Cafe Noir

I think this place is closed. Their website said they were closed ‘for renovation’. That was three months ago~. I think this place died because they didn’t keep regular hours. Too bad, it had a great interior and nice patio space outside to drink your Americano in the sun. What is there to ‘renovate’ about this place? You can play some cool ambient music in the background and make coffee drinks, plus you got beer. Forget about all rest. Remember the concept of KISS.

I would give this place a 5 BUT 3 times i have gone during their business hours and found it closed. I would call ahead if you want to check it out, which is annoying.

First of all, the set up at this place is very hip. It’s so spacious with the high ceilings and second level balcony seating.
My friend and I shared a pizza (half marguerita and half mushroom) which was so tasty!!! I lived in new york for a while so i’ve become rather picky about my pizza and the crust was perfectly crispy but not too much so and the sauce had such great flavor. We had our own side salads before hand that were served with fresh baked bread (delish). the flavors were awesome and everything was super fresh and tasty.
And for dessert, we had a nutella crêpe with strawberries and fresh real whipped cream. to die for.
We went for dinner but this seems like it would be a nice place to bring my laptop. they have nice tables and the vibe is just really chill and relaxed. not pretentious at all, just an overall great addition to the neighborhood. i plan to go here again… and again.
and the prices are great. hope they stay that cheap.

A complete waste of time.
Their website had a post on Friday, Sept. 18, that they were closed for lunch. I appreciated the notice. I went during dinner hours that night (8:30 pm), and they were closed. I went again the next night (Saturday) a little after 9 pm, and they were closed. I thought I’d try them for lunch today, Wednesday (it’s now 12:45 pm), and they were closed. There have been no updates on their website/​blog or Twitter feed. The same paper showing «Sorry, we are closed» is taped at the glass door each time. It looks like no one has been there since Sept. 18. Why not just shutter the place?

I have this hipster friend who deliberately makes herself hard to get hold of. Rarely answers calls, responds to email, facebook, etc. Strangely, because of her exclusivity, it just makes me want to hang out with her more. I have no idea what she’s doing when she’s not available, but I have to assume it’s something amazing and hip.
That’s how I feel about Café Noir. Somehow, I always seem to miss their hours, which aren’t really all that random, I suppose. It just always occurs to me to try to hit them up around 3, or early in the week. But that’s all changed now, and I fully plan on noontime pizza lunches and evening music in the near future.
The pizza is REALLY good, and the atmosphere is perfect. Big airy space, Chinese zither musician in the balcony (what?! nice touch, guys), great for intimate lunches or going with a book. Love this place!

I don’t think I’m cool enough for this place, seriously. That’s kinda an odd feeling for me since I’m pretty darn cool and I’m hardly ever daunted by any atmosphere. (yes-​I said daunted)
However, amidst über-​hipsters, the hottest girl dj ever, a bar full of quirky regulars and the tatted up sexy waiters I felt hella plain. Despite that the vibe was chill and welcoming.
AND…the food was great! The burger, lamb cheeks were delicious! The margarita I had was on the sweet side though. I definitely want to come by for a crêpe and pizza for lunch, soon!

I think everyone wants to love Café Noir because it’s a «hip» new place in Uptown Oakland, but there’s never anyone here. I’ve been for lunch, and they have a limited food menu (3 pizza options and some crepes, and a couple salads).
This could potentially be a great happy hour location, because it’s got a lot of tables, and great ambience. Unfortunately, it’s blazingly hot in the late afternoon until sunset, because it gets direct sun with no window shading.
Bottom line: expand your menu and get some shade for the afternoon sun.

What’s up Café Noir?!? The writing on the door clearly says «open Tuesday-​Saturday 5−9pm». But alas, here I was, at 6pm on a Tuesday standing in front of a completely dark and locked restaurant. Riiiight after I poured all of my loose change into the parking meter. Grrrrr…
Hmmm. So, all I can say is CALL BEFORE YOU GO.

I like the quiet atmosphere of this place, that’s why I’m kind of hesitant to write a review. At the same time it’s so quiet that I feel the need to give support to keep this place successful. My mocha was delicious as was the berry nutella crêpe and mushroom pizza. It was nice to be able to relax and read while my man did work on his computer. We shared everything but our coffee and were completely satisfied. All this for less than 20 bucks!

This is a nearly perfect café.
One nice thing about this part of Oakland, which appears to be in a slow transition from a warehouse-​industrial bleakness to a commercially viable neighborhood, is that space isn’t at a premium. Café Noir and its neighbor, Mua, have capitalized on this fact nicely, creating large and beautiful go-​to spots in an area that desperately needs them. With plentiful seating, strong wifi, and good food/​coffee, it’s easy to spend considerable time here (which I intend to do…)
The small menu here as as authentically French as the owner-​operators, and consists of a few crêpe options (think Parisian roadside crêpe stand, not Crepevine or Ti-​Cous; in other words, there’s no chicken curry or Thai shrimp crêpe to be had here…), a few basic brick-​oven pizzas, coffee, beer, and wine. I’ve had a pizza and a crêpe, and both were excellent.
The only thing about this place that leaves a little to be desired are its business hours. It’s closed on Sunday and Monday, and from 3−5p every day. Plus it only opens at 11a, which is a little late for a café.

mushroom pizza = delicious!
goat cheese with peppers pizza = delicious!
combination crêpe (blueberries and nutella) = delicious!
while the service has been slightly spotty, they are new, and an apology, combined with free latte and croissant somehow makes it all better.
… now, for extended hours!

This place is amazing! Café Noir has fabulous food, and the owners are super nice. Their crepes are to die for. Especially the nutella ones with the fruit. Also, the decorations and design are perfect. I would totally recommened this to EVERYONE!!! Absoluotley AWESOME!

This place is great. I finally have a place outside of San Francisco to eat and enjoy. Pizza’s, salads and crepes are delicous. Priced totally reasonable. Their coffee is the best. I get a latte and it is strong.
So, if you are not into strong coffee, get something else.
It is probably not the place if you are in a hurry and want to ruch out. Great for sit down food and coffee.

An awesome space with delicious coffee and and pizzas and really reasonable crepes. Free WI-​FI of course, and very sweet and friendly owners and waitstaff. I think that they must let people use the upstairs as a place to practice their instruments because I have been there a couple times when I was serenaded by live music wafting down in the middle of the day. Mama Buzz crowd– check this place out!

Simple, fresh, tasty food and very reasonable prices. Everything tastes like it was made right there in the store with quality ingredients. Very simple fare. I had a small pizza, salad, and coffee. The pizza margarita being the best thing there. My only complaint, the salad for $ 2.50 is kinda barren when it comes to a salad. It consisted entirely of mixed greens alla Costco and dressing. Nothing else.
Really chill atmosphere on a warm sunny day. I’d be happy to come back again.

I just discovered this place a few days ago and have already been here twice. I would say that the Café Au Lait and the Café Latté are the best I’ve had in the East Bay. I love the layout of the place, the crêpe was excellent, the pizza was good, there is free wifi, and the owners are very kind. This place is also walking distance from my house, so I think I will be back quite often.

Very nice! Love the pizzas. Very good crust flavors, and never too much tomato sauce or gross, gooey cheese. Definitely the best pizza in the neighborhood.
My only complaint is that the $ 5. size is too small for a lunch-​time fill-​up, and the $ 10 size is too much, and doesn’t seem like double the $ 5. size. Maybe the answer is to take a friend and order three $ 5 size, in different flavors.
I hope in the future they explore some other wood-​fired oven dishes (Calzone? Chicken? burgers?) and keep a good selection of sub-​ten-​dollar lunch treats.
Given the handsome owner’s food knowledge, and the possibilities of a well-​outfitted kitchen, they could be turning out food like Zuni at a fraction of the price.
For the time being, it’s great, and soon they’ll have beer/​wine as well as the ritual roasters coffee.
Check it out.

Add another one to the list of interesting new coffee shops/​cafes around this area.
So if you’re tired of defending your fort at the Whole Foods coffee shop from the brutal lunch crowd; looking for a little bit of swank without the «pull out your computer here and we’ll shoot you» vibe; don’t like supporting your local black-​run coffee shops because you’re a rent-​price-​increasing racist inside no matter *how* hard you think you’re not; or can’t afford the typical rape-​me prices of Ritual coffee… you now have another option (though I also recommend at least sometimes fighting some of these feelings).
Went here for first time today (Saturday midday), and was impressed enough to connect to their free wireless and review. It’s got a comfortable converted-​loft style, but not too snobby, with lots of light (the skylights rival Café Spasso’s on college ave). Despite slight resto-​only décor behind bar, you still feel like you could sit around and take a 2 hr practice test and write a lecture. If it gets popular though, I would guess there will be a dearth of plugs.
Going off of sheer appearance, it’s so far run by a nice couple and semi-​manned by their young, shy hapa kid. Which is great. Cuz who doesn’t love the exploitation of children? And people ask us why we’re the model minority. Psh. Cuz we know how to use our resources, baby!
Other reviewer is right — menu could use some expansion.
Tasting café au lait right now… hey…not bad at all! Well, if you discount the fact that there’s little to no milk in it. My french must not be up to par.
Tasting crêpe now… needs a little bit of salt, but pretty good. Note: cheaper (but smaller) than both crepes a go go and crepevine; cheaper than fancy (but delicious) crepes at temescal farmer’s market.
And there’s a piano. And «no,» it’s not associated with Mua next door (that’s why it doesn’t have a crooked video projection on one of its walls playing Mary Poppins).

Great pizza, coffee and people. I’ve lived in Italia for a couple of years in different places. I know good pizza when I taste it! This is the good stuff for almost no $$. Get there before they raise the prices…

This is my second time here, but I already love this place!
Coffee? — Excellent (better than most places yet less expensive as well)
Pizza? — Excellent (Very reasonable prices)
Setting? — Large and open with a wall of windows, outdoor seating, and a small second floor that overlooks the first floor
Things to come? — with a full kitchen and an application to serve liqueur I foresee good things on the horizon
#1 reason to visit? — The friendly owners have created an inviting, relaxing and enjoyable place to be.
Chance of my return? — 100%