Helacio's Deli & Cafe

Good food to put you in a good mood! Employees full of smiles. Uplifting music, bright and airy, lots of seating. Add Star Wars Legos and local artwork for sale, and you have a great combo. Will be back some day for ice cream!

I love this place! I have been going here since it opened and it has always been wonderful. Everyone is always so kind and welcoming, and the food is great. They are also very fast, which means my family can always get food when we are in a rush.

The food is SO good -- the smoothies & agua frescas are made with real fruit, the sandwiches taste homemade in the best way, and the pricing is frankly excellent (a tall order these days). The Star Wars & Mario memorabilia that's peppered throughout the room really up the local deli vibe.

Nice neighborhood coffee place with ample seating, tasty food and fast wifi.

Love this neighborhood spot!! The owners and staff are so attentive. There's plenty of options for breakfast and lunch at reasonable prices. They have some outside seating for those who want to get some sun. Easy to find free parking on the side street. The vibe is chill - I often see people lounging, reading, or playing games in there with their friends. Come support this gem!

Tuna sandwich was perfect- not too much mayo! Beet salad is amazing.

I love this place!! The perfect unpretentious, inviting, locally-owned cafe. For the last several months, my friends and I have been visiting this cafe on a weekly basis to practice our spanish together, and it has such a welcoming, relaxing environment that it has been a joy meeting here. The staff are incredibly friendly and even help us practice our Spanish! The owner is always there, working hard, and he usually brings us out some samples to try and chats with us a bit. The ice cream and agua frescas are delicious! Seriously, I can not praise this place enough, it is such a little gem.

Loving this little cute neighborhood cafe. The staff is incredibly sweet, the service is amazing, and the chill vibes and delicious food make this my new fav Berkeley hang out spot. The new owners are very friendly and the prices are reasonable too. 10/10 would recommend.

Such a nice Latino couple running the place!! Very attentive, pouring a lot of love into serving their customers. Coming from Europe this feels like home, especially because they serve the drinks at the table if they have enough time to do it. Highly recommend! Wide variety of foods and drinks as well, and reasonable prices.

This spot is right on my way into work and is the perfect spot to grab a latte and the most delicious morning buns. The owner is so sweet and friendly, so I find myself splurging more than I should. Highly recommend for really good espresso coffees and breakfast/lunch.

Really missed Homemade Cafe, and then found this cafe across the street, seems small owner owned which I like, good selection of food, but the Ceasar salad was exactly what I wanted. Sat for an hour with friends in a very comfortable environment, great addition to the neighborhood.

Alyssa Alioto

I love this place! I have been going here since it opened and it has always been wonderful. Everyone is always so kind and welcoming, and the food is great. They are also very fast, which means my family can always get food when we are in a rush.

Mel Buck

Good food to put you in a good mood! Employees full of smiles. Uplifting music, bright and airy, lots of seating. Add Star Wars Legos and local artwork for sale, and you have a great combo. Will be back some day for ice cream!

Rayann Larsen

Tuna sandwich was perfect- not too much mayo! Beet salad is amazing.

Lost

The food is SO good -- the smoothies & agua frescas are made with real fruit, the sandwiches taste homemade in the best way, and the pricing is frankly excellent (a tall order these days). The Star Wars & Mario memorabilia that's peppered throughout the room really up the local deli vibe.

Serena Hu

Love this neighborhood spot!! The owners and staff are so attentive. There's plenty of options for breakfast and lunch at reasonable prices. They have some outside seating for those who want to get some sun. Easy to find free parking on the side street. The vibe is chill - I often see people lounging, reading, or playing games in there with their friends. Come support this gem!

Howard Smukler

Really missed Homemade Cafe, and then found this cafe across the street, seems small owner owned which I like, good selection of food, but the Ceasar salad was exactly what I wanted. Sat for an hour with friends in a very comfortable environment, great addition to the neighborhood.

Trisha Grover

I love this place!! The perfect unpretentious, inviting, locally-owned cafe. For the last several months, my friends and I have been visiting this cafe on a weekly basis to practice our spanish together, and it has such a welcoming, relaxing environment that it has been a joy meeting here. The staff are incredibly friendly and even help us practice our Spanish! The owner is always there, working hard, and he usually brings us out some samples to try and chats with us a bit. The ice cream and agua frescas are delicious! Seriously, I can not praise this place enough, it is such a little gem.

E Su

Soft music unlike many places. Attentive but not overdone service (noticed my partner looking around and asked if we wanted anything else). Vegan panini was good and even came with a little potato salad. Nice to support a small business since it's tough running a small business.

Moritz Lehnick

Such a nice Latino couple running the place!! Very attentive, pouring a lot of love into serving their customers. Coming from Europe this feels like home, especially because they serve the drinks at the table if they have enough time to do it. Highly recommend! Wide variety of foods and drinks as well, and reasonable prices.

lynn walker

This spot is right on my way into work and is the perfect spot to grab a latte and the most delicious morning buns. The owner is so sweet and friendly, so I find myself splurging more than I should. Highly recommend for really good espresso coffees and breakfast/lunch.

Roxanna B

Loving this little cute neighborhood cafe. The staff is incredibly sweet, the service is amazing, and the chill vibes and delicious food make this my new fav Berkeley hang out spot. The new owners are very friendly and the prices are reasonable too. 10/10 would recommend.

The Lego decor is very charming! The food tastes good, it's a little pricey for something you could so easily make at home, but maybe that's more of a critique of cafes in general than of this place specifically. The service was very friendly, I enjoyed the spot.

Patrick Skelly

The Lego decor is very charming! The food tastes good, it's a little pricey for something you could so easily make at home, but maybe that's more of a critique of cafes in general than of this place specifically. The service was very friendly, I enjoyed the spot.

I have been coming to this establishment since it was known as Mo Joe’s. The previous owner was amazing—always friendly, welcoming, and personable. Because this is a community neighborhood café within walking distance of my home, I wanted to continue supporting it when it became Helacio’s Deli & Café under new ownership. My family and I have continued to patronize the café, even though we’ve noticed prices have increased. However, after today’s experience, I will think twice about returning. Today, my kids and I made a 15-minute walk to the café shortly before closing. We ordered smoothies and a matcha latte and paid for our items. After completing the transaction, I realized I had forgotten to enter my phone number at checkout to receive my reward points. Before leaving, I asked the owner if it was possible to still add the points to my purchase. He told me no, explaining that the number needed to be entered before the transaction went through. While I understand policies, his response was very matter-of-fact and dismissive. He didn’t seem to care that I was upset and made no effort to offer a solution, such as refunding or reversing the transaction so it could be processed correctly. Considering that I have supported this café for over 10 years—both under the old and new ownership—I was really disappointed by the lack of customer service. The interaction left such a negative impression that even my 7-year-old daughter noticed the change and commented, “This place has changed, Mom.” I truly value supporting local businesses, but positive customer service makes all the difference, and today’s experience fell far short of that.

Service was horrible. It took about a half hour before someone finally decided to take my order even though I asked if I could give my order during the half hour wait. I order a three egg omelet. When I was given the bill it was for $57. I informed them they gave me someone else's bill. Then they gave me another one fore $35 for a simple omelet. I asked them why are there two tax charges and was told the second one was for tip. I laughed and said the service was horrible so forget that! That dropped it down to $28. This place was where I used to eat before and felt nostalgic eating here again. Never coming back hear again.

As a native New Yorker this was a very disappointing experience. I ordered a scrambled egg on a bagel and had to throw the whole thing out. Right in front of me they pulled a store bought bagel from the bag, cracked an egg in a bowl and stuck it in the microwave, YES THE MICROWAVE. The bagel was soggy and inedible.

Aisha Strong

I have been coming to this establishment since it was known as Mo Joe’s. The previous owner was amazing—always friendly, welcoming, and personable. Because this is a community neighborhood café within walking distance of my home, I wanted to continue supporting it when it became Helacio’s Deli & Café under new ownership. My family and I have continued to patronize the café, even though we’ve noticed prices have increased. However, after today’s experience, I will think twice about returning. Today, my kids and I made a 15-minute walk to the café shortly before closing. We ordered smoothies and a matcha latte and paid for our items. After completing the transaction, I realized I had forgotten to enter my phone number at checkout to receive my reward points. Before leaving, I asked the owner if it was possible to still add the points to my purchase. He told me no, explaining that the number needed to be entered before the transaction went through. While I understand policies, his response was very matter-of-fact and dismissive. He didn’t seem to care that I was upset and made no effort to offer a solution, such as refunding or reversing the transaction so it could be processed correctly. Considering that I have supported this café for over 10 years—both under the old and new ownership—I was really disappointed by the lack of customer service. The interaction left such a negative impression that even my 7-year-old daughter noticed the change and commented, “This place has changed, Mom.” I truly value supporting local businesses, but positive customer service makes all the difference, and today’s experience fell far short of that.

Margaux Wilson

As a native New Yorker this was a very disappointing experience. I ordered a scrambled egg on a bagel and had to throw the whole thing out. Right in front of me they pulled a store bought bagel from the bag, cracked an egg in a bowl and stuck it in the microwave, YES THE MICROWAVE. The bagel was soggy and inedible.

Oldhogleg

Service was horrible. It took about a half hour before someone finally decided to take my order even though I asked if I could give my order during the half hour wait. I order a three egg omelet. When I was given the bill it was for $57. I informed them they gave me someone else's bill. Then they gave me another one fore $35 for a simple omelet. I asked them why are there two tax charges and was told the second one was for tip. I laughed and said the service was horrible so forget that! That dropped it down to $28. This place was where I used to eat before and felt nostalgic eating here again. Never coming back hear again.