Hook Me Up: Remedy Coffee in Oakland

It's a rainy Sunday morning in Oakland, but luckily I've gotten lots of sleep because of daylight savings time. So I had a lot of energy and didn't want to just stay in my apartment, so I strolled down in the rain to the Temescal neighborhood and now I'm at the Remedy Coffee House on Telegraph Ave.

I've seen and heard about this place for awhile, but never really came with my laptop to check it out. In fact, it's been awhile since I took my laptop out to see the world, so it's pretty happy right now for the change in environment.

Some of my friends were skeptical of Remedy because it had that pretentious, trying-too-hard-to-be-cool interiors for a coffee house in Oakland, but you know me. I'm all about the aesthetics and I go for all the stylish, hip decor.

And apparently I'm not the only one as I entered and the place was pretty crowded, even for a rainy Sunday morning. I grabbed one of the last stools by the window (squeezing by the people on the coffee club chairs adjacent to the window) and settled down.

Remedy sells a lot of baked goods, which looks like they make themselves. But unfortunately they don't have much else like sandwiches and stuff. And it is lunch time right now for me, so I'm a bit hurting for more.

They really promote the fact that they sell Ritual coffee. Not sure if they're affiliated with Ritual in the Mission District in San Francisco but the vibe here definitely feels like any coffee house you'd find in the Mission, with Oakland's version of the hipsters.

The coffee are all brewed to order with this pretty looking drip setup.

Now about the decor, it's definitely that funky coffee house style with a real sense of Oakland, with a big Telegraph Avenue street sign above the counter. One of the more unusual statements is this Pacific Bell phone booth in the middle of the room, turned into a little cubby hole.

Here are some nice, eclectic lamps right above me by the window.

Since I'm hungry, I did get a slice of the frittata ($3.50) and a pot of Yellow Mountain oolong tea from Teance (just a reminder: I don't drink coffee, which makes me the odd man out in this crowd of Ritual coffee drinkers). The frittata was tasty, although a bit squishy. But I guess that's expected from this traditional breakfast bite. I do love the oolong tea, just nicely brewed with loose leaves instead of a tea bag. I hope they give refills because I'm going to get another pot in a bit.

Despite being so packed and the fact that someone just decided to turn up the music when Elvis came on, Remedy turns out to be a nice remedy to the dreary weather right now.

Remedy Coffee
Location: 4316 Telegraph Ave., Oakland
PH: 510.922.8455
Food: Baked goods
Coffee: Ritual
Tea: Teance
Wi-Fi: Yes, free (no password necessary, just look for "Remedy hearts you!").
Outlets: A few along the long wall
Restrooms: Yes
Seating: About 30 plus small desks, lounge areas, etc., also a garden patio in the back
Cleanliness: Good



Other coffee houses I've visited:
Haus Coffee
Gaylord's Caffe Espresso
Cafe Dejena