Free Speech Movement Cafe

The people working here are friendly, the coffee is okay, the pastries are adequate, but the food they prepare in the kitchen is a problem. About a year ago, they shifted gears on the kind of food they offer, limiting themselves to organic, locally grown, seasonal produce and meat. That’s fine and all, but it pretty much jacked up their prices on everything by about a buck. The seasonal availability thing has wreaked havoc with their menu. It is, right now, a lot smaller than it used to be, plus about four things listed have «not available» signs posted on them.
If that wasn’t bad enough, the menu items are more cause for reflection that enjoyment or satisfaction. If I want art, I’ll go to a museum.
Between the price and the lack of choice, I’d say use this place to get coffee when you have to, and pastries in a pinch, but skip the food.

Tiny quesadillas for $ 8. Meal points not accepted. Lines are big. Apple cloud is delicious.

Okay, I’m giving it two stars only because there is sushi in box that still taste ok.
I’ve tried the quesadillas, the peanut butter noodles and a sort of salad. Everything was eww except the quesadillas maybe.
Peanut butter noodles: I think there was more peanut butter than noodles on that. Just the thought of remembering it disgust me. I had to through them away even though I HATE wasting food.
Salad: there was absolutely no dressing and some leaves were scratchy in the mouth and not tasty at all.
Quesadillas: were okay but not amazing. Just some taco with veggies inside (very little quantity by the way).
I only come here because it’s sunny on the terrace and because it’s not far from my next classroom.
Overall, disappointed.

Cuban sandwich is good! If you need to study come outside where they have more seating and eat some food. Don’t come here for their food though only because your studying and want their food and drinks as a convenience since they’re right by the library. But they’re really good considering that they don’t have to be because they’re right by the main library. I would give 3.5 stars

In the past year, this place changed its entire menu twice and after the most recent change, pretty much everything on the menu is some fennel and squash dish. They got rid of many favorites including their cold sandwiches and most classic salads.
Won’t be coming here for lunch anymore.

FSM! Where do I even begin? The environment, the vibe, the outdoor space, the food — everything about this place makes me smile because it was my go-​to spot while a student at Cal. I’ve written my finest work here with the help of their late business hours, Moroccan mint tea and espresso chocolate brownies. Often a struggle just to find a seat, but it was still a great place to get work done and chill at after a long day. Thanks for all the memories FSM & Moffitt, which is by far the best library ever :)

Avoid this place. The customer service is horrible. The Spanish short cashier with tattoos is just scarily rude. They are insulting and there is no mean of civilization in their behavior toward customers.
Their menu has no variety, and food is crappy and not fresh at all. They overcharge you too for bad quality food and small portions.
Also sometimes they just refuse to give you your food or drink so be aware of the waiting, if it’s too long be prepared for a fight with employees as you need to prove that you have actually paid for their Sh’t and not trying to steal.

NOT open Saturdays or Sundays as advertised when we went there.

They changed their menu!!! They no longer have their Asian Chicken Salad that was very decent. They’ve substituted it with an unhealthy carbo-​loaded and VERY small noodle «salad» with little salad in it!!! So disappointed!

My go-​to Berkeley café for intense work sessions.

I remember my first day of freshman year when I had no idea what the «free speech movement café» was and it took me 15 minutes to find the place – little did I know I would end up spending countless hours here studying! (to be honest I’ve probably spent more time talking that studying here though…) Overall, this place is amazing for catching up with friends, studying (if you’re okay with a slightly noisy environment), and coffee chats. The location is central and convenient.
Timings: During my senior year, I used to come here at 6:30am (as you can guess, it’s super easy to find a seat at this hour), and the workers would be ready to take your order. Obviously, the place gets more crowded as the day goes on, but I’ve found that if you’re here before 10am, you’ll probably get a seat inside. Also, if you come here within 10 minutes of the hour (or 1.5 hours on Tuesday/​Thursday), you can easily hover and grab someone’s seat. But, you’ll probably end up sharing with someone, especially if you have a coveted outlet seat. Also, come here early on Saturdays – FSM usually has a really relaxed vibe for studying.
Coffee: Pretty average. I usually just get their regular coffee, and while it gets the job done, it’s nothing to write home about. In my opinion, the sweeter drinks like the mochas and caramel lattes are too sweet, but I have a pretty low sweet threshold for coffee so keep that in mind.
Food: Again, it’s ok. This place is super convenient, and they serve standard food, like sandwiches and soups, but the portions can be small in comparison to the price. They’re pretty chill if you bring outside food in, so don’t be afraid to bring food from other places.
Recommendations: The expresso brownie (!!!), the vegetarian panini, and studying here during RRR week (its open ²⁴⁄₇)

Oh, no! Not the line!
(Of course, at lunch time)
But the snack is
Surely worth the wait.
Come with a friend,
Then come back again,
Perhaps with your
Awkward first date.
— — — — — — — — -
Their mochas and pastries never disappoint. Also, they have a pretty bomb Turkey & Avocado Panini that comes with a mini salad.
Tons of seating outside so you can sit amongst the chattering students and thinking intellectuals, feeling like you belong, no matter if you don’t even go here.

Best granola! And it comes with a banana.
Very hard to find indoor seating, but there are always more tables outside.

FSM a.k.a Finding Seats is Madness. Seriously. Be prepared to stalk, push, and shove your way to an empty table and then feel like a freakin champion when you snag one. Or just give up and make your way to an equally nice table outside, unless it’s raining.
The squirrels are cute. Until they fearlessly scurry onto your table and shamelessly steal your half-​eaten muffin. I’ve seen it happen, and I swear to God, Berkeley squirrels have gained some kind of human self-​awareness.
Otherwise, this place is awesome as a study place. It’s usually not ridiculously loud, and usually closes pretty late at 2AM. All you need is a large coffee and a panini, and you’re set.
Please tho. Add some more inside tables. I don’t wanna face the squirrels again.

FSM is a nice alternative to the dead-​quiet library, and their food isn’t bad. Their sandwiches are generally yummy and reasonably sized, and I love their big salads! However, the food is a little expensive for a quick bite (although you’re also paying for study space) and there are never enough seats indoors!
My main reason to avoid FSM is definitely their drinks though — which are only average on a good day, and often slightly burnt, watery, or just generally a little off. I’m not a huge coffee drinker, but will order the occasional latte to stay up late. On multiple occasions, my coffee has tasted burnt, although the foam is nice and creamy. Their chai latte tastes like it’s made from a powder or a mix — overly, artificially spicy, and watered down at the same time. Their iced tea isn’t bad (but iced tea is pretty dang hard to mess up), but isn’t anything special (I wish it came with even a slice of lemon or something!)
Don’t be discouraged if there’s a line — it moves fast. That being said, if you aren’t down to wait — you aren’t missing out on much.

I work at Moffitt, so I come here every week during my lunch break. Every single one of their paninis and quesadillas are a delight to eat, but I strongly suggest getting the turkey and avocado panini or black bean and corn quesadilla. The side salads are also a great addition; the dressing is light and the greens taste fresh.
My reason for giving it 4 stars, instead of 5, is that it’s always crowded and they’ve messed up my order several times. Also, their cinnamon roll was probably the most disappointing one I’ve ever tried – dry and flaky in all the wrong ways. Still, it doesn’t stop me from recommending the place to my friends.

Conveniently located next to Moffit, FSM is the place to get your caffeine fix!
Open until 2AM everyday (except Friday/​Saturday), this place is a more relaxed place to drink coffee and study. It’s almost impossible to find a table inside so come earlier in the mornings to snag a seat.
Drinks: I don’t think FSM has the strongest coffee but it does the trick during midterms. Although, for their sugary drinks, I wasn’t impressed when I got a slightly-​warm mocha.
Food: definitely overpriced for the amount given but the sandwiches are pretty decent.

Wow, the white mochas here are bomb, best on campus, and probably just as good as Stradas. Their house coffee is good too, and less than $ 1.50 if you use your own thermos. Also got their California sandwich: tasty focaccia, huge chunks of avocado, creamy chipotle mayo, and a nice kick of pickled onions. It is campus though so it wasn’t all that big and almost $ 7. Delish though! I’ll have to try the espresso brownie and apple cloud sometime.
Overall this is one of my favorite study spots. Open late (2am), huge windows, outdoor seating, clean tables, strong coffee, and scrumptious food. It does get full fast though and it is straight up hunger games in there when a table frees up.

I don’t find a spot to sit here too often, especially after around 9 a.m. But for a café right in the middle of campus, what can I expect?
The turkey avocado panini is fabulous — get it on foccacia! I crave the espresso brownie every week. More like every day. The chocolate bundt cake is also really moist and delightful. The coffee is god awful, but I’m not a coffee person, so I don’t know if my opinion is particularly valid there.
There aren’t too many outlets, so this isn’t the best place to go if your laptop takes longer to charge than it does to discharge. It’s also really noisy during the day, so if you need peace and quiet to study, just walk 500 more feet to go to the VLSB library or East Asian Library or something.

The question is not why I’m giving FSM 4 stars, but who can go to Berkeley and NOT give FSM at least 4 stars.
It’s usually noisy, the tables are not always clean, some futons have the stuffing coming out, only the seats on the periphery have outlets, baked goods/​sandwiches/​wraps are pre-​made and not fresh, the made-​to-​order food is over-​priced, the patio has uncomfortable bolted chairs under a glaring sun or pouring rain, the line sometimes wraps around the corner into the library next door, there are always people smoking in front, and the bathrooms are disgusting.
During dead week and finals week, it’s a chaotic pigsty of panicking, hypercaffeinated undergrads staring at laptops with glazed eyes. Some people appear to be in Facebook coma, spending more time reading their mini-​feed than reviewing lecture notes. The true FSM’ers at heart are those who live there for a few days on end to write that research paper they’ve been procrastinating on, sipping coffee in desperation at 2am. During these 2 weeks, if you’re lucky you might find half a table to share with a stranger.
Why 4 stars then!!! Because it is indispensable to Berkeley student life: non-​expensive and organic fair-​trade coffee, edible food, ESPRESSO BROWNIES, tables and walls of newspaper front pages reminding us of Berkeley’s rich history of activism, the front page of every major newspaper around the world updated daily right outside the café, amazing hours that are godsend to college students but absurd to normal people, located right at the heart of campus. Even if you refuse to study at cafes, there is no denying that FSM is the perfect meeting spot because no one can complain about the location.
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