nice. Lovely place, lots of beautiful outdoor seating, right across the street from Monterey Market. All wooden though - so don't come in expecting like.. couches and the sort. (cuts down on germs anyway imho). read more

Slowest service ever. With attitude. And I was the only one in there. Ordered the egg salad sandwich (I even saw the dude write egg salad on the paper), but 25 minutes later I received an eggplant sandwich. Unfortunately, this order was to-go and I didn't see this mistake until later. (I hate eggplant) Then again, had I reordered I could have been waiting there all day. read more

Great coffee in a great location! I would give them five stars but they don't allow dogs on the patio. Since my wife has a dog that is a deterrent for us going back. The coffee was wonderful and the patio is lovely. I went early in the morning and was able to sit down before I went shopping at Monterey Market across the street. Thanks for a great experience! read more

I come here often when housesitting a few blocks away and, at 24, I've always been the youngest person here. By like five years. Maybe because it's because I come pretty early in the morning. I like the idea of the patio, though it's always been too cold to actually use it. No outlets anywhere - good thing my laptop can live off battery power for a few hours. I had a bagel once. It wasn't memorable, but not bad. The coffee is fine, too. Nothing I'd go out of my way to get, but it's fine. Overall, a good place to go to get some work done. read more

The Good: Great outdoor seating, and a beautiful neighborhood place to chat, eat, and drink. The Bad: The coffee is awful! Especially, the espresso drinks. When I order at latte the espresso is bland in the milk, and my mouth feels dry. The milk seems to have a weird consistency. Recommendation: Buy better quality coffee! Take some hints from Blue Bottle or Local 123. My website: www.funwithcoffee.com read more

The espresso is of poor quality and the attitude has an "I don't care" kinda feel. Nice location, and despite terrible presentation and the waitress slamming it on my table without saying anything, the food is pretty good. read more

Espresso Roma Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Berkeley, California

One of the worst espressos of my life. Thanks, but never again. Didn't have food, so I can't comment. read more

Decent coffee,outdoor setting.Too bad the owners don't care about how this cafe looks on outside/inside. It is"Berkeley schlumpy". Paint is peeling from the outside,colors are terrible (why not Italy colors,vivid,bright,green,red). From the outside the cafe looks so bad and uninviting,.Inside not too clean. Owner ! If you really care about your business, get with it and do a fresh remodel. Seems like the owners are just too darn "cheap" too remodel. If the interior was remodeled it is a poor patch up job. I am very turned off. Too embarrassed to bring European friends to this dumpy cafe. I will not be going there ever again. No sense of aesthetics here,no sophistication. Unattractive,not clean.Dark and dingy inside the cafe. Sign on windows of cafe says,(No dogs).How abut therapy dogs ? The law required that these dogs are allowed in. YUCK ! read more

If you can get past the cashier with the bad attitude this place is nice. The food and coffee are good.

The coffee is bad, the baked goods are meh, the location is a bit run down but at least it's expensive.

The chai is waaay too sweet, tastes more like cinnamon sugar milk. I threw it away after a few sips

I've been coming here forever and it was always good for a solid latte. It's totally horrible today. Completely undrinkable. Waste of 4$.

GREAT coffee. Everything else was mediocre to poor including service and quality of my greek salad, respectively. The greek salad was plentiful with olives which was nice but it was mushy and tasted old, not to mention it was SWIMMING in liquid oily-dressing mess. The slice of bread it came with was hard and bland. I should've stuck with the coffee alone, for it would be a 5-star review. read more

I used to really like this place but it's gone way downhill. Plus, now that I am a dog owner, I'm always looking for places to bring my pooch. The fact that they don't allow dogs on their patio is ridiculous. Plus, our latte and mocha this AM were not good at all. Bitter espresso and a bitter feeling as my husband waited on the corner with our dog. I'm a neighbor but won't be back. read more

Most reviews focus on the food and overlook the patio which is utterly epic. If you're post hipster and aren't looking for new wave mind-blowing coffee and are more likely to appreciate the simpler things in life then go here. I've been everywhere in Berkeley and no place quite matches the level of vintage old European feel of the green spacious canopied patio. This neighborhood of Berkeley is very quintessentially Northern California and a lovely place to pass the morning listening to the birds chirping. read more

I dropped by while on an early morning dog walk. The coffee was unremarkable, there are definitely better stops for a cup of black coffee. The outdoor seating seems like a nice feature, but otherwise I wasn't really impressed. read more

Do not come here if you want to work. It's good to meet friends and grab coffee food. Big outdoor area. No plugs anywhere in the entire place. Food is your typical coffee house food. The outdoor area is a Huge perk.. But not enough to give it 4 stars read more

Those who frequent this place are most likely people who would mention they have been to europe at least once in the first sentence of your conversation. Cafe Au Lait?! They dont have any outlets for your crappy laptop with low battery life..and if your not highlighting your reader or reading a book with a title others cant mention, you wont fit in....but berkeleys all about non-conforming Right?...good food, ok coffee...3 stars enjoy read more

Great location, great outdoor seating area, average food/coffee, bad management, no respect to customers. Whenever I go in this place I am surprised with the way they manage things and behave towards customers. They charge extra for to-go cups, and for decaf beverages, they give only one tea bag for large tea and extra charge for 2nd tea bag. On one occasion, after purchasing beverages and food around 6pm, I and my 9-year old son were not allowed to use the restroom a few minutes later while my son had to go to the bathroom really badly. They said they close at 6pm and they start cleaning it so they can't allow us to use it. On another occasion, I left $20 at the cashier, and paused to look at the menu, when I was ready and completed the order the cashier claimed he didn't take the money. After arguing a few minutes, I offered him my id and asked to take my cell phone number and call me if they are short of $20 at the end of the day, at that point he gave me the change for $20 without saying anything, as if he was doing me a favour. I refrain from going to this place anymore and wish that somebody else takes over as it is a convenient and great location with great outdoor seating area. read more

I really loved coffee before I visited Italy. Now I believe I would wither away without it. I crave cappuccinos in the morning and macchiatos in the afternoon and evening. There are very few places that can do these drinks right. This place does them right. Any cafe you see in Berkeley with the Espresso Roma cups make awesome coffee. Thank you Espresso Roma! read more

On the plus side, they're cheap and have great locations. On the minus side, the coffee and espresso. You can do much better at either Nefeli or Fertile Grounds. read more