Cafe 504

Everything in Café 504 has a personal touch, from the jar of fruit-infused water on the counter to the display of local art on the walls to the list of daily specials, written on a blackboard in colored chalk. And, luckily for visitors to the small café, tucked in a residential neighborhood near Lake Merritt, everything is also delicious. The coffee is brewed by the cup from Ritual Roasters and Blue Bottle beans (both of which are also available for sale), and the baked goods are made on-site. Temptations like orange blueberry muffins and chocolate lavender scones make it easy to focus...

The café has begun making its own fruit-infused syrups to use in Italian sodas. Look for interesting combinations like rose and rosemary, quince and strawberry-ginger.

Everything in Café 504 has a personal touch, from the jar of fruit-infused water on the counter to the display of local art on the walls to the list of daily specials, written on a blackboard in...