Yali's Cafe

Best coffee!!!

+3

A nice place to grab a quick cup of coffee and snack off of this corner of campus. Good food, tasty coffee. Pleasant staff and atmosphere.

I love coming here to study or have lunch with friends. The owner(Yali) is genuinely a nice person! Their iced coffee and tuna sandwich are my favorites.

this is a great place near the Berkeley campus where many staff go to have meetings and connect with one another in a more informal environment it's good food but a little expensive and the coffee is decent The service is incredibly fast so you can get in and out very quickly without hesitating at all a bit of a lineup at lunch time so show up earlier show up late

Really cute spot with tasty food and drinks. I have been coming here every now and then since I was 6 or so.

The music was a bit loud for my taste, but the drinks were lovely and everything was handled quickly and efficiently.

I love this place, every morning I take my medium caramel mocha ☕️ on my break time.. everything is here is good.. Five ⭐️

5 stars based on coffee - coffee was good. Sat and chatted for more than an hour. Quiet, friendly staff and bright interior.

New item on the menu: Rugelach! Two flavors; Poppy Seed and Apricot I rarely take the time to write reviews, but today felt different… After I had this experience with the rugelach cookies. First, it tastes amazing. A perfect balance of flavor—not too sweet—and just the right size to go with my delicious ☕️ [story] I asked the owner if they’re going to continue selling this pastry, and he said “most likely yes”. I asked why “most likely”, and he said that those pastries are made by a community of Ukrainian refugees—women who fled the war and found safe shelter here in the Bay Area. As long as this horrific war in Ukraine continues, we hope to be able to support them in our own little way… Hey Yali: Keep the rugelach coming! 😃

So good place is relaxing

I tried out many different coffee places and coffee shops around Berkeley, but I can claim that Yali's is my favorite pre-work stop. All my coffees before and sometimes even on coffee breaks, are bought there. There is never a crowd, although the service and the coffee are both great and there is always a cozy place to sit. It’s somehow a surprise, but i like it the way it is because I don’t have to wait for long or wait at all before I get my morning caffeine fix.  All employees are friendly and pleasant and the place is pretty quiet so you can always see people with laptops and books, reading, working or studying. They serve espresso, pastries and bagels - so you have everything you need for a perfect morning or a perfect coffee break. They even have boiled eggs and fruits! My favorite thing is ICE COFFEE they serve - it is simply amazing.

Sasha Zabelin

New item on the menu: Rugelach! Two flavors; Poppy Seed and Apricot I rarely take the time to write reviews, but today felt different… After I had this experience with the rugelach cookies. First, it tastes amazing. A perfect balance of flavor—not too sweet—and just the right size to go with my delicious ☕️ [story] I asked the owner if they’re going to continue selling this pastry, and he said “most likely yes”. I asked why “most likely”, and he said that those pastries are made by a community of Ukrainian refugees—women who fled the war and found safe shelter here in the Bay Area. As long as this horrific war in Ukraine continues, we hope to be able to support them in our own little way… Hey Yali: Keep the rugelach coming! 😃

slowleak

So good place is relaxing

Lilly Peterson

I tried out many different coffee places and coffee shops around Berkeley, but I can claim that Yali's is my favorite pre-work stop. All my coffees before and sometimes even on coffee breaks, are bought there. There is never a crowd, although the service and the coffee are both great and there is always a cozy place to sit. It’s somehow a surprise, but i like it the way it is because I don’t have to wait for long or wait at all before I get my morning caffeine fix.  All employees are friendly and pleasant and the place is pretty quiet so you can always see people with laptops and books, reading, working or studying. They serve espresso, pastries and bagels - so you have everything you need for a perfect morning or a perfect coffee break. They even have boiled eggs and fruits! My favorite thing is ICE COFFEE they serve - it is simply amazing.

Consistent quality and a great place to take a break between classes or do work before the day starts.

Love this place. The food is good and it's a really nice space to be in. Staff are super friendly. The oatmeal isn't overly sweet. The salads are huge and fresh and delicious. Way above average!

Yali's Café is the heart of the campus community. It feels like home. They know your name and your daily order - they care about you, and it means everything :) i love it here!

they always have really great music taste :)

Cafe across from the campus. Lots of seating available and a restroom. Affordable coffee. Free wifi. Friendly staff. What's not to love?

I frequent this coffee shop often and it's quite busy, bustling with students and locals alike. They have a good selection of breakfast and lunch items. The coffee is good, especially my favorite - Mocha Caramel. They often run out of menu items, meaning they're not good at stocking or pre-ordering. Their baked goods are quite yummy. Wi-fi is sometimes spotty, but nice and friendly staff.

This is one of my favorite places to grab a cappuccino and get work done! Especially during the week, Yali's is always packed with academics (but there are is lots of seating), which gives it a lively/productive vibe. If you go here frequently, make sure to ask for a punch card!

Ayal and the catering team were a dream to work with for our event at UC Berkeley. The order was exactly as ordered, on time for both deliveries, and a pleasure to work with, even in the last minutes of getting final numbers together. Highly recommend catering for any event!

Spacious cafe with great staff, outside seating, wifi and real food. What more to ask for?

I love this place. Super great place to work on from your laptop, and the owner and staff are all really nice. It's right next to the science buildings on campus, so you're bound to run into someone who's just made some breakthrough discovery.

Kunga Wilson

Consistent quality and a great place to take a break between classes or do work before the day starts.

Ambra Jacobson

they always have really great music taste :)

Deborah Wilzbach

Yali's Café is the heart of the campus community. It feels like home. They know your name and your daily order - they care about you, and it means everything :) i love it here!

Alison H

Love this place. The food is good and it's a really nice space to be in. Staff are super friendly. The oatmeal isn't overly sweet. The salads are huge and fresh and delicious. Way above average!

Gen Fujioka

Spacious cafe with great staff, outside seating, wifi and real food. What more to ask for?

LB

Cafe across from the campus. Lots of seating available and a restroom. Affordable coffee. Free wifi. Friendly staff. What's not to love?

Kelcy King

Ayal and the catering team were a dream to work with for our event at UC Berkeley. The order was exactly as ordered, on time for both deliveries, and a pleasure to work with, even in the last minutes of getting final numbers together. Highly recommend catering for any event!

Celia Ford

This is one of my favorite places to grab a cappuccino and get work done! Especially during the week, Yali's is always packed with academics (but there are is lots of seating), which gives it a lively/productive vibe. If you go here frequently, make sure to ask for a punch card!

Tasneem Nomanbhai

I frequent this coffee shop often and it's quite busy, bustling with students and locals alike. They have a good selection of breakfast and lunch items. The coffee is good, especially my favorite - Mocha Caramel. They often run out of menu items, meaning they're not good at stocking or pre-ordering. Their baked goods are quite yummy. Wi-fi is sometimes spotty, but nice and friendly staff.

Erin Jarvis

I love this place. Super great place to work on from your laptop, and the owner and staff are all really nice. It's right next to the science buildings on campus, so you're bound to run into someone who's just made some breakthrough discovery.

Many ucb students study here. Free wifi. Good coffee/drinks selection and some grab and go food.

nice local coffee shop right next to campus. food is also pretty good.

A good cappucino is a hit and miss here, it greatly depends on who your barista will be. I ordered a shakshuka here, but was kinda disappointed as it tasted more like tomato paste. Overall this is a quiet place to meet for coffee or get some work done.

First off the have a very good cappuccino, I use that as a test for the people who work the espresso making so many people mess up what should be a simple drink). They have breakfast and lunch foods and it looks like they put care into their food. I'm going to have to come back and try it.

It's good when the food is prepared correctly, but you need to give specific instructions, and sometimes repeat them. Otherwise, the poached eggs can be hit or miss, and sometimes come out overcooked and hard-boiled. Ditto when ordering a toasted bagel - if you want it toasted, you really need to emphasize this, a couple of times, when ordering.

Great catering service; Julian is wonderful. The staff work well together, great communications. The staff greet everyone with a big welcoming smile. Go Bears!

This is a really great place to study and grab some caffeine...however, it can get a bit cramped since it's so close to school. Try the pesto pasta salad!

Quaint little cafe located directly across from the UC Berkeley Science Buildings. Calm, welcome atmosphere with friendly and warm staff. Parking may be difficult to find, but definitely worth the patience. Would come again.

Chef SUV

Quaint little cafe located directly across from the UC Berkeley Science Buildings. Calm, welcome atmosphere with friendly and warm staff. Parking may be difficult to find, but definitely worth the patience. Would come again.

Very good food and coffee (expected great coffee in Berkeley as baseline); very nice people and efficient busy place; nice place to sit but very average ambiance. Would not go out of my way to return but great place across the street from UC Berkeley. Street parking tough and expensive.

They have great vanilla lattes; if you want to stretch your legs on a study break its nice to stroll down here and get a cup. Decent wifi as well. Good ambiance to the place.

Dominic Travis

Very good food and coffee (expected great coffee in Berkeley as baseline); very nice people and efficient busy place; nice place to sit but very average ambiance. Would not go out of my way to return but great place across the street from UC Berkeley. Street parking tough and expensive.

Albert Wu

They have great vanilla lattes; if you want to stretch your legs on a study break its nice to stroll down here and get a cup. Decent wifi as well. Good ambiance to the place.

Super slow wifi. All else good

Cafe well suite situated in front of the university. Normally full. Sandwiches are good!

Decent cafe, but they need to get on top of their details. I'm under a deadline and sleep deprived, but the campus cafe is closed. I opt to take 20 min out of my way for their off-campus venue. I call first, the machine tells me they're open another hour. I arrive, door is open. Neon sign says "open". I walk in, they tell me they're closed. Now I'm down time and energy and still sans caffeine. Four letter word.

Jordan Leigh

Decent cafe, but they need to get on top of their details. I'm under a deadline and sleep deprived, but the campus cafe is closed. I opt to take 20 min out of my way for their off-campus venue. I call first, the machine tells me they're open another hour. I arrive, door is open. Neon sign says "open". I walk in, they tell me they're closed. Now I'm down time and energy and still sans caffeine. Four letter word.

Wish the interior was upgraded. Coffee is standard. Pastries are delicious

The place is good overall, but there is a cashier that is very rude and super stingy with how much coffee he gives. Everyone is fine, but he just doesn't want to be there or doesn't want to talk to you, which is fine, but then he proceeds to give horrible service as well. If I knew when to avoid him, I would. Very irritating when you come for a bit of break from work and he just makes your life harder.

Colin Warnes

The place is good overall, but there is a cashier that is very rude and super stingy with how much coffee he gives. Everyone is fine, but he just doesn't want to be there or doesn't want to talk to you, which is fine, but then he proceeds to give horrible service as well. If I knew when to avoid him, I would. Very irritating when you come for a bit of break from work and he just makes your life harder.

Waited for 20 minutes. Baristas forgot my order until reminded.

The new Lady who makes the sandwich Always Flirting with the co-workers and the clients That's not right and Nasty Me and my family and friends never coming back to this place the lady need to be fire 100 %🤮🤢🤢

WiFi fails....sob sob. Still my grilled chicken sandwich was pretty good. Silverware seemed to need better wash tho.

Minyoung Anna Lim

WiFi fails....sob sob. Still my grilled chicken sandwich was pretty good. Silverware seemed to need better wash tho.

Bad, they forgot my large order (coffee for 15 people) even when I placed it 24 hours ahead of time. I went there right on time to pick it up. The lady there was so rude, didn’t even apologize and just asked me to step off the line to serve other customers without any explanation as to why the order was not ready and ignored me when I asked how long my it will take. Just lost a customer. Bye bye

Lihini

Bad, they forgot my large order (coffee for 15 people) even when I placed it 24 hours ahead of time. I went there right on time to pick it up. The lady there was so rude, didn’t even apologize and just asked me to step off the line to serve other customers without any explanation as to why the order was not ready and ignored me when I asked how long my it will take. Just lost a customer. Bye bye