Public libraries have all the time been busy spots, however they’ve grown much more so within the years because the pandemic. They’ve turn into not simply spots for homework or e-book shopping however free co-working areas, with desks crammed with individuals quietly however busily typing away.
After all, utilizing up all that mind vitality can work up an urge for food. And luckily, lengthy gone are the times of snackless stacks. Listed here are eight library-cafe pairings throughout the Bay Space with nice vibes and even higher eats. Croissant, anybody? Maybe a banh mi?
Given the city of Atherton’s dedication to the posher issues in life (the city routinely tops the checklist of the nation’s costliest zip codes), it’s no marvel the city recruited an outpost of the Peninsula’s most stylish, elegant, and buttery French patisserie — Mademoiselle Colette — to its new-and-improved public library.
The patisserie has areas in Menlo Park, Redwood Metropolis and Palo Alto, too, however this white, minimalist kiosk simply exterior the Atherton library is very fashionable with e-book lovers. The pastry-centric cafe invitations guests to take a break beneath old-growth oak timber whereas indulging in a flakes-for-days ache au chocolat ($6.25) – or an particularly decadent almond chocolate croissant ($7.25). There are salted butter caramel kouign amanns, too, to not point out eclairs, financiers, macarons and all method of almost-too-pretty-to-eat delicacies. Did we point out lunch? Assume Croque Monsieur, quiche and le sandwich.
The library’s folding glass wall opens onto the cafe patio, providing glimpses of toddler-friendly storytime classes. On the lookout for extra quiet? Head to the bottom of the library, the place architects used glass partitioning and rammed earth to almost soundproof the house from each Caltrain horns and the youngsters’s space.
Particulars: The patisserie is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday and till 2 p.m. Sunday at 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane, Atherton; mademoisellecolette.com.
Pals Cafe, Alameda Free Library
Prospects take pleasure in their drinks and pastries on the Alameda Free Library’s Pals Cafe in Alameda, Calif., on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group) The primary department of the Alameda Free Library has the texture of a grand Berlin prepare station, with metallic columns and uncovered brick and vaulted skylights with shafts of solar. And identical to the general public amenities of our refined European neighbors, it has a restaurant tucked off to the facet, the place patrons can browse the day’s periodicals whereas indulging in decadent croissants and domestically roasted espresso.
“I think we might be the only volunteer-run library cafe in the East Bay,” says Mary Ann Munro, co-leader of the Pals Cafe, the place the proceeds help library programming.
“I know one woman volunteer who has been here for the entire 18 years (of the library’s existence). Most of us have been here over 10,” says co-leader Nancy Cooney.
The cafe pours espresso made by Oakland’s Mr. Espresso, which makes use of oak wooden to roast its beans and lock in a better content material of taste oils. A cup prices $2 with a free refill – strive discovering that deal anyplace else on the town. There’s additionally Peet’s decaf, natural teas and sizzling chocolate ($1), and a fridge full of Celsius Vitality drinks, Gatorade, coconut water and, for the youngsters, juice packing containers and chocolate milk.
The pastries are made on the island at Firebrand Artisan Breads and so massive, the flaky ham-and-cheese croissant ($4.25) requires two baggage. There are morning buns, muffins, chocolate-buckwheat cookies and vegan snickerdoodles ($3.25 every). And behind glass cupboards like in grandma’s home are Doritos, Pocky, Quaker oats and plenty of sorts of prompt noodles, together with pho with a squeeze bottle of Sriracha within the fridge ($1.75-$2.50).
“We really try to look at our community and ask, ‘What can we provide to them that they’d enjoy?’” says Munro. “We have a really diverse community, so it’s important to reflect their tastes and desires, and we’re constantly adding and subtracting things.”
Kantya Casperen, left, of Alameda, research to turn into a pilot with assist from registered pilot Subchairoj Tharathorn, of San Francisco, on the Alameda Free Library’s Pals Cafe in Alameda, Calif., on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group) After ordering on the counter, patrons may drop by the newspaper rack for a duplicate of the Occasions or Selection, then head to plush chairs so comfortable some individuals root there all day. If it’s Vitamin D they’re after, they’ll catch some rays out on the patio. The library has a used-bookstore the place you’ll be able to peruse classic and collectible titles and previous CDs. The library offers its personal leisure, too, within the type of copious studying materials in addition to attention-grabbing occasions like a “tech petting zoo” to be taught 3D printing and an area demise doula talking on the “art of Swedish death cleaning.”
Particulars: Cafe is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday (noon-4 p.m. Wednesday) at 1550 Oak St,, Alameda; alamedafriends.com/what-we-do/friends-cafe.
Espresso Society, Cupertino Library
EJ, the proprietor of Espresso Society in Cupertino, serves ice cream on the store, situated subsequent door to the Cupertino Library.. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group) Torre Avenue in Cupertino is the place the enjoyment of studying meets the enjoyment of espresso and ice cream.
Espresso Society, with its lineup of lattes and mochas and two freezer circumstances’ value of the much-beloved Marianne’s Ice Cream of Santa Cruz, fills many roles. The cafe offers a respite for folks whose youngsters have checked out arms stuffed with books — and need to return in for extra. For college kids, like these from Cupertino Excessive College who’re engaged on a venture about occupational remedy careers. And for associates who need a fresh-air meet-up on the out of doors tables or the courtyard close by.
On this afternoon, the cafe clerks are Monta Vista Excessive college students Rudrika Randad and Nirbhay Saluja, who share brewing and scooping duties and preserve the road transferring. Prospects love the Mochas made with Ghirardelli chocolate ($6-$6.50) and the Oreo Frappes ($7.75), they are saying. She personally goes for the iced Lavender Latte; he says he’s a primary Sizzling Chocolate man.
Quickly, a yellow college bus drops off college students who stay within the Torre space houses. However most dash as an alternative for the library, the place they be a part of scores of youthful youngsters within the stacks, within the studying rooms, on computer systems.
The downstairs is dedicated to youngsters’s materials. “Upstairs, there are mom and dad books,” confides 5-year-old patron Josie, right here together with her mom, Victoria Walski.
This department of the Santa Clara County system additionally boasts an intensive assortment of books in overseas languages. And a wall-size aquarium with tropical fish that delights kids.
“About a hundred times a day, we get someone screaming, ‘Nemo! Dory!’ ” an equally delighted staffer says with fun.
Particulars: The cafe is open day by day from 10 a.m. to six p.m. at 10800 Torre Ave., Cupertino; www.coffeesociety.com/shops.html
Every day Grind Espresso Bar & Cafe, Livermore Public Library
Exterior of the Every day Grind Espresso Bar and Cafe contained in the Livermore Library. (Aric Crabb/Bay Space Information Group) A decade in the past, Henry Westphal noticed his dream come true when he opened a small cafe and neighborhood hub in his hometown. The Every day Grind has since turn into the comfortable, peaceable place he had imagined, serving up coffees, smoothies and Oreo and Reese’s-filled ice cream drinks.
His favourite a part of his job, although, is giving first employment alternatives to so many native highschool children.
“It’s a very rewarding place for me to be working with kids,” the Livermore native says. The Livermore Library is “a state-of-the-art beauty. It’s unbelievable. Parents who are attending programs designed to educate small kids — I don’t think they had that when I was a kid. They have story time programs where they tell stories through reading and singing and acting. It’s wonderful. It’s kid participation and parent participation. I get to piggyback off of them, when families come into the cafe.”
The Every day Grind Espresso Bar and Cafe contained in the Livermore Library. (Aric Crabb/Bay Space Information Group) There’s loads of seating for college kids to return seize a espresso and do some work utilizing the free Wi-Fi. There’s a Little Tikes desk for youths to sit down and skim the youngsters’s books on the adjoining shelf or play with Legos whereas their mother and father take pleasure in one in every of The Every day Grind’s signature wraps.
The most effective vendor is the chipotle hen wrap ($10.95), though Westphal will get a kick out of watching individuals attempt to eat the P.S.T.A. ($10.95). Elements spill out the edges of the cumbersome prosciutto, spinach, tomato and avocado sandwich with its two poached eggs, however prospects adore it.
“My vision was always to have a cafe in my hometown,” he mentioned. “It’s a place where I get to make people happy.”
Particulars: Cafe open 7 a.m. to five p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to three p.m. Saturday at 1188 S. Livermore Ave. in Livermore; dailygrindcafe.web.
Ada’s Cafe, Palo Alto
Charlie Hughes and Madison Turner serve prospects from behind the counter at Ada’s Cafe, a mission-driven cafe that gives employment and vocational coaching for individuals with disabilities. (Courtesy Kathleen Foley-Hughes) Tasty meals and a heartwarming mission await at Ada’s Cafe, simply exterior Palo Alto’s Mitchell Park Library. Based almost 18 years in the past by Kathleen Foley-Hughes and her son, Charlie Hughes, the nonprofit library cafe offers vocational coaching and employment to individuals with disabilities, and hopes to develop to the Los Altos Group Heart later this yr.
Strolling into the comfy cafe – decked out with colourful throw pillows and twinkle lights – looks like being embraced in a welcoming hug.
“It’s like Cheers, but with no alcohol,” says Foley-Hughes, a chef and caterer. “Some of the highest praise we receive is that we’re a business with a soul.”
Madison Turner, who has labored on the cafe for a few yr, chats with prospects from behind the register.
“The drinks and food are made with love,” she says, then leans in conspiratorially so as to add, “And of course, it can knock your socks off.”
Espresso drinks and artistic breakfast and lunch fare dominate the menu, with choices starting from breakfast sandwiches to chili, soup, quiche and extra. The butternut squash bomb ($15) is a showstopper: a croissant sandwich crammed with roasted squash, smoked Gouda cheese, caramelized onions, chipotle aioli, spinach and avocado.
Completed up your meal? Head subsequent door to the library, a two-story, pure light-filled public library with every little thing from family-friendly story classes to AI workshops.
Particulars: Cafe open from 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at 3700 Middlefield Street, Palo Alto; adascafe.org.
Cafe Teatro, Orinda Library
The patio and sculpture backyard at Cafe Teatro is adjoining to the Orinda Library. (Jane Tyska/Bay Space Information Group) There’s a historic plaque for a landmark resort in Orinda noting that in “the mid-1800s, squatters would occupy land and building structures without legal rights.” That point-honored custom of squatting — transferring into an area you don’t personal, simply to take pleasure in it — is now legally revered on the Orinda Library, the place patrons whereas away hours studying, perusing a powerful sculpture backyard and eating on the adjoining cafe.
Whereas not technically a part of the Contra Costa County Library system, Cafe Teatro sits immediately beneath the Orinda Library with a book-deposit drop that appears to funnel into its kitchen. It’s a cute operation serving principally sandwiches and drinks, and a busy one in the course of the morning and lunch rushes.
There’s a menu of conventional sandwiches ($9.50-$11) — turkey, ham, pastrami and hen salad, served with all of the fixings on breads that vary from the Bay Space’s beloved Dutch crunch to multigrain and gluten-free. Then there are employees “favorite” sandwiches like a stacked membership and a pesto-chicken with mozzarella, vegetarian variations with avocado-hummus and specials resembling egg salad with sliced apple and arugula. Breakfast burritos, backyard salads and bagels with cream cheese (with add-on salmon) spherical out the savory checklist.
Patrons dine at Cafe Teatro in Orinda, Calif., on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. The cafe is situated within the Orinda Library constructing. (Jane Tyska/Bay Space Information Group) Just about all the colours of the espresso rainbow are represented, from plain-brewed ($3.15) and espresso to cappuccino, cafe au lait and white-chocolate mocha ($5.40). Seasonal specials run the gamut from the stylish espresso tonic or a aromatic honey-lavender latte that appears excellent for spring.
The beautiful stone plaza exterior the cafe affords tables and enormous umbrellas, plus a powerful vary of sculptures offered by ArtSpace Orinda. There’s a lipstick-red, Calderesque piece known as “California Dream” and gigantic metallic bug, harking back to Louise Bourgeois’ nightmare spiders, titled “Face Your Fears.” A dual-level waterfall offers ASMR contentment and results in a further artwork gallery on the higher stage.
There are much more sculptures contained in the Orinda Library, together with one constructed from discovered cardboard packing containers that towers two tales tall. Other than studying, the place is simply enjoyable to discover. In a single nook, you may discover a ravishing orchid from the native backyard membership, in one other a glass case defending a 1755 version of Samuel Johnson’s “A Dictionary of the English Language.” And there are laptops you’ll be able to take a look at, a pleasant perk.
Proprietor Joe Cho makes a latte at Cafe Teatro in Orinda, Calif., on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. The cafe is situated within the Orinda Library constructing. (Jane Tyska/Bay Space Information Group) Particulars: Cafe is open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday, till 3 p.m. Friday and till 2 p.m. Saturday at 26 Orinda Manner, Orinda; cafeteatrorinda.com.
Nirvana Soul, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, San Jose
You want quick baristas and a artistic menu of espresso and tea drinks to fulfill the wants of the individuals who use the MLK Jr. Library — hundreds and hundreds of San Jose State College college students, professors and members of the general public.
San Jose natives and sisters Be’Anka Ashaolu and Jeronica Macey have been serving San Jose on South First Road and on the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library. (Anda Chu/Bay Space Information Group) The hip cafe Nirvana Soul is as much as the duty. Entrepreneurial sisters Jeronica Macey and Be’Anka Ashaolu based their coffeehouse close by, on South First Road, within the pandemic period, and have been increasing ever since. They opened right here on the library, in Cupertino, in San Francisco and are headed quickly to San Jose Mineta Worldwide Airport.
From morning to late afternoon, college students fill Nirvana Soul’s indoor and out of doors tables for laptop computer latte time. Notably fashionable are the White Rose Latte, the Honey Lavender Latte and the Mabuhay Ube Latte ($6.25 every). Going to be up late finding out? The Pink Eye ($4.50-$5.50) provides espresso to brewed espresso, and the Chilly Brew ($5-$5.50) is a potent model.
Nirvana Soul homeowners and sisters Be’Anka Ashaolu, left, and Jeronica Macey are brewing espresso and tea at San Jose’s Martin Luther King Jr. Library. (Picture courtesy of Nirvana Soul) Made-to-order waffles ($10) with fluffy interiors high the meals lineup. They arrive in each savory and candy flavors — Cheddar-Bacon, Chorizo con Queso, Churro and Chocolate Chip. Rounding out the choices are pastries and grab-and-go snacks.
After you’ve fueled up, head subsequent door to go to — or revisit — this superb vacation spot library and its particular collections. The Ira F. Sensible Heart for Beethoven Research homes the most important assortment of Beethoven works and memorabilia exterior Europe. The Martha Heasley Cox Heart for Steinbeck Research has the world’s largest publicly accessible John Steinbeck archive. And the California Historical past Room is a treasure trove of maps, paperwork and interesting ephemera associated to the state’s historical past.
Particulars: Nirvana Soul, at 150 E. San Fernando St., San Jose, is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, till 5 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday. The Sunday hours are 1 to five p.m.
Fika Cafe, Burlingame Library
Fika Cafe proprietor Ghada Albaghah, who began the cafe a few decade in the past on the Burlingame Public Library together with her husband, Suleiman, serves up snacks and good cheer to library guests. (Kate Bradshaw/Bay Space Information Group) With a nod to the Swedish phrase for espresso break, Ghada and Suleiman Albaghah’s tiny Fika Cafe serves up espresso and an invite to loosen up on the bottom flooring of the Burlingame Public Library. The array of eats ranges from grab-and-go gadgets for the ravenous after-school crowd, to couscous salad, beef wraps and falafel for lunchtime guests, or Swedish or Turkish-style espresso and fresh-baked baklava for these searching for a day pick-me-up.
Initially from Turkey, Ghada has amassed a loyal following over time. Now, as she nears retirement age, she appreciates the neighborhood connections she’s made and the house she’s created that encourages guests to take a break from their harried day-to-day schedules.
“This is what we need here in America,” she says. “You need to relax and to enjoy.”
Past the cafe, the Burlingame Library is a Peninsula gem, with a big, well-curated e-book choice and a maker house that lets guests use stitching machines, 3-D printers and different instruments.
Particulars: Cafe is open from 10:30 a.m. to five p.m. weekdays at 480 Primrose Street, Burlingame; burlingame.org.
Prologue Espresso & Tea, Walnut Creek Library
Prologue Espresso and Tea contained in the Walnut Creek Library on Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Walnut Creek, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Space Information Group) Positive, it’s a espresso store situated inside a library and solely matches 18 individuals, however don’t let it idiot you: Prologue is hip, it’s poppin’, and Hercules resident Thuy Nguyen can’t make sufficient of her signature banh mi sandwiches.
For the reason that cafe opened final June, Prologue has aquired 4.7 stars on Yelp, which just lately named it No. 5 on its checklist of “Top 25 Hot and New Women-Owned Restaurants” in the US.
“We get families, we get people coming here on dates, people coming here to meet their sister or brother or girlfriend,” says Nguyen, who give up her job in banking after 20 years within the enterprise to open the cafe. “It’s more like a community hub, not just a place where students or kids come.”
Two, typically 3 times every week, Nguyen drives to San Jose to select up a batch of fresh-baked bread from Duc Huong Sandwiches. It’s her perception that the bread is what makes an excellent banh mi ($7.95 for a small, $11.95 for giant), and she or he hundreds hers up with marinated hen, pickled carrots, jalapenos, cilantro, butter and pate.
Pair it with one in every of Nguyen’s signature drinks, just like the Binggrea banana milk Vietnamese espresso ($6.95). Nguyen mentioned she traveled to Vietnam simply to discover ways to make it. She makes use of actual banana milk as an alternative of syrups, combining it with espresso, condensed milk and whipped cream. And she or he sources substances in Japan for drinks resembling her new sakura cherry blossom matcha ($6.95), made from ceremonial grade matcha, cherry blossom and rose syrup.
Nguyen named the cafe Prologue as a result of it was the beginning of a brand new chapter in her life, and due to the library theme. The inspiration was her 7-year-old yr daughter, who enjoys going to the library whereas Thuy goes to work.
Be happy to take your espresso contained in the library — it’s allowed! — and peruse.
Particulars: Open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday on the Walnut Creek Library, 1644 N. Broadway in Walnut Creek; prologue-coffee.com.
