Brewed Awakening
Category: Coffee & Tea [Edit]
Neighborhood: UC Campus Area1807 Euclid Avenue
(between Hearst Ave & Ridge Rd)
Berkeley, CA 94709 (510) 540-8865
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Wi-Fi: Free
7 reviews
Albany, CA
"I've been spending a lot of time house-hunting in Albany lately, and this café has quickly become a favourite stop. The service is always…" read more »
55 Reviews for Brewed Awakening
Yeah, I'm still trying to give up coffee.
But I needed emergency coffee last Friday (see my review of Triple Rock) and this was on the way back to campus from where I woke up. Even as emergency coffee, it was barely drinkable. The corn muffin was crazy sweet. I did get a nice raisin bran muffin there a few months ago, so two stars.
In the future, I'll probably hit up Cafe Nefeli across the street for my emergency coffee needs.
Very nice calm relaxing coffee joint. Nice service way laided back. Free WiFi
They have Thai iced coffee here. automatic 5 stars bing! bing! bing! jackpot!. If you've never had Thai Iced Coffee. Belly up and get some!
I wish they had more original coffee joints like this in my neck of the woods.
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5 stars for the best Hot Chocolate with Soy Milk around campus.
Not too sweet and minus the unpleasant aftertaste (which is a trademark of Starbuck's hot chocolate). Plus cozy quiet ambiance.
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I have been there a few times-meh. I have a problem paying for a bagel to go and having to put on the butter and jam-that is why I am paying you. So I can walk to work and eat it before I get there. if I wanted to do everything myself I would just do it at home and save my 1.40.
I used to go to Brewed before I discovered the beauty of Nefeli right across the street. Now, even if nefeli has a line, I will stand in that instead of going into Brewed. Nefeli is just that good, and Brewed is just that bad.
The staff is friendly and there is ample space for sitting and studying. They have free wi-fi, so in that respect the shop itself kicks Nefeli to the curb. It's great if you want a place to study and actually get work done.
However, the pastries are dry and the espresso is the worst I've ever had in my life. I will drink starbucks house coffee (hell, I'll drink McDonalds coffee) over the coffee at brewed. The staff is nice, but the manager will become upset easily if you loiter too long in the shop nursing only one cup of their undrinkable coffee. You'd think they would try to be more accommodating if they wanted to keep business around, right?
Suck it up and pay a little extra at Nefeli across the street. It's totally worth it.
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Evaluating a coffee shop is a complex thing. There are the surroundings, the quality of the food and coffee, the cleanliness of the place, the lighting, the area, the music and even the volume of the music. This place doesn't have the best pastries, and they're served on plastic plates. Also, the music is random chamber music. But the coffee is fine as coffee goes, and the atmosphere is great. Long tables with tons of college students, a high ceiling, a cool neighborhood, free wifi and plug-ins for a laptop if you're patient. One of my favorite places in Berkeley.
I have been to brewed a couple of times and have had similar experiences. Everytime I find something else that could be a lot better, but I still marvel when I drown myself in smoothie goodness.
Negatives:
Service is extremely unorganized and confusing. It's a crapshoot on whether you get a nice or rude barista (I've had both). They don't take cards, but do have a crazy atm/withdrawal/register system I have never seen anywhere else before. On the upside, only $1 to withdraw money at their machine. The food I've gotten from the case has been a bit stale. The sandwiches are decent, but still not the best. Go next door to Stuffed for a better sammy fix.
Positives:
SMOOTHIES. Maybe I just like smoothies? I recommend the Berry Rainbow and the Mango Tango. Both are de-lish. The only down side is the limited offerings of supplements. I got excited when I saw coconut as a choice, only to realize that they literally add the flakes and not coconut oil. They don't really serve supplements besides a protein or vitamin C addition, they just label it that way.
I like the atmosphere with the west facing windows and shadey street, large windows and comfortable sofas.
BUT-- I hate it when you serve me iced coffee that is chilled from the previous day's leftovers. YUCK. It's burned and and tastes horrible like it's been heating all day. Iced coffee should be made from the best and freshest coffee because the taste is going to stand out when it's cold.
Really the four stars is all for the atmosphere. The food and drinks are not good at all.
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A great place to walk to for a mid-morning coffee break. Extremely friendly staff (especially compared to the strada attitude baristas)
10 cent discount when you bring your own cup : )
Drinks are meh. Atmosphere is great! I always feel kinda hip and cool whenever I'm in here to study or look like I'm studying. Fair amount of people throughout the day.
They have some really sweet chairs and tables that are great for reading or writing a paper or just taking a backseat to watch people. I recommend taking a window seat during the day to get some great lighting and take in the things happening around the area. The staff is always super friendly too even if the coffee itself isn't great.
Their pastries are pretty standard for the most part, but I highly recommend their plain croissants. I don't know if they make them or buy them from somewhere, but the croissants are just excellently flakey and thick, not doughey or full of air. You can definitely taste all the layers.
Cheap quick place to get a coffee or Americano. The atmosphere inside and outside (couple tables and a bench) is very pleasant. Good place to study or read.
Aw, this place!
The drinks weren't all that great and I absolutely hated the fact that they didn't carry Splenda. But the owners and the folks working behind the counter were the nicest bunch in Berkeley which is why coming to this place would always make my day :D
I don't see where all of the negative reviews are coming from, it's rather perplexing. I used to work at Brewed and can vouch for 2 things, High Quality Standards in everythign from Coffee, to Smoothies, to Pastries and Good Customer Service.
Let's get down to details:
Coffee - Since I have left, the coffe has gone all organic, and all fair trade - not only are they taking the big steps to go green, but their coffee even tastesbetter. I cannot count the times during my training phase that the manager would dump the espresso drink I made and show me the proper way to make it. NOW that is qualilty. We learned the right way to serve drinks.
If you don't like the taste of coffee, don't disrepect the 1000's of customers that pass through their door weekly that swear by it.
Smoothies-
I used to make TONS of these daily - they are almost all fruit unlike Jamba that doctors theirs with sugar loaded sherbets. try the Mango - AWESOME!!!!
Pastries -
Croissants are fresh baked DAILY! Danishes, Muffins, Scones and Bagels are all delivered FRESH DAILY! Anything left over is sold at 1/2 price(day old section).
Wi-Fi -
Free. You create a user and password 1 time...and from then on you are good to go!
Seating -
Huge! Plenty of table top space and a couple SUPER COMFY couches to lounge on.
There are a lot of good cafe's in Berkeley, but being a former employee and life-long customer, Brewed takes the cake.
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Coffee is decent, service is quick and friendly enough. The smoothies are pretty fair. I really don't understand the wi-fi, though. I don't think there should be strings-attached wi-fi so close to campus. I could get Airbears on and off but the service they provide wasn't working well either and required some ads and mumbo jumbo. I prefer Yali's, sadly.
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I'm in here often on the weekends as this is an excellent place to bring the laptop and work. Free internet is available with a short sign up, unlike most Starbucks which requires sign up and paying T-mobile. Not quite perfect as they don't accept any kinds of cards - they have an ATM type machine with a $1.50 withdrawl fee (I really hate those fees). Good coffee, low-key crowd, good for working.
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My friend spent a lot of time here as a student, apparently, but I had never been much of a Northside girl until she brought me here recently.
It's cozy and the coffee is good. Plus the vibe is just different than Telegraph craziness. Not bad.
As anyone will probably tell you, if they know me well, they know I like Peet's coffee. No, love it. Which is sort of a disclaimer I feel the need to put at the beginning of this review.
All that said, you're probably wondering why I would even bother going to Brewed Awakening at all if I like Peet's so much. Well, it's on northside, I'm on northside.
But do not be misled when I say that. The coffee is weak, but just what a body needs in terms of hot warm buckets of goodness when you only have a few dollars in your wallet.
Always very crowded, and very hard to ever find a seat.
All in all, a very nice little coffee shop, cheap, but not cheap tasting. Well worth dropping in.
Should have left it at "Rude"!
To break it down:
Drinks - 2 (I can make better coffee at home for free)
Location - 5
Seating - 5 (Plenty of room to study, plus free wifi for customers)
Staff - 1 (I dunno who was working when the rest of you went there, but the times that I have gone, I received no welcome, no come again, no eye contact, nothing. Only, "single or double?", and "5 dollars, however much change")
The Professor makes a mean coffee. And the owners are great people. I don't spend much time inside, but that's just because my office is right around the corner. Although I'm more likely to see colleagues here than in my office, so maybe I should spend more time...
In a nutshell: The coffee is good, prices eh, the wraps and croissants are okay, but the male baristas like to make sexist comments towards female patrons (and to the female baristas, too). I used to study at Brewed all the time because Airbears wi-fi worked here but after one too many crude comments when I picked up my coffee I'm unfortunately ditching this joint.
I live right near by and so i head down to Brewed frequently. I love that it is my local joint; however, it does have its downsides.
Thoughts...
- it's pretty much always swamped unless it is early in the a.m.
- stiffling HOT in the summer, freezing in the winter
- coffee is not really that super
- sometimes outlets are lacking
- sometimes pastries are a bit dry
Other than that, it's great!
BOYCOTT BREWED AWAKENING!!!
I liked this place... until I just got kicked out by the owner... what was I doing you ask? Was I throwing things? no. Was I being loud and obnoxious? no... I was just sitting. Apparently its required that you make a purchase the second you come in EVERY time you come in. I come from a tradition of coffee shops where you can walk in, begin to study, and you'll buy something eventually, when you are ready. Apparently the fact that I haven't bought anything after being in there for 15 minutes allows them to kick me out... fucking asshole owner. A good place if you buy something every time, right when you get there I suppose. However, now that I have been shamed and thrown out, I shant be returning.
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Maybe I'm biased by the fact that I'm sitting in Brewed, right now, sipping my third house cup (which was free because theyre homeboys and they know I sit here every day), but this place is the best coffee shop in berkeley. They have couches, plenty of outlets, lunch options, cute girls and shelter from the storm.
If they had ice cream, like nafali across the street, i dont think id ever leave.
boycott schmoycott. buy something, cheap ass.
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I love this place. The coffee is good, the carrot smart muffins are good as well (if you feel like being healthy), and the pumpkin spice muffins rule according to my boyfriend. Bring your laptop and some headphones. It is a great place to get some work done. When you aren't working you can look at the interesting mural that spans the whole wall.
Their croissants, contrary to some irresponsible claims, are not the best in town, their coffee is boring, the hot chocolate tastes powdered, and the sitting area is always stinking hot. All transgressions, however, are overruled at first sip of their wonderful, foamy, sweet, creamy-dreamy orange juice, which is freshly squeezed to order. It's a refreshing treat at any time of day, for any season; also serves as great bribing leverage for when you want your boyfriend to perform menial tasks for you. But really, that's about it for this cafe. Walk over to Nefeli for better coffee and a decent lunch.
Fantastic coffee, and better yet, free wifi!
This place is so great I sometimes drive through the tunnel to come and get work done.
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Great study cafe but pretty cramped when school's in.
But the barista always makes a smiley face in my latte so te amo
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Decent place to study but the coffee is sub-par. The free wi-fi is nice but unless you need it, there are much better places a stone's throw away.
I've been coming to this place for almost 8 years now and they probably have a good 20% of my student loan money. Coffee is good, ambiance is good, although a bit crowded at peak times. This is really the best place to study on the Northside, particularly in light of the free WiFi. I do have to comment on the service however--over the years, I'd say that the service has gone downhill by quite a lot. There now seems to be less involvement by the owners and consequently (I guess) the servers seem to be much less interested in communicating and in customer service in general. Particularly here's one barrista there now that seems to be on permanent hiatus from treating people as customers who pay his salary (or as ordinary human beings for that matter) . The opening of a second register to respond to crowds has always been confusing, disorganized and inefficient. This place is a nice hangout with lots of potential to be something truly great.
Brewed Awakening has good coffee, but that's not the point.
The place has, for lack of better words, incredible utility.
It's a good place to study, if you like being surrounded by people who are either studying or talking about something academic. The music is usually set to something soothing, and if the chatter gets to be too much, you can easily drown it out with headphones--which many people do. The bent here is decidedly Northside-ish, which means you'll find local celebrities from Evans to Etcheverry.
Computing is ridiculously easy. There are tons of outlets near the walls, and I have always been able to snag a charging position if necessary. You have the choice of three wireless networks: students will probably prefer AirBears, but anyone else can use the SurfAndSip and SurfAndSipOld network. You might have to register for the latter two but DONT PAY. Years ago, there was a subscription required, but all you need now is a free login that you can get by just opening up your web browser and navigating around. you eecs people have excellent network access too, but you knew that already.
This is also a good place to meet up with friends. The large tables often have people coming and going, which means that a party of two will almost always find a place to chat. In addition, if your friend doesn't like coffee, smoothies are available for below-average prices and taste pretty good. There's also a selection of pastries, though the way to go is with a bagel and cream cheese. By the way, if you're into cheap lunches, the bagel and cream cheese will only set you back $2 and is a decent filler.
Staff is almost universally friendly. Sam and (I believe) his wife seem to own the place, and the heavy-set barista is also a mainstay. People who do mostly cashiering (esp in the afternoons/weekends) tend to be student-types who churn, but have always been friendly to me. I usually don't tip, but BA is one of the places where I'm happy to.
street parking is pretty terrible during school peak-times, reasonable on weekends. they don't take credit cards or debit, but there is a funky atm machine that will overcharge you by a lot. just bring cash and make your life easier. they also have these pre-paid card things that allow you to get 11 drinks for the price of 10. if nothing else, it'll save you from having a bunch of change each day. also, there are usually coupons in both that campus map tearout thing that they give to freshmen and the Guide to the Good Life at Berkeley.
So, in summary, Brewed Awakening is a fantastic place to:
-study somewhere, with drinks or if you just want library-lite
-meet up with project group-mates
-meet up with a professor/gsi
-use wireless internet, or just fuck around on your computer
-get a smoothie on northside
-score a cheap lunch
-see local math/science/engineering celebrities :)
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COOL AND CONVENIENT MAKES GOOD COFFEE GREAT
There is no such thing as amazing coffee. Don't get me wrong - I love the stuff - but seriously, it only has two ingredients. So in my book there are two kinds: good enough coffee and shitty coffee.
Fortunately Brewed Awakening has good enough coffee (fortunately because I'm drinking it right now), and that's the first distinction I make in judging a cafe. But since there are many places that have good enough coffee, they have to distinguish themselves through other details.
So what does Brewed Awakening have going for them? Well they make smoothies, for one. They're also close enough to campus that you can use the UC wireless network for free, so that when you bring your laptop here to write a paper you can procrastinate by writing a Yelp review for them.
But the real point of distinction, and the biggest prompt for me to write a review, is the fact that when you get your coffee "for here," they give it to you in a mug. A standard ceramic coffee mug, just like they used to drink from in the old days.
Every single coffee shop on south side (of Berkeley) insists on serving coffee in a pint glass. Those are for beer, you idiots.
Minus one star, though, for being cash only, and for closing as early as 7 - meaning that in one hour I have to go home where I'm even less likely to finish my paper.
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One of my favorite cafes in Berkeley... great to study in or to just grab a quick cup of coffee. The lattes are great and have delicious foam! I've never had any of the food or pastries there, but they look pretty good. The ambiance is quite Berkeley-esque and sometimes the crowd bit older than some of the Southside cafes, so it's not filled with sorority sisters or water polo players (not that I have anything against them...).
Also, there's a cute guy that works there. It'd be nice if I got up the courage to talk to him... maybe I'd get free coffee. ;)
One of my friends used to manage this place so I dropped in quite a bit when in the area. In proximity of Soda Hall where all my CS friends were also made it very convenient. Pretty large space and quiet because of the northgate locale. Be nice if it was open later then you could go chill after a show at the Greek.
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I came here after class in Soda Hall often, and before class in the mornings when I needed the caffeine, and man do you get caffeine. The coffee was extremely strong, I usually got a single cappuccino. It was pretty darn good, but not the best. Very cheap though, just $1.75 for the single cap, what you pay $2.50 for at the green guys, and at least B.A. knows how to get the foam right.
It was decent while it lasted anyway. They recently got a new espresso machine, and it's just not the same... you might like it better if you hated it before! I don't like it so much, but that's just me.
The environment inside (and outside) also makes it very nice, there's always lots of studious (or not) people filling all the tables with laptops and books. Very university feeling. I only studied in there once, never was my kind of thing to do, but it was nice to sit and a good place to work. It feels like you're getting smarter just being in there. Outside is quiet and quaint Euclid avenue, a very peaceful street that's nice to walk down.
They do take cards, but there's either a small surcharge or a minimum order, I forget which. They'll also give cash back, albeit with a fee. Still useful, as there are few ATM's in this area.
All in all, I like this place. I miss it, and that says enough.
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Woaaaahhh... Flashback.
I just came across Daniel A.'s review of Brewed Awakening and my brain started to pulsate, kind of the way my brain used to pulsate when I used to crash parties at Cloyne in the early 90s.
I don't have much to say about Brewed Awakening, other than the fact that it's an institution that's been there for several decades and always served up great coffee to students with classes on the Northside.
Ok...ok... snap back to reality Dave.
Pros:
-very friendly staff & owners
-quick and reasonably priced
-studenty crowd... oriented toward studying
Cons:
-people rave about the atmosphere... but it is physically disapointing imho... despite the student crowd, the place is way too open and sparse. It's just one big square room with tables which are packed in next to one another, so it lacks that "intimate" feeling that I tend to want in a coffee shop (I prefer to utilize coffee shops for conversation rather than studying, so there's a possible reason for you)
Mainstay cafe of north Berkeley campus. Good coffee, cool staff, and a lot of laptops lined up side by side. Only cafe I can think of that gives you free bottled water (from the big water cooler) and there's free wifi. Just loses a point for the over-laptopped crowd of engineers camped out, coding for 4 hr.
Good espresso, but only a few seats outside. This place is run by the quickest barista I've ever seen. If he's behind the espresso machine you won't have to wait.
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"This is the most intellectual coffee shop that I've ever been to", said my friend and I agree. There's a good mix of people reading books, typing away on laptops, and writing in their notebooks (with a pen). Sometimes I feel awkward going to a coffee shop without a laptop but not at this one! There's a lot of random stuff on the wall to help satisfy my ADD when I don't want to work. Good place to get your coffee fix or if you're looking for some granola, cereal, and milk...they sell it!
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Five stars for the coffee and for letting me work on my laptop all morning. Minus several millions for the clumsy patrons. If I had a dime for every sleepy undercaffeinated undergrad who spilled coffee on my papers. The worst though-- was the time one particular hipster pulled out my laptop charger cord -- he wasn't watching where he was going, chatting too loudly to his buddy about how he was gonna give this place a glowing review online-- he trips, yanks the cord out of my brand new laptop. Of course, I went ballistic. Apologies and "it was an accident" doesn't get the cappucino out of the keyboard, "dude." And the MacArthur Foundation, despite what they say about spending the dough however I want, doesn't take kindly to monthly purchases of laptops. And don't get me started on the audit trail for NIH grants....
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