Good Bellies

awesome sandwiches, specially vegan pulled pork sandwich on a whole grain bread. also the vegetable sandwich was quite good too.
they could make the ambience a little more upscale.
so sad that it is closed.

I’m so sad this place is gone! I wish I knew what happened to it. I was walking by one day and saw that it has been replaced by an insurance company. Plus 1 victory point for capitalism. :’(

Over the past two and a half years I was a fairly regular customer at Good Bellies while I went to school nearby. It always had a homey feel to me. It was a place where I could get comfy and study the day away or chat with a friend over a yummy sandwich or smoothie. When I arrived one day to find it shuttered, I had to take a moment to acknowledge the loss of this staple in my life. Even now, several months afterward, I acutely feel its absence. Where do I go now to inhabit a light-​filled space with relentlessly rockin’ music to get my study on? Who do I turn to for a good, reasonably-​priced panini breakfast sandwich inclusive of a hearty portion of salad? And where will I find coffee in a charming mug that says, «Sunshine,» or «Good Morning,» or something to that effect?
Good Bellies was an establishment that was welcoming whether I was feeling gregarious, inquisitively perched on a stool facing the goings on in the street outside the window, or wanting to curl up quietly in a corner on a cushy armchair. There was a more communal type table for communal type gatherings, and single– or double-​serving seating for more intimate or solo affairs. This was a place where one could bring their kids, or not. Easy going.
True, as other reviewers have noted, staff could be a bit absentminded at times, and admittedly, the bathroom left much to be desired. But here, I feel even moreso that Good Bellies was like an old friend, one who wasn’t perfect, but good natured at heart. Like a parent who posts the artwork of offspring on every available surface, Good Bellies supported the thriving community of local artists and students, its warm yellow walls a revolving showcase adorned with both the bizarre and the brilliant.
What good does this do anyone now, to sing the praises of a closed business, with notice in the window of another establishment gearing up to assume the space? This café was a scrap of community fabric that was priced out due to rent hikes by the landlord. We may cry out against gentrification, or essentially, change. But let us remember the character of a space that added to the soul of Oakland, of Temescal, for a while. As we go forward, let us honor and nurture that spirit, where collaboration, creativity, community, and just being can exist. Let us continue to be enriched by these things as evolution takes its course.
In the meantime, the search for sunshine-​y coffee and warm yellow walls continues.

The bagels, coffee and smoothies are good. The counter service generally ranges from mediocre to downright vexing! I’ve had multiple experiences with the young dudes who work there being slow, spaced out and unprofessional. The owner is always friendly and clearly cares more than her employees. It’s worth saying that the amateurish portraits of those employees on the walls only adds a layer of absurdity to the experience.

This place was my favorite place to write and greedy landlords priced it out of exisitence! BOO! I’ll miss you Good Bellies!

Friendly people, great vegan food options, and a killer almond milk latte. In a neighborhood full of pretentious hipster coffee bars, this is a great, unassuming place to get your buzz on.

I knew there was a reason I had never gone to this place even though I’m a local resident and check out most of the businesses in my hood. I had promised my son a bagel and hot chocolate after dragging him to an appointment with me this morning.
The very good bagel shop down the street isn’t open on Mondays so I stopped here. Most places in Temescal have high standards for quality and if you pay the price, it’s generally worth it. Not the case here.
I ordered my son a plain bagel toasted well because he likes it crunchy and a kid’s hot chocolate. For myself, a medium coffee and a bagel that was $ 5.50 but sounded worth it because of the list of toppings.
While waiting in the hot, sun flooded café where most of the blinds were up and all the windows were closed, my son had to use the restroom. Yuck. gross smell of rotten mops, barely clean and no paper towels to dry hands.
My medium coffee which couldn’t have been more than 8 oz and not very strong was waiting for me and the hot chocolate was being poured into it’s tiny (6 oz?) cup in its beige milky glory. Oh well. less sugar for my kid is ok with me. I let it slide.
His limp, barely toasted bagel followed but he was too hungry to protest. My bagel followed and I was disappointed that «artichoke» meant one piece of pulverized choke blended in to the cream cheese, «black olives» meant from a can, «sundried tomatoes» were the dry, bulk bin variety (kind of nice & chewy), «cucumbers» (abundant), bits of «basil» (nice), «black pepper» (not present).
Take away? $ 14 would have been better spent getting a full breakfast elsewhere. I won’t be coming back to get attitude from the twenty-​something hipsters behind the counter like other reviewers.
Here is a little unsolicited advice from someone who was in your shoes a couple decades ago. I’ve been a twenty-​something barista in the hippest neighborhoods in SF. I always took more pride in providing quality service than in creating a cool mystique about myself. You’re working for minimum wage and tips folks. you might want to focus on making those tips and assuring that your café is full of happy customers who want to return daily.

Sooooooooo hipster here! Yup. I’m in Temescal.
I’ve actually walked by Good Bellies a few times and never really noticed it. It looks pretty small from the outside, but the interior actually has a good amount of seating and a large communal table. Seems like this is a good study spot, because I walked in during a weekday lunch, and I kid you not… the café was pretty full and it was QUIET. I only realized the café was much bigger when I ordered and I saw all those people sitting there staring into their computer screens!
Anywho, menu is fairly simple. Bagels, breakfast and sandwiches. Drinks include smoothies, lemonade icees, coffee and expressos.
I was hoping to try the cinnamon mango lassi, but alas they were out. Instead, the girl behind the counter recommended the banana pineapple smoothie and they would add cinnamon to it. I’m pretty sure they also put some mango in it too. I got a small ($ 3.75) and I really liked it! The cinnamon was a nice touch and gave it a great kick. I want to add cinnamon to everything I drink now! The smoothie also wasn’t too sweet and the consistency was just right. On the menu it mentions that they add OJ, soy milk and honey to the smoothies too.
My coworker got a a tuna melt and the sandwich looked and smelled great.
Service was very nice, it took awhile for the sandwich to come out but my smoothie was pretty quick!
I’ll be back Good Bellies, for that cinnamon mango lassi! =)

I had their yummy chicken pesto sandwich. The staff was especially customer service friendly. It is on a somewhat busy street corner in Temescal, so don’t go for a quiet lunch. The café is bathed in natural light as it is almost completely surrounded with floor to ceiling windows. Very nice. I’ll be back:-)

Stopped in for a cup of coffee. It was okay. Went to put some milk in my coffee and the jug was empty along with everything else at the coffee condiments counter. When I put the milk in finally it did this weird thing where it didn’t mix with the coffee and there was a strange mealy floating milk flake texture to the coffee. The outdoor seating was a plus though. They also sell Pebbles Donuts, which are good.

I come here often because the food is good and it’s a chill place to get work done.
But I walked in to get a bite to eat around 2:45p on New Years Day and the guy behind the counter said «we’re closing at 4, in about an hour and a half, so we’re not serving food anymore, and it won’t be fun to hang out here because we’re closing so soon.»
Seriously? Turning away business over an hour before they closed? I’m going to start giving my business to other cafés on telegraph from now on.

This is a pretty good place to chill and get some work done. There seems to be a lot of similar cafes on Telegraph but this is the only one that was not completely full on a cold Sunday night.
I got a vanilla latte here and it wasn’t spectacular, but I mean, the concept of a vanilla coffee was suspect anyway. I guess I thought that if a normal latte is bomb, adding vanilla will be bombastic. But it’s one of those things like getting 3 ice cream cones and only having 2 hands.
The latte came in a mug with flowers. The flowers do not look local or seasonal.
At the moment, there is just really good reggae blasting in the background. I’m the only one bobbing to it. This is a pretty serious place. I would say that about 80% of the people are quietly working.
Hipster level: 3.5 out of 5.

To be read as a spoken word poem:
Me.
Me, needing a coffee and a bagel with cream cheese to go.
Just
A quick breakfast.
In and out.
But cashier looks like she had one too many pharmies in her cocktail
Mixed up my change
Mixed up my order
Forgot to give me the coffee BEFORE
I waited fifteen minutes
Watching that last slice of cucumber
Dangle between her thumb and forefinger
While she talked about her roommate’s issues like she was on a talk show
Then put it the cucumber on my bagel like an afterthought
Then said, «Oh it was to GO!»
And now I’m noticing
Reviews on Unilocal
Describing scatterbrained staff help.
Work is called work for a reason.
Have as much fun or casual therapy as you want
As long as you make my bagel while you flap your gums.
I paid you.
Not coming back.

Wowwwww coffee ice cubes in the iced coffee!!! Iced coffee is my drink, so naturally I was inclined to order one here since that is how I gauge coffee shops in my little reality. Mind. Blown. It was super got outside and my ice cubes melted as I knitted in the corner, my boyfriend studied while his melted as well. I was very pleased when I asked the girl at the counter for more ice, when she refilled our mason jar cups with more of these delicious coffee cubes. I also had a gluten free brownie (I am not gluten free, they just looked amazing) and the girl quickly told me about who these brownies were made by and a little but about that pastry chef/​business woman. The walls were filled with art by a local artist and my roommate informed me that when those paintings were put up, they had a little soirée hosted there like a mini art show.
I will definitely come back again when school starts and I join my bf for coffee and studying. It was quiet and cozy for spending a couple hours there.

I come here a lot and always want to like it more. It’s my local café, the people who work here are nice, it’s a great addition to the ‘hood. There’s just always *something* that prevents my experience from being great. This week it was the nasty-​ass plastic cup I pulled out of the «clean» pile when I went to get water — it was spotted with… something spotty. And crusty, and brown. Definitely the opposite of clean.
Still, I got to sit at a sunny table and work on my computer while chowing down on a filling, and decidedly yummy, mushroom-​egg-​and-​cheese sandwich on focaccia bread. I sipped my hot mocha and nobody bothered me — except for the über-​loud hipster couple sitting behind me. A sample of their conversation: «I really want to pour this smoothie all over you and lick it off.» Really? Thanks for sharing. It’s nice and warm inside this café, which I particularly appreciate during these chilly winter months. I’ve definitely witnessed — and experienced — long waits for coffee (decaf is a pour-​over-​process), tea, and definitely food, but if you’re prepared to wait the requisite 15 minutes, it’s entirely unstressful. They care about what they’re doing, and that’s refreshing. I’m gonna keep coming here ’til I have a 4-​star experience… or until my laptop gets stolen.

Good bellies is pretty small for a café, probably not more than 10 tables. natural lighting gives the café it’s warmth and glow. retail space limited in temescal so good bellies is a default option.
menu: breakfast, lunch, sammies, pastries, smoothies,
pour: coffee (L. 2.25)
–tasted like medium roast, bold, slightly acidic.(aged in thermo?)
–passable, wouldn’t reorder.
drips:
–sammie on the pricey end, probably a location issue.
–looks like froyo isn’t an option here anymores.
–cordial service.

Hm. This morning I got a bacon egg and cheese on yummy rosemary focaccia and it took like ten minutes, not 40. Maybe the people in a huge rush for a sandwich should go through McDonald’s drive through. It was seasoned perfectly, the spicy sauce is so yummy and the scrambled eggs were super fluffy. You can tell that these guys pay attention to the food they make.
Big sandwiches at reasonable prices and there’s space to sit, since it’s not usually super crowded. I always feel good after eating here and the staff is super nice!

A coconut milk latte is a much better idea in theory than in practice, unfortunately. The concept sounded so intriguing and delicious that I was more than willing to spend the $ 4.25 on a latte. The coconut milk is so dense that I could barely get through each sip. The milk and coffee did not mix, with the coconut milk continuously sinking to the bottom and separating from the coffee. Each sip coated my entire mouth leaving an unpleasant impression. The part of the coffee I was able to taste was good, but either too much coconut milk was added or the idea is just that, better off as an idea.
The place was a bit uncomfortable to sit and have your drink inside. It was very warm inside and the rotating fan they had was not a sufficient means of cooling down the space. The barista was not very friendly. Perhaps he was too hot. Heat makes me cranky. Anyhow, the overall experience was less than impressive in comparison to the numerous other coffee joints around the Bay Area.

so I’ve been grabbing my coffee here pretty much every day I’m at work annnnnnnnd I kind of love this place. Tasty coffee every time, and the staff is super down to earth and friendly. support your local coffee house!

Good Bellies is a couple month old coffee shop /​café where a tax service used to be. Signage isn’t that great. .. a chalk sandwich board on the sidewalk. There’s a painted sign on the wall by the (small shared) parking lot entrance, but only viewable northbound on Telegraph.
Interesting photography on the walls. One wall has photos of female shipyard workers, another has photos of a rural school house and children.
Small menu with coffee and espresso drinks, 7 Sandwiches (3 veggie), Pastries, Fro-​Yo, Gelato, and Smoothies. They’re doing the local thing with the pastries from the Bread Workshop in Berkeley and coffee from the McLaughlin Coffee Company in Emeryville.
I’ve just had a breakfast sandwich (eggs scrambled with home grown herbs, cheese, our house spicy aioli, toasted on your choice of fresh breads) today with swiss and focaccia and I was surprised to see it came with a mixed green salad with some balsalmic vinegrette (
). Pretty good, though I like my breakfast more savory. Adding an option for meat like bacon or ham could be a nice addition to the menu.
On a side note, you Fro-​yo folks are hardcore! It was just past 9am and outdoor temps in the upper 40’s, but lo and behold someone came in and ordered a large Fro-​Yo. It was obvious the lone worker wasn’t expecting this so early and gave a disclaimer that it would take a few minutes as she fired up the machine. I shivered when he finally got his cup and started shoveling it down.