The Guayaki Mate Cafe

Quality, healthy food right Downtown! Noah and his staff are incredible.

I’m a yerba mate fan, and I traveled from my home about 50 minutes away to experience this café. We arrived during the café’s advertised open hours, only to find that they were closed all week. I’d even checked out their Facebook page! Jeez…

Really sad they they are only open when I’m at work… But the canned tea, and the loose tea is amazing, and has helped me kick coffee… Perhaps I will have to ditch work to go here someday… Having celiacs limits where I can eat out… And even what I can drink. But this place seems to have everything. And the drinks are amazing.

I drove from Seattle to do wine tasting with my family, with one stipulation: we can wine taste as much as you want and I will always DD as long as we can go visit the Guayaki cafè in Sebastopol. I have been a barista for six years and am an avid matè drinker… Guayaki being my favorite.
After driving a couple hours out of our way, we arrived and there was a paper sign on the door that read «Closed today for a meeting. Sorry!» I was devastated! This whole trip, all I wanted was to do some matè tastings and eat the delicious organic food they offered here. I left with my head down.
On our way out, there was a guy taking photos of all the Guayaki vans parked outside. I asked him if he also came to do tastings and he told me he actually worked for the company. He happened to be John, a Guayaki worker, and he greeted me with deep regret as he told me they had to close today for a regional meeting happening, hence all the vans. He felt very bad, and ended up allowing us to come up to the office to take home some matè. I was so warmed by this sweet, personal experience.
I came, was bummed out, and left feeling even more respect and love for the company. Thank you John!!! :)

The hours are very limited, but it’s worth the effort to stop by when you have a chance. The maté milkshake alone (available in dairy or non-​dairy, and vanilla or chocolate) is worth a trip to Sebastopol. The food menu is nowhere near as expansive as the drink menu, but everything I’ve tried has been great!

Guayaki Yerba Mate crafts its drinks from yerba mate, an Amazonian plant legendary for its natural caffeine. They’ve expanded their product line to carbonated beverages. Their teas are hot and cold. They’re all energizing, in a great number of flavors. Their café used to be a lone business among abandoned warehouses… now they’re part of the upscale, hipster Barlow.

The best local hangout!
Only thing I wish were different were their hours. I’d love to enjoy that atmosphere on weekends when I’m actually free to do so! Their staff takes the cake, always ready to accommodate their customers and make them smile. They make the café experience all the more worth it.
:)

I can’t believe I’ve never reviewed this place! Here’s the run down, they so free mate Tuesday, if you have a «go local» card you get 10% off each visit and they have limited hours. I love their soups, they’re usually vegan. I’ve had their hot dogs, veggie burgers, wraps and it’s all delicious. As for as drinks go I’m obsessed with the coconut bliss smoothie! The service is awesome I always see Danielle there. If you’re in a rush and looking for a place to zip in and out of then don’t come here. This is a place where you go to relax and take your time.

I’ve loved this brand since I started drinking their loose leaf. It was first brand I found in the stores where I live in SoCal. When I frequent Santa Rosa I had to pay a stop to this place. An actual mate bar? It’s an amazing idea and diamond in the rough of the many competing coffee places out there. They also serve food and have mate and gourds and togo drinks as well. You can get what they sell on their website right there in the store. They have specialty lattes and shakes to make it feel like a coffee shop but it’s mate heaven.

This place has friendly staff, great food, and all you can drink mate, at a great price! I only wish they were open on weekends and had longer hours during the week! I stop here every chance I get.

Excellent, innovative business model. Satisfies circle of sustainability in economy, society, and ecology. Community oriented and equipped with a stage in the Ache room, named after the indigenous in Paraguay who harvest shade grown yerba mate.
Went in for first time and was offered a GoLocal Rewards card after I told the barista i just moved up here, and was given the Arnold Palmer Mate for free, served in in-​facility recycled plastic.
The mate bar believes money does grow on trees, and that mate is a much more efficient coffee alternative with the health of green tea and pleasure of chocolate. Drinks include: mate latte, cappuccino mate, mate mocha, mate chai, spicy mayan mocha mate, mate shake, espresso shot, iced mate, and mate drip brewed. Loose leaf teas available as well.

Super frustrated because I live in the Russian river resort area and I’ve now driven out here 3 times, all of which they were not open. Except today, they should have been open but they closed early. Cool! Thanks, guy with the long hair! I only drove 12 miles out of my way so that you could close early. Super.
Delicious mate and really good food. Wish they were open more.

This retail outlet at the factory is very imaginative in its use of yerba mate. I’ve tried mate palmers, mate shakes, mate kefir on tap, hot brewed mates, iced mates, mate lattes, as well as other South American products such as acai. They have enough food on their menu to make your ordering quite interesting and feature daily specials. You can buy any kind of mate that they make in various sizes and amounts. I only wish I could go there more often but they are only open 11am — 3pm weekdays. Possibly expanded hours are coming soon. If you go there, apply for a Sonoma local card and save money. UPDATE. Now open at 10 am M-​F. ;). Yay!

I love their veggie burgers!!!

Super friendly staff.
Great prices.
Great drinks.
Great product.

Tuesdays are free Mate days. When you show up, they have 3 – 5 mates for free for you whether you order lunch or not.
This place impressed me for a couple of reasons. The food appeared to us to be very fresh and huge portions. The staff is very friendly.
Free wifi. Huge space for eating, reading, talking. Although there’s not private space, it feels private somehow. Maybe the table spacing is bigger than I’m used to.
We walked in to do a tasting, not realizing they sold food too, and without hesitating they invited us to try the Mate and eat our meal in the common room.
With staff so friendly and non pushy, and delicious Mate, how could I review anything other than 5 stars?

I’m torn about writing this review because the place is like a secret I don’t want to give away XD The company Guayaki is well known but this little café attached to their building is so inconspicuous I’ve driven by hundreds of times and never gone in. THEN ONE DAY, I did. Now I go all the time. They are a café but they serve food and they have some of the best vegan/​vegetarian food options I have come across. Not only that but it is obscenely reasonably well priced considering they attempt to buy their ingredients as responsibly as possible (local, organic, etc.) Also their yerba mate is fantastic. Tuesday is free mate day. They’ve got a lounge in the back complete with artwork and dartboard. I love going here.

First time in Sebastopol and stumbled upon the North American HQ and love it! Clean space, lots of selection, friendly employees. Danielle helped me out as I was giddy with a bunch of questions, ultimately I ordered an iced yerba mate latte with coconut milk and a little agave to sweeten and bought a bag of loose leaf. Looking forward to coming back!
**a little tip, pick up the free «shop local» card and get a discount right at your purchase. Totally worth it!

I checked out the Guayaki Mate Bar last week and was overjoyed at the uniqueness of the mate bar/​café. It was a one man show, same person on the cashier and preparing food/​beverages. Reasonably priced and really different drinks available. I had a drink with rose water, freshly made almond milk, and mate with sprigs of mint, which was really refreshing. The quiche was a little burned, but yummy as well.
One thing, don’t come here when you’re in a hurry. Service takes a little while considering staffing.

I adore Guayaki. I am totally addicted to the mate and couldn’t be happier spending my money on a such a great company on a regular basis. Better World Shopper even rated it in their Top 10 «Small But Beautiful» Companies and it is so evident that they deserve it.
I just wish the café was open on weekends. I was excited to take my Mom there a few Saturdays ago and disappointed that they were closed. They have… honestly… the BEST veggie burger I have ever had. EVER. And David seems to always be in a sunny mood! He makes going into the café a truly warm experience.