Caffe 817 is your neighborhood European-style cafe in Old Oakland. 

Caffe 817 is located in Old Oakland and is inspired by European sidewalk cafes with their Euro-centric fare. As soon as I arrived, I fell in love with the ambiance. There is both indoor and outdoor seating; some customers were inside on their laptops getting work done and sipping on some coffees, while others were outside catching up with friends. The environment was super friendly and welcoming.  

I love that their food and drink menus are not overly extensive; it makes it easier to choose what to order! Caffe 817 makes its sauces in-house with local, fresh ingredients, so I was excited to try a bit of everything. For drinks, we tried a latte with oat milk, house-brewed chai latte, and iced black mango tea. The latte art was beautiful, and the coffee was incredibly aromatic. I could tell the coffee was of amazing quality. For food, we tried a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon, avocado and house-pickled carrots toast, fresh house-made ricotta toast, a granola parfait, bacon quiche, the lentil, chickpea, and herb salad with an added hardboiled egg, and “The Very Best” chocolate chip cookies. Every single dish had a lovely pop of color and was plated beautifully.  

I had some of my favorite dishes ever at Caffe 817. The bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon was easily the best bagel I have ever had. They get their bagels from Boichik Bagels, a prominent bagel spot in Berkeley; the New York Times even wrote about how Boichik Bagels has some of the best bagels in the nation! The cream cheese was absolutely mind-blowing. I’m a huge fan of cream cheese, and this was the creamiest, thickest yet fluffiest cream cheese spread I’ve ever tried. The flavor was rich and blended perfectly with the savory smoked salmon and the sourness from the capers and pickled red onions. The salmon portion was very generous as well. 

The avocado and house pickled carrots toast was delicious! It was a simple, beautiful dish that had just the right amount of avocado. It was topped with Maldon sea salt and Seka Hills extra virgin olive oil. As a cheese lover, I had to try the house-made ricotta toast served with wildflower honey. The ricotta was fresh, creamy, milky, and sweet. It spread easily on the toast, and each bite felt so fluffy and refreshing. The house-made granola parfait was a delicious honey yogurt topped with fresh raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, and crunchy granola. This was refreshing as well and super energizing! It’s definitely a dish I would eat every single morning as breakfast without ever getting tired of it.

The mini bacon quiche was absolutely amazing and was by far the best quiche I have ever had. Their quiches are baked to order, so ours came hot and fresh. It was perfectly baked as the fillings were warm and the crust was crispy. They also have a vegetarian quiche with mushrooms that I need to try next time. The lentil, chickpea, and herb salad was fragrant and healthy. Usually, I’m not the biggest fan of salads, but this dish completely changed my mind. The herbs were refreshing, and the chickpeas and lentils added a beautiful texture. I definitely plan on ordering this one again! Lastly, we sampled the chocolate chip cookies. Caffe 817 was right to name these “The Very Best”  because these were bomb! Each cookie was thick, soft, and superb. The chocolate-to-cookie ratio was perfect, and the quality exceeded my already high expectations.  

If you’re in Oakland, you must visit Caffe 817. I highly recommend trying as much as you can; everything on their menu is fresh, flavorful, and of exceptional quality.