Benc⑁ Patisserie Cafe

This is a beautiful place, with calm and cozy decorations and quality food. The coffee is fantastic and boy do they have such a nice variety of teas. My husband LOVES the Persian Rose here and the late is my go-to! The pastries are freshly baked everyday. We have tried the apricot pie, multiple scones and the gluten free almond cookies and loved them all! Their blueberry scone is the only pastry my almost 6 year old have ever loved and ate. She even noticed their hot chocolate tasted a lot better than all she has tried before and asked the owner what chocolate she uses that makes it so delicious!

Bench Cafe is a wonderful and inviting spot. Their coffee and tea selections are outstanding. Personally, I'm a huge fan of their Persian Rose tea, and the blueberry scones are an absolute delight.

The best pastries and coffee around town! The almond cookies melt in your mouth and the Persian tea brightens up your day. Also such a cute little corner to sit at to read or work! This is a must try in the area!

Excellent excellent coffee and pastries! The blueberry scone is to die for. Stick around for a bit if you can, it's a great place to study or relax. I will definitely come back :)

Katia Martha

Lovely place- would come back and recommend! Good spot to read or work with plenty of outlets, free wifi, open bathroom, and table space upstairs and downstairs. I got the cheese/green onion scone and a warm date latte and enjoyed both. Service was great and atmosphere was calm & relaxing. Came in on a Tuesday from 12:45-2:45pm and was very quiet and not very busy. I essentially had the whole upstairs table to myself for a couple hours. Note: it seems like oatmilk substitute costs an extra 75 cents.

Mayra Reyes

I just love this local Berkeley gem. Friendly, warm vibe where everyone is welcome. You can tell a lot of thought and care went into the place. The coffee is THE BEST, the pastries are amazing. From the coffee made with care and the super nice baristas to the comfy/welcoming/inclusive atmosphere, Bench Café has it all. My go to breakfast items are the Spinach Feta Empanadas and the Date Latte. P.S. the music adds a nice touch to the place.

Ricky Alexander

Bench holds such a special place in our hearts and in our community! It is our favorite spot to enjoy a delectable, freshly baked pastry, cake, cookie, or scone along with a coffee drink or matcha latte prepared just perfectly. The aesthetic is perfect — welcoming, light, bright, airy, with touches of greenery and color. The music always sets a lovely backdrop too. And most importantly, the owner Sanaz and her husband, along with all of the incredible baristas including Norah, create an utterly wonderful vibe for the café. The space promotes productive work both downstairs and above the spiral staircase, but also conversations and connections in a welcoming community setting. From the Persian cookies to the unbelievably soft fall-apart blueberry scones, the food is only matched by the cheerful and warm atmosphere that permeates Bench. It is always so fun to see what the baked goods will be — it’s like a delicious little surprise (unless one takes a peak on IG where they are sometimes revealed ahead of time, hehe)! Thank you Sanaz and team for an incredible community space. We absolutely love coming to Bench and leave this review in order to share with others the cozy little gem on MLK Way that has a cozy little spot in our hearts! ❤️

Luke Andreassen

I have worked around the corner from Bench for years. I only recently got into coffee and so I've tried pretty much ever coffee shop in the near vicinity and this is by far the best latte in the area. Don't forget there is an upstairs seating area with a table and chairs. The only thing that I would prefer is to have a couple comfortable chairs upstairs. If I could sit in a cushy chair I'd be so happy! But it's comfortable enough to be my go to spot now!

Mazdak Jafarian

Visited this cafe recently and it was a really positive experience. Upon entering, the smell of fresh baked goods was immediately noticeable. They have great artisan coffee and a variety of teas and cold drinks. What I found particularly impressive was the passion the team showed. Everything was incredibly delicious, clearly demonstrating their commitment to delivering high-quality service. If you're looking for a friendly environment where you can indulge in some delectable treats while sipping on your favorite drink, I’d highly recommend this place. A visit here is not just about enjoying a meal; it's about experiencing the love and care they pour into every cup and plate served.

Connie Colson

Visiting from Charlotte, North Carolina. I had Chai latte and the beef & peas pasties, delicious. Wonderful conversation with owner and staff, lovely vibe, small and cosy .. just nice ..

mary condit

Wowzer! What a nice place. Everything is homemade. I wanted to sit outside and the staff person carried a table out to the sidewalk. I ordered an Americano and a blueberry scone. Scones are a great indicator of an excellent baker, and this one was excellent. It was light, moist and full of fresh blueberries; so good in fact that I ordered a meat pie to go so I could have it for lunch. It too was exceptional.

Ghazal Fata

Visited the cafe yesterday for all the goodies the have. TBH I’m not a coffee person but boy, have you seen the variety of teas they offer?! I also tried the dark hot chocolate and it was absolutely fantastic. The cookies and scones are super fresh and baked daily, my husband and I each had one. And the place is super cozy, lots of natural light and cute decorations. Almost every piece of art work you see there is made by the owner and her family and I think that makes the cafe even more authentic. I know the owner for a long time, she actually baked and decorated my wedding cake in May 2022(see pictures, we had 5 different cakes and our guests could not stop raving about the cake!). Give this place a try, you’ll become a regular!

Charlie

A kind barista. Dial in was amazing. Cappuccino had perfect texture. I was indecisive about what pastry to buy and I was unexpectedly offered one alongside my drink. They didn't have to do that, but that made my visit all the better.

Maryam Mardfekri

This is a beautiful place, with calm and cozy decorations and quality food. The coffee is fantastic and boy do they have such a nice variety of teas. My husband LOVES the Persian Rose here and the late is my go-to! The pastries are freshly baked everyday. We have tried the apricot pie, multiple scones and the gluten free almond cookies and loved them all! Their blueberry scone is the only pastry my almost 6 year old have ever loved and ate. She even noticed their hot chocolate tasted a lot better than all she has tried before and asked the owner what chocolate she uses that makes it so delicious!

Vahid Bisadi

Bench Cafe is a wonderful and inviting spot. Their coffee and tea selections are outstanding. Personally, I'm a huge fan of their Persian Rose tea, and the blueberry scones are an absolute delight.

Saina

The best pastries and coffee around town! The almond cookies melt in your mouth and the Persian tea brightens up your day. Also such a cute little corner to sit at to read or work! This is a must try in the area!

Matthew Portman

Excellent excellent coffee and pastries! The blueberry scone is to die for. Stick around for a bit if you can, it's a great place to study or relax. I will definitely come back :)

This café feels like a cozy little hidden gem. The space is warm and homey, really comfortable and inviting. I had a latte that was creamy and rich, and the homemade pastries were amazing. The blueberry scone was especially good — fluffy, fresh, and full of flavour. It’s the kind of place that makes you want to come back. Great coffee, friendly vibe, and just the right spot to relax.

A fabulous cafe! I tried the vanilla latte here, and it was absolutely stunning. The vanilla was mellow and sweet, not overly done. The overall coffee was great as well! The atmosphere of the cafe is very cozy, allowing you to easily relax and work. Overall, a great place to have a good cafe and work!

The coffee is perfect, and the service is stellar. Had a mocha that was made with real chocolate (instead of syrup) and the milk was perfectly steamed. The owner is so sweet and makes all the pastries in house too. Great music and atmosphere. Looking forward to visiting their new bakery (Mey) soon!

Popped in on the way to work and the lovely lady behind the counter picked a warm fresh blueberry scone for me that was just fab. Lovely flavors, good crumb, rich without being heavy. Delicious.

Everything is made fresh in house. High quality ingredients and delicious. If you’re into savory, the scones and meat pies are all amazing with beautiful flavors.

Jay

Everything is made fresh in house. High quality ingredients and delicious. If you’re into savory, the scones and meat pies are all amazing with beautiful flavors.

Arjun Garg

A fabulous cafe! I tried the vanilla latte here, and it was absolutely stunning. The vanilla was mellow and sweet, not overly done. The overall coffee was great as well! The atmosphere of the cafe is very cozy, allowing you to easily relax and work. Overall, a great place to have a good cafe and work!

Perusha Moodley

Popped in on the way to work and the lovely lady behind the counter picked a warm fresh blueberry scone for me that was just fab. Lovely flavors, good crumb, rich without being heavy. Delicious.

Katya Cherukumilli

The coffee is perfect, and the service is stellar. Had a mocha that was made with real chocolate (instead of syrup) and the milk was perfectly steamed. The owner is so sweet and makes all the pastries in house too. Great music and atmosphere. Looking forward to visiting their new bakery (Mey) soon!

Minoo Ghassemi

This café feels like a cozy little hidden gem. The space is warm and homey, really comfortable and inviting. I had a latte that was creamy and rich, and the homemade pastries were amazing. The blueberry scone was especially good — fluffy, fresh, and full of flavour. It’s the kind of place that makes you want to come back. Great coffee, friendly vibe, and just the right spot to relax.

Crystal X

Love their banana cream iced coffee! I saw the barista blend a banana with milk and the natural sweetness of the banana really comes through

Staff member was sighing and groaning? as they poured my cold brew (not a difficult order). They were annoyed when I asked if the banana flavor could be put in a drink without dairy since I’m lactose intolerant and responded “ugh no 🙄”. Not a friendly environment and left me feeling bad about coming in.

Paul Balko

Staff member was sighing and groaning? as they poured my cold brew (not a difficult order). They were annoyed when I asked if the banana flavor could be put in a drink without dairy since I’m lactose intolerant and responded “ugh no 🙄”. Not a friendly environment and left me feeling bad about coming in.