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    Sweetheart Cafe

    3.5 (632 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 2:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated 3 months ago

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    F2. Spicy Popcorn Chicken extra spicy
    Heather L.

    Got the extra spicy popcorn. Sooo spicy and yummy! The portions are veryy generous. Order and pay on tablet. Small little mom and pop; def support!!

    Popcorn Chicken
    Susan H.

    I love their popcorn chicken. Prices have gone up a bit. $10 for popcorn chicken, but I still love it. They do it well here, big chunks of chicken fried to perfection, juicy and not oily. You order on a touch screen and you get a text when your order is ready. A great option for appetizers when you are waiting for food next door. I always stop by if I am around Berkeley for popcorn chicken here. Boba drinks are not as good as they use to be. But the snacks have remained solid.

    popcorn chicken. super moist chicken, not oily and delicious! $8.10
 
 2/19/2024
    Chloe C.

    Food - called in to order the popcorn chicken. took about ten mins. IT'S SO FREAKING GOOD! chicken was moist and it wasn't too oily. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEIR POPCORN CHICKEN! It was $8.10 so a bit pricy IMO. Service - about a ten min from the time I ordered via phone. Ambiance - small, cute little shop. Hole in the wall. Kinda cramped and I didn't see any seating but delicious.

    Avocado Smoothie with boba
    Elizabeth L.

    This Sweetheart Cafe location is right outside of the Durant Food Court / Durant Square. This is a very busy and popular late night spot, especially for the locals and students because most of these restaurants/shops stay open late. Parking is pretty hard here, especially on weekends and weeknights - everyone is double parked down the whole street on both sides, which leaves the single middle lane for cars to get through, which more often than not gets backed up. I still do not understand why this is one of the only few boba shops that requires a 'Berkeley Disposable Cup Charge' because most of the shops in the city of Berkeley do not have that fee. I used to come here at least biweekly, if not every week for those late night boba cravings, especially after a late night gym workout, since they are the only boba spot in the vicinity that opens late night, until 2 AM / 3 AM (depending on the day). The service is so bad here - it gets worse on every one of my visits. Although I feel like the service was always nonexistent, as I would just order ahead of time and quickly pick up my order when it is ready, at least I would not get attitude or bad service - ever since the younger employees started to work here during the late night shifts, I would always have some sort of issue / problem with either my drink or order and I would get an attitude, a scowl, and / or rude comment from one of them. The last couple of times that I ordered from here, I would either get the Jasmine Green Milk Tea with boba or the Sweetheart Black Milk Tea with boba and they would mess it up by adding too much sugar / sweetness or not forgetting to add any at all or adding too much or too little ice, so my drink is either all ice and turns watery quickly or tastes warm, so the ice and sugar / sweetness levels are not that consistent. If it is too sweet or if there is too much ice, I usually just deal with it, but when there is no sugar at all or not enough sugar or too little ice, I would nicely ask them to fix it, which I feel is pretty considerate, as it is easier to add ice / sugar than to have to remake the drink with less ice / sugar. Anyway, when you try to ask these particular employees (usually the same 2 - 3 younger ones) to fix it, they would always have some sort of annoyed demeanor or attitude towards you and when you get the drink back, the seal is all messily torn like they could care less - half there / half gone, instead of nicely ripped/taken off completely with a dome lid snapped on top. After they fix it by adding more sugar / sweetness or ice and I taste it, it usually tastes like a sugar bomb or way too watered down, but at that point, I usually just take the L and drink it. During my last visit, I was debating if I wanted to deal with attitude and possibly a messed up drink on that particular night, but I was not in the mood, so I decided to cancel my order - the app said I had to call them to cancel and gave me their number, which I called several calls with no luck. Unfortunately, I had no choice, but to go inside and it was the same trio working - I was told they do not have a phone line, even though they have a number listed on the ordering app, online, Yelp, etc., and that I had to contact Snackpass. I told them it has not even been 2 minutes, since I ordered and I spent those 2 minutes calling them, as Snackpass stated that was the only way to cancel the order. They tried stating that they cannot cancel my order on their end because it does not let them and that they already made my drink, and that I have to contact Snackpass - which I stated yet again that Snackpass said I had to call / contact them and they kept trying to tell me they do not have a phone line. Anyway, after going in circles, one of them in the trio finally *magically* cancelled the order on their screen behind the counter after they kept stating they could not. After this last encounter with these employees - I had it with their attitude and poor / unprofessional service, especially for drinks that are not consistent and made correctly. I will not be back to this particular location when I can just go to Boba Ninja around the corner for my late night boba fix (they are not open as late, but still fairly late - 1:30 AM / 2:30 AM, depending on the day) and the employees working there at least make you feel welcomed.

    Kyle M.

    When those Friday night boba cravings hit, you have to give in. I'm still on my mango boba kick, so I ordered small Mango with whole milk and 25% sweetness + boba. They also sell spicy popcorn chicken, so it's a no-brainer to throw that on your order lol. I did try to call in the order but no one answered the phone lol. Ah well, I ended up placing the order on the kiosk right outside. My order was ready in 15 minutes, so pretty quick for a Friday night. Parking is crazy, but to be expected near campus. Double park and hope for the best lol. The Boba hit the spot! 25% is the move as you don't fall into the sugar coma.The spicy popcorn chicken was surprisingly good for a boba spot! The portion size was massive, so I split with a friend. A little heat on the spicy scale but nothing extreme. Would totally order again.

    Butterfly shrimp - Good but didn't know that it has coconut flakes
    Shayla B.

    ***3.5 Stars*** This is what you'd call the quintessential Berkeley establishment. A tiny milk tea shop serving up all of the deep fried goodies late into the night. Located right of off Durant and Telegraph, super close to the UC Berkeley campus. A UC Berkeley student's dream. But wait... it ain't just for Berkeley students. This is a great spot to grab a milk tea and some snacks. I was in the area and wanted to grab something quick but light. Insert Sweetheart Cafe. Saw that they had my beloved Avocado smoothie on their menu, and I went in for the kill. This place has all KINDS of deep fried snacks on the menu. French fries, onion rings, fish balls, spring rolls, corn dogs, popcorn chicken. You name it. I decided to order the deep fried butterfly shrimp. I should note that they charge a fee if you're purchasing anything with a card under $15. The avocado smoothie was creamy and thick with just the right amount of sweetness. It had a very mild avocado flavor, similar to one that uses powder instead of fresh avocado. But with a place like this, I wasn't expecting too much. It was still really tasty. The deep fried shrimp were surprisingly good too considering that they probably just fry it in the same oil as they do all of their other fried stuff. Again, not a huge deal for me. What kind of ticked me was that these shrimps were coconut shrimp. I do like coconut shrimp, but these have a different flavor than regular deep fried shrimp. No where on the menu does it state that these have coconut on them. My thing is, what if I had a coconut allergy? They really need to disclose this. On top of that, they gave me the absolute worst sauce to eat with these; buttermilk ranch dressing. Um... whaaat? I was already in the car going back home, so I didn't bother to go back to ask for sweet and sour sauce. But make sure that you check your items and ask them for the sauces that you need before you leave. For something fast and quick, it's not too bad. Just don't expect anything extraordinary. For a cheap fix, this place will hit the spot though.

    Popcorn chicken with sweet&sour sauce
    Esther S.

    Stopped by here for a late night snack and some boba and was really pleasantly surprised! Aaron at the counter was super fun and very accommodating. Popcorn chicken was SO BIG and crunchy and juicy! 10/10 would come again - I already know I will get cravings for this! I got the medium spicy and it was really great, but I think I might go back for more spicy next time. The portion was also very generous. Also had the strawberry smoothie with boba and I have to say that the boba still tasted fresh and delicious even with it being later in the evening! Very chewy and soft, and it complimented the strawberry smoothie so well. They top the smoothie with whip cream but the smoothie itself tasted like a yogurt base and gave it a vibe of mango lassi but for strawberry flavor - also very good and highly recommend!! Overall: great food and drinks, even better service. I'll definitely be back for more and think everyone else should too: support local businesses during COVID!

    The grass jelly here has some of the weirdest textures
    Molly L.

    I've been to this place quite a few times. I don't think it's a great place to go for bubble tea since every time I try to adjust sugars the guy says it's not possible or just says "it's not good sweet." I find it kind of odd that he doesn't respect my requests for sugar adjustments but maybe he has had bad experiences with customers asking for a refund or changing their drinks. I wouldn't do that, but everyone is different. Then the other day I ordered a bubble tea with grass jelly. I was really disappointed and disgusted to see that the grass jelly have this odd discoloration and also a weird texture (it wasn't jelly-like but more of it just sort of melted). I wasn't sure if it was moldy but I think that was the worst I've had because it didn't taste right. I had to throw the drink away. If I did come back here, I just wouldn't get the tea with grass jelly again (just boba or aloe).

    This place used to be my favorite place for popcorn chicken until we got this unpleasant gross order! In the bottom of the bag, we thought it's a piece of garlic, unfortunately it's a worm! We returned it back to the store, he said sorry and asked if we'd like to have a new order! Sorry, never again!

    Inside area
    Sebastian R.

    Solid place that I always frequent for late night snacks. My personal favorites are the popcorn chicken and the various assortments of milk teas that students love Sweetheart for. Service is usually always quick (order ahead on the weekends though, as it can get pretty busy) and the owners are nice and friendly. Always had positive experiences, and this place is a Berkeley classic.

    Black milk tea boba
    Kyle W.

    I know that a lot of Berkeley students greatly treasure this place because "back in their freshmen years, boba is like $1 and a popcorn chicken + milk tea combo is $5." Long story short, this is a true Berkeley classic. Well, inflation messed up this place so badly that nowadays, for presumably the same quality boba and popcorn chicken (based on my friend's opinion), it is more than twice as expensive as a few years back. So, for the quality and boba, this place is now a rip off, even after the Pokemon Go discounts. The plus is that this is one of the rare places that still take Pokemon Go discounts, and as a level 24 player, it is a pretty nice 15% discount. However, at almost $4.50 (before tax) for this small of a boba drink, I could go to almost any other boba place and get something similar or better. The boba here is way too sweet, and the almond milk tea drink I got still looks like it is prepared from powder. I am severely disappointed by how this drink turned out. The only plus I see is that the boba is so soft and large like a mochi consistency rather than the mushy consistency, something that is quite on par with One Zo's boba itself. I opted for popcorn chicken that is non-spicy because I was not feeling the spiciness at that time. There is slightly more popcorn chicken in Boba Ninja than this place, though the popcorn chicken here is worth trying at least once. While there are some pieces that are quite dry, most pieces that appear dry are actually pretty crispy, which is a plus. There is also great flavor to the popcorn chicken, but there is quite an amount of MSG put into it.

    Black milk tea, large

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    7 months ago

    served me rotting watermelon in my slush i almost threw up. contacted for refund and got ignored twice.

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    Go-to whenever I'm on Telegraph. I've been getting matcha shake with boba for almost 20 years!

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    3 years ago

    Best popcorn chicken you can get! I love the xtra spicy! Also the curly fries are bomb!

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    9 years ago

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    Page 1 of 16

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    Pepper Salt and spice seasoning to add heat to the finger food

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    Juice Appeal - Ube Delight Bowl

    Juice Appeal

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    The best item on the menu here is the purple cow. The color of it is in fact, purple. Like a bright…read morepurple. Not a color you typically find in nature, but everything in this movie is natural. It contains milk, banana, boysenberries, acai, peanut butter, and granola. It's a wonderful breakfast substitute. That smoothie will keep me going until about three or 4 o'clock. The services this place is excellent. They get a little busy and there are smoothies take a little while to make but that's the price of custom made orders. It's perfect for a hot summer day.

    Disclaimer: As of right today, I have not ate my bowl. So the 5 stars for the review is based on…read morewhat my wife felt after she ate hers. I found this spot on Google and I walled because it was literally 7 mins away from my nail spot. I wanted to surprise my eye with something . I walked in and I was immediately greated by Sofia and Yesenia. They were so sweet and polite. Due to this being my 1st time here, I needed all the help in understanding how to create my own bowl. Sofia took lead. She provide me her best reccomendations, what she had tried together, what she believed wouldn't go together and her patience was impeccable. She handkerchief me with such beautiful care..lol. After finally placing both my orders, they both worked as a team to make the magic happen. Sofia or my wife's bowl together and Yesenia put mine together. Sofia ensured that I was comfortable while I waited by inviting me to take a seat. She even found time to provide some cute humor while I waited. When they both were complete, we chatted for a bit as I took pics. I thanked them for my wonderful experience because that is exactly what I had. I felt like I was around familiar ppl. My wife was so pleased with the presentation. She told me that her entire bowl was delicious and she loved her matcha, s. splash and mango base alot. So ladies.. I will definitely be back...lol I reccomend this spot if you are looking for a feel good moment with warmth. Just ensure that Sofia and Yesenia are both there to make your time complete.

    Earthbar

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    I absolutely love this Earthbar on 4th Street and end up here pretty often. The consistency,…read morequality, and genuinely kind staff are what keep me coming back. The menu has a lot of range which I'm grateful for: coffee, smoothies, bowls, toast, and everything is customizable with different boosts and swaps depending on what you need that day! I always feel good about what I order here. I usually go for the Power Shred smoothie since it has a really solid protein to calorie ratio (love the sprinkle of coconut on top too), and their avocado ricotta toast is so good (I always ask for pesto on it). The Original Fit Frappe reminds me of a frappe from bigger chain coffee spots, but it feels more balanced and made with better ingredients. I've been to a few other Earthbar locations and this one is definitely my favorite, the ambiance is clean and open, and the service is just consistently kind. Big shoutout to Victoria and Dom! As someone who works in service, I definitely notice that kind of care in places I go to, and they always make the experience feel easy and welcoming. It's nice to have them as familiar faces there. Quality and consistency is always there too.

    If you're serious about the health quotient of your smoothies, then this is definitely the shop for…read moreyou. I think I'm more of a dilettante when it comes to smoothies because I use questionable decision criteria like which one has the least number of calories. Here they offer fifteen smoothies, a couple of superfood bowls, a smoothie-bowl hybrid called a booster, and three gluten-free toasts. I came in and blindly ordered the $12.95 Slim Down, a blend of strawberry, pineapple, coconut water, their plant protein, and something called the Slim Down herbal tonic (Photo 6). At 240 calories, it was the lowest calorie option, so I decided to give it a try. It wasn't as bland as I feared it would be, and it certainly wouldn't be mistaken for anything that looks similar at a boba shop. However, my conscience was clear. SMOOTHIE - 4 stars...the flavor wasn't four-star but the nutritional value was AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...pretty minimal SERVICE - 4 stars...efficient TOTAL - 4 stars...do I look like a health nut?....why, thank you RELATED - Exploring Berkeley? Here's my collection of places l've patronized and reviewed: https://yelp.to/a3YTe5J-1V

    Layers Superfood Bar - Blue spirulina, classic açaí, pink dragonfruit

    Layers Superfood Bar

    (19 reviews)

    Telegraph Ave

    Ok I see you, Berkeley! While in the area, I noticed across the street from the Telegraph Channing…read moreGarage, this beautifully cool building/sign for Layers Superfood Bar. Love the aesthetic. While there is limited seating indoors, this feels like more of a grab-and-go style spot near the Cal Berkeley campus. There were a few students that came through while I was waiting on my order. I grabbed a smoothie and a bowl ~ checking out the menu a bit more thoroughly for next time, I'll order the Bowlieve Me, Baby (Red Dragon Fruit Base) or the I'm So Blue Without U (Blue Spirulina Base). You can adjust your toppings, and there's a checkbox to select the almond granola (GF, vegan) or with no granola. The bowl sizes are small, medium, large (8oz, 16oz, 24oz) and it looks like the smoothies come in one size. For the smoothies you can pick your plant milk (coconut/oat/soy come with a charge). They also serve energy balls that look adorably delicious and eye-catching. The bowls and smoothies are aesthetically pleasing and incredibly nourishing. What a fun find and win for the East Bay if in the area + need for a bit of elevated (and beautiful) nutrition. Smoothie-wise the Strawesome is delish and the Greenergy looks great! You can find parking in the garage across the street (I think the first hour may be free?) or street parking near/around the area with a short walk. Can't wait to know more about this special spot! Will def be back.

    The inside of Layers Superfood Bar is super cute and has a really nice vibe, and the woman working…read morethere was incredibly sweet. She might've been the owner, I'm not totally sure, but she was so kind and welcoming which honestly made the experience feel really good. I got the Straw Awesome smoothie and I will say, it looked really cute. Like the presentation was definitely there. But the actual drink just didn't hit. It was around $11 or $12 and for that price I expected it to taste a lot better, but it just wasn't good. I honestly wish I had gotten an açai bowl instead because it would've been more filling and probably only a few dollars more, and I feel like I would've enjoyed it way more. So yeah, the place is adorable and the service is great, but the smoothie itself was low-key disappointing and I wouldn't get it again.

    Sweetheart Cafe - juicebars - Updated May 2026

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