I almost forgot to take a photo for this review. The man behind the counter today, Tuesday morning; who made my dirty chai is awesome. Not just cool, calm, collect, and friendly but also a great barista! I usually go (and hate to admit) to Starbucks because we all know they're everywhere but this is the BEST! I wish I could come here all the time for this. Thank you sir for your kindness but more importantly your delicious, perfected dirty chai latte. read more

Royal Ground Coffee - Cafes Near Me - Albany, California

Nice service, pleasant environment, and decent coffee. It isn't the best coffee ever, it's a little bitter, but it's good enough and priced well. The chocolate dipped macaroon was incredible, moist and full of coconut goodness. I'd go back again for the macaroon. The coffee, not so much. I have to downgrade. I was up until 4am this morning, which means they gave me regular instead of decaf. Not nice. read more

I came here the other day to kill time. I like the corner location and the seating outside, but inside is another story. It wasn't a particularly inviting atmosphere and the rows of tables so close together felt confined. There a couple chairs along the wall but my table was a bit precarious. A small coffee cost $1.96 which I suppose is ok, it was a decent sized cup for a small. The decor was minimal and I felt a little uncomfortable in there for some reason. I think if they personalized or made it more homey it would be better. I got the feeling that it's a family who owns the place and I noticed he said hi to some people who were obviously regulars. The staff we overall nice but nothing extraordinary. Overall, this is not a go to spot for me. But, if in the area I would probably be back. Although I really did not like how the door was open, I was freezing inside and they would not close it. It's a good place to bring the kids to after to help them with homework, and if you can snag a seat against the wall it would be perfect to read. It's not a romantic spot by any means so probably not a good first date, but perfect for a casual encounter. read more

Royal Ground Coffee - View from my table facing out onto Solano Ave. Kinda cold inside with the door open though. - Cafes Near Me - Albany, California

I need to really give this a 2 for food/drink and 3 for atmosphere I am having a hot apply cider and strawberry scone right now 1) apple cider is from the super market that they heated up and made it look pretty with foam in a pretty cup ( for 3.00 for a small cup too!) I am not impressed and I can not comment on their coffee. P.S. I know good hot apple cider. 2) Scone (efff- I had better even from a starbucks) I honestly just need a place to study and do some work 1) very clean (compared to four corners down the street-i'm a little bit of a anti-germy) and 2 hours of free wifi (although I can tap into other locations) 2) lots of outlets for my computer and lots of tables 3)friendly staff (only they don;t really understand what i need at times 4) there is a good crowd here and it's near my gym all and all, I will go back again but not for the food/house drinks. I might just stick to a odwalla drink or something.. If you need a place to study without wifi past 2 hours then this is the place. If you need something to eat/coffee go to four corners next door. UPDATE: I just had the thai ice tea and it was pretty good- read more

This used to be nice place to enjoy a cup of coffee and study, but recently it has become of homeless hangout. If you like the smell of Woke, urine and feces, this is your spot! read more

I've only got one question: why is Royal Ground Coffee serving old, sour coffee??? Please change your beans... or brew it better :( This place is... alright. Hard wooden chairs are slightly uncomfortable, but there's not a lot of people, so it might be a good study spot. Wi-fi was extremely annoying, as it continued to reset. The internet kept taking us back to the "I Agree With the Terms and Services" page. I think I agreed at least 3 times. Some of the other reviews said that the lady made excellent coffee, but there was a guy working, so maybe that's why the experience just wasn't that great for me. On top of it all, I don't understand why sour iced coffee would cost about $2.50... should've gone to Starbucks. read more

Ive been going to this place for years, and the owner is a really lovely person. They're open for takeout during covid, and it seemed quite hygienic to me. They have a good system in place. There is tape on the floor, showing arrows for path in and path out, so people can avoid being too close or bumping into each other. They've put up clear partitions around the counter to reduce contact as well. The choices are typical for a lot of the east bay independent coffee houses in the area: pecan bars, a wide variety of cookies and biscotti-type snacks. Lattes, tea, etc. They also carry some premade burritos that are ok if youre needing something more substantial or dont have a sweet tooth. I've spent many a pleasant afternoon chain-drinking tea and working on my laptop beside its sunny windows. while thats no longer an option, thanks to the pandemic I'm planning to get back over there soon and support a nice local business. Hope things get back to normal soon. read more

This is my new local coffee spot. I had a pretty nice espresso here the other day, and I buy my beans here for brewing at home. One of my favorite things about Royal Ground is that they give you a free cup of coffee when you buy a pound of coffee. Can't go wrong there! My son loves the M&M cookies, too. Support your local businesses! read more

Royal Ground Coffee - Cafes Near Me - Albany, California

I came in with my cousin to get some coffee and do some studying. We were in there for maybe 5 minutes before leaving due to the most RUDE and incompetent barista. He was an older Filipino man, I asked him for an iced green tea latte with oat milk. I repeated myself THREE times, now I know everyone wears masks now and I can be understanding that maybe he didn't hear me. He gave me an iced green tea with oatmilk, when I tried to correct the mistake he then proceeded to argue with me and tell me I'm wrong. He didn't want to make a second drink when he was in the wrong. He then proceeded to throw a fit over a small misunderstanding, will never return here again. It was ridiculous and childlike. read more

Very decent no frills brewed coffe and YUMMY homemade apricot oat bars. Very good prices for the Bay Area, chill atmosphere. Easy listening Yacht rock one day and classical the next. read more

I used to come here a lot in high school but I visited very recently to do work and was pleasantly surprised with their new renovations (apparently they happened just a few weeks ago)! There are plenty of outlets, lots of space, and lots of options for drinks and food. The owner/manager is super friendly so I will definitely be spending more time here! I did notice the wifi was a bit slow at times. read more

I came in to order 2 Croissant Breakfast sandwiches on my way to work. The place was empty, and one server was available. I heard good things about the sandwiches so I wanted to come in for myself. Upon order I had told the server I was still deciding the meat option - he just looked at me and walked away, no assistance or explanation. Hm. After order he made my sandwiches, but at delivery there was no label on which sandwich had what. His responce wasn't helpful, oh but he did give me a sharpie to "open the sandwiches and label it myself." Maybe he was having a bad morning, but the energy one gives when handling customers carries into the atmosphere of the store. The food was still good, but did not taste as great as it used to after that service. read more

I like that this place is open later than any of the coffee spots in the area. I was killing time around Solano and just needed a place to stay warm with wifi. I got a hot chocolate with soy milk and it was a pleasant experience. No frills. No complaints. Wifi code when requested. read more

It's a nice place, not hard to get too if you're willing to walk a little. My cafe mocha was good, mild. There's a fair amount of outlets available if you plan to come here with electronics. They even have reading lights set up along the bar area which is really cool if you need to do some work. I recommend coming midday if all you need to do is kill time, charge your phone or use your laptop for a while. It has good ambience. I mean, It's a coffee shop in Albany. Not much else to say... read more

After Cafe Saint Honore closed, I couldn't find a cozy cafe within walking distance to enjoy a coffee and a treat while getting some work done. Local 123 is fantastic, but requires a drive. Tay Tah is filled with high school students and has no power outlets. Things weren't looking good until I tried out Royal Ground. First of all, the essential basics were covered. Wifi: check. Power: check (not many outlets, but I'm ok with staying on battery), piping hot black coffee in a heated ceramic cup: check. The wifi looks sketchy because it tries to scare you into paying for premium "secure" service, but really the free version is as secure as any other wifi shop (ssh tunneling is always an option). It also claims there's a 2 hour limit, but I've definitely been here for longer and not had any problems. Overall, I just like how honest this place feels. The staff is friendly. There's no silly latte foam art. The coffee works. The treats are fresh. It's surprising how hard it is to find a place where all these basic pieces fall into place. read more

I've been here a couple of times since moving to Albany/N. Berkeley. Cute corner place on Solano Ave. I've tried the chai latte, Mocha Borgia (orange flavored mocha), iced chai latte, and the chai latte again. Just wasn't impressed with the drinks. They were either way too sweet in the case of the chai latte or Mocha Borgia or didn't taste like chai in the case of the iced chai latte. It's definitely a convenient nearest place to get a cup of coffee. I'll probably just stick with the more simpler drinks. read more

THIS LOCATION SUCKS! My french roast coffee was old and stale tasting. Time to get some fresh beans and brew another batch! After the 2nd sip, I tossed the whole thing and went to Starbucks. I generally don't go to Starbucks, but I cant drink something that seemed to be worse than Starbucks today. Sorry Royal Ground Coffee, your coffee was nowhere near ROYAL to me. read more

This place is OK and I continue to occasionally drop by. No complaints, but no "Wow" either. Considering the plethora of great bakeries in Greater Berkeley, these guys could do better. And they did when Grace Baking first opened it several years ago. However, they do open early and it is convenient to the movie house, the YMCA, and on the way to points outward. read more

They're playing MUZAK!!! Like with violins and stuff. Theme from Titanic ... Satin Doll ... Neil Diamond. Whoa!!!! I'm getting a twitch!

On the plus side, they have wifi and power, and they're still in business in Albany. On the minus side, their coffee is just okay. Good cider though. Lots of cinnamon and not too sweet. read more

In the mornings if I'm craving a quick pastry and some coffee, I'll stop by Royal Ground. It's very convenient for me, being a few blocks from my house, and there's usually lots of parking. There's not too many places to sit inside, and where you're sitting it's not that big of a table and the chairs aren't too comfortable. Good natural lighting though in the day time. It's a bit loud in there, lots of blending and expresso machine shooting, but other than that it's not a bad place. The service is very friendly. Not sure if it has free Wi-Fi, but it shows that they have it. Never tried it. I think this is a good place to stop by on your way out. read more

I went her to get some work done and the WiFi was too slow, I had to leave before I could even finish the drink I ordered. They play soft music and have a decent tea selection, plus a few gluten free snack bar options. On a Monday morning it was mostly older (retired?) folks meeting for coffee. At 10am there was one free table when I arrived. The guys behind the counter were friendly. read more

This is a potentially great coffee shop/bakery. Why do I give it only 3*s? Two reasons: the wi-fi and their coffee drink prices. Free wi-fi drives me crazy. Yes, I am a computer user, but when I go into a coffee shop and can't sit down because a multitude of wi-fi moochers have set up housekeeping, that really pisses me off. I mean, don't these people have homes? RG needs to start charging for the wi-fi. RG has a great selection of baked good, all of which are reasonably priced. What is not reasonably priced are the coffee drinks. $3.25 for a small cappachino? Hey, Albany is not San Francisco or New York. What ever happened to the $2.75 cappachino? read more

Terrible coffee. Their coffee tastes like Starbucks: bitter and disappointing. I can't bring myself to have another sip of this latte. Also, they have a wifi service that is only free for two hours (they say 'free wifi' on the door), and, to add insult to injury, it actually pops up ads while you're browsing! The currant scone my bf got was pretty good, though my carrot bread tasted like sugar plus sugar, with a hint of carrots dipped in more sugar. Onwards in my search for a decent grad-student-friendly coffee place. read more

This place has the best and friendliest service of any coffee place I've ever been to. My BMFF (best momma friend forever) is a regular. When I say regular, I mean, sometimes, twice a day! I, myself, am a Tuesday regular. After baby gym has let out from the Albany Y we come here for coffee and delicious treats with the kids. They have high chairs in the very back by the bathrooms, BTW. The guys that run this place are so sweet and so nice. They make faces and talk to my little demon while cheerfully sweeping up the disaster in and around our table. They bring us napkins when there's a spill, a spoon, a straw... My BMFF recently had another bundle of joy and during her entire pregnancy, she was told to, of course, limit her caffeine...but she insisted on at least one cup of joe a day...so when she came in for her coffee...they gave her decaf instead! Something she didn't notice until about her 3rd trimester. ;) Favorite treats: carrot or zucchini bread pumpkin cream cheese muffins ham and cheese croissants read more

I like their ambiance & paintings on the wall. Makes me feel like enjoying a coffee somewhere in Europe. Here I tried my first ever Americano. I don't really like it. It could be confounding, does the place make terrible Americano, or I just don't like Americano? I'm giving the place a benefit of the doubt this time. I don't like how they have multiple tables sharing 1 outlet at 1 wall, and multiple outlets with just a few tables at another wall. You see, I came to study/work. But I guess I can't do it now, and being forced to enjoy the ambiance. :) read more

I like the space its clean and bright. The service is great and the prices are reasonable. I don't particularly care for their coffee, so I generally order a cup of steamed soy milk and the pumpkin cake. From time to time, I come here because I like to change up where I study. But, I can only park for 90 minutes (not enough time) and sometimes it gets loud - that's just me being picky. I like the atmosphere and Royal Ground will stay in the rotation. read more

Everything looks and sounds and smells great until you're stuck with slow WiFi signal and minimal outlets.

I live just a few blocks from Royal Ground and end up there by default on a rather regular basis. I like going to local coffee shops I can walk to which keeps me coming back, but it's just not that great. Solano Avenue needs a great independent coffee place and hang out but in the meantime Royal Grounds has to do. The coffee at Royal ground is pedestrian, not really bad just nothing special. The space has plenty of tables but not much personality. The baked goods are standard and the help is fine. Come Albany, let's step it up a notch. Wish they would switch to Blue Bottle Coffee that would be a first step to making it better. read more

My first visit was pretty sweet: - easy access from the freeway, easy & free street parking - quick tasty strong iced coffee (about $2 I think) - nice atmosphere of various solo and small group activities: families playing, people reading, homework happening, projects being worked on read more

I met a colleague here for a meeting today. I arrived early and figured I'd do some work online, but alas, wifi is not free here. I have a serious problem with coffee shops that don't just offer wifi. It's also a small place, so it's hard to have a private conversation. Thankfully, we weren't discussing anything too private. It's also sort of loud, as another yelper noted. The espresso machine and all can be very distracting. But, it's a good place to stop and pick up a cup of coffee. I had a great cafe au lait, which made me happy. read more

Again, another place that is geographically well placed that I wish, Wish, WISH was so much better than it is. Argh!! I will start with the positives: 1. It is near to where I live 2. It offers a few seats with plugs for those of us who can't bear to use our laptops unconnected to an outlet 3. My hubby can get there without me having to drive him (Ok so that follows from #1) 4. Hubby seems to enjoy the coffee servings (all I can fathom is the white mocha, even their chai just seems off to me somehow) 5. The workers have a wonderful rapport with their regulars and are very friendly with children 6. Free wi-fi (finally!) And now for the rest... 1. Why do those darn espresso machines have to be so @#@& noisy?? (I can hear it through my headphones for goodness sake!) 2. They really have to find a balance between friendliness and efficiency (less talk, more serve!) 3. Bad acoustics- conversations seem to reverberate easily. 4. Making a left turn onto Solano from Kains sucks arse! 5. Why is their pastry selection so underwhelming? 6. And their snack/other fare (umm...burritos??) so odd?? 7. Really???- letting your child perform silly antics unchecked because they will get gratuitous smiles and attention from a captive audience??? Really???? Anyhow, that's as much as I can say for this place. I will go when needed and will patronize it to help my local economy, but not the best place to study or get work done. Good for book clubs I suppose. read more

I first went to this cafe back in the early-1990s. I don't remember if it's the same place; I seem to remember "clock" as being part of its name back then. Or maybe I just remember the clock face above the door. Anyway, came in to meet up with a friend, after we silently mourned the closing of Butter Cream around the corner on San Pablo. Not surprised that this cafe has the same narrow layout as I remember it. I could have sworn that the earlier place was more of a deluxe bakery. But I'm old, so perhaps my memory is just half-gone. I asked for a cheese cake. I got a cheese bread of some sort, instead. Not even a cheese danish. It was still the same price, so I didn't make a fuss. I don't know what mixup my friend had with her drink. But neither of us came in for the food, but as a starting place for being in the area. They have a separate receptacle for recyclables, which is good. But they still have the usual people putting in non-trash in the recyclables and vice-versa, which is bad. I still miss Butter Cream. read more

Morning coffee fix: I usually get it at the end of the carpool in Marin. But support local, man! Tax bases and crap! I went to Royal Grounds, it's open at six. I'm there at 6:15. The dude is lively and awake - holy crap. Sorry, this is an aside, but somehow the shuffler on my computer pulled up Bill Cosby covering Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band. It's terrible. What was I talking about? Crap! Their coffee works. DON'T GET ME WRONG! (I'm one of those 'All Caps' people that actually knows that I'm shouting. It's 8 pm. That's 14 hours ago I walked into Royal Grounds. Their coffee works, maybe too well for a half decaf. Their prices were reasonable, but not cheap. They have no bagels. Their croissant was ok, but no better than the donut shop. Their blueberry bran muffin was ok, but not special at all. The coffee was strong, bitter, and a wanna be peet's style, but not great. Now, I like both the cheap gas station and diner robusta drips as well as the finer fair-trade Ethiopian-Costa Rica blends that the finest coffistas can procure. It's all brown gold to me. (That sounds terrible, but I shall not dwell.) I don't know. The dude was cool and lively. The other customers were gruff and didn't commiserate my early morning desperation. I know people come here to chillax, but I don't think I'll be back. I'll hit up buttercream for day -olds when they open at 8, or I'm going back to the donut shop. Besides, I was drinking coffee in there after gilman shows 20 years ago, and the coffee's still good. read more

As good as it gets. Unpretentious, kid-friendly, great coffee, and a huge selection of the freshest pastries. I think I've overheard more friendly banter and congenial conversations in here than in most places - just all around pleasant environment. There are two guys that are more friendly than the third, but they are all reasonable as far as I'm concerned. Not everyone can be all smiles, all the time! Consistently performs at or above average, I'd far prefer to support this business than Starbucks or Peets., even tho i crave Peet's sometimes. It might not be wow or fabulous....but its fairly priced, clean, cute and well located. It also happens to be walking distance to my house. Oh, and I recently tried the breakfast burrito (black bean and cheese) and it was totally awesome!! I've been there about 10 times in the last month, and never been disappointed. Thanks guys! read more

Laid back and cool "mom and pop" cafe... Here's plenty of room to come study, relax and people each or just chill and sip on your tea or latte. Despite the limited amount of employees (only 1), the employee managed to take everyone's order, transactions and prepare the beverages/food in a fast and efficient manner. For anyone strolling on Solano or driving by on their commute, I would definitely suggest stopping here to support the local cafe! read more

I love their lattes & more, the owner plus his workers give excellent service too. I'm a regular customer, bringing friends! read more

We love this cafe. It's truly a neighborhood gathering place. They are open with tables outside and well distanced tables inside as well. I've written many important business communications here, had many lovely coffees with my daughter, and been able to just sit and feel connected to the happenings on Solano. I also love knowing that we are supporting a local family business and that every coffee made makes a difference. read more

Royal Ground Coffee has the BEST banana nut bread. It's soft and not dry or stale like some of the other banana breads I've tried. I strongly recommend it for people trying out this cafe. I'm not sure if it's just me, but the atmosphere in Royal Ground Coffee made me uncomfortable and the two employees I've come across were a bit unwelcoming. Needless to say, they do have a wide selection of pastries along with other things which I will definitely try in the future! read more

Wireless is free ... for two hours. I'm not sure how the accounting works when you leave and then return. 2 hours within every 24 hours probably, but what if you're there from noon to 2 one day then return at 1pm the next? They burn the tea horribly and drop in teabags without any strings so you have to stick your fingers in near-boiling water to avoid it becoming so strong and burnt that it makes you sick to drink. read more