I always walk by Romeo's but only just decided to try it! This is a themed coffee shop with sandwich and smoothie options. The service was pleasant, and the coffee shop had plenty of indoor seating. Located on Telegraph Avenue, Romeo's is close to the UC Berkeley campus and gets lots of student foot traffic. I ordered the Sip of Seduction smoothie. It was delicious and refreshing! I would definitely order it again. The flavors were well balanced, and it was exactly what I needed. The sandwiches looked good, too! I wouldn't mind trying them next time. read more

Romeo's Coffee - Sip of Seduction - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

Honestly this was going to be my new coffee shop when Pete's closed on Telegraph. Yesterday I was drinking my coffee, I had my dog with me, a 12 lb 14 year old poodle, when a male barista comes up to me, taps my shoulder, and asks me "do you want to see something cool?" Honestly I thought he was going to show me a picture of his dog or something because he was holding his phone and I said yeah- this man proceeds to lean over and go into his photos app and show me pictures of me and my dog from behind that he did not ask me if he could take. I was wearing a sports bra and sweats with a messy ponytail. Immediately he asked me if he could put a photo on Instagram for Romeo's coffee shop... and honestly I was very put on the spot and confused and I just said sure. Look if I'm spending $10 on a latte. After yoga before I go meet with my clients to work for hours. I just want to be able to relax. I don't want to have to be vigilant for men taking my photo without my permission, especially not the staff of the coffee shop I'm paying $10 every day for a f****** latte. Anyways... I wasn't going to leave a review but I just called the shop. The owner recognized my voice I asked if I could talk to her. I tried to explain to her what was happening yesterday and why it was uncomfortable for me and this woman proceeded to interrupt me several times- at one point she told me that I was the problem because my dog was on the chair and I gave him some whipped cream which let's be honest lady if that's how you feel talk to your customers about how you would like them to conduct themselves with their pets in your coffee shop. Don't just start taking their photo for Instagram or yell at them when they are uncomfortable with it. Smh. She literally interrupted me about this several times before I even told her what happened, and when I kept trying to continue to tell her what I called her about she told me that she couldn't really hear me- I literally had to step outside of my house and say will you please give me one minute to explain to you what happened and why I have an issue with it. I ended up hanging up on her because she just wanted to argue with me. Honestly I gave this place a chance. There's a lot of bad reviews. There's a weird vibe from the staff that makes it really hard to relax there and honestly what the hell is up with all the oversexualized innuendo. I really wish you luck and wish you the best as a small business otherwise I wouldn't have called to try to talk to you instead of leaving a review. This is something that I would never in a million years do to a paying client of mine, it's one thing to have someone that is paying you for your services offer to model for your Instagram or something it's another thing to just take someone's photo without their permission from behind on any old vulnerable day when they could be going through anything and then f****** argue with them about it. Super disrespectful and kind of gross of you guys. read more

Racist and misogynistic. My partner and I were very obviously racially profiled today for wanting to use the bathroom. I came in a few minutes after our order was placed and could feel the tension between my partner and the owner when he asked for the bathroom code. Typical microaggression, but I let it go at first. As a busy coffeeshop I can understand them having a restroom policy, but was annoyed by the obvious racism. When our drink came out I picked it up, and the owner made a big deal out of me picking up the drink rather than my partner. It didn't make sense to me until I tried to use the bathroom next -- the owner completely abandoned the customer he was serving to tell me I couldn't use the restroom even though I had already entered the code and had one foot in the door. I told him I was sharing the latte my partner had bought us, and he began to raise his voice at me and tell me that everyone had to buy their own drink and he wasn't going to negotiate with people like me --God forbid a woman want to empty her bladder before having another drink!! I left the establishment because his condescension and aggressive body language made it not worth it in the moment. Later when my partner and I passed the store again, I decided to use the bathroom as their latte (bad quality, by the way) had upset my stomach. My partner later told me that the owner spent the entire time I was using the restroom to stand against the door, waiting for me to come out so he could get a chance to belittle me. When I did exit, he physically blocked my way out, yelled at me, and wagged his finger at me like I was his naughty child and not a fellow grown adult and paying customer. He told me to never come back, and I obviously never will! I hope the long line of customers who witnessed this thought twice before continuing to the front. I've passed by this establishment many times while living in the Bay and can feel the horrible energy from just on the street. My previous visit a few years ago wasn't as bad but further proves the longstanding unwelcoming and hostile environment of this cafe. As a long time barista and hospitality worker myself, I am appalled by the lack of decency of the owner. I hope the employees aren't subject to this same treatment and if they do, I urge them to get out ASAP. Also, it only takes one look at the drink names to feel the pure misogyny this place reeks. It's not at all a cute bit. It's not "edgy and seductive" when you're actively vulgar and physically hostile to your female customers. Don't come here. read more

Nice place good drinks but the aesthetics were the nicest of all. Service was ok too. read more

Romeo's Coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

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What I ordered: Midnight to Mystery Sandwich All sandwiches are $10.99 Midnight to Mystery Description You'll see stars after this experience! Dutch crunch roll, chicken, bacon, tillmook pepperjack cheese with lettuce, onion, and tomato with a chipotle dressing This Dutch crunch sandwich was delicious. Crunchy and juicy was just right. They person that took my order brought my sandwich over. It was warm and toasty. It had enough chicken and bacon. Okay one more piece of bacon won't hurt. I'll definitely order it again. I ordered a drink months ago. I don't remember what it was, but it was delicious. It's a clean and spacious spot with lots of light coming in. I love the wooden tables. There are plenty of plugs along the wall. I live in Vallejo. If I want to write somewhere in Berkeley, this is the spot. This is near UC Berkeley. I don't live here. This is my 2nd time. I say it's a hub for studying. Right now, it's plenty of space because finals are over. read more

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My friends and I came here on a weekend afternoon. There was no line, and most of the tables were filled with people studying/working in a beige-themed cafe. I ordered a Crème Brûlée latte and my friends ordered an iced Light My Fire, which consisted of a caramel and chocolate taste. Our orders were ready almost instantly, and each of us got a Hersheys Kisses with our drink. I was able to try my friends' drinks and enjoyed them. However, I felt as if my latte was not mixed properly, and there were chunks of Crème Brûlée syrup that I would get in my drink, with the majority of the drink having a strong coffee flavor. The staff was really nice, and overall I would still love to give this place another try! read more

Romeo's Coffee - Crème Brûlée latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

The peanut butter cookie I got was one of the best I've ever had! Not too sweet, and very peanut-y. The latte wasn't great, it just tasted like coffee. It was supposed to be a salted mocha situation, and I didn't get any of those flavors. For the price, I wouldn't be back for the drinks. The Hershey kisses are cute though! read more

Romeo's Coffee - Latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

The cafe is nice inside with loads of seating. Although certain seats by the window can get quite toasty. Just to keep in mind on sunny days. The service was quick and staff are nice. I like the little touch of giving out chocolate kisses. I got the Violent Delight. But I must've made a mistake by overlooking the Pour Over label in the section. I saw "blueberry" and "maple" but I didn't get any hints of either. To be fair, I'm not the best at differentiating coffee flavors. And if you're the same then avoid that section. Also the drink was a bit too hot. Which is a shame cause I like to drink asap. I'd like to return to try the other drinks amd definitely their food. I'm sure this review could be a higher star rating. But currently my coffee tasted like any other plain coffee that could be made at home. read more

Romeo's Coffee - Coffee and a kiss! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

great study spot!! it's so clean inside unlike other cafes around berkeley, and they have such a cute romantic concept. all the drinks have cute names, and you can customize your drinks as well. i got a latte and added rose syrup, and it was good but very very sweet. my friend got a green smoothie and she said it was just okay. the best part is every drink comes with a little hershey kiss. i think it's very on theme with the concept!! read more

Romeo's Coffee - Rose Latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

If you're deciding between trying this cafe you've never tried vs walking 10 more seconds across the street to Peets, sadly, I'd say continue walking. The barista at the counter was very (overly?) helpful with explaining all of the drinks to us. We ordered three drinks (horchata iced latte, crème brûlée iced latte, and the redemption). They were ready quickly. Came with a Hershey's kiss (?) at the counter. I'll save you the details but my total for three drinks was $28 (receipt said "custom amount" so unsure how much each drink actually was and the menu does not list prices). Drinks weren't just okay, they were not good. They all tasted very similarly: weak coffee with fake syrup. Sad because the barista was friendly and tried hard to sell us the drinks (and it worked), but do not waste your money here, walk across to Peet's and save a few dollars for better coffee. read more

The customer service is always great , they make your own personal drip coffees , have good music and a nice atmosphere to study and get things done , folks who bring their own food complain since there is a sign on the that says no outside food or drink so the community can support a local business and of course not any cafe allows you to just come sit with out getting anything and everything here is very delicious or very thirst quenching so why the need to bring anything from the outside . read more

Romeo's Coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

Customer service is horrible. We were literally ordering and I had to use the bathroom really bad so I asked for the code while my husband was ordering for us and the guy refused to give us the code until after the order was over. like hello we were literally ordering and I had a bathroom emergency. Anyways weird guy, he must've felt powerful saying no. But no wonder the entire store was basically empty at 9am read more

The coffee wasn't good, the empanadas were only ok, and their service was terrible. Their bathroom policy is extremely petty and the coffee was very sour. Won't come again! read more

Quick Summary: - Lots of seats, tables, couches, and even the cool bar table and stool furniture - Peaceful ambience - Coffee is not sour - Bathroom is available but requires a passcode For years, many many years, I wanted to go and have coffee here but time and I never met. Finally, the moment arrived and we were walking on this street and feeling like taking a break and drink coffee. Inside, the cafe is spacious with dozens of places to sit down. The cups were swiftly cleared off tables and wiped clean for anyone new to use next, so there were no seat congestion. That day was warm, so normally I would order a hot cup of coffee, but I was only looking at the iced menu at that point. The staff made eye contact and he helped me guide through the different special coffee menus that were listed on the board behind him. I liked the kiss mark theme across the cafe and how it translates to coffee strength. I picked the iced coffee with mint, and we took our seats near the window. After some time the staff arrived with the coffee. An extra sweet touch, was that the staff gave each one of us a Kiss chocolate. Super thoughtful, and boosted my fondness to this cafe. Updated plans to visit here more often and try their other coffees, and maybe buy home some coffee beans. read more

Romeo's Coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

Ambiance was cute, clean, black & white with red interior decor. The music was really well selected and not too loud. Some favs of mine were Burlesque by Christina Aguilera and Hit the Road Jack. I ordered twice as I was at the cafe studying for quite sometime. First was with Steven. He was readily knowledgeable about the menu and available to give recommendations as requested. I wanted to know if there were any secret menu items and local favorites. My second order was with Terry, the owner, and Yolanda. They were both very sweet and suggested their pesto sandwich for lunch. The establishment has been up and running for 7 years. They love oldies music so try to keep the place lively but also mix in with ambiance type music. My fav part of this cute lil gem is they serve a Hershey's kiss with every drink ordered I don't know how your day could get any brighter than that---Romeo's kiss read more

This shop is definitely going to be one of my favorite spots for studying and drinking coffee. The price is definitely a little high, but I can make do with it. I ordered a hot mocha and it was very well balanced in both the chocolate flavor and taste of the coffee beans. I ordered it with oat milk as I've started to really enjoy its taste in coffee! Highly recommend. The ambiance of this shop is very welcoming, warm, and bubbly. My barista today was greeting everyone with a warm smile and even added a Hershey's kiss as a gift to my coffee. Will definitely be coming back another time! read more

This is a great place to sit down and have a cup of coffee. Love the atmosphere here. Service: The staff were quick and efficient. Did not have to wait long to receive the drink. Drink: I tried the Immortal Kiss and I absolutely loved it. It had the perfect amount of sweetness and coffee taste! I thought it was cute that they gave a piece of Kisses chocolate with the drink. 10/10 recommend for coffee lovers! read more

Romeo's Coffee - Immortal Kiss - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

Good food fresh food at that very quick service and nice music I would recommend going here. It was also my first time there.

very mid food. I didn't try their coffees but the food was just okay. All three only costed $21 which was less than what I was expecting originally. But avocado toast was literally just an avocado on top of a grainy bread with oil drizzled. The breakfast sandwich was very oily and bland. The cheese danish was okay though! They have lots of seating to work or chat though. I would probably come here just to order coffee and get some work done or try something else. read more

Romeo's Coffee - avocado toast, cheese danish, breakfast sandwich - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

A very nice coffee shop, perfect for students to sit and do work or chat. The employees there are super nice and friendly. I was a bit confused with their menu but they were patient and explained everything to me. However, I was not impressed by their drink. I got a iced matcha and it tasted very milk heavy. I could barely taste the matcha. I probably should've gotten a coffee. I like how they give hersheys kisses to everyone when they pick up their drink. read more

Romeo's Coffee - Iced Matcha - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

I do not like the service here. I have come here multiple times and most of the workers that I have interacted with here give off an arrogant and sassy air that leaves a bad taste. It is not that difficult to come off remotely nice. The drinks aren't even that good either to make up for the service. I got the Light My Fire as an iced drink and less sweet because I like my iced coffee to have some of the bitterness of the coffee to come through the sweet flavors. This drink was such a miss. I don't even know what I am tasting. It's a latte with salted caramel and dark chocolate flavors but i don't taste salted caramel, dark chocolate, or coffee. Okay maybe a tinge of chocolate so if I had to describe it, like chocolate milk w 8% of flavor? It probably is a lot more flavorful at regular sweetness, but I am personally not big on super sweet "latte" drinks w essentially no espresso flavor. The only thing that brings me back again is that I really like the atmosphere as a place to study and do work at. I love how bright it is inside with big windows and feels airy and open with high ceilings. Maybe one day I'll find a menu item I really like... :/ read more

Romeo's Coffee - good girl gone bad sandwich - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

My smoothie was amazing and the person working was wonderful! The inside was also very cute, and I loved the creativity of the drink and food names. read more

Was walking around the street and came across Romeo's wanted to just relax and have a coffee. The ambiance is really nice, comfortable, and clean looking. Everything on their menu looked great. We ordered an ice immortal kiss. I always get light ice but it was still pretty heavily iced. Only complaint was that it was pretty warm inside which felt uncomfortable but I think we got used to it. The coffee is a little bit expensive too but it was good! read more

Redemption -- the dulce de leche flavor overpowered the cookie butter, I didn't taste it much. It was sweet but at least the flavor was distinct as well as the coffee flavor. I liked the themed names for the drinks, service was nice and quick. read more

Romeo's Coffee - Redemption - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

Dropped into this large but cozy coffee shop and had the most delightful conversation with Terry. We ordered the Vanilla and Scandalous lattes. The shop is bustling with good energy and my coffee was so tasty! I ordered mine with almond milk which can often decrease the flavor. This was not the case with my drink!!! I will be back. read more

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Updating my 3 year old review LOL. Been here more often lately because it's super close to my apartment. I think I would give 3.5/5, but I'll round up to 4 for the review. I'm not a big coffee drinker so it's nice that they have a lot of non-coffee options, and it's a nice study spot with lots of seating and wifi. Lately I've tried the golden milk latte; I thought it was okay but don't know if I would order again. I can definitely see how someone could either love it or hate it. There's a pretty strong gingery taste and it's not too sweet at all. Kind of expensive for something that I didn't love, so I'll probably stick to getting standard things like matcha. I also tried their sandwiches for the first time. I got the midnight to mystery and thought it had decent flavor, but the lettuce wasn't the freshest and they went a little too hard with the garlic butter. Overall I think in terms of drinks/food, I prefer other places, as although the offerings aren't bad, Romeo's tends to be kind of expensive for what you get. Will probably keep coming though because it's so convenient for me. read more

Romeo's Coffee - Golden Milk - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

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The owner Dino is amazing and real. I love he didn't play into all the dramatic king flu Crap that didn't nothing but shut business and stop hard working people from surviving, for that alone I'll ALWAYS be a customer. Nice someone in the sad state of CA finally stands up to nonsense..The mint mojito is delicious and sandwiches amazing. read more

Nice little cafe to work at though the seats aren't very comfortable. Tends to get crowded on the weekends and they write orders on sticky notes--my order definitely got lost and I had to ask them to make it 20 minutes after ordering. Their breakfast sandwich and mint ice coffee were tasty! I still prefer the philz version because it is a bit mintier and sweeter. However, the music is loud and that + background chatter made it hard to concentrate if you didn't have good sound-proofing headphones. read more

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I really enjoyed my brunch here. I got the Breakfast Sandwich and the Scandalous coffee drink. It was a great combination of sweet and savory. The Scandalous coffee is on the sweeter side so if you like less sweet flavored drinks, it might not be for you. There was a lively ambience with music in the background, a great place for a group meeting but a bit too loud for studying in my opinion. It is also a bit on the pricier side, but overall I believe it is worth it to try Romeo. read more

Romeo's Coffee - Breakfast Sandwich, Lox Bagel, & Scandalous - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

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It's been 16 months since my last visit, but when I came to Romeo's today (Sunday ~2p) I had a great experience with service, ambiance, food, and seating availability. I ordered Midnight to Mystery from their sandwich menu - reasonably priced for how filling & well crafted it was. Place wasn't too crowded but not empty either. Music is playing in the background so consider yourself warned if you're looking for a quieter spot. I think the owner was sitting at a table adjacent to mine, he was making conversation with a few regulars for the duration of my visit. It was nice to see how well connected he is with customers. All the employees I saw were maskless (which is legal due to recently lightened restrictions), but I did read quite a few reviews about poor precautions even before restrictions were formally lifted. That's concerning, so I would recommend that at-risk groups remain wary when coming here. Overall, I had a great experience here today though! Update (6/27): Came here with three coworkers for a bit of work around 4p, and was asked that each of us buy something for over $3 in order to stay -- which I 100% get in general (e.g. be a customer to enjoy the establishment, duh). But, come on. There was only ~30min until close, we weren't taking seats from anyone else, and one of us already made a purchase. Not really a big deal, I'm a sucker for a nice tea, but I thought they were unnecessarily pushy and drew unneeded attention to us for something quite small. read more

Romeo's Coffee - Midnight to Mystery - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

Super cute cafe! I stopped here for my morning coffee when I was in Berkeley last month. I got the Redemption drink which has cookie butter. It's a dulce de leche coffee drink that comes with a cookie on top! The drink was tasty! In addition to coffee, they also offer sandwiches on their menu. A lot of students come to work at this cafe. I wish this cafe existed when I was a student at Cal. read more

Romeo's Coffee - Redemption Drink - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I've always appreciated the vibes of this coffee shop in the past whether that be stopping for a quick coffee, getting some studying done, or just hanging out with some friends. We came for a quick visit for Berkeley's weekend craft fair and all the stores/restaurants around the area were quite busy. Despite the long lines, our baristas were very welcoming, quick with our orders, and got us our coffees within 5 minutes. We ordered the "Oh mint where art thou" and the "love potion" both iced. Although flavors were a little too subtle for our liking, we did appreciate how it was not overly sweet and gave us the caffeine fix that we needed. read more

Romeo's Coffee - two cups of coffee on a table - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

I was missing Jamba Juice which closed down the street - but no more! Romeo's Coffee has (excitingly named) smoothies that hit the spot. I loved the menu with music references, the abundance of seating, and the friendly folks behind the counter. My smoothie was even served with a "kiss" Can't wait to come back for more read more

Romeo's Coffee - Aphrodisiac (Blueberry banana milk) - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Great coffee selection, free Wi-Fi and the owner is attentive to the customers. Great vibe!

Really enjoy the atmosphere here but was a little disappointed after my visit today. I was asked to leave after an hour because I hadn't ordered anything. I completely understand if this is a policy, but it did come as a surprise since the shop wasn't crowded, and there were plenty of open seats. read more

I like the coffee. I like the avocado toast. And I like the American flag outside. Romeo's is a favorite of students, regular berkeley residents, and first responders alike. A small business worth supporting. read more

Romeo's Coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

Romeo's Coffee is every sugar addict and coffee lovers dream! As someone who is an avid lover of all things dessert and creating diabetes inducing combinations of sweets, when I first sipped on Romeo's coffee I was instantly in love. My go to orders include: the Love Potion and Oh Mint. Love Potion is a blended sugar craze with chocolate, vanilla, cookies, whipped cream and well you guessed it.. more sugar, and chocolate drizzle. Oh Mint on the other hand, is a subdued version of a sugary blend as it mimic's Phil's Coffee's Mint Mojito verbatim give or take a little extra sugar. All in all I would highly recommend Romeo's if you are someone who like's sugary sweet coffee concoctions and unique instagram-worthy blended drinks, as well as a modern and well-lit cafe to study with comfortable cushioned seating. read more

Romeo's Coffee - Love Potion - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

A very busy cafe with a good ambiance and music playing. Unfortunately, the iced matcha was gross. Tasted like dirt. The iced chai was watered down and barely had any flavor. The pumpkin loaf was delicious though. Staff got our order wrong first but fixed it instantly for us. Overall it is over rated and there's better coffee across the street read more

The place is my overall idea place to work. There are both communal large tables as well as smaller tables. Drinks are not too sweet and the lemon o cake was...shall I dare say it....moist (in the best possible way). read more

Romeo's Coffee - Mint drink and slice of lemon cake - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Berkeley, California

Romeos is one of my favorite spots in Berkeley. The staff is so nice (Carlos, Terry, Hebert, Yolanda, and Dino) the food is really good, I especially like the breakfast sandwiches. The drinks are tasty, and the bathroom is always clean. I also like the old school R & B music that plays in the shop. read more