The East Bay is blessed with the best damn coffee shops in the world ( no hyperbole here ) , thanks to our mad , collective fixation on this cherished bean . The region has committed to the third wafture of chocolate , which has fostered the microphone boom of independent shop and roaster , and ensured that the artistry in each cup can be trace back to the constituent farm that get it . This summer , dive into the refinement at the best of the best in the East Bay .
Best coffee with a cause
Mamacitas Cafe
First off , the coffee berry is delicious – topically roast Red Bay Coffee bean plant , so you ’re coif there . But the material ground to number to Mamacitas is that co - founder Renee Geesler and Shana Lancaster grew their brick - and - mortar cafe from a drink down - up coffee bean tie-up as a business with a role : their goal is to direct young Oakland women to be entrepreneurs , leaders , and economically ego - sufficient . by from their badass commission , they ’re housed within theQulture Collective , a welcoming open workspace for LGBTQ folk and their allies . There are modern-day sofa and a chill backroom with workplace tables and Wi - Fi . Get on it . Oh yeah , and they servedonut kebabsand piquant porridge . All is well in the humanity .
Best coffee on tap
Highwire
Holy Sweet Baby J , Highwire ’s clean , balanced brews will have you falling in erotic love . decide in at the Berkeley site , formerly the coffee spot of Local 123 . It ’s spacious and work - friendly , extend breakfast sandwich , lunch goods , and all the Howling Wolf dusty brewed nitro coffee on rap your little bosom can handle . Want a comedown ? They collaborate withlocal beer maker Drake ’s Brewing Company– so you may have your deep brown , and get buzzed , too – as the water faucet beer often feature Highwire ingredients . If you require to soak up some Dominicus , check out their coffee berry house trailer plop in the blossoming terrace of Albany’sFlowerland Nurseryfor a perfect afternoon latte , or if you ’re feeling nostalgic , hit up the originalRockridge Market Halllocation . It ’s more of a street - side stamping ground than a full - feather coffee shop , but if you live in the ‘ cap , you ’ll shortly join buff who pop into the wee space to get their repair before BART .
Best Lake Merritt caffeination
Perch
Perch covers all footing : coffee tree and food , the fundamentals in living . There ’s also load of natural sparkle and plenty of workspace with large tables . Best of all – for any parent - y or sitter - y character in the East Bay – there ’s a toy - filled kids elbow room for your offspring to jump and play while you attempt to re - caffeinate your blood current . Location - wise , it ’s a great stop before trot around Lake Merritt … or , you do it , get down coffee and cookies to - go and watching hoi polloi trot around Lake Merritt .
Best sustainable setup
Bicycle Coffee
Bikes and fair trade , locally roasted brewage – it ’s the Bay Area aspiration . Their manakin consist of sustainable beans ( the Bicycle Coffee crewknowstheir primal American Fannie Farmer ) , blackguard in - house , and give birth by bike . The whole thing is fundamentally pleasant-tasting . entrance them at their Second St point each Saturday on mobile coffee shop bikes at the Grand Lake Farmers Market , or their current speculation opening insideThe New Parish . Your other choice are LA or Tokyo , but you might as well stay true to their local ethos .
Best late-night study spot:
Caffe Strada
open up lately , with tons of out-of-door seats and benches on their welcoming patio , Caffe Strada is your home away from home – if your domicile has a charmingly huge Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree - lined porch and a wood chandelier gracing the entryway . total to read , peach about last Nox , and compose your paper under the leafy trees and mythic passion lamp , depending on the mercurial Bay Area weather . It ’s mayhem during final examination , but aside from the seasonal cloudburst of Cal students , it ’s a thrill local spot . salute an Americano served in a dry pint glass , or feed your unfermented tooth with the Bianca Mocha , Berkeley ’s favourite blanched hot chocolate drinkable .
Best vegan buzz
Timeless Coffee
little - mint , hand - roasted deep brown situate at the top of Piedmont Ave . The narrow-minded , informal joint is expanding , so there ’ll be more room for their menage - baked , vegan pastries – prove the Chocodile , which is basically a Ho Ho upgrade , for maximum enjoyment . Besides Sweet and gluten - destitute delicacy , Timeless offer mouth-watering tiffin - y affair like empanadas and pizza , so you’re able to sit and readMoby - Dickall solar day – but heads up , independent warriors , no Wi - Fi . Only fetch the laptop if you ’re crank out that novel . No dairy here , either , so if you ask Milk River , call yo ’ mama , or hop up the city block for a ice-cream sundae at Fentons Creamery afterwards .
Best boozy coffee
Room 389
What to do when you want coffee and your supporter wants whisky ? elbow room 389 , that ’s what . A cafe by solar day and a lounge - tastic Browning automatic rifle by dark , this spot bridge the two with a souped up , booze - spiked coffee tree drink card that ’ll fire your engines from early morning until 3 pm … at which point , the joint seamlessly transition to a shiver lounge that ’s open until 2 am . They ’ve got alive music or DJs every night , and a leafy leafy vegetable and inviting front terrace . Get you some .
Best freaking coffee
Blue Bottle Coffee
Blue Bottle Coffee is arguably the best coffee in the Bay , heading the plurality of the local third - wave coffee bean roasters . Their coffee is impudent – never more than 48 hour out of the roaster – and is brewed special to each sight ’s day-after-day specification . coffee berry scientific discipline , yo . Besides awesome drinks ( hello , New Orleans iced coffee ) , the historical W.C. Morse building housing this Oakland offshoot makes a gorgeous cafe . The soaring 1920s architecture allows massive lightness in through the pane windows . There ’s no Wi - Fi , so connect with the people instead . Come to get inspired , get coffee buzz , take barren brewing classes ( ! ) , and buy or repair your home espresso machine . It ’s kind of coffee heaven .
Best get yo’ butt to work coffee:
Modern Coffee
lovemaking daylight drinking ? So do we . 7am-5pm get your fix at Modern Coffee . piece your poison based on your nearest BART stop : 19th St or 12th St stations . Here , a hunky-dory morning brew is your oyster : choose from a solid selection of local roaster , artisanal tea leaf , and a sizeable dose of TCHO Chocolate in their mochas – your means to have underground dessert for breakfast . military service is fast , friendly , and there are seat tucked in the snug nineteenth St spot if you ca n’t toast and walk .
Best basic coffee shop
The Beanery
Here is your study answer . In the best way possible , the Beanery is just a coffee bean shop – a family - own and family - run place . They serve damn - good coffee , and they have a solid natural selection of food along with the required Semifreddi ’s locally baked goods . There ’s an airy front room full of tables , easy access to electric outlet , and there ’s also a second back room and witching back terrace all verdant and promiscuous . Heads up , though : it ’s not a late - night joint , so be after to be polish off by 7 postmortem if you ’re heading this agency .
Best place to coffee geek out:
Artis Coffee
Ever had live roasted deep brown ? It ’s clip you do . If you ’ve gone next degree in your coffee obsession , and get yourself talk about acidity levels , sourcing , and make fun methods with the savoir faire of a veteran vino cognoscente , Artis is your raw spot . They ’re bananas for the artistic creation of coffee . The Berkeley chocolate shop class is unresolved and bright , and full of home brewing goodies to fire your late - dark experiment . The baristas will chat you up on all thing deep brown , oh , and that live roasting ? They roast to order . While you watch , charm . ratify up herefor our daily San Francisco email and be the first to get all the food for thought / drink / fun SF has to offer .
Blue Bottle Coffee|Clay McLachlan/Courtesy of Blue Bottle Coffee
Mamacitas Cafe
Highwire Coffee
Perch Coffee
Bicycle Coffee|Flickr/Bike East Bay (edited)
Timeless Coffee
Blue Bottle Coffee|Clay McLachlan/Courtesy of Blue Bottle Coffee
Modern Coffee
Artis Coffee
