Coffee is King in Berkeley

By any measure, coffee reigns in Berkeley.

Locals know this. Visitors come to know this. Coffee is king in Berkeley. While naming the best coffee city in America is certainly subjective, the blog Apartment Guide crunched the data to find the best coffee city in the U.S. By the numbers, Berkeley is where coffee lovers should be heading.

Calculating the number of coffee shops per resident, Berkeley has one coffee spot per 2,073 residents, with 59 total coffee shops in the city. Conventional wisdom says Seattle would top a coffee list like this, but the land of emerald mermaids came in fourth, with 1 coffee shop per 2,308. Berkeley wins!

In addition to numbers, there is diversity in Berkeley coffee. Here is a tale of three roasterys.

Peet's Coffee

In 1966, on the edge of the Free Speech Movement, Alfred Peet began to brew another born-in-Berkeley revolution, this one called "craft coffee." Visit the original Peet's Coffee shop in North Shattuck, and the small museum behind the barista counter paying homage to Mr. Peet.

Berkeley Espresso

Locals spot that a visitor will be fortunate to find, believe us! Berkeley Espresso has a generic sounding name that belies amazing tasting coffee drinks. The proprieters, from Argentina, make maybe the best espresso north of Buenos Aires. Order a cortado grande to receive a huge smile.

Imran and Ali's Coffee Hut

Imran and Ali's Coffee Hut serves Steeltown Coffee from its cute kiosk on the Downtown BART Plaza. Third Culture mochi muffins, too.


For more places to sip a tasty drip, check out Berkeley Local Libations.


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