Red Bay Coffee Headquarters & Cafe

Visiting the area and wanted to give Red Bay a try! I was greeted warmly with a smile. Great coffee, we enjoyed a delicious cappuccino and a hot chai latte. The coffee cake was moist and delicious. Just the right treat. Will definitely be back to enjoy the space. Had to get on the road but the cafe is very inviting!

I love the candied yam latte! It's a nice change from all the pumpkin spice that's out there in the fall. It's not too sweet and there are actual bits of yam in it. There's no outdoor seating here, but the ceilings are high and there are lots of indoor seating options.

After drinking their coffee from Whole Foods and seeing their coffee being used at Shake Shack, I thought it was finally time to check out Red Bay Coffee Roasters.

We first went to their Roasting location, but it was closed for lunch. Luckily, the HQ is open during the Roasting location's lunch time and only a 4 minute drive away.

Online, their charcoal latte seems to be their most popular drink. We ended up getting their charcoal latte and a Vietnamese Cold brew. I got to say, the charcoal latte was definitely unique. I expected it to be chalky, but it was pleasant and mellow. I would not suggest it if you're on a date since it will leave your tongue black for a bit. The Vietnamese cold brew was decent, but definitely not like a slow-drip viet coffee.

The location itself is beautiful with many plants, unique gifts, and just an overall great ambiance. The neighborhood itself is littered with "San Francisco sand" (broken glass from cars). Definitely a place I would only visit during the daytime.

Overall, a great experience and would come again!

Continuing my love of coffee and trying new places in the Bay or places I have not been to for a while.

This place just opened a few weeks ago. I've always been a big fan of their charcoal latte from the other locations. It's inside a former bank like building and is Huge! Love how airy it is, the cool oasis vibe inside of the busy Fruitvale neighborhood in Oakland. Lots of places to sit inside and enjoy the day.

Espresso- very good

Vietnamese iced coffee- could be a little more sweet in my opinion

Matcha latte- watche the barista whip the fresh batch of matcha for it. Get it! Delicious!

Very reasonable prices. Excellent and friendly service. Masks and sanitizers. Street parking can be a little difficult. Will definitely be back!

We love Red Bay's style and coffee. Visit any of their many locations, including their beautiful, airy, and plant-filled HQ in Fruitvale where you can sip on a charcoal latte or try their charcoal toast with avocado and chilli crisps (my current fave). My kid was partial to their ube toast topped with almond butter. Both toasts use bread from Rize Up Bakery!

Nice spot, nice music, really good oat latte. Not the same food selection as pre Covid ( no breakfast toasts) but nice pastries. I entered wedged between 12 fire fighters and was surprised to get my latte in about 2 mins. Only two workers, very efficient. Still found a place to sit

Just visited to order the rose cardamom latte and the barista who served me was AWESOME. She was patient, helped me figure out the app and made a delicious drink. Highly recommend.

Their charcoal latte is a must try! It’s sweeten already so cut on the sugar ahead if you don’t have a sweet teeth!
It’s just very hard to put descriptions into words. I love this creation of coffee which really brings coffee and my day to the next level!

Found this gem looking for a matcha latte because Starbucks is having a matcha shortage. Truly the most authentic matcha green tea latte. I would recommend adding some type of sweetener due the rich matcha flavor. Highly recommended. Extremely satisfied with service and coffee!

Love this spot! And am a big supporter of this coffee roaster. They do a great job. Space is beautiful, vibe is great. Coffee is good.

A landmark in Fruitvale - the coffee house is very relaxing and spacious with a friendly vibe. Great place to read a book and chat with friends. The store in the Ferry Building, San Francisco is beautiful and vibrant, too!

Amazing coffee and Caribbean pastries (ethical rating: 5 Green Stars)
Where to start? The place is gorgeous and spacious, the music is great, and the staff members are all very welcoming. Free street parking with no time limit a block away on 33rd Ave. Call me basic (ya basic!) because when I order coffee it’s normally a straightforward drink – a pour-over, drip, Americano, or maybe a latte or flattie when I’m feeling wild. Due to my scientist / control freak nature, I like to doctor my own drinks (2.4 grams of sugar, 15 mL of milk, please!) but I gave up control and had an iced charcoal latte (in my own cup!). It was, to put it bluntly, totes delicious. It was sweet, but not too sweet for my taste, and the coffee was still the star of the show. I want to try a regular coffee next time so that I can deconvolute (scientific term) the flavors.

Just as exciting were the pastries. There were pastries from Firebrand bakery, which I’m familiar with. But even that pastry (a blackberry Danish) was exceptional because it was warmed just right. Honestly, I think that people who eat pastries without warming them aren’t living life to the fullest. Then there were some Caribbean pastries from the Pleasure Principle (also in Oakland) and I tentatively asked if any were vegetarian. Turns out that all three were vegan! One contains Beyond Beef (actually my favorite meat substitute) and the other two had curried vegetable fillings.

The pastries merit a new paragraph because that’s how good they were. First I had the curried chickpeas and kale – the pastry looked very appealing and reminded me of home. I just read up on The Pleasure Principle and learned that the pastries are influenced by British culture (e.g., the Cornish pasty) while being filled with Afro-Caribbean flavors. The puff pastry is so delicate and flaky that you would never know it was vegan. The turmeric-rich filling is just right – not too spicy but it comes with a side of amazing green sauce that added just the right amount of kick for me. Same deal with the other pastry, made with a Beyond Meat and veggie filling, except that it had a different flavor that was quite memorable (and this pastry was big!).
I highly recommend coming for the coffee, pastries and ambiance.

I’m also giving the Red Bay Coffee 5 out of 5 “Green Stars” for social and environmental impact, based on this:

• From Red Bay: “Our farmers use organic practices and don’t use pesticides. For us, sustainability is not just environmental but also socio-economic.”
• More detail should be provided on coffee sourcing (besides the statement, above). If you dig around in the FAQs section you can find good info on the East Fourteenth beans but most varieties don’t have any info.
• From Red Bay: “Welcoming into leadership those historically marginalized within the specialty coffee industry, especially people of color, the formerly incarcerated, women and people with disabilities.”
• Black-owned business with 60% women in management; working on employee-ownership program.
• The nearby Red Bay coffee roastery is B-Corp certified.
• Great selection of vegan Caribbean pastries from the Pleasure Principle. They are filled with veggies or Beyond Meat (one of the most ethical meat substitutes, in my book).
• The sweet pastries are made by Firebrand Bakery from mostly organic ingredients. I rated Firebrand 5 Green Stars in a previous review.
• I used my own coffee mug but the in-house iced coffee cups are compostable. Same deal for utensils, if you need them – from World Centric. Minimal brown paper bags for pastry delivery.
• Rather than going down the usual coffee pod route (boo!), Red Bay worked with Cometeer – an interesting approach that uses freeze-dried coffee tablets in recyclable aluminum pods.
• The oat milk is from Califia (it’s good) and there’s also organic whole milk available.

Interested in writing green star reviews? If so, please check out the Green Stars Project.

Brazilian Cake Lady is bomb 💣

After revamping the building after a fire, this space looks great. Nice place to sit and drink a sweet potato 🍠 late and watch the traffic go by.

Beautiful building, coffee and food is crazy tasty, several delicious vegan food options, people are friendly and helpful. Quick service, even with order modifications and during a busy time.

Love working from here. Parking is annoying but other than that, super roomy and ….

HOW DO YOU MAKE A FOG SO RIDICULOUSLY GOOD??? It’s so dumb. I don’t come here for coffee. I pay for basically a tea latte every time. Bc the Red Bay Fog is something else.

Fantastic local business that offers constantly great quality coffee beans. I love their genius blending Burundi and Guatemala for example. I love this kind of local business and please strive, live long Red Bay Coffee. You guys are awesome.

Really stylist and cute coffee shop with lots of great variety.

I was pleasantly surprised to see this coffee spot listed online, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. After going in, I'm really glad I did. I wish I had discovered this place sooner as I'm relocating out of the area tomorrow. The coffee is great and I love the atmosphere inside. It's really clean and inviting. I love supporting black/minority owned businesses using fair trade products. The staff are friendly. My only very minor piece of constructive criticism is that the staff could maybe do a better job of acknowledging customers when they come in even if they're busy, just at least to say hi. I have only been there twice though.

I really like the space. Coffee is good and the seating is really comfy.

Despite opening late, the owner arrived and was considerate and polite. I was a little upset because I had to wait for them to open but the attitude of the owner gave me such a positive feeling that I’m leaving a five star review.