Café Etoile

Nice coffee shop on the corner. Great for small parties. Get pretty packed in here.We got some coffees. Pretty standard stuff. You know what...it wasn't that memorable...But let me tell you about their food stuff! Chicken Croffle, its a large piece of tender fried chicken on a croffle. What's a croffle?? Well, its when a croissant finds its way into a waffle maker. Super delicious! Then we got the bulgogi sandwich. Its exactly what it sounds like but with a little bit of light greenery in there.We came for the coffee but really enjoyed the food.

I went here around noon with my family and partner making for a group of 5. Luckily, we were snag two tables next to each other and get some extra chairs as there weren't many people inside. People are usually in here, though, to eat and/or do work.I ordered the Chicken & Croffle Benedict and when the food arrived, I realized how big this serving was. I was excited for this, especially for the egg benedict part of the dish. It gets to become a rather messy meal once you've pierced through the egg along with all the sauce and syrup that's added in, but it's a tasty, filling meal! The chicken is really crispy and juicy. The croffle is quite hard to begin with, but it softens up throughout the meal because of everything on top.Everything in the store is self-serve when it comes to utensils, napkins, condiments, etc and they're located by the register. There were a few flies in the store which weren't aggressive or bothersome, but I did have to swat them away at times. The café is right by Trader Joe's, so street parking may be difficult to find at times. Overall, this is a nice place to grab brunch or do work if you need to study!

Cafe Etoile has been on my Yelp bookmarks for a while. It always catches my eyes whenever we drive past it, but today was the chance to try it since we were around the neighborhood and looking for a quick bite. It's located right next to Trader Joe's - street parking only. It's a casual and quick setting. When we arrived after 1PM, this place was popping. We placed an order at the counter and we were given a buzzer. I ordered an Avocado Toast with a Gingerbread Chai Latte (oat milk) and my partner got a Chicken and Croffle with a Lemon Iced Tea. A lot of a tables were taken, but thankfully, table turnaround is fairly quick. We were able to find a small, tall table next to the windows. Other than that, everything else is self-serve - utensils, water, napkins are all available near the counter. Although self-service, the barista who made my Gingerbread Chai Latte noticed that because I got alternative milk, dairy may be an issue, so she came over to ask me if I wanted whip on top of my drink. I'm glad she did because I normally do not add whip to my drinks! So I'm really glad the barista was attentive to that. Order came fairly quick, and although I wasn't expecting much from an Avocado Toast, this is an avocado toast I can actually get behind. It's ~$10, it's a substantial avocado toast. The avocado is nicely mashed up and they lathered the bread with it. The addition of cherry tomatoes, pickled onions, and radishes made it kinda refreshing and added a lot of mouth feels with the different textures going on. But I have to say, the balsamic they drizzled on top added some depth of flavor. The whole wheat bread they used was fluffy and kinda thick, which added to the overall satisfaction. As for my Gingerbread Chai Latte - it smelled fragrant. I love the smell of cinnamon. It's toasty and comforting. The actual drink itself was okay. Not particularly strong, more milky tasting than other flavors, but it was comforting and what I needed on a chilly day to warm up. As for my partner's meal - wow, his Chicken and Croffle looked magnificent. The fried chicken pieces were massive and the Croffle was pretty big too. I would definitely say the chicken is the star of the show even though I assume you're supposed to eat it with the Croffle. The chicken was crunchy, and crispy, but moist dark meat. It was decadent, haha. Paired with the Croffle and syrup, you get a delicious sweet and savory bite. By itself, the chicken is still fantastic. But when you try the Croffle by itself, it's a little dense and hard. I'm pretty sure croffles are basically flatten croissants, but it doesn't have the flakiness of a croissant. My partner devoured that though, haha. As for his drink, it was not to our taste. The syrup was a bit weird, almost medicinal tasting. Other than that though, our experience here has been quite pleasant. We were satisfied and happy with our meal. Definitely recommend Cafe Etoile for a quick and casual bite!

Had a great time here! The food was really good there's a lot of options and they're very filling I had the salmon avocado toast and my partner got the salmon benedict with a toffee and tiramisu latte .... I kid you not the lattes here are crafted to perfection !! The right amount of sweetness and foam. Highly recommend giving this place a shot. The service was quick and friendly and the place itself is set up really well with plenty of tables. I'd definitely come back to study or do some work here.

Chicken and waffle was not good at all. The chicken didn't look like chicken as it was flat and had weird texture Also the waffle was cold. Didn't like the syrup either as it had hot sauce in it. Beware of what you eat here !!!

I stopped by not long before closing, it was quick to order and get my drink within 2 minutes as there was no one ahead in line. I got a matcha latte, half sweet, hot, 16oz; there is no price difference between getting it hot or iced.I definitely felt lower sweetness was the right move to be able to properly taste the matcha. I would've still liked the matcha to be even a little stronger, but overall I was satisfied by the amount of bitter savory flavor of matcha.They have a decent amount of tables of varying heights inside and a couple of outdoor tables, but they close at 3pm so if you're looking to work later into the evening, you'd need to go somewhere else.

Very cute cafe / restaurant! I love their selection of Asian fusion dishes twisted with classic American favorites. They also have an assortment of lattes that tasted so yummy! I loved their iced pistachio latte which is the perfect mix of coffee, milk and pistachio. Parking is a bit hard to find for this place - you will need to look for street parking. Their sandwiches are always great and my friend loves the eggs Benedict here.

Met up with a friend for lunch around the Berkeley area. School wasn't in session so the area wasn't as busy. Seems like people normally come here to do work. I got a spicy chicken sandwich. It was so affordable. The sandwich was less than $15 and was very filling. Chicken was crispy and juicy. Cole slaw could've been more seasoned as it was on the dryer side. I didn't order a drink, but they have an extensive drink menu. They also have water on the side. Seems like it would be a popular place for students when classes are in session.

Little hidden gem in Berkeley, can't believe I've never noticed before. Korean fusion breakfast with a small but inspiring menu. We got the kimchi fried rice and a fried chicken and croffle. Both delicious. They drinks were also noteworthy, trying the tiramisu coffee for the first time and highly enjoyed - rich but not too sweet, good balance with the bitterness of the shot. The only issue I had was that you have to bus your own tables, but they do not have a garbage/recycling can so you have to just haphazardly put the dishes in the single small tray without clearing them.

One of the best breakfast sandwiches in Berkeley. Made fresh to order. Toasted brioche bun and thick slices of smoked bacon. Super Yum! Lots of other reasonably priced breakfast items. Lots of seating.