Public libraries have always been busy spots, but they’ve grown even more so in the years since the pandemic. They’ve become not just spots for homework or book browsing but free co-working spaces, with desks filled with people quietly but busily typing away.
Of course, using up all that brain energy can work up an appetite. And fortunately, long gone are the days of snackless stacks. Here are eight library-cafe pairings across the Bay Area with great vibes and even better eats. Croissant, anyone? Perhaps a banh mi?
Mademoiselle Colette, Atherton Library
Patio area in front of Mademoiselle Colette on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Atherton, Calif.(Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Given the town of Atherton’s commitment to the posher things in life (the town routinely tops the list of the nation’s most expensive zip codes), it’s no wonder the town recruited an outpost of the Peninsula’s most chic, elegant, and buttery French patisserie — Mademoiselle Colette — to its new-and-improved public library.
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The patisserie has locations in Menlo Park, Redwood City and Palo Alto, too, but this white, minimalist kiosk just outside the Atherton library is especially popular with book lovers. The pastry-centric cafe invites visitors to take a break beneath old-growth oak trees while indulging in a flakes-for-days pain au chocolat ($6.25) – or an especially decadent almond chocolate croissant ($7.25). There are salted butter caramel kouign amanns, too, not to mention eclairs, financiers, macarons and all manner of almost-too-pretty-to-eat delicacies. Did we mention lunch? Think Croque Monsieur, quiche and le sandwich.
The library’s folding glass wall opens onto the cafe patio, offering glimpses of toddler-friendly storytime sessions. Looking for more quiet? Head to the backside of the library, where architects used glass partitioning and rammed earth to nearly soundproof the space from both Caltrain horns and the children’s area.
Details: The patisserie is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday and until 2 p.m. Sunday at 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane, Atherton; mademoisellecolette.com.
Friends Cafe, Alameda Free Library
Customers enjoy their drinks and pastries at the Alameda Free Library’s Friends Cafe in Alameda, Calif., on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
The main branch of the Alameda Free Library has the feel of a grand Berlin train station, with metal columns and exposed brick and vaulted skylights with shafts of sun. And just like the public facilities of our sophisticated European neighbors, it has a cafe tucked off to the side, where patrons can browse the day’s periodicals while indulging in decadent croissants and locally roasted coffee.
“I think we might be the only volunteer-run library cafe in the East Bay,” says Mary Ann Munro, co-leader of the Friends Cafe, where the proceeds support 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 coffee made by Oakland’s Mr. Espresso, which uses oak wood to roast its beans and lock in a higher content of flavor oils. A cup costs $2 with a free refill – try finding that deal anywhere else in town. There’s also Peet’s decaf, herbal teas and hot chocolate ($1), and a fridge stuffed with Celsius Energy drinks, Gatorade, coconut water and, for the kids, juice boxes and chocolate milk.
The pastries are made on the island at Firebrand Artisan Breads and so large, the flaky ham-and-cheese croissant ($4.25) requires two bags. There are morning buns, muffins, chocolate-buckwheat cookies and vegan snickerdoodles ($3.25 each). And behind glass cabinets like in grandma’s house are Doritos, Pocky, Quaker oats and many kinds of instant noodles, including pho with a squeeze bottle of Sriracha in 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, studies to become a pilot with help from registered pilot Subchairoj Tharathorn, of San Francisco, at the Alameda Free Library’s Friends Cafe in Alameda, Calif., on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
After ordering at the counter, patrons might drop by the newspaper rack for a copy of the Times or Variety, then head to plush chairs so comfy some people root there all day. If it’s Vitamin D they’re after, they can catch some rays out on the patio. The library has a used-bookstore where you can peruse vintage and collectible titles and old CDs. The library provides its own entertainment, too, in the form of copious reading material as well as interesting events like a “tech petting zoo” to learn 3D printing and a local death doula speaking on the “art of Swedish death cleaning.”
Details: 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.
Coffee Society, Cupertino Library
EJ, the owner of Coffee Society in Cupertino, serves ice cream at the shop, located next door to the Cupertino Library.. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Torre Avenue in Cupertino is where the joy of reading meets the joy of coffee and ice cream.
Coffee Society, with its lineup of lattes and mochas and two freezer cases’ worth of the much-beloved Marianne’s Ice Cream of Santa Cruz, fills many roles. The cafe provides a respite for parents whose children have checked out arms full of books — and want to go back in for more. For students, like those from Cupertino High School who are working on a project about occupational therapy careers. And for friends who want a fresh-air meet-up at the outdoor tables or the courtyard nearby.
On this afternoon, the cafe clerks are Monta Vista High students Rudrika Randad and Nirbhay Saluja, who share brewing and scooping duties and keep the line moving. Customers love the Mochas made with Ghirardelli chocolate ($6-$6.50) and the Oreo Frappes ($7.75), they say. She personally goes for the iced Lavender Latte; he says he’s a basic Hot Chocolate guy.
Soon, a yellow school bus drops off students who live in the Torre area homes. But most sprint instead for the library, where they join scores of younger children in the stacks, in the reading rooms, on computers.
The downstairs is devoted to children’s material. “Upstairs, there are mom and dad books,” confides 5-year-old patron Josie, here with her mother, Victoria Walski.
This branch of the Santa Clara County system also boasts an extensive collection of books in foreign languages. And a wall-size aquarium with tropical fish that delights youngsters.
“About a hundred times a day, we get someone screaming, ‘Nemo! Dory!’ ” an equally delighted staffer says with a laugh.
Details: The cafe is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 10800 Torre Ave., Cupertino; www.coffeesociety.com/stores.html
Daily Grind Espresso Bar & Cafe, Livermore Public Library
Exterior of the Daily Grind Espresso Bar and Cafe inside the Livermore Library. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
A decade ago, Henry Westphal saw his dream come true when he opened a small cafe and community hub in his hometown. The Daily Grind has since become the comfy, peaceful place he had imagined, serving up coffees, smoothies and Oreo and Reese’s-filled ice cream drinks.
His favorite part of his job, though, is giving first employment opportunities to so many local high school kids.
“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 Daily Grind Espresso Bar and Cafe inside the Livermore Library. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
There’s plenty of seating for students to come grab a coffee and do some work using the free Wi-Fi. There’s a Little Tikes table for kids to sit and read the children’s books on the adjacent shelf or play with Legos while their parents enjoy one of The Daily Grind’s signature wraps.
The best seller is the chipotle chicken wrap ($10.95), although Westphal gets a kick out of watching people try to eat the P.S.T.A. ($10.95). Ingredients spill out the sides of the bulky prosciutto, spinach, tomato and avocado sandwich with its two poached eggs, but customers love it.
“My vision was always to have a cafe in my hometown,” he said. “It’s a place where I get to make people happy.”
Details: Cafe open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at 1188 S. Livermore Ave. in Livermore; dailygrindcafe.net.
Ada’s Cafe, Palo Alto
Charlie Hughes and Madison Turner serve customers from behind the counter at Ada’s Cafe, a mission-driven cafe that provides employment and vocational training for people with disabilities. (Courtesy Kathleen Foley-Hughes)
Tasty food and a heartwarming mission await at Ada’s Cafe, just outside Palo Alto’s Mitchell Park Library. Founded nearly 18 years ago by Kathleen Foley-Hughes and her son, Charlie Hughes, the nonprofit library cafe provides vocational training and employment to people with disabilities, and hopes to expand to the Los Altos Community Center later this year.
Walking into the cozy cafe – decked out with colorful throw pillows and twinkle lights – feels 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 worked at the cafe for about a year, chats with customers from behind the register.
“The drinks and food are made with love,” she says, then leans in conspiratorially to add, “And of course, it can knock your socks off.”
Coffee drinks and creative breakfast and lunch fare dominate the menu, with offerings ranging from breakfast sandwiches to chili, soup, quiche and more. The butternut squash bomb ($15) is a showstopper: a croissant sandwich filled with roasted squash, smoked Gouda cheese, caramelized onions, chipotle aioli, spinach and avocado.
Finished up your meal? Head next door to the library, a two-story, natural light-filled public library with everything from family-friendly story sessions to AI workshops.
Details: Cafe open from 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at 3700 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto; adascafe.org.
Cafe Teatro, Orinda Library
The patio and sculpture garden at Cafe Teatro is adjacent to the Orinda Library. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
There’s a historical plaque for a landmark hotel in Orinda noting that in “the mid-1800s, squatters would occupy land and building structures without legal rights.” That time-honored tradition of squatting — moving into a space you don’t own, just to enjoy it — is now legally respected at the Orinda Library, where patrons while away hours reading, perusing an impressive sculpture garden and dining at the adjacent cafe.
While not technically part of the Contra Costa County Library system, Cafe Teatro sits directly below the Orinda Library with a book-deposit drop that seems to funnel into its kitchen. It’s a cute operation serving mostly sandwiches and drinks, and a busy one during the morning and lunch rushes.
There’s a menu of traditional sandwiches ($9.50-$11) — turkey, ham, pastrami and chicken salad, served with all the fixings on breads that range from the Bay Area’s beloved Dutch crunch to multigrain and gluten-free. Then there are staff “favorite” sandwiches like a stacked club and a pesto-chicken with mozzarella, vegetarian versions with avocado-hummus and specials such as egg salad with sliced apple and arugula. Breakfast burritos, garden salads and bagels with cream cheese (with add-on salmon) round out the savory list.
Patrons dine at Cafe Teatro in Orinda, Calif., on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. The cafe is located in the Orinda Library building. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Pretty much all the colors of the coffee 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 trendy espresso tonic or a fragrant honey-lavender latte that seems perfect for spring.
The lovely stone plaza outside the cafe offers tables and large umbrellas, plus an impressive range of sculptures provided by ArtSpace Orinda. There’s a lipstick-red, Calderesque piece called “California Dream” and gigantic metal bug, reminiscent of Louise Bourgeois’ nightmare spiders, titled “Face Your Fears.” A dual-level waterfall provides ASMR contentment and leads to an additional art gallery on the upper level.
There are even more sculptures inside the Orinda Library, including one made from found cardboard boxes that towers two stories tall. Aside from reading, the place is just fun to explore. In one corner, you might find a beautiful orchid from the local garden club, in another a glass case protecting a 1755 edition of Samuel Johnson’s “A Dictionary of the English Language.” And there are laptops you can check out, a nice perk.
Owner Joe Cho makes a latte at Cafe Teatro in Orinda, Calif., on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. The cafe is located in the Orinda Library building. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Details: Cafe is open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday, until 3 p.m. Friday and until 2 p.m. Saturday at 26 Orinda Way, Orinda; cafeteatrorinda.com.
Nirvana Soul, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, San Jose
You need fast baristas and a creative menu of coffee and tea drinks to meet the needs of the people who use the MLK Jr. Library — thousands and thousands of San Jose State University students, professors and members of the public.
San Jose natives and sisters Be’Anka Ashaolu and Jeronica Macey have been serving San Jose on South First Street and at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)
The hip cafe Nirvana Soul is up to the task. Entrepreneurial sisters Jeronica Macey and Be’Anka Ashaolu founded their coffeehouse nearby, on South First Street, in the pandemic era, and have been expanding ever since. They opened here at the library, in Cupertino, in San Francisco and are headed soon to San Jose Mineta International Airport.
From morning to late afternoon, students fill Nirvana Soul’s indoor and outdoor tables for laptop latte time. Particularly popular are the White Rose Latte, the Honey Lavender Latte and the Mabuhay Ube Latte ($6.25 each). Going to be up late studying? The Red Eye ($4.50-$5.50) adds espresso to brewed coffee, and the Cold Brew ($5-$5.50) is a potent version.
Nirvana Soul owners and sisters Be’Anka Ashaolu, left, and Jeronica Macey are brewing coffee and tea at San Jose’s Martin Luther King Jr. Library. (Photo courtesy of Nirvana Soul)
Made-to-order waffles ($10) with fluffy interiors top the food lineup. They come in both savory and sweet flavors — Cheddar-Bacon, Chorizo con Queso, Churro and Chocolate Chip. Rounding out the offerings are pastries and grab-and-go snacks.
After you’ve fueled up, head next door to visit — or revisit — this amazing destination library and its special collections. The Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies houses the largest collection of Beethoven works and memorabilia outside Europe. The Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies has the world’s largest publicly accessible John Steinbeck archive. And the California History Room is a treasure trove of maps, documents and fascinating ephemera related to the state’s history.
Details: Nirvana Soul, at 150 E. San Fernando St., San Jose, is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, until 5 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday. The Sunday hours are 1 to 5 p.m.
Fika Cafe, Burlingame Library
Fika Cafe owner Ghada Albaghah, who started the cafe about a decade ago at the Burlingame Public Library with her husband, Suleiman, serves up snacks and good cheer to library visitors. (Kate Bradshaw/Bay Area News Group)
With a nod to the Swedish word for coffee break, Ghada and Suleiman Albaghah’s tiny Fika Cafe serves up coffee and an invitation to relax on the ground floor of the Burlingame Public Library. The array of eats ranges from grab-and-go items for the ravenous after-school crowd, to couscous salad, beef wraps and falafel for lunchtime visitors, or Swedish or Turkish-style coffee and fresh-baked baklava for those seeking an afternoon pick-me-up.
Originally from Turkey, Ghada has amassed a loyal following over the years. Now, as she nears retirement age, she appreciates the community connections she’s made and the space she’s created that encourages visitors 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.”
Beyond the cafe, the Burlingame Library is a Peninsula gem, with a large, well-curated book selection and a maker space that lets visitors use sewing machines, 3-D printers and other tools.
Details: Cafe is open from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at 480 Primrose Road, Burlingame; burlingame.org.
Prologue Coffee & Tea, Walnut Creek Library
Prologue Coffee and Tea inside the Walnut Creek Library on Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Walnut Creek, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Sure, it’s a coffee shop located inside a library and only fits 18 people, but don’t let it fool you: Prologue is hip, it’s poppin’, and Hercules resident Thuy Nguyen can’t make enough of her signature banh mi sandwiches.
Since the cafe opened last June, Prologue has aquired 4.7 stars on Yelp, which recently named it No. 5 on its list of “Top 25 Hot and New Women-Owned Restaurants” in the United States.
“We get families, we get people coming here on dates, people coming here to meet their sister or brother or girlfriend,” says Nguyen, who quit her job in banking after 20 years in the business to open the cafe. “It’s more like a community hub, not just a place where students or kids come.”
Two, sometimes three times a week, Nguyen drives to San Jose to pick up a batch of fresh-baked bread from Duc Huong Sandwiches. It’s her belief that the bread is what makes a good banh mi ($7.95 for a small, $11.95 for large), and she loads hers up with marinated chicken, pickled carrots, jalapenos, cilantro, butter and pate.
Pair it with one of Nguyen’s signature drinks, like the Binggrea banana milk Vietnamese coffee ($6.95). Nguyen said she traveled to Vietnam just to learn how to make it. She uses real banana milk instead of syrups, combining it with coffee, condensed milk and whipped cream. And she sources ingredients in Japan for drinks such as her new sakura cherry blossom matcha ($6.95), made of ceremonial grade matcha, cherry blossom and rose syrup.
Nguyen named the cafe Prologue because it was the start of a new chapter in her life, and because of the library theme. The inspiration was her 7-year-old year daughter, who enjoys going to the library while Thuy goes to work.
Feel free to take your coffee inside the library — it’s allowed! — and peruse.
Details: Open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Walnut Creek Library, 1644 N. Broadway in Walnut Creek; prologue-coffee.com.
