Top Espresso Bar in Berkeley
Berkeley Espresso
1900 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704, United States
This place initially seemed to have everything I was looking for in a coffee shop. It was nicely lit, classical music playing(conducive to studying), and wonderful coffee. However, my ideal study coffee shop image was quickly removed on my second visit. The hours posted are 6am-11pm everyday for open operating hours. A time frame where things should remain the same. If that were the case, this review wouldnt be getting one star. So... the person that was working that day, whom said he was the owner, at 9:45pm started slowly changing the tempo of the music from classical to upbeat cumbia. He then raised the volume to a ridiculously High level and started turning off the lights in sections were people were still sitting. At that point, they resorted to using their phones to be able to see the page they were still reading. Someone wanted to use the restroom, to which he said(the owner), its already been cleaned, and kept on with his closing duties. Initially acting as if he didnt hear us. When I inquired about the hours, he said, I get to decide when we close. At this point(10:15pm) the lights were completely off and the music was blasting at a Very high volume. There were at least a dozen people still in there sitting amongst themselves trying to study or in mid conversation. This man, and his inconsiderate actions led me to write this review.
Peets Coffee
2124 Vine St, Berkeley, CA 94709, United States
But it all depends on the baristas skill and the store. The original Vine St store is pretty consistent in quality with some outdoor sidewalk seating...local hangout for decades for some who are now gray haired...a nice location, but parking can be challenging. Walk there if you can.Several good quality boutique stores nearby and Gourmet Ghettos sought after eateries .The Shattuck downtown store is a different environment...and they always have an insufficient amount of chairs. There you have to have a code for the bathrooms.More street people around, virtually no parking but a hop, skip and a jump from downtown BART stn. With Berkeleys downtown at your doorstep, including 2 3 movie theaters!The Solano Ave Peets continues to be, a good place to stop over for a relaxing cup. Recently remodeled theres ample seating inside and on the extra wide sidewalk there. Lots of shops and eateries nearby.Finally, the Telegraph Ave site....pkg again a chore so best for walkers. Cal student area including student oriented casual eateries and shopping. Very little left of Telegraph of the 60s...this Peets is fine..again, coded bathrooms as this area is part of the street culture hub..
Peets Coffee
2255 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704, United States
I went in to the Shattuck Ave. Berkeley today to buy a round of coffees and one person wanted a hot water. I was fully willing to pay the $1 they want to charge for the cup for the hot water, thats ridiculous considering there are laws saying water is free but I have no problem paying $1 for a 2cent cup, even after buying a round of coffees more than making up for any profit they might lose on the water cup.What pushed it all over the edge was an assistant?manager (with passive aggressiveness and taking her job way too seriousness going on.. but hey weve all been there) named LIZZ who actually went out of her way to walk up to me and tell me I was taking too many SUGAR packets (I counted and it was 8). I told her that they were for all the drinks I just bought and that this was ridiculous and asked to speak to the manager. She said she was the manager, then when I asked her her name and how to reach corporate she quickly divulged she wast actually the manager, who was really in back and busy...At that point she was angry even though I was nothing but nice and professional in my words AND my inflection. Im a very easy person to get along with and I avoid confrontation.THEN, She had no right to then tell me that I might as well just not come back to the store... which she recanted when I mentioned how much I spent there a month and/or how many of my coworkers would probably switch to Starbucks once I told them my experience and/or mentioning Yelp, Yahoo Locals, and the half a dozen other websites I am going to paste this in to.If you want to avoid extremely rude, strangely entitled, and just plain horrible to their customers come to Peets on Shatttuck... otherwise go to Starbucks or any other Peets (as I generally respect their company). As far as Lizz goes... she just cost your store a lot of money and I am willing to bet that she does it a lot.
Starbucks
2224 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704, United States
Clearly not one if the better run Starbucks. Ive only had three experiences here so far (many alternative coffee options in the area) but I wanted to go a third time before leaving a review. The biggest problem is the lack of organization. You have a long line of folks in the morning and they dont take names. So you have a bunch of people clustered around the counter waiting for their stuff and they have no idea whos is what.For example they had two of the same breakfast items come up at the same time with no real description (besides the name) and one guy is standing there. He looks at both, seems confused, and then has to flag the food preparer down and ask which is his. Turns out neither of them are his, but there is no way to know that because this place doesnt give you a clue.Im okay because you dont often hear of a triple shot cappuccino, but last time I was here I forgot to ask for the extra shot and I almost grabbed someone elses drink. What a mess.As for the coffee itself, I would hardly call what I got a cappuccino. It feels like a late, the head of foam was weak and minuscule compared to the huge volume of milk. Just because its a medium cup doesnt mean you should fill it to the brim, you should make it properly. If I wanted a latte I would have ordered one. I would have asked for a replacement but didnt want to deal with the crowd.This place doesnt compare at all to the ones Ive been to in SF near the Orpheum (smaller but more effective) or San Ramon (more attentive staff).
Peets Coffee
2501 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704, United States
As a regular fan of Peetz Coffee, I was surprised at how horrible the service and drinks were at this location. I purchased a double shot of espresso with water which came only as espresso, seeming more like a single than the double ordered. At first, I didn't say anything or complain because they seemed busy and honestly I was primarily going there to use the bathroom. A sign posted just next to the bathroom door said a purchase was required for use. The door has a lock requiring a numerical code with a symbol. When I asked the cashier for the code to the door, they gave an impartial code (3578) without the * at the end. The full code is 3578*. After trying the initially incorrect code provided to me and unsuccessfully getting to use the bathroom, I went to stand back in line and ask for the code again. As it became my turn in line, another person walked into the restaurant who had not waited in the line. This new customer asked for the bathroom code and proceeded to use it without purchase and stayed in the bathroom for about 15 minutes in total not making noises like they were using the bathroom, expiring the time on my parking which was costly (like $1.50 for 25 minutes or so). Another employee knocked on the bathroom door asking if everything was alright. The person came out about 5 minutes later. I then used the bathroom which was not surprisingly very dirty and thankfully just had to pee, all in the span of about 30 seconds, rushing because another person was waiting to use the bathroom behind me (the next person seemed to have waited around 3-5 minutes).
Peets Coffee
1776 Fourth St, Berkeley, CA 94710, United States
Google maps has invited me to review Peets Coffee; I believe Im reviewing the Berkeley Fourth St. store, but I get around a little bit. We were all there: during the lingering virus-mitigation lockdown the whole experience of coffee shops was entirely altered. The pleasures of sitting among a diverse set of folk all doing as you are, enjoying some coffee and maybe some conversation was just about gone: one might perhaps cautiously nod to another soul who was also waiting distantly and maybe even venture a few words at best. The focus was on the quality of offerings and the cordiality of the staff, and the Fourth Street location was one where that really shone. They also have consistently had outside space and seating - this provided opportunities, but during the worst of it only groups who already knew each other seemed to take advantage. Things are slowly getting so much better as matters become less restricted, especially at this store and other locations where outside seating is available; the top of Solano location and the original home of everything at Vine and Walnut come to mind. I was also quite pleased to recently see how the downtown location on Shattuck had moved the inside tables and displays aside to create a really enhanced sense of openness - I will def be going back there much more again. I remain in awe and gratitude at all the staff who kept themselves together and upbeat, and by extension so many of the rest of us during the bleakest of times - Ive been increasing my tipping for some time now. Im also grateful to the planners and managers behind the scenes who kept our Peets available while so much was being crushed. We all know the feelings of hope this spring and early summer, and Im finding the Peets are a good place to get a bit more of a taste of that feeling again. Thanks.
Peets Coffee
3200 College Ave, Berkeley, CA 94705, United States
Ya know, I was surprised to have such a chill time there. I dont really drink coffee so I didnt buy anything while I was there . But i kept ne a few dollars on me cause I was expecting them to say that I have to buy something or leave. It was raining outside and all I really wanted and needed was to charge my laptop and phone . An d work in ny website ( lykesb.com). And yall I was pleasantly surprised cause no staff ever bothered me or scowled at me or nothing and as a extra added bonus . They were playing some good classical music . Which really soothed my soul. And before I knew it I wound up staying g all day working . Pleasantly. Even when it started to get a bit crowded. ( I truly hate crowds). But this time I was able to deal with it in high fashion and u real7zed it was because the way they had the tables laid out . Even when its crowded. I still had my 20 feet and was able to still move. And also. Who could get angry when Beethoven us playing. Ya peets us doing they thing real well. It seemed like a place where rich middle class, college students and even a few homeless can chill together and have no problems. Cause peets gas subliminally put everybody in a pleasant mood. I will be going back thats for sure.The smell if coffee in the place can be a but over powering. Maybe . But that also gas to do with ice never been a serious coffee person. O.k. thats it thats my review. I have know idea why i do these things sometimes.
Peets Coffee
2916 Domingo Ave, Berkeley, CA 94705, United States
Karen's daughter “Becka the Barrista” lied today. Not only did she assume I was Latina and called me Maria but she lied about the delay of my hot chocolate.It took this site 20 minutes because I even went outside to use the restroom in this mini plaza.I asked what took my order long and had people who were in line before me get their order. Becca told me they were mobile orders and I said no, that man was right behind me. Becca made an excuse and said the Black Tie was easier to make. Easier than a hot chocolate with Oatmilk? Lol..She could have just told me they forgot instead.I would give the cash register attendant 5 stars separately if I could.This is a rating pertaining to just today's order only.I will modify it hoping they read this review and be more aware of 1 persons action affecting the entire environment and business of this particular location.
ZINO
2086 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94704, United States
I was excited for this dining experience. The facility is beautiful and has an air of refinement. We made a reservation for dinner. We arrived 30 minutes early and asked to have a drink in the bar. The staff was clearly overwhelmed; however the restaurant was only at about half capacity. While we were told by the bartender he would come get our drink order, he did not. We waited 15 minutes and had to go place our own order. When it was time for our reservation, we went to the hostess stand where we stood for another 15 minutes without any greeting or acknowledgement. We were shown to our table only to discover that you order your own food via your phone, not through a server. Aside from the small plates, there were only 4 entrees to choose from. Needless to say, nobody in our group could understand why the service was so terrible. A restaurant with a very limited menu, only about half full and you place your order through your phone. Instead of this being the refined dining experience we were hoping for, we felt as if our business was not valued. We finished our drinks and left without ordering dinner. Not sure about the quality of food as we didn't even get to that point; however I will never return.
Peets Coffee
1825 Solano Ave, Berkeley, CA 94707, United States
The coffee is absolutely excellent its never been an issue the only issue is nowadays with the cell phones and all the mobile apps its ridiculous just to walk into the place and try and get anything. I have been on there on quite a few occasions of late or I have had to wait over 15 plus minutes just to get a cup of coffee because of all the phone in and app orders that they have to do ahead of time. Its disgusting there is no customer service you walk to a place and you get served after the people that call in and order online to have some mobile app deliver their coffee to them its disgusting what the world has come to!