Cafe Brusco

It just opened recently, and there were quite a few people. They serve open-faced sandwiches, with quite elaborate toppings, not just a simple layer of cream cheese. Among the ones I ordered, the combination of The Bartavelle and Fancy Fresh was the best – refreshing and not greasy, perfect for breakfast or lunch (Figure 1) (my favorite). The ones that didn't feel strange were Figure 2 right: Crab Remoulade and Figure 3 left: Gold Standard (decent). For those who like sweet and savory combinations: Figure 2 left Brusco and Figure 5: Ham & Fig (I quite liked these). For those who prefer savory (very American cold sandwich style): Figure 4: Muffuletta (I personally didn't like this one). For those who like sweet and sour flavors: Figure 3 right: Tangerine & Burrata (I didn't dislike this one). Overall, it's a good option when you want something simple and not too large in portion size, similar to Riceful – something I might want to go back to occasionally, but not something I need to eat every day.

This was a very cozy local cafe with a real good bagel! The standout was this bagel and it was one of the best I've had in the Bay. I always compare my bagels to the ones in NYC and this was good! Recommended!

A very busy cafe but the line moves quickly. It is warm inside and many conversations are going. Bagels were doughy and well assembled. I like the half options. Drip coffee was good and latte was good.

I stumbled across this café in Berkeley. I was in the neighborhood and wanted a cup of coffee and a bite to eat. Customer service was outstanding. Very friendly. I ordered a Americano café and a classic half plain bagel with cream cheese to go. When I got to the car and opened up the box with the bagel, I was pleasantly surprised at what I was looking at. I had to take a photo. Even more surprised when I took the first bite. This was the best bagel I’ve ever had! The taste was amazing. Everything was so fresh. I took a sip of my coffee and that too was really good! Thank you guys the copy and the food made my day! I will return when I’m back in town.

I was so excited to try this cool new cafe in Berkeley and it rocked as expected!! Awesome friendly staff, in great spirits with their grand opening today. I ordered a delicious iced matcha with a little simple syrup for sweetness, and the half classic bagel toasted to perfection with a great array of flavors. This will be my new regular spot on my way to work, come check it out!!

the Bartavelle was the most beautiful most delicious bagel i’ve ever had. service was great and the baristas were doing an amazing job too. what a cute spot!

Arrived late morning on a Saturday and it was bustling. Waited in line for about 15 minutes, then about another 15 for my bagel. I like that you can mix and match the sandwiches. Allows you to try more than one at a time. I got half flirty fig and half summer girl on a fennel orange bagel. I also got a mushroom hand pie to snack on while I waited. The hand pie was good but I wish they warmed it up. The mushroom and cheese filling was cold inside, and I think I would have preferred it warm. The bagel was good, but not my favorite in the east bay. It definitely has that sourdough texture, which was nice. The thing I wasn’t a fan of was that one half of the bagel was very toasted and tasted burnt to me. I know some people like that, but I don’t. I think they could also take out some stools by the bar. They have seats right in front of where the pick up is, and it makes it feel awkward when people are reaching for drinks and food right in front of you. Overall would return.

Delightful cafe! Delicious and creative open face bagels (and bagelwich). Many lovely beverage options (coffee, tea, wine).

A great new surprize find in downtown Berkeley at the corner- 2000 University. The model cafe wine bar with a innovative/creative Bagel theme. Plus the excellent new age wines that Sam showed us! It added up to a artful happy experience. Plus quite a fashion show of young ones. Excellent overally quality, new concept and friendly staff. Love it

I had the pleasure of trying the wine and coffee from this place. I stopped by with my friend mid afternoon and had a glass of a nice dry white. We were unsure of which wine to get and luckily the staff person who helped us gave a few wines to try. From the staff, to the wine, to the coffee, to the ambiance, everything was fantastic. This is a great place to have a glass with a friend or do some work with a good cup of coffee. I look forward to returning and trying the other wines!

Great spot! Great energy, friendly and helpful staff. Clean bathroom. The space is good if you are there to catch up with a friend, get a bit of work done on your laptop, or try one of their delicious bagels. The space was airy and light. We enjoyed the bagels. The fig one especially delicious because it felt fresh. I would definitely come back.

Feeling lucky to happen upon this place after eating nearby. The cafe had a wonderful unsweetened matcha latte that was hand whisked and full of flavor. If you're in the area it's definitely a must try. Staff are very friendly and their hours are great as you can get a late afternoon tea latte here. My family also loved their cups as they had a very cool pattern on each cup.

From the owners of Rose Pizzeria just down the street, Café Brusco is a cute café by day and a wine bar by night (coming soon). I tried the Flirty Fig and the Gold Standard. They were both very fresh and flavorful! The Flirty Fig is a seasonal item and was the perfect combo of sweet and savory. The Gold Standard was a classic lox. I love that you can order halves and mix and match to try more items. Their pastries are from the pop-up Good Luck Bakery and looked delicious. I'll definitely be back!

Summer girl bagel was so refreshing!!! I love that you can get different style bagels on each side. You can get half a bagel too which is so helpful for a girl like me who hates wasting food. Really cute spot to just people watch and have a chill morning.

Love love love this new spot. Went on a weekday around noon and it was hard to find a seat. I love that you can get half Sammies so you don't have to commit to only one - because you definitely want to try multiple things. I got a glass of tasty red wine because wine not??? I can't wait to go back - the flavor combinations are so tasty!!!

An extremely creative and excellent example of a new business in this modern era with their own special Bagels , unusual half face offerings , an excellent new Wine list and efficient operation with creativity abounding Hats off to the rose's pizzeria people

Cute café find! Love that you can order half a bagel -- we tried the Fancy Fresh and Brusco. So good! Prices are chill, latte was decent, mocha was a bit sweet for my taste (I'm into strong coffee ). Overall, solid spot. We'll be back for sure! #CafeVibes #BagelLove

Adding one more 5-star review for this wonderful little place. Great food (it's hard to find smoked salmon that doesn't just taste like salt), good drinks, friendy staff. Nice, vibrant atmosphere. Hoping they can expand at some point so there are more tables.

I love this place so much. Amazing vibes, amazing food, amazing coffee. 10/10. Bagels are very unique and fun and very aesthetic

Amazingly curated toppings! I'm from the NY metro area originally and I think these these bagels might be the best in the Bay Area - rivaling NY OR NJ bagels! I'm coming back for sure!! We love Rose's pizza so no surprise that their bagels are incredible too!!!

Fantastic bagel sandos and the mix and match option is awesome ! Just delicious! Fresh ingredients and really unique on a bagel sandos.

Wow--the bagels here are legit! Love that the bagels are seasoned all the way around--kinda surprised it hasn't always been this way! Got the gold standard (lox sando) on everything and the Brusco (mortadella and peppers) on sesame. Both were perfectly proportioned between shmear, produce and protein. Def my new go-to when I want a special bagel!