Waterside Cafe

You will notice all of the photos are of the fabulous view, not of the actual café or location. I agree the view is great and they don’t seem to mind if you loiter, but the actual café reminds me a lot of the «snack shacks» from when I played t-​ball. It is a square shack staffed with teenagers who this might be their first job ever. They really only have sweet treats like muffins that came packaged from Costco and their coffee is really pretty poor. You won’t find any food if you are actually hungry. Seating is beautiful but unless you’re the lucky ducky who gets the Adirondack chair you are stuck with a shaky picnic table in the dirt. If they happen to be open next time I am nearby I will snap some photos for the Unilocalisphere so you can see its not really a CAFE.

There is not a better place in the Bay Area to enjoy a cup of coffee. This place is such a hidden treasure. After a quick lunch at nearby Viks we decided so stop in for a cup of coffee and take in the views. There is just something very serene about the whole environment. Friendly people, water front views, clean and you can even rent a boat!
We ended up buying a rehabbed bicycle from their onsite bicycle repair shop for my son who rode it around their courtyard while we chatted it up with Amber (Who manages the place)
All of this and they support our local youth through some amazing programs which teaches them to build boats and repair bicycles!

After a quick sailboat jaunt, we decided to check out Waterside Café for some decent refreshments.
Their chai was fairly good but coffee was just okay. The café has a decent location (away from most things, quiet, scenic) although the freeway detracts a bit. We love that it supports local youth and will drop by again when we’re in the area.

This place is fantastic. I was not expecting the cup of joy that I received. I ordered a chai latte and a banana bran muffin. To my ultimate surprise after I had walked away the muffin was home baked with all kinds of lovely banana and walnut chunks. The chai was the perfect temperature, and my day a whole lot better. What a location too, it is off the beaten path and for those who want a special moment over a brand muffin, this is the place to come. Two thumbs up and a big smile.

This spot is wonderful– especially if you ride your bike. Easy access off the bay trail and has a small bike shop/​work station right there. Bikes and beans just go together, so it all makes sense that they have a coffee shop attached. The shop is run by trained youth, which in my opinion is pretty rad. The location makes you feel detached from the city. It feels like you are on the back road at a small town reservoir. This is a fun place to get a cup of Joe and a small snack. Dont expect too much out of the place because the menu is limited and the hours are fickle. There is no indoor seating, so only venture out when you want to bask in the sun and watch the birds flying around.

Perfect location, perfect cup of coffee.
Last visit to aquatic park came with a caffeine withdrawal headache. Initially I contemplated a trip to 4^th st, so glad that I opted to tough it out and stumbled upon waterside café.
The menu is limited but extremely well thought out. Homemade cinnamon rolls and bran muffins were advertised with the long list of typical café drinks. I got a soy mocha and LOVED it. Well made. The best part afterwards was lounging around the outdoor seating enjoying the warm sunny day.
I definitely plan on continuing my support for this local gem.
(cash or check only!)

I love coming here to drink good quality coffee, sit by the water in a comfortable chair and read. It is right on the water, and I unfailingly see lots of waterfowl playing in the water. On a sunny day, this place is awesome. The young people that work here are extremely friendly. Come here instead of going to a chain. They appreciate you.

Likeable.
Reality at this little spot takes on a slow, small-​town, other-​wordly quality. Arrive on a bicycle, roll right up to the barista at the window (next to the flowering artichoke plant: it looks interesting!). Order something nice: an americano is good here. So is the brewed coffee. Maybe they can pour it into the travel mug that is attached to the bicycle bags. Take the refreshing beverage over to the waterfront and sit down and chill for a bit.
It’s nice to support the mission of this place. They have good intentions.
But posh it isn’t. The place has increasingly flaky operating hours. The picnic table isn’t level, so when my friend placed the $ 3.00 hot chocolate on the table and I sat down on the bench, the hot chocolate toppled over and he ended up with a $ 6.00 hot chocolate (and I had to remind the barista to apply the bicycling discount. I didn’t press the issue, but really, I would have hoped they would have replaced the hot chocolate that their table toppled, but the moral is, don’t assume and also, just ask for what you need (the bicycle discount, for example). They’ll go along with it. It’s easy-​going down at the Waterside Café.

nice place overlooking and by the water at the park… would go there more often but i seen the rats in the morning before 7am playing around the place…
have second thoughts now….

Excellent mocha! Nice to sit by the water and gaze at the highway.

What an awesome hidden gem. I’m writing this as I sit in a weathered adirondack chair and sip my coffee. There is warm sunshine and a cool breeze, making this outdoor-​only café quite pleasant. Tucked away on Berkeley’s historic waterfront, it’s an interesting mix of beach casual and urban grit. The beach casual part is from the picnic tables, adirondack chairs, happy potted plants, placid lagoon, nearby bike path and boats being worked on in the adjacent workshop. The urban grit part comes from the roar of the freeway (across the placid lagoon) and industrial location.
This lagoon (officially the «Berkeley Aquatic Park»), where the café sits, used to be the edge of the bay before the freeway was built. I find it to be a cool spot because of the juxtaposition of the calm semi-​natural lagoon with the excitement of the rumbling freeway.
The café is staffed by youth who are doing this to gain work/​business experience. They are friendly and sincere — pleasant humans, in contrast to Starbucks corporate barista automatons. The coffee is good. They told me it is organic and fair trade, and I’m having mine with organic soy milk.
Don’t come here expecting corporate slick. It is very homy and down-​to-​earth. It’s a great place to come if you’re in the neighborhood or biking/​running on the nearby paths. I’ll update my review with photos when I come back with my camera.