Cafe Clave

Cappuccino, strong but bitter ⁴⁄₅. Empanada pretty dang good ⁵⁄₅. Iced mocha, too sweet ³⁄₅. Overall ⁴⁄₅.

On my search for good chai, I though I’d stop by Café Clave at the recommendation of a friend. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed. The chai tastes pretty much like water with spice in it. Not cool.
I still give it two stars, because it has a nice atmosphere for those seeking a space to plug in and crank out work. Sadly, the terrible chai has left me too distracted to be productive!
Be aware, this is cash only (another one of my pet peeves)!

I really like Café Clave and I’m glad I found it on Unilocal when trying to find a local place to study.
It’s an easy place to miss right across from the CVS. I’m always surprised so many people know about it as it’s never empty.
The back area is my favorite because I can get down and study in a quiet environment.
The chai tea is good and the coffees are well made. I have tried a variety of their treats… unfortunately I didn’t like anything besides the lemon poundcake.
I haven’t been back for several months because the food turned me off, but it really is a great place to study with semi-​reasonable prices.

For being a very very short walk to this café for me, I think this is a great café for studying, meeting up with old friends or simply hanging out. The cakes are decent and what you would want them to be. Loads of sugary sweet goodness. The coffee is decent. Not absolutely fantastic and their empenadas are just OK. Everything there is good but not stellar. The ambiance is what I go for and the fact that I can usually get stuff done with the backroom available. I can really focus and that’s what I really need this place to be.

Café Clave’s coffee is pretty good. There’s also a small selection of food items. Their pastries aren’t out of this world, and a bit on the drier/​flavorless side, but they are adequate for their purpose. I really wanted to like their empanadas, since they are not typically offered in cafes and other people seem to like them, but for ~$ 4 each, they are rather stingy on the filling, and once again: dry and flavorless. Their grilled cheese sandwiches are just as one might make them at home while on a budget — two slices of sandwich bread with a slice of American cheese in between. I only order the food here when I’m really hungry, always accompanied by a drink to mitigate the dryness.
Food items aside, I really like to come here because of the atmosphere. There’s an entire room in the back if one is looking for a quiet place to study. There is no wi-​fi, so it’s probably a better environment for people studying the old-​school way with textbook and paper. However, there is a limited number of electrical outlets for people bringing their laptops. Most people who come here seem pretty happy. It might be worth noting that this place accepts CASH ONLY.

It takes a lot for me to like a coffeeshop. Luckily, Café Clave definitely delivers.
As a student, I often get the brush-​off at ‘alternative’ coffeeshops… here the service was really nice and friendly about recommending the best of their baked goods. It was also super quick, no line, which I appreciate. But, best of all? The iced coffee here is GOOD. I don’t know which brand of coffee they brew, but I’ve walked way out of my way to get a coffee here and then go about my day.
One note about the atmosphere-it’s more of a working atmosphere than a ‘soft conversation’ place… I’d be more comfortable bringing my laptop than a friend, at least on Saturday/​Sunday afternoons.

I like this place much better than its counterpart 2 blocks west. Café Clave is cozy and the service is reliable. Let’s face it, many of us now use cafes as our «third spaces» between work and home – a place to do work in a casual and homelike environment. Café Clave is a wonderful «third space» in this regard. The wifi access is ample, stable, and seemingly able to support many computers at any given time. The study space in the back is wonderful for when you have to hunker down and hit the books. And all that said, the Cuban coffee preparations are a welcome change of pace.
This isn’t a gourmet coffee-​nerd kind of place, but as someone who doesn’t like to do work at home, it’s a staple.

I really wanted to like this place, because it is near my house and other people gave it high ratings. I enjoyed the ‘alternative’ ambiance, etc. But my soy latte was improperly frothed, something that I cannot take lightly. The milk had been over-​bubbled, and did not mingle well with the coffee, meaning that first I drank bubbles, and then I drank some very bitter coffee. I will look up what kind of coffee they serve (as I don’t recall), but frankly, I was unimpressed.
They do, however, have very nice service. When I asked for more milk for my coffee, he steamed some up for me and added it to my cup. It was also much less expensive than other places, and soy lattes were even on the main menu. Such a pity they do not do them well.

Four months and numerous visits after my original review, I’m upgrading Café Clave to the five stars they deserve — a rating I don’t give away easily.
The coffee continues to be great and inexpensive, the empanadas are increasingly moreish (I truly think I might be addicted) and it’s generally a pleasant and comfortable place to read, work or quietly chat. Having taken on the great responsibility and duty of sampling every empanada they offer, I can confirm that the beef empanada continues to hold its own in first place. I frequently order two. The staff are friendly and frequently recognize me, a sign of my growing fondness for this cute coffee shop.
A concern in my first review, the back ‘quiet study’ room, has been improved by adding 3 or 4 small tables along one wall, making it more like the study space it should be. The slightly hap-​hazard furniture approach that used to clash with the order my mind usually craves has grown on me, moving it from worrying chaos to a charming and unique space.
You can’t get much better than this.

Interesting coffee shop. Has a «quiet study room» in the back for those of you who are hard core silent studies. Don’t be ashamed. You know who you are. Just stop glaring at us out here when we’re having a good time doing our thing! :)
I couldn’t turn down the home made empanada. I got the chorizo one, and it was pretty good. However, I think next time, I’ll try their home made tamales.
Maybe it was just the one time we went, but they have advertisements about their «live music.» and oddly, as we sat in there, studying/​reading, there was no music playing overhead. Like — it was silent. The whole place was silent. It was like the rear quiet study room had mysteriously expanded to the whole place. good thing I had my earphones.
anyway, the coffee was pretty good, as was the hot apple cider. Overall, it’s a pretty nice place to get some work done and the inside space is much more generous than the outside of the place suggests.

This is my favorite coffee place in West Philly. While the outside is not the prettiest, the inside is perfect. It is comfortable, well spaced, and decorated with a cool series of obscure latin records. The coffee is great although a bit pricier (comes with refills) than the green line, earth cup, and lovers&madmen.
One of the real charms of this place is that it has a silent study area in the back replete with couches, desks, and tables. People respect this area and it turns out to be a really productive little zone.

Turns out I was being too moody when I wrote my last review after all. There’s a lot to love about Café Clave.
Number one is great coffee. Bad coffee is a rookie mistake, and it’s where a lot of West Philly coffeeshops lose major stars. Café Clave brews La Colombe and brews it well. Number two is a lovely ambiance — colorful and relaxed, but quiet enough to get some work done. There’s a «quiet study area» in the back, and you can usually find a table there, but it’s not nearly as pretty as the rest of the place. Number three is plentiful outlets and reliable wireless. Numbers four, five, and six are friendly baristas, your first coffee refill free (50 cents after that), and empanadas — in that order.
Two pet peeves that keep it from being a five-​star joint. They’re cash only, which drives me bonkers (although it does give me the chance to play one of my favorite games: use the CVS across the street as an ATM). They also commit the cardinal sin of cream cheese «pods.» (Vats = less wasted pods and more yummy cream cheese.)
Hooray for my new favorite coffeeshop!

I’m not often a coffee drinker but I know good coffee and this place makes outstanding coffee. They also stock a decent brand of tea, Novus tea, which, if you’re interested in rating and reviewing, you can find on my site RateTea:
I like the décor of this place. Old pictures of classic Latino musicians, mostly Cuban, line one of the walls, and some quirky décor and healthy green plants fill the front window, which has a pleasant although not particularly bright view. Most of the tables are small. Oh, and this place has the most creative trash receptacle that I have ever seen. Check it out!
I found the employees quiet and reserved but very friendly.
Why not five stars? It’s just too quiet of a place for me, not lively enough. The vibe here is very quiet, reserved, and private, even though it’s a relatively tight space. Maybe this is a function of being too close to Penn, and being used primarily as a study spot for Penn students on their laptops rather than being a place with more of a neighborhood feel like some of the places further west. I felt almost like I was disturbing the peace just having an average-​volume conversation with one of my friends. The back room is a bit more cozy and comfy though.
The wireless is spotty. However, the staff here are concerned about the wireless though, and they reset the router and got things working once when a few people were having trouble.
BTW, the salsa band that plays here off and on is AMAZING. If you have a chance to see it, come out. It is one of the best live bands I’ve ever heard perfom… very raw and spontaneous… old-​school, traditional salsa. And just amazing.

Lately, I’ve felt rather let down by Clave, and I really hate to say that about my favorite local café. It makes baby Jesus weep, too.
Their gluten-​free selection has been almost nonexistent of late and no GF raisin bread in months (!!!), which is a major bummer. Maybe they should look to another GF bakery, since Ameranth does not seem to be coming through.
Also, they technically open at 8, but the last few times I’ve been there they haven’t been open and now that I work a 9-​to-​5, I need my caffeine fix early. Alas, I get my tea-​based caffeine from Starbucks and have to hunt around for GF treats. On the plus side, I’m eating more fruit, but I want carby munches for my brekky!

This is my favorite UC coffee shop. Great ambiance and great music. The Friday night live Salsa music is also pretty cool. And, maybe most important, good wifi.
Also… the people who hang out here are way cooler than the Green Line crowd, especially the yoga tattoo woman.

This is a great café to get some Cuban espresso or delicious empanadas and Cuban sandiches. I love nothing more than a combination of good espresso, friendly service, and good food. There’s free Wi-​Fi too, for all you fellow indentured servants (um, students, I mean) out there.

My friend and I stumbled across this café because we didn’t want to stop in Green Line to use bathroom — so I saw a flashing sign that said ‘coffee’.
They sell Empanadas, Spinach Pie, panini’s and Cubano Sandwiches, as well as pastires and Torreo Coffee (which is a local coffee roaster).
The café itself, is long and narrow, with pained walls and artwork lined on all walls. All tables were full so we had to get our order to go.
The staff was friendly and the hours 8am — 9pm Su-​Sat is good. We plan to come back to visit when there’s a table available…
Cash only establishment

I’m not sure how I haven’t reviewed Clave yet, considering I spent half of my life here. I really, really enjoy this place. I’ve been known to sit here for six hours doing work, getting 50 cent coffee refills, eating empanadas, and simultaneously doing laundry next door.
The food! Empanadas, Cuban sandwiches, flan, etc, etc, omnomyumyum.
Torreo coffee.
Norma’s amazingamazingamazing baked good. Amazing.
Café Cubano. Don’t know what that is? Get one. Now.
NOTE: It does get pretty packed in here from time to time. I mean, literally no seats left. Heartbreaking.
Clave is my favorite café in West Philly for atmosphere, food, coffee and WiFi. Just don’t take my table next to the window.

Stopped in today before running to a meeting for a meal-​replacement latte. Not enough time to eat, so coffee must do.
I got a small pumpkin spice latte (I like them too much) that cost me $ 3.50 and was half foam.
Now, I really like the foam. But that’s only on top of the volume of the cup. I want my latte to be MOSTLY coffee and a little foam.
Too much of a good thing can be bad. Especially when it costs you so much.

I’m going to have to echo the previous reviews on this one. Café Clave is indeed a perfect coffee shop. And it’s Muy Cubanismo which makes it another perfect addition to West Philly. But according to City Paper it also had a little bit of history to West Philly and it’s going back to it’s roots. It first came to the spot it’s now located in from 2003 to 2004. And when The Other Green Line moved out the owner decided to reclaim his spot on the map. I’m big time happy for that because it’s nothing short of fantastic.
When I first walked in my minds eye was swirled by Castro caricatures and Cuban music. I was tempted to get one of the amazing sounding Cuban sandwiches (only $ 5!) to go along with the mood but I wasn’t incredibly hungry. So I scoped out there tempting looking desserts and found an equal amount of regular and veggie treats. I settled on a vegan apple date bar and it was nothing short of stellar. it was definitely one of the freshest dessert bars I’ve ever had, and it was all kinds of crisp and fruity. I also had a vanilla latte and it was all kinds of smooth.
While I was being helped the owner, Armen «Gooch» Terzian, came out to check on people, and you could instantly tell he was filled with positive energy. from the time that I was in line, to when I was chilling outside he continually came out to make sure that things were all good. For things like that I’m definitely recommending Café Clave. But I’m ESPECIALLY recommending Café Clave if you’re a musician because it looks like Gooch is a percussionist who encourages people to come in and jam. Sounds like my kind of place!