If you are looking for the best coffee shops in Oakland for your daily dose of caffeine, you are on the correct page. Oakland is a city of good restaurants, culture, great music, and amazing nightlife.
However, when it comes to great coffee shops in Oakland, the beautiful city does not fall behind as it is filled with beautiful coffee joints to quench your dopamine hit.
Here, we are going to spill the beans about all the great coffee shops in Oakland which you must surely visit if you are a local or planning to visit or settle down in Oakland.
1. Amazing Coffee Shops in Oakland
When it comes to coffee shops in Oakland, the joints are ironically referred to as “daytime bars” as we know how much Americans love their morning coffee. The city houses a wide variety of coffee shops boasting a diversity of beverages and breakfast plates.
The great coffee culture in Oakland opens doors of communication, and a strong community and supports the local business. Here goes the list of the best 9 coffee shops in Oakland that you must try out.
1.1. Bicycle Coffee: Among the Top Coffee Shops in Oakland
The first coffee joint that comes under the list of top coffee houses in Oakland is Bicycle Coffee which houses a wide variety of freshly roasted beans. The coffee joint is settled at Jack London Square and is a family-owned business.
They have been delivering roasted beans to local businesses via bicycle for more than 10 to 15 years. The café donates a part of its resources to World Bicycle Relief which encourages people to use more bicycles in day-to-day life. The ambiance of the coffee shop is lively with relaxing sofas and friendly staff.
The café is well known for its fantastic ice-cold coffees and sparkling CBD beverages like the Yerba Mate. They also serve boba drinks along with different flavors of tea. If you want, you can also buy some of their freshly roasted coffee beans and take them home.
1.2. Awaken Café & Roasting
Awaken Café & Roasting is not your regular café as it serves coffee, beer, pastries, and wine along with live music, all under one roof.
Falls under one of the finest coffee shops in Oakland, the joint is located in downtown Oakland and is a perfect welcoming neighborhood for a hangout.
The café looks vibrant and the outdoor patio is covered with bright yellow umbrellas whereas the inside ambiance of the café is cozy, beautifully decorated with wooden furnishings and local art with great seating arrangements.
It’s an award-winning espresso bar and is certainly one of the must-visit coffee shops in Oakland.
The oat milk lavender latte is a must-try at this café along with mocha latte, cappuccino, delicious espresso drinks, and cortado.
The coffee joint also houses delicious biscuits, fresh bagels, avocado toasts, bagels with cream cheese, sweets, and pastries.
1.3. Blue Bottle Coffee
The next staple café that is one of the well-known coffee houses in Oakland is Blue Bottle Coffee. The very popular blue bottle logo reins the coffee joint and promises to deliver the finest cup of coffee from their in-house fresh roasted beans.
The space is modern, clean, and airy and is equipped with conference rooms. The staffs are friendly and kind and the warmth of the shop attracts a lot of innovators and artisans.
Their special brewing method eradicates many acids from the coffee beans thus producing not-very-bitter beverages.
The joint is well known for its cold brew and mocha. The most recommended drinks to try are oat milk cortado, oat latte, hot chocolate, and matcha. It also houses a variety of pastries and baked goods including donuts, funnel cakes, and waffles.
However, the price of this café is a bit on the higher end but the beverages are worth every penny.
1.4. Orbit Coffee
Orbit Coffee, located on 7th Street, is an ideal spot for all coffee lovers. The petite size of the café does not distract the customers as the shop specializes in serving the best coffee from house-roasted beans along with lip-smacking donuts.
The ambiance of the café is lively, kid-friendly, and fun with modern décor and a great parking space. The joint is a family-owned business and is a go-to place for a quick caffeine fix, surely one of the most amazing coffee houses in Oakland to visit.
Orbit Coffee is popularly known for its Vietnamese Robusta coffee. The delicious beignets with hazelnut, white chocolate, and dark chocolate fillings are a treat to the taste buds.
The coffee served here is strong and dark with the right proportion of sweet condensed milk and is worth the try. Oat milk decaf is also a great option to try at Orbit Coffee. The café also serves breakfast bites including burritos and sandwiches.
1.5. Modern Coffee: One of the Best Coffee Shops in Oakland
The women-owned Modern Coffee believes in serving the best coffee with a warm and inviting atmosphere and polite staff. The café is affordable without any compromises on the quality of the coffee or any other beverages and comes in the top coffee houses in Oakland.
The coffee joint is rapidly gaining recognition because of its great customer service and delicious and flavorful locally roasted beans. The ambiance is relaxing and cozy and the café comes with a long list of seasonal favorite beverages.
For the spring and summer, Modern Coffee serves drinks like iced coffee, Backstrap latte, lavender latte, lavender mocha, and lavender matcha latte. The café is also popular for serving great masala chai and Kashmiri chai.
If coffee doesn’t suffice, you can also try their scrumptious treats including croissants, muffins, scones, and cookies.
1.6. Snow White Coffee: One of the Top Coffee Shops in Oakland
The small quaint Snow White Coffee shop with a retro feel and look has gained a lot of attention among the coffee lovers of Oakland.
The atmosphere is charming with amazing espresso drinks and lattes. The beans are locally roasted and the staffs are too hospitable and lovely.
They have a tiny cute patio for a perfect hangout with friends or colleagues. The café is wheelchair accessible and has certainly evolved as one of the finest coffee shops in Oakland throughout the years.
Although there are not a lot of options to choose from, the cappuccinos and nitro cold brew are worth trying along with the delicious muffins, scones, and pies.
1.7. Farley’s East
If you want to try Italian-style coffees, you have to visit Farley’s East. Popularly known for supporting non-profit local artists, Farley’s is one of the most welcoming coffee shops in Oakland.
The vibe of the café is modern and serves great Italian coffee, bakery goods, and light meals. Throughout the years, the café organizes a variety of events for supporting local ventures.
The coffee joint provides different magazines as well as board games to the customers and thus serves as a perfect spot to catch up with your friends; surely one of the top coffee shops in Oakland to visit.
Do try out their macchiato, Gibraltar, iced coffee, golden latte, and lavender honey latte. They also have teas including Arnold Palmer and chai lattes.
Additionally, they have a whole range of eatables including sandwiches, chips, soups, bagels, oatmeal, salads, donuts, bread pudding, muffins, cookies, macaroons, and the list goes on.
And, if that was already not enough, they also sell juices, limeades, ginger beer, coconut water, and other bottled drinks.
1.8. Cole Coffee Café: Among the Popular Coffee Shops in Oakland
Cole Coffee Café has been a popular coffee joint for the last 27 years in Oakland and falls under the list of one of the oldest coffee shops in Oakland.
A great place for your morning fix, you are surely going to enjoy the locally brewed cup of goodness at one of the wonderful coffee shops in Oakland.
The café houses a wide range of teas and coffees along with delicious sandwiches and pastries. The ambiance is welcoming and hospitable with a great neighborhood and an ideal spot to enjoy a cup of joe.
The coffee shop houses excellent beans from Guatemala, Yemen, New Guinea, Ethiopia, Perun, and Columbia. Make sure to try out these fresh flavorful roasts and also carry some home.
The most approved drinks to try from Cole Coffee includes Mexican mocha, macchiato, Horchata cold brew, and iced matcha. If you are a vegan, you have options for soy, almond, and oat milk.
Also, try out their breakfast meals including bruschetta, oven-roasted turkey & Swiss sandwiches and Cole chopped salads.
1.9. Café Santana Roasting Company
Café Santana is home to premium green coffee beans and freshly roasted coffee at amazingly affordable prices.
The founder of this café, Richard Santana has been roasting superior-quality beans for the last 17 years. Also, the beans are roasted in small batches to keep the quality and flavor intact.
The exceptionally good coffee and customer service attract a lot of customers daily, making it one of the go-to coffee shops in Oakland.
They serve iced espressos, blended drinks, espresso drinks, coffee drinks, teas, and chai. Moreover, they also serve empanadas, sandwiches, and bagels.
A few of the must-drinks to try to include vanilla latte, caramel macchiato, Mexican mocha, white mocha, lavender latte, and cortado.
2. Final Note
There are other great coffee shops in Oakland to visit besides the above coffee joints we mentioned. Some of the popular joints include Tierra Mia Coffee, Red Bay Coffee, Timeless Coffee, and many more. I guarantee you that the best 9 coffee shops in Oakland that are listed are worth visiting and won’t disappoint you at any cost.
The diverse coffee shops in Oakland have a mixture of modern and traditional charm serving the best quality of roasted beans with spectacular hospitality.
Make sure to explore these incredible coffee shops and satiate your coffee cravings with a cup of goodness. Let me know the other best coffee shops in Oakland to visit and explore.
Last Updated on September 21, 2023 by Ankita M Bose
