The Crown: Royal Coffee Lab & Tasting Room, Oakland CA

This is not the place to come with a laptop or friends and chill. The table layout should make that obvious before you enter.

It is a place to taste coffee.

A good thing to get is the Espresso Flight (pictured) : for $11, it's a great taste journey.

I usually go to cafes to work on stuff, and therefore this is not a place I will be visiting regularly, but I highly recommend it if you are searching for a coffee experience. Great staff, great space, great coffee.

If you're looking for an elevated coffee experience look no further! Coffee here is masterfully done, the shop atmosphere and service is top notch. This is a spot to go to for high quality coffee.

UPDATE: Owner read my earlier review & issued full refund with apology, which was really above & beyond. I appreciate that a lot. Thanks!

***

The space is beautiful, that's for sure, and the coffee is good. But no a recent visit (my second), I ordered a cold brew & a (tiny) muffin, and it came to $10. $5 for a smaller-than-normal muffin? OK, well what are you gonna do?

Because there was some hullabaloo in the space, I wasn't paying full attention when I manually typed in the $1.00 tip.so I ended up adding a $10 tip to a $10 order.

I wondered about getting a partial refund, knowing it was an inconvenience, but figuring I'd ask them anyway. I replied to the emailed receipt later than day, and got no response. Then I opted to click on the thumbs up/down on the email, and left a private "review" for them - no response. Then I sent an email, still no response.

Hey, if you decide it's my problem & I shouldn't get a refund, so be it - you can reply & let me know that.but to ignore three separate communications is just rude.

Coffee is phenomenal here, delicious and dialed in. Cheap drip coffee is provided for higher accessibility and new S. O options consistently appear. However, what is with the logo? I was extremely insulted walking in and seeing a huge poster of Ganesha holding a coffee cup and tasting spoon…a western rendition and destruction of a deity that really hurt me to see. I read the reasoning for this choice of mascot that is underneath the poster, but that did not make it any better. Still very insulted that it is white run and all of the employees were Caucasian yet my deity—an old, historic, spiritual, and powerful one is used to represent a not Hindu company / service / community / product. I found this very distasteful and disturbing. If you have to leave a sign out explaining your choice of appropriation, why even choose it in the first place? Very disappointed because the coffee and people who work here are awesome but cmon man that is really hurtful and is insulting to see. It’s not okay

This has become my Sunday ritual. I have still yet to find a better done espresso anywhere else in the world. Their specialty drinks are so creative, beautiful, and tasty too. I feel spoiled having this place so close within walking distance. They also serve Bake Sum pastries (okonomiyaki danish!), and they’re dog friendly too.

Delicious & refreshing pomegranate-tarragon-rosemary shrub at this small cafe, which is more of a storefront for their coffee trainings.

Best coffee shop in the Bay Area hands down. Extremely high quality beans brewed to perfection. Amazing espresso. Nice vibe in the shop too. Creative specialty drinks.

Great vibe-y spot for coffee! Really like the choice of green hexagonal tiles for the interior walls. Got a cold brew and it was great, it had what seemed like a tight hint of citrus which I really enjoyed.

Gorgeous interior and what seems to be a beautiful community mission. The baristas dial in the espresso making the flavor profiles exceptional.

Amazing place - we were actually looking for a place to eat but we’re intrigued by this place and stayed for a cup. I had a delicious pour over, wife and daughter had cappuccinos they raved about and my son had an espresso made with Mexican beans. Highly recommended - great value considering the care taken with their product.

The best coffee shop in the Bay, right next to the best pastry shop - Firebrand. Mushroom melt, B. L. A. T, and coffee.

The Crown is an amazing facility and cafe, the design and look of this coffee mecca are amazing and well hidden from view (from the street). More than just a cafe The Crown is a coffee supplier and coffee tech hub. The offer training and numerous resources for the local and national coffee industry. I decided that for my first visit I would go straight up with an espresso shot. My sense was that this should be THE place to experience the creme de la creme of espresso in it's most raw form and enjoy the pure essence of coffee.
Unfortunately, I ended up being served (after about 10 minutes) the most bitter espresso I have ever had in my coffee drinking lifetime (40+ yrs). I felt like I needed to say something and I am glad I did. After letting the staff know what I was experiencing, they did not question me or try and create excuses but instead engaged me in a discussion about various aspects of preparation and brewing, as well as, offered me a re-do of the shot. The replacement shot was very, very good and much closer to my original expectations. I ended up having a great discussion with the barrista about coffee, wine and other tasting notes and flavor profiles. I also ended taking away a pound of one of their green bean varietals, which I am very much looking forward to roasting at home. I am also looking to return visits when I am in the vicinity!

Two stars because the coffee tastes pretty good.
Only one table, which is communal. Uncomfortable stools, no proper chairs.
No Wi-Fi.
Didn't call out when my order was up, so it just sat there getting cold.
Very difficult to find parking.
Gotta wait for my friends to arrive, so might try a pastry - there are three too close from.
I won't come again.

Great coffee but they only have 1 table inside despite lots of empty space to reorganize and put multiple tables. I didn't quite get their interior arrangement. I ended up sitting outside (winter time) which wasn't a pleasant experience. Probably not going back.

I’d like to give this place 5 stars. The coffee is great and the indoor interior beautiful, despite all the good they have to offer: the attitude of the staff is somewhere between rude and aloof. It reminds me of being in Berlin, where bars and restaurants don't really appear to care whether you are there or not. That's the feeling you get here as if they would prefer that you just stay at home and leave them alone. I might go back, but only if I'm in the same FU frame of mind that the staff seems to have.

Great coffee but needs more chairs, making a weird social dynamic. Huge space with seven chairs distributed between four massive tables