33 Revolutions Record Shop & Cafe

APPEARS TO BE CLOSED
I am sorry to say that the rain damage, and insurance wrangling, caught up, 33 Revs has closed.
Excellent cheese and egg sandwiches and coffee, pleasant background music of various genres, some times an open mic, art on the walls, reasonable wi-​fi, and comfy seating in sunny environs. A good place for meet and greet too. :-))

I guess this is pointless now that they are closing, but I’m really surprised by the negative reviews — especially the comments about the attitudes of the people who work there. I have been going in there in there 1−2x/wk for the past year and have never seen or heard any employee being negative or rude. I usually spend about 2 hours there with just a drink, and they have never commented on that. Sadly, I never qualify for the wi-​fi code — I think a $ 5 purchase is reasonable, but I am always there between work and dinner and don’t want anything to eat.
I think 33 Revolutions brought a hip, laid-​back business to El Cerrito, and I am sorry to see them go.

This isn’t really a review, but more of an obituary.
After abruptly losing my favorite café (Café Saint Honore) without any warning, I felt lost and decaffeinated. Luckily, I heard about 33 Revolutions and came to check it out.
The food’s pricy, but delicious. The drip coffee tastes almost like french press and packs a potent punch. There’s cool music, and there’s wifi if you buy more than $ 5 of stuff. It was all looking pretty dandy to me.
I come back 3 days later and there’s a «For lease: 5000 sq feet» sign hung on the windows. I guess 33 Revolutions and I were just not meant to be :(

4 star average for this place? I’m skeptical… they must be paying Unilocal to boost their ratings. This place had so much promise and I really wanted to like it but man it fails on so many levels. First, they are laptop plug nazis — there’s one table with access to outlets and usu it’s fully occupied. My gf asked for the wi fi code as we spent around $ 7 for coffee (they have a $ 5 min purchase to use wifi) and the owner told us it’s $ 5 EACH to use the wi fi. That definitely left a bad taste in our mouth so we said screw it and walked down the street to Starbucks where the wi fi is fast and free!
The owner or whoever was behind the counter is a total doucher.

As a huge supporter of locally owned businesses who would love nothing more than to see huge predatory corporations cease to exist, I want to love this place. I really do. I keep trying, but it just doesn’t seem to happen. As much as I want to be a regular customer of this huge place three blocks from home, I can’t get myself there more than once a month or so, despite the fact that I think it’s a great idea, a fairly cool space, and the coffee is good.
Two weeks ago I went in on a freezing Saturday for a «quick» cuppa joe to go. Five people were in line. The signs outside still said «closed» and both doors were open… wide open. Everyone in the place was wearing a scarf and gloves. Folks ahead of me in line complained about the wind howling through the warehouse-​like space, asking if the doors could be closed. The blasé response was always «it’s not that cold.»
Twenty minutes on, when I finally ordered and paid for my coffee, I said with a friendly tone, «you know, it really is freezing in here. Everyone is wearing scarves and gloves.» The young woman behind the counter growled, «well, I can’t close the doors if we’re open!» She glared at me when she handed me a tepid coffee five minutes later.
Somehow, I just can’t imagine going back.

Ok. I give up. I have tried and tried and TRIED to be a loyal customer. I’ve been here more than a dozen plus times in the past year. I love the space. I love the coffee. The food rocks. But I will never go back again. I’d rather give my money to starbucks… you heard me — STARBUCKS.
The owner, as much as I have tried to embrace his ‘quirkiness’, is a first rate jerk. He seems to think this is his hobby, not his livelihood. I’ve fought with him about giving me the wifi code when I only ordered a 4 dollar drink because I wasn’t hungry yet. I’ve tried to bring in a group of 15 for a brainstorming session and he wouldn’t stay open an extra hour. I’ve witnessed his rudeness to others… I could go on and on.
But the last straw: I went today and low and behold, they changed the hours AGAIN. Now they close at 5 pm. So by the time I drove there, found a place to park and then changed gameplans, I was an hour behind schedule.
FRIENDLY SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: if you open your own business, realize that a business takes hard work to be successful. You are not entitled to sales and customers just because you exist.

I’m sitting on the couch now with a combo plate consisting of a tuna sandwich + mushroom tarragon soup for $ 7. This meal is organic, deliciously homey, and includes wi-​fi all day! (You have to spend atleast $ 5 to get the code, but it’s all good to me if you’re gonna eat/​drink anyway).
Here’s the kicker — Soft Serve and I were discussing how cool it would be to find a café that served beer and wine, but thought it was near impossible since the idea seemed so contradictory… but ALAS! — They serve beer and wine here! And have a happy hour from 4−6pm! What?!
They serve two of my personal fav’s — Blue Moon and Wydmer Hef (the hef is on tap!) for $ 3 during happy hour! How exciting!!!
What else. this place is huge! Plenty of seating to go around and a variety of seating — you’ve got diner-​esque seating + couches + individual chairs. It’s like. a hybrid of old school restaurant + modern café.
Finally, the music — right now I’m hearing a nice jazzy mix — there’s even a random person (who also takes your order) spinning records — DJish. Very cool.
Oh, and they have a bathroom. So, you never really have to leave! Until they close of course… wish they were open later. They close at 6pm.
Minus the time limit, it’s like I’m at home… but at a café =).

The perfect coffee shop.
Excellent coffee (Ritual) is served, along with beer, wine, various foods and other tasty things to imbibe. It’s big, bright, and full of comfy seating.
And that’s just the beginning.
33 Revolutions is also a RECORD STORE. Seriously. They sell and buy vinyl. As in vinyl records for your turntable. If that’s not rad, then I don’t know what is.
But wait!
33 Revolutions also hosts live music. It’s a wonderful hybrid paradise for lovers of both coffee and music.
The really sad part? I used to go here before seeing a movie at the now-​defunct El Cerrito Parkway. And yet another reason to cry over the demise of the allmighty Parkway Theater.
Must make more excuses to go to El Cerrito. ..

(60’s pop BLARING so loud out of cheap speakers that none of us in the café can have a civilized conversation)
Me: Excuse me, is it possible to turn it down a little?
Clerk, smirking: It’s possible for me to turn it up, too.
WTF.

I used to like this place very much until I asked the owner if he wouldn’t mind turning down the music just a tiny bit because I was trying to help my 14 year old granddaughter do her biology homework. He indicated to me that this was HIS SHOP and HIS ENVIRONMENT and how dare I ask him to do anything different from what HE wants. He said this place isn’t a place for people who want to think, use their computers, study, etc. It is a place for people who want to listen to his choice of fine old fashioned music. I pointed out to him that 80% of his customers at that moment had their heads into their laptops but this had no effect upon him. «hey, man» he seemed to be saying, «this is my private living room and if you don’t like it you can take a hike.»
Hey, if you hang out here to study, use your computer, or think just remember the guy who owns the joint hates you! You are just a necessary distraction.

High five, seriously… BUT why in El Cerrito? I would have expected such a place in San Francisco, New York, Frankfurt, Paris or what have you… but not really El Cerrito. Bright, open, clean, friendly, own stylish…
I ordered a Latte and then I ordered more and stayed the rest of the day… COZIEST. The word is out… now it’s up to you — if you want to drive all the way to El Cerrito for the best Café shop (on earth ;0)))).

I heard about this place through Joe G’s review about a month ago. So I decided to stop in today when I had some time to kill between my classes.
I think I had high hopes of this place. I was imagining the place to be a coffee shop within a Rasputin or Amoeba. But it definitely is more coffee shop than record store. Despite this minor let down, I saw a bunch of things I liked:
1. Lots and lots and lots of couches, tables, and booths. Perfect for studying or catching up with friends.
2. The instruments. Saw a couple of guitars for sale, but that’s about it. I was salivating over the piano and the amp system that apparently they use for live music at nights. I was DYING to play it.
3. A decent amount of records that are dirt cheap. They make great presents for people who still rock the LPs.
Just remember… more coffee shop than record store. I’ll definitely have to go back.

They start with a great concept of record store/​coffee shop, but what gets me about this place are the details. Such as:
–Stratego in the library
–Several varieties of Kombucha
–Out of place but very functional formica booths amidst more comfy couches and mismatched tables and chairs
–Lots of open space, including a vaulted ceiling and table configuration that defies eavesdropping
–ritual coffee
–yummy-​looking food (I have yet to try) and lots of vegetarian options
I have evaluated and deem this worthy of an after work writing spot. Others may find it a fun place to stop by after a movie at the Cerrito or a nice alternative to Peets/​Starbucks nearby.

Woot! Another 5 Star for this place. Thanks to my brother-​in-​law for leading me in here. Nothing quite like this place in the South Bay. I mean, coffee, meals, pool, Internet access, LP records, odd sofas, good books scattered around for customers perusal, lots of space, kid friendly atmosphere, AND good, varied, live music at reasonable volume all under one roof? Somethin’ this eclectic is more East Bay, I guess.
Brother-​in-​law says that at one time in its not to distant past. the space wherein this place was located was a furniture store. hence the spaciousness. Don’t know what the owners are paying in rent. but seems pretty amazing to me that they can run something like this and make a go of it. Complaints about the cost of Internet access and the meals notwithstanding. I don’t see any other way this place could pay for itself. And really, the prices like these are nuthin’ in SanJo-​land where I come from. Either you think the space and the place to park yourself and being in the middle of all that stuff going on around you is worth it. or you don’t.
I vote for. it’s worth it! (and it doesn’t not *really* cost that much, anyway)

Sorry, guys. I’ve got to drop you based on my experience this afternoon.
Like others, I think $ 5 for wifi is far too stringent a requirement. Put a time limit on? Maybe. Charge a nominal amount? Sure. But $ 5 is not only cheesy, but bad business in a part of the world where free wifi has quickly become the norm.
Moreover, if you’re going to charge for wifi, said wifi should work.
It didn’t. A friendly owner showed me how to set it up – a bit of a cumbersome process, but if it worked, great. It didn’t. I asked another of the owners. Without a word, he walked over to my computer and went through the same motions. Then he got up and — again, without a word — walked away. It didn’t work, and there was no indication as to whether he planned to come back and check. He didn’t.
I should mention that I had a tofu and avocado sandwich and it was good, but overpriced. You shouldn’t pay $ 7 for a smallish sandwich, in my opinion.
I wound up leaving and going to Café Saint Honore. 33 Revolutions, you’re targeting the too-​cool-​for-​school types. Keep in mind that wifi is super important to them … particularly if they’re being asked to pay for it. Good customer service, too, is always a plus.

I’ve been to this café a few times already and I appreciate their emphasis on serving organic products. I had an iced mint green tea, which was alright, along with a quesadilla with avocado, which I enjoyed! My friend had an orange juice and their chicken pesto sandwich that he didn’t enjoy too much.
The atmosphere is a bit hodgepodge-​ish with random furniture (including two big ol’ dining/​conference tables. kinda weird in a café?) — that normally wouldn’t bother me but the place is so big it doesn’t have that cozy vibe that I appreciate in other cafes. Although, the fact that they have a pretty good selection of vinyl and live music helps to counter the drafty and overly-​spacious seating area.

This is MY FAVORITE CAFE IN THE BAY AREA!
They have off the hook coffee, teas, chocolates and top quality live music. I’ve been blown away a couple times by the calibre of people that play here.
I’ve since become friends with the owners and they are super nice people.
As far as a five dollar minimum purchase for wifi, I don’t get what the big deal is? Get a drink & snack and enjoy yourself. Unless you’re a total cheapskate to begin with and were planning on surfing the net all day drinking tap water, it really doesn’t seem like a big deal. If you want free Internet go to the LIBRARY. They’re providing us with an awesome local space to hang out in, and to listen to free, live, local music. It’s a BIG space and I’m sure their rent isn’t free. Give ‘em a break.
I love hanging out there and will continue to support my independent, neighborhood café.

Best!

Funny thing, a few months ago, I had a dream that there was an awesome, spacious 24 hour café within walking distance of my condo that I would lug my laptop to in the middle of the night to study in all my night owl-​ness, and that they served coffee and pastries among other awesome food and that it had a great ambiance and that there was Wi-​Fi. Among many other awesome imaginary things (hey, it’s my dream!)…
I woke up thinking, «Goddamn, I wish that were real. That’d be totally rad». Well, when my friend invited me to 33 Revolutions for lunch today, my dreams came true. Except for the being open for 24 hours part, of course (I can only wish).
I’ve been by this place plenty of times. It’s just a couple of blocks from BART. I watch movies at the El Cerrito Theater next door and I do Bikram yoga a couple stores down. Yet, I had never been inside of 33 Revolutions before, not even when it was Central Perk, so I’m pretty stoked that my friend invited me here today.
My friend ordered a roast beef sandwich, which he said was delicious, and I ordered a grilled cheese, which was just heavenly. It was kind of a cross between a grilled cheese and a panini because it looked like it had been pressed in between a grill, what with its grill marks and all. It contained three cheese, including gruyère and cheddar, and was grilled with diced chives. That added flavor just put it over the top! The sandwiches also came with a side of shredded carrots and a pickle. Yum!
They also have some good looking salads, fresh fruit, and drinks that I’ll have to be back to try. The place was hip and happening, yet not too loud or crowded since they’re so spacious. And just as we were leaving this afternoon, some equipment was being setting up for live music, which is pretty cool. And I’d like to add that the people who work here are INCREDIBLY nice and oh-​so accommodating. They’re seriously awesome.
Oh yeah, remember to bring your MacBook because no other laptops are gonna fly here. Seriously, of the like, ten people who had laptops there this afternoon, EVERYONE had a MacBook and I would’ve felt silly busting out my Dell. Sorry Dells, Sonys, ASUSs, HPs and any other laptop brand out there; you’re just not gonna fit in! I should take the Apple decal that came with my iPod and stick it over the Dell logo… Sneak sneak sneak!
:)

Awesome. Great coffee brewed correctly (Ritual Roasters), great people, and great atmosphere. If you were turned off by the creepy clutter of that nasty Central Perk place, you’ve got to see the new place. It’s very comfortable, and very welcoming.
This is exactly what the area has been missing. Stop by and groove to some great tunes played on a real live turntable and enjoy a killer cup of coffee.