Caffe Mediterraneum

That veggie omelette filled the void, highly recommend. The book selections are cool on the upstairs seating area along with all of the historic photos of people at the place for the last 50 years! I’m also 99% sure this is where they filmed The Graduate, too.

Really good customer service and the mudslide is soooooo good. they looked understaffed but we still didnt have to wait that long which was good. i would highly recommend this place

Saturday, 3:00 PM.
Quickie:
* Drink quality
+ Friendly staff
— Hygiene
— Slow wi-​fi
+ Turnaround
+ Spacious
+ Low key vibe
And then???
Caffe Mediterraneum is an eccentric shop and its patrons reflect that aura. Despite the slow wi-​fi, it’s still a good place to get work done (enough background noise and the variety on the menu).
**********
Constructive comment:
*Step up the cleanliness
*Source ingredients
*Option to compost

I feel almost guilty going to Caffe Mediterraneum as an adult. Walking in without my Papa Bear, the first (and only) person to introduce me to this eclectic coffee shop as a kid, feels like I’m cheating on my first love. But I’m a big kid now, and I order an Americano and tiptoe up to the second level just in case he happens to walk by and catch me in all my charlatan glory. Upstairs, the bookshelves and clusters of tiny tables offer the perfect refuge for students and artists and whoever else stumbles in looking for a tantalizing sandwich or plate of brunch bites or, as they are quite well known for, a cup of decadent or hard-​hitting caffeine.
Upstairs isn’t the only place to surrender to the tender boughs of relaxation (or absolute insanity, if you’re cramming for finals or just a crazy lil’ writer, like myself). There is plenty of seating downstairs too, giving you plenty of choices. And you know I love choices, even if my indecisiveness prevents me from actually choosing. I’m pretty sure my dad will forgive me for hitting our old spot without him (since I’m his darling forever and our love is so ridic sometimes I think he’d find a way to forgive me for murder if he had to). But there is no way I can forgive Mediterraneum for their disgusting bathroom. I know they get a lot of business, but damn.

Americano is medium Brewed. Nice and spacious place for work and study. Also many dessert and bakery options.

Yay, Chromatic beans! Better espresso than Strada, if you ask me. The only thing I’d change is the lighting (it’s dim) and seating (foldable chairs?)

Best latte I’ve had in a while. They use chromatic coffee beans. Very smooth, balanced, and almost sweet tasting (with no sugar added).
Plentiful outlets and decent wifi speeds at 3.62 mbps down /​0.12 mbps up.
Only reason it’s not five stars is cuz the place leaves me feeling sticky all over and the bathroom is a bit janky.

Caffe Mediterraneum is somehow really cool and has a big selection of good food, coffee drinks, and they have beer! It’s also in a great location. But it’s pretty dirty. The whole place is dirty and grimy, but the bathroom is third-​world bus station all the way. I’m not even a person who gets all crazy about cleanliness and I was still bummed out. I actually think the health department should be taking action on this. Come to think of it, lots of places in Berkeley are grimy. Maybe the health department in the city or county is not so diligent.

4 stars for the mud slide. It’s a regular café with patrons who sit there for hours playing and reading newspapers. Minus two stars for no AC and less than average pastries.

I really enjoy this café — mostly because of the positive energy and how welcoming each person is that I encounter. They have a pretty decent drink and food menu with two levels of modest seating (get the egg sandwich!) and a good amount of outlets upstairs if you need it. The tables and floors arent the cleanest but this café is also super unpretentious and least classist I’ve been in since arriving in Berkeley. You’ll have students, older folk and everyone in between existing in this space. The first time I got breakfast here, my total came to $ 7.77 and I’m convinced that I was blessed via iced coffee and an egg and cheddar on wheat. Lowkey, I think Caffe Mediterraneum is magic.

I was thirsty so decided to grab a cold drink here, i ordered the combo smoothies and i really like it. my friends also ordered Vietnamese ice coffee which was really good as well, apart from messy restroom i liked this place and i will come back for sure! other interesting thing about this place is it seems a lot cheaper than many coffees in Berkeley.

The espresso was very sour and watery and my croissant was hard and stale, not flakey.

5 stars for the coffee and hours. I know I have a place at midnight on Telegraph. I still need to adventure out onto the food menu. (Which I’m sure I won’t be disappointed. The servings look really big.)
It’s a big place. Lots of tables. And even when it’s packed, the sounds are as a small corner café.
Wonderful service every time.

I ordered the chai latte, which was one of the best chai lattes I have ever had. It wasn’t too sweet like many of the coffee shops around here that use syrup. It is also slightly spicy. Then I proceeded to try the rooibos tea. This place gives you a teapot for your tea for 3 dollars, which is pretty nice. Overall, glad I found this gem!

I feel at home here. That’s not what I expected, given the the Med’s impressive pedigree (The Graduate, 1960’s intellectuals and activists, secret rotating bookshelf door, invention of the latte.. .). The vibe honestly has to be the least pretentious I’ve encountered in a Bay Area coffee shop, while the hot chocolate was easily the best.
Actually, the hot chocolate deserves its own paragraph. It was not overly sweet (a tragically common failing), and it had a deep, satisfying, nuanced chocolate flavor. This is not Swiss Miss. It came with a latte art top, and the barista asked us if we wanted whipped cream.
The whipped cream gets its own paragraph too. The barista brought out a stainless steel rechargeable dispenser – the kind you see at parties. This was not whatever «dairy topping» comes out of disposable cans. It was real, fresh cream whipped on the premises.
Finally, the people. Being here, especially on the second floor late at night, feels like being backstage at some «People of Berkeley» show. The guy who plays banjo at the Ashby BART station was there. There were characters from all over town.
Is the second floor linoleum a little dirty? Yes. But come on, at this point we’ve all heard of the hygiene hypothesis. And great things happen in life when you focus on what matters and let go of what doesn’t.
High quality, low marketing. All for $ 2.75.
Visit this gem while you can: it’s a dying breed. I have a personal fear that one day, the building will be home to a Panera or something.

Pretty chill coffee shop close to UC Berk
Lots of room inside (2 stories), with students and adults alike sitting there with books, laptops etc, some studying, some chilling. Lots of options in terms of menu and drinks (wine, beer, hot/​cold coffee, soda etc). The place has a grimy feel, similar to coffee places in the mission – you can really see the age of the place in the walls. The owner is pretty friendly – generally has a upbeat attitude. The chairs and tables feel small, but is good enough for use. The wifi is also pretty good.
In general, an ok place to get some coffee and have a quick sit.

This is my favorite café in Berkeley. The food is good, the drink is good, it’s always an ecclectic mix of people, and it’s a great atmosphere for studying, reading, and people watching!
They have breakfast. They have brunch. They have lunch. They have mexican breakfast and they have mexican lunch. They also invented the latte! I really do feel honored and invigorated to be able to perch myself over such an establishment. Did you hear that they have dancing? I think so, on Saturday nights!
The music is always smooth and easy. It makes you feel like you are in a far away land, full of spectacular whatever. There are posters on the wall that are informative towards local splendor. I think the guy that owns the place has a twin, they both like me. They can like you too! Not in the facebook way though, these guys are not all about social media. Its all old fashioned in the Café Med.
Oh, and they use 2-​ply!

Came here on my lunch break today. This place is pretty chill, good cozy atmosphere. I knocked 1 star down cuz of a fly that kept coming by food while I was trying to eat it. & another start cuz the restroom kinda sucks. Otherwise the food is pretty tasty! I had the Med Turkey Panini.

Café Med serves delicious all day breakfast and drinks, and it’s probably the coziest café in Berkeley. But sometimes that’s not always a good thing.
But first, we’ll start with drinks and food. Their espresso drinks (I’ve gotten almost all of them) are all ⁵⁄₅ and their hot teas come in really adorable chrome pots, which means they actually seep real tea leaves instead of just dunking in a tea bag. This is good!
But get your drink and turn around, and this is where the not-​so-​good comes in. The café itself doesn’t feel very tidy, and the furniture and décor aren’t really in the greatest shape. But… tradeoffs. The menu is really, really cheap and in the end, it’s worth it.
The vintagey vibes from this café are quite endearing. Just don’t go at odd hours because there will definitely be one or two strangers who may pester you! Definitely had that happen to me a couple times.

4 stars because it’s cheap and good.
I love the fact that this café has been around since the ‘50s. The inside reminds me of those old school 24 hours diners where people start and end their days. I came here earlier today for their breakfast menu. I will probably come back because this place is so cheap for its decently sized portions. Here’s what I got:
–Roma Breakfast Plate
This comes with 2 slices of French Toast (split in halves), eggs, and your choice of meat. For only around $ 8, it is worth every bang for your buck. If you’re craving something salty and sweet, I recommend this classic meal. It’s not the best meal you’ve had, but it’s enough to satisfy your tastebuds with a friend.
–Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
I saw the cashier actually hand squeeze fresh oranges. This was delicious. I would suggest getting this if you’re here for breakfast. It’s sweet and tangy enough to complement your breakfast.
I went around 11 in the morning, and it was pretty hot inside! I believe there isn’t any formal air conditioning system inside. The service was quick. A very casual business. I see the same waiter almost every time I’ve passed by, this guy with a rad afro. Anyways, I don’t really have any complaints about the place considering it’s pretty cheap. I come here pretty often to get some coffee and do some homework before my evening classes. I definitely recommend coming here, just come here with an open mind and don’t be afraid of the characters usually lurking outside the business. They usually don’t bother you.