My Friend Joe

Santa Rosa, United States

3.6

Open now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 707-843-4966
Address:
1810 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa, CA, 95401
Categories:
QR code
Download QR Image Download vCard

Map

Streetview

Activate map

Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Private Lot
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
No
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Noise Level
Loud
Alcohol
No
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
No
Waiter Service
No
Caters
No

Today

Today 6:30 am – 10:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Santa Rosa) 6:46 PM Thursday, June 12, 2025

Business hours

Monday 6:30 am – 7:00 pm
Tuesday 6:30 am – 7:00 pm
Wednesday 6:30 am – 7:00 pm
Thursday 6:30 am – 10:00 pm
Friday 6:30 am – 7:00 pm
Saturday 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Sunday 7:00 am – 7:00 pm

Description

Specialties

my friend Joe offers all the best in espresso and drip coffee-​using delicious Equator Coffee-​but we also serve food. We make our own excellent panini and our breakfast sandwiches feature beyond-​organic farm fresh eggs. They are out of this world!

Our milkshake menu is vast and creative. Our shakes are made with hand scooped ice cream, always thick, never boring.

We are a green company, so please bring your own cup if you’d like to take your beverage with you-you’ll save 50¢ if you do!

Our Mission Statement: my friend Joe was created in 2004 to actively create a more joyful world. We are a friendly revolution of waste reduction and socialization: we create an atmosphere to get people laughing an dtalking to each other, building a sense of local kinship. We think these projects are essential to the survival of man and all around us.

History

Established in 2004.

We started our journey in October 2004 at a tiny coffee counter at a local grocery store. By 2007, we grew into a slightly larger location in downtown Sebastopol. In 2010 we moved into our current café-​the largest location yet-​across from the Santa Rosa Junior College.



Now operating inside of our own four walls (the previous shops had been walk-​ups) we can finally be loud, cheerful, play music, host dance parties and all sorts of other fun activities without bothering our neighbors! my friend Joe is home at last!

Our goals to create a sustainability oriented revolution in the sometimes uptight specialty coffee industry is proving a success. Friendships are born here on almost daily because of our innovative and social ambiance. In 2011, we saved 20,000+ cups from being used with our bring-​your-​own-​cup discount program.

Meet the Business Owner

Alexis B.

Business Owner

Alexis Bauer is the owner of my friend Joe, but she is only a co-​conspirator in the magic that is the my friend Joe café experience. True, wackier than most, her personality lends a glow to the pink and turquoise walls of this college hangout; yet without the playful attitude of my friend Joe’s colorful and eclectic customer base this party would just not be the same. She is grateful to have so many fun collaborators playing shop with her.

Born in Buffalo, NY and raised in PA, Alexis has an east coast flavor that even 10 years in the Southwest could not entirely erase. A creative writing major too in love with adventure to actually complete her degree, Alexis decided that living fiction was better than writing fiction and by the age of 25 she had firmly dedicated her life to adventure. my friend Joe is her most radical and interactive adventure to date, combining her desire to create an innovate social ambiance with her need for really, really bloody great espresso.

My Friend Joe also recommends

The Last Record Store

58

reviews

Music & DVDs

Alexis B. says,

«This is where we get our music from. They are the bestest!»

Mombo’s Pizza

208

reviews

Pizza

Alexis B. says,

«Cheese is good food.»

Goji Kitchen

330

reviews

Asian Fusion

,

Chinese

,

Vietnamese

Alexis B. says,

«They rock. So tasty! Hormone free meat!»

Related places

You might also like:
1
mi
Pete’s Coffee
2500 Mendocino Ave
1
mi
Cafe Des Croissants
2444 Lomitas Ave
1
mi
Black Wolf Coffee Co
336 Coddingtown Ctr
1
mi
Starbucks
2240 Mendocino Ave Ste C7
1
mi
Dutch Bros. Coffee
1300 Mendocino Ave
1
mi
Peet’s Coffee & Tea
2500 Mendocino Ave

Vicinity

Browse nearby places:
1
ft
Juice Shack
1810 Mendocino Ave
110
ft
Taco Bell
1835 Mendocino Ave
140
ft
Jalisco Mexican Food
1800 Mendocino Ave
180
ft
Reyes’s & Metro Pcs
1880 Mendocino Ave
190
ft
Silver Moon Chinese Food
1880 Mendocino Ave
190
ft
Impulso News
1880 Mendocino Ave Ste G

20 reviews of My Friend Joe

No registration required
Place rating: 3
Santa Rosa, CA
I love their milkshakes, however it would be nice if they had a larger cup size to match the $ 6 shake
Place rating: 5
Santa Rosa, CA
The coffee is good but the chai has a unique constellation of spices with fennel taking a lead role. I am a big fan and find myself ordering the chai even when I have planned on an espresso.
They skipped the fancy interior decorator at My Friend Joe and instead seem to display whatever amuses them at the moment. A very eccentric irreverent sense of humor vibe.
The case full of yummy bagels, which i spotted them making in the back one day, makes it impossible not to order one of their great sandwiches. From modest poppy seed or sesame bagels to hearty pesto, cheese and jalepeno, there is always a wonderful selection.
The baristas really hustle to make those sandwiches and keep up with the coffee orders, despite the casual atmosphere. They make you want to come back and I do.
Place rating: 5
Rohnert Park, CA
friendly service, affordable eats and drinks, very popular. was looking for a place to chill while my boyfriend is in class. would definitely come again.
Place rating: 1
Santa Rosa, CA
The girl who took my order was nice, but holy cow I would of not of came here between class if I knew it was going to take so long! I ordered a iced mocha that tasted like Chacolate milk, pretty sure there was no coffee in it. Then it took 30 minutes.. yes 30 minutes for them to make a sandwich for me… I understand if it was busy but it wasn’t at all… WTF! When I did get my sandwich it was so gross and soggy! Deff. Will not be coming back here EVER!
Place rating: 5
Santa Rosa, CA
This place has an extensive food and drink menu, nice atmosphere, and a little room in the back for people looking to work on their computers. It’s tiny and busy so you must practice patience. I came in and worked for a couple of hours and would come back again. The only thing I will say to the owner or manager reading this is, the table where you keep the drink fixin’s is right in the walking path to and from the back door and room.
Place rating: 2
Santa Rosa, CA
First and last time here. Dont know if it was an off day, but to me it was definitely the worst bagel shop iv been too. Was just a couple of girls working, one friendly, the other not at all (she gave me an annoyed look among other attitude when I told her we were still waiting for coffee after receiving food). Medium cup barley half full. Eggle bagel barley had any meat with no flavor at all. Egg was barley nuked and still wet. Couldn’t wait to get order and leave as the flys were absolutely obnoxious and plentiful.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
I went there for a lunch, had a hummus among us sandwich, which was very tasty, and a latte which was OK, but way better than what you would get at Starbucks.
Place rating: 5
Sebastopol, CA
There bagels are absolutely delicious. Perfectly toasted, the right amount of cream cheese. Once you have one you’ll continuously crave them. There iced white mocha is soo good as well as there hot chocolate. They make their ice cubes using espresso instead of water. Definitely recommend this place
Place rating: 4
Healdsburg, CA
I like joes. Good coffee and the best bagels! Service is friendly and fast most of the time, but there’s a couple of people that seem to always work together that need to step it up. Wrong items, long wait times with no waiting tickets, not friendly. Not joes people.
Place rating: 2
Vacaville, CA
Unilocal hours are wrong. The sign on the door says they close at 4pm during the summer.
Place rating: 5
Novato, CA
Food: 5⁄5
I order the Ellie Spicy Eggel on the jalapeño bagel (vegetarian). So good and the price is great! Also, the coffee is the best I’ve ever had. Best bagel place I know.
Service: 4⁄5
Excellent service except one person. Teresa has a cold attitude, poor customer service, and gossips with her friends while working. However, I will not let one rotten apple ruin my perfect rating for this place. Keep in mind that if it is busy, the food can take a while (a problem if you have a class coming up).
Location: 5⁄5
Right next to Santa Rosa Junior College, opens early, and right next to a campus parking lot. Perfect for a quick breakfast before class or lunch in between classes.
Atmosphere: 5⁄5
Limited seating but amazing décor. Great music and certainly has that «college life» vibe. Great place to study when it is not busy.
Place rating: 4
Santa Rosa, CA
Great little place with good coffee, friendly staff and a comfortable atmosphere. I would always come here for a coffee before my JC classes, and pick up a pastry here and there. My only qualm with this place is that I wish their pastries were of a better quality and they had a better selection. But, their coffee is good and that is the main reason people come here.
Place rating: 4
Santa Rosa, CA
Cool local spot | Minty Mocha | One tip
I discovered this place during Easter, actually. Most places were closed and I didn’t want to go to Starbucks so I Unilocaled which coffee shops had high ratings and went here. It’s definitely a neat place. I really liked the ceiling fan system and the unique atmosphere: P
Their menu was overwhelming in the best sense because I saw a menu on the wall and they had additional menus lying around for specialty drinks and sandwiches. I went with the minty mocha in a medium size. MMMMM SO GOOD.
It wasn’t scalding hot and it wasn’t lukewarm. Perfect.
I also split a breakfast bagel with my husband and that was excellent as well. We ate in the back room where people tend to do a lot of their studying/​work. I noticed that they charge if you want to use their outlet, so if you plan on working awhile, this is something you want to think about.
Other things I observed: juice shack is next door, college area
Place rating: 2
San Francisco, CA
I read all the great stuff here about the atmosphere and thought «I should check this out!» I live half time in San Francisco, so I have a well-​developed idea of what I’m looking for in a café environment. I want a clean place with well prepared hot drinks and snacks, wifi, not excessively loud, where I can sit at a table and get some work done or relax.
The good: The barista who helped me was very friendly. The ceiling fan is an interesting piece of art. The WiFi is free. Convenient to the JC.
The meh: The food menu is very limited. Mostly bagel sandwiches. The menu is long, but it is really just various combinations of a very small number of ingredients. And what food they offer is mediocre.
The bad: The friendly barista was not helpful. My first time in and I was trying to get a sense of the menu, but the barista was so impatient I just ordered something. Then, for all her impatience, her delivery of my order was slowwww. She told me to go find a seat and she’d let me know when my order was ready. (I had been waiting to take my tea before I sat and waited for my food.) Five minutes later, she finally had my cup of tea — just a teabag in hot water, mind you, nothing special. I went up and got that. Another five+ minutes for my bagel sandwich. I don’t understand why she couldn’t have just given me my tea, and let me get up for my food.
For the entire time I was there, she was flirting loudly with someone and complaining about her job. Among other things she said «I’m so glad there is only one bagel left so I won’t have to make any more bagel sandwiches!» This was in between her telling some guy how he was just her type. Chatting when it is slow is one thing, but this was a total lack of professionalism.
The music was really, really loud. I’m glad I wasn’t trying to have a conversation with anyone.
The seating is really uncomfortable. I don’t mind shabby chic at all, but I couldn’t find a chair that didn’t wobble. And I don’t know when the tables might have last been wiped. (Maybe she could have done that instead of chatting up some guy?)
At ½ hour before closing, she started announcing they’d be closing in 30 mins, 20 mins, 15 mins, 10 mins. We get it — you want to get out of there. But 15 and 5 minutes would have been sufficient.
The overall experience was tension-​inducing. The café seating areas weren’t especially clean, and the staff was unprofessional. I won’t be back.
Place rating: 1
Santa Rosa, CA
Coffee is so so as always… Pretty bad today… And no wifi… And rude girl who won’t try and fix it… Not good! I thought you were my friend… Lol
Place rating: 4
Cambridge, MA
This place is classic Norcal hipster café, and I love it. The sweet chai latte is so good (though you can get sweet or spicy or a mix), and there’s room to sit and catch up with friends. Great relaxing, comfortable vibe.
Place rating: 2
San Francisco, CA
Be prepared for a café full of college students when you enter Joe’s. The service is mediocre and they are scarce of healthy food options. Decent place to to get some work done though, WiFi works well, seats are available, but outlets are limited.
Place rating: 4
Santa Rosa, CA
I don’t know why I haven’t been here before. I ordered 2 drinks, a minty mocha and a chai latte.
Minty Mocha was ok. Could have been more minty, but I can just ask for more mint syrup next time. Otherwise, it was a good drink.
Chai was delicious. They give you the option of spicy, sweet, or mixed. I don’t feel like a lot of places do that, though I am finding more and more. They spice in the 50⁄50 chai is a bit more spicy than other places. For me, it is a good balance. Definitely a new fave place for chai.
The atmosphere is good. Before MFJ moved in, it was another coffee shop, and another.
The WiFi is strong and free.
Just like other reviews say: they charge $ 2 plugging in electronics. Kind of strange but understandable. They have to cover costs of electricity and many people take advantage of all the freebies most coffee places provide. So would I pay the 2 bucks again? Yeah.
The baristas are nice, and funny, They are nice to chat with. It’s a welcoming place.
Place rating: 5
Ukiah, CA
Came in for the caffeine, but stayed for the atmosphere.
Great coffee. Friendly staff. Cool music. Interesting decoration.
I’ll be back for sure.
Place rating: 4
Santa Rosa, CA
This place reminds me so much of some of my favorite old haunts in Berkeley and Davis.
I haven’t had their coffee yet, so I can’t quite give them 5 stars.
But, you’ve got: eccentric staff/​owner, good selection of bagel-​based sandwiches, ample sitting area, free WiFi, steampunk-​themed adornments, etc…
The sandwich I got was pretty good, though maybe it would have been better without cheese. Parking can be tricky sometimes, but staff was good about telling people if parking enforcement was handing out tickets in the permit-​only area nearby.