Coffee Shop Review #2 Cafe Zoe
I was headed towards Sacks on College for the second day in a row when I remembered that there is a new corner cafe in Rockridge. Thus, Cafe Zoe became Coffee Shop #2. While walking down a lovely residential street with 2 hour parking (I did move my car once to get 4 hours in), I found a little Rockridge single family cottage I plan on buying when I get my huge teacher raise this fall. Then I can become a Zoe regular and sip my tea in my secret garden backyard.
Cafe Zoe is big, open and airy. There is even a small walled off little nook with a bookshelf and a few smaller tables that look like a great place to study for a few hours. Traveling with a larger load, I splayed my picture books, laptop and other teacher accessories over a nice table for four with a lovely view of the corner of College and my new address.
It was definitely a day for tea but rather than my usual Jasmine standby, I went with Mountain Berry Black Tea (Fair Trade, Organic.) It was served in a tea pot and oversized mug, which is always nice. I later snacked on a toasted baguette with strawberry-lemon jam. Cafe Zoe has only been open for a month and they plan on having more food options in the future, though to be honest I’m wary of cafes with full menus.
The staff were super friendly, even offering to refill my empty tea pot and allowing me to move in for the better part of a cloudy Friday. The downsides of Cafe Zoe are that they do not have wifi (yet?) and the large building is pretty loud and carries noise more than is ideal for a coffee shop. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and plan on visiting again. Their big tables are begging for a larger group of coffeeshop goers (book groups, study partners, etc.) At least Dale and I won’t have to fight over table space as we do at Peets (that is when we don’t just hog two tables.)
Cafe Zoe
College Avenue, Oakland (Rockridge)
Atmosphere: 3/5
Drinks: 4/5
Food: 4/5
Study Factor: 3/5
Overall: 4/5
Mountain Berry Black Tea
Excellent natural light
Snacks
