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    Free Speech Movement Cafe

    3.4 (249 reviews)
    InexpensiveCafes
    Closed 6:30 am - 10:00 pm

    Free Speech Movement Cafe Photos

    FREE SPEECH MOVEMENT CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Classy
    Loud
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Free Speech Movement Cafe

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    Chinese Chicken Salad ($8.25, 5/29/28)
    Olivia C.

    Even though I pass by FSM all the time, it wasn't until my coworkers and I needed a closer lunch spot to celebrate a birthday so we could get to our 1 pm meetings on time. We walked in and I immediately decided on the Chinese Chicken Salad ($8.25). I was given my receipt with a number. As another coworker and I grabbed everyone's receipts, the rest went to the outside patio to grab two tables. We waited about 5-8 minutes for the food. When my salad order came up, it was packaged in a to go bowl already. The sauce was already mixed into the salad and it could have used a bit more to fully reach all of the salad. There was an adequate amount of chicken but I did like the amount of carrots and celery that was put in to make it a bit crunchier and less garden salad. The garden salad portion was fresh; no wilting or brown pieces. If I was in a hurry and wanted to stay close, I'd stop by again. Next time I'd also specify that I was ordering for here since my other coworkers salad on her plate was a larger portion than the one I was given in my to go container.

    $8.25 for a kale chicken Cesar salad, pricey for such a small salad! The dressing was so heavy and salty I couldn't finish it.
    Sophia L.

    FSM is a convenient place to grab a quick bite/coffee. I think their espresso tastes burnt, but their coffee is ok. Their sandwiches are a lot better than their salads. I once got a kale salad, but the dressing was so salty, I couldn't even finish it. I've tried their Californian sandwich, which was really good, but it's pretty pricey for what is it. Also heard great things about the quesadilla. After 10pm, finding a seat inside is close to impossible, but you'll be likely to find a seat outside on the patio. Professors often hold office hours at FSM, so if you see a large group of people staring at someone and nodding blankly, that's what it is. Also, The line is almost always has 10+ people, but do not fear, the line goes by really fast. The cashiers are very efficient. TL;DR Great to grab a quick bite or get your caffeine fix on campus.

    Ruby H.

    My favorite cafe in Berkeley! The food there is great, and the drinks. I love the chicken kale salad the most! The source is sooooo tasty and the kale is fresh and easy to chew. I also tried out almost every dessert, the cheese cakes, carrot cakes, scones with all the flavors, muffins, etc, etc. I spent a lot time there, whenever I can't find a spot in the library or I have to meet with my friends. One of the unforgettable places in Berkeley!

    Jeanette S.

    I'm sad that this place doesn't accept meal points. But I'm happy it accepts Cal-1 debit card! That being said, I love coming here to study :).

    apple cloud
    Christie B.

    updating this review because i do really like their coffee and outdoor seating!! and the cashiers are really sweet. i would personally just not recommend the matcha lattes if you are looking for a more pure matcha taste or an energy boost.

    Turkey and avocado panini
    Kelly H.

    Oh my goodness, FSM is sooooo good! I actually haven't tried FSM until this year. I thought it would be like just one of those mediocre on campus eateries (sorry GBC). I absolutely love their food! It just tastes so good. My favorite thing to get their is the turkey & avocado panini. The ratio is bread to filling is so good and they're super generous with the filling. They have turkey slices, avocado, melted cheese, and sliced tomato. When you get it, it's really hot, smells delicious, and warms your soul when you take the first bite. MMMMMMmmmMMMMmmmm There's seating inside with a lot of interesting decor. There's also a ton of seating outside to enjoy your meal! I like how FSM is open really late and how it's right next to the library, so it's super convenient for students studying :) It also opens until pretty late so you can get coffee for your late night studying (though the kitchen closes earlier)!!

    turkey and swiss panini
    Katarina C.

    i got the turkey swiss panini for about $9. it tasted pretty good, but overall it was nothing special. since it was a panini they warmed it up, but not to the point where a panini should be warmed up to. i'd give it 4 stars if it was like $3 cheaper.

    Tuna Melt
    Taylor S.

    Food: Pretty damn good. I really enjoy their soups and sandwiches. I prefer their warm sandwiches over their cold ones. Favorites: cubano, tuna melt, Thai curry chicken soup Drinks: Decent teas. Mostly regular store brands. Nothing spectacular. Service: Very quick and pretty friendly. The line can get really long but it moves quickly. Don't forget to listen for your number if you sit outside. Also there's a free water jug so you don't have to continuously ask for water if you're there for a while. Location: Extremely convenient for students. Lots of outdoor seating. Tolerable noise levels. Pros: convenient & good food Cons: can be crowded, little seating inside, teas are nothing special

    Kvin K.

    BEST food to sneak down into main stacks! I always come to FSM when I'm studying or at the library. It's perfectly situated at the front of Moffit library (perfect for study breaks). The line is always either short, non-existent or quickly moving! I'm usually not a big fan of pre-maid wraps and coffee shop kind of crap, but everything I've tried at FSM Cafe is really delicious. Also, the prices aren't bad. Not even for Berkeley standards; they're actually just generally pretty inexpensive. If you've got a hankering for a good panini, COME HERE! My favorite sandwich is the turkey avocado panini. It's hot and fresh and always delicious. The pepperoni panini is also tasty and delicious. The best part though: the coffee!!! It's the best coffee on campus. I'm not sure if I'm used to the bitter coffee at Crossroads and Peet's or not, but FSM coffee never disappoints. I don't know what they do at FSM, but I've walked across campus for the coffee here before and have no problems doing so. It really is great. Ambiance is also nice. It's perfect for studying with groups over lunch or coffee. It's not too loud, but just a little murmur-y, which I love for studying. pros: food, prices, ambiance, COFFEE, location cons: literally nothing

    Brownie with walnuts and chocolate chip! Moist and chocolatey
    Jacqueline T.

    Awesome location for students and love that their hours closely align with those of Moffit! On Mon-Thurs, they don't close till 2AM. So I'm not a much of a coffee connoisseur or anything - usually I'll take my coffee with lots of milk and sugar - but lately I've been enjoying my coffee black (large is ~$2), so I just get their house coffee and every time I go, I would say the taste is the same, so A+ on consistency! The taste isn't too strong, not too bitter and not sour, so for someone like me who's just starting to get into black coffee, I really enjoy it! Other things I've tried: -Panini: deliciouuuuus!!! Can't really go wrong with these -Pesto Chicken wrap: it's been awhile since I've had this but the chicken was a bit dry -Walnut Brownie: (~$2) Yum!! There is the slight issue of not knowing how long it's been sitting on the counter for, but when mine was pretty moist, very chocolatey (has added chocolate chips!), and just very satisfying -Peanut Noodles: They definitely coat your noodle/salad noodle with plenty of sauce and the sauce could probably do with a bit more soy sauce but it's decent.

    Lucky S.

    I love the history and memorial to freedom of speech this cafe plays on Cal's campus. Near one of the many libraries, you can see the beautiful clock tower from outside. Inside there are murals and newspaper clippings of the historic free speech movement that occurred here. I got a great vanilla latte served with great service too.

    Pepperoni pizza hot pressed sandwich
    Meghan C.

    Always a great campus place to stop by between classes and grab a quick bite! The cafe offers cake, pastries, sandwiches, salads, fresh orange juice, and much more! Free Speech Movement Cafe got its name from a historical and massive student movement taking place on UC Berkeley during 1964- it was inspired by the first civil rights struggle and then opposition to the Vietnam War. There are awesome informational posters all around the cafe and pieces of the movement sealed into the tables!

    Capresse with salad
    Edna C.

    The question is not why I'm giving FSM 4 stars, but who can go to Berkeley and NOT give FSM at least 4 stars. It's usually noisy, the tables are not always clean, some futons have the stuffing coming out, only the seats on the periphery have outlets, baked goods/sandwiches/wraps are pre-made and not fresh, the made-to-order food is over-priced, the patio has uncomfortable bolted chairs under a glaring sun or pouring rain, the line sometimes wraps around the corner into the library next door, there are always people smoking in front, and the bathrooms are disgusting. During dead week and finals week, it's a chaotic pigsty of panicking, hypercaffeinated undergrads staring at laptops with glazed eyes. Some people appear to be in Facebook coma, spending more time reading their mini-feed than reviewing lecture notes. The true FSM'ers at heart are those who live there for a few days on end to write that research paper they've been procrastinating on, sipping coffee in desperation at 2am. During these 2 weeks, if you're lucky you might find half a table to share with a stranger. Why 4 stars then?!?! Because it is indispensable to Berkeley student life: non-expensive and organic fair-trade coffee, edible food, ESPRESSO BROWNIES, tables and walls of newspaper front pages reminding us of Berkeley's rich history of activism, the front page of every major newspaper around the world updated daily right outside the cafe, amazing hours that are godsend to college students but absurd to normal people, located right at the heart of campus. Even if you refuse to study at cafes, there is no denying that FSM is the perfect meeting spot because no one can complain about the location. #College

    Turkey and Avocado Pannini ~$7 after tax & so worth it!

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    Literally Cafe Strada in disguise, except it's in a super convenient location but attracts weird people.

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    really spacious and arab-inspired espresso flavors. i got the saffron latte which honestly i wasn't…read morea fan of, but there are others i want to try next time! the latte foam art was exceptional though! i wish i took a photo! but my review is more for the actual cafe itself -- i liked the ambience, and how spacious it was, very nice decor. there were a lot of displayed desserts and pastries that were tantalizing (but i can't eat bc i'm gf ) and there are more latte flavors that i'll be trying next time!

    Beautiful, spacious cafe in Berkeley! The decor and ambiance is very beautiful, with bright and…read morewelcoming lighting. Easily accessible by public transportation, and is a short walk from Ashby BART. I love Middle Eastern Desserts, so when I was invited to a casual gathering here, I was delighted to check out Milyar's offerings. It was verrrryyyyy slowwwwww. I think we all waited 20 minutes-ish as they rolled out our orders. Because I'm a sucker for desserts, here's what I tried: Pistachio milk cake: suuuuper moist Chicken mustan: warm and savory with shredded chicken on the inside Knafeh cheesecake: Cheesecake Factory could never! Knafeh has grown on me since I first tried it, and I enjoyed this in cheesecake form. Pistachio Baklava: a classic! This was nice and big, like a small pie slice, and was soooo good. They also gave our gathering a Dubai chocolate milk cake and two baklavas for free.

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    Jaffa Coffee Roasters

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    Cute place with lots of seating (not enough for me to sit tho). Espresso was good but I had come…read morehoping for Arabic / Turkish coffee :( Even though they didn't have what I was after, I still recommend this cafe as it is very clean, cute, and seems a good place to work on your laptop.

    so glad i decided to try jaffa finally !! the sweetest barista, allyson, was so kind & walked me…read morethrough the menu. came at the perfect time (2pm ish on a wednesday) so it wasn't too busy and allyson could really take her time talking w me im so indecisive but came in w an open mind, ended up choosing the strawberry sage creek & asked allyson to choose a second drink for me. i've never gotten 2 sweet treats at once like this !! that's how freaking good everything on the menu looks, i had to try more than one drink !! loved my iced SSC w oat milk (vegan cold foam btw !!), def hits the spot if you're craving coffee, want a lil sweetness but not too sweet-- the flavor of the midnight in jerusalem espresso in the SSC has the perfect mild/muted flavor for someone who wants an iced specialty coffee w/o the heavy coffee flavor (comes normally as "medium sweet", you can up/down that !!). maybe i'm crazy but i'm also getting a subtle hint of like, a milky tea from the espresso flavor? like an earl grey tea? def my flavor profile okay now the pineapple expresso is advertised similarly as the SCC, but once allyson gave me my drink and told me about it, she was telling me how the PE but as a matcha (so no espresso) has been her summer drink. def not something i'd order for myself but i actually loved it even more than the SCC !! i highly highly highlyyy recommend !! the matcha isn't over powering (i think the matcha they use is sourced from yabukita matcha leaves which makes sense why it's sooo smooth & has such a great flavor). and paired w the pineapple flavors, vegan hawaiian whip, and i believe allyson said coconut milk is used... omg this drink. PLEASE i urge everyone to try this at least once. so refreshing, creamy, smooth, i don't even wanna finish mine bc im gonna be sad when it's gone !! and she offered to make me something completely different of my choice if i didn't like it. no barista has ever offered that to me. ok i think ive yapped enough lol you will not regret trying jaffa. also if u dont wanna pay for street metered parking, turn into the neighborhood behind jaffa, there's plenty of curb parking, and it's a beautiful lil walk this time of the year w all the flowers in everyone's yard allyson i owe u my first born for recommending this pineapple matcha to me

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    Jason Al-Ghussein, artist and muralist, absolutely SLAYED this mural
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    Winter warmer: apple cider mm!

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    Winter warmer: apple cider mm!

    Free Speech Movement Cafe - cafes - Updated June 2026

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