Cole Coffee is always packed, especially on weekend mornings, and deservedly so. I'm no real coffee expert (just an addict), but every blend I have randomly chosen has always turned out delicious! Also, this coffee shop benefits from being close to La Farine, the master of all things buttery - you literally can't go wrong with the house blend and a chocolate croissant/morning bun (choose your heart attack!). read more

Nothing spectacular - just a small, local business for those who would want to support it instead of a chain. Wouldn't go out of my way to get tea or coffee here. The place is tiny and not conducive to working or studying. read more

Great coffee. Food is so-so. Outdoor seating is in the shade, brrrrrrrrr.

Absolutely LOVE their iced lattes!!! I've had it with soy and with regular milk. I don't know what sort of crack they put in it, but it is obsessively delicious. When I'm not traveling for work, I go for my routine "Latte Friday" walk with my co-worker. A must try if you like iced coffees and iced lattes. read more

I miss this place so much. The coffee-4-corners that has built around this part of town is kind of ridiculous... but what can you do with extreme gentrification knocking on the door. The coffee here is always perfect. It's worth the wait and the best place to people watch on a Sunday morning! read more

I'm conflicted, because I'd love for local, longtime coffee places to thrive among all the chains nearby. But this place is actually just not good. I've given this place several tries over the years and each time I am equally disappointed by the burnt espresso, undercooked eggs, and general dirtiness of the place. The sloppy presentation and thoroughly charred taste of the espresso served here is horrifying compared to what other nearby cafes are doing. Go elsewhere if you want fantastic (or decent) espresso. read more

Great coffee, good prices. Open earliest, closed latest in Rockridge.

Best Coffee House in Berkeley / N. Oakland Rockridge. Tasty choices, fast lines, and artisan pastries.

My favorite coffee ! I think the Peru is my favorite but I often try the flavor of the month. The cashier might try smiling once in awhile but hey, if the coffee's good and she's at least efficient read more

Best 'pourover' (I guess is the word) coffee I've ever had. Good selection. Don't like every single bean type, but it's fun to try new ones. I've never had the rude service that others report. read more

Not exactly the friendliest, but I am not a fan of burnt dark roast espresso.

One of my favorite spots in North Oakland. Great coffee, food, and views of the surrounding area. A great spot to people watch, and take in all the area has to offer! Other great restaurants/shops nearby as well. read more

I like getting coffee here in the mornings. I usually just get a latte and a chocolate croissant. I need to go back and try the different coffees they have (specially the Peruvian coffee since I'm from Peru) read more

Pretentious, crowded, and the coffee is so strong it'll give you diarrhea for a week. Other than that it's okay.

Nothing I write will be new to anyone so I'm keeping this review brief. I'm a coffee snob and gladly give this place 5 stars. Their coffee is simply fantastic. read more

over rated. too many people and not my type of crowd got a coffee here and walked across street to Philz. staff wasn't very friendly or welcoming... this is opposite of what the reviews are on here. however the coffee was good , so I'll still give it a 3 star maybe people just come here for the beans and go home to make coffee on their own. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. try it, it's not bad coffee just not the best choice for coffee. sorry Cole , not coming back ever again. read more

This place is pretty good. Priced well. I hate the annoying people that sit here and do nothing all day. It's hard to park, but if you can then it's good. read more

Was excited to see that they have finally opened. Came in here for a latte and a small pour over coffee. Got my latte fairly quickly and it was just ok. Meanwhile my small coffee took forever. My cup was placed under the brewers and 3 orders came in after mine. Meanwhile the barista proceeds to make the orders in reverse direction and getting all the orders that came after mine first. I mentioned it to the barista and never got an acknowledgement. She could care less. Also they don't rinse out the filter holders so your coffee may have some residue from another type of coffee. I got a light roast that tasted burnt. read more

your coffee rules! I come from land of hipsters n blue bottle, fixies and philz, rockstars and ritual, and all else The City has to offer. I will be the first to admit to coffee snobbery, and I am down with Cole. I work in The Town and Cole helps my coffee bias and keeps my caffeine in my blood stream. When not drinking Cole, I can be found sipping De La Paz, Ritual, beer and grape juice (read... wine) read more

Stopped by on a Sunday around noon with a couple of friends. Place looked packed and I was ready to grab a cuppa to go but my buddy, a Cole fan for life, assured me we'd find a seat. So I ordered poached eggs and toast. Sure enough we found seating outside on this welcome sunny day. Sipped some Max's blend while watching the doggies walk by. Our eggs came out pretty quickly. Six eggs between the three of us and only one was a bit over-cooked. All in all, tasty coffee, nice light breakfast, and good vibes. read more

I was introduced to this place yesterday. It was a lovely experience. I never want to have coffee anywhere else. I'm spoiled now from the slow drip coffee experience. read more

Great variety of coffee - although I settled on the New Guinea long ago. Gets crowded inside while you're waiting for your brew, but that's part of the non-chain charm. I will never go to another coffee shop in the area unless Cole Coffee is, like, temporarily closed for a remodel or something. read more

Kind of surprised by the great reviews-we were even lead here by friends. But the coffee was not great and super bitter, driving my boyfriend-who never adds sugar-to add sweetener to his cappuccino. Bleh. Maybe it was an off day, but we were disappointed. read more

I'm new to coffee, and my experience so far has been bad. I've tried Starbucks, Peet's, and some others, and I've found most of them to be harsh. Starbucks was on the better side, but Peet's coffee is just like charcoal. I decided to try Cole's, since I was at La Farine and the shop looked very nice and clean. I got the ice coffee, and for the first time, I actually liked coffee! The coffee had character, but was mild at the same time. It was very aromatic too. You could smell the coffee even after you finish drinking it. And then there was a little magic that happened when I added a bit of half and half. Maybe it was the half and half they had or maybe it was their coffee, but the milkfat was very aromatic. I look forward to coming back again and maybe trying the poached eggs with another type of coffee drink. read more

Killer coffee. Killer breakfast (poached eggs rock). Great people watching.

AMAZING!!!!! I love their lattes and they have amazing perfect breakfasts and sandwiches! And the staff is really helpful and accommodating! I would definitely come back for a quick cup of coffee or a longer linger! They have a great "fixings" station too! read more

A big cup of Max's blend and the newspaper on the cozy red sofa at Cole Coffee...the best way to spend a Sunday morning. Love, love, love this place. Love, love , love their coffee even more! read more

Best drip and espresso in Berkeley. Great location . Excellent outdoor seating with good people working and hanging out there. Food is delicious and Mike the owner is a great resource to learn about coffee from. read more

this place is always crowded - because the different drip coffees are just soooo good! You get to select your own beans, freshly ground, and made to order. The sandwiches are served on crusty and fresh bread, I love the mozarella and tomatoes. Sitting outside in the shade on a hot day, watching the people drifting by is fun! read more

This is my favorite spot to hang out and read and people watch, this is THE corner in Berkeley! Well, at least at this end of the College Ave! I love their sandwiches, and I've been known to get there for breakfast too! I think I ordered breakfast once at like 1pm, it's awesome. You gotta go there for the espresso too...best I've ever had, and Italy can rival it! Watch out! read more

Walked in maybe 10 mins before closing and was not acknowledged. Took a look at the menu while hubs used the restroom, then sat and waited for him to come out. I asked him to get me warm tea since i wasn't in the mood for coffee and ai was very cold so i figured that would warm me up. Got my tea with an interesting hand tied looking pouch and added a bit of brown sugar to sweeten. Walked over to a ramen spot across the street and took the lid off my cup to cool down since it was scorching hot. Come to find my tea is pitch black. I'm confused af bcz normally tea doesn't color water that fats and that dark. Well once we are seated at our table at the ramen spot i proceed to pull out the tea bag which i kid you not had enough tea leaves jammed into it to make an entire 2 gallon batch. Seriously not kidding. I wish i would have taken a picture but i was so taken back by the amount of tea that was in there. I still keep thinking to myself that there must have been a mistake. There's no way they serve this to paying customers. With philz right across the street, I definitely won't be back. read more

Good neighborhood coffee place. Good pastries too. Not much to complain about except maybe the tight standing area. I'm not sure why it's so hard to find places in the area with friendly, patient employees and good coffee. Cole is just fine and always has a welcoming vibe. read more

Best beans, best roast, and best pour over in the Bay Area easy... Funny, but it's hard to find properly extracted pour over, so many places do it "pourly." HA! Not Cole! The menu is properly sorted by roast and the staff is knowledgeable. Don't let a chain fool you and tell you how much milk and/or sugar you want in your subpar coffee at Philz. Support small local business and treat yourself to Cole. read more

This is a totally hip kid coffee shop. Many people I know who have dropped other habits kick it religiously at Cole. However I just have never fallen in love with the place. It is small, there is very few places to sit, and even when you sit people's asses are in your face. You can go across the street and post up against the wall... if you want to look really cool, but then you are lucky if you can taste your coffee over the cigarette smoke. I will say there espresso is good. read more

Honestly, they make a damn fine cup of coffee. probably the best in the bay area. you know you have great coffee when you can drink it black and it tastes incredible. If you add cream or sugar here you dont no sh**t about coffee and might as well buy folgers f-ing crystals... read more

Has to be the best coffee in the whole bay area. In one of the best neighbor hoods and great atmosphere. I only gave it 4 stars because of the service. Efficient but not friendly. There's this new thing in Berkeley - too cool to be friendly. Maybe it's an age thing (I am not 22) but it's a turn off. A smile can't hurt. A real turn off. read more

This is my favorite coffee joint. Whenever I need a morning jolt the house blend never cease to fail. All the coffee here is fresh to the order, served fresh from a dripper. read more

I get my latte and breakfast snack here every Wednesday. As soon as I get to the counter they know my order. Great local spot and really good espresso. I haven't eaten there or tried the breakfast or lunch options, but they look amazing. Cozy corner joint where the locals come to meet. read more

One of the best coffee shops I've ever visited. Friendly, efficient staff, great breakfast options, beautifully designed store. And most importantly delicious coffee. The owners have found the "secret sauce" to a very successful business. Despite the corporate competition across the street I'm sure Cole Coffee will thrive! read more

Great local spot. Glad to see they are going strong even when a trendy chain opened up across the street. Cole is a staple in the community with killer coffee and food. So up to you, small local mom and pop or chain across the street. read more