Espresso Roma Cafe, Berkeley

• At a Glance:

Hours: Mon-Fri 7:00am- 6:00pm; Sat-Sun 7:30am- 6:00pm

Study Worthiness: 2.5/5  Lots of seating outdoors, some indoors, free wifi

Specialty: Monte Bianca (white chocolate mocha), Torani Carmella (like a mocha but with caramel)

For  Snack: Hardboiled eggs, fruit cups!

Website: None

Distance from UC Berkeley: 2.1 miles

• Espresso Roma Cafe is located at 1549 Hopkins Street, Berkeley. It is conveniently located across from Monterey Market, a butcher shop and a cheese and coffee store. I would first and foremost like to comment on the service- the two baristas were absolutely delightful! They were both polite, friendly and helpful. I sampled the Monte Bianca, Lemonade, Mushroom mozzarella panini, a fruit cup and the Apple Croissant. The Monte Bianca, or white mocha, was milky, smooth and sweetened perfectly- neither the sweetness nor the coffee was overwhelming. The lemonade was a bit watery but refreshing and the fruit cup was around two cups of fruit and delicious. The panini came with a side salad that included fresh greens, cucumbers, red peppers and tomatoes. It was delicious and made to order. Finishing with the apple croissant was a nice sweet treat- it was not as flaky as I would have hoped but the sweet apple complimented the pastry well.
• Atmosphere: I went here on a Saturday at about 1:30pm. The crowd was mostly older men and women, but there were some people writing or using laptops. There is a large patio with spots in the sun and also in the shade. It is a beautiful plot, with mature trees providing shade and ambiance.
• For Students: The epic amount of seating is awesome- if you’re looking for a place to sit and write or read or study for a while, you’ll want to check it out!
• Beverages: Espresso Roma Cafe offers coffee, espresso (duh 😉 italian soda, iced tea, Hansen’s soda and lemonade. A unique beverage offering is aguas frescas- ¡delicioso!
• Things to Eat: Being more cafe-like than coffee-shopish, there are a lot of food options that are very moderately priced. Some categories include sandwiches, grilled sandwiches, paninis, pizzas, salads, soups, breakfast, oatmeal and omlettes. Breakfast is served from 7-11am. As far as pastries go, they have cookies, brownies, croissants, coffeecake, scones, pie, cake and fruit. So whether you’re craving something savory or sweet, there is certainly something for you!