Highwire Coffee Roasters

This place is where the café frequenting people seem to go. Lots of seats, lots of people, good coffee and teas. Pretty sizable food choice as well.

Perhaps Home of the Yummiest Mocha ever known to Berkeley. There is ample seating, both for groups and individual guests. The music playing was perfect for working/​reading. My only complaint, and sole reason for the lack of perfect scoring: No outlet plugs! Tf?
No worries, the Mocha was worth it. I’ll remember to pack an extra battery next time.

This is my go-​to neighborhood spot. Coffee, poached eggs, herb-​buttered biscuit. That’s a good morning any day of the week.

For many years, Berkeley seemed a bit lacking in top-​notch hipster coffee shops considering the city’s character. Highwire has fixed this. In fact, Highwire has everything I could possibly want in a coffee shop: excellent espresso, a great ambiance, pastries, comfortable seating, and friendly service. The drinks from Highwire cannot be beaten, and they even have some non-​standard drinks like the Howling Wolf Nitro Cold Brew, as well as a great chai latte. I love to get their different blends of beans to make at home as well. Their pastries are from different bakeries around the East Bay and are always delicious.
The interior feels pretty cozy, with lots of wood, art, and comfortable seating — it’s a lot less sterile feeling than a lot of other hipster coffee shops. There’s also a nice back patio area. They have good wifi, but unfortunately no outlets, which might make it hard to work for a long time. The baristas are always really friendly and not overly pretentious.
Overall, this may be my favorite coffee shop in the whole Bay Area, a statement that I do not make lightly. The only downside is that I end up spending too much money because I can’t stop going back.

Feening to have coffee as I stumbled upon a café that caught my attention from the inside with the super cute interior. As I look up to see what this café was called, the name got my attention; Highwire.
It’s my first time here and I did not know what to order, I wanted something out the ordinary beside the old fashion cup of joe. I usually love when I go to a new coffee shop because i simply have the barista make me their personal favorite drink. It makes ordering fun and probably easy for them.
Highwire’s cups of coffee comes with 2 shots of expresso I believe. There’s a good amount of seating and the patio in the back is cute and relaxing.
The staff here are super sweet and nice which makes this place a 5 star put together. I appreciate when a store can takes care of their customers and know what there talking about when it comes to their product.
The awesome part about this place is they also sell some beers! Looks like that saying
«it’s 5 O’clock somewhere» is here! Haha.
This place has to be in my top 5 places to go to.
Thanks Highwire, you defintely gained an on going customer. See you pretty soon, your defintely worth the travel.

Just moved to the neighborhood, and I’m happy this place exists. I love the back patio, and the atmosphere at this café is calm and casual. The coffee is definitely not bad at all, but like others have said it’s not quite as interesting as other bay area favorites like ritual or blue bottle. The only thing that kinda ticks me off about this place is the service, I’m actually a barista myself so Im familiar with the process of making a latte and how long it’s supposed to take to pull a shot and steam some milk: not long. The past few times I’ve come in, I’ve been the only paying customer in the place and the (same) guy making my drink has moved verrrrrrrry slowly and managed to make me wait 10 min while he talks to coworkers and friends. He is nice, but I have to hold back from jumping over the counter and making my drink myself to move things along.

Great coffee, nice breezy café with outdoor patio seating, good-​looking selection of light food options, pastries, soups, etc. Beer/​cider also available!

High quality hipster coffee house. Great coffee, great pastries, great healthy stuff to eat.
Good place to study, but no outlets. I decided not to dock a star on this (inconvenient!) because they use solar to help power their business and they really are a nicely done coffee house. It’s the details. The nice salt on that yummy avocado open face bread thing, the cups and plates they serve it with… the kombucha is really good… a place to sit outdoors.

Two words: Tipu’s Chai
It’s spicier than it is sweet. My second favorite next to Rasa Chai’s chai tea. But I do love the cups! They’re from a local ceramics shop called Heath Ceramics. I LOVE it. So cute!
There’s tons of seating but no outlets ;(Sad for me because my laptop needs constant power. The internet is pretty reliable though. Another plus is that they sell alcohol.
Side note: parking can be tough– only metered parking available on a busy street.

This café is hipster heaven.
Drinks: In addition to the standard espresso drinks, you can get a nitro cold brew or a pour over both of which were well received by my friends. I opted for a vanilla latte, which was pretty good, but not comparable to Artis’s.
Food: The pastries here all looked so tempting with everything from vegan donuts to cream cheese filled cinnamon rolls — talk about decadence. The food here seems a bit pricey, but the portions are amazing. I ordered a veggie sandwich (veggies + hummus so I’m assuming its vegan friendly: D) and it HUGE. The bread is so thick and soft. Really top notch.
Atmosphere: The ambiance here is pretty awesome, and the moon room is gorgeous. A great place to get some work done, with really reliable wifi. But beware, there are NO OUTLETS here (minus one star).
Overall: Definitely one of Berkeley’s best coffee shops. Also you can take the 51B to get here!

The coffee is fine. Atmosphere is a little crowded and the owners recently removed all the outlets which feels outright hostile. Used to like this place.

Came here to check out the pastries after raving reviews from a friend. It was just ok. One of us has a bad taste. It might be me. Who knows.
Coffee was ok.

Love the coffee and the ambience here. The space is beautiful, and the patio outside is great. Big windows for people watching, and lots of magazines and newspapers floating around for you to borrow.
Their nitrogen cold brew is great on a hot afternoon, while I prefer a latte on a cold morning. They make their vanilla flavor in house, and it’s amazing. I’ve tried some of their egg sandwiches and the bagel, and while it’s all a bit overpriced, food is certainly delicious.
I would give them five stars, but the $ 1 up charge to get your coffee to go, and the hipster blasé baristas annoy me. They seem to be annoyed that they have to take your order.

Love the coffee and the ambience here. The space is beautiful, and the patio outside is spacious and brught. Big windows for people watching, and lots of magazines and newspapers floating around for you to borrow.
Their nitrogen cold brew is great on a hot afternoon, while I prefer a latte on a cold morning. They make their vanilla flavor in house, and it’s amazing. I’ve tried some of their egg sandwiches and the bagel, and while it’s all a bit overpriced, food is certainly delicious.
I would give them five stars, but the $ 1 up charge to get your coffee to go, and the hipster blasé baristas annoy me. They seem to be annoyed that they have to take your order.

Outstanding fresh, responsibly sourced, locally roasted coffee. Great people, great coffee. Not cheap, but worth the trip.
I made my first visit to the store to buy some beans for our rental house. Josh explained their SO roasts and blends and made me a (strong!) shot of their Core espresso. He knew I was brewing with a Bonmac and suggested coffees that would taste best as a pour-​over. Because I don’t have a grinder at this house but live around the corner, he offered to grind only half of the beans, and let me keep the other half WB so the grinds doesn’t get too stale. He said come back when I needed the rest ground. This coffee snob approves! A+++

I love this place. Me and my friends hang out here and get the highwire iced coffee and the green toast. So damn good. Love the staff and the environment.

Awesome coffee. Beautiful location. Lovely staff. This place is such a great work spot. Highwire coffee is also just incredibly good coffee: amazing flavors and consistently so. Highly recommended. Get a latte for here; beautiful presentation and latte art.
Just one con: they don’t have outlets, so that’s a bummer. But the coffee is worth it.

Wow, what a way to turn off a customer. I came in during the rain when it was packed. The line was short and I received immediate attitude from the cashier, complete with interrupting my transaction by talking needlessly to a co-​worker. My tea came quickly, but after calling the order, I wasn’t acknowledged by the barista. I sat at the counter, for lack of any other seating, and was glared at by the cook. It may have been a bizarre aberration, but I watched (and heard) several other customers thanked as they departed. I wasn’t. I was also the only other non-​white in the building, the other being the dishwasher. The management needs to get a handle on the ill-​mannered staff that work here.

I’m not gonna lie, I came to this location because of their moon room. When driving, this place is really easy to miss with only a small sign that you would notice if you were trying really really hard to look for this place. You’ll have to park on the busy street wherever you can, then walk on over. I was pleasantly surprised at the food they offered. Unfortunately I wasn’t hungry, although the sandwich they had on display looked amazing, so I opted for their Kouign Amann. We also ordered their honey orchid loose leaf hot tea and mocha. The inside was really hip, especially their backyard that had an empty bathtub looking sink thing along the back (lol wut). The customer service was so-​so.
Between coffee and tea, I drink copious amounts of tea so I would like to say I know my teas fairly well and I’m not too picky because I love all teas. However the tea that I had here was extremely bitter… Not bitter in a way that was the tea’s fault, but that bitterness that comes when the water temperature is too hot and it burns the tea leaves so you end up having bitter tea. I didn’t drink much of the tea, sadly. I do like the glass container they put the tea in, though. The mocha was also just okay. The Kouign Amann was really great and was my favorite thing here! We got the one filled with chocolate and I liked the texture of it. It was soft like a croissant, but a little more dense. I would come back to try their food options if I’m in the area!

Highwire in Oakland is good but unfortunately the staff at the Berkeley location are inept.
They have not been trained to make espresso drinks properly (scorched milk etc…) and they simply are not focused on their jobs.
On this trip, there were three food tickets (including mine) just sitting there not being made while the workers were checking their phones and otherwise not doing their jobs.
I normally would not write a review but I am a regular at the Oakland location where I consistently have a great experience and my three experiences at the Berkeley location have all been bad.
Sorry for being a little harsh.

Some good days and some bad. But I’ve had poor customer service several times in a row recently. There isn’t anything here that is exceptionally or really even a little better than other places close by (Catahoula or Café Yesterday — both within a few blocks.)
Oh wait, there is a really nice patio outside…
No outlets and too often attitude or the feeling of putting out the staff just by ordering. I agree with the reviews that say ‘they don’t really want you here, they just want you to buy their s*** and get out.’ Not all of the staff are like that but enough that it is pretty noticeable — especially with the other places close by that almost NEVER seem in a bad mood :)

A great environment to work or socialize. Felt really comfortable here on my first visit. Enjoyed a pour over which was solid, and the staff was über friendly in helping explain their different roasts of the day. Will definitely be going back to this neat spot tucked away in Berkeley.

I want to post a great review. I loved this café as Local123. I love that I can walk there. I love that it’s in my ‘hood. I am highly disappointed by the new ownership, though. It feels like the welcoming neighborhood feel has all been eliminated. No more community bulletin board in the restroom. I can’t charge my laptop. It feels like they’re saying, we really don’t want you here, we just want you to buy our shit. And, they microwaved my quiche. A Berkeley institution should know better.

Decided to take a break from the usual cafes around Berkeley campus and study here instead. I really enjoyed studying at the big table in the back, but sadly there were no outlets :(Come here with a fully charged laptop!

I ordered a almond milk capp and a house coffee. The cashier/​barista was like 12 years old, but still whipped up a good cap. Generally almond milk and soy lattes in my opinion taste a lot like the milk’s (maybe because they don’t froth well?) and it’s not as good, but lactose intolerance :(This really didn’t taste like that! Good!
I wasn’t a fan of the house coffee though so I steered away from buying some of the beans. It was too dark, but not in a good way. Dark, when accompanied with florarly or fruity etc notes can taste great.
The shop itself is really cute, spacious. Looks like they serve food there also. They close at 5 on a Saturday though which was early. the 12 year old was nice in letting us stay 10min later though.

Complex review. Why? I like the café on San Pablo. The one on Solano even better. Nice folk. Yet another coffee roaster. I’m glad for the variety.
I just don’t care for their espresso. It lacks, the sharpness, brightness, life, flavour and snap that it should express. Instead it’s a bit tannic & sour. I don’t know whether it’s the roasting or the extraction, but it has neither worked at home or in the shop.
Also, it’s pricey, and beans, though not sealed are only sold in 1 pound increments. Why buy if half the pound will be well expired by the time you get to it.
OK. 2.5 stars. Variety is everything. Highwire is not Peets (thank G_​d), Blue Bottle, Equinox. They are distinctive, and this is what makes Highwire interesting. It’s all a matter of taste. Many people seem to love it (except for the lady who thinks they don’t have enough electrical outlets for her laptop). So enjoy coffee, and enjoy variety. I do.
I am told that the tea is excellent.

5 $ for a soy mocha…
But it was delicious coffee! I just hate paying more than 4 $ for coffee. This place is perfect for people that like the chill vibe, not too quiet, but not obnoxiously loud. There’s pop/​rock music that subtly plays in the background, which is a plus if you’re that type of person that needs background music to work and study. This place is relatively large, with about 8 – 9 tables inside and a large table in the back. This is not including the bench and table that’s outdoors.
I stumbled on this joint because I was waiting for my car glass window to be fixed and the gal recommended this coffee shop. Unfortunately, if I don’t live conveniently down the street, I wouldn’t make my way out Berkeley, battle street parking, for their coffee.

I want to like this place, I really do. I would give them five stars if it were based purely on attitude. But it’s not.
The worst thing is the product. Any attempt at the complex flavor profiles described on their promotional materials is masked entirely by bitterness. The decaf is particularly medicinal. It’s also served far too hot, which is probably playing a role in destroying the taste as well. The stuff they served when it was Local 123 was strong to a fault, but it was better than this stuff. Still, sometimes you need a hot coffee, no matter the taste, and this is better than the ⁷⁄₁₁.
With that out of the way, the staff are… very nice, and pleasant, and polite… but also very slow, and prone to error. And I feel bad saying that, because as I said they are very pleasant people. But I don’t think I’ve ever been handed a coffee without apologies about some delay or another — not even when I was the only person in the joint.
Today I’ve about given up. Just as I was next in line, everything was put on hold for 5 minutes while they tried to figure out why the half and half looked funny (pro tip, if fresh milk curdles, you’re serving the coffee too hot). Either way, just pour a new cup and get on with things. Nope! *More* discussion about the half and half. Meanwhile my coffee’s not even been started. I had to leave, having already paid, without it – else I would have missed the bus. Note that I didn’t «cut it close» — when I stepped into the shop, it was still 10 minutes away, and there were only 2 people in front of me with simple orders.
Is it worth waiting for coffee that struggles to be mediocre? Not during rush hour.
I might be back, if only because the staff IS very pleasant, and they’re the only real coffee in the area open before 8am. But that’s not really a recommendation.

Hands down the best mocha I’ve ever had. Their bagels with lox are also fantastic. And their oatmeal! I know, «Oatmeal?» Yes. Oatmeal.
I also really enjoy the staff here. They’re a good combination of friendly and conservative. Sometimes coffee shop employees seem like they drink way too much coffee. Sometimes they seem downright pretentious. These guys are just plain old good people. Smart and interesting to talk to, but also easy to just do business with when I just want to keep to myself.
The manager, Josh, is a gem. One of the other employees, Jason, is ADORABLE. If anyone reading this is in charge, give Jason a raise. If I’ve made a mistake and you don’t actually have an employee named Jason then give your cutest employee a raise, because I’m not good at names, but this guy, whatever his name is, is an absolute delight.
There is one person who sometimes works the register, and isn’t … like I don’t know if I’ve ever seen them smile. But for the most part the staff is great.

A fun coffee shop where you can get a killer cup of coffee. Honestly, one of the best espressos I’ve had. Grab yourself a seat in the beautiful outside patio. Looking forward to their new food menu.
I also love that they have events there. Record swap, art show, awesome! It’s great to see it grow and evolve. Do yourself a favor and pick up a bag of beans to go!

Highwire is a surprise everytime i’ve taste it, twice in a month. after a year or 2 gap. definitely bold. amongst oaktown coffee roasters (bicycle, blue bottle, highwire, roast,.) highwire may be my fave: bold, heavy bodied, not just simple smoothness but knock them out bold smoothness.
menu: highwire coffee, starter bakes, artisan draft beers, chai, kombucha, cookies, (sounding like a hippy health food market).
brew: nitro cold coffee (4) 12 0z.
–stout type buzz, lst time drinking cold coffee, came from a tap
–other coffee dispensaries are featuring cold coffee too…
on tap:
–not knowing where to order, i stood between the cashier and the draft dispensers, where the menu board was. got service quickly. slow part of day.
–definitely a contender for an hundredth review but something literally hot came up.
–along with most high end roasters, cool people here. i didn’t know the drill but still got respect. speaks volumes!

While I was sad to see Local 123 go, Highwire indeed holds it own, making its own mark in West Berkeley. While I’m not the biggest fan of darker roasts of coffee, this place does it so well that I’ve come to enjoy the complexities in their cups (as dark as they’re roasted). The patio is still a great place to chill on a beautiful day. If you’re hoping to do some work here, come with your laptop charged, as only one plug is available in he back. Bring a power strip, or rely on the generosity of strangers to get some juice. All in all, still a great café with a great vibe!

Formerly Local 123, this café has a nice vibe, with a patio out back. May not be super ideal for working in, but you can certainly get work done. Outlets are all blocked, but the old Local 123 wifi still works at 7.79d/1.03u with a decently busy crowd here, half on laptops. Not sure how long that wifi will last, as they mention switching to the new Highwire hotspot (get the pw when you order).
$ 3.25 for my 8oz masala chai, which I enjoyed — lightly sweet and spiced, not watery, a pretty balanced chai for my tastes. Will try the food later!