Cafe Brusco

Anna S

It just opened recently, and there were quite a few people. They serve open-faced sandwiches, with quite elaborate toppings, not just a simple layer of cream cheese. Among the ones I ordered, the combination of The Bartavelle and Fancy Fresh was the best – refreshing and not greasy, perfect for breakfast or lunch (Figure 1) (my favorite). The ones that didn't feel strange were Figure 2 right: Crab Remoulade and Figure 3 left: Gold Standard (decent). For those who like sweet and savory combinations: Figure 2 left Brusco and Figure 5: Ham & Fig (I quite liked these). For those who prefer savory (very American cold sandwich style): Figure 4: Muffuletta (I personally didn't like this one). For those who like sweet and sour flavors: Figure 3 right: Tangerine & Burrata (I didn't dislike this one). Overall, it's a good option when you want something simple and not too large in portion size, similar to Riceful – something I might want to go back to occasionally, but not something I need to eat every day.

Ari Hershowitz

Go to this place. I was wandering near the Berkeley Rep and Freight and Salvage after an amazing CirckeSongs experience. I was looking for good coffee and ready to give up, when I found Cafe Brusco. Delicious espresso drinks, very tasty bagel (made in-house by their associatef pizza place) and excellent service. The baristas care about their craft and customer happiness. And I am leaving this place happier than I came in.

E Lee

A very busy cafe but the line moves quickly. It is warm inside and many conversations are going. Bagels were doughy and well assembled. I like the half options. Drip coffee was good and latte was good.

AMD1

I stumbled across this café in Berkeley. I was in the neighborhood and wanted a cup of coffee and a bite to eat. Customer service was outstanding. Very friendly. I ordered a Americano café and a classic half plain bagel with cream cheese to go. When I got to the car and opened up the box with the bagel, I was pleasantly surprised at what I was looking at. I had to take a photo. Even more surprised when I took the first bite. This was the best bagel I’ve ever had! The taste was amazing. Everything was so fresh. I took a sip of my coffee and that too was really good! Thank you guys the copy and the food made my day! I will return when I’m back in town.

MC Miller

I was so excited to try this cool new cafe in Berkeley and it rocked as expected!! Awesome friendly staff, in great spirits with their grand opening today. I ordered a delicious iced matcha with a little simple syrup for sweetness, and the half classic bagel toasted to perfection with a great array of flavors. This will be my new regular spot on my way to work, come check it out!!

Julianne Giza

the Bartavelle was the most beautiful most delicious bagel i’ve ever had. service was great and the baristas were doing an amazing job too. what a cute spot!

Phillip Meylan

Awesome bagels, sophisticated and delicious menu options, and great people. If you liked bartavelle, you will like this too.

Candice K

Delightful cafe! Delicious and creative open face bagels (and bagelwich). Many lovely beverage options (coffee, tea, wine).

I love this cafe! Excellent coffee and bagels. I had the summer girl on a fennel and orange bagel and loved it, hope to get another before the end of tomato season. Also loved the mortadella, but the everything bagel wasn't my favorite. Can't wait to come back and try everything.

Love love love. Feels like being back in Italy (except they don’t have good bagels in Italy so better). Come here to get an authentic, top-notch cappuccino, a delicious bagel with unique California toppings, a stellar pastry, and great vibes. My personal pref: ask for your bagel toasted for a little crunchy contrast

Incredibly friendly and patient staff. Delicious fennel and orange latte that delivers on taste made with Emeryville's Counterculture coffee on a La Marazocca espresso machine. Calming ambience. Music is just the right volume to make it still feel cozy. Will definitely return.

So good! boiled bagels with a double sided Everything. Long lines as expected but moves fast. Think Trader Joes express lane. I get so many delicious things here but taking a photo first is never first on my mind as I am usually looking to dig in. Wishing this place much success.

AConsideredMoment

Incredibly friendly and patient staff. Delicious fennel and orange latte that delivers on taste made with Emeryville's Counterculture coffee on a La Marazocca espresso machine. Calming ambience. Music is just the right volume to make it still feel cozy. Will definitely return.

Bodie Cabiyo

Love love love. Feels like being back in Italy (except they don’t have good bagels in Italy so better). Come here to get an authentic, top-notch cappuccino, a delicious bagel with unique California toppings, a stellar pastry, and great vibes. My personal pref: ask for your bagel toasted for a little crunchy contrast

Vanessa Bolanowski

So good! boiled bagels with a double sided Everything. Long lines as expected but moves fast. Think Trader Joes express lane. I get so many delicious things here but taking a photo first is never first on my mind as I am usually looking to dig in. Wishing this place much success.

Kristiane Skolmen

I love this cafe! Excellent coffee and bagels. I had the summer girl on a fennel and orange bagel and loved it, hope to get another before the end of tomato season. Also loved the mortadella, but the everything bagel wasn't my favorite. Can't wait to come back and try everything.

Caleb S

Bagels were fantastic! Will be back to try the coffee. The service was very good. Just for one small suggestion it would be nice to have a trash can available and easily accessible inside.

Donna Rossiter

Such a cute spot! Coffee was great, bagel menu is creative and Italian inspired. The fennel and orange bagel was amazing!

This was a very cozy local cafe with a real good bagel! The standout was this bagel and it was one of the best I've had in the Bay. I always compare my bagels to the ones in NYC and this was good! Recommended!

Arrived late morning on a Saturday and it was bustling. Waited in line for about 15 minutes, then about another 15 for my bagel. I like that you can mix and match the sandwiches. Allows you to try more than one at a time. I got half flirty fig and half summer girl on a fennel orange bagel. I also got a mushroom hand pie to snack on while I waited. The hand pie was good but I wish they warmed it up. The mushroom and cheese filling was cold inside, and I think I would have preferred it warm. The bagel was good, but not my favorite in the east bay. It definitely has that sourdough texture, which was nice. The thing I wasn’t a fan of was that one half of the bagel was very toasted and tasted burnt to me. I know some people like that, but I don’t. I think they could also take out some stools by the bar. They have seats right in front of where the pick up is, and it makes it feel awkward when people are reaching for drinks and food right in front of you. Overall would return.

I had an affogato here on a Sunday afternoon. It was delicious. The space is lovely and there was plenty of fresh air due to a huge window.

Sam

This was a very cozy local cafe with a real good bagel! The standout was this bagel and it was one of the best I've had in the Bay. I always compare my bagels to the ones in NYC and this was good! Recommended!

Gabrielle B.

Arrived late morning on a Saturday and it was bustling. Waited in line for about 15 minutes, then about another 15 for my bagel. I like that you can mix and match the sandwiches. Allows you to try more than one at a time. I got half flirty fig and half summer girl on a fennel orange bagel. I also got a mushroom hand pie to snack on while I waited. The hand pie was good but I wish they warmed it up. The mushroom and cheese filling was cold inside, and I think I would have preferred it warm. The bagel was good, but not my favorite in the east bay. It definitely has that sourdough texture, which was nice. The thing I wasn’t a fan of was that one half of the bagel was very toasted and tasted burnt to me. I know some people like that, but I don’t. I think they could also take out some stools by the bar. They have seats right in front of where the pick up is, and it makes it feel awkward when people are reaching for drinks and food right in front of you. Overall would return.

Anna Kelly

I had an affogato here on a Sunday afternoon. It was delicious. The space is lovely and there was plenty of fresh air due to a huge window.

I think the place is cute. I was really excited for the Dungeness crab Bagel, I saw chef’s and a beloved fish market place posting pictures and it looked amazing. I liked the taste in general but Me and my girlfriend couldn’t taste the crab at all, it feels like they almost didn’t put crab in it and in compare to the other flavors in the cafe, they had a generous amount of filing and meat. It didn’t look like the pictures it was posted in the cafe instagram at all so it was a bit disapointing. I hope to get back there and tgive it another shot.

Very nice cafe. Expensive but good quality food. I’ve been twice and stayed less than 30 minutes each time because the music is loud, detracting significantly from the experience. Even with my Bose over-the ears noise cancelling headphones playing jazz at 10:15am on a Monday, and seven empty seats (out of 17 available inside) I can still hear the music and the people’s conversations next to me (people are forced to speak loudly to be heard over the music) I understand they need to turn tables to make money for costs. Some places abroad give people a set amount of time to dine with a minimum order. I’d be fine paying for my spot if it were quieter. This phenomenon is not unique to Brusco, but it is a bit louder than other eateries/cafes I’ve been to. Table was wobbly on my second visit. Conclusion: would love to support this beautiful, innovative local spot, but I plan to only stop in occasionally for take out, and dine in if I can sit outside.

Peiting C. Li

Very nice cafe. Expensive but good quality food. I’ve been twice and stayed less than 30 minutes each time because the music is loud, detracting significantly from the experience. Even with my Bose over-the ears noise cancelling headphones playing jazz at 10:15am on a Monday, and seven empty seats (out of 17 available inside) I can still hear the music and the people’s conversations next to me (people are forced to speak loudly to be heard over the music) I understand they need to turn tables to make money for costs. Some places abroad give people a set amount of time to dine with a minimum order. I’d be fine paying for my spot if it were quieter. This phenomenon is not unique to Brusco, but it is a bit louder than other eateries/cafes I’ve been to. Table was wobbly on my second visit. Conclusion: would love to support this beautiful, innovative local spot, but I plan to only stop in occasionally for take out, and dine in if I can sit outside.

Mayara Barros

I think the place is cute. I was really excited for the Dungeness crab Bagel, I saw chef’s and a beloved fish market place posting pictures and it looked amazing. I liked the taste in general but Me and my girlfriend couldn’t taste the crab at all, it feels like they almost didn’t put crab in it and in compare to the other flavors in the cafe, they had a generous amount of filing and meat. It didn’t look like the pictures it was posted in the cafe instagram at all so it was a bit disapointing. I hope to get back there and tgive it another shot.

Honest review: The place is super cute. The coffee and the food is reasonable. The attitude of the cashier is unwelcomed. I asked for the wifi details before I placed the order and the look on her face was so judgmental. As a result, totally skippable.

Mallika Chawla

Honest review: The place is super cute. The coffee and the food is reasonable. The attitude of the cashier is unwelcomed. I asked for the wifi details before I placed the order and the look on her face was so judgmental. As a result, totally skippable.