I wish i lived closer because this would be my go to coffee shop! I stopped by around 10:30am on a…read moreSaturday morning and there was ample street parking. There were only a couple of tables occupied (there are 2-3 normal tables with chairs and a couple of floor cushion seats). I can definitely see that during the weekday, it would be packed with college students and parking would also be hard to come by. I ordered the Iced Whipped Honey Cream Latte (with Oat Milk) online. The drink was ready in less than 4 minutes. If you enjoy coffee on the sweeter side with flavored cream tops, this coffee shop is for you. The Honey Cream was sooooo good and perfect amount of cream vs at some other coffee shops there is a very thin layer. Whenever I am in the area, I will be stopping by.

Cute shop has wifi. Ordered earl grey matcha einspanner and pumpkin bread. Same pre packed pumpkin…read morebread as every other cafe. Earl grey matcha - yummy whip - matcha wasn't strong - earl grey was light 6.7/10

I'm obsessed with everything on their menu--except for the staff's attitude. I think my experience…read morewould have been much better if the person at the register had seemed more engaged instead of being so monotone. At the end of my visit, I thanked him for everything, but he never looked at me or my sister and simply turned away to continue talking with his coworkers. They need to seriously get that together.

I'm always on the lookout for new cafes, especially ones that have matcha and hojicha in their…read moremenu. Immediately as you enter, the space opens up to a wide bright and open space with an incredibly chic/minimalist design. But wait, there's more...beyond what you see are two more rooms as you venture further in with lots of seating and multiple bathroom stalls! To the right of the back room is an area with typical low stools/seats as you'd see in Vietnam. Not be confused as a children's only seating area(which of course it could also be used as) but it's for adults as well! Now let's talk drinks, I am a sucker for anything matcha and hojicha, but I decided to order the salted coffee as Cafe Gara's roots stem from the Vietnamese culture. I ordered my drink with light ice and THANK YOU staff for respecting that modification, it's too often that I get a cup full of ice when I ask for light ice. My drink came with salted foam on top, which was so smooth and creamy, it perfectly pairs with the strong sweet Vietnamese coffee that is the base . As I was enjoying my drink, I was fortunate enough to meet and have a brief chat with Daniel, one of the siblings who own the cafe. It was clear there is a lot of labor and love that went into the R&D of this establishment, I appreciate the sourcing of coffee beans directly from Vietnam. I will definitely be back to try many other items on their menu. Welcome to Berkeley Cafe Gara, well done!

Parking: Requires street parking. Interior: Good lighting,…read morenicely decorated. Drink: Chahalo Black Milk Tea Frappe.

Came here on a whim and was pleasantly surprised. The shop is clean, modern, and has a relaxing…read moreatmosphere. The drinks looked exactly like the menu photos, and the presentation was beautiful. I tried a cream-topped tea and a hot tea, and both tasted fresh without being overly sweet. The tea flavor was smooth and balanced, and the cream complemented it really well instead of overpowering it. The staff were friendly, and the drinks came out quickly. Definitely a great place to stop for a tea break. Would come back to try more of their specialty teas!

Binge is my go to matcha spot here in Berkeley. For the price, the quality, and the amount I think…read moreit's well worth it. I love it when I can actually taste the matcha and my coffee. My go-tos are the Banana matcha and Double matcha. Also highly recommend their Vietnamese egg coffee - I really love the egg cream top. The wait time also isn't too long if you preorder on Snackpass. Love binge!

Tried the ube matcha with 50% sweetness and Oatmilk. The reviews definitely support what my…read moreexperience was, which was a surprisingly great summer treat that is equally colorful as it was balanced. This afternoon pick me up was not too sweet and kept cool. We ordered through DoorDash but service was super quick and delivery to Jack London was really fast. Can't speak to the ambiance but I am willing to check it out in person because it was that good. FYI: the matcha is strong, might have you doing some exercise afterwards.

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!

Summer has definitely shown up during the last few days of July with a heatwave upon us with the…read moresun coming out. The weather heats up there is nothing more essential to refresh by grabbing a beverage on ice. There are many places to grab something to clinch your thirst. Nothing is better on a sunny day as grabbing a bubble tea. There is a place which professionally provides all kinds of flavors of drinks from Taiwan and it's called Taiwan Professional Tea. On another Summer stroll in Telegraph I landed at Taiwan Professional Tea. Inside there is some seating and the party people order on a kiosk. They have lots of drinks not too sweet and some are sour like lemonade like some on my social media feed. They also have matcha for Don Juan de la Matcha . I got the Mango Passion Smoothie . It was not too sweet and it had lots of flavor and hit the spot . A good place to grab a drink rain or shine because the drinks are Type A ( Taipei). Last day of the month and it's "gone" now every social media feed for the end of July photo dump is what is going "on" but this place has tasty tea drinks which has a second name professional and first name "Taiwan" and they also have matcha for the "Don Juan" This place is the place during a heatwave is the answer and that is "unquestionable"they have drinks with fruits and not a "vegetable"when it comes to matcha leave it to the "professional" because Don Juan de la Matcha is nothing "correctable"

One of my favorite milk tea chains in the Bay Area, always consistent. My favorite is their TGY…read moreMilk Tea which has great tea flavor, but they also have a huge variety of other choices, including seasonal ones. Small spot with only a little seating, but it's quick and easy to order from their self service kiosks.

Read about the Kopi Bar in the SF Chronicle so we made a plan to check it out after visiting the UC…read moreBerkeley Botanical Garden. You do not have to purchase BAMPFA admission to visit Kopi Bar. Kopi Bar is open to the public and is on the second floor of the museum. They have a lot of seating reaching into the museum but they also have a very nice lounge area next to the bar with 4 comfortable leather lounge chairs. The lounge area is cantilevered above the street. On either side of the lounge are floor-to-ceiling windows looking onto the street below and facing each window is a high counter with bar stools. Sitting on the bar stools you have a nice view toward campus on one side and downtown Berkeley on the other. Kopi Bar is a Malaysian style cafe and bakery. They do have a simple breakfast and lunch menu, but are best known for their southeast Asian influenced pastries and specialty drinks. Among the lunch options, the seafood Laksa noodle and Malaysian chicken rice are the standouts, but my kids wanted red meat so we went across the street to eat beef noodles and then came back to Kopi Bar for dessert and their specialty coffee drinks. The staff were super friendly and made the effort to remember my name so I was impressed that they really want customers to have a good experience. I ordered the Kopi Avocado, blue tea pea lemonade, pandan coconut swirl, chocolate babka, and a specialty iced Kopi with pandan cream and soft boba. The drinks were really unique and refreshing. For the Kopi Avocado, you have to make sure to mix it well so you can taste the smoothness. We enjoyed the pastries as well and they complement the drinks. I think Kopi Bar make such a nice addition to the BAMPFA experience, but we plan to come back with friends.

I love, love, love their chicken rice and laksa, it really took me back to Southeast Asia…read more The laksa was outstanding. The broth and sambal are on another level compared to any I've had around the Bay Area. I'm not completely sold on the noodles themselves, but the rich, flavorful broth more than makes up for it. The chicken rice is everything I've been looking for. The rice is incredibly fragrant and infused with chicken flavor, and the sauce has just the right amount of texture and heat. I usually don't care much for chicken, but this dish is an absolute must-order. That said, I was a little disappointed by the pandan items. They tasted more like store-bought pandan syrup than the fresh, aromatic flavor of real pandan leaves. Even so, the pandan and coconut swirl was still delicious. I'll go back to try the kaya toast next time The staff are super friendly, and I love how creative the location is. The bakery is connected to the museum but not part of the admission area, so you can enjoy it without buying a ticket. It's such a relaxing spot to grab something to eat and people-watch through the windows.

Wow. Just wow. Talk about a NICE refresher…read more If you like juice/refreshers and have been looking for a good spot outside of Starbucks, please definitely give this place a try. Their service was very quick and nice. The ambiance was very nice as well, with a lot of nice decor.

- I bought a bag of coffee beans and asked them to grind it for my French press…read more - Got home, brewed some coffee and realized grind was too coarse for proper extraction. - Went back, the team happily reground the beans THEN THEY SURPRISED ME WITH A COMPLIMENTARY SLICE OF BAKLAVA. I INSISTED ON PAYING AND MENTIONED THAT GRINDING BEANS I PURCHASED WAS ABOVE AND BEYOND ALREADY. They said they "appreciated the opportunity to make things right with my coffee beans". 10 out of 5 stars for this team.