At These Cafés in Oakland, People Actually Talk to Each Other
By: Emma Webster
Tags: Bay Area, Oakland, Cafe, Coffee, Food

Once upon a time, coffee shops were simple places. Somewhere you could go to buy a cup of coffee, read the newspaper, or catch up with a friend. Maybe you’d even meet a cutie in line. But in 2020, a coffee shop can now be anything: an office, a trendy backdrop for an Instagram photo shoot, the headquarters of a small startup.

Don’t get me wrong; as a writer, I understand the need for a place to get some work done, and libraries don’t serve you coffee. But sometimes, I want to grab some coffee with a friend and not be glared at because I’m talking too loudly while someone is working on their pitch deck for a new app.

If there’s one place that emphasizes and revels in human interaction, it’s the East Bay. With a surprising number of cafés that flat out don’t have Wi-Fi at all, the options are plentiful for those seeking comfort and conversation in a simple coffee shop. Below are my top picks for cafés in Oakland where people actually talk to each other.

1. Tertulia Coffee

It took me two years of living in Oakland to discover Tertulia, and for that, I am deeply ashamed. With a sign at the counter displaying some rendition of, “NO WI-FI: Bring a friend or meet someone new,” this is part café, part art gallery. Located in Uptown, Tertulia’s owners founded the space with a mission to mix their passions of art and coffee, and the result is a truly unique establishment. I highly recommend the vanilla latte — the most requested drink of 2019, according to their Instagram — and while their food menu is limited, they do have fresh pastries everyday and huge chocolate chip cookies that make the perfect midday snack.

The front half of the space provides ample seating, from standard tables to what I swear are the coziest couch and armchairs in the Bay. If the temptation of slouching down in your seat and making yourself at home isn’t enough to deter you from whipping out your laptop, the lack of internet should do the trick. If you’re still feeling tempted to plunge into your technology burrow, check out the art gallery in the back. Housing art from Sanchez Contemporary, the space is designated to showcase Bay Area Latin artists and other underrepresented artists. The displays rotate throughout the year, with both solo and group exhibitions on display.

1951 Telegraph Avenue [Uptown Oakland] | tertuliacoffee.com

2. Awaken Cafe & Roasting

My first visit to Awaken, located in Downtown Oakland, was for the Oakland Poetry Slam, though the event has grown too big and since moved elsewhere. However, the fact that Awaken once hosted it should tell you all you need to know about the café. My second time here was during the Oakland teachers strike, and the café was serving as the unofficial meeting place for many of the protestors after the sun went down. Teachers with picket signs filled the seats and one protestor even led the entire establishment in a celebratory chant — beer in hand (yes, they have alcohol here too).

Awaken is very much a social scene, with no Wi-Fi and tables filled with chatter and people eating lunch (Beauty’s bagels with hummus and avocado please). One Yelp reviewer did my job describing this café best: “Spent three hours in here with a friend. That’s all I really need to say.”

1429 Broadway [Downtown Oakland] | awakencafe.com

3. Timeless Coffee, Piedmont

The Piedmont Avenue location of Timeless is far more spacious than its College Avenue sister, with indoor and outdoor seating and a large brunch crowd. With an entirely vegan menu, Timeless joins the ranks as yet another coffee shop with no Wi-Fi. In place of surfing the web (do people still use that phrase?), I like to spend my time here reading a book and eating one of their massive slices of cheesecake that, as a non-vegan, I can promise you is insanely delicious. Once again, I turn to Yelp to sum up Timeless perfectly in one Q&A:

“Q: is this a good place for studying?

A: No. Go to a library.”

Come on the weekends for lots of cute dogs and kids.

4252 Piedmont Avenue [Piedmont] | timelesscoffee.com

4. Equator Coffees, Bay Place

My favorite thing about Equator Coffees is everything. I must admit, I’m extremely biased on this one, as this is my go-to local coffee shop. I firmly believe it deserves all the hype I give it.

Equator has several locations around the Bay — all very hip, usually in old shipping containers — all excellent. The Bay Place location opened shortly after I moved to Oakland, and life has never been the same. This location is almost entirely outside, and I’ve seen over the years how they’ve morphed it from a weather-permitting grab-and-go coffee stop to a welcoming, heated, bustling patio. There is a tent over the space in case of the rain, and space heaters blast from above. Equator Coffees does offer free Wi-Fi, but it’s hardly used as a remote workspace. There is the occasional person working from their laptop among the succulent-lined tables, but it’s more common to see people talking to strangers and introducing their dogs to one another. It’s a small space that makes it comfortable to strike up a conversation with whoever is there at the time, and that almost always includes really good dogs. One regular named Rufus wags his huge, white, fluffy tail alongside his five-year-old pal who is the friendliest guy in the neighborhood.

Just a few blocks from Lake Merritt, Equator is perfect for grabbing a coffee after a run, and they also have cans of beer and wine for happy hour.

175 Bay Place [Adams Point] | equatorcoffees.com

5. Farley’s East, Oakland

The Grand Avenue location of Farley’s East is a nice mixed bag of people working remotely and people chatting over cappuccinos. Unlike most of the other spots on this list, Farely’s does have free Wi-Fi, and a rather large upstairs area packed with laptop-bearing millennials. But this café is able to keep things in check with designated laptop areas. The spacious tables closest to the front of the café are no-laptop zones, with signs on them that read “reserved for eating and conversation (no laptops).”

Overall, it seems like people are pretty good at following this rule, and it’s nice to have an area already reserved for you if you want to talk to your friend and not be amongst the sea of typing. It’s equally as nice to have a designated spot to sit if you do need to work from your laptop without feeling like a social pariah (yes, I am writing this from Farley’s as we speak, the irony is not lost on me). There’s also a large area with magazines to read while you’re there and an extensive food menu. As a bonus, there’s a little outdoor seating area that’s pleasant during the few days of the year Downtown Oakland isn’t under construction.

33 Grand Avenue, [Uptown Oakland] | farleyscoffee.com

6. Blue Bottle, Broadway

The entire layout of this Blue Bottle location seems like it was purposely built to deter anyone who may wish to enter with a laptop. I’ve actually seen someone come here, get out their laptop, attempt working, and leave within 30 minutes out of frustration. This place is huge, has high ceilings, and gives off an old factory vibe that I can’t quite describe (although I guess I just did). There’s a large round table in the middle where it’s equally acceptable to chat with the stranger next to you or bury yourself in a book. There are many other high-top tables perfect for two people, AND this location has the coveted avocado toast.

4270 Broadway [Broadway] | bluebottlecoffee.com

7. Julie’s Oakland

It would feel wrong to write this article without mentioning Julie’s. Located on Telegraph Avenue in Temescal, this shop, like Farley’s, has designated laptop areas. Though, there have been more laptops showing up lately, likely due to the sudden closure of the go-to remote working café down the street, Hawk and Pony.

That being said, Julie’s has a nice atmosphere if you can find a table, and a really lovely back patio — the kind of back patio that made me want to move to California to begin with. And, while a bit pricey, the food and coffee are delicious. There’s also beer on the menu if you need something to do while you wait for a table to free up.

4316 Telegraph Avenue [Temescal District] | juliestea.com