Berkeley Bowl West Cafe
Berkeley Bowl,920 Heinz Ave, Berkeley, CA, 94710
Berkeley Bowl West Cafe Menu
-
Burgers
-
Healthy Meal suggestions for
-
Burgers
Healthy Meal suggestions for CheckersRally
-
Burgers
Sorry, We are updating this restaurant cholesterol menu details.
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
-
Address :
Berkeley Bowl,920 Heinz Ave
Berkeley, CA, 94710 - Phone (510) 898-9555
- Website https://www.berkeleybowl.com/cafe.html
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :8:30 am - 10:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : No
Caters : No
Good for Working : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
Looky Weed - Buy Marijuana Online
Looky Weed is here to help you navigate the maze of legalized marijuana. We provide you with a complete dispensary directory.
Gerard F.
Berkeley Bowel West Cafe is a solid place to sit down and grab a solid sandwich! It's right next to the market, so its almost a no-brainer that they will use the same high quality ingredients in making your food of choice! Great place to stop by and grab something to eat right before spending an hour shopping for the fridge and pantry!
(4)Gabrielle T.
It's so weird... Berkeley Bowl has always been well-known for having scrumpdiddlyumptious to-go selections inside of it's quarters. So when the Berkeley Bowl West location popped up and included a Berkeley Bowl West Cafe, patrons (including myself) assumed that the food would coincide with the fantastic flavors we had always encountered in the main thang. Um, not so much. What went wrong? I will never know, and I don't really care. It's totally irrelevant to me as I'm (slowly but surely) learning that it is better to find a solution than to complain needlessly about the problem. The solution is to march right inside the glory known as Berkeley Bowl West, grab yourself something from one of the prepared food counters and go have a seat in the Bee Bee Dubz Cafe (or on one of the outdoor tables if you're up for sharing a spot with other custies) to enjoy that satisfying deliciousness. Problem solved. They do have some coffee and tea options that I've found nice, but their coffee is ridic overpriced. Four bucks for an iced coffee?! Even Starbucks hasn't skyrocketed to that level, bro.
(1)Erika H.
You know what's much better than the cafe? The prepared food inside the store. Get some of that and go sit in the cafe. In the cafe, the sandwiches that you order are extremely sub par, the sushi in the case is too cold, and the only menu is very far from where you order. Because I work nearby, I've tried 8-10 sandwiches, a pizza, the cobb and caesar salads. The quality is shockingly bad, possibly because the portions are huge and the prices merely average. It's hard to believe such a terrible cafe is paired with a world renowned, quality focused grocery. The only thing I'd recommend is the breakfast sandwich. That is pretty good, and they can do an over easy egg.
(2)Shannon S.
Food no better than a cafeteria. Grilled chicken breast was thin and greatly overcooked to the point of being hard and chewy. Roll was only redeeming part and tasty. I'd only go back if I were famished. And even then, the deli inside Berkeley Bowl is much better.
(2)Al M.
The sandwhich counter is whack and has a terrible system number ticket system. I waited 20 minutes and my number was skipped. Furious.
(1)Sasha L.
Seriously had one of the worst lunches here on Saturday. WE love Berkeley Bowl West, but will not be frequenting the Cafe for a while. The staff did not take down our order properly and were rude when we asked for a correct sandwich to be brought to us. Additionally, instead of making us a fresh plate of food, the servers brought us a sandwich with a bite in it. And unlike many places, when we asked for a refund we did not receive our original order. All we got was attitude and a non-apologetic $9.00. Definitely a huge disappointment.
(1)Tina R.
Another update, which is slightly more positive than the last review. I ordered the seared ahi tuna sandwich again and this time, the way it usually is cooked-- not well done. It tasted so juicy!!!! So much better because it was so dry as mentioned in last review when it was cooked all the way! The sweet potato fries were so crunchy and smelled so good! However, it took me a while to get my food because they had so many orders to take care of.
(5)Katie S.
I dont live in Berkeley anymore, but whenever I drive thru the city, I always stop by Berkeley Bowl! I finally ate at the cafe and LOVED IT! $8.99 for a huge bay shrimp avocado salad with a whole avocado and very generous portions of bay shrimp (mixed with cucumber, other veggies, and mayo). The entire meal and even after we were finished we kept saying "I cant believe this was only 8.99.." It tasted amazing and food was ready quick. The chicken pesto sandwich was also delicious, especially the fresh house made potato chips. Definitely looking forward to returning for another delicious quick affordable lunch!
(5)Charles R.
This place is a puzzler. Why does one of the best and most exciting supermarkets in the whole country have such a strange and deeply unsatisfying cafe? This has been a mystery since BBW opened a few years back. The physical space is quite nice, but pretty much everything else is awkward and poorly executed. Before you order you walk through a gallery of food prep stations. The designer/architect of this space must have envisioned this as an area where patrons would be enticed by the food on display and interact with cooks at each of the stations. Instead, there is little to no food in the display cases, and not a cook or attendant anywhere in sight. A few poorly written signs are all you have as you decide what to order. The only employees you can talk to are at the cash register. These folk are harried, double as the baristas, and don't know the menu very well at all. That would be fine if all BBW had on offer was coffee drinks and a few muffins, but the system is a complete failure when it comes to the many entrees and sandwiches on offer. In the four or five years the place has been open, it is no less confusing on each visit. It doesn't help that the food is not particularly good - on my most recent visit this meant ordering something described only as a grilled "Buffalo chicken" sandwich. The sandwich turned out to be a couple of pieces of sourdough piled high with some pressed chicken cold cuts and a bit of sauce. The cold cuts weren't even heated through, although I'm not sure how much that would have helped. The accompanying sweet potato waffle fries were quite plentiful, but that was their only virtue! Not hot enough, limp, and without much flavor. When the BBW market first opened customers were required to get all organic foods weighed and priced at a separate register before proceeding to regular check out. This was a royal pain in the ass, and to its credit BBW soon did away with this silliness. This anecdote proves that management is able to address problems once pointed out. Why on earth they continue to run their cafe in such a half-assed and unprofessional way remains one of the great mysteries in Berkeley retail. For now the great virtue of the BBW Cafe is that it is adjacent to one of the finest food stores in the land. Is it too much to hope that maybe someday it will be worth visiting in its own right?
(2)El B.
I don't like to shop on an empty stomach ( too expensive as I buy all kinds of stuff I want but don't need ) so stopped here for lunch before shopping. Did I enjoy it? Surprisingly, not really. We spent $17 on lunch for two without drinks. We had the Asian Chicken Salad, and the Seared Ahi Burger. The salad had a lot of good stuff in it, but the dressing wasn't good....really bland and boring. The tuna burger had a ton of mayo, and the mango relish was made with not ripe mango. The tuna itself was good though. It was supposed to come with yam fries, but they brought limp french fries. They gave me yam fries when I asked, but had me return the whole plate including my half eaten ahi burger which was sorta weird. They couldn't just bring me yam fries and let me continue eating while I waited? There were a lot of families there, and it was super busy ( read strollers blocking aisles, and kids running around.) So it wasn't exactly relaxing. On the plus side, there is a Peet's Coffee.... Next time I'll eat someplace else before grocery shopping, and maybe get a cup of coffee from Peet's. 9/13/14: Today I had a burrito bowl from the hot food bar inside the store by the cheese section. It was good.
(2)Cindy V.
It's like I died and went to produce heaven. Loved the cafeteria there. Everything was fresh and well done!
(5)Hilary S.
Count me in. I came here yesterday for lunch with a friend, craving a dripping meaty sandwich. (Okay, that sounded really weird. And I'm going to be honest, I had just seen this picture: 25.media.tumblr.com/tumb… .) The Kyle caught my eye immediately: a roast beef sandwich with... well, I didn't read the rest, I was sold already by the roast beef. My friend had the lasagna. Sandwich was everything I was hoping for. Drippy, tender, flavourful, perfect. I almost proposed right then and there...but then it was already gone into my stomach. It also comes with some potato crisps which were pretty good too: crispy and not too salty. The lasagna was rich and creamy, very nice. And comes with an enormous side salad. This cafe definitely has the "workweek lunch" type of feel, but the sitting area is clean, spacious and gets a lot of natural light. It's a tiny bit pricey, but expected for this kind of cafe. Would definitely come back.
(4)Alvin J.
I will miss Berkeley Bowl when I move to the MidWest. At BB, you find many local and fresh ingredients for your next meal. I buy my yogurt here, from a local farmer in Sonoma, amazing. When you buy something fresh, it taste so much better than frozen or national brand ones! I also the produce selection here, you can find orange, green, pink or even yellow mini-carrots here!
(4)Cougar U.
I really want BB cafe to be an enjoyable experience. However, there are so many of the staff who are rude that I am gonna have to just quit going here. For the prices they charge, I would expect higher quality ingredients. And Peets coffee? Thx 4 attempting to use local sources, however their coffee always tastes burnt and often run out off decaf anyway. After 4 years of always wondering if the staff is gonna have a collective bad day or just be mediocre (cooks & cashiers both), I have finally thrown in the towel on the cafe. Not that I haven't given them the benefit of the doubt many times. Sad, as they are in my neighborhood.
(1)Brittany P.
Love coming to this place after rock climbing around the corner. Great prices and the sweet potato fries are amazing. I like the seared ahi tuna burger.
(5)Gene B.
After my grocery shopping was done, I headed to their café. I needed something to quench my thirst, but there was one problem. There were too many bottled drinks to choose from. An employee recommend many different kinds of root beer. Although I'm not much of a root beer fan, I thought I'd try something different. It was pretty good! To go along with my drink, I had a lemon custard cupcake. Tasty as expected. Indeed! This café is great to step back for a moment after dealing with the chaotic traffic while shopping. Berkeley Bowl West is often busy.
(3)Maggie G.
This review is specifically for the Peet's Coffee in the café. The barista has to tend the cash and also retrieve pastries, etc. so I understand it gets busy. But please don't rush when you're steaming the milk! Every time (I've given it a few chances, hoping it was just one un-trained barista) I visit, the barista always hastily steams the milk (mostly just to get it hot) so the foam is weak, inconsistent and with big bubbles. Come on, Peet's... put some standards into this stand!
(2)Zoey A.
I have enjoyed the sandwiches here. Just had clam chowder- tasty. Unfortunately they have difficulties with salad dressing. I am staring at a plate of greasy greens. This was supposed to have a lemon vinaigrette but there is no evidence of lemon or vinegar. I had the same experience with a rice noodle salad that was supposed to have a lime dressing. This isn't even olive oil (must be canola) so basically no flavor but greasy. The Cali steak sandwich is sad. Tough meat, flavorless cheese sauce, tasty peppers but that doesn't save it. My husband just had chicken fingers which were barely crispy. The fries are good, but this cafe is pretty disappointing. October 2014 Why do I come back here? We seem to have lost sight of the purpose of baking soda. It is for leavening. Baking soda is not seasoning. The pancake should taste like a pancake, not like baking soda. The bowl isn't the only place around to be confused on this issue. Bake Sale Betty over sodas her cookies in the worst way. So I am not sure if my complaint is with the Bowl cafe or with our cultural taste buds. I do have a complaint about the bowl deep frying the breakfast sausage. They shouldn't be chewy and the casing shouldn't look like mummy skin.
(2)Kathy W.
so far we've had no issues eating there. The food is excellent, comes to us quickly even when it's super busy and the staff is always really nice. It's become our Sunday afternoon lunch spot :)
(5)Stephanie L.
I normally limit my lunch fare to coffee from BBW, but sometimes, just sometimes I expand. This time I got chicken strips and I got like 2 whole breast pieces of breaded/fried goodness. It was awesome. I was full for days.
(4)Noelle B.
This is a review for the coffee...I was initially discouraged when I saw that they use Peet's, and it appeared to be the new corporate format of Peet's. But then the cashier asked another girl to come over and make my soy cappuccino. I thought, huh, she must know what she's doing, WRONG! I've had some bad capps in my day, but this one easily made the top of my coffee sh*t list. It was so nasty, that I kept tasting it to make sure I wasn't having an aneurysm or other damage to my sensory perception. But no, that was a nasty-ass capp, and I paid $3.50 for it, wah wah. Additionally, the service was pretty lame and the cashier was arguing with another customer over whether the turkey sandwich came with a salad (even though he pointed out that it was listed on the menu). So, stay away, run away, and go to Local 123 or Reveille. Peace.
(1)Jerry P.
OK I eat here fairly often due to proximity to work, and it's really a shame this place isn't better. I love the store, but who ever runs the cafe needs to tighten things up. First off the service is consistently poor - they regularly mess up or misplace orders - it's happened to me multiple times. There's one woman who works the breakfast shift that can't seem to get an order straight. She never looks at you when you talk to her and you have to repeat yourself 2 or 3 times otherwise she'll mix it up. Many times my coworkers have had to wait 20 minutes or more cause you wait ten or fifteen and realize they missed your ticket so you have to reorder. I asked for Salsa with my omelette today and she told me "we don't serve salsa with that". For Christ's sake you have salsa in the kitchen, you serve it with other entrees, give me some F-n salsa! Charge me extra, whatever. Last week I ordered a salad - waited fifteen minutes, went up and asked, she said sorry we missed it it'll be right up. Meanwhile multiple other people who came in after me are being served the same salad. I waited almost 30 minutes for my order. Great job lady. Then there is the food - a real shame as they have access to all these great ingredients. I had an omelette this morning - they don't know how to make a proper omelette! It was WAY overcooked - crispy even and they basically cook both sides of the omelette first then put the ingredients in and fold it. Wrong. That's not how you make an omelette guys. Most of the items are sloppily prepared (haste I would suppose). The fries are soggy, the potato chips greasy, and they barely put any dressing on the spring mix salad that the dress up with 2-3 cherry tomatoes and some fennel - considering the produce section'they have at the bowl that's a pretty meh salad. To try to be positive, they have a good variety of choices and some fun daily specials, which can be OK. Bottom line I don't blame the staff for this mess I blame the management team. They should know better.
(2)Sara F.
Oh my! Killer breakfast burrito!! The eggs were light and fluffy, the potatoes were not overwhelming..sausage, and quite possibly the freshest, most delicious pesto sauce inside the burrito. take it home to mama, we got a winner here! The fried egg sandwich was perfectly sized and again, a perfectly done over easy egg with frisee and soft luscious ciabatta roll and of course crispy, delightful bacon.. sigh* I am good till dinner.
(5)Caroline Y.
It's a solid 3 star restaurant. Nothing fancy but the food is decent and the price is reasonable. I usually run in here for a quick bite between errands. I'm giving BBWC an extra star because they recently switched from canola oil (probably GMO) to rice bran oil (non-GMO). I'm sure I'm still eating some GMOs there but changing cooking oil is a major move for restaurants. Most people don't know that more than 90% of U.S. grown corn, soy and canola is GMO. That means most restaurants are cooking with GMO oil. Yay for BBWC for changing to non-GMO cooking oil.
(4)Doctor G.
Came here and had an nice chorizo and bell pepper omelette. Hash browns were great. Paninis look good too. All in a very modern setting. Get in line to the right and order up your food at the cash register counter. Plenty of parking in the overflow lot across the street, less so in the main lot. Too bad they're not open for dinner.
(3)Bernie L.
The good: I didn't get food poisoning. The bad: One might expect the cafe to be a notch above, given the abundant supply chain at their disposal; one, unfortunately, would be wrong. I had a meeting in the neighborhood, and a few minutes to spare, so I figured I'd try their eggs/hash browns/toast basic breakfast, with a side of bacon. The scrambled eggs were fine, but the hash browns were the worst oil bomb I've experienced in ages. Had I been thinking more clearly (and less hungry), I would have left it on the plate. To my regret, they stayed with me all day, ruining my taste for anything else. The bacon was kind of tasteless (how? how is that possible?) and completely unsatisfying. To top it off, the ketchup is typical junk with high fructose corn syrup, and they serve mini-packets of Smuckers grape and strawberry jam/jelly, no different than any lousy chain restaurant. All for which one has the privilege of paying $9 for cafeteria-style (50% more than the restaurant I frequent across from my workplace where I pay $6 for a great sit-down breakfast with the same ingredients). I don't know if Berkeley Bowl Cafe is the same ownership as the store, but if it is, they should be ashamed to offer such a lousy food experience. I still feel those damn hash browns. Bleeeech.
(1)Richard L.
I've eaten here twice. The first time I ordered the shepard's pie with a side salad for $8. It was really good and definitely a lot healthier than going to McDonald's for a Big Mac combo which would have cost the same amount of money. The second time I ate there, I ordered the chile relleno casserole with black beans and rice. It was also very delicious. I would definitely suggest eating here before you go shop inside Berkeley Bowl West, otherwise you'll end up buying too much food while shopping for groceries hungry.
(4)Brandon R.
While it seems like this place is in almost permanent disarray, the great food at modest prices and friendly staff make up for any of their organizational shortcomings.
(4)Melissa B.
I'm going to join the chorus of those who have not been pleased. We spent about $27 here for a lunch- salad and drink for me, and a cup of soup and sandwich for him. It was totally disappointing. The clam chowder was like a bowl of cubed potatoes with hardly any broth or liquid or clams. The chicken salad sandwich was full of huge chunks of chicken with no flavor, an no amount of mayonnaise (which seemed weak and watery) could mask the blah. No celery or nuts or anything added in that we could taste to add to the goodness of the chicken salad. My salad was bordering on good, because of the tomatoes and fresh cukes, but the dressing was too tart for me, and I realized I hadn't gotten to choose my dressing, and since I got a scoop of the chicken salad on top, I was dealing with huge over-sized chunks of blah chicken and had to add salt to help it go down. At least it was low in sodium to start with! What we hoped could be a go-to destination for soup/salad/sandwiches while running errands was an expensive lesson in disappointment. Since they do so well at grocery, we assumed Berkeley Bowl would do well at operating a cafe. Not so. Maybe just keep it simple here.
(2)Karen R.
I work really close to the cafe, so I've been here lots of times for lunch. The selection is good and the food is always super yummy, but they only get three stars because: 1. The staff is ALWAYS acting rushed and unfriendly, which is reasonable if you're having a bad day, but are these people just always having a bad day? :/ 2. It always takes a really long time for my order to come up. As in, I wouldn't come if my lunch break were less than an hour. I do love the food though, and the gelato is reasonably priced and delicious!
(3)kewlby x.
I came here for the first time yesterday. There's a pretty big selection of menu items to choose from. I still hadn't quite decided until I got up the the register. I hastily picked the turkey bacon sandwich with fries. I was just under $10 without a drink so not super cheap. I got my number, found a table and a few minutes later, my order came. Okay, I'm usually one to rave about a sandwich but this sandwich and fries was so good, I thought it was worthy of my time for a review. The turkey was juicy and real. And what i mean by real is that it was sliced off a turkey, not some turkey product roll that came from some processing plant. The bacon was very good as well, but what took it over the top was the big chunks of avocado. And then there were the fries. There's not much fried food that I don't like but these fries have some sort of seasoning on them that was quite yummy. All in all, I was very happy with my lunch and would recommend it to anyone. Side note about berkeley bowl. I went in to browse around after my lunch. Although I like the types of foods they have but does one really need to be offered 15 varieties of apples???? Too many choices made me kind of dizzy so I ended up not buying anything.
(4)Aarash Z.
They have nice stuff in the cafe... I just almost always think of something better to get IN BERKELEY BOWL! Last time I was hungry I went to the cafe, looked around, but then thought "it's nice out, get a baguette, a package of strawberries and some cheese!" so that's what I did... I do like the cafe, but it's a shame that it's so near the market
(3)Jamie B.
Pretty solid meal. I'd certainly come back. I just don't think I ordered the right thing. So, ya walk in and order at the coffee counter. As you pass, there's a well-stocked drink display and some cold items - salads, sushi, etc. Menu is up on the wall, it's a pretty good selection of items. My BF got their "The Kyle" sandwich, and I got the Mediterranean plate, which had spanakopita, a falafel, three dolmas, a scoop of hummus and a scoop of tabouleh. Well, BF liked the sandwich, but didn't like their chips. I, however, LOVED the chips. I didn't try the sandwich...he wouldn't let me. My spanakopita was really good - nice size and very flaky, and hot in the middle. The falafel was actually really good as well, though a little tahini would have been nice. The dolmas were really oily, I could only eat one. Hummus was bland, and the tabouleh was...meh. I've never been much a fan of tabouleh though. A couple pieces of pita would have been good for the hummus. Ah well, what I did enjoy filled me up, and we were fueled up to get our shopping done. I'd come back, I'd just order something different.
(3)Shirley M. J.
Buy food and more food, especially the fresh produce is awesome!
(5)Eric S.
Brownie! Nice big space, tasty treats, coffee, big windows...yeah, it's alright. Different chairs and more bathrooms would be nice. It's not a cafe to go chill out at, but if you need a quick jolt before grocery shopping, or if you are waiting for Berkeley bowl west to open, it's a good spot to wait.
(4)Jade M.
This cafe serves a variety of items and they have specials each day. I tried the pulled pork sandwich with asian slaw and a small side of fries, and sliced gherkin pickles. Mmmm is good but the bbq sauce is on the vinegar side (kind of sour sweet taste). then my mom, tried the beef stew. This is really good, tender beef braised and with a tomato based gravy, the vegetables like potatoes, sliced carrots, and the salad they prepared tasted really fresh that came out of a farm. I mean F-R-E-S-H from the Farm, but not packaged vegetables. I can really taste the difference between what the salad mix from a package taste like compared to one that came from vegetables that came from straight to the farm, or I should say a vegetable produce center. The prices are like restaurant prices probably from $9 to $11. They also sell sushi, Japanese and Korean bibimpap too made by their delicatessen. They serve Peet's coffee and tea, and gelato.
(4)jason c.
nasty .. My " hoagie" was a hot pressed sandwich.. the chicken was over cooked, the bread stale.. just terrible and a hoagie is not pressed.. and if it is ,, at least tell me its gonna be.. and the worst thing was the onion rings that were so soaked with oil that I could not eat them. The oil temp must have been about 100 degrees for them to get so damned oily. Yuck I was sick for the rest of the day.
(1)Aaron M.
Awesome pizza, salads, sandwiches, and hot entrees. The menu changes fairly regularly. Great spot for a group lunch because everybody can get what they want and the food is always good to great.
(4)Jane D.
The food generally is very appealing and reasonably priced, but there are very few plant-based, whole food (vegan) options. C'mon -- it's Berkeley Bowl's cafe! You can do better in this department!
(3)Connor A.
I had a bad experience eating at this cafe this morning. The lady at the cash register didn't seem like she was even listening to me when she was taking my order and screwed up both my meal and my friends meal. On top of that the food just tastes awful.
(1)Antonella D.
Great place to eat. Food is always tasty and good. They have speicals everyday. They also have gelato and Peets coffee. Great place to eat to gain energy so then you can shop at Berkeley Bowl.Once you order your food you are given a number and someon brings you your food. You also clean up after yourself and they do a great job of labeling all the trash so you know what to recycle and what is for compost.
(4)Darren P.
Happened to eat here two days in a row as we had a meeting nearby. First day ordered the burger, no pickle. We took all the food back and there was no burger. Eventually worked out by process of elimination that I'd been converted to a veggie burger. To be fair it was tasty but not what I'd ordered. Went back day two. This time, said very clearly burger no pickle. Double checked it was a meat burger, not veggie. Took it back to our meeting and it a big fat pickle sitting on top of the fries. Not the end of the world but I really hate pickles and had double checked there would be no pickle. More attention to detail needed. Food seemed high quality though, but you wonder what else they aren't getting right.
(2)Chris J.
My wife is picky, but we like their chips, and we really enjoyed their sliders which we would share. Alas... The sliders are no longer served! There is every chance that I'll be eating there more regularly in the months to come and I look forward to trying out more of their fare.
(4)A.C S.
The Pizza is Soggy, Stale chips come with the sandwhichs and The Soup taste waterly. Eek! To top it off some WannaBe employee of the month named Michael told me I couldn't come here anymore, over 2 cents that was paid off.. Getting hated on is apart of being Black and my money is as green as anyone else's... The Food is Bad and I suggest that you Don't Trick off your Money by Pandering to These People!!!
(1)Rachel A.
Calling this place a cafe is a riot. This place makes high school cafeteria food and airport food look good. It's all prepackaged and reheated, much like airline food. And this was from what the "chef" said. And there prices are awful. Pete's coffee inside is a joke and service is slow.
(1)T A.
The one and only time I've been here, I ordered the 'classic burger'..and I ordered it medium well, as I don't like it raw (my meat that is)..OK maybe I do but, not in my burger. I waited for 20 minutes for this burger, so, my appetite was all fluffed up like a porn star returning from a smoke break. While I waited, I chatted it up with one of the friendly patrons and then this guy who works here came over and offered us a full slice of pizza while we waited. SCORE. They get bonus points for that..the pizza was great! When my burger was ready, I said goodbye to my new found friend and high-tailed my late ass back to the office. I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into this burger.. goddamn I was starving by now.. I opened it up, it looked great..even had the perfect burger bun. Took a bite into the weirdly fishy tasting, hockey puck of a patty with the wonder bun and was less than stoked on its flavor. Tell me Berkeley Bowl Cafe chefs.. why does my burger taste like grilled fish? You better be lucky I like fish and didn't have time to come back and hurl this over-cooked excuse for a burger at your heads. I'll stick to grocery shopping and skip the cafe unless I want a pastry or something else. Perhaps the cheese danish here will taste like burger?
(2)Molly W.
You know, for as much as I like BBW I am disappointed in their cafe. I got a coffee...fine. But the breakfast burrito? Bland, and not high quality. Plain white tortilla, way too many potatoes, and just really lacking flavor. If I had been anywhere else, I am sure I would give more stars. But I expect more. And I didn't get it. Meh, buy ingredients and make something at home. Oh, and there is NO internet in the cafe. Lame.
(2)Susan S.
This is one of the best food hubs in the country - the bulk section is wonderful, all the nuts and grains are fresh and the selection of spices, pastas and teas is beyond the offerings of any grocery store. I shop here once a week and buy all my groceries there - because they have such a wide selection, even of ethnic foods, there is no reason to have to go to any other food store if one's time is limited. One bit of advice - don't go on weekends if you can help it - Monday early mornings are wonderful there. Have a cup of coffee at the adjoining cafe and mosey through the isles as if it's your own private grocery store.
(5)Eitan A.
Lunch order still not here, and it's been more than 30 minutes. Seems like they forgot about it and are making it now. Oh and the food is kinda shitty to begin with.
(1)Tonja W.
I love this place its like a one stop shop....you can grab a healthy meal or snack and grocery shop all in one stop
(4)Arnold Z.
I love the coffee especially there egg sandwich...om nom nom!
(4)Lacy D.
this food is awsome great selection and the daily specials are off the hook Fish Taco day is my favroite. All of this and the service was great !!! One of the guys in the back i think his name is Matt even gave me the racipe for there wonderful curry lentil
(4)Liz K.
I have definitely had better. Much better, in fact. And for less money. My caesar salad lacked any personality and my rock shrimp chowder was broth based. The boy's pizza wasn't too bad, so that's where the two stars awe coming in to play. Totally forgettable and not really worth the 25 bucks I had to pay for it all.
(2)Fe R.
they serve peet's coffee in big coffee dispensers. the pastries look ok, maybe a little sad and old. walk right across to the berkeley bowl grocery store and once you walk in there are a bunch of fresher looking pastries! and many more options. the cafe is very spacious though. they serve breakfast! pancakes and stuff. they have a bunch of juices, salads, and boxed meals in the fridge/cooler. they even have burmese tea leaf salads! not my favorite but i've never seen boxed burmese tea leaf salads before.
(3)Shushan D.
despite casual appearance and low prices this cafe has the best food ever... low prices big selection, outstanding coffee. eat here!
(5)Victor G.
berkeley bowl west cafe has pastries, sammies, pasta, premade sushi, wood fired 9" pizzas (7.99) of various toppings, and froyo froyo availability: -only blueberry pomegrante (from straus orgainic) listed pricing: 2.00/cone 2.50'cup , didn't see toppings nor is there any room for displaying toppings frodrips: -stoething froyo machine, plastic clear cups -dedicated froyo stand closed post lunch couple times i went, 2 stars. -wacky wabbit wating: mikey's pigging out. 0 stars for froyo, 5 stars everything else.
(2)Clare O.
I really want to like this place. Really, I do. But the baristas/servers are so consistently lame that I've reached the point where I want to throw up my hands in frustration and just stop trying. Something is wrong with whoever hires the counter staff here. I've ordered standard things; salads, sandwiches, coffee; and something's always inexplicably wrong. A sandwich comes missing one of its featured ingredients. A salad comes without dressing. A cup of coffee is barely tepid, bordering on cold. And all through the process, the counter staff is unfriendly, and appears confused, overwhelmed, resentful and lost. What's up with that? This place has great potential, but so far; epic fail. Bummer.
(2)Noah C.
I really love this cafe. Everything I've had here has been excellent, but my favorite item is their classic burger. I'll usually customize it with bacon (naturally!), and avocado. Also, swap out the chips for fries - well worth it. I think what I appreciate about the burger here is how well seasoned the patty is. Definitely salt, pepper and garlic. The arugula is a nice touch as well. Honestly, I'm kind of addicted to their burger...but their cuban sandwich is nice, as well. I'm always tempted try other items, but the burger always calls me home...mmmm, burger.
(4)Michelle T.
I'm sorry, but this is unacceptable. I know there are virtually *no other* acceptable lunch options in the area and I know the employees here are slammed during lunchtime, but that doesn't excuse providing mediocre food and terrible service at these prices. BB West Cafe really needs to get a new chef de cuisine (or whoever makes the menu) and a new floor manager. *The Food* Everything I've ordered here I've had a problem with (with the exception of the pre-packaged sushi). It's like BB West is trying to have this slightly upscale bistro-like menu but they really fail when it comes to execution and even the ingredient combinations. They should just keep it simple, like OG Berkeley Bowl Cafe. - The beet salad has the saddest droopy looking beets. Either they come from a can or they've been sitting out for a few days. The reason I believe it might be the former is because my salad also had this weird gelatinous substance in it. Want proof? OH YOU'RE IN LUCK BECAUSE I TOOK A PHOTO WITH MY IPHONE AND WILL UPLOAD IT RIGHT AFTER I POST THIS. - When you add "rotisserie" chicken to a salad the chicken that comes on the salad is not remotely rotisserie-like (i.e. moist or flavorful). Honestly, they should leave the skin on (or at least give people the option) because that's where all the flavor is. - The caesar salad is my favorite thing on the made-to-order menu, in spite of the fact that it oddly does not have dressing on it. The poached egg makes up for it though. - The cobb salad is almost overly bacon-y, which is rarely a bad thing, except that they pair it with this disgusting buttermilk dressing. What was the chef thinking? This dish would really benefit from a non-creamy vinaigrette. No need to make it sickeningly rich. - The tuna sandwich was straight up disgusting. I wish I could say more but it was a while ago that we ordered this. I know it says "olive oil poached" but it doesn't really have the texture that olive oil poached fish should. It's more like, a fishy (as in not fresh) but otherwise flavorless tuna steak drenched in olive oil. - The club sandwich has roast beef *and* turkey *and* bacon in it. This just doesn't make sense to me. Lose the roast beef and add avocado or something, jesus. - I think I remember the Cuban being okay. Either that or sweet in a weird way. - The truffled mac 'n cheese is sickeningly rich (I know there's truffles in there but they don't balance them out well with the cheese) and watery. Definitely a huge rip off. - Nice selection of Tea's teas and reasonably fresh pre-packaged sushi. *The Service* - I would say that 60% of the times I've come here, my order has been messed up. The only reason it's 60% as opposed to say, 90%, is because I often just buy the prepackaged sushi so there's no room for error. I find myself feeling really bad for (most) of the people that work here. They just seem so slammed and the kitchen unprepared for handling the lunchtime surge. But they consistently mess up my orders. They usually forget to add chicken when you add it onto a salad and they straight up forgot to make one of the items on my ticket on a different occasion, costing me an extra 20 minutes during my work lunch break. NOT COOL. - I've sometimes encountered rude servers. One in particular was extremely rude to me today. Not only did she misinform me (She told me that the white bread is the same as the rustic Italian.. if that's the case, then why is it listed on the board as two separate options? How about explaining to me that it would be logistically difficult to build my club sandwich with anything other than white or wheat, though I would've lost the middle piece of bread if you'd given me the option, rather than breeding ignorance?), but she forgot to add chicken to my ticket, was extremely unpleasant (like, strikingly snappy and rude), and even after I tried to be especially gracious and polite to her when she brought our food over, was frigid and pointedly hostile as ever. I was left feeling angry. I honestly think rude service like this breeds hostility among the BB West Cafe customers too, because everyone around me seemed grumpy and rude, bumping into my table and hovering over me and shit. That's not to say that the other two girls working that shift weren't polite and well, visibly doing their jobs to the best of their abilities. Anyway, I don't really feel the need to come here anymore; in fact the only reason I did today is because my boyfriend twisted my arm into it even though we both know this place mostly sucks. I've also heard it's cheaper to buy sushi from inside BB West, so BYE, work on your menu or something.
(2)Allie S.
They give you a bowl of fresh fruit with tons of blackberries when all you order is a measly $2 bagel. hell yeeeaaaah.
(4)Melissa C.
Decent place to get a quick and light bite to eat. Me and the husband come here to eat a quick brunch/lunch before heading into the actual grocery store to restock on groceries. The service is fast and the food is fresh and tasty. It's convenient and their prices are reasonable.
(3)Andrew L.
Really great spot for breakfast. Not too crowded, and the food is really, really good. The breakfast sandwich in particular is just perfect, served on a super fresh ciabatta. One of my favorite east bay spots for breakfast now.
(4)Mason T.
I like West Berkeley Bowl much more than I do the one near campus. The food served at this cafe is actually really good. I had a pulled pork sandwich with fries and I couldn't be more pleased. Given the atmosphere and portion size, it's somewhat overpriced. There's also no wifi at this cafe .. boo!
(3)Chris R.
This cafe rocks all if the sandwiches are delicious. The pizzas are simply delightful. The soups are rich and creamy. The classic burger is one of the best in town.
(5)Jessie K.
they have some pretty deliscious sandwiches here, the reuben is really good! i have never been in here, so i don't know about their service, but i haven't had a sandwich from here that i haven't liked....
(4)Home And Investment R.
disappointed. first their prices are pretty high... is i not $ it is $$. And not recommended for vegetarians. On their grilled cheese sandwich, they charge $6 and they want another $0.75 to add tomato. Are you kidding me? I got the falafel, for $6.75 and it barely had 2 small balls of fallafel... and they sell it as a taco on a flat pitta bread, they do not stuff the pitta... i may upload the photo... their red sauce was good. chips that came with it were not... The equivalent meat sandwich gets a lot more substance for the same amount of money... at any rate, this is a general pet peeve of mine in many establishments including Subway... Service is not great either... they seem to be more interested in the convenience of the employees rather than the customers... The place needs to be more supervisior and the managers need to eat there and try all the dishes... also the person who sets the prices should eat there :) And they are supposed to be a "left wing"/progressive co-op... i do not see that any more... this would apply to their general store too... sure, they are better than Safeway and Lucky's but their non-produce items are actually more expensive than the big chains...
(2)Calvin S.
I come here about 3 times a week, and usually get lunch at the BBWest deli. Today I ordered the "Cali Steak Sandwich" at the Cafe. The "steak" was super low grade fatty beef in a stroganoff sauce, it was inedible. I took it up to the cafe counter, made a short complaint and they didn't hesitate to let me order another item. I asked about the other steak sandwich, but they stopped me and explained that the same meat product is used for that sandwich as well. I got the reuben, and was happy. Then, the clerk comes to me with a dollar bill and change in hand, "here's the difference." Thoughtful service cannot be found many places today, and it made me really happy!
(4)Eric R.
The food is good. The Peet's baristas make *excellent* drinks (even better than other Peet's locations). The big minus is the serving time. I came in for a simple sandwich to go, and it took over twenty minutes. Those plates made of leaves are super cool. I want some!
(3)Jim L.
surprised at the low aggregate review rating. the sandwiches are EXCELLENT here. please come try it even if you are not shopping, it is a great West Berkeley lunchtime option.
(5)Malcolm G.
Went as part of a visit ("field trip" with Mom) to Berkeley Bowl West. Had a breakfast burrito. The food was decent. The check-out counter service was a bit crap but mostly because the check-out clerk was also training a trainee barrista and was clearly overutilized.
(3)Emily C.
I feel like I can save a lot just by filling up my belly before I go buy a week's worth of groceries. Or maybe I'm justifying eating their tasty food. Either way, I had an awesome shrimp salad here and I don't hate their iced coffee. I'll definitely go back and maybe try their gelato and desserts some day.
(4)Farah S.
I so wish I worked nearby so I could go to this place more often. The homemade potato chips, the selection of artisan sodas, and their specials! Yesterday I had the very yummy and very filling cioppino served with with yes, half a crab! Mmm...dungeness crab in season is the best. For a grocery store cafe, the menu is quite impressive. I will have to try the duck salad next time.
(4)Scott S.
Food STINKS! Came here for lunch and food has REALLY gone DOWN HILL!! Chips that came with my sandwich were cold and stale (kept in teh fridge?)are cold and stale. Grilled cheese was nasty American cheese slices. It said that on the menu, but I could litterlay see the slices! Not grilled in a pan or on a grill, but in a sandwich press so the bread had grill "marks" and was not really grilled and only slightly warm with no flavor at all. TOTALLY reminds me of food service on an airplane.... This place opened and was bad. It got better for a good year, but it is now back to a horrible place. Not going to waste my money here again as there are SO MANY good places around...
(1)Caroline O.
Disappointing. I ordered a Cuban sandwich. The meat was good, but the pickles were virtually nonexistent. The "house made salt and pepper" potato chips were so oil-laden that you could see right through them, and didn't seem to be salted at all. I also didn't get the pickle spear that was promised on the menu. Did they run out of pickles or something?? Overall, my meal seemed carelessly prepared and served.
(2)Rafinee B.
During the weekends this place can get quite busy. They have great cinnamon rolls the breakfast sandwich is also tasty, however it is a bit greasy.
(3)Bayarea K.
Food is ok but I love the convenience. And I love Peet's.
(3)Wangston P.
meh. everything tastes like leftovers. they have a problem with onions - the bagel with salmon capers and red onions was missing its onions. the caramelized onion omelet came with non-caramelized onions (not even a little color on them). one of the table runners was really angry at the world, and expressed it by throwing food down on the table with a snarl. given the prices and the atmosphere, they really need to try a little harder.
(2)thomas w.
salmon club. oyster po-boy (when in season). tall soy latte (made with peet's beans). that's what i always get, and it is always good
(5)Cybil B.
I can't get enough of this cafe. I'm here at least once a week. Their prices are reasonable, their portions are very good and the food is delish. I've never had any of their full-on meals, but their sandwiches and soups are fantastic! The turkey cranberry, packed with both, along with lovely greens and your choice of bread is sooo good. The pesto Chicken is fantastic too. (Just avoid the chips- they're tasty, but very greasy, too.) Their clam chowder is more chowder than clam, but still tasty- a light hint of sweetness and served piping hot. Their Peets outlet is also very good- unlike some other licensed Peets dispensaries, they know exactly what it is you're asking for and make it to order, even if you're super-fussy. The only real downside to this place is the wait time. Even if you're just getting a coffee, it can sometimes take more than 5 minutes. When waiting for a sandwich or other non pre-prepared chow, they give you a number and you can sit and wait for your order to be delivered, which is nice. However, it can take a long time if it's during their busy periods. I've sometimes waited up to 15 minutes for food orders. Also, their pre-packaged sushi, sandwiches and salads are pretty yummy. They have a huge selection of beverages, including fresh kombucha, and a ton of sweets of various kinds including loads of pastries and a nice selection of gelato. Summary: 4 stars for great food, average service, and a pretty long wait time.
(4)Vincent P.
I love shopping at Berkeley bowl and having a cafe to grab a bite to eat at the same time makes it even better. I've tried the Ahi Tuna sandwhich and it was superb.most sandwhiches are served with chips instead of fries.The serving sizes are just right in my book and what I would imagine from a company who's image promotes health. So if your looking for a red robin size portion go somewhere else. There is a good balance of healthy choices like salads and you can hop over to the grocery for fresh fruit and the like. I came here once on a rainy day and the big windows and cafeteria style setting is comfortable and is great for some reflection time
(4)Sam K.
Cafe food is alright, nothing special. I had their pasta which was a bit bland. As far as I remember, none of their premade food was good. Their sushi is not good. Some of my friends like them but I found them - on several occasions - to be too dry, especially the rice. Rice is paramount in sushi but it's not done right here. Fish is average, fresh but not really any good, even for grocery standards. As far as grocery store sushi, I much prefer Whole Food or Tokyo Fish Market sushi on San Pablo.
(3)Stu U.
We eat here all the time and really enjoy it. Good for breakfast, lunch, and early dinner (closes at 6). Menu changes often. Today had the pizza of the day (grilled shrimp), very tasty. Also liked the sliders and greek salad with lamb chops. Very reasonable cost, given the qualiy of the food. A few months ago they were open late on a friday evening with live music. They should do that more often, it was fun! By the way, our young son always finds something on the menu he will eat.
(5)Peter C.
What I go there for: Cuban Sandwich, The Breakfast Pizza (if available) It's very convenient that a great market such as Berkeley Bowl West with such a selection of fine produce and high-quality meats also houses a nice café to satisfy the hunger of grocery shoppers. It gives me a great excuse to avoid the afternoon crowd and visit the market in the morning and grab a yummy brunch at the café. The café offers a delicious assortment of breakfast, lunch, and dinner choices. This review is based strictly on the breakfast & lunch menu as I have not had the chance to sample their dinner choices. But having dined there for brunch several times, I believe this to be an honest review. The best and most memorable item I've had there would have to be the Cuban. It is a sandwich of fra'mani ham, gruyere cheese, and sourdough bread. The bread is toasted perfectly with a powerful and delicious crunchy shell and soft inside with that subtle bite from the sourdough. The ham and cheese go so well together because there is a slight sweetness in gruyere that contrasts well with the saltiness of the ham. The cheese melts and oozes from the two pressed bread pieces and is served with crunchy potato chips and a juicy pickle. I can get this sandwich all the time and not get tired of it. Another item I love is the breakfast pizza that is a special breakfast menu item. It consists of all the tasty ingredients for a hearty breakfast: bacon, onions, peppers, cheese, and a fried egg on top of lightly baked pastry. It may not be the healthiest option but in the realm of taste this is a homerun. The pastry is a perfect bed to house all the other nummies that go into the delicious "pizza". There are other breakfast sandwiches that consist of ham and eggs, spinach with egg whites, among others. They are good and satisfying but I never had the feeling of wanting to order it more than once. The lunch options have numerous salads, sandwiches, burgers, and plate specials. People have said the trio of sliders are very tasty. The seared Ahi-Tuna sandwich is also very good. They give a thick juicy slab of tuna crusted in sesame seeds. It looks like a thick cut of steak but it is reasonably priced (around $10). They also have daily special pizzas. Their cobb salad is also excellent (how can you go wrong with cobb salad anyway?) All in all, they have a nice assortment of food at reasonable prices along with various pastries and gelatos. It's a great place to grab a bite to eat after you do your grocery shopping. If you are going to make the trip to come to Berkeley Bowl for specialty food for groceries, why not indulge yourself with some specialty food in the café?
(4)Em C.
I love the grilled chicken sandwiches here... when they're at their best. Sadly, they're wildly inconsistent. Two sandwiches ago, I died and went to heaven, it was so effing good. But the last one? Dry, overcooked, the bun was stale on one side, and they forgot the cheese. Wha? So, I go back again and again, waiting to strike gold.
(3)Jonathan P.
I got sliders. They weren't that great and they forgot a few of the toppings. Stupid but oh well.
(4)