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California

Café entertainment in California

  1. A

    Naked Lounge

    Local hipsters seem to favor this groovy lounge for coffee and tea. You can choose between a garish red sofa or your basic wooden coffeehouse table.

    reviewed

  2. B

    Antonio's Nut House

    The Nut House stands out in orderly, gentrified Palo Alto. It's a down-to-earth, beer-and-peanuts sort of place. Said nuts are dispensed from a huge mechanical gorilla, so watch out.

    reviewed

  3. C

    Java Beach Café

    Fearless surfers fuel up on coffee and carbs at the last stop on the N Judah, right before the beach. If it’s not foggy, score an outdoor table, but we prefer to sit inside and cruise the dudes.

    reviewed

  4. D

    Almaden Feed & Fuel

    If you've been hiking all day in Almaden Quicksilver County Park, stop for a bite and a beer at this funky, century-old joint that was once a stagecoach stop. It's about 10 miles south of San Jose, just off the Almaden Expressway.

    reviewed

  5. E

    Lost Souls Café

    A keen java radar is required to track down this coffeehouse-cum-community-lab down a dark alley off 4th St (don't worry, it only looks scary). Inside, it's a cool spot where local latterati hang out for a chat, to check their email or to listen to poets or bands.

    reviewed

  6. F

    Farley’s

    Retro-Americana down to the whitewashed slat-board walls and soda-shop-style counter, Farley’s is Potrero Hill’s unofficial gathering place, and has a big community newsboard and stellar magazine selection. Neighbors while away entire afternoons at sunny sidewalk tables. If you want to meet locals, this is the place.

    reviewed

  7. G

    On the Waterfront Cafe

    For a little German-style conviviality, oom-pah-pah your way over to the lively patios at On the Waterfront Cafe, where a boisterous international crew guzzles pitchers of Bitburger and Erdinger. Lots of pub grub and a few Germanic specialties – potato pancakes, bratwurst, Swiss dried beef – keep the boardwalk-adjacent revelers going all day long.

    reviewed

  8. H

    Abbot’s Habit

    With its crunchy, unwashed vibe – messenger bags, dreadlocked hippies, ’80s indie classics on the airwaves – scruffy Abbot’s Habit feels more Colorado mountain town than shiny LA surf city. But then you see the flip-flops, dude, and it all seems right. The coffee’s strong, the pastries are fresh and the patio’s made for loitering. Check it out, bro.

    reviewed