Cafe Lakeview

Great food, great vibes, great view. This place is a classic and the owner is incredible. All the stars! All the praises.

I only tried a smoothie, but it was excellent! I got a mixed fruit smoothie without ice. 10/10 on this hot and sunny almost spring day ☀️

I stopped at Cafe Lakeview because I saw an open door early on a Sunday morning and I needed a coffee. Sera, the owner manager is the epitome of hospitality and kindness. I had just arrived in Oakland the night before to meet my new grandson for the first time and she welcomed me although they were clearly not fully open yet. I chose to sit outside and drink my delicious cafe au lait so as not to be in their way while they were finishing their tasks and getting ready to open. I eventually came back in and preparing myself for the almost 5 k walk around lake Merritt I wanted breakfast. I enjoyed the most flavorful Ethiopian breakfast prepared by Sera. I recommend this venue to everyone. It’s a very friendly establishment with very good food and coffee at great prices

Maybe five dollars for a bagel and cream cheese, but not $7. My mistake was not asking for the price before ordering; it wasn’t written on the menu.

A quaint little coffee shop that makes breakfast and lunch type food too. The owner was very nice.

Lovely local cafe. I went there last Saturday and Monday to avoid heavy renovation noise. I had big chicken ceasar salad and coffee. Brought my cat in her carrier. This place is a blessing! Good coffee and food as well. Great location! We really need coffee shops and restaurants and shops here in Oakland. We need to not let this city go down the drain and all businesses as well.

One of my favorite coffee shops. Good food and drinks. Ethiopian food as well as regulars. Staff is always nice and quick. Good amount of seating. Bring your laptop and work. Get a cuppa before walking round the lake.

One of my go to work cafes. Run by a friendly, kind Ethiopian family. Good food, delicious almost dessert like chai lattes. Fast Internet, always busy but never crowded. And best of all, a gorgeous view of Lake Merritt and the colonnades!

My barefoot running meetup meets there most Sunday mornings, so if you see people hanging out there on Sunday morning not wearing any shoes, that is why! The food is a combination of Ethiopian and Ethiopian-ish dishes. It's decent breakfast fare. Pro tip: The owner Sara works there herself most of the time and she doesn't like it when people come in just to use the bathroom. If you just want a place to poop, there is a nice public toilet at the children's playground across the street.

I love the Ethiopian breakfast! Potatoes are perfectly crispy and seasoned, and the couscous is buttery and delicious.

Great breakfast and Ethiopian cuisine.. vegetarian omelets awesome..service and working atmosphere..love African music softly playing.. great escape by the Lake. I also have personally observed..the owners and servers giving the homeless hot tea and coffee.. didn't know they did this.. touched me deeply

MY NEW FAVORITE CAFE! Delicious coffee, amazing open spacious environment, GREAT music (at just the right volume), great smoothies, great food, great prices, and beautiful view of Lake Merritt. How could it get any better than this?!?!?! :D

I live right next door to this place and passed by it a million times before deciding to stop in one day. Truly one of my favorite places to grab breakfast when I’m working from home. The chicken omelette is probably the most underrated dish here - packed with freshly chopped veggies, pan grilled chicken and cheese, wrapped in a generous amount of perfectly fluffy whole eggs. Like others have stated, it does take some time since the owner runs the entire place alone (so make sure you’re not in a rush) but trust me when I say it is worth the wait. The potatoes that come with it are good but I usually substitute for a side salad to get my veggies in, resulting in a high protein and low carb breakfast that fuels me all day. Despite getting the same dish for years at this point, she always finds a way to keep things interesting by changing the seasoning in the chicken or salad. The coffee is good too, I usually get iced coffee or an americano. Definitely worth stopping by if you’re in the area and have some time & patience for a delicious nutritious breakfast.

Passed this place a million times, but I won’t pass it anymore! Great coffee! Did t get food this time but they have a nice menu that I would like to try in the future. Went back again today and had a veggie omelette and coffee. Great coffee and a fantastic omelette. This is a no frills place of peace and quiet with great home cooked food. One of the best things going on around Lake Merritt.

My gf and I always love coming here. It's such a chill place with a relaxed environment.. free wifi.. great place to work or just hang out. And we normally play cards and just spend a couple of hours there. My favorite part is the Chicken Pesto sandwich with ethiopian spice, it's not spicy not.. it's very flavorful. And best chicken sandwich I've ever had in my life. (I like it on a soft roll). I never leave reviews, and I really should as we need to with these local businesses. Word of advice though, be patient here, it may take a bit because she mostly works alone. And it's so worth the wait!

I'm shocked that this place has 4.3 not a perfect 5. The food was absolutely delicious! I'm from New York and if I'm having a bagel outside of NY I'm normally very iffy on it. Their bagel tasted like home. The cold brew was fantastic and the tiramisu, I haven't had a tiramisu slice like this before. The woman behind the counter saw how much I loved the cake and offered to try it with some espresso - 200% awesome!! I'm extremely grateful for the staff being so friendly and welcoming. The place is super clean and well managed their artwork inside and outside is top notch and they have breakfast all day. I'm humbled by this place and while contemplating a move to Oakland, I have to be nearby here just so that I can get the home like feeling. Thank you for everything

Very friendly staff with large menu. Perfect for brunch or to get work done (or both!). They also have an Ethiopian lunch menu, which also looked really good. Based on how delicious the omelette was, I trust the rest is as good and fresh.

Such a pleasant place. I ordered the Ethiopian breakfast assuming it came with the injera. When she served it up she could tell I was expecting something else and offered to make me an Ethiopian breakfast with injera!! Very genuine service and flavorful food. The inside is very nice and cozy too, lots of tables and chairs and couches. Easy to park, just choose one of the side streets.

Ordered breakfast sandwich and a latte. Both were really good. I also like the decor of this cafe. So cozy and really clean!

Ethiopian breakfast was yummy & flavorful.

Our favorite Oakland cafe!! Sara is wonderful and the smoothies are the best! ♥️

Sweet place,sweet energy, less busy than the main district and great drinks. Try the mushroom drink its like a Chai. Great Ethiopian coffee too. The owner is very friendly too. Just buy something if you want to use the restroom:)!

Natalie Pentschev

Such a pleasant place. I ordered the Ethiopian breakfast assuming it came with the injera. When she served it up she could tell I was expecting something else and offered to make me an Ethiopian breakfast with injera!! Very genuine service and flavorful food. The inside is very nice and cozy too, lots of tables and chairs and couches. Easy to park, just choose one of the side streets.

Oksanna Kasoyan

Ordered breakfast sandwich and a latte. Both were really good. I also like the decor of this cafe. So cozy and really clean!

Susie Barr-Wilson

Our favorite Oakland cafe!! Sara is wonderful and the smoothies are the best! ♥️

Jonah Loera

I live right next door to this place and passed by it a million times before deciding to stop in one day. Truly one of my favorite places to grab breakfast when I’m working from home. The chicken omelette is probably the most underrated dish here - packed with freshly chopped veggies, pan grilled chicken and cheese, wrapped in a generous amount of perfectly fluffy whole eggs. Like others have stated, it does take some time since the owner runs the entire place alone (so make sure you’re not in a rush) but trust me when I say it is worth the wait. The potatoes that come with it are good but I usually substitute for a side salad to get my veggies in, resulting in a high protein and low carb breakfast that fuels me all day. Despite getting the same dish for years at this point, she always finds a way to keep things interesting by changing the seasoning in the chicken or salad. The coffee is good too, I usually get iced coffee or an americano. Definitely worth stopping by if you’re in the area and have some time & patience for a delicious nutritious breakfast.

E

Passed this place a million times, but I won’t pass it anymore! Great coffee! Did t get food this time but they have a nice menu that I would like to try in the future. Went back again today and had a veggie omelette and coffee. Great coffee and a fantastic omelette. This is a no frills place of peace and quiet with great home cooked food. One of the best things going on around Lake Merritt.

Tamer Girgis

My gf and I always love coming here. It's such a chill place with a relaxed environment.. free wifi.. great place to work or just hang out. And we normally play cards and just spend a couple of hours there. My favorite part is the Chicken Pesto sandwich with ethiopian spice, it's not spicy not.. it's very flavorful. And best chicken sandwich I've ever had in my life. (I like it on a soft roll). I never leave reviews, and I really should as we need to with these local businesses. Word of advice though, be patient here, it may take a bit because she mostly works alone. And it's so worth the wait!

Arhum

I'm shocked that this place has 4.3 not a perfect 5. The food was absolutely delicious! I'm from New York and if I'm having a bagel outside of NY I'm normally very iffy on it. Their bagel tasted like home. The cold brew was fantastic and the tiramisu, I haven't had a tiramisu slice like this before. The woman behind the counter saw how much I loved the cake and offered to try it with some espresso - 200% awesome!! I'm extremely grateful for the staff being so friendly and welcoming. The place is super clean and well managed their artwork inside and outside is top notch and they have breakfast all day. I'm humbled by this place and while contemplating a move to Oakland, I have to be nearby here just so that I can get the home like feeling. Thank you for everything

Xavier T. de Janon

Very friendly staff with large menu. Perfect for brunch or to get work done (or both!). They also have an Ethiopian lunch menu, which also looked really good. Based on how delicious the omelette was, I trust the rest is as good and fresh.

Christy Nguyen

Ethiopian breakfast was yummy & flavorful.

The proprietress runs a quality operation all by herself. The vegetarian sandwich which we've had several times is excellent. The service is top notch. And the location is right by Lake Merritt with a great View. I highly recommend this place.

Hidden little place, come here to work, free wifi, plugs a lot of seating, low and tall chairs. West facing, thus cozy and good light, especially during colder months. Mostly brunch type food, it is unpretentious, delicious, and healthy!

My favorite place to get Ethiopian food in Oakland. The owner is sweet and personable and it's lovely to sit with a matcha and chat. Food is delicious and fresh.

The breakfast burrito is delicious, 11/10 would burrito again. Cheese, eggs, turkey sausage, some kind of Ethiopian saucy bit. Not too hot-spicy but well-spiced. The latte was also great!

Still dreaming about the robust, flavorful, perfectly brewed coffee. So good. They serve house coffee with steamed milk so your coffee stays hot! Really nice ambience for hanging and chatting w/a friend. Next time will try the breakfasts.

Raquel Co

Maybe five dollars for a bagel and cream cheese, but not $7. My mistake was not asking for the price before ordering; it wasn’t written on the menu.

Stephen Gerard

The proprietress runs a quality operation all by herself. The vegetarian sandwich which we've had several times is excellent. The service is top notch. And the location is right by Lake Merritt with a great View. I highly recommend this place.

Bridget Haydu

My favorite place to get Ethiopian food in Oakland. The owner is sweet and personable and it's lovely to sit with a matcha and chat. Food is delicious and fresh.

Sarah Lindbergh

Hidden little place, come here to work, free wifi, plugs a lot of seating, low and tall chairs. West facing, thus cozy and good light, especially during colder months. Mostly brunch type food, it is unpretentious, delicious, and healthy!

Georgia Andrews

The breakfast burrito is delicious, 11/10 would burrito again. Cheese, eggs, turkey sausage, some kind of Ethiopian saucy bit. Not too hot-spicy but well-spiced. The latte was also great!

Shimul Rahim

Still dreaming about the robust, flavorful, perfectly brewed coffee. So good. They serve house coffee with steamed milk so your coffee stays hot! Really nice ambience for hanging and chatting w/a friend. Next time will try the breakfasts.

Great location for reading or doing work on a laptop. I enjoyed their coffee and a smoothie, but they also have a selection of Ethiopian dishes that I would like to try at some point too.

The food here can be a bit greasy but it's still delicious & it's made to order on the premises. They offer a good variety of breakfast foods at an inexpensive price plus an Ethiopian platter. The place is family owned and the staff is really friendly. There's tons of seating and plentiful wifi - making this a local favorite for hanging out and working.

Awesome Ethiopian food here!!! Absolutely delicious! And beautiful building art outside... needs some coaches... and art. Cozy up the plave a bit... a bit cold and sterile... but awesome location because across the street from Lake Merritt!!!

sera has always been very kind and generous with her stories and her food and coffee. i always get the mocha, but also just had the chicken pesto sandwich on sourdough - sooooo good. :)

Frankie Taylor

sera has always been very kind and generous with her stories and her food and coffee. i always get the mocha, but also just had the chicken pesto sandwich on sourdough - sooooo good. :)

KaT

Awesome Ethiopian food here!!! Absolutely delicious! And beautiful building art outside... needs some coaches... and art. Cozy up the plave a bit... a bit cold and sterile... but awesome location because across the street from Lake Merritt!!!

Went there for coffee for a business meeting. I was hoping to order the Chai Green Tea drink as it sounded unusual and delicious but they were out. The capuccino I ordered was average. The location is close to the lake and parking was easy -- watch out for certain Tuesdays and/or Thursdays when street sweeping happens. Allow more time to find a place on the street.

If you're looking for a casual place to spend a few hours to work or meet up with someone then this place is perfect. I came here to get a relatively cheap meal compared to everything else that's around and was mostly dissatisfied. I ordered the corned beef hash and wasn't too impressed with it. Additionally it took the ladies at the counter at least a minute to notice me and ask for my order l. All this place did was reminded me that maybe spending an extra $3 on something else down the street is worth it. If this was more a restaurant vs a cafe then I'd give it 2 stars.

Horrible service.The manager is very ghetto and rude. I came in at 6:15 pm for a chicken salad and she told me she couldn't make it because she was going to close in 45 minutes. I was the only person in line. Her own employee looked at her as though she were crazy. Her employee then looked at me and apologized. The cafe was very slow that day, so we didn't understand why. Then a white guy came after me and ordered a chicken salad and she made it. Pitiful service. However, the other employees who work there are very kind and make excellent salads.

I was excited to try a new place with decent reviews. I looked at the menu on the wall and asked for the pancakes and she gave me such attitude in explaining why they don't have pancakes including supply chain issues. I just walked out

Terrible experience. The food tasted like it came straight from the freezer. Service was rude! and the place was not clean. Very disappointing. FYI: Saw a roach.

The woman working here was extremely rude, and the food was terrible. My wife and I were very disappointed with the service. If I could give this place a negative rating, I would.

Very mediocre food. We left half of our food cause it was pretty tasteless. Smoothies were 1/4 ice, and the place was filled with smoke(very bad kitchen ventilation). Was looking forward to it, bit I'm definitely not coming back...

Sylvana Stahl-Flores

Very mediocre food. We left half of our food cause it was pretty tasteless. Smoothies were 1/4 ice, and the place was filled with smoke(very bad kitchen ventilation). Was looking forward to it, bit I'm definitely not coming back...

Took 45 minutes for a latte and a breakfast burrito to go with a café nearly empty.

I cannot understand all the other good reviews… have you really been here? I guess these are all fake favor reviews. So I have been here for breakfast, had a French Toast that was just roasted thin white bread from the discounter with a frowzy turkey patty and scrambled eggs. The cafe latte tasted stale. From a hygiene aspect… I was shocked when I wanted to get some sugar… big (180 oz) open self service bowl with a sticky old spoon sticking in clumpy brown old sugar with blocks so hard I couldn’t crush them. Ambient: If you wanna sit outside, you‘re sitting curbside facing a high traffic street. And every minute people passing by your table closer than an arms length. I do recommend to choose another location. But if you don’t trust my review… come here and then you’ll revere this review.

Lauren Taylor

Took 45 minutes for a latte and a breakfast burrito to go with a café nearly empty.

Björn -

I cannot understand all the other good reviews… have you really been here? I guess these are all fake favor reviews. So I have been here for breakfast, had a French Toast that was just roasted thin white bread from the discounter with a frowzy turkey patty and scrambled eggs. The cafe latte tasted stale. From a hygiene aspect… I was shocked when I wanted to get some sugar… big (180 oz) open self service bowl with a sticky old spoon sticking in clumpy brown old sugar with blocks so hard I couldn’t crush them. Ambient: If you wanna sit outside, you‘re sitting curbside facing a high traffic street. And every minute people passing by your table closer than an arms length. I do recommend to choose another location. But if you don’t trust my review… come here and then you’ll revere this review.