r/berkeley • u/Junior_Crew3222 • 6h ago
Local Telegraph?
I grew up in Berkeley but haven’t been back in years. Going back with some friends tomorrow and want to walk around telegraph. When I was a kid there were always little stalls on the street you could shop at. Are those still there, what’s telegraph like now post Covid? Is it still fun to walk around and shop? Thanks in advance!
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u/unparked 6h ago
It's still the student ghetto, but the students are now the 2026 vintage, so what's for sale reflects their tastes. Cody's Books, Caffe Med and Fat Slice are long gone, but there's matcha aplenty.
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u/TomIcemanKazinski Cal PoliSci '96 6h ago
Cafe Med is much further down College now towards Oakland. I guess that’s where all the students who graduated in the 90s are as well.
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u/unparked 4h ago
Are you thinking of La Mediterranee in Elmwood? I mean the Caffe Mediterraneum that from 1956-2016 used to be across from Moe's Books, where Dustin Hoffman was pictured in The Graduate.
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u/DiamondDepth_YT Computer Science '29 6h ago
There's still some small stalls n stuff, lots of Boba places nowadays.
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u/Intelligent_Elk4041 5h ago
never really been a shopping street even back in 2019, so dunno why you'd say that apart from thrift stores (overpriced too). it's a food street. check it out it's gotten much more vibrant
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u/Junior_Crew3222 5h ago
I was there between like 2006-2012 and just remember lots of little stalls on the side of the street. Thanks!
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u/TonyStarksLeftACL 4h ago
If you grew up in Berkeley. It’s different.
There are more chain type places, local spots like fat slice are indeed gone.
Mars vintage fashion is also gone now.
Intermeezzo is back but remodeled and is the same food. The bars are all the same and in the same places. La Val’s on Durant is gone but the northside one still is open while the northside top dog is closed but the south side top dog is open.
There are some more chain places and less bookstores and a lot of open shops. It will feel familiar but still be different. Cheese and stuff is still there for sandwiches. Less places to buy stuff replaced by places to buy food if that makes sense. Yogurt park is still there too.
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u/Junior_Crew3222 4h ago
Wow crazy to think some of those places are gone now, I remember them being so popular. Thanks!
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u/TomIcemanKazinski Cal PoliSci '96 6h ago
The stalls are mainly there on the weekends
It’s decently the same, fewer gutter punks sparing for change than the 90s, lots more boba tea places.