I want my coffee : no starbucks , no peets

[californiablue]

I'm talking no big chains. If I'm going to chalk up 4 bucks for a latte ( for that amount I could buy a whole gallon of milk ) where should I go? Looking for consistent quality, easy calm atmosphere, friendly baristas and free wi-fi would make it superb.

Any ideas? Looking in East Bay like Concord, Walnut Creek, Alamo etc

[californiablue]

One of my friends mentioned " Its a Grind " in walnut creek. Has anyone heard of this? Apparently its hidden in the Nob Hill Foods Shopping Center on Oak Grove....

[hohokam]

Pacific Bay Coffee in Walnut Creek is a place east of the Caldecott that has garnered some positive mentions here.

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Pacific Bay Coffee Co
1495 Newell Ave, Walnut Creek, CA 94596

[chipman]

I will second the recommendation for Pacific Bay, a gem among a total wasteland.

[Ozumo]

I will third Pacific Bay. I just discovered it. Next best thing to Blue Bottle IMO. They roast their beans in-store (you can see the machine they roast in towards the front of the store. And they do foam art on top of the espresso drinks, which I always enjoy.

[jmarek]

What beans do you recommend at Pacific Bay? So far, I've tried the Mexican and an Ethiopian (Yirg?), but neither has been anywhere close to as good as Blue Bottle.

[Ozumo]

Oh, I meant for espresso drinks; I like their espresso shots and lattes. I don't own a burr grinder, so I never buy really good beans to make at home, I just use stuff from TJ. I like to go to caffes for the best stuff where it will be fresher.

And I agree, BB is much better, but there's no BB out here. :-( PB is just the best thing we have out in Walnut Creek area. Oh well, BB is always a good excuse to hop on BART and hit the FP farmer's market...

[ML8000]

Caffe Trieste on San Pablo and Nomad Cafe.

[sailorbuoys]

What about Guerilla cafe in North Berkeley? They serve Blue Bottle. The place is small and I don't know the prices but BB is delicious.

Also, I realize this is far, but the little coffee place at Toby's in Point Reyes Station does something amazing with espresso!

[malta]

just curious -- what is the little coffee place @ Toby's doing? They use Taylor Maid, no?