Jazz Caffe

Reviews

• wendy j.

  star star star star star 18 June 2026

  I think Jazz Caffe is one of the best secrets of Berkeley.  We went today for lunch.  Reza, the owner described the specials and set about fixing our lunch.  It was absolutely delicious!  We started with the heirloom tomato gazpacho.  It was just a tad (barely, barely) sweet and so fresh!  There was a bright green basil purée on top with a few pieces of crisp yellow corn kernels.  The different colors, flavors and textures were so beautiful to look at and to taste.  The fresh focaccia was toasted with a bit of olive oil and came piping hot.  Afterwards, we both had a salad of spring greens with toasted rounds of goat cheese.  Not sure what was on the goat cheese - crushed nuts?  Bread crumbs?  Whatever it was, it had an incredible texture and the goat cheese was warm and the greens nice and cool.  Perfect!  The stew of the day was a spicy chicken curry and was hot, hearty and thick.  We finished our meal with espresso and cappuccino.  They tasted as good as they looked.  The chocolate dessert - looked like a cookie but tasted like flourless chocolate cake-- was amazing.  I will be dreaming about this restaurant.  The best part?  The personal touch.  Reza was so attentive, kind and made sure that we enjoyed our meal.  I will make the trip to the East Bay just to eat at Jazz Caffe.  If you try it, put your trust in Reza and try the specials of the day.  They are fresh and delicious.  Enough said.

• Liza M.

  star star star star star 16 June 2026

  Love everything about this place. Food is hand made, staff is wonderful, and all to go materials compostable. Favorite lunch spot in town for take out.

• Carl L.

  star star star star star 5 June 2026

  Just discovered this place and I'm loving it. Not crowded at all considering it's downtown Berkeley. Tasty coffee, courteous and helpful staff, and everyone here is very relaxed and musically inclined, they even have a grand piano out for folks to play if they get inspired, and I think I may hop on later once I finish my work. They have wifi and natural light, hardwood floors, and the ambiance is kinda what I've always been looking for in Berkeley, I feel like I've found a home away from home. Thank you Jazz Cafe!

• Lee R.

  star star star star star 2 June 2026

  I have been coming here for years!
  
  Their coffee is hands down, the best bang for your buck. It is like an espresso roast in a standard cup of coffee! Also, free refills on a good day ;)
  
  The food is of very high quality and although it may be considered a bit pricey, it is far worth the price tag in my opinion. You get what you pay for they say!
  
  The regulars include jazz conservancy students, scholars, local officials, professors and business executives among fellow coffee enthusiasts. Very relaxed and quiet atmosphere, great place to get some work done.
  
  ** They don't allow technology in the cafe space but there is ample seating to do so just outside in the lobby room. **
  
  If you are lucky, you may even catch a live jazz performance! Which may not be conducive to getting work done but it is certainly worthwhile!
  
  Great space, love it.

• Ronald W.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 26 May 2026

  THIS REVIEW IS FEEDBACK FOR THE OWNER:
  
  Sorry to burst your bubble, but I think you need to be made aware of how your staff treated me Saturday, June 8th at around 1PM - 2 Asian women were all that were in your cafe at the time.   I had a play at Berkeley Rep and have never been to your cafe.  I read the mostly good reviews here and decided to try it.  The blackboard sign was out front and I read it since I know you have a very limited menu and offer daily specials.   The top special listed was a soup that sounded very good to me - in spite what your staff may tell you, IT WAS NOT CROSSED out or indicating that they were already out of it by 1PM.   When I tried to order it, the lady behind the counter, who by the way, barely spoke English to me, said "we out - it is not on sign".   I try to be polite, but when someone tells me something that I am 100% certain is not true after having just read the sign, I pointed up to the stairs and told her to go look for herself.   She motioned to the other woman who was sitting at the counter looking at her phone, who promptly went up to look.   I could not believe it when she came back and said "it is crossed out" - say WHAT?!!!!   It is pretty shameful when any business, let along a service business like a restaurant hires staff that will LIE to a new paying customer just to make them look and feel like they are being unreasonable.
  
  I should have walked out and would have, except I only had a short time before the play started, so I ordered a panini and asked about wine.   The woman that seemed to know little English with a glare on her face literally said "char and savgon").  I did not know what she meant and asked her to repeat and she said the same thing again, only louder with anger.    
  
  I went and sat down and about 10-15 minutes later she brought my plate out -  the sandwich tasted OK, but was COLD in the middle and did not have much crispness like a panini should have.   I believe because of the attitude this woman gave me, she DELIBERATELY under toasted the pressed panini to send me a message "DO NOT COME BACK HERE".  Well, I can guarantee you that I will NOT be back and in the meantime, I will be making the food review site rounds to let others know!
  
  You need to start doing some quality assurance monitoring of you staff if you care about your business!