Roast & Toast Cafe

The knafeh was fantastic, and everything I tried was delicious including the Algerian “shakshuka” which was a new one for me! Masoud is wonderful and made me feel very welcome, and I will definitely be coming back here many times!

Wonderful service from a genuine staff member with hospitality you don’t find in many places. We were given samples to try before choosing a flavor and the presentation was beautiful as shown. Kunafa was also off the charts, 10/10 would definitely recommend

Food experience: 4/5 Service and Atmosphere: 5/5 Beautiful Palestinian cafe. They offer halal chicken sandwiches and I only wish they would offer halal turkey and beef. But the quality of the chicken in the sandwiches is tasty. The cafe drinks are really special and highly recommend it. And the simplicity of their croissant flavors like the zataar and cheese croissant is really tasty. They have lots of Kunafa style desserts here too.

Went to roast and toast , more specifically for the cart in store which sells booza. A type of ice cream made by mastic which gives the it chewiness. Chewiness ice cream ??? How's that work?? It works perfectly . It closely resembles the consistency of Gelato even though they are vastly different . There are toppings and flavors. The toppings are pistachio crumbs , rose petals and the crunchy kanefh? They always add all of them in after they take out the booza except some of the ice cream flavor where It doesn't mesh. You can take it to go or eat at the coffee shop. The flavors or the original which is good and all if you don't like the unique taste of the others . The most immensely popular one is the rose cardamom. Both times I have went they were out so fast they had to chill another one and for good reason, it might be their best flavor . If you don't know what cardamom is, it's what they use for indian/middle eastern tea and for some of their food . I highly recommend getting this flavor even if you have to wait 15 mins for it . The salted caramel and dark chocolate are next up which is new offerings. The dark chocolate is something for chocolate lovers only ! It's extremely chocolately and rich so if you don't like the taste of strong chocolate this won't be for you Sea salt caramel, wow I thought I tasted the best sea salt caramel but this one was probably my second favorite. This had a very light touch of sea salt caramel . Not too strong but not light either. I would always recommend stopping by here because this ice cream is something you won't find anywhere else I did also try the kanefh which is kanefh dough with mozzarella cheese with pistachio crumbs on top. It does take about 15 ish minutes so prepare to wait . It is very good , however , I feel like a $10 price point might be a bit expensive but once in a while it's worth it As for their other menu items. Some items are halal while others are not so make sure to confirm with the staff which one is halal and which one isn't

Justin Herring

Roast and Toast is always a friendly place with great atmosphere and coffee. There are beautiful views from the streetside seating. There is one parking meter that the city couldn move but other than that great brick Architecture classic feel. Stop by check it out.

noosh

Roast & Toast Café in Berkeley has booza — the stretchy, mastic-based ice cream with roots in the Middle East, including Palestine. It’s so unique and absolutely delicious! The rose cardamom flavor is a must-try, especially topped with pistachios and phyllo dough shreds. The café itself is really charming — clean, beautifully decorated, and with plenty of seating. The service was warm and friendly, and the presentation of everything was great. I came here with friends and family just for dessert, but I definitely want to come back and try their sandwiches since I’ve heard great things about them. If you’re looking for something different and refreshing in the Bay Area, I highly recommend stopping by for their booza!

Ahmad AM

The Arabic (Syrian) ice cream "booza" is amazing! the best ice cream I have had outside of the Middle East! It transports me back to my childhood. Absolutely worth every penny. The sahlab is great , food and sandwiches are delicious! This is my absolute favorite cafe in the bay area!

Stephanie Lau

I love this place! I came in for the first time today and ordered an iced Spanish coffee and a delicious pastrami croissant sandwich. I was impressed at the range of the menu - coffee, tea, ice cream, cake, breads, and more. The employees were kind and service was fast. The prices are extremely reasonable for great quality items! There is ample seating for a social gathering or just studying. Will definitely be coming back!

Laura Ostrow

The knafeh was fantastic, and everything I tried was delicious including the Algerian “shakshuka” which was a new one for me! Masoud is wonderful and made me feel very welcome, and I will definitely be coming back here many times!

Mohamed Elsankary

Wonderful service from a genuine staff member with hospitality you don’t find in many places. We were given samples to try before choosing a flavor and the presentation was beautiful as shown. Kunafa was also off the charts, 10/10 would definitely recommend

Omar Ghani

Food experience: 4/5 Service and Atmosphere: 5/5 Beautiful Palestinian cafe. They offer halal chicken sandwiches and I only wish they would offer halal turkey and beef. But the quality of the chicken in the sandwiches is tasty. The cafe drinks are really special and highly recommend it. And the simplicity of their croissant flavors like the zataar and cheese croissant is really tasty. They have lots of Kunafa style desserts here too.

Jay Hussein (Jayzakh)

Went to roast and toast , more specifically for the cart in store which sells booza. A type of ice cream made by mastic which gives the it chewiness. Chewiness ice cream ??? How's that work?? It works perfectly . It closely resembles the consistency of Gelato even though they are vastly different . There are toppings and flavors. The toppings are pistachio crumbs , rose petals and the crunchy kanefh? They always add all of them in after they take out the booza except some of the ice cream flavor where It doesn't mesh. You can take it to go or eat at the coffee shop. The flavors or the original which is good and all if you don't like the unique taste of the others . The most immensely popular one is the rose cardamom. Both times I have went they were out so fast they had to chill another one and for good reason, it might be their best flavor . If you don't know what cardamom is, it's what they use for indian/middle eastern tea and for some of their food . I highly recommend getting this flavor even if you have to wait 15 mins for it . The salted caramel and dark chocolate are next up which is new offerings. The dark chocolate is something for chocolate lovers only ! It's extremely chocolately and rich so if you don't like the taste of strong chocolate this won't be for you Sea salt caramel, wow I thought I tasted the best sea salt caramel but this one was probably my second favorite. This had a very light touch of sea salt caramel . Not too strong but not light either. I would always recommend stopping by here because this ice cream is something you won't find anywhere else I did also try the kanefh which is kanefh dough with mozzarella cheese with pistachio crumbs on top. It does take about 15 ish minutes so prepare to wait . It is very good , however , I feel like a $10 price point might be a bit expensive but once in a while it's worth it As for their other menu items. Some items are halal while others are not so make sure to confirm with the staff which one is halal and which one isn't

Besan Zaro

Such a fun café, well decorated. Plenty of natural lighting. Great service, everyone is kind and welcoming. We tried a few of the sandwiches and drinks. Everything was delicious. We tried the roast and toast sandwich which is a turkey sandwich. Has a generous amount of burrata cheese. I was pleasantly surprised by the pistachio in the sandwich, added a lot of flavor to the sandwich. we also had the pastrami sandwich. Sandwiches came with a side of a salad. The morning bliss toast was well balanced with egg, avocado and a balsamic dressing. For drinks we tried the Spanish latte and rose cardamom refresher tea. For dessert we had the Arabic booza, very authentic! Lastly the sahlab, which is a traditional milk drink. Very rich and creamy, topped with pistachio and cinnamon!

Maria Daguilar

Finally made it to this famous café in Berkeley! The exterior alone is a total head-turner. Came specifically for their traditional Arabic booza (stretchy) ice cream and it was absolutely worth the drive. It pairs perfectly with a bold shot of espresso topped with pistachios. Happy hormones activated! Love the ambience and how welcoming it is for students and remote workers. Such a great community spot!

J P

It was a great experience on Sunday afternoon. The pastrami sandwich was perfect. The Arabic sauce added a delightful kick, preventing it from becoming greasy at all. Arabic stretchy ice cream was new to me, but it was quite good. Overall, the food, the ambiance and the staff were all great enough to make me want to return!

oday almaqousi

I had such a great experience here! First off the staff were super friendly and kept checking in to make sure everything was good. We came mainly to try the kunafeh, but honestly, we were a bit hesitant at first because we’d been disappointed by other places that claimed to have “authentic” kunafeh. So my wife and I shared one plate just to test it out and wow!! it was amazing very close to the kunafeh we’ve had in Jordan. We ended up ordering a second one right away. The staff noticed how much we liked it and out of nowhere offered us Qahwa Sadeh which was such a nice thing. I’m definitely planning to go back again to try more of their menu.

Autumn Shepherd

Great place for coffee and food! WiFi is good but not many outlets! I’m addicted to this croissant sandwich!! Staff is sweet. Open late! Serves ice cream as well. Pictured drink is the mint lemonade.

rachana karri

Masood was super kind and really took the time to explain the menu and suggest what’s best. He even told us how the ice cream is made, which was nice to hear. The place has a great vibe and the service made it even better. Definitely coming back.

Annette Terry

My daughter loves this place and now so do I. She would get coffee 3 to for 4 times a week before work and would rave on the quality of the coffee and food. One Saturday morning I decided to join her for coffee and a breakfast sandwich. Everything was GREAT from the food, coffee and the service down to the weather. Before we knew it 3 hours passed while we had been sitting at one of the tables outside sipping coffee, nibbling on a breakfast sandwich ( that was delicious), enjoying the weather and the conversation. The owner was so friendly and welcoming. It was a great mother-daughter brunch , we will absolutely visit Roast & Toast Cafe again, probably make it a monthly catch up day.

3.5 ⭐️Atmosphere and service are great! Food looked fantastic but the actual taste was less than mid. It’s hard to describe what was bad about it but maybe the bread was part of it, maybe the ingredients weren’t super fresh? Overall it was unsatisfying. I went with my parents and we all agreed we would not come back here for meal food but maybe to try just the treats or just have coffee (I’ll update my review if I come back and try something else). I thought the service was great and really appreciated how the person behind the counter showed me the ingredients label for bread when I asked about my allergy. The atmosphere is also really charming and I love the colors and little lights. There’s indoor and outdoor seating. Definitely can be a good spot to eat and chat with a friend or work on a laptop (wifi is only free for customers- the wifi details are at the bottom of your receipt).

The place is super cool we like it so far I give 4 star because we were craving Kunafa and this was not the same one we used to have in Palestine. I recommend they change the ghee to the organic ( halloub ) every thing else was super good

The food is delishes and that pastries are a must! Coffee could have been a bit stronger. It's a beautiful space and the only thing missing is someone to help with the cleaning. I wanted to pick up s broom and start sweeping. It's also dusty. They are busy i get it. But please work on the cleaning. Other than that it was a fun experience. Easy to find parking and go for a walk afterwards.

Cute location with indoor and outdoor seating. They have lots of ice cream options. Simple chai and mocha with one person having pastry. Busy with mostly young students and some older patrons mid day crowd. Lucky to get a seat.

Cool to try out this stretchy Arabian ice cream. Very aesthetic toppings - Phyllo dough (kitaifi), pistachio, and rose petals. The stretchy, elastic qualify of the booza ice cream comes from the same ingredient used in some chewing gum and taffy: mastic, a resin from the mastic tree. Fun service - the ice cream is served at a cute food stand on the left of the cafe upon entry. You can choose and try 4 flavors of ice cream - I tried the original, caramel, and rose ice cream and ordered the caramel one with all toppings ($8). The caramel one had really good flavour, like honey, not too strong on caramel, and was very creamy. The toppings were really crunchy. The stretchy consistency wasn’t super up my alley but it was cool to try it out. We also ordered the pistachio Nutella twist croissante (very good! Has a lot of rich Nutella and some pistachio cream) and the Zaatar & cheese croissante (very salty).

i got chicken sandwich and cappuccino. the sandwich was ok, the coffee was good tho. it’s become more of a study/work spot for students. people share tables.

Duha Hmidan

The place is super cool we like it so far I give 4 star because we were craving Kunafa and this was not the same one we used to have in Palestine. I recommend they change the ghee to the organic ( halloub ) every thing else was super good

C Guzman

The food is delishes and that pastries are a must! Coffee could have been a bit stronger. It's a beautiful space and the only thing missing is someone to help with the cleaning. I wanted to pick up s broom and start sweeping. It's also dusty. They are busy i get it. But please work on the cleaning. Other than that it was a fun experience. Easy to find parking and go for a walk afterwards.

Sonia Garcia

i got chicken sandwich and cappuccino. the sandwich was ok, the coffee was good tho. it’s become more of a study/work spot for students. people share tables.

Stephen H

Cute location with indoor and outdoor seating. They have lots of ice cream options. Simple chai and mocha with one person having pastry. Busy with mostly young students and some older patrons mid day crowd. Lucky to get a seat.

Katia Martha

3.5 ⭐️Atmosphere and service are great! Food looked fantastic but the actual taste was less than mid. It’s hard to describe what was bad about it but maybe the bread was part of it, maybe the ingredients weren’t super fresh? Overall it was unsatisfying. I went with my parents and we all agreed we would not come back here for meal food but maybe to try just the treats or just have coffee (I’ll update my review if I come back and try something else). I thought the service was great and really appreciated how the person behind the counter showed me the ingredients label for bread when I asked about my allergy. The atmosphere is also really charming and I love the colors and little lights. There’s indoor and outdoor seating. Definitely can be a good spot to eat and chat with a friend or work on a laptop (wifi is only free for customers- the wifi details are at the bottom of your receipt).