Cafes
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Sept 2005
Can anyone suggest a cafe that would be good for studying/writing
in Berkeley or North Oakland. Wireless would be good, and unless
it's in N. Berkeley, I'll be driving, so it should be a place
where it's possible to park within a block or so. I've gone to a
few cafes(Bread Workshop, Rooz and Mocha Lisa), but keep
wondering about other choices.
Carol
Julie's coffee & tea garden in Alameda offers a soothing setting
to hang and study and offers free wireless. May be a bit far for
Berkeley folks to drive, but worth it.
J. Baron
Try the Nomad cafe on Shattuck, a few blocks North of Alcatraz
Brewed Awakening on Euclid above Hearst has free wi-fi wireless
and it's a fairly quiet comfortable place with good coffee. Do a
google search for 'wi-fi berkeley' and you'll find more, for
instance http://www.cheesebikini.com/archives/000755.html
Ginger
There is free wireless at the Hudson Bay Cafe on College Ave.
and Hudson (in Rockridge near the public library). It can get
pretty crowded at times but may be worth checking out. It has a
nice, local feel and good coffee, too.
anon
There's a place on College a few blocks down from the BART
station (towards Oakland) called ''Hudson'' or ''Hudson Bay'' that
has free wifi, great coffee and seems like a calm place to
work/study. I haven't had a problem finding parking nearby, but
you have to watch the meter or 2 hour limit.
free wifi advocate
Hi Carol. Check out www.wififreespot.com/ca.html for free
internet access locations throughout California. I'm sure it's
not complete but might give you more ideas.
Jeanne
Fertile Grounds cafe (on Shattuck near Delaware) in North Berkeley has free wireless
and lots of varied music. It's a great place (albeit noisy) and the food + drinks are
yummy.
radha
'Brewed Awakenings' on Euclid, just near the Berkeley campus,
has free wifi and good cappuccinos. There is a bit of an
intense atmosphere of study before row upon row of laptops,
especially during the student day. But this can be conducive to
working. I used to tutor my son in Math there, and he would
concentrate well, getting the 'buzz' from all the college
students.
Thank heavens there are so many alternatives to Starbucks in
Berkeley. Long may it last.
Janice
June 2003
I am looking for good cafes in Berkeley/Oakland to sit and write for
several hours at a stretch. Bonus points for quiet. Extra bonus points
for electric outlets for charging my laptop. Thanks.
Rachel
Try Cafe Roma across from Monterey Market, Hopkins and
Monterey. Also the coffee place across Shattuck from Toyota of
Berkeley.
Susie
Rooz cafe on Piedmont Ave is a great little place to sit for
hours...they have good coffee, good tea, nice light lunches and
outlets to plug your laptop into. L'amyx teashop just down the
street has all of the above as well. They are both quiet
although Rooz sometimes plays 'funky' music but usually not too
loud/distracting and sometimes really good!
anon
A new one: ''Nomad'' on Shattuck@65th (65th is 1 block north from
Acatraz Ave). Free internet access. Some books. Chairs &
tables outside.
Old style in Rockridge: Forgot the name, it's in on College in
the first block south of Claremont, opposite from a bike store.
Sofas, easy chairs, classical or world music.
Far leaves: Teahouse in Elmwood district, on College close to
Ashby, opposite side from the movie theater, Very quiet,
especially upstairs. Can sit on the floor or at a table.
Great variety of teas, especially green teas, no coffee.
Quiet room in the back & backyard: ''Beanery'' on College@Russel,
also in Elmwood district.
Best, Julia
The Beanery, on College between Ashby and Russell, is so quiet I've
nicknamed it ''the library cafe.'' It is full of laptop users, and I
believe it
has a wireless network.
Laura
1) Caffe Roma (Roma's?) (at college and ashby) is a great place--
the back room has large tables and i don't think anyone sits at
one for *less* than 2 hours. there are outlets scattered along
the walls for laptops, and many folks use theirs there. Great
food and nice service, too!
2) Yali's on Oxford just south of Hearst: filled with cal
students and professors at peak times, but on the off-hours nice
light, great food, and outlets beneath the back wall bench.
I'm curious to read other postings!
anon
Cafe Roma on Ashby/College is good (the back room is
fairly quiet), but you'd have to get there early to get a good
table. Not very ergonomical though. Otherwise, Borders in
Emeryville.
Cafe Roma, in the corner of College and Ashby, has an area in
the back that is rather quiet, and I believe (not sure) they
have plugs.
Cafe Milano, upstairs is nice too, but noisier than Roma. Cafe
Milano is on Bancroft, near Telegraph. I don't recall any plugs
there.
''A cuppa tea'' in the corner of College and Alcatraz seems to be
quiet in the mornings&afternoons (they have open mics some
evenings). I think they have plugs and also internet access...
Enjoy your coffee! ;-)
Eva
A few good, quiet cafes I've found to work on my own
dissertation a few hours at a stretch include:
in Berkeley:
Forx (on University Ave.) - corner table has a laptop outlet,
very quiet in the early afternoons, closes at 5:00 though
Cafe Nefeli (on Euclid Ave.) - back room is quieter, with
outlets, exceptional coffee
the Beanery (on College Ave.) - outlets in the quieter back
room, seems to be a ''culture of studying'' back there, gets
crowded through
Cafe Roma (on College Ave.) - also outlets in the quieter back
room, same as Beanery in that everyone goes to study, but
outlets are quickly claimed too
in Oakland:
Cafe Davinci's (on Broadway and 40th) - hands-down the best
undiscovered brunch place in the East Bay, owned by a cute,
friendly Korean couple, excellent coffee, creative dishes --
because it's still undiscovered, it's a great place for studying
in the early part of the day, closes at 3:00, has outlets
Verna
Au Coquelet on University at Milvia. Good coffee, good food,
nice atmosphere not deathly quiet but not real noisy. I've seen
many people studying and using laptops there. don't know about
an outlet, though.
nancyf
January 2005
I just went to Muffins Muffins Cookies & More in Alameda with my
toddler son, only to find that they've gotten rid of their tot
room! Is there anywhere else on the island or nearby (Oakland,
San Leandro, etc) that serves beverages, cookies, and doesn't
mind children (or even gives them room to do their own thing)?
Mom with Cabin Fever needs Caffeine
Zocalo Coffee House in San Leandro (on Bancroft at Dutton) is
wonderful....there's a toddler area in the back and it's big
enough that noise from the children doesn't have an impact on
the rest of the patrons at the cafe. www.zocalocoffeehouse.com
Melinna
Zocalo Cafe on Bancroft in San Leandro is a great kid-friendly
locale. It's nice and big with a kid's play area in the back,
good coffee, treats and a nice community feel. Parking is easy
too. You can visit their website here:
http://www.zocalocoffeehouse.com.
anon
Funny you should ask about a cafe to go with a toddler, because
my friend and I (both moms of very active kids) have been
looking for this type of place for years! So, after several
years of planning, we're opening one! It's called Play Cafe
and we'll be opening sometime this spring (probably late
March/early April). We'll have a cafe with a play area that
surrounds the seating area (so you can see your child from most
every vantage point - no need to chase them around so they
won't ''get into anything''). The play area is imaginative play
(read: no video games). Think of the same concept as Habitot
but WITH food and WITHOUT the clean-up afterwards(no water
feature and no messy paints). If I could break the concept
down to one sentence, it would be: A place where kids AND
parents want to be. We should be putting together a basic
website by the end of February, if you want to keep updated.
It will be playcafewebsite.com If you want to send me your e-
mail address, I'd be happy to send you an e-mail when we have
an opening date. Hope to see you there!
Nancy
October 2001
Does anyone know of a child/baby friendly cafe where you can just hang out and drink a cappuccino with your friend and let the kids play. There use to be a wonderful place on Solano Ave called Cafe Crayon. I'd been there a few times during my pre child days with friends who have kids and I thought the place was great. I couldn't wait for the day when I'd bring my own child. Well now that day has come and I'm very disappointed to find out that Cafe Crayon closed down a while ago. Did it just move somewhere else, or is it really gone? Is there any other place around like it? Any recommendations? Thanks.
Laurey
Although it may be a bit of a drive, there is a wonderful cafe on Encinal in Alameda called "Muffins, Muffins, Cookies and Beans." It has a whole playroom for children and great food/coffee!
Dylyn
Try Gaylord's on Piedmont Avenue. Very friendly, child-loving and -tolerant
staff.
Rita
It's probably not in your neighborhood- but I cannot say enough wonderful things about my neighborhood cafe, The World Ground Cafe in the Laurel district of Oakland.
Martha and Ulfe, the owners, have a 2 year old daughter. They also hire women with kids and let them bring the babies to work. There's a back room full of toys the kids can play in- and the neighborhood is full of people with kids. It's the most baby friendly place I know, better than the Parkway, cuz it's baby friendly every day.
Kristy
I miss Cafe Crayon too, but as far as I know, it's
gone and nothing similar is out there. (I'd love to
open one but it seems like a hard business to make
money at!) I think the Cafe Roma on Hopkins is a good
place to go with kids, at least on warm days, as there
is a good amount of space for kids to run around and
play. Likewise, the outdoor seating area at Toot
Sweets on Gilman is nice on warm days, but for the
colder weather coming up, I was at a loss too when my
kids were younger.
Lucia
There's a place in the kensington circle (colusa ave in kensington -
not far from solano ave) called kensington pub. don't be fooled by the name. it is very baby friendly- they have a play area with lots of toys, and basic "american" type food. not really a cafe, but definitely worth checking out at least once. the place doesn't become a "bar" til after 8 pm or so (tho they do serve beer all day, i assume)
-m.h.s.
There is a great very child friendly cafe in Alameda called Muffins, Muffins, Coffee and Beans on Encinal at Versailles (take High street exit off of 880, go over bridge and take right on Encinal). They have many tables, inside and out, large tables for families or big groups, couches and soft cushy chairs. 2-3 computers with internet with access (I think) and computer games for kids; and a great play room for kids with lots of toys and videos. The have great baked goods, Peets coffee and nice sandwiches and salads for lunch. It is the moms hang out during the week (not uncommon to go during lunch and find gobs of nursing moms and kids of all ages) and weekends it is packed with families (parents reading the paper while drinking their coffee beverages and kids playing). It is a great place to meet a friend or to meet new friends for both you and your kids. It opens early and closes at 3.
kogorzalek
The Kensington Bistro, just a few feet across the circle from the
Kensington Pub on Colusa in Kensington, now also has a small play
area for small children in a corner of their restaurant. It's not
too big, but it has lots of toys for kids to play with, and a small
area rug for them to sit on.
Apparently the people who used to do the brunch at the Kensington Pub
on weekends took over the Bistro, and now run the Bistro all week
instead of just the weekend gig at the Pub. (Very nice folks.) They
took the kid play area idea with them when they moved, although I
think the kid play area has stayed at the Pub as well. Yay!
We ate at the Bistro a couple of weeks ago and really liked it.
I like the Pub and enjoy their food, but the nature of the traditional
British menu there isn't the heart-healthiest in the world. (Although
it's very yummy!)
elaine
this page was last updated: Oct 21, 2005
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