Eggplant! This place is cute and prices are very reasonable considering the portions you get. A hidden gem in CV.

I have been here a few time's most of the time for coffee. From a cafe like this I would assume they serve high quality coffee but that is not the case here. Their drinks are not much to talk about and I would much rather just go to starbucks or peets. As for the food I had a few pastries and they were all very dry and bland with not much taste. Honestly its far out of the way from the freeway and not really worth my time. I enjoy quality coffee and I did not find it here. I would suggest going to Cafe 4 in castro valley just off the freeway. Much much better coffee! read more

Great food. We ordered hummus, veggie Mediterranean sandwich, chicken saffron, macaroons and Nutella hot chocolate. Really good food. The ambience is good more like a cafe than a restaurant. Recommended for a visit :).. Deserves 4.5 stars. The macaroons were delicious but expensive $1.75. Glad for this lovely meal. read more

Try the beef and lamb gyro platter, it's fabulous.

My mom used to bring me here every Friday as a treat before school. I always ordered a white chocolate mocha. They're yummy though drinks and food, like croissants, are over priced. read more

A cafe with food! The drinks are great. I usually get a thai tea or strawberry mango smoothie. The gyros are great! We usually get the beef and lamb. It comes with a large amount of meat that is well seasoned and this great sauce that goes great with everything! I've also had the sapphron chicken rice plate which was good. The amount of chicken is hit or miss depending on who's working. One time my husband got a few pieces of chicken with lots of rice. Another time there was a good amount of chicken to rice ratio. The flavors of their food is really good. They have inside and outside seating. read more

This being a small cafe, I was surprised that they had food! I've ordered several dishes so far and I have a hard time deciding my favorite.

I love the gyros at this hidden gem. Frequently we call ahead and pick up the food to eat at home, but the ambience is pleasant to eat inside, or one of the tables outside. read more

Great little place!! We had the saffron platter and the beef/lamb gyro. Both dishes were delightful, fresh and had us licking our fingers-quite yummy. The meats were tender, unlike some said in other reviews. The biggest treats were our drinks. My hubby got the popular pink chai which was very tasty and the most beautiful color. I got the lavender Earl Grey tea latte. It was SOOOOO good. If you like lavender, you will likely really enjoy this drink. If I wasn't so full from my delicious lunch, I most certainly would have ordered another for the road. The staff was friendly and the bathroom was clean unlike what someone else said which I checked out before ordering. I will make a point to visit this little gem again. read more

Really nice and cozy place to go to. The food was really tasty and the Thai latte was phenomenal (not too sweet ) I really loved this place. The only bad thing is that the service was too slow even though there was three people. Other than that everything else was good. read more

Tiny cafe tucked in a residential area in CV. They have a lot of food and drink variety. Their platters are really good! Everything tastes fresh and made to order. A few cons about this place are the size and the lack of ventilation. Since the space is so small it tends to get stuffy really quickly, especially when they are preparing food. All of the heat and spices become unbearable to the point where my eyes water and I have to move outside. Other than that, it's a great local place to have lunch and study. read more

A friend and I discovered this place after yelping it a couple of months back. Honestly, I think Café Rumi is the most worthwhile place in Castro Valley to go to. We always end up getting the green chai lattes and haven't really ventured very far past that because they're really delicious. I have also tried their lamb and beef gyros which tasted fresh and homemade. However, It's a really small establishment so when it gets a little bit busy, you might feel cramped. However, the amount of clientele that come in is probably barely enough to sustain this quaint cafe so I hope it picks up soon because I love this place. We have even introduced Café Rumi to quite a few of our friends who all enjoy coming here for a relaxing place to sip drinks and chat. The owners are also very, very nice. When a group of my friends and I went to buy drinks, one of them asked if they knew how to make a certain coffee drink that was popular in Arizona, which they ended up not knowing how to do. So the owners googled the drink and called someone they knew to figure out how to make it. It was really quite sweet of them. :) If I had to make a recommendation then it would be to extend their hours on at least one day because whenever I want to come here, it is always past 8pm, which means my friends and I have to go to the dreaded over sugared Starbucks for our chats. Overall though, Café Rumi is doing everything right so far. I just need to detach myself from their chai one day and try other things. read more

My brother and I have made a video review on Cafe Rumi's amazing food and drinks! We feature their tasty gyro sandwich and much more! You can find us on castrovalley.patch.com (search Day2 Day eats). Cafe Rumi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZVAnTW3PR4 read more

Nice, cozy place to meet up with a friend for a cup of coffee. Service was a bit slow with only one person making the food, but the chicken kabob I had tasted juicy and flavorful. The yogurt dip it came with was delicious as well. Plus, they have French macarons! read more

We came to Cafe Rumi because of the Yelp review. Good coffee and food Loved how they have table and chairs outside for customers, decor inside is very warm and inviting. Staffs are pretty friendly and pays attention to small details. Bathroom is always clean and tidy for next customer to use. We will return soon and next time we'll eat here too. read more

Love, love, love their big mug of hot nutella chocolate.

Absolutely the best. The Turkish coffee and fries were fabulous. The sandwiches were perfect.

This place never fails to deliver: nice service, clean and pleasant interior, outdoor seating, and most important, great food at fair prices. I'll be back. read more

Awesome chi latte. Ill be back again for another one. The food looked really good too, maybe I'll have to try that too. :)

680 was slammed, so I took Crow Canyon to get home. Wife wanted food, so I did a search and came across Café Rumi. Nice café, friendly employees, and an interesting location. We got the hummus (had an odd taste), chicken kabob sandwich (good), and the gyro plate (weird). The plate had little pieces of kabab gyro meat - I have never seen this before. Overall, a good place and I'd come back. read more

I'll take it over Starbucks any day, but then again I'll take any locally owned operated business over a cookie - cutter franchise. Their tea selection is very unique and the pastries are awesome. Kudos! read more

One of the great places to eat in east bay. Interior design is authentic and relaxing. Cute little restaurant with a modern design. You can enjoy food, drinks or their delicious desserts. read more

Met a friend here. Cut little place. Food was food, nothing fancy but simply good food. Sandwiches, gyros, platters, smoothies, fresh juices. Good lunch place. I ordered a gyro, fries, and fresh lemonade. Fries were a bit cold. They have outside seating as well. Staff was nice. I would go back if I'm in the area. read more

Yelp done me good! I read the reviews so I had high expectations coming here. This place definitely lived up to it's reputation. They were super friendly and made a mean Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich. I had a pot of the Green Tea so I can't say much about the coffee... yet (I know I will be back!). The free Wi-Fi is killer and the atmosphere is much more conducive to studying or visiting with friends than any of those other chain hot spots where you can't hear yourself think. I didn't think the prices were too high. For under $10 I got a pot of tea and a sandwich. All in all, you should check this place out! read more

The food was very good. Our family shared the Gyro, Chicken kabob, egg sandwich and waffles. My kids gobbled the waffle up like there was no tomorrow. My wife and I like the Chicken and the Gyro, very tasty. I heard the coffee and chai was very good, but did not get a chance to try it....will come back read more

We live a block from this place and never knew they served food until I read about it on Yelp. From the outside, it looks like just a coffee place. We had the gyro plate, chicken kabob and the hummus. The gyro meat and rice were pretty good. The hummus and kabob were fine. Fruit smoothies were good. Nothing we tried was over the top fantastic but considering there are extremely limited food choices in Castro Valley, we are very happy to find a decent place so close to our house. We'll definitely go back. read more

I went to this place, because I was craving some gyros and didn't really want to travel very far. I was so ecstatic when I've read great review about this place and that it was local. However, I was somewhat disappointed. The location itself is quaint. I went when it was after lunch hours, and when i got there there was a handful of people sitting around drinking lattes. I can't imagine how it would be when it does become busier than 5 peoples. There was only one employee working. The place is a bit cramped and there are two different sets of tables and chairs going on. Other than that the decor is pretty cute. Onto the service. He was very friendly at first when I was ordering and he delivered my food to me, which surprised me because usually cafes require to pick up your order. So that added to my appeal. But when I got my order. Everything I requested did NOT happen. I had the chicken gyro WITHOUT onions, but instead i got it loaded with a mass amount of onions. I rarely ever return my order so I had to pick out the onions. And when he literally was staring at me doing it. He didn't even apologize for getting my order wrong or offer to remake my offer. Which I would've kindly declined and brushed off the careless mistake. And then I got my Iced NONFAT Chai Tea Latte WITH an extra shot of expresso to give me that extra caffeine kick. But load and behold he forgot all about the changed I've requested. It's creamier than what I'm use to, so I knew it wasn't non-fat and there wasn't that extra kick from the espresso. However with all mistakes made. The food itself was pretty good. The tomatoes in the gyro was sweet and fresh even though they're out of season. The pita was warm and soft. The chickens were a bit on the dry side, but they used breasts which added to the health appeal. Because we all know that gyros in itself are not the healthiest of all food even though greek food has a tendency to be mostly healthy. It comes with the delicious side of cilantro dressing that you can pour on top of it to give it and added bite of freshness. The Chai Latte tastes has more of the spices than a usual Starbucks Chai, which I like. Overall if the service was better it would've gotten a better rating. This place is a good place to come and have a quiet place to be at from home. But I don't know how it gets during peak hours. So like any other cafe place, I would recommend going during off hours. read more

I love this place I have been coming here since they opened up. The owner is very nice and the staff if very friendly. This is almost a hole in the wall place. The food and drinks are made with quality you can taste. They can also make some very good desserts their pastries are top notch quality without the expensive price. read more

Wow, this is a great little cafe! Their chai as fantastic and I was able to get it with almond milk. I will definitely be back!

Felt compelled to write a review for the first time ever! I presume it was the owner who offered my hubby and I a free Turkish coffee (in his words "it's really really good but very strong, some people like it some don't") Well, my oh my, we are so coming back for more!! I also decided on a chai latte and my hubby got his trusty oolong tea. Of course I had to have baklava, which was divine plus I added a veggie sandwich. I am generally a meat sandwich type girl, however decided to change it up and I am so happy I did! We will definitely make the drive again and again! Oh google Rumi if you don't know who he is! read more

Nothing fancy about this place but our food was 5 star.....the atmosphere is just so so, just plain, but the food was the star We have driven past this place many times and thought it was just a place to get a cup of coffee.....wrong....found this on Yelp, three of us went for dinner and had different items and all were good. The staff could not have been better they were friendly and efficient As an added bonus, we bought some scones and they were some of the best we have ever had read more

Closer to 4.5, but I want to keep their 4.5 rating so they get 5 stars. In a town that boasts 5 Starbucks, Cafe Rumi is a great coffee shop if you're in the Castro Valley area for several reasons. The first and most unique is that it's serves Mediterranean food along with pastries and coffee rather than just pastries and coffee, like most coffee shops. It was the first time I had Gyro with a latte and the first time I had had a Turkish Coffee. The second thing is that Cafe Rumi has a wide variety of tea ranging from the usual herbal teas to more traditional Middle eastern/ Persian teas. It is very similar to Peet's, but the employees seemed to have a better understanding of the coffees than the baristas at Peet's. The final point, is their pastry selection. Personally, the flour-less chocolate cake is my favorite, but they have so many different tarts, mini pies, cakes that you can't go wrong with your choice. The one negative thing I will say is that seating is a bit cramped, though I can understand why because the few times I've been there the only seating was outside. read more

Cafe Rumi - Turkish coffee and flourless cake. - Mediterranean Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Delicious meals, the best coffee drinks, and desserts are what you will find here. Most of the staff is friendly and attentive. They could do a little more work on not having the music cut in and out and sweeping the floor. Regardless, this place is a rare joy for Castro Valley! read more

I so glad I live down the street Cafe Rumi. I've been coming here since it opened and never been disappointed. Every item on the menu is great! I do recommend the Chai Tea. I get it iced in the summer and hot in the winter. Best Chai you'll ever have. read more

Great chicken kabob plate and saffron chicken plate. They have baklava usually and make amazing number of specialty beverages . Small wifi joint not a lot of space inside and very low end seating unless you're lucky to get outside on a nice day or on their nice cushioned chairs. They serve many wraps and have gyro. read more

Great vibe, solid food. What more can you say. Wish prices were a bit lower but they aren't that bad.

Love^infinite their chai lattes. They make the best chai I've ever tasted! I haven't tried their pink chai latte but heard that ones is pretty delicious as well. Staff are friendly and service is quick. It's a small cafe with outdoor seating. Great place for lunch and studying. read more

Hands down, best Gyro's around. Beef/Lamb and Chicken is all homemade, seasoned perfectly and not getting dried out on the rotisserie under the heat lamp. Tzatziki sauce is tremendous all wrapped up in a pita. Now the only knock I would have is IF you are not an onion person then you want to hold the onions or have them on the side. Little slow at times, but well worth the wait. Have a coffee or one of the many teas. Hidden gem in this off the beaten path cafe a must eat place if your in Castro Valley. read more

I love their Gyro Beef and lamb!! The yogurt sauce is love! I also get iced Thai tea with it but on a cold day, I get hot Nuttella drink. Love itt! Theres a lot of parkings and sears inside. Free wifi and friendly environment. read more

Loved the food and ambience. Fresh and very tasty. Will try their pink chai next time for sure