Philz Coffee - Oakland

I waited five minutes only to be informed that it would take another 20 minutes to prepare my drink. I've visited five other locations across California, and they were all a pleasure. Unfortunately, this location appears to be poorly managed.

It gets really crowded! If you’re planning to visit between 8 AM and 3 PM, be prepared for the possibility that you won’t find a place to wait. I recommend ordering through the app, as if you go in to place your order, you’ll likely be waiting 10-15 minutes or more. I’m a casual fan of Philz coffee, but just be aware that this location can get extremely busy.

What's not to love? The coffee here is consistently great, with a wide variety of roasts and flavors to choose from. The neighborhood is also lovely for a stroll while enjoying your coffee. If you're a fan of pour-over style coffee, this is definitely the spot for you. However, it’s not very bird-friendly, as there are spikes everywhere to deter them. I'm not sure how I feel about that; while there’s no bird droppings, there are also no birds around. Perhaps a bird feeder in a more convenient area for cleaning could be a solution?

I just walked in, simply trying to order some coffee. Despite waiting for 5 minutes with nobody else in line, not a single barista was willing to take my order. Would not recommend, unless you have a whole afternoon to spare.

I was excited to try, but I wanted to like it more than I actually did. The menu was a bit confusing labeled something like coffee creations I thought I was ordering 2 flavored lattes. Turns out one was just a coffee with the notes listed, and the other tasted like black coffee with hot chocolate powder mixed in. The regular coffee was pretty good, but not what I was trying to order. The coffee with hot chocolate wasn 't great. Still 3 stars for creativity, and the coffee still being pretty good.