Caffe Strada
| Address: | 2300 College Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA |
| Phone: | +1 510-843-5282 |
| Site: | facebook.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 6:30AM–12AM 6:30AM–12AM 6:30AM–12AM 6:30AM–12AM 6:30AM–12AM 6:30AM–12AM 6:30AM–12AM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 12
JK
JKay GreenStarsProject
A 27-year-old Berkeley institution, Strada is a beautiful place, earning it #8 ranking on a list of U.S. college coffee shops. Lots of outdoor seating (but always busy), open late (with pretty lights), free fast WiFi, and right across the street from campus, it’s a popular spot for studying but also a good place to meet and chat. The service is always friendly and fast, so tip them well (as one Yelper pointed out, and you can also see on Glassdoor, their wages are not the highest). I think their coffee drinks are good (and very reasonably priced – only $1.60 for a straight espresso and $2.40 for a cappuccino), and I always enjoy their apple cloud. Also just tried one of their Muffin Revolution yam muffins (flour-free, made with yams, almonds, cage-free eggs, dates, apples, pecans, coconut oil and other good things) which was also good. Even though they are not perfect (like the wage issue above – help with that by tipping them!), I’m giving them 4/5 green stars for social and environmental responsibility based on the following. Their coffee is a blend of organic fair trade beans from McLaughlin Coffee in Emeryville. Their chocolate (they have been credited with the invention of the white mocha by the way!) is from Guittard. But one thing that really stands out is their approach to reducing coffee cup/lid waste: their coffee is priced for your own cup (or one of their glasses) and they add 15 cents if you want a disposable cup. They have several signs highlighting this charge and I think it works better than offering a cup discount. I think this a great way to make people think twice about single-use coffee cups – one of the most ridiculous phenomena in our modern society. Americans throw away something like 50 BILLION coffee cups per year; the plastic lids end up in landfill (at best) and something like 12 billion gallons of water (and 20 million trees) is used to make the paper cups which also have a petrochemical-based lining. Strada also have a $5 personal mug for sale and (if you do end up using a disposable) their disposable lids are compostable. They also have clear waste stream separation and everything about their operation is geared to minimize waste. Strada are not perfect by any means, but deserve credit for trying to address the huge disposable cup waste problem in a clever and responsible way.
ST
Stephanie Snipes
Contrary to one of the reviews appearing in the Review Summary, Strada takes credit card in addition to cash. The espresso-based drinks here are delicious, and for chilly nights when you dont want to stay up all night, the hot chocolate is really excellent and warming. I liked their apple cake, which was chock full of cinnamon-y, sweet apple slices, and their chocolate chip cookies are rich and pretty large. Strada is a landmark amongst Berkeley students - youll find the outdoor seating typically pretty lively with students studying and working, though a seat can usually be found without too much issue. There are also outlets outside by some seats, which is really nice. Indoor seating is definitely limited, but thats not too big of a problem when you have a hot drink in hand that can warm you up!
TI
Tiffany K
What Caffe Strada lacks in terms of indoor seating it makes up with the outdoor patio. There are heat lamps overhead, but if it is breezy, that doesnt help you much. Located towards the top of Bancroft, you get a nice little walk uphill if youre coming from Telegraph. One of my professors always set up her office hours here instead of being on campus. If you can snag a spot indoors, there is a cozy nook towards the back. Its not as stuffy (as in hard to breathe) as Cafe Milano can get, especially when youre upstairs and the heating is on! Free WiFi, friendly staff. This place is much more a summer cafe than a winter one!
EL
Ellen Lee
I bought $6 of pastries and gave the cashier a $20 bill. When I step away for a second to check on what else they have. He must have put away the $20 and put $10 on the cash register and gave me $4 of change. I said I paid with a $20 and he insisted that I gave him a $10. I remember clearly that I had gone to the ATM and took out some $20s and I know that is what I gave him. He insisted that I gave him a $10 and would not give me back the complete change. They have low life thieves working there so beware when you pay. You have to keep an eye on your money.
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黒川洸洋
ガラス張りで快適な店内。大学の目の前という最高の立地。そして何より嬉しいのは朝６時から夜の０時までやっているということです。勿論coffeeも非常に美味しいですし、価格もリーズナブル。International houseに住んでいましたが、寮の食堂が開くのが遅い土日などによく利用しています。
WI
William Williams
This is the perfect quaint cafe! The staff was very helpful with questions and helped me find the perfect drink! (Which was delicious by the way) I ordered the caffe latte which strong and creamy with no bitterness, and one of the best parts is they use compostable lids! Lots of picnic tables outside and cute seating inside, I would definitely recommend bringing a book and hanging out! I also had a chocolate croissant which was pretty good.
IR
Irfan Rydhan
Cafe Strada is a historic cafe at Berkeley and is frequented by many students - especially those who go to Boalt law school or the Architecture school on campus. The bianca mocha (white chocolate) is great. The iced mocha is good on a hot day as well. Fast and friendly service. They also serve some good desserts and also bagels and oj and other breakfast items. Nice outdoor patio seating as well as some interior seating.
CH
Chanders Sandhu
Great place to study during the semester for students as it is right across the street from UC Berkeleys campus! Wifi, some indoor seating & plenty of outdoor seating. There is some heated seating in the outdoor sections. The seats are wooden so they can be uncomfortable after longer periods of time. Coffee & snacks are good. Overall a great place to have a meeting, study, or get some work done on a nice day
ER
Erick Ortiz
Just had an argument with one of the employees pushing me with buying something or I should leave. I have bought stuff there before but Im not always gonna be planning to go there and buy something. Sometimes Im full in my stomach and dont plan on eating or drinking anything and the employee STILL pushes me to buy something. Im gonna talk to the owner about this "policy", its getting on my nerves.
JO
JOHN DESFOSSES
For coffee Snobs, the coffee is so-so and over priced. The food is often low quality. The staff are not the friendliest either. It also lacks public restrooms, a big negative considering it is a cafe where you may spend several hours working on things. The only real positive is that it has a large outdoor patio with space heaters. It makes working on things nice because you can do it outside.
WI
William Chon
Great location and great coffee. They also have outdoor heated seating which is really nice for the mornings and evenings. Their seating is also really plentiful, and the service is pretty quick. Not much more to say here - if you want a quick place to stop by for your morning coffee I would definitely recommend coming here as its right off of campus.
A
A Private User
I love the place. It provides you the choice of sitting inside or outside in the yard depends on the weather. It has the best Latte in Berkeley. However unfortunately the menu is not large enough. You dont have smoothies option nor coffee blends. In general I think its the best cafe in Berkeley to hang out, relax or even study and work.
