Berkeley

Acme Bar & Company

Newly renovated bar with over 100 whiskeys and DJs on the weekend spinning oldies and 80s pop. Great vibe.

What a fantastic bar. It has several dart boards, a pool table, lots of board games behind the bar, and a surprisingly good art collection. Sunday nights at 8:30PM they run a trivia contest.

The backyard patio is fantastic. On weekend nights they usually have live music in the beer garden. They have a huge selection of beer, including their own microbrews. Food includes individual-sized wood-oven pizzas.

Lots of great beers, a large backyard patio, and superb pizza. And rock music - this place is more of a bar that happens to serve pizza than a restaurant.

Relaxed atmosphere. The walls are decorated with fantastic anti-government posters. Every Wednesday is a poetry slam that is quite good and popular. They have Irish dancing on Monday nights, and local bands during the rest of the week.

Thalassa

A billiards hall of grand proportion with a nice jukebox and a couple of pinball machines and lots and lots of undergraduates. Famous for not having a sign -- look for the neon martini glass.

Good brewpub with burgers, salads, and the usual pub fare.

Located in the Elmwood shopping area, Roma caters more to the graduate student and local resident crowd. The cafe has some outdoor seating on a busy intersection, as well as a 'quiet' room for studying/reading.

Cafe Strada

Practically located on the UC Berkeley campus, Strada is a second home to student and professor alike. It's a popular meeting place, and often busy. Great outdoor seating.

Cafe Milano

Milano is a few blocks away from Strada, and also practically on campus. No outdoor seating here. Also a haven for studying students.

Although a chain, Peet's has a special place in the heart of many Berkeley residents, as it all started with a tiny shop located on Vine Street and it's still there. Great tea selection, very intense coffee, and interesting goodies. Locations in Berkeley:

People's is located downtown, a block and a half from BART on Shattuck Avenue. It offers free Wi-fi and computers for those laptop-deficient. Try the Mediterranean plate for a filling and very cheap lunch. Good coffee and a huge selection of teas!