People’s Cafe

I’m keeping my fingers crossed. According to an article in the Daily Cal (
), People’s Café should reopen across the street.

CLOSED… no chairs, no tables, even the trash and recycling bins are gone.
This was a really great, mellow café with good WiFi, but no more…

This is my favorite café because the snacks are so good, varied, and very reasonable in price. But tonight when we tried to go, it was closed. And all the tables and chairs were gone. What happened? Please come back!

This was quite a weird experience. The guy behind the counter you ordered the drinks from must be anti-​social or something like that. He gave us the weirdest look like we weren’t suppose to be there. Creepy as can be and the service guy left us feeling very unwelcome. I would not recommend this place. Good coffee though and it looks like some people were studying there.
Creepy dude.. . Be less creepy please.

I came here because I was looking for a solid place to study and I was tired of never finding enough outlets at FSM. Little did I know I found such a great study haven!
The atmosphere: This is a perfect place to study – in fact I’d take a guess and around 80% of the people here are here to study and rest are here for coffee chats. The reason why this place is so popular is because they have outlets under almost every table and they have two wifi networks so make sure they have steady wifi. The wifi is fine, but I have had few friends who had troubles streaming their lectures. The lighting is ample for studying, and they have an «inside area» that’s a little more secluded and crowded than the «outside» area near the ordering counter.
The food/​drinks: Of course, a study session is never complete without a cup of coffee. I recommend the Mexican Mocha (what this café is famous for) – it’s a regular mocha was a spicy kick. Their other coffee/​latte options are pretty standard. The food here is fine as well. IMO, the avovado hummus wrap had a little too much hummus for me, but hey, hummus is still hummus, so it was still pretty good. I don’t think you could wrong with any of the sweets here either. The service here is average. I’ve gotten here very early before and usually they’re quick with the orders, but in the afternoon time, the service can slow down because the place gets so crowded.
Recommendations: The Mexican Mocha and getting here early!

A bagel with sausage means they’ll toast a bagel and put hot dogs on it. Seriously WTF
They only fill up your coffee mug halfway now?
I’m not going back. This place is going out of business when blue bottles opens up next door.

I used to come here a lot since it was close to my lab, but not so much anymore. I used to always get the hot chocolate and the egg and cheese croissant. It was nice studying in the back area but it can get a little crowded when it’s the weekend and people are all studying. I find it much more peaceful to study there when there is less people. The wifi used to also be pretty spotty.

Quaint place to study, lots of colorful décor. Plenty of outlets and wifi is fine.
Pricing is good, fresh orange juice was less expensive than what I’ve aeen at other places around the UC Berkeley campus, but it was warm/​not iced.
Interior is rather stuffy both times I’ve went. Service was a bit odd, server didn’t talk at all.

There are some real problems with People’s Café. Not enough to keep me from coming back, but enough that I’m frequently disappointed when I go there.
First of all, I’ve been burned too many times where food is concerned— I will not, ever, order anything from the food menu ever again. It used to be convenient to pop by here on my way to BART for a quick snack, but this is no longer the case because it takes SO LONG to get the most simple thing made. Bagel with cream cheese…15−20 minute wait. What. How. Just, no.
In addition to being made at a snail’s pace, the food never tastes fresh. I think most of the non-​fresh food is frozen (poorly, in a dirty freezer) and even non-​frozen stuff like fruits and vegetables are typically stringy, mealy, bruised, wilted, and disgusting.
Once something I ordered came out still half-​frozen with some major freezer burn. Gross. I also highly suspect that a lot of the food is from Trader Joe’s (not hating, I love TJ), *but* has been frozen for 9 months and is sold at a 200+% markup. Major ripoff — if you like the general taste of the food here, you’re way better off just buying straight from TJ and making your own because it would be much fresher, cheaper, and more delicious.
The coffee is passable, and that’s the only thing I will still stop in to get occasionally. Mexican hot chocolate is also good, but it — surprise — often takes a long time to come out.
Service is brusque and I always feel like the person taking my order is pissed at me. That’s *probably* not true, but I’ve never once seen any of the workers smile, even to each other. Default facial expression and mode of interaction is: the deepest pits of despair, where the human soul goes to wither and die.
The space is still a pretty good place to study, but sometimes it’s stuffy and smells kind of whack. Probably because of their old rotten food.
Overall, it won’t kill you to go if there’s nothing else better open, but in general I’d never go out of my way to come here.

This café would be perfect if the wifi were much stronger (the signal frequently cuts out and when it’s connected, its weak at random moments) and if they didnt sell so much snack food and more ‘real’ food. Every single menu item is overpriced and its hard to justify staying here for more than an hour. The seating is ample and there are outlets near almost every seat, which is amazing but it seems that this place could use some serious improvements.

I believe this spot is one of the best in berkley, the food is delicious and the stuff is friendly, I highly recommend this place
Keep up Guys!!!

Good place to study. Can get overly silent when their classical and slow jazz music pauses for 10 – 15 minutes. Only bad if there is a math tutor sitting inside explaining in a ironically verbose circumferential way. Ok wifi but it’s free so why am I complaining? A lot of outlets!
Bathroom is decently clean and there’s no key.
Coffee is nothing to write home about but it’s decently strong. Vegan and Omni pastry options are both ok.

I really like People’s café. It’s spacious and clean, and there are a lot of treats available for purchase. I always find myself trying something new from their menu. I recently had the Mexican hot chocolate everyone’s been raving about and it was great! It’s the perfect little pick me up. I’ve had some of their salads here, and for what it’s worth you’re probably better off getting a sandwich instead. The price per quality ratio of the salad isn’t very appealing. However, don’t knock it until you try it! (I also love that there is no minimum on cards!)

Come here if you like to be ripped off.
A surly looking man took my order (a medium iced tea and egg croissant). The egg croissant costs $ 4.25, the tea $ 2.50. Turns out the guy added himself a nice little tip since my total was $ 9.50. I’m disgusted to say the least and will make it a point to tell anyone I know of what goes on here. To all other customers, make sure to check your total before paying.

Great little café in downtown Berkley… I was visiting for the weekend and needed to get some work done and saw a Starbucks. But as I walked in I noticed it was terribly loud and lots of rude people so I turned around and stumbled upon people’s café. It was everything I wished for and more !!! SO quiet, perfect place to study or get work done. Tons of seating and tons of outlets. The food is pretty good too I will be back for sure!!!

People’s Café just became my new unofficial office in Berkeley. Some places deserve a 5-​star review just for the little things, and this café is a spot that excels in all the little details that turn a seemingly average joint into one of the homiest cafes in the Bay Area. Here’s a «Top 5 List of Little Things» that People’s Café nails right on the head:
1.) Plenty of Space and Outlets — This might be the most important factor when it comes to picking a café. Despite a small storefront, People’s Café has a long, narrow configuration and uses the space it has efficiently to cram everyone in comfortably, without skimping on the outlets.
2.) Fast Internet — This is also a café no-​brainer. I found myself here for the first time doing some video editing for my latest travel project, requiring plenty of web-​cruising to pull my .mov files down from the cloud. The interwebs did their part by keeping up.
3.) Affordable, Healthy Food — Although I can only attest to their hot chocolate (their staple) and a falafel sandwich, the latter was huge, and under $ 5. While the food here may not be the main draw, an extensive menu of healthy choices will give you the fuel you need to keep working, whether it be finals week or that term paper you’ve been putting off.
4.) Murals — Walls covered in art contribute heavily to the ambiance. Although the service gives off more of a «welcome to my home!» vibe, the wall paintings provide more of a «oh right, I am in a hip, urban coffee shop!» type of feel.
5.) They’ll Bag It For You on the Way Out — I can’t say I’ve been to many cafes that volunteer to wrap your leftovers on the way out (like I said, that was a pretty sizable falafel), but People’s Café wasn’t going to let me leave without one last act of great service… not to mention earning one final star!
While I haven’t thoroughly explored the Berkeley café scene, if you a need a spot to do work and enjoy a quick bite while you’re there, look no further than People’s Café.

I’m obsessed with their coffee and bagels! One of my favorite drinks is the Mexican mocha. It’s one of the best coffee shops in the area. I like the Berkley bagel. Their bagels have the perfect chewy texture and the toppings are delicious.

The food is mediocre. I had the greek omelette plate and the omelette egg was not cooked up to my usual standards. I thought the mediterranean plate was great, though! Highly recommend.
I like coming here to study. Their drinks and lattes are great and I really like the Mexican chocolate based items. The worst part about this place is the restroom… There always seems to be a problem with it because its either out of toilet paper, clogged, or just plain nasty. I would give this actually up this place to 4 stars if only the restroom wasnt so bad.

Definitely one of the best cafes in Berkeley for when you actually have to get work done. They open early and close late, they have individual tables all equipped with outlets, and pretty good and reliable WiFi.
Their menu is pretty extensive. I have tried the lox bagel and breakfast croissant sandwich. Both have been fine, though they sometimes take a long time to get made.
I have always been able to get a seat.
Great for studying and working.

People’s Café is easily one of the best spots to hole up and write in Berkeley. Besides its above-​average WiFi, People’s also is open late, so keeping an eye on the clock isn’t an issue.
The café is located next to the Downtown Berkeley BART station, so it’s beyond convenient to travel to and from for those who don’t live within walking distance.
The food is generally okay — I don’t rely on their offerings for a full meal, but they serve well for late evening snacks. The three-​cheese melt (the gooey cheese is piled high with fresh veggies and smushed together on a warm bun) is delicious.
Its many benefits attract a lot of customers. On one hand, the crowd isn’t loud or obnoxious (clients are typically focused on work or carry on quiet conversation in small groups), but it is difficult to find a seat sometimes, especially if you want a coveted spot next to a power outlet. If you get there and it’s busy, just wait a few minutes. Seats usually turn over quickly.