Peet’s Coffee & Tea

This place is the heartbeat of the Piedmont Avenue neighborhood. It is located at a prime corner of the Avenue’s key intersection, and is the coffee shop closest to all of Piedmont Avenue’s other necessities: Piedmont Market, the post office, the CVS — and it is right across the street from Posh Bagel, another early morning necessity. This Peet’s has a big, clean, well-​lighted bathroom, and free wifi. The place has been recently remodeled to add more seating and more light, and if you sit at the counter on the Piedmont Avenue side of the store you will find your nose about three feet from a wall of windows that allow for people watching that is almost intimate. Over the past twenty years, almost every employee has, to me, seemed to enjoy her or his job — or to at least appreciate and respect it. Several workers have been there for many years, and I think this is a big factor in why the place seems to function smoothly — my orders are always delivered quickly. Customers and staff are a fairly diverse lot (the place seems to be easy with some of the neighborhood’s street characters), and the clientele seem to reflect the staff’s casual friendliness; I often find myself effortlessly engaged in chitchat with strangers or near-​strangers. And — importantly — Peet’s has, in my opinion, the Avenue’s best coffee.

I hate to be critical but I often wonder why almost everyone working looks tired, cranky or zoned out when they are in the smack dab in the middle of Piedmont Ave. It’s hard to feel happy about picking up coffee or hot chocolate when the barista churns out drinks as if s/​he were a robot. No smile, no eye contact. There’s a sense that you are not important enough to some of the people who work here to be properly acknowledged. Certainly, not everyone behaves this way. However, my experience is based on several visits over the past year.

Always stop by this Peet’s before jiu-​jitsu class at Bay Jiu-​Jitsu on Howe Street. Great staff– super friendly. They have a few tables outside which are pleasant to sit at during a nice day.

Peet’s still has the best outlet brewed coffee but after remodeling the Piedmont Ave. store and a new manager (who I don’t really care for) and then raising the price of a small latte’ a dollar for heavy whipping cream, and then not getting a free drink after loading your Peet’s card with $ 25.00 — I am beginning to not like them.

See what you mean re some of these negative comments. Went in to get coffee and usual WiFi whenever I visit family in Piedmont. WiFi not working which is unusual in a Peet’s. Told it had been a problem since previous day yet no sign posted nor were you told no WiFi when purchasing drink/​food while holding a laptop. The people working there didn’t seem to care this was a problem. May have just lost my business, too. «Sorry.»

You know I have patronized this location for years, but the service has gone downhill seriously ever since the minor renovation made a month ago.
They sell espresso drinks, but if you order an espresso you get a choice of a puddle in the bottom of a huge dry papery cup or a rapidly cooling puddle in a huge shallow coffee cup with about the widest diameter I have ever seen.
Now I’m no hipster. I don’t care about the «origin» of the beans. I just like Peete’s coffee. I make it at home. I don’t need a demitasse or anything, but c’mon! Lately, Peete’s seems to just be in the business of selling sugared milk and whipped cream in paper or plastic. And they are very slow, even when there are more employees than patrons. What happened! I’ll be going to an independent. Actually, even Starbucks would be better. And that is shocking!

Ah, I remember when! This was my go-​to place for beans 40 years ago. Sure is different now. What was once funky and homey is now sterile and corporate. But the coffee is still pretty good. Maybe not as good, but at my age, how can I remember? The Black Tie is amazing, though! I do remember going to college in Turlock and hanging out with Major Dickason’s granddaughter and great-​grandbaby!

Won’t be coming here again and I’ve been coming to this shop for 20 some years. Waited in line for ten minutes (I was second) as a huge line formed. One employee acting as both cashier and barista. Watched another employee (manager?) walk back and forth several times from the drinks area to storeroom doing nothing. Very bad customer service to say the least. After ten minutes I walked out without ordering. Last time I was here tried the new Javina which replaced the Frappé. What a mistake, yuck, very artificial flavored and way too sweet. The new Peets is making changes that aren’t for the better. Today I noticed that their wonderful boxed iced tea blends have been replaced by Mighty Leaf Teas. Not that Mighty Leaf isn’t a good tea but I wouldn’t go to a corner shop to buy it when I can get it at grocery store. The special teas are what set Peets apart from the other coffee chains. The new order is systematically taking the charm out of Peets. «Never thought I’d utter these words but, «I prefer Starbucks» now.

i feel like they are part of my family after 20+ years. They hire people who seem to really care about coffee. They are willing to share their opinions and are often correct in their recommendations.
What I find truly remarkable is that they almost always remain patient. They are happy to make your order anyway you want. Always kind and respectful. I wish the world behaved like that. Kindness does matter.
I get whole beans and grind my own. In the morning my wonderful dog goes out in the backyard and returns to fresh water and his morning food. And then, and only then, do I get to drink my coffee. And so it is, Amen

Their WiFi network fairly consistently sucks here!

Peet’s on Piedmont ave rules. Why? Cause it’s JUST FXCKING COFFEE. I drink coffee cause it has caffeine. I don’t give a fxck about the kind of Artisan Heirloom Beans and Craft Roasting that can result in paying over five bucks for a paper shot glass of coffee. So I come to Peet’s, cause it’s pretty cheap & does the job. Also everyone working there seems to realize that it’s JUST FXCKING COFFEE, so the Douchebaggery is nonexistent compared to other places.

Life is too short to drink inexpertly steamed milk, especially with Trieste and Timeless within blocks of this place.

Peets coffee is infinitely better than Starbucks, and a little less pricey than Blue Bottle a few blocks away, which is why I keep coming back here. However, customer service is inconsistent: some of the baristas are friendly and can really keep the line moving, while others could care less about greeting you or acknowledging that your order will be coming up soon. Yes, I do care about this because I have had my order forgotten more than once and it’s really frustrating, especially if I am in a hurry. I have worked customer service before, I get it, it is soul crushing, but it’s still your job to not act like a dick.

Hey Baristas. I ordered an iced almond milk latte. You put non fat milk in my cup accidentally and then I watched you pour it back out into another glass. My cup still had an inch or two of cows milk in it and then you added the espresso and almond milk on top of it. People don’t order almond or soy milk for shits and giggles, they do so because they are lactose intolerant. Cutting corners and not having enough integrity to do your job correctly and has lost you my business. Not cool especially when you have to pay 60 cents more and you don’t get what you paid for.

Small, but it fit the bill early last Friday morning in a downpour.
Hubby was at Kaiser, and I need to get coffee, a snack and be a laptop camper for awhile (Kaiser’s WiFi is deplorable)
Got the goodies and found a spot at the bar looking onto the street. Spent a good while there… it was a perfect spot.
It is well known I am a big *Peetnick* going back to my late teenage years. I love their coffee, and they have a good selection of snacks.
Fast and friendly service was much appreciated.

Peet’s is becoming my fav coffee chain. (besides hometown peerless). the house coffee has yet to disappoint me. doesn’t hurt that they rotate their house coffee daily…
noticed they have sammies, salads now.
brew: (house, m.2)
–smooth, bold, nonacidic, yum!
–short line, in and out within 5 minutes
–2 or was it 3 cashiers on duty.

I think Peets is way better than Starbucks because the coffee is stronger in aroma and flavor! I went to this location a couple times, and had good experiences with the staff. The patrons, meh… let’s just say they’re anxious for their coffee fixes.
I wish they’d use real pumpkin for their pumpkin spiced lattes instead of pumpkin syrup.

I like this coffee house on Piedmont Avenue more than the Starbucks just down the street.
You know Starbuck’s started from Peets. They study them and then went to Seattle and made everything sweeter, and the rest is history.
Ever notice that Starbuck’s makes everything very sweet? Check the calories on that last specialty drink they are pimping, or your favorite caramel machiatto thing. You may be shocked.
Pete’s is more about the Coffee than the Sweetner. Their coffee is stronger and well, more coffee like.
I also prefer Peet’s Classical baroque music that most Peet’s play, over Starbuck’s pimping the latest lame CD at the counter and over the speakers.
For Peet’s sake, I guess the average Starbucks drinker doesn’t download iTunes or Google Play songs, they still buy CD’s?
The lighting and seating set-​up here is a little better for laptop time, too.

Quick service and nice staff — they manage to move the line with ease and make the coffee experience pleasant.
I always go for the green tea latte (sugar-​free). It gives me my morning kick without all the sugar. NOW, I have to do the inevitable comparison — the sugarless version from Starbucks continues to be a bit sweeter (but don’t get me wrong, it’s good there, too), but if you want a pure green tea version, this might work a bit more in your favor.
It gets crazy crowded in here… practically any time of the day so I end up fighting for a seat most of the days… if you can get a window seat, you’re super lucky.

On Pied Ave, you have a lot of options — Café Trieste, Gaylords, Starbucks and Peets.
Peet’s is a great café. The space is clean and orderly. Seating is a little limited so be prepared to hover around if you come later in the day. Staff is friendly.
I can’t really compare the different ones in terms of coffee — each person has different tastes. My suggestion is to try them all.