Royal Ground Coffee

Great latte. Bonnaroo breakfast sandwich. I was in a fish to an appointment so I didn't have time to order food. But the delicious aroma was on my mind the entire time and I had to go back after my appointment and get sandwich 🥪 Glad I did.

I love this place. They have great coffee, pastry and sanwitches. Mike is a friendly gentleman with excellent services. Their WIFI us free and fast. When I can. I will go their to have coffee start my morning rituals. A great way to start the for me.

Unassuming place with a great selection of coffee and sandwiches. Love the Thai iced coffee and the almond croissant. Great place to bring your laptop and work as the place is quite large with more than enough seating on a regular day.

Best spot in Downtown berkeley to sit and enjoy coffee or an Italian soda while you catch up with family or friends. Delicious variety of sandwiches and desserts.

Very friendly at the register. Got the number five and a large house coffee with soy milk. Sandwich was hot and tasty. Coffee was very good as well. Perfect stop to grab a bite without a long wait. Will definitely be back

One of the most efficiently-run coffee shops I've encountered. They're a little impersonal, but they're attentive and they take care of things quickly. The coffee is decent. It's about what I'd expect from a typical coffee shop that's not known for having unusually good coffee. Sometimes it's hard to find a table with good lighting, since many of them are not near windows, but it is otherwise a nice place to work.

Great staff. Friendly and personal. As a result, I've been a loyal customer and it's been my morning 'go-to' spot for years. The coffee is top quality that you'd expect to find in some over priced high-end trendy artisan coffee shop except it won't cost you $12 for a cup. Great variety of food options as well, more choices than your average cafe.

Royal Ground is my neighborhood coffee place. It's the perfect place to have a nice coffee or a pastry or sandwich, and people- watch thanks to the big picture windows facing Channing Way, and Shattuck Avenue. The proprietors are friendly and make great neighbors.They stuck it out through the pandemic, where a lot of other businesses gave up. My favorite drink there is the chai latte. Delicious!

Absolutely love this place! We come here every other day and sometimes every day! The veggie omelette sandwich is our favorite as well as the green tea frappe and cafe Au lait! The owners are our dear friends and seeing them always brings a smile to our faces! They are incredibly kind, giving and thoughtful. The veggie omelette is also unparalleled to all the cafes in the downtown area. It’s extremely filling with tons of veggies and eggs, you will be satisfied and happy! Highly highly recommend this place. Their pastries are also to die for. We’ve been coming here for years and will keep coming for many more! :)

This is your corner bagel shop and cafe. The decor is spare and the chairs are slightly worn and comfortable to sit in. Surrounded by windows, it’s a good place to sit and watch people and traffic. Not too loud with good background white noise- it’s great to work, and seating is flexible for medium sized groups. Coffee is decent. Bagel sandwiches are good. Prices are average for Berkeley. Also pastries and stuff. The friendly owner is ALWAYS there and if you come in a few times he’ll probably remember your order. The clientele is an eclectic mix of Cal students, construction workers from nearby projects, locals, and an “eclectic” Berkeley crowd. Also occasional families with young kids. Basically, Royal Grounds is the kind of unpretentious place you can drop into, come-as-you-are, for a coffee, bagel, and chill for awhile. A kind of stoic non-judgemental sanctuary to refuel, recharge, and go about your day. Your regular corner stop bagel shop 🙂

I had the Denver sandwich, which was a bagel with egg, avocado, bacon, tomato and perhaps a few more ingredients. It was very good and quite a large portion (perhaps not for American standards, but I only ate half).

Calm atmosphere and delicious coffee. I recommend this spot to anyone looking to grab a bite to eat or coming to study.

Pecan bar, bagel, egg, and cheese caramel iced latte… was sooo good Service was fast and very welcoming!

Love this place! The staff is amazing, they take the time to get to know their regulars. They allow my service dog in training to gain public access trainig hours by letting her come in while I order and wait for my things. They even point out and compliment her on her progress. We see them almost daily. Awesome vibe, amazing staff/owners!

#18+ Thai Coffee Ice 🤤Friendly welcoming environment and great customer service 🤯🧘🏿‍♀️🌎🌞🍓💕🙏🏿

Hawkeye King

This is your corner bagel shop and cafe. The decor is spare and the chairs are slightly worn and comfortable to sit in. Surrounded by windows, it’s a good place to sit and watch people and traffic. Not too loud with good background white noise- it’s great to work, and seating is flexible for medium sized groups. Coffee is decent. Bagel sandwiches are good. Prices are average for Berkeley. Also pastries and stuff. The friendly owner is ALWAYS there and if you come in a few times he’ll probably remember your order. The clientele is an eclectic mix of Cal students, construction workers from nearby projects, locals, and an “eclectic” Berkeley crowd. Also occasional families with young kids. Basically, Royal Grounds is the kind of unpretentious place you can drop into, come-as-you-are, for a coffee, bagel, and chill for awhile. A kind of stoic non-judgemental sanctuary to refuel, recharge, and go about your day. Your regular corner stop bagel shop 🙂

Dimi B

Calm atmosphere and delicious coffee. I recommend this spot to anyone looking to grab a bite to eat or coming to study.

Jacqueline van Veldhoven

I had the Denver sandwich, which was a bagel with egg, avocado, bacon, tomato and perhaps a few more ingredients. It was very good and quite a large portion (perhaps not for American standards, but I only ate half).

Manoj Gubbala

Pecan bar, bagel, egg, and cheese caramel iced latte… was sooo good Service was fast and very welcoming!

Amanda Turner

Love this place! The staff is amazing, they take the time to get to know their regulars. They allow my service dog in training to gain public access trainig hours by letting her come in while I order and wait for my things. They even point out and compliment her on her progress. We see them almost daily. Awesome vibe, amazing staff/owners!

B Marilyn

#18+ Thai Coffee Ice 🤤Friendly welcoming environment and great customer service 🤯🧘🏿‍♀️🌎🌞🍓💕🙏🏿

This place is always consistent when it comes to food and service. The people that work here are friendly and it really feels like a cozy neighborhood coffee shop/diner. Great place to get work done or come have breakfast with your family. Thank you!!

Our son is a student at UC Berkeley and goes here often. As a Mom I’m thankful that he is able to grab some food before classes. We have gone in with him for lunch while visiting and the owners are super sweet with our son too. I really appreciate them for that.

Service is good and there's always seating! Coffee can be a bit pricey but the food is pretty cheap/decently priced, and the owners are super nice. A very underrated gem and EXCELLENT study spot

I’ve been coming here since I was in college over 15 years ago. The owners are lovely, the food and coffee is good, and I’ve always enjoyed coming here. Highly recommended if you want to meet up with friends, do some work, or have a nice quiet time alone!

Stopped in on a recent trip to the Bay Area. Quiet environment and friendly staff. I had the sun dried tomato omelette bagel and the mocha. Both were delicious!! Would definitely come back!

Had to come down the Berkeley area for a couple hours and dropped in for a place to relax and study. The man running the till was super friendly and the lady preparing the food and drinks did a really great job. I had a flavorful Chai Latte, was sweet but also had a nice punch of tea in every sip which was super great. I also ordered a bacon egg and cheese it was tasty! The bacon especially had a nice crunch and was hearty and flavorful. I could tell a number of locals frequent this spot because the gentleman at the front knew what they liked to order and gave them recommendations. For me, that's a sure sign of a nice place. Really appreciated my visit and will be sure to drop in again next time I need a quick drink. The atmosphere as well made for a comfy place to study.

Stopped and had a great brewed coffee here. It looks like a family owned business. Plenty of space and plenty of seating to read, write, study. With everything that is happening in Berkeley cafes and businesses on Shattuck it is great to see a cafe out here for the community.

Sonia Jethani

This place is always consistent when it comes to food and service. The people that work here are friendly and it really feels like a cozy neighborhood coffee shop/diner. Great place to get work done or come have breakfast with your family. Thank you!!

Ariel Wang

I’ve been coming here since I was in college over 15 years ago. The owners are lovely, the food and coffee is good, and I’ve always enjoyed coming here. Highly recommended if you want to meet up with friends, do some work, or have a nice quiet time alone!

Taja Hirata-Epstein

Service is good and there's always seating! Coffee can be a bit pricey but the food is pretty cheap/decently priced, and the owners are super nice. A very underrated gem and EXCELLENT study spot

Kimberly L

Our son is a student at UC Berkeley and goes here often. As a Mom I’m thankful that he is able to grab some food before classes. We have gone in with him for lunch while visiting and the owners are super sweet with our son too. I really appreciate them for that.

Anthony Armendariz

Stopped in on a recent trip to the Bay Area. Quiet environment and friendly staff. I had the sun dried tomato omelette bagel and the mocha. Both were delicious!! Would definitely come back!

Jeff

Very friendly at the register. Got the number five and a large house coffee with soy milk. Sandwich was hot and tasty. Coffee was very good as well. Perfect stop to grab a bite without a long wait. Will definitely be back

I K

Stopped and had a great brewed coffee here. It looks like a family owned business. Plenty of space and plenty of seating to read, write, study. With everything that is happening in Berkeley cafes and businesses on Shattuck it is great to see a cafe out here for the community.

Forrest Spellman

Had to come down the Berkeley area for a couple hours and dropped in for a place to relax and study. The man running the till was super friendly and the lady preparing the food and drinks did a really great job. I had a flavorful Chai Latte, was sweet but also had a nice punch of tea in every sip which was super great. I also ordered a bacon egg and cheese it was tasty! The bacon especially had a nice crunch and was hearty and flavorful. I could tell a number of locals frequent this spot because the gentleman at the front knew what they liked to order and gave them recommendations. For me, that's a sure sign of a nice place. Really appreciated my visit and will be sure to drop in again next time I need a quick drink. The atmosphere as well made for a comfy place to study.

Good place that caters to student needs - ie sit and study and caffeinated and eat a lot. Very nice people. Solid cafe good for a quick bite or to sit and work, good for a reasonably priced cup of coffee but not specialty/3rd wave. Coffee was good with more milk and sugar than I usually take, but I didn't have to drown out any bad/burnt flavors. Ordered a Denver omelette sandwich on a bagel. It hit the spot, which is to day it filled me up. First of all, I'm from Colorado and the guy at the counter who seemed like a manager said he'd lived in Denver - but a Denver omelette is bell peppers, onions, and ham - this was avocado, sprouts, and bacon. I don't like an actual Denver omelette, but I love me some sprouts and avocado so it worked for me, but they should re-name that one. There was SO much egg on it. Probably 3 eggs worth by volume (presumably stretched with cream) - classic breakfast sandwich style. Again, they need to rethink their naming system. All their sandwiches are called "omelette sandwiches" but they are plain unseasoned unsalted huge chunk of bland egg with generous toppings. They are regular very big and filling breakfast sandwiches. Not omelette.

Really love this coffee shop. Coffee is pretty good and their omellets are pretty decent as well. They also have fresh fruit cups which I really enjoy. Only downside is the lack of outlets which really hurts those who want a place to work.

Coffee is good, though it’s not cheap. Inside it’s nice, though no seating outside. They close really early — at 4 pm, so only good for mornings. They should stay open later.

I love this place! The sandwiches are really good. I'm looking forward to the time when they can do eat-in service. It seems like a nice little spot to be a coffee shop.

Breakfast bacon egg sausage muffins and avocado cream cheese bagel were very good. Dining area looks clean.

Very nice coffee, big selection of breakfast meals, quiet and friendly inside. Our bagels were homemade, fresh and tasty. Good choice for quick bite on your way to work or school.

Nice place to grab a coffee and work, lots of places to sit and they have pastries and sandwiches too. Friendly staff.

S Chen

Breakfast bacon egg sausage muffins and avocado cream cheese bagel were very good. Dining area looks clean.

Ola Hantkiewicz

Very nice coffee, big selection of breakfast meals, quiet and friendly inside. Our bagels were homemade, fresh and tasty. Good choice for quick bite on your way to work or school.

Me M.

Nice place to grab a coffee and work, lots of places to sit and they have pastries and sandwiches too. Friendly staff.

Good selection of bagels and pastries, a lot of seating even though it’s not the most cozy but it’s a good study spot

The breakfast sandwiches we got were delicious. We also had an iced coffee and it was okay. They had some sugar free options and multiple cream options which was nice. The pecan bars were to die for so make sure you get one! 😃

aa

Good selection of bagels and pastries, a lot of seating even though it’s not the most cozy but it’s a good study spot

Danielle Barnett

The breakfast sandwiches we got were delicious. We also had an iced coffee and it was okay. They had some sugar free options and multiple cream options which was nice. The pecan bars were to die for so make sure you get one! 😃

The staff were very friendly and very helpful. I had a bagel sandwich, and they were happy to let me modify a menu item to my taste. Food was good. Coffee was good too. I will be back.

As a coffee shop they are okay. I say their coffee is on par with Starbucks but the environment is more open and less crowded than Peet's so it's a good compromise. Like many/most place downtown they don't do a great cappuccino, they over steam the milk and then put too much in. There are plenty of pastries to choose from and they make sandwiches. I had the turkey on bagel and it was good. I've had good luck with the staff here. They are helpful and get things done in a fair amount of time. When they are busy I would love it if they were a bit faster pulling together a to-go order.

Small, unremarkable coffee shop, where you can nonetheless get your work done. The wifi is good, power outlets are a bit scarcer. My biggest gripe is about food: they have some sandwiches and regular coffee shop cookie fare, but that's about it. In terms of the environment, the interior is honestly rather bland - tomorrow, I will no longer remember this place. I would surely come here regularly if it's the only coffee in town, but hey, Berkeley has a more varied coffee shop scene.

Jan Vlachy

Small, unremarkable coffee shop, where you can nonetheless get your work done. The wifi is good, power outlets are a bit scarcer. My biggest gripe is about food: they have some sandwiches and regular coffee shop cookie fare, but that's about it. In terms of the environment, the interior is honestly rather bland - tomorrow, I will no longer remember this place. I would surely come here regularly if it's the only coffee in town, but hey, Berkeley has a more varied coffee shop scene.

Had to argue with the barista just to get the iced latte I ordered w/o sides. He then got my order wrong, gave me house coffee. I would've taken it anyway, but it tasted burnt. Told them wrong order, then they acted like it was my fault. At least they corrected it and gave me what I ordered in the end. Even what I ordered is below average.

I bought a simple cheese bagel with plain cream cheese. Half of my bagel wasn’t even covered in cream cheese, definitely was disappointed. I know it’s not the end of the world but I would’ve been better off just buying a bagel with no CC.

Spend your money somewhere else! I used to come here and study every week because it is the closest cafe to my apartment. Overpriced coffee that tastes like water, old pastries, and rude staff. The lady behind the counter is disrespectful, I've seen her harass a man who walked in to charge his phone. He ordered a drink, minded his own business and yet she felt the need to direct him where he was allowed to sit. The poor man just followed her as she directed him to the corner of the cafe! I was with a friend and we were disgusted by this disrespectful woman. Today, I came in to study. This cafe does not sell matcha green tea and I had wanted some so I decided I'd bring my own and ask for hot water. I ordered a cup of almond milk and was willing to pay the 3 dollars they charged for the measly cup they poured me. But when I asked for a cup of hot water she told me to pick a tea. I replied that I do not want tea because I want to drink a tea they do not sell, so I simply need a cup of hot water. Now, as far as I understand it is illegal to require customers to purchase tap water because IT IS TAP WATER. But perhaps I'm wrong, or maybe this law is complicated when it involves boiling water. So, I was willing to pay for a 3$ cup of almond milk and explained to her "Yeah, I just want to drink the tea I brought because you don't sell it, but I will pay for the almond milk if you can just give me hot water, if you want I can pay for the cup you put the boiling water in and the almond milk," so she tells me that a cup of boiling water and a separate cup of almond milk will cost me 6$. So here's why I'm mad: I don't know if she's disobeying the law, but regardless how can you really charge me 3$ for a cup of water hot water EVEN WHEN I SAY I WILL BRING MY OWN CONTAINER. Anyways, all I'm saying is this woman valued making money over customer experience and I guess good for her at this moment because she made the little three dollars she charged me for the almond milk but I am NEVER spending my money here again and I hope that those of you who took the time to read this decide to spend it elsewhere. And even if you don't care about my tragic water story, just think about that poor man that was harassed, even after he paid just like everyone else in here. Do you really want to support a business that openly harasses their customers?

Possibly the worst and most overpriced sandwich I’ve ever had

Over priced and dirty tables. Their double espresso tasted and looked more like a regular coffee and in a standard coffee cup. The bagel with cream cheese was very average and they didn’t even ask which kind of bagel I wanted. Not a returning customer unfortunately and I tipped them initially.

I went in today to have a cup of coffee. Just after I threw away my cup and went to back to my seat, the owner comes to me and tells me that I need to leave because it’s only for patrons. There were only a few people at the time so it’s not because the store needed the seating. Why support a business who not only treat customers so badly, but treat any elderly or people so badly. What if I hadn’t bought a cup of coffee and just needed to sit? She is so rude as to not even to have bothered asking me if she can help me or if I needed anything else? I cannot come up with any excuses for such horrid behavior.