Elite Event: Sneak Peek Sunday @ Philz Oakland

This year, I made a grown-​up decision to stop sleeping in so often on the weekends, something I’ve been indulging in since high school. I’m working towards an earlier weekend wake up time, but it hasn’t been the easiest transition. I had good reason to get my booty moving one weekend, for the East Bay YEE at Philz Coffee with Nique F. and Jon S. They were both amazing hosts, friendly and beautiful (as usual). I was stoked to spend my Sunday morning with them… I admit, I have simple needs.
Parking in the Oakland/​Berkeley area can be a nightmare, but around 9:30 — 10:00 AM… it was easy-​peasy. We arrived in front of the brand new Philz Coffee before the event start time and hung out in front with Hazel and Michael, who were also early birds. Once we were inside and set up with name tags, we were directed to the helpful baristas. The drinks were prepared one cup at a time, using the pour over method. Mine recommended the medium roast Tesora (nutty, buttery, caramel?). It was good, but I preferred the sip of dark roast I tried, and also the famous specialty drink, Mint Mojito Iced Coffee. It came with fresh mint leaves! The Mint Mojito was refreshing, but too sweet for me. Philz Coffee hooked us up with tasty baklava, cookies and doughnuts to enjoy with our coffee. Attendees scored Unilocal coffee mugs. Yeah!
The atmosphere was practically buzzing with pre-​opening jitters. Thank you, Philz Coffee, for your generosity and Nique F. and Jon S. for reppin’ Unilocal like a boss.

I cannot believe I forgot to review this fabulous morning party! :(I blame Florida!
When I found out Philz was having a YEE I jumped at the chance to RSVP! The honey is a huge fan of Philz and nothing gets him all happy like Philz coffee in the morning. I’m a big fan of their mint tea, so I was super excited myself.
I adore EB events because I get to see all the old peeps, and this event was no exception! It was great to chill and sit with everyone and share a cuppa. Plus a few cookies, but not too many — it’s bathing suit season: D
A big thank you to Philz, who has become a go-​to for our morning coffee/​tea needs and a huge thank you to Nique for, as always, being her awesome self and putting on a fantastic get-​together!

I’m a bit late with this review, but better late than never right? ;)
I always wanted to see what the hype was about with the popular coffee shop Philz. I always see my Unilocal friends posting the famous Iced Mint Mojito, so having the lovely Nique F. and her partner in crime Jon set up an event like this was definitely a treat!
Brian and I arrived about an hour early before the event started with some time to spare to browse around the Oakland Safeway and grab a quick breakfast. It was a score to have this event on a Sunday because it meant free street parking and hanging out with the Unilocal peeps! By the time we arrived from our breakfast, there was line forming around the entrance corner for the Philz event. We felt the positive energy both from the staff and the other Unilocalers.
I liked the ambiance of this Philz. It was small, cozy and seemed like a pretty decent place to get your study on! I also love how some of the Philz staff had high energy and offered some suggestions on what to try with my indecisive self. It made me happy when I saw lots of sweet goodies to go along with my coffee, and it made me even happier when I realized I could get more than one cup of coffee.
I can honestly say this is one of my favorite coffee shops because of the quality ingredients they used to make my coffee. The Iced Mint Mojito was light and gave me a great kick of caffeine to wake up. Too bad it’s not close to where I live…

What better way to start off your Sunday morning than with some great coffee in the company of Unilocalers?
I was really excited to see this elite event pop up on the calendar. No more making the trek to North Berkeley for me! I haven’t been to any events since late last year so it was nice to be to attend one. They ended up splitting the start times to accommodate more elites and I was in group one wench worked out perfectly because I had to leave for work shortly after. I brought a +1 and it was her first Unilocal event and at a Philz Coffee. She had a nice time and we both left with nice caffeine buzzes.
The Philz staff were so friendly, patient, and knowledgable. We were able to try whatever we wanted and I only wished I could handle my caffeine better. I normally get mint mojitos but decided to try something new so I got a large Mocha Tesora (per the barista’s recommendation) with extra chocolate (coz a girl can never have too much!). I was so wired the rest of the day hahah… next time I know to ask for less caffeine. I also tried their Mint Herbal Tea (non-​caffeinated) and that was probably one of the best teas I have had at a coffee shop. Frest mint is magical in drinks… alcoholic or not
I was a bit bummed I missed out on those awesome Unilocal mugs but the event was a lot of fun anyways. Thanks to Nique and Jon for hosting another fabulous event: D Looking forward to more!

OMG what an amazing event! Honestly this was the easier events to get up early for. I am an huge fan of Philz on Shattuck… then Gilman… now College Ave!
I got there right on time and order an Mint Mijoto. The barista was really nice and told me my drink will be out in a couple of minutes. So I checked out all the delicious snack and snagged a Unilocal cup before they were all gone.
In the middle of my baklava, my drink order was called. He asked me to try it out to make sure it was perfect before I walked away. He was super nice! (Hassan) And the drink was perfect! I asked for medium sweetness and regular creaminess and he got it spot on.
I enjoyed the company and the coffee for the rest of the hour. And just as I was getting up to go… I gave in and ordered another drink to go! The same guy was super sweet and made yet another perfect drink!
Definitely, another great Unilocal event and I will be coming back to this Philz for another drink!

This was my second Unilocal Elite Event that I have attended and I’m so glad I got up early on a Sunday morning to enjoy some good coffee and tea and great weather at Philz’s first ever location in Oakland.
I’m also very happy I got to attend this event with my friend Cindy who is a Philz devotee for life and knew all about the ins and outs of this burgeoning locally owned coffee empire.
Thankfully neither of us were disappointed. Located in the new Safeway Shopping Center on the corner of College and Claremont Avenues where the parking lot of the old Safeway once stood, there was lots of parking spaces on the second floor. Cindy and I got their early for the 10am grouping so we could stand in line with our fellow Elite invitees eagerly awaiting our visit to Oakland’s newest coffee sensation. Okay there is a Starbucks in the Safeway next door and the popular Cole Coffee across the street, but they all get to compliment each other rather than compete. More brews for everyone right?
All of the Philz favorites were available to sample from Dark and Light Roasts to Iced Coffee Blends to Teas. They also had a delicious sampling of their baked goods from Chocolate Chip and Sugar Doodle Cookies to Doughnuts and Baklava. But we were here for the free brews!
Since it was so warm on this Sunday morning, I first tried the Ecstatic Iced Coffee which is a nice smooth blend of coffees. Later I tried the Yerba Mate Tea. Both were fantastic and when my order for my second drink was up I couldn’t get up due to someone chatting in front of me so the manager was kind enough to bring our drinks to the long table we were sitting at. Now that’s service with a purpose! All of the members of the staff were kind and welcoming.
It was yet another wonderful event organized by our fabulous C.M. Nique and her Unilocal crew. Really amazing they were able to put this together within such a short time frame. We both hope there will be more weekend coffee klatch events in the East Bay soon, as my friend and I are honorary coffee fanatics and hope to see a continuing burgeoning presence of Philz in the East Bay. Cheers!

Hooray for a Cup o’ Joe!
Thanks East Bay Elites for including us:
Elites were treated with a sneak peak of yummy brews at this new location in Oakland. Opens to the public today, March 31^st… great location as it is close to a grocery shopping center too.
The treats were plenty… had mostly chocolate chip cookies – my all time favorite, of course. Enjoyed large cups of their specialty coffees, the Mocha Tesoras each, I had the the hot and my +1 enjoyed the iced. Second helping and tried the Mint Mojito Iced Coffee (recommended by many) and also the Ecstatic Iced Coffee. I enjoyed the Mocha Tesora very much. The service was great! Friendly and helpful and energetic! Also, we were the ones Dean C (your cool photographer for this event) were referring to, coming from Unilocal Sacramento. Can’t wait to see your photos, Dean!
Enjoy lounging on the couch, bench, or long table… whether you are just reading the morning paper, chatting with a friend over a cup of Joe, surfing the net on your laptop you will find that there is plenty of room and light from the large windows throughout in this location. Special thanks to Nique for hooking us up in our first ever East Bay elite event!

I’ve been trying out new coffee shops to try to break away from the norm which is Starbucks. I have been to Philz in Palo Alto just once so I figured this event would be the perfect opportunity to give them another try. This Philz is located in the thriving and foodie Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland, just in front of the newly built Safeway. It’s also strategically placed across the street from both Cole Coffee and Peet’s Coffee, talk about competition.
The event time was from 10 – 12 but to accommodate more people it was split into two slot times, 10 – 11 and 11 – 12. I was put in the second time slot 11 – 12 but to my surprise it seemed as if everyone showed up at 10 because it was super packed and everyone had their coffees in hand and their goodies. Although I felt like I was late I think I made a grand entrance lol. I was greeted at the door by my two favs Jon G. and Eugene L., they sure know how to give a warm welcome. After having my party pass scanned and giving the guys a hard time I proceeded inside where I was immediately greeted by Sara who happens to be the manager. She kindly introduced herself to me, asked if I had any prior experiences with Philz Coffee and then she made some recommendations based on what I told her of how I like my coffee. She was very helpful and she made my decision and ordering process much easier because I was all over the place. I opted for a large Philtered Soul, it’s a medium roast with a hazelnut type of flavor and is one of the more sweeter tasting coffees there. I had them make it really sweet because I’m a wimp when it comes to strong coffee, it gives me the shakes lol.
I really enjoyed the coffee and the barista who made it for me, he was very attentive and he made it just to my liking. Once I had my coffee in hand a walked around and mingled with the Unilocalers I knew, had a few cookies (bummed I missed the Vegan donuts) and just sat back and enjoyed myself. There wasn’t much seating inside and the tables and seats were all full so I took a gander outside and sat at the front door talking and meeting new people. This was one of the more laid back events and I really enjoyed myself. I am however mad at myself for not trying more of their drinks like the popular Mint Mojito and even some of their teas but now that will give me an excuse to come back.
Thank you Sara for giving us a sneak peek before your actual opening and allowing us to try out the amazing coffee you guys are producing, also a big shout out to Nique and Jon as always you two have put together another awesome event. It’s always a good time and love seeing you two!

I usually hit up the original 24^th st mecca for Philz Phunky Phat Phriday, and we often brew Philz lb o’ The Month at work. So you could say I’m a bit of a fan. We already had another event commitment later in the day, but when Phil offers to gift you his precious coffee, you don’t say no.
This latest and greatest expansion is in a fantastic location with a brand spankin’ new Safeway parking structure available. A roomy interior with more seating outside should allow for hours of Philz fun. They’re really putting Snoop Dog’s money to good use ’round here.
I’ve tried nearly all the roasts on the menu so I went with what I know best, Code 33. It hit the spot as it always does. Aside from the «one cup at a time» pour over technique that Phil has popularized, the blended roasts of different brands e are what makes Philz coffee truly unique.
While the famously fedora clad gentleman was not in the building himself, we got the opportunity to meet the effervescent social media manager Sammy. This woman brings enthusiasm and energy to the forefront of the brand. Despite being a niners fan, the store manager was also a sweetheart. In fact all the Philz brewers here were all outstanding at their job. This bodes well for the success of this location when everything is already running on all cylinders this early in the game.
I was a little disappointed that folks didn’t stick to their assigned arrival times. We were placed in the second wave of people to arrive at 11am. However not many people came after us since almost everyone showed up earlier. That left us with no Vegan donuts, and no schwag. I guess that’s what we get for following instructions.
I still wish Philz would go back to using Nabalom Bakery pastries. They make some of the best Vegan treats around. Light years ahead of Pepple’s overpriced donuts.
I can’t think of a better coffee shop in this part of Oakland. Welcome to the neighborhood Phil and family!

I found my official Philz drink: the decaf Sumatra. I love coffee, but caffeine gives me a headache so I’ve been on the hunt for decaf coffee that doesn’t taste like its been watered down.
The Sumatra had that nice sour edge to it without any bitterness to weigh you down. Really nicely poured.
I owe it to friendly baristas and Philz managers who were willing to give me recommendations via what my tastes were. Well done Philz, well done!
A great vibe and a great location to this shop as well. Will be going back again.
And my kids loved the cookies! Glad they were able to drop by and see how fun the Unilocal community is.

I arrived to the Sun AM affair, an effete Elite, having sludged through work and finishing at 7:30AM.
I needed some Philz, believe you me. By the time I left almost 2 hours later, I was feeling salubrious, refreshed, ready to tackle the warm day!!!
Safeway complex on College/​Claremont, now transformed to an extremely convenient mixed use area of shopping and outdoor plaza, with Philz at the southwest corner, anchoring down the businesses.
With an imminent soft opening, I felt (as I always do) nonplussed at the menu and the various roasts.
With the menu open at our disposal (so generous, thanks!!), I consulted with congenial barista and chose dark roasts to sample. Topped the event off with an iced mojito with mint to go!
The morning food offers were just toooo sweet for me. I much prefer something with flour that itches toward the savory seesaw.
But one ultimately comes to imbibe quality, delicious roasts — & that I did. Loads of outdoor tables to choose from, a few chairs that seemed comfy enough,& a large, long communal table in the oblong space.

I finally got to try the extremely popular Mint Mojito Coffee by Philz! I’ve been seeing this drink pop up on my Instagram and Unilocal feeds for a while now, and I’ve been wondering why the words «mojito» and «coffee» are together in a drink. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the combination works well to create a very refreshing ice coffee drink.
I guess (mostly) everyone else but me and my husband has been to Philz. The hubby and I are coffee purists – mainly drinking pour over coffee of the «third wave» variety (think Blue Bottle, Four Barrel, etc) and drinking it black. Plus, we don’t have a Philz near where we live at all. It’s good to see that Philz has opened a café in Rockridge! We frequent this area a lot and I have a feeling we will be making visits here every now and then. I really enjoyed the Mint Mojito and the Ecstatic Iced Coffee.
Thanks Philz for welcoming us to try your coffees and pastries! The baklava, donuts and cookies were all wonderful. The baristas were very friendly and helpful to a newbie like me.
Thanks Nique and Jon for letting us be part of this YEE! We had a blast chatting with Jana C. and Liv K. and her entourage, and it was fun meeting Jason F. and Tiffany D. in person. I am now taking my morning coffee in the beautiful and useful Unilocal mug we found on our table! It wouldn’t be a YEE without schwag!

3÷29÷15: This was my 2^nd Unilocal Elite event, and it was awesome just like the last! Thanks Philz and the Unilocal team for hosting!
Met some cool cats, especially the staff! A couple even drove here from Sacramento! – now that’s Elite!
I’ve posted the pics on my website:
If you don’t see yourself there feel free to message me and I might your photo.
Was a lot of fun. Can’t wait for the next Unilocal Elite Event!
#elite #coffee #yee

Gotta start the morning with some caffeine infusion. I always get my java from Peet’s or Starbucks and if in the Rockridge area, from Cole’s. But what better way than to try out some new Joe from Philz this morning at a YEE at the Oakland Philz on College Ave, which is located in the new Safeway shopping complex.
Being a newbie to Philz, I was excited to get into the 10am group for this YEE. Jon checked my +1, Nancy C. and I at the door and our East Bay CM, Nique, greeted us. Philz workers directed us to one of the many baristas behind the counter to place our coffee order. Our barista asked if we’ve been to Philz and since this was our first time, he explained the coffees choices and the process and how they brew the cup of coffee. We told him we enjoyed dark roasts and he recommended some of his favorites. Going with his suggestions, he started to brew our Joes. (
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We parked ourselves at a large sofa and tried some delicious chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies before picking up our coffee from our barista. My Ether roast was dark, smoky and smooth. It was so good, that I had a second cup, this time the Aromatic Arabic, which was smoky and earthy. While sipping our coffee, we chatted «coffee» with some Unilocalers. It was nice getting a nice Unilocal coffee mug swag too! (
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Thanks Nique and Jon for setting up this YEE for us before the store’s official grand opening on Wednesday, March 31^st. It was a nice way to start off a Sunday being introduced to delicious Philz coffee.

Want to get wired? Cause this is how you get wired.
First off, thank you to Amy T. for allowing me to be her +1 and Wiseley for driving! Also, thank you to Nique, Jon and Philz for hosting the event! We got there right on time, and the place was packed inside and out.
The way this event worked was that you line up and order with a barista. You could order pretty much anything you want, or if you weren’t sure, a friendly barista could whip something up for you!
I started with a hot Mocha Tesora, but ended up trying their Ginger Snap Iced Coffee, Mint Mojito Iced Coffee, Ecstatic Iced Coffee, and Istanbul Treat Tea. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of them. They are all so freaking good. I especially enjoyed the tea as it was extremely refreshing after having so much espresso in my mouth.
After 3 large drinks, I could definitely feel the caffeine slowly creeping up on me…
Around the tables, there were baskets upon baskets of cookies. I believe there were Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip. Although I did not try them (I’m on a diet! LOL), they definitely looked amazing!
Again, thank you to Nique and Jon for setting up the event. Thank you to Philz and all your amazing staff for hosting! Can’t wait to have some more coffee!

First it was a beautiful morning for a soft opening. Our event line moved so quickly I didn’t get much of a chance to visit with fellow Unilocalers. But once inside, we were moved quickly along to place an order. One employee offered to fill me in on Philz history. I knew nothing. And then to find out that there’s a shop in Berkeley! Embarrassment time! Anyway, lots of friendly folks to help you. Our coffies were very good. We enjoyed our visit and will likely be back soon.

It’s a treat to be Elite! I love waking up to Philz with fellow Unilocalers :)
They make strong coffee that will rev you up – and get you writing Unilocal reviews!
Coffee + baked goods + good friends = a great Unilocal Elite event in the East Bay!
My first drink was the Dark Blend Tesoro with Heavy Cream (Philz automatically makes their drinks with heavy cream ;)
It was awesome and totally got me going! So I had to try another one, of course.
Thanks to barista Tiffany’s suggestion, I tried the Dark Blend Philtered Soul with Almond Milk.
YUM!!! Try this one out if you can.
Another favorite of customers is Silken Splendor, which I plan to try next (anyone up for joining me at their Soft Opening on March 31^st? :)
All of the Elite Unilocalers were enjoying their freshly baked goods, but I couldn’t partake because they don’t yet carry gluten-​free items (pssst, Phil, Mariposa Bakery and Sweet Bar are near your ‘hood and deliver)
Unilocal S.W.A.G. Yes. I got myself some Unilocal-​branded hand sanitizer to clean my paws after typing all of those dirty reviews!
Overall, great event Nique and Jon!

This is only my second Unilocal Elite event– my first being in DC before I moved back to California– and I wasn’t disappointed!
It was nice to visit the College Ave area after being away for so long since graduating. It’s stunning how much it’s changed! The old Safeway building & parking have been rennovated for the better! Philz has a great location– right across from the new Safeway– and is a stunning coffee shop. Neither the one in Berkeley nor in San Jose can compare on how bright and open the space is. Also noteworthy to mention for all students living nearby– there’s a huge table with tons of outlets. I’m almost jealous of them, having it so easy!
My friend (also a Unilocal Elite) and I were greeted very cheerfully by Jon and Nique. Nique accurately got the origin of my name (French; also I did not realize until later that she was responding to my name tag which asks people to guess the origin of my name!) and was very friendly. The line for drinks passed pretty quickly and we were served promptly by a welcoming staff.
As we were waiting in line, I did see that they had a rolling cart with Philz mugs, and I wondered out loud to my friend whether they were free/​for us to use. I didn’t realize that one of the staff was right there to take the cart away but she overheard me and apologized (they weren’t for us, haha.) That was totally understandable and I felt a bit embarrassed, and was even more surprised when the same staff member found me some 10 minutes later offering me the mug! That was so very kind of them and I was ridiculously happy! (I think I had a stupid grin on my face for the next 5 minutes or something. I’ll attach a pic of the mug later!)
As for the coffee and treats: I’m already very familiar with their mint mojito iced coffee so I decided to try something else– their Ginger Snap Iced Coffee, lightly sweetened. It was very good and I liked the amount of ginger taste (wasn’t too overpowering). I’d definitely get it again! Somehow Philz is one of the few coffee shops whose caffeine content really gets to me and this time wasn’t any different. Although the coffee taste wasn’t as strong (due to the heavy cream), I was fully awake halfway through my small coffee. The baklava they had going around was also amazing– not too sweet and just perfect!
Thank you Nique, Jon and Unilocal for a great event and a sneak peak at this lovely location! I’ll definitely be dropping by Philz on College Ave whenever I’m in the area!

I was very intrigued when I saw this Event Posted. As almost all Eastbay Elites know our MS Nique has a lot of Cool Events. This was a Sneak Peek at the New Philz Coffee on Claremont .
I have been addicted to Starbucks for years .
I have never been to a Philz Coffee that I can Recall .
So I was Excited to try Something New .
So I RSVP’d and crossed my Fingers.
I was Excited when I got my Confirmation Email and Party Pass.
On the Event Day I jumped into my Whip Black Beauty and rolled to Claremont and Philz Coffee.
I Stashed my Whip down the Street and street hiked to Philz where I saw a Huge Line Of Happy Elites wait to Gain Entry to Philz .
MS Nique was Greeting the Happy Elites as her very able Intern Big Jon her Sergeant at Arms was scanning Everybody’s Party Passes’.
Once I gained Entry I checked in.
I was very impressed of the Lay out of the New Philz Coffee .
Its Big and Spacious has Free Wi Fi and Plenty of Electrical Outlets for Laptops and Phones .
Then there is Art on the Walls from Local Artists and there’s a Super Cool Bench that was made out of a Tree Stump .
Then I met Sara the Manager of Philz — Super Sweet and Very Generous she rolled out the Red Carpet for all of us Elites. She is a Great Ambassador for Philz .
I also got to Meet Carol the Lead Trainer and Barista Expert .
Carol was Very Observant and Noticed that I liked the Mint Mojito and that I went to a Different Philz Barista every time I went for a new cup of coffee .
I was curious to see if they were Consistent in there creation of the Mint Mojito and They were .
This shows me that Carol is very good at her Job and her Training Methods .
I also have a New Favorite Coffee the Mint Mojito !!!
They also had Three Different Type of Cookies for us to Nibble on.
Nique had Unilocal Coffee Cups for us Awesome Unilocal Swag .
I have a feeling Ill be rolling to Claremont and Philz for my fix of Mint Mojito quite a bit .
Thanks Sara and Carol and the Philz Staff for Rolling out the Red Carpet and a Sneak Peek at Philz Coffee.
Also Thanks To Our Lovely CM Ms. Nique and Jon for another Great Unilocal Elite Event .
We are so Lucky to Have you 2 !!!
2015 The Year Of Learning, Earning and Swagger !!!

So. Much. Good. Coffee.
I haven’t been to a Unilocal event in a while so I was glad that I got into this one: P I’ve been to Philz before but at a different location, so I was really excited to come back again and get their famous Mint Mojito Iced Coffee and try out their other flavors as well.
My friends and I were greeted by Jon (please don’t forget me again: P) and Nique at the entrance, Though the event just started, it was super packed! The Philz staff worked efficiently and hard to make sure everyone got what they wanted :) The staff here was super friendly in explaining each coffee and what they recommended.
I was able to try a few things off their menu like their Ginger Snap Iced Coffee, Ecstatic Iced Coffee, Mocha Tesora Hot/​Iced Coffee, Instanbul Treat tea… etc…I can’t believe I ended up having like 3 cups of coffee (it was pretty worth though)
All were very tasty in their own way… but I would honestly settle for their Mint Mojito Iced Coffee. my fave :)
There was a lot of pastries out for grabs like cookies… LOTS OF COOKIES! I saw there were Unilocal Mugs too, but I was too late in grabbing one :(
It was definitely a perfect Sunday morning to grab Philz coffee. The weather was beautiful and they even had outdoor seating as well! :)
Thank you Nique, Jon, and the Philz staff for making my Sunday morning an ecstatic one to end off the weekend! :)