Berkeley is home to the University of California Berkeley, so it is no surprise that it has a range of coffee shops and cafés!
It can be a little bit hard to narrow them down due to how many can be found in the student-filled city, where we come in.
In this article, we are going to be looking at fifteen particularly noteworthy cafés and coffee shops to be found in Berkley. Let’s get started.
1. MY Coffee Roastery
MY Coffee Roastery opened back in 2019 and has only flourished since thanks to their commitment to excellent quality coffee.
One of the techniques that MY Coffee Roastery puts into place in order to get the highest possible quality is their method of hand sorting through the beans before and after roasting so that any and all impurities are removed.
When it comes to the roasting process, the shop preserves the maximum possible freshness by using a small batch roasting process.
They also allow the beans to rest for a few days, making the end product even richer and more flavorsome.
Address: 2080 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704 (click for map)
2. Yali’s Café
Yali’s Café is the perfect place if you are looking for a café that can cater to various tastes thanks to the range of breakfast and lunch foods you can have alongside a wide choice of coffees and other hot drinks.
The different foods that are available at Yali’s make it a great option for an outing with family or friends.
As well as different kinds of coffees- such as drip coffee, lattes, and cappuccinos-, Yali’s Café also offers other kinds of hot drinks, such as a Mocha Bianca.
Address: 1920 Oxford Street, Berkeley, CA 94704 (click for map)
3. Cafenated Coffee Co
Cafenated Coffee is a unique choice of a coffee establishment, as the beans themselves are grown and harvested entirely by women.
This is due to Cafenated’s mission to increase the number of women involved in the global coffee supply chain, as they argue that they are critically underrepresented in the industry.
In addition to this, the coffee from Cafenated is sourced and roasted by established farm cooperatives run by women.
The coffee is pretty damn good too, making this an option if you are looking to support female involvement in the coffee industry whilst also grabbing a tasty cup of coffee!
Address: 2085 Vine St Berkeley, CA 94709 (click for map)
4. Rasa Caffe
For a blend of East and West flavors, head on over to Rasa Coffee in Berkeley. The coffee and tea that Rasa Coffee offers are prepared with organic, aromatic spices from India as well as the African and Asian diaspora.
These combine with traditional coffee blends to create a uniquely delicious combination of tastes from around the world.
You can pair your coffee with a range of delicious baked goods at Rasa Coffee, making for a great place to visit for some sweet treats along with some beautifully spiced coffee choices.
Address: 3140 Martin Luther King JR Way, Berkeley, CA 94703 (click for map)
5. Co.Ro Coffee Room
When it comes to the support of the local coffee community in Berkley, the Co.Ro Coffee Room offers plenty of this along with delicious, flavorful coffee.
Local roasters play a big part in Co.Ro, helping develop a hyper-local coffee community found in Easy Bay in Berkley and far beyond.
This allows Co.Ro to create an outlet wherein coffee enthusiasts and professionals can come together and enjoy hyper-local coffee in a relaxing venue.
Address: 2324 Fifth Street, Berkeley, CA (click for map)
6. Victory Point Café
Looking for some entertainment with your coffee? Then the Victory Point Cafe- also known as Berkeley’s Board Game Cafe- offers exactly that!
Visitors to Victory Point Café can enjoy locally roasted coffees and craft beers, snacks, sandwiches, and pizzas while enjoying a good old-fashioned board game.
They even have Game Gurus who will aid you when it comes to picking your game and teaching you how to play.
You don’t have to participate in the games with your coffee, though, as there are also spaces for studying and work should you so choose (but we recommend a game night to accompany your tasty coffee!).
Address: 1797-A Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94709 (click for map)
7. The Hidden Café
The Hidden Café is another Berkeley café choice that showcases the work of locals, though the focus here is on specialty baked creations made by local bakehouses and bakers from the Bay Area.
With a heavy focus on baked goods, it is no surprise that the coffee at The Hidden Café is equally delectable!
Address: 1250 Addison Street, Sweet 111, Berkeley, Ca 94702 (click for map)
8. Caffe Strada
Caffe Strada is a coffee shop that has been around for a fair amount of time, being established in Berkley more than thirty years ago. It is now considered something of a landmark within Berkley thanks to its dedication to excellent coffee.
Although they specialize in serving various kinds of espressos, Caffe Strada also offers other kinds of hot drinks, including its unique White Hot Chocolate.
Address: 2300 College Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704 (click for map)
9. 1951 Coffee Company
Not only does the 1951 Coffee Company offer some amazingly tasty coffee choices, but they also have the admirable mission of aiding the refugee community within Berkley.
They do this by offering a two-week Barista Training Program to refugees- supported by a tax-deductible donation that you can provide when you buy a cup of coffee-, which can then create job opportunities with benefits and good wages.
Delicious coffee with a good cause to go with it! What could be better?
Address: 2410 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704 (click for map)
10. Bartavelle
Bartavelle is a café with a menu that rotates daily to include a wide range of tasty pastries and foods. Their coffee menu is a bit basic compared to some of the other establishments we have looked at, but sometimes simplicity is key!
The range of delicious pastries more than makes up for the simple coffee list, with plenty of sweet treats for you to take your pick from to enjoy alongside your cup of joe.
Address: 1609 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA 94702 (click for map)
11. Souvenir Coffee
Featuring locally roasted coffee, Souvenir Coffee is a shop known for crafting premium and small-batch roasted coffee and for its focus on community alongside high-quality coffee made with care.
Souvenir Coffee strives to be environmentally friendly, with its coffee being a green and low-waste product. It helps that it is pretty tasty too!
In addition, the shop also encourages local musicians by sponsoring them when performing in public spaces.
Souvenir Coffee is a great choice for a community-driven coffee shop with delicious coffee to boot.
Address: 3084 Claremont Ave, Berkeley, CA (click for map)
12. Blue Bottle Coffee
Blue Bottle Coffee has its Berkley location and cafés across the United States and internationally, with locations in Korea and Japan as well.
It is no surprise that Blue Bottle has become so popular, as they have a list of requirements that they as a company and their coffee must meet in order to ensure that their customers only get the best, such as by making sure that most of their coffee fits the criteria for being certified as organic and their specialty coffee needing to register with eighty points or more on a one hundred point scale.
Their dedication to fine-tuning their coffee makes for one super tasty caffeine hit.
Address: 2118 University Ave Berkeley, CA 94704 (click for map)
13. Babette Cafe
Babette is the perfect place to go for a relaxing coffee with a pastry or some light food on the side. Not only that, but on the weekends they offer brunch (on both Saturday and Sunday) and dinner (on Saturdays only).
Whether you are in Berkeley on your own or with your friends and family, Babette Cafe is a great place to kick back and relax with some tasty food and a simple yet splendid cup of coffee.
Address: 2033 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley CA (click for map)
14. Philz Coffee
Philz Coffee has locations in San Diego, but they also have locations across America in Los Angeles, Washington D.C, and Chicago.
The popularity of Philz is thanks to the customized coffee blends that they have provided to their customers for over twenty-five years (courtesy of Phil himself!).
These blends are particularly varied, with their drinks made from two to up to seven different kinds of beans from around the globe.
Address: 1313 9th St Ste 110 Berkeley, CA 94710 (click for map)
15. Artis Coffee
Last but not least, Artis Coffee is a coffee establishment that prides itself on achieving peak flavor with its coffee beans to provide the freshest tastes to its customers.
Artis roasts their coffee a pound at a time with their Live-Roast method in order to achieve this, and it’s safe to say that they are successful in their mission for fresh and consistently delectable coffee!
Address: 1717 4th Street, Berkeley, CA (click for map)
Final Thoughts
There you have fifteen of the best coffee shops and cafés to be found in the city of Berkley in California.
You don’t have to be a student to appreciate a comforting coffee shop, and we have discussed some of the best to be found in Berkley in this list so that if you find yourself in the area, you know exactly where to go to get some tasty food along with a delicious cup of joe!
Check out the best coffee shops in California in the other Californian cities we cover.
Other California Cities: Pasadena coffee shops and Oakland coffee shops.
Things to do in Berkeley
My name is Dana Dupree and I am an avid coffee lover. Since I began college and realized what a heavy load writing majors took on, I have been a fan of the bean juice.
My job took me all over the US on book tours and press conferences, and my favorite part about the trip was exploring the best places to grab my cup of Joe.
