Sonoma Coffee Cafe

I like this place cause it’s close to where I live, it’s open later than Berkeley Floor, and it’s cozy and warm! It’s actually really warm in here… The drinks are okay. The first time I came here I got some kind of latte and it was way too sweet. I couldn’t even finish it. But the next few times I came here I just stuck with tea and it’s nice. They refill your tea for you!
The bad thing about this place is that you can only use the wifi for 3 hours and after that you have to purchase another thing. It’s kind of inconvenient if you want to study for long periods of time.

I’m glad this place exists. My mistake was ordering a chai latte. It was soo friggin’ sugary, though. Ugh. I didn’t order anything else ’cause it all looked mediocre. The sink wouldn’t stop dribbling a narrow stream of water. At one point I reached over the counter to try to end the waste, but it seems that there’s something wrong with the sink. To think that it’s leaking that much water day and night is very disconcerting. The service is okay. But that sink really needs to be fixed!
**What I wrote above was from my firs time here. I’ve since been here many times and it’s really a wonderful place to sit and study.

There are better places to study in Berkeley than this for sure.
— Minus 2 stars for the awful food. Seriously I paid $ 7 for a panini which was basically thin slices of bread with maybe 6 small slices of vegetable TOTAL. Also it was super salty!!! Yuck, rip-​off and barely even a snack let alone a lunch.
— Minus 1 star for over expensiveness and 3 hour limit on wi-​fi? That is pretty stingy considering their prices. Also, tables are small!
+ Plus 1 star for décor. Pretty interesting and hip! Love the poetry corner, chalkboard walls, and mirror in the bathroom
+ Plus 1 star for nice waitress and plugs!
All in all, I would not waste my time here when there are so many better places elsewhere!

Wonderful stopping place in Berkeley for a quick recharge!
The tea I had here was a great, loose-​leafed green tea that was good for 3 steeps. They also serve a breakfast bagel sandwich all day… It’s not the greatest sandwich, but it gets the job done. Also, the barista was incredibly friendly and patient with me as I took forever to figure out what I wanted to order.

The Coffee is great & They have HOT APPLE CIDER!
The WIFI is limited to 3 hours per purchase which is fantastic for me because I’m NOT a CHEAP ASS & I prefer my internet connection super fast than I do ENTIRELY free while torturously SLOW.
The staff is always in good spirits so I feel comfortable and welcomed every time I’m here. LOVE IT.

3 hours of Internet per purchase… Not cool
Delicious coffee… Cool
Cash only if you spend less than $ 5 … Not cool
Candy cane latte during December … Cool

This smallish coffee shop doesn’t have the frenetic energy that you will find in Peet’s or Starbuck’s, possibly due to its somewhat isolated location on the corner of Fulton & Durant. It’s located across the street from my workplace though, so it’s easy for me to walk over and grab coffee and/​or a bite for breakfast. They have a nice breakfast sandwich combo (comes with a small coffee) for $ 5. They also have well-​priced salads. As with most coffee shops, free wi-​fi is available and there usually is just a small handful of people working at the tables. The staff is very friendly and the place has a nice locals feel to it.

The coffee here is nice, and if you can get an outside seat, it’s quite a pleasant place to sit and relax, but goddamn their lack of any kind of decent cake kills me. Once, and only once, they had some amazing brownies. Not the crappy vegan ones that are wrapped in plastic, I’m talking huge, homemade brownies. The male barista working that night warmed it and put whipped cream on it, and it was honestly the best brownie I’ve ever had in my life. Plus, he even put pretty designs in my latte! But that is the only time there has ever been any kind of decent cake in their pastry case. It’s always oat bran this, or fruit bar that. Ugh.

I came by here and just had to use the restroom but needed to buy something to do so. I ordered a new panini they have called the artichoke garlic chicken panini. It was the best sandwich I have ever eaten!!! Perfect and so flavorful. I may go back just for the sandwich!
ps. had a dream about it tonight– yes it was that good.

I don’t much care for creative expresso concoctions, but that’s not the case for my study buddies. They like syrup-​rich drinks with diabetic-​unfriendly names like [insert candy bar brand] latte. And that is what Sonoma offers. That and 3 hours of WiFi with purchase.
Moreover, their staff, like their beverages, are nice and sugary. The ambiance is welcoming. Their wall outlets are plentiful. I still can’t wrap my head around the negative reviews.

I love coming to Sonoma for morning study sessions! I always get their breakfast combo which includes a breakfast sandwich and either tea or coffee.
The breakfast sandwich gives you a choice of a croissant or bagel with egg, cheese, and ham or sausage. Even though it’s something simple, I really like it! I’ve tried both the croissant and bagel with sausage, and both are really good in that this is really yummy but probably super unhealthy kind of way.
For the tea, I always order their *pomegranate green tea*, which is amazing! It’s soooooo gooooood! I really like that is something more unique and not something you would brew at home. It’s slightly sweet and they’ll always refill your cup with hot water.
The only thing I don’t like about Sonoma is that there aren’t that many outlets, and you have to buy something to use their internet. When you make a purchase, they give you a slip with a password for 3 hours of internet access, so I only come when I don’t plan to stay too long.

The iced soy chai latte is impeccable! I also liked how the strawberry spinach salad I ordered was made on the spot and with almond slices and feta cheese crumbles TO SPARE! When does that ever happen?
The barista seemed to enjoy his job while being really honest about what sucked about his job. I also saw him make custom orders for people he knew?/repeat customers? He was also on top of refilling waters and general store clean-​up.
With that said, I would not want to study here. You get an internet code with a purchase but it only lasts for I think 3 hours, when you have to make another purchase. It is also crowded and the seats are not few and in between but also uncomfortable. I spent 2 hours on a stool.

Chill Ambience.
Great Food.
Excellent Coffee Drinks.
Free Wifi.
Solid!

The owner is cool (blond one), the prices are good and good selection. On Tuesday night it turns into «the Castro» I don’t mind and I do respect people choices as to guys dressing like girls and so on. Yet, it carries over to our local bar Beta’s and it becomes a small circus and it kind of sucks because this bar is really chill.
And the last thing it’s that there is this guy who has big puffy curly hair, slim and mixed raise he looks like «Krusty the clown» he loves to talk and talk to the point the he will be chatting with a guy «customer» and leave you waiting over 10 min on line to the point the I would just leave, when he is there I don’t go. besides that this place is awesome.

So I know that I should be all pro-​Sonoma b/​c it’s a local coffee shop in a sea of Bucks and Peet’s, but something about it isn’t the bees knees for me. Maybe it’s the fact that they use wrought metal patio furniture inside… or maybe it’s the mediocre coffee…
The coffee is fine, nothing to write home about, and Sonoma has a decent amount of space to spread out your biology textbook or thesis research on Foucault (though not nearly enough outlets) — the wifi comes w/​a purchase, and a soy au lait is $ 4ish — if I’m being honest, I think I’m lukewarm b/​c half the time the baristas play death metal, and despite my edgy vibe, death metal = brain death for me, making it the type of shop that I’m more excited to leave than linger.
Moral of the story — if you’re anti-​corporate coffee and in downtown Berk, it’s not a bad choice… but it’s not worth a special trip — oh, but they do have a stronger selection of lunch foodstuffs than most other places, so perhaps if you’re fiending for caffeine and hummus, hit up Sonoma, but if solely drinking, drag your tush up to Philz.

There was a semester where I completely just lived here. Great hours, and great for studying; internet with purchase. Coffee is nice an strong, and the service is great. I love all the people who work here. Sometimes the music they play gets a little interesting. so you may want to bring your own earphones and music.
Nice selection of food (a little overpriced) but it’s great if you’re looking to stay in one lace all day.
Huge clean bathroom. This is definitely a plus! +++ :-p
Pomegranate tea is a must! Very fragrant. Can be a little pricey but its really yum.

Although a decent trek from my (now ex-)grad school building, I do wish this café had existed a few years ago. The coffee was fine, and the environment was great. Not over-​crowded during finals, but still enough bustle to be conducive for working.
And they have a poetry corner with some posted work. WOO-​HOO! That’s a review bumper.

I’m sitting in the café right now and the owners have no idea that I am writing about them.
Best café ever? Yeah. Pretty much. Unfortunately I have to go home to the Southern California and leave the only the place that I ever studied in for the past 2 years. I’ll never find a place like this again!
The people are too fun. If you come enough, you’ll get to know them and that’s when the greatness of the place starts. Even the other worker’s are really nice. It’s fun to be called a «dear». There are many regulars who come almost everyday who are interesting to think about.
There’s a lot of choices of where to sit. The bar area where you can watch the employees wash dishes and make sandwiches. The couches for comfort. The southern wall where there are a bunch of outlets and small tables. The eastern wall where there are two outlets that everyone can fight over. And an outside area where you can watch the cars get confused and honk.
Quickly, stuff that I recommend.
«Charlie’s Strawberry Iced Tea» — It’s a drink when Mark is there. He doesn’t know it yet. And if he tells you it’s not a drink he is lying.
White Hot Chocolate — Warmth and Ghiradelli Goodness
Breakfast Sandwich — Bring your own ketchup.

This place is so cute! The bathrooms of a store tells a LOT about it overall, and the bathrooms here are to die for. fancy mirrors, clean floors, and even a full length mirror (?!).
The place is a bit small. It’s relatively quiet, and they have couches and cushions (comfy environment ftw). Coffees are a bit pricey for their size, but USUALLY your purchase comes with a wi-​fi code, giving you free internet access for ~3 hours. BUT WHEN I WENT, THEIR INTERNET WAS DOWN):
Nevertheless, I’m definitely coming back though. Good study place. Good coffee. Good bathrooms! Good ambience. Yay.

I came by two nights ago and they decided to announce their very first Happy Hour between 7:30−9pm. So what did they mean by Happy Hour? Everything was FREE! Since I wasn’t hungry, I ordered a pomegranate green tea and made use of their free wifi until closing time. Everything free on the house? Talkin’ about redefining Happy Hour. Now that’s about as good as it gets!
Service was outstanding and personable like always. If you want a comfy and laid back environment to study, this is your place.