Peet's Coffee is at home in Berkeley, literally! After opening sixty years ago right here in the university town of Berkeley, California, Peet's Coffee has remained here and thrived decades later thanks to this location along the bustling Fourth Street corridor in the city's Oceanview neighborhood. This location probably has been around as long as the Fourth Street area moved from industrial warehouses to that of a commercial shopping and dining hub, as this location of Peet's Coffee is strategically located on the corner of a larger building that clearly served as something much larger eons ago and now serves as multiple businesses, including several high-end stores and restaurants. What constantly brings me to this location of Peet's Coffee is ease of location as there is very few competitive coffee shops in this area, at least a place where you can order a quick cup of warm coffee on a cold day, or blended drink on a cold day, other than this location of Peet's Coffee. What is so great about this location is that they have an outdoor courtyard area with plenty of seating that in turn overlooks an alleyway that leads to a parking lot behind the main building that houses their location that serves as a community gathering spot with music, dance classes and other activities often going on before our eyes.
I have been to this location many times, ordering their trademark Frappés, which were briefly called Javivas before being renamed Frappés once again. There is nothing better than sipping on a medium sixteen ounce beverage from your straw as you walk around trendy Fourth Street and take in the sights and sounds of one of the nicer areas of Berkeley? Upon my last visit to this Peet's Coffee location is that they have given a huge upgrade to many of their locations, making the interior feel as if everything is batched and roasted on site as if everything is one big coffee lab, of course appearance can be deceiving as their new look is now moody with a dark black interior and a marble counter that now deliberately highlights their glass pastry counter. What I love also about Peet's Coffee is that their seasonal menu is constantly changing especially recently as this year in addition to your obligatory Peppermint Mocha for the holidays, they have added a Dubai-Style Chocolate Matcha to their seasonal menu, and so with my most recent visit, I could not resist, and since the line was so short, I was done to order this one drink. Containing a pistachio flavor plus house-made chocolate sauce, this seasonal drink is inspired by the trendy Dubai Chocolate and is topped with a matcha foam cream top and a sprinkling of crunchy salted caramel.
It should be noted that a medium beverage for this particular drink is over 18 ounces for some reason, and the total cost was $7.50. Thankfully paying only adds to the ease of ordering, as Peet's Coffee, like their competition, has changed how one earns points after every drink paid for on the app. Nevertheless, the service is friendly and efficient at this location, as it would be mere minutes of me waiting at their side counter for my name to be called and for me to be sipping on my iced drink. First thing that I noticed was that there was way too much ice in this 18 ounce drink, as there wasn't much to drink overall, despite what the pretty pictures on both the television screen menus and the apps showcased. I liked this new Dubai-Style Chocolate Matcha, there just wasn't much to enjoy with this recent visit. Still a visit to this location of Peet's Coffee is a must, as their location and ease of access and wait time from entry to drink received is always a plus, especially with Costco consistently selling a five-pack of gift cards with an only at Costco discount, it makes for visiting this and any other location of Peet's Coffee an easy decision. May this and their other locations continue to reign the "Coffee Revolution" scene for generations to come! read more