Peets had it figured out before all the new boutique roasters... when I lived in Berkeley I would hit the original, now that I am living in Irvington I hit this one on NE 15th.  If you haven't been it is important to note that it has some of the best people watching in NE in my opinion...  and yes, I know the Peets on Hawthorne has even better people watching, but for NE the 15th location is pretty strong.  I have always loved the building it is housed in as well... beautiful stained/leaded glass, brick and a roof line that you just don't see anymore.  ok, back to the coffee... it is dark, strong and all aspects of the Peets menu pay careful consideration to ingrediants.. take the mocha for example...  try the chocolate in Peets mocha then head to the Starbucks and you will realize how much better not only the chocolate is, but the amount they apply.    Ok, so no good review isn't host to a constructive comment.. THIS PEETS IS SLOW!  I have been going to it for 8 years and I can tell you that no matter who they hire it just runs slow.  If they picked up the pace I would probably be in Coffee Nirvana.. for now I am just stoked to grab my joe here. 

the little guys.. and for that I have to at least give them 3 stars.  They have strong coffee which I like as well.  This location however has the longest WAIT!!  watch out!  IT takes a while to get your coffee, even if the line is short.  I love the building as well... (notably pointed out by other reviews).

ick, worst coffee in town.  i don't know if it is their machines, their beans, or their baristas, but the shots are consistantly burnt.  strong coffe is wonderful; bitter, burnt, nasty coffee is NOT.  the pastries are AWFUL; dry stale hard.  ugh.  i used to live near thir NW location where they would roast the beans and the STENCH that would permeate from that building makes my stomach turn. don't go.  there are so many better options.  HOWEVER, their tea is not bad...if you're a tea kind of person...

I like strong coffee and Peets has always held to that motto... I have been going to Peets for about 10 years and in that time I can say that as far as chains go, this is one I can make a subtle commitment to.  I love this location.  It happens to be a hub for 50 somethings on their laptops and/or with their dogs in the early AM, but it is also host to a small subset of hipsters, young professionals and galloping consumers parched from hitting the boutiques on NE Broadway.  The building is beautiful and the corner location is welcoming.  I like Peets... it is that simple.

If you like your coffee way too strong, and are too cool for Starbucks, then here you go.  Definitely popular, and successful, and a really nice place inside, AND a great location...just a little too "I'm here because I think it's better than across the street" for me.  Hey look at me, I'm sitting outside Peets.  Yawn.    

I'm a sucker for free things.  So when I got an email from Peet's saying buy a friend a cup of coffee and get one free, I knew I would have to stop in.  As it turned out my friend treated me to a latte and scone (Thanks, Lisa!)  I have to say, I think Peet's is great.  They are a bit of a "chain" but NOTHING like Starbucks.  This one on Broadway does get busy, so you have to be prepared to wait a bit.  But the coffee is great.  They put just the right amount of foam on top.  And if you have time it's a great location to sit outside and people watch or window shop. 

I used to love Peets in the Bay area: the coffee was so much better than the various other mini-chain options.  Now though, after the very very good local options....I just am no longer onthe Peets bandwagon.  It is good coffee, but it is no longer great. It is still good, better than most (especialyl if you repfer dark/rich coffees, and latte-based drinks).  But not a step above.