The Coffee Lab

This is the coffee place with the warmest staff ever ! They wake you up almost as much as their coffee. Very affordable !

Had an excellent cruller here along with a cup of coffee. Very affordable, and one of the only places I’ve found crullers in the Berkeley area. The staff are all great — incredibly friendly, cheerful people who know how to make your morning.

Lovely tiny café tucked in the courtyard below the Chemistry library at Hildebrand.
The café’s Chai latte is my personal favorite out of the many cafes I have gone to in Berkeley and all over the Bay Area. They use real brewed Chai, which has full cardamon seeds in it, instead of the Chai latte powder mix most café’s use (with the exception of Elmwood Café and Nabolom Bakery near Rockridge).
Their espresso drinks are all solid and very affordable. I have not tried their hot chocolate personally, but my roommate (who frequently orders hot chocolate at cafes) states that their hot chocolate is her favorite.
Their pastries are all decent and they have a good selection for a shop the size of a large closet.
The only item I am not crazy about is their smoked salmon smear bagel, which may have been more salmon flavored cream cheese than bagel (not my thing personally, but I can see how that could be appealing for some).
Price wise all their items are very affordable and they have some of the lowest pricing for a number of items I have seen anywhere, especially for their quality of product.
The staff are super friendly and fast. They don’t make you feel rushed when ordering and often chat with customers.
Overall, this is a really great café. Highly recommend if you are in the area.

Our office does like a daily trek out to the Coffee Lab, the staff is super friendly and maybe it’s because we visit so often, but he remembers like everyone’s orders. The food is cheap and fresh, it’s quite literally a hole in the wall coffee shop, pretty decent selection given the size of the place. Only downsides are that they take cash only and there’s no toaster for a bagel.

Everything here is cheaper than any other café I’ve been to around campus and the people who work here are so kind and friendly– I love getting a cup of coffee (or a doughnut for $ 1) before class. Definitely recommend

Very convenient location when heading to the chemistry buildings! Friendly staff and excellent prices, only thing is that they only take cash, however, the $ 2 lattes certainly make up for it

Their coffee is better than Yali’s. Their prices are excellent. I don’t normally get their food, but from my experience it’s alright, not great. Excellent place for a quick cup of coffee. And very convenient for anyone working in the chem buildings.

The couple who works there are the two nicest people alive. The bread goods all arrive fresh made in the morning and their 2 $ latte is excellent!

good food, good coffee, my chai latte was way too sweet though

I love this place with my whole heart. Been going here since freshman to the point where they already know what I want to order. The guy that works here makes my day and they are just overall wonderful, friendly people. I can’t thank this place enough for getting me through those tough classes and struggles at Cal.

This place is convenient, especially on this side of campus when food and beverage options are slightly harder to reach. They are located just below the main chemistry courtyard, and may be an easy place to miss if you are unfamiliar with locations on the UC Berkeley campus.
I like coming here, especially to buy bottled water or other refreshments when I don’t feel like going to Yalis or other nearby places. The best part about coming here is that the lines are usually short, and so making a purchase is quick and simple for me most of the time.
They sell your standard coffee as well as a selection of bottled and canned beverages of your choosing. They also sell some pastries and snack items as well.

I am not a coffee drinker, however The Coffee Lab has the BEST HOT CHOCOLATE EVER! I was visiting my sisters for the weekend, and had to kill and hour Friday morning before the library opened up. Luckily, my sister recommended I try the coffee lab for a yummy mocha to keep me warm. I walked up to the window, and the barista was so nice, helpful, funny, and an all around awesome guy. He asked me questions and talked to me while making my hot chocolate. When he heard I was from out if state, he tried to help me out by telling me where I could go to sit inside on the cold morning. After ordering my medium hot chocolate, he generously upsized my order and have me a large for the same price. I sat down at the table outside and my taste buds went to heaven. It was the perfect temperature, thick, and chocolate, obviously not from a powder mix. About 10 minutes later he came out and said I looked cold (it was chilly for an Arizona student!) and have me a free delicious doughnut! I think that what makes the coffee bar so special is the people, and having this be my first experience on the campus was definitely a positive one. If you have the chance, definitely check it out!

So I have to star this review by saying that I love all 3 of the people that work here. There are two incredibly friendly Brazilian women that love helping me practice my Portuguese (which basically suffices to order coffee, say I’m hungry and/​or tired, and not much else). There’s also another guy there who’s also very friendly, always has a story about his girlfriend keeping him in line, and tells me «not to work too hard.» Something’s nice about this kind of coffee ritual.
Ok, so here’s the deal: the coffee costs $ 1 if you bring your own mug. Do I really need to say more. It’s not Folger’s and it’s not Blue Bottle, but somewhere in between. I recommend going in the morning, when they do a ton of business, and then the coffee is always fresh. The bagels are also pretty good. I’ve never tried any of their other food, but my coworkers like it.
It’s totally hidden in the courtyard between Tan and HIldebrandt. Unilocal has it’s location wrong, so make sure you find it! Just remember that thank you is «Obrigado» in Portuguese.

YAY! This literal hole-​in-​the-​wall under the chem library is the only reason I faithfully trudged over to my 8am rhetoric class every week, freshman year. I would wake up and think «I might just kill myself today if we discuss Roland Barthe again,» but then I would remember «Heyy, if I go to class, I can get myself a baguette at The Coffee Lab along the way!» That, and the fact that The Coffee Lab is only open ’til 3pm (making afternoon class walk-​bys impossible) earned me a solid B at the end of the semester. (Can’t ask for miracles…)
What is magical though, is the cucumber, tomato & cream cheese baguette. Coffee Lab has the best, most fresh baguettes, enveloping cool & crunchy slices of tomato and cucumber, all wrapped in paper and toasted to (dare I say it?) perfection
I’ve only had the coffee once, and it sucked, viz: Was unapologetically burnt, as all campus coffee seems to be. Maybe the Coffee Lab has turned a new leaf since then, as the review below would suggest. But that’s irrelevant.
Bottom Line: Who needs a new (and superfluous) campus Subway?

Thought I start out with basics. For better or worse this is the closest establishment to where I spend way too much time that provides the necessities — caffeine and sugar. As I work both early and late the hours are definitely limiting. It would also be nice of the coffee was a bit less bitter. However, now that the undergrads are back the line is nice and short in comparison to the B-​school and Yali’s. Most importantly the staff are great and they keep the undergrads from stealing the seminar coffee and donuts!

Coffee without the pretentious atmosphere. The coffee here is the cheapest on or around campus. Bring your own cup and the coffee is a mere buck. With a selection of donuts and bagels as well as a variety of espresso drinks, The Coffee Lab is an awesome place with a chill vibe and friendly workers.

Thank goodness this is on my way to all my classes at Haas. Jimmy Fifo’s idea of coffee is rather poor. The Coffee Lab is where you should get coffee in this area of the campus. Even FSM’s coffee (which is always quite burnt, unusually smoky, and incredibly «runs”-inducing) can’t beat this place.
I come in here in the morning to be able to endure my lengthy day of classes. I don’t know how they make coffee, but they’re doing it right. The 2 people who are always here are very nice. What keeps me coming back is the coffee quality. It’s bold, smooth, and rich (maybe ¾ of the quality of coffee godsend, Blue Bottle Coffee). I’m picky when it comes to coffee; the Coffee Lab does it right. I usually get a regular coffee or a latte. The lattes are amazing. It’s sad that this place doesn’t have as long as a line as FSM. Those FSMers don’t know what they’re missing.

The coffee is foul swill, especially towards closing time at *3:00 PM* employees are nice, though, so 2 stars. Pay extra for ice? Maybe you could drop a few bucks on an icemaker. Worst of all, however, is the lady guarding the pre-​seminar donuts and coffee like a hawk, if you have something, and take a step in any direction but towards the seminar, her sonic assult will teach you a new definition of the word «pain».
Finally — the department isnt paying you to feed us PB&J on stale government bread, I see those donuts you have stashed back there.

A nice quaint place in the middle of the Chemistry plaza on the Berkeley campus!
After seeing the inflation that Cal Dining did by raising the price of everything, this place is actually pretty cheap.
The people that work here are really nice, and they usually have only a short line usually.

This place happens to be in the center of all my classes. It is hidden in Hilderbrand Hall so I’ll bet you couldn’t find it if you want to — which I may add is a plus for me. The folks in charge are the HAPPIEST FRIENDLIEST people I have seen. Coffee sucks. Everything else is cool. THE PASTRIES ARE DELISH: go for the pumpkin muffin or the cinnamon bun. Since this place is so small, taxes don’t apply. I love paying EXACTLY one dollar for water or two dollars for a donut. Screw you Starbucks for charging me $ 3.04 for a late that other day.
Bummers: Doesn’t take credit cards /​Limited seating (outdoor).