Cafe V

Update: I came back here and sampled what is now my favorite drink in the east bay, the RANCHERO, is now my first place adult-oriented superdrink in the east bay, with my other favorite drink here being the Arabian Knight served at Zaytoon on Solano. The Arepa, a Venezuelan-Colombian comfort food festival in a thick tortilla, with black beans, plantains, meat, onions and various other ingredients is a mind-blowing cross cultural experience disguised as a stuffed tortilla, but don't be fooled. This is Latin soul food, in West Berkeley. The Staff, K***** ( I never name staff without their permission), is a great mixologist, and the kitchen staff is on fire with their food. Great people, Great vibe, and great drinks, makes for a great night. I hate to share this place, but duty demands that I recommend this place for all east bay folks who like great food and drink, with no pretense and at a great price. Now, on to my full Mezcal Review: I didn't get a chance to try the food tonight, as I came in to do some serious drinking with a friend. That will be for later review. But I can say that the staff here is absolutely dynamite, and initiated me into the maze of Mezcal (Tequilia's deeper brother), with a couple of fantastic shots, and a house drink, called a "Tepe", named after the famous Mexican drink "Tepache", a low alcohol fermented pineapple and fruit drink, from pre-Columbian times loved by both the Maya and the Nahua The star of the night, was a shot of Bozal Pechuga Mezcal, made with Agave Cupreata (only on mountain slopes of the Rio Balsas basin) as a limited release from Mazatlan, Guerrero, and actually has a cooked chicken added to the second distillation, giving it an incredible flavor that I seriously had to stop and take in, as I had never tasted anything like that before. It was exotic, and rich, and for some reason reminded me of Charanda, a sugarcane liquor from the State of Michoacán, that I had one night that had been infused with the flavor of Carnitas. You might think that savory meat flavors and distilled alcohol do not go well together, but I'm sure someone at some point said the same thing about chocolate and peanut butter. Luckily for me I had good instructors tonight. Gian, Hamei, Stacy and the staff, are some of the nicest people I have met in the bar business, and the location, (a former notorious brothel from the 1960s where my mother worked), now has a back open-air deck, perfect for having a nice drink during a summer evening. I was told by the locals that the kitchen staff make incredible Venezuelan comfort food, (nearly impossible to find in the East Bay) and I'm definitely coming back to check it out, and to continue my education in the mysterious, magical, mercurial world, of Mexican Mezcal. I apologize for the lack of photos. I was too busy getting lit. Lol. Next time I promise! Piero

Was so excited to find this place in Berkeley while I was visiting. Loved the setup indoors and outdoors - there was a band playing live music in outdoor patio - seating nicely setup in shade! Staff was really friendly to take order and get us seated. Loved arepas - Was searching for good arepas for a really long time in Bay Area and these ones were really good, we also got yuca fries which was new thing to try for me - drinks were good too! Will definitely go back next time to try patacons and more arepas 😋

Very spacious patio seating in the back with heaters for when it’s chilly at night time. Came here with a Venezuelan friend and she said their arepas are some of the best she’s had in the Bay Area - although they are definitely more American style in that they’re stuffed kinda like a sandwich with delicious things! The elote is cut into shareable “riblets” and is probably my favorite thing that we ate there - I will probably ask if I can buy the sauce that was on them in a container to take home the next time I’m there.

My absolute favorite spot in Berkeley! The drinks are always amazing and the Food is excellent as well. The elote and pozole are my go-tos. On top of excellent food and drinks, the customer service has always been outstanding. Gion always has the warmest welcome, on top of his excellent drinking making skills. The owner, Hamie is always a pleasure to interact with and has shown great knowledge in his mezcal collection. If you want to grab food and drinks, I highly recommend El Patio!