This place serves delicious chewy semi freddy bagels with generous amounts of cream cheese. I was especially impressed that they have larrupin sauce. All with fast service and reasonable price. It is a little easy to miss this place of you are driving by, but I would definitely recommend a breakfast here.

Great local spot for coffee, pastries, and bagels. I had a cappuccino and a bagel which both were quite delicious. They also have large sandwich and beer menu too. The walk-up ordering system is also great. Accept touch-less payments. I’ll be back soon!

We haven't stopped going to WELL-GROUNDED since we discovered it. We tend to stick to the lifeguard which is a delicious and simple bagel on the 'secret' menu. We also get the vanilla latte with oatmilk. They make a swell Vanilla Latte.

Editing my review to reflect improved service. There was a prompt response from the owner, and apparently new processes implemented behind the counter to ensure that the same problem was less likely to happen. They seem to be on top of the problem. Leaving the original review below for transparency, and to show what has been improved upon. --- I had a pretty terrible experience the first (and hopefully, only) time I went here. To be fair, it was early in the morning, and maybe it was a new hire, but I didn't get what I paid for, and I didn't have the time to go back. I ordered bagels with spread (one hummus, and one cream cheese). I received two bagels without any spread, and one was squished and awful (see attached photo). There were several people waiting, and the person serving the coffee didn't know whose coffee they were serving. "I've got two drinks here for.... someone.... <nervous laugh>." To be fair, it's just coffee and bagels. However, they're coffee and bagels I paid $12.00 for, with a tip; I should actually get what I ordered, and not have to hope I didn't get someone else's drink.

Stopped by Well Grounded Tea & Coffee Bar and grabbed a small latte—smooth, flavorful, and just the right balance. Cozy atmosphere and friendly staff. Great spot for a quick coffee break!

Well Grounded Tea & Coffee Bar has been a go-to stop of our family's for many years. Great people, coffee drinks, and sandwiches! We love it. Often, if I am out for a walk, I'll call an order in and it is ready when I get there. Great friendly service --- we are lucky to have this business in our community.

This is a great spot for a coffee and bagel or bagel sandwich. Good neighborhood for dog walking as well. I didn’t realize but they usually have 4 packs from local brewers inside in case you need to grab a few beers.

I’m gluten free due to an allergy and Well Grounded is a gem to have found in my local community. They even have a dedicated toaster for their delicious GF bagels and are very careful with cross contamination. 5 stars for sure!!

Amazingly wonderful breakfast/brunch spot. Although the menu is limited, comma their offerings are gourmet quality and exceptional . Attached gift and novelty shop blew me away. Found the same wee leather change purse that I’ve been searching for for the last three years. Fell you’re love with this place and Jenny the proprietor is a charming dear ❣️

Super nice and cozy atmosphere. Seating is a bit odd but otherwise I love this place!

What can I say about El Cerrito’s original indie coffee shop? Truly mom-and-pop owned, Well Grounded is the community living room for so many of us. You can’t pop in without running into someone you know and love. The staff is consistently friendly, and I especially appreciate that they employ local high school students. It feels good to support a place that’s clearly invested in the next generation. I always order a dry cappuccino, and this is the only café around that actually knows what that means and delivers a proper, stiff foam every time. On top of great coffee, they host genuinely fun community events like annual paella parties, Oktoberfest, and regular board game nights. Well Grounded is one of those rare places that’s more than a café. It’s a cornerstone of the neighborhood.

Rachel Melby

What can I say about El Cerrito’s original indie coffee shop? Truly mom-and-pop owned, Well Grounded is the community living room for so many of us. You can’t pop in without running into someone you know and love. The staff is consistently friendly, and I especially appreciate that they employ local high school students. It feels good to support a place that’s clearly invested in the next generation. I always order a dry cappuccino, and this is the only café around that actually knows what that means and delivers a proper, stiff foam every time. On top of great coffee, they host genuinely fun community events like annual paella parties, Oktoberfest, and regular board game nights. Well Grounded is one of those rare places that’s more than a café. It’s a cornerstone of the neighborhood.

genevieve

Super nice and cozy atmosphere. Seating is a bit odd but otherwise I love this place!

yvette tannenbaum

Amazingly wonderful breakfast/brunch spot. Although the menu is limited, comma their offerings are gourmet quality and exceptional . Attached gift and novelty shop blew me away. Found the same wee leather change purse that I’ve been searching for for the last three years. Fell you’re love with this place and Jenny the proprietor is a charming dear ❣️

israel leitner

Stopped by Well Grounded Tea & Coffee Bar and grabbed a small latte—smooth, flavorful, and just the right balance. Cozy atmosphere and friendly staff. Great spot for a quick coffee break!

Craig Ferrara

This is a great spot for a coffee and bagel or bagel sandwich. Good neighborhood for dog walking as well. I didn’t realize but they usually have 4 packs from local brewers inside in case you need to grab a few beers.

Glen Price

Well Grounded Tea & Coffee Bar has been a go-to stop of our family's for many years. Great people, coffee drinks, and sandwiches! We love it. Often, if I am out for a walk, I'll call an order in and it is ready when I get there. Great friendly service --- we are lucky to have this business in our community.

Jenn Bishop

I’m gluten free due to an allergy and Well Grounded is a gem to have found in my local community. They even have a dedicated toaster for their delicious GF bagels and are very careful with cross contamination. 5 stars for sure!!

Bob Journey

The staff is very customer friendly and the cafe is very popular.

The staff is very customer friendly and the cafe is very popular.

+6

Even more recent edit: I want to like Well Grounded, I really do. It's my local coffee shop, I live blocks away, I want to support local business. But the level of inconsistency is beyond frustrating and the complete lack of follow through with order times and updates is mind boggling. If I order a drink at 7am, and it says I should pick it up at 7:30am, the drink should be made a few minutes before 7:30. Not at 7:05 so it can sit there for 25 minutes without any notification that it is done... This is the 7th day in a row that something like this has happened. Add in the hefty prices, and I'm going back to making my own. Recent Edit: If I ask to purchase 4 beers, and it's literally more expensive than buying a 6 pack, why would you not make the recommendation to get a 6 pack? No one has ever told me there is a discount for a 6 pack. I can't tell you how many times we've purchased 3-4 beers, without apparently knowing this entire time that it was literally half the price to purchase 6. Knocking my review down to 4 stars, and not buying beer here anymore. I get that this is a neighborhood joint, but a little help next time would be greatly appreciated for a fellow neighbor. Original Review: Cute cafe with well executed espresso drinks and a surprisingly large selection of sandwiches and other freshly made items. Staff has been super pleasant and positive, and I couldn't be more excited to have this place within walking distance. Haven't heard or had a single complaint either. Left the neighborhood 18 years ago and this is what it always needed.

5 stars for food, 2 stars for service. We have been long-time supporters of this sweet neighborhood coffee shop - we want to see them succeed for years to come! However, there are service/training issues that need to be addressed ASAP. Each of the regular young staff I've encountered over the last few months need significantly more training and coaching from ownership/management to be able to do their jobs independently -- both on food prep, using the computer/register system, and order/time management. Today, for example, I waited 25 minutes for just 2 regular drip coffees and a bag of untoasted bagels (no prep). The staff were not able to accurately charge the order, mixed up a number of customers orders, and then gave me an incorrect order in the end. Of course, folks were late to school and work as a result. This is typical of my last 10 experiences. Yet we keep trying again! Unfortunately, this is becoming a running joke in the neighborhood, which isn't fair to the young staff who are polite and want to succeed, or to the ownership/management who may not be aware of the extent of the issue. I would love to share the feedback with the owner/manager directly rather than posting online but they have not been there on any of my recent 5+ visits. We believe in Well Grounded but this needs attention. Thanks for considering our feedback!

Ashley Weinstein-Carnes

5 stars for food, 2 stars for service. We have been long-time supporters of this sweet neighborhood coffee shop - we want to see them succeed for years to come! However, there are service/training issues that need to be addressed ASAP. Each of the regular young staff I've encountered over the last few months need significantly more training and coaching from ownership/management to be able to do their jobs independently -- both on food prep, using the computer/register system, and order/time management. Today, for example, I waited 25 minutes for just 2 regular drip coffees and a bag of untoasted bagels (no prep). The staff were not able to accurately charge the order, mixed up a number of customers orders, and then gave me an incorrect order in the end. Of course, folks were late to school and work as a result. This is typical of my last 10 experiences. Yet we keep trying again! Unfortunately, this is becoming a running joke in the neighborhood, which isn't fair to the young staff who are polite and want to succeed, or to the ownership/management who may not be aware of the extent of the issue. I would love to share the feedback with the owner/manager directly rather than posting online but they have not been there on any of my recent 5+ visits. We believe in Well Grounded but this needs attention. Thanks for considering our feedback!

Max Stanton

Even more recent edit: I want to like Well Grounded, I really do. It's my local coffee shop, I live blocks away, I want to support local business. But the level of inconsistency is beyond frustrating and the complete lack of follow through with order times and updates is mind boggling. If I order a drink at 7am, and it says I should pick it up at 7:30am, the drink should be made a few minutes before 7:30. Not at 7:05 so it can sit there for 25 minutes without any notification that it is done... This is the 7th day in a row that something like this has happened. Add in the hefty prices, and I'm going back to making my own. Recent Edit: If I ask to purchase 4 beers, and it's literally more expensive than buying a 6 pack, why would you not make the recommendation to get a 6 pack? No one has ever told me there is a discount for a 6 pack. I can't tell you how many times we've purchased 3-4 beers, without apparently knowing this entire time that it was literally half the price to purchase 6. Knocking my review down to 4 stars, and not buying beer here anymore. I get that this is a neighborhood joint, but a little help next time would be greatly appreciated for a fellow neighbor. Original Review: Cute cafe with well executed espresso drinks and a surprisingly large selection of sandwiches and other freshly made items. Staff has been super pleasant and positive, and I couldn't be more excited to have this place within walking distance. Haven't heard or had a single complaint either. Left the neighborhood 18 years ago and this is what it always needed.

Dee Jaouni

I’m honestly surprised this place has 4 stars? The cafe itself is a cute little hole in the wall. It's small, has limited seating, books to read, pretty simple, I loved it. What I expected and what I received was night & day. What ruins it is the service and food. When I walked in I wasn't greeted, honestly the staff was pretty awkward. They don't ask you how you're doing, and don't make you feel welcomed. I ordered an iced chai latte with avocado toast & a sunny side egg. My drink came out first and it was literally just milk with a little bit of chai flavor. The toast followed and it was literally the saddest meal I've seen, definitely not worth $16. There was barely any avocado to begin with, and they tried to cover it up with putting too many slices of tomato. They don't season their food, it was very bland, not even a little bit of salt & pepper was added! Again, for $16, you should do more than just light avocado, tomato slices and "Larrupin" sauce, not sure what that was anyway. When I returned it and said they forgot the egg, they gave it back with a food item that literally felt like rubber, which is what is in the second picture. I picked it up and it was felt similar to the putty that kids play with. My 1 year old was very hungry so I really tried to find something worth eating in it but I couldn't. She was crying since I had to return it-which was the worst part. I felt terrible. The girl behind the counter said this was how they made their eggs..fine, but why not mention that when I specifically said, "either sunny side or over easy is okay" No ounce of love was put into my order and it definitely looked/tasted like it. Save your money, and go elsewhere.

I’m honestly surprised this place has 4 stars? The cafe itself is a cute little hole in the wall. It's small, has limited seating, books to read, pretty simple, I loved it. What I expected and what I received was night & day. What ruins it is the service and food. When I walked in I wasn't greeted, honestly the staff was pretty awkward. They don't ask you how you're doing, and don't make you feel welcomed. I ordered an iced chai latte with avocado toast & a sunny side egg. My drink came out first and it was literally just milk with a little bit of chai flavor. The toast followed and it was literally the saddest meal I've seen, definitely not worth $16. There was barely any avocado to begin with, and they tried to cover it up with putting too many slices of tomato. They don't season their food, it was very bland, not even a little bit of salt & pepper was added! Again, for $16, you should do more than just light avocado, tomato slices and "Larrupin" sauce, not sure what that was anyway. When I returned it and said they forgot the egg, they gave it back with a food item that literally felt like rubber, which is what is in the second picture. I picked it up and it was felt similar to the putty that kids play with. My 1 year old was very hungry so I really tried to find something worth eating in it but I couldn't. She was crying since I had to return it-which was the worst part. I felt terrible. The girl behind the counter said this was how they made their eggs..fine, but why not mention that when I specifically said, "either sunny side or over easy is okay" No ounce of love was put into my order and it definitely looked/tasted like it. Save your money, and go elsewhere.

Didn’t enjoy my watered down iced dirty chai nor the everything bagel with bacon, egg, and cheese- lacked flavor and filling. Staff was friendly but wouldn’t return.

My partner and I bought coffee (Chai was awful…all milk and ice, no coffee) and sat outside on the table next to the street. The owner walks over and slams a chair down on the street next to us. Then he brings a broom and starts furiously sweeping all the debris from the street right toward us! The debris was flying at us and all the dust toward our faces. I know he was preparing for the anniversary party, but he was so rude and obnoxious that we took our coffee and food and left instead of staying. What he did was rude and so gross it makes me wonder how he treats the food if this is how he treats his guests. We live close and will never go back.

Michelle C

Didn’t enjoy my watered down iced dirty chai nor the everything bagel with bacon, egg, and cheese- lacked flavor and filling. Staff was friendly but wouldn’t return.

Renae W.

My partner and I bought coffee (Chai was awful…all milk and ice, no coffee) and sat outside on the table next to the street. The owner walks over and slams a chair down on the street next to us. Then he brings a broom and starts furiously sweeping all the debris from the street right toward us! The debris was flying at us and all the dust toward our faces. I know he was preparing for the anniversary party, but he was so rude and obnoxious that we took our coffee and food and left instead of staying. What he did was rude and so gross it makes me wonder how he treats the food if this is how he treats his guests. We live close and will never go back.