Cloud Forest Cafe - Davis Wiki

Type of food

Coffee and juice bar, paninis, pastries

Location

222 D Street Suite 10

(between 2nd & 3rd)

Hours

Mon-Fri 7am-8pm

Sat 7:30am-7pm

Sun 8am-6pm

Phone

(530) 753-2164

Established

2008-08-11

Payment Methods

Cash, Check, Credit Cards, Other

Non Food Features

Wifi, outlets available, Study friendly service

The Cloud Forest Cafe is a cafe that opened for business August 11, 2008. They serve fresh, in-house roasted coffee, have a juice and espresso bar, and have panini and pastries from Village Bakery. They offer two standard vegetarian sandwiches: the Valley Veggie and the Fresh Mozz.

As of summer 2009, KDVS is booking live music shows at the cafe. Saturdays are music nights, from 5 to 7 pm (check back for a schedule of bands). If you're interested in playing, e-mail Elisa at bibdigits@gmail.com.

Cloud Forest Cafe was previously located on Lake Boulevard in Stonegate Video. The business has a new location but the owners are the same. Stonegate Coffee and Cloud Forest Cafe are two separate businesses.

The location was previously Aesop's Room, a toy store.

Read about the Cloud Forest Cafe in Davis Life Magazine.

Comments:

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2008-07-26 08:00:36 Went by and talked to the owner 2 days ago. He hopes to be open in the next week or 2. They did a nice job with the inside. —Aaron.Curtin

2008-08-11 22:05:15 I had the organic coffee today, which is from Nicaragua. Was great!!! Outdoor seating looks wonderful...will try that in a day or two. —KarenKane

2008-08-12 12:45:35 We went there for lunch yesterday, their first day in business. The location is great, nice patio, let us sit out there with our dog, all plusses. There was excitement & eagerness among the staff. However, many problems. The pastry case was nearly empty. The only thing on the manu to set it apart was a list of fresh juices - none of which were available because the juicer had not arrived yet. Ditto on smoothies (not a unique item, but also not yet available). They had only one vegetarian option so I had to order it; a serviceable sandwich but not super special. The staff slowly created it using typed out instructions. They needed to put more fresh avocado in it - that was the only interesting ingredient & it was merely smeared lightly, no slices. The breads are ciabatto (sp?) or focaccia - good, but where is a healthier whole grain option? I plan to go back when the juices are available to try those out, however unless they offer more vegetarian options that will end up being the last time. —Dora5

2008-08-14 19:16:26 I was about to make the same comments as the person above me as I went by today to see what it was like. Seems like they opened up before they were ready, but still, its a nice place to sit and read a book with a cup of coffee (which is what I've been looking for cause I'm long since tired of the crowds that Starbucks tends to get). The prices are really decent though, so I will definitely be back when they are geared to go. —SunjeetBaadkar

2008-08-15 17:01:27 Did this used to occupy the Westlake Plaza? Google results seem to place it there, for some reason... —JoePomidor

Yes, it did. Maybe it even still does, I think the owners also own the video store. Maybe I even owe them money. —NickSchmalenberger

2008-08-18 19:00:29 Good food and good service, but the bathroom does not come close to being wheelchair accessible which is important to me as my job is to assist someone who is for the most part wheelchair bound. —HazelWatson

2008-08-24 09:37:31 This place is a boon for coffee lovers. The owner roasts coffee at the store in small batches. Back when they were way in west davis, every once in a while I used to bike all the way from east davis to get coffee beans for espresso. After it closed, I periodically got beans from Old Soul Co. in Sactown, which is quite a haul. I was very happy to see when he re-opened in a great location in downtown! This weekend I went to the new store and he immediately recognized me and offered to roast a custom batch. He made me a double espresso (on the house!) so I could get a taste and see if I wanted any changes on the blend. I gave a thumbs up and within a few hours, he had a pound of beans for me (for only $9.99!). I made a cup this morning and it was fabulous. Because espresso beans tend to taste best a few days after roasting, I anticipate that they are likely to get even better over the next few days!

I suspect that the in-house coffee and food service will be a work in progress for a short while, given that the employees are new and will benefit from more experience. Nonetheless, this place is well worth supporting. A great alternative to the other cafes in town in which the service, coffee, and ambiance are mediocre and/or inconsistent. —CharanRanganath

2008-08-25 14:23:37 I stopped in a couple days after they opened and got a cup of coffee to go. It was very good and the space felt comfortable. Every time I've been back by there, they have been closed. Hopefully, once they get their juicer and the staff is up and running, they will keep regular hours. Downtown could definitely use another place where folks can enjoy a decent cup of coffee in a pleasant setting to take some of the pressure off of Mishkas. The Roma replacements have been terribly disappointing with their loud music (Peets) and oppresive TVs (3rd & U). —aharjala

2008-08-29 13:53:32 I'm here now. I had been eager to try it out ever since I first heard about this place a few weeks back. The coffee is wonderful. It is so good and I don't normally like coffee. Leaps and bounds better than Starbucks. The place looks nice, clean and inviting. They have free wifi (as noted above) and it offers a study-friendly atmosphere. And it's not too noisy or pretentious (like Mishka's). But it's also good for the chatters, too. Best of both worlds. The Staff is very nice and helpful, too. I highly recommend this place. I give it a "Numba one. . ." —CurlyGirl26

2008-09-04 18:41:57 I need to get a laptop so I can spend more time here... —SunjeetBaadkar

2008-09-17 13:41:14

Initial Review

+ Beans are roasted in house.

+ All their food is freshly made to order, to rave compliments of customers. So far, 3 customers have come up to the register to give compliments since I've been here. They definitely appear to be a food oriented cafe.

+ Espresso is surprisingly better than any other in Davis, probably because the beans are freshly roasted and a barista who cares a little.

+ Free wireless internet

+ Family owned/operated

+ Pleasant interior

- The espresso still isn't good. It's not terrible, it's drinkable, but it's not good.

- They only have paper cups, which severely degrades the coffee experience.

- Suffers from stiff-foam-milk syndrome, I will tip $10 to the first barista in Davis who knows how to steam milk properly.

- Music is supplied by a radio station, obnoxious commercials and all.

- Only 2 outlets available for laptops

- Bench in the back is very tall, I am about 5'10" - 5'11" and my feet can't rest flat on the floor.

- Their beans come in "Dark" and "Columbian" roasts. Dark is not a roast, it's a vague description of the roast color. Columbian refers to the country of origin, not a roast profile. They should mark the bags with Country of origin (preferably the crop name as well), and the roast profile (light-city, city, full city, Vienna, French, etc). Take advantage of the fact that their beans are fresh roasted, as opposed to Peet's and Starbucks. EDIT: I've noticed now that they stamp the country of origin at the bottom, although the bottom is often obscured in their basket.

Overall, a very up and coming cafe. Even though they have some rough edges, they have a lot of promise to become my preferred cafe in Davis. If they step up their game in the coffee the way they did with the food, and maybe address some of the negatives I laid out here, they will be a big success. They will most likely be a success even if they don't improve their coffee, since their coffee is still a little better than all other cafes in Davis, but one can hope. —CoffeeSnobDavis

There was once a girl that worked at Seattle's Best in Borders that knew how to steam milk properly. She also made the best latte in the world (which I've since not had better even outside Davis), but sadly she no longer works there and has since moved away (though we keep in touch, I'd feel awkward asking her to steam milk for me...lol). —SunjeetBaadkar
it looks like now they may be marking roasts properly. i was at Ikedas and saw their coffee, though they only had full city and "dark" which i didn't bother with but i assume is a french roast. it smelled decent but i'd have to taste to judge, and indeed their bags are marked with country of origin now (tanzania, sumatra, costa rica, etc.)

2008-10-05 14:30:41 This is my new favorite coffee shop. It's a pleasant place to hang out, study, read the paper, etc. The Staff is friendly and most accommodating. Tables and chairs are perfect for studying. I've been parked here all day, have a good work space and no one has given me the the Stink Eye yet. Free internet and good coffee. It's not that crap that burns your stomach—yet it's still strong enough. I tried a sandwich here today. It is fresh and tasty. And very satisfying. Highly recommend this place. I'm officially a regular now. —CurlyGirl26

2008-10-06 13:03:01 I picked up a sandwich the other day and it was very good. As are the in-house roasted coffee beans they sell at the counter. —aharjala

2008-10-07 19:13:04 I wish this place served food later in the day. I tend to have time to stop by here around 5pm, but they don't serve sandwiches at that time. Those yummy, yummy sandwiches... —SunjeetBaadkar

Edit: Nevermind. They have changed it so they stop serving sandwiches at 6pm. Yay me!

2008-10-07 19:18:40 The Staff says that soon they will be extending their hours to 9pm or so. —CurlyGirl26

2008-10-23 22:54:01 I had the cloud forest panini and it was frickin awesome. I would say it was a study in flavor and contrast, I also perceived a good value! I will most assuredly be back! —StevenDaubert

2008-10-29 15:12:01 This is my first time here. I like the place because the interior is pleasant, the cafe is relatively quiet yet still has some background noise. The staff is very very nice and helped us fix the wireless connection. I ordered the Cloud Forest salad and the fresh-squeezed juice, and I loved both of these orders. —JessicaYang

2008-11-25 09:11:41 Finally tried them this week. The latte was very good, and the staff was helpful and pleasant. I probably won't go back because I find their chairs uncomfortable and the bench is a couple of inches too high, especially for someone who is 5'4" (read: kind of short legs). This may not be a problem for others. —robinlaughlin

I think some very comfortable indoor armchairs — think the Border's set up — would be a great addition for Cloud Forrest. I, too, was uncomfortable in their chairs, but very happy with the coffee. —RichRifkin
Hmm, I'm 5'3" and never had a problem with the chairs. But, I could just be used to tall chairs. I agree that a comfy reading spot would be nice. —DanaSullivan
They are talking about the bench in the back being too tall. —KellyM

2008-12-04 11:13:54 My very favorite cafe! The cranberry bleu salad is especially delicious. The lattes are also great, nice and strong. —DanaSullivan

2008-12-05 23:07:36 Nice and yummy sandwiches that are just portioned right and on the cheaper side. They need to get proper mugs and glasses though...as of current, they only offer disposable cups, which is just wasteful (and reason enough for me to not visit there unless I have to). —il

2008-12-06 15:04:20 It's a nice cheery open place. One of the key things forgotten by many people is how the place makes you feel when you step in. Cloud Forest is clean and airy, with large windows that let in plenty of sunlight. It has a good feel to it. They were also cheerful and suggested various items as I stared at the menu. The people working there also employ common sense rather than corporate mentality, letting me take photos without batting an eye. —JabberWokky

2009-01-27 23:52:28 I stumbled upon this place last week and was surprised I never really noticed it before. The interior is really interesting and artsy, but the seating was a little hard. The bench I sat on felt like it was made for a much bigger person, but personally I like the feeling when my feet swings above the floor. The panini was delicious! I think I had the cache creek caliente and my friend had the cloud forest. I enjoyed both. It was a very reasonable price and I especially liked the side of apples/potato salad addition. I also had a smoothie(decent) which the girl upgrade to a large for free bc they were out peaches and had to turn it into a strawberry-banana. I'm definitely coming back to try the other panini and salads. —skinnyfatgirl

2009-01-29 14:58:50 I really like this place, but I'd definitely come here more often if they had more comfortable chairs. —MonicaWilliams 2009-01-30 14:14:07 Had another cloud forest, it was excellent —StevenDaubert

As did I, around 3pm. Great stuff. —SunjeetBaadkar

2009-02-17 17:31:37 I really like it here! The food is not expensive, good quality, nice atmosphere and I enjoy the posted art work. The only problem is that the wireless internet is flaky, the staff told me they are in the process of revamping their wireless. There are more outlets now, too. —SamanthaP

2009-02-28 15:17:47 It seems like they are slowly replacing the uncomfortable chairs with more comfortable ones and have dramatically improved the food. This place really listens to feedback and is quickly becoming the best place to study in Davis (in my opinion). The could use a rug or two ... to dampen the noise. The owner and all the staff are really nice & very attentive. —jsg718

2009-03-09 12:28:47 This place has fast grown on me. Staff is great, coffee is great, light is great. They've fixed the internet, and I think they're working on the chairs (hooray!). I agree with above — a couple of rugs would be good to dampen noise and increase the cozy factor. Also, I like the music but I think they play the same satellite station all the time, and the station repeats quite a few tunes. Mixing it up a little would be a bonus. There must be more than one tropical station!

Also, sandwiches are very tasty, as are the house-made cream cheese and bagels (though one I got the other day was a bit stale, all others have been excellent).

Edit: Sandwiches remain delicious, but no more house-made cream cheese flavours! Bummer. Music mix remains a problem, more the fault of satellite radio than Cloud Forest, but still — changing the station more regularly would mean less chance of hearing the same songs over and over again. Before it was the same bachata songs, now it's the same acoustic songs. I like it all, just not the repetitiveness! Still my favorite coffee and study spot in Davis, by a longshot. —Kay

2009-03-09 23:10:09 This is now officially my favorite coffee shop in Davis. Good coffee, good food, and great atmosphere—especially for we studiers. —CurlyGirl26

2009-03-11 22:11:11 Urban Sherpas are performing this sat here!! Show starts at 5pm. Come check it out!! Also check out their website. www.urbansherpas.com —bigjuan

2009-03-17 08:08:52 nice place, very welcoming. the windows make it spacious I think. good place to study. :-) —lilmonstu

2009-03-25 22:21:31 This cute little café is a welcome addition to Davis's sandwich scene. The grilled paninis all have nice fresh vegetables included, with a choice of ciabatta or focaccia bread. I quite like the ciabatta, which seemed very fresh; haven't tried the focaccia. The smoothies were also quite good. I get the feeling that this place is emphasizing quality over quantity; there aren't a lot of choices, but all the choices are good. Smart move. One weird little annoyance — passing through the doors (even the door to the restroom) sets short beeping alarm. —CovertProfessor

2009-03-28 13:35:37

+ I love the hazelnut lattes & Cloud Forest paninis.
+ I like the wall of windows, but the sun shines into the cafe a bit too brightly in the afternoon.
+ Staff is very friendly.
- Internet connections have been getting flaky again, though they were good for a while.

They seem to have switched to using Sirius radio, which does a good job of shuffling up the playlist.

All in all, I think that the place is great. —DanAlcantara

2009-05-01 11:11:01 The smoothies are a delight. Had a live band playing last week in the afternoon. Fuzzy something? —13urningMonk

2009-05-16 10:34:29 I appreciate:

that they offer fair-trade coffee,
that the salad is delicious,
my roommates love the smoothies,
I look forward to the cafetos when they turn up in the summer,
excellent location,
reasonable hours,
$0.50 refills,
friendly atmosphere,
beautiful artwork,
excellent seating,
(nifty chairs),
good place to study or be social!

Things I'd like to see:

sufficient bicycle parking
an incentive for using your own thermos or “for here” cups
reusable forks
Is the organic coffee the only organic one? If not (as the baristas say), label the others that are.
Prominently label the coffee as fair trade (it is, right?)
use fair-trade bananas to match the fair-trade coffee
a community bulletin board
better breakfast food selection? or maybe start lunch a little earlier?
maybe feature some local/organic food items? (i.e., a local salad and a local/seasonal fruit smoothie. ) —Angel.York

2009-05-20 21:55:38 I agree with all of the suggestions just above this (and also still stand by my earlier posts stating my love for Cloud Forest!). In general, re-usable drinking cups, side-dish cups (for the apple/potato salad), and silverware would be excellent. The mug supply is limited and I hate to waste a plastic cup just for some water that I'm drinking in house — plus I'd guess that in the long run it could save CF some money. —Kay

Hooray — CF has taken one step in the right direction and gotten more mugs.
Another hooray — now they've replaced the disposable plastic side-dish cups with reusable ones. Also, current special (El Cubano) is very tasty. —Kay

2009-06-09 18:34:17 Went there for the first time after reading comments. Nice place, good coffee, but there were just a few things that turned me off. A little uncomfortable for long term sitting, and couldn't sit on the bench which is high (I'm 5'2). And after I asked for light ice, the guy filled my cup with sink water to make it full which really watered down the coffee. I'll go there again, and try their food which looked good, but I am really picky about my coffee. Hopefully the next visit will change my impression. —DaniD

2009-06-11 18:16:21 I love this place more and more. I really appreciate how they listen to suggestions and act on them. They've added more power strips. The addition of the reusable cups for the apples/potato salad w/sandwiches was great! The plastic cups they use are the kind recyclable in Davis (#1 and #2). They should make more explicit that those should go in the recycling. I'll keep coming back to Cloud Forest. —jsg718

2009-06-16 13:43:08 Best coffee and cafe in town. Great sandwiches also. Very kid-friendly. The owner is committed to offering the freshest coffee around. My family and I always have a great experience here. —2umma

2009-06-18 21:54:33 I really love this place. It's less crowded than the other coffee shops in town and has as good, or even greater coffee. I also love their fresh Mozz sandwhich, with fresh basil, mozzarella and tomato. They have a great location and great coffee to boot.

Cloud Forest has a super friendly staff and everytime I've been here I've always left happy. I've also found it a great place to study, or a nice place to grab a mocha or cup of coffee to go. —HeatherKlinger

2009-07-30 15:02:21 I thought the fresh mozzarella panini was delicious! The employees were nice, and I like the atmosphere, although the chairs are a little uncomfortable to sit and read in for too long. —MollyL

2009-09-12 19:16:39 had a really good caramel macchiato today —kelvinkay

2009-09-17 17:22:06 Went today and had The Cloud Forest sandwich. totally delicious! nice vibes, as well. —elliotgoethe

2009-10-07 10:54:45 Great service. Home of my favorite sandwich in town. The only place I would dare to order a cappuccino in Davis. —Chantal

2009-10-08 17:00:45 Great coffee and sandwiches! Good location and vibe, outdoor seating! Consistently poor internet connections- have seen many leave and same for myself due to this, have asked staff to reset modem but problem usually returns shortly- Frustrating!! —nedzeppelin

2009-10-09 15:07:08 I just tried this place out for the first time, I really liked the staff, atmosphere, and the coffee was great too! I just wish they were open later. —Chaz

2009-10-21 11:03:04 I came here for the first time yesterday and had the cloud forest panini...SOOOOO delicious! —davisred

2009-11-04 22:59:46 Their chai tea lattes are glorious and I love how roomy it is inside. Definitely one of my favorite cafes in town. —abaybayan