Hudson Bay Cafe - Coffee shop in Oakland - 5401 College Ave, USA

Lotsa regulars and early morning crowd. Coffee and chai wasn't great, diluted and no effort in making them. Lemon loaf was ok too, maybe a little too dry. Not sure why people would choose to come here when there are plenty of other cafes open early too. As for me, I was duped by the crowd and the whiff of coffee beans and baked goods and the big mural on the side of the building and thought to myself I shall drop in the next time I'm in the area early in the day. Maybe the breakfast food is good? I see people coming in to pick-up takeouts and some takeaway orders in boxes.

We are here every weekend morning that we are in town as it is part of our routine coffee stop and dog walk. There are signs saying that there are only service dogs allowed inside, but we have seen dogs sitting inside and walking through with their owners for takeout. So it is a mixed message. With our coffee, we usually get some kind of savory baked treat. During the pandemic regulars would be sitting outside to converse. Now, inside is back open. I usually take my own straw to avoid using their plastic ones.

Adding this place to one of the coffee shops I visit frequently, it has a prominent presence on college avenue dominating the corner it is located on. It has a reasonable amount of seating inside and a good internet connection when you want to set up for work. There's also lots of seating outside, some in less noisy parts if you need a bit of quiet. They have a full range of coffees and pastries, as well as sandwiches and other food types. There is also a selection of wines if that's what you're in the mood for. The decor and layout is pleasant and makes for an interesting place to hang out. I was working here on this day while it was raining outside, it was beautiful looking out the bay window on the corner to the wet and rainy streets. And when I needed to work outside later, to join a meeting where I didn't want the noise, the canopy gave plenty of protection from the rain. The baristas were very friendly and accommodating, making me a nice latte with latte art for this review.

Walking in, you are greeted with a uniquely-shaped, open space that is at the same time comfortable and classy. I made my way to this cafe from an hour away, wanting to stop by a craft store nearby after having lunch. Not used to the cool air on my Floridian nose, I could not help but sniffle embarrassingly. Despite my incessant sniffling, the barista was unbothered and even offered me a tissue after my apologies. I decided to write this review before even receiving my food. This is because, upon sipping the iced almond milk latte I ordered, I stopped mid-walk to my seat to relish the flavor... Of the espresso rising to the top. This caramel colored rocket-fuel truly deserved a moment of appreciation. Check my reviews: never have I left a review of this caliber before. That's for a reason. This is probably the greatest espresso I have ever tried. I don't even need to dilute the flavor or power through an unpleasant bitterness. Every aspect of the flavor profile is perfectly balanced. I would order straight espresso here to sip carefully. That's how wonderful this is. The person who made this deserves a golden award for their skill. I could not recommend this cafe enough. - Beautiful, spacious area with plenty of seating - Wonderfully satisfying and delicious options even for the vegan, gluten free - The greatest ESPRESSO I have ever had (and that's certainly saying something) - Perfect music for working, chatting, reading, relaxing, whatever you need - Pleasant and kind workers - and much more that I'm sure I'm missing. Tl;dr: 10/10 would recommend. Best espresso ever. Vegan gluten free menu of deliciousness. Great atmosphere and kind workers! Edit: Review follow-up. Oh, my. The vegan, gluten free egg and cheese bagel is absolutely perfect. I added their vegan cream cheese. Just do yourself a favor and eat here.

This place is pretty cool. We were visiting the town and worked there for a few hours. People are friendly and coffee and pastries were sufficiently decent. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the location is pretty great to walk and walk around. One thing though, the coffee shop has no outlets to charge your devices. I understand why they don't have them but it was a little inconvenient because our Airbnb didn't have a decent place to work. We came to have breakfast coffee/pastries and work, too close to the meeting time and couldn't go to another coffee shop.

Nice little corner cafe. Nothing fancy. Decent food. I've been meeting a friend there for a few weeks and it's pretty busy on Saturdays. I like it well enough to order lunch and stay to get work done after my friend leaves. I love that they have actual sandwiches - sometimes you need more than just a quick muffin or bagel (they have those too). Food is pretty solid, but don't expect a side salad. Doors are usually open, so can get a nice little cross-breeze. Sometimes a bit noisy / echo-y. Can get a little crowded since it doesn't have a lot of seating. A few tables outside, great if you bring a dog, but definitely on the sidewalk where people will walk by frequently. Bathroom is a tiny triangle - I hate touching doorknobs, but they don't have paper towels (air dryer) and the doorknob is in the corner, so hard to open with my shirt / etc. Reasonably clean and stocked. Overall, great place to work for a bit or meet a friend for coffee. No frills, but surprisingly good selection of food for a small place.

Nice place on the corner, lots of light, plenty of seating, wifi, but they blocked all the outlets. Haven't tried the food, also serve beer and wine

I have been here several times and had been very satisfied with my drink but my last stop was a very big disappointment. The oak milk was non-fat and truly non-taste, my espresso was like drinking a subpar americano. They were not upfront with the change and when I advised that the 5 dollar, 2 shot drink was enough reason to not return they didn’t even offer a replacement. I didn’t even drink the swill. I like the place but I use to go for the drink. Consistency in coffee prep is the bottom line, that includes all the ingredients.