On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Categories: Vegetarian, Sandwiches [Edit]
Neighborhoods: UC Campus Area, Telegraph AveMon-Sun. 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Loading...
Closed? What?! I fricking loved this place! I guess it goes by Cafe Mattina now. Is that right?
Anyways from my fond memories of a summer spent at UC Berkeley, I remember the most delicious sandwiches, huge salads filled with all sorts of healthy yummy goodness and the BEST BREAD on Earth! Like seriously, it was moist and nutty and tasted like honey and grains and oats. I could make love to that bread everyday just by itself - no butter, no jam, no nothin.
People thought this was:
The largest salad you will ever find. It definitely has a college atmosphere, as UC Berkelye is located approximately 5 or 6 blocks away. Giant sandwiches as well. Everything on the menu is less than $7.00. The food is great. Lines can be a little long, especially around lunch and dinner time.
People thought this was:
sad. I hope Mattina is as good.
People thought this was:
Wait--this place isn't suddenly closed, is it?? I went here 4 days ago, and the food and service are… Read more »
closed!? what? why!? Please tell me it goes by cafe mattina now? I moved to nyc and crave for large over the top salads with poppyseed dressing, their vegan hummus sandwhich with fat slices of fresh baked bread. I once made a bet with a friend that it would be the only salad he could not finish. He ordered the chef's salad with meat and ate only HALF! I loveeeee love love this place!
so sad it's closed! I always had to go there when I'd visit my bff up at Cal so I could get a "Big Salad" Poppy seed dressing and bread were the best. What a bummer. Does the new place have the same menu?
People thought this was:
I always get the 1/2 soup & 1/2 sandwich. Their portion is HUGE!The poppy seed dressing is amazing and Veggie sandwiches are also very tasty. Cash only..
Long live whatever this place's business name is!
I might eventually get used to saying "let's go get a 'big salad' at Cafe Mattina," but in the interim I'm going with The Cafe Formerly Known As Intermezzo. Yes, it really is exactly the same place it has been since time out of mind. Service might have even improved, since under the Intermezzo name they were notorious for leaving out various "big salad" ingredients. Would I not get my croutons? Avocado? Dressing? It was a crap shoot. Under the new name (technically there is no name at all out front), my "big salad" (technically a Chef's Salad, but what's in a name?) has not lacked a thing.
People thought this was:
I used to love this place and ignored all the stuff about mice and roaches... and then I took my new boss their for lunch.
And a mouse ran all over the place.
And I told the people behind the counter about it, and they shrugged. And they looked away, like so? Why are you bothering us about this?
Its not so much the mouse, its more the not-caring.
I haven't been back in a while, and I do miss the veggie delight with poppyseed dressing mixed in. Tons of deliciousness, but the dirtiness and the lack of caring about the dirtiness has finally got to me. So sad.
People thought this was:
Great place for salads, soups, sandwiches. It never fails that I stand in line for 15 minutes… Read more »
I have one word that I really wish I didn't have to say, and it's: Roaches.
For years, this place was my favorite place in the bay area - no, ever, to get a good, cheap, filling salad. I brought every out-of-towner here to impress them with salads as big as their head, and they were never disappointed.
However, when I went to intermezzo last weekend with three friends of mine, we ordered our food as usual, and things seemed all good until the end of our meal. We were sat at the table immediately to the right of the salad bar, near the wall, and something caught my eye as I was turning around to get my jacket. I noticed some movement, and saw a little bug scuttle by across the counter.
Normally, bugs don't creep me out...but this was a baby roach, and not only was there one, there were several. And not only were there several, but there were dead ones caught in some cobwebs along the electrical cords that ran alongside the wall and back behind the counter, which tells me they have been there for quite sometime.
It was disgusting, and as much as I really, really, hated to believe it, they were there, and when I pointed them out to my friend, we immediately left. On the way home I tried justifying it to myself...it's a great place...so maybe they're doing something about it...surely the staff realize that the roaches are there...scuttling around in plain view on the counters...but no matter how much I tried to talk myself into going back...I can't do it.
I really hope this place can get rid of them because I loved eating here for so many years, and am so disappointed to post this...but I think what disgusts me most is that the staff just stood there as these baby roaches were freely running around the counter. Surely, if I saw them, they knew about them too?
Suddenly...the food just doesn't appeal to me anymore...
People thought this was:
Unfortunately this place has changed ownership. I've been craving a wonderful turkey sandwich so as I did my laundry down the street today I rushed over to grab lunch.
I noticed the change of ownership sign, but hey the menu's the same. It can't be any different. Right?
Well, it was less crowded than usual. I ordered my turkey sandwich and ended up really disappointed. There were exactly 2 slices of turkey in my sandwich. That's way less than half of what they used to give. No fruit accompanied my sandwich either.
Now I don't know if this smaller sandwich was the result of the change of ownership or just the sandwich maker. But as I looked around, it appeared as if everyone who had sandwiches had pretty tiny meat servings.
People thought this was:
The sandwiches are wonderful. Their wheat bread is great. It has sunflower seeds along the crust… Read more »
BIG AND CHEAP! Just how I like em!
Honey wheat bread is soft and sweet and delish. Salads, even the half/side ones, are HUUUGE. Poppyseed dressing is damn good too!
I hate beans and even though their chili is super thick and basically all beans, it's really good!
People thought this was:
Among my friends Cafe Intermezzo is simply "The Salad Place." That pretty much sums it up - giant salads for a very reasonable price. If I have one nitpick with the place it's that the staff there aren't always at their most professional: sometimes even when there's a line out the door it seems like there's a fair amount of screwing around that goes on, and sometimes they're a little less understanding of Intermezzo newbies than they could be. Really, though, do you expect much different from a place staffed by hippies and college students?
Overall it's a great place for a lot of reasonably priced food.
People thought this was:
Big salads, huge ass sandwiches on bread that is baked fresh daily, awesome soups and a coffee bar to boot? What more could one person asked for in a place? Nothing! I love and have loved this place for the past 4 years, but have not been back since the name changed... only because I do not live up in Northern CA. But will assure you that next time I am in town; I will make sure this place is just as good.
I normally wouldn't give a cafe 5 stars on the strength of a salad, but damn The Veggie Delight Salad was by far the hugest, freshest salad I've been served anywhere for $6 in . . . forever, I think. I can eat a lot, but there was no way I could finish this alone in one sitting. On top of that, the salad included a wide variety of greens, sprouts, beans, avocado, cherry tomatoes, etc ad infinitum. Had the vinaigrette dressing (recommended). The ingredients were all killer, no filler, which is kind of amazing for a salad of this size and price. I seriously doubt one could buy all the ingredients at the store and make their own matching salad for this price.
All the dishes here appear to be served in huge portions. The sandwiches looked roughly twice as big as similar offerings at other cafes in the category, and the salad & sandwich combo plates included what would pass as a full salad and full sandwich at other spots, instead of the usual 1/2 portions. I usually avoid those combo plates because of the tiny 2 bite portions, but if you order the combo here you get pretty much a full, large salad and nearly a full-sized sandwich.
Yeah you may need to shift a bit into your VegeHippie mode to fully appreciate this place, and if you don't know what I'm talking about, perhaps avoid. But if you yearn for a nostalgic retro fix from the California era of macrobiotics & sproutsforlife (the only evidence that its not 1967 = the many coffees they serve), go to this mecca, kneel down, and taste the nectar of devotion. Turn your mind off, and float downstream.
People thought this was:
The beauty of Intermezzo is that the salads are so freakishly big that they actually could be your dinner for 2 nights. Starving college student? BAM, you just spent the equivalent of $3/night for dinner and are totally satisfied.
Intermezzo was a staple location during my Berkeley career - you can just never go wrong. Their bread is homemade, their salad dressings are great, the BLT is deadly delicious, and you can customize your order to death, although they aren't quite as nice as the people at Starbucks when you do.
server: Hi, what can I get you?
me: I'd like a tossed green salad with added turkey, no tomatoes or sprouts, with 2 things of blue cheese dressing on the side, to go.
server: okay *glare of death*
2 min later
server: You said no croutons? What kind of dressing?
me: *sigh*
Don't be surprised if they can get a bit surly when they are slammed. But if you go there with no expectations of the service and only an overwhelming craving for mountains of leafy greens, you will always leave happy.
People thought this was:
Contrary to public speculations about their closure and impending changes, I went there on Friday and the place was still very much alive and kickin'. Their menu and portions have stayed the same while the ambiance is still constituted by the typical long line out the door, chaotic ordering and payment protocols, high noise level, and huge bowls of salad at every table.
Beyond its size and reputation, the salads are really overrated. Instead, I went for the combination of egg salad sandwich and Thai chicken soup for lunch. The sandwich was a bit overdressed by mayo and could have used more eggs and less sprouts. The soup was unnecessarily oily and needed lemongrass to add depth in order for it to be interesting. The thick slices of homemade bread and fresh watermelon juice were the highlights of my lunch. Besides the large portions and fresh bread, I just don't think this place lives up to its hype.
Unfortunately, the overwhelming amount of lettuce being toss to the ground behind the counter validates the widespread public concerns about their lack of attention to cleanliness. I'm hoping that the new ownership will put all fears to rest by improving its food and service while making the place more conducive for people to enjoy eating there and hanging out.
Update: I just heard today that Intermezzo was sold and the name has changed but that the new place serves the same food of about the same quality. This breaks my heart because Intermezzo was my absolute favorite place to eat out in Berkeley.
Only one thing comes to mind when I think of Intermezzo...YUMMMM. Well, ok, two things - there is also "holy shit that's a really big salad!"
My favorite thing here is the Chef salad with half tuna and half turkey. This thing comes packed with kidney beans, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, carrots, half an avocado, hardboiled egg, sprouts, delicious homemade croutons, and tons of lettuce an dressing of choice. It is ALWAYS enough for at least two meals for me! (You can also get the same salad sans meat under the alias of Veggie Delight) I am also a big fan of the half sandwich (I love the tuna) and side salad (the side salad is a meal in itself!). Their homemade bread is to die for as well and you get a slice and a piece of seasonal fruit with each salad order!
Of everything I miss from my college days, Intermezzo tops the list!
Best salad in the bay area - Café Intermezzo, hands down.
People thought this was:
Cafe intermezzo has huge, huge salads. When I say huge I mean the kind of salad where you eat as much as you possibly can of the salad, and it still looks like you haven't touched the salad. Gorgeous. I'm sort of exaggerating, but not really. This salad is so huge, it makes me blush.
Their Honey Wheat bread is the sex. It tastes amazing. It's the best bread in the entire world. It also makes me blush.
The only complaint I have about this place is that they are always very crowded, and as a result, a little dirty and gross.
So get a big salad and a hunky hunk of bread, or get the vegetarian sandwich (mmm cream cheese and salad on sex bread), and prepare to be smitten with this dirty, crowded, hippie restaurant.
People thought this was:
When I first stepped in and looked around the table at everyone else's food, I was under the assumption that everyone ordered salads since the salad serving was so plentiful. Boy was I in for a surprise when my friend brought my half sandwich/half salad order and my salad was the same size as everyone else's! For $6.75, the amount of food I got was amazing and definitely makes me want to come back again.
I absolutely loveee their vinaigrette dressing, delicious. And the sandwich I had was good as well (roast beef). I think next time I will try the BLTA sandwich/salad combo with the poppyseed dressing.
I took off a star because the people aren't too attentive (I originally asked for my sandwich on a french roll but they made it on the honey wheat) and the cashier was a bit disillusioned.
People thought this was:
I had forgotten about how good this place was! The first time I went was about 15 years ago when I was in High School. Back then, we thought it was really cool to go to Berkeley and check out the scene and eat at Intermezzo. The first time we went, the line for lunch snaked out of the building and down the sidewalk. I thought "What IS this place?"
All I remember from so many years ago were their GINORMUS salads that were served in large wooden bowls at a very reasonable price.
Cue forward 15 years. Not much has changed. They still serve the huge salads in the bowls for about $7.50. Sandwiches are still made on their homemade honey wheat bread for a great price...and are very tasty. There were 3 different homemade soups available as well.
I was surprised that they didn't have any selection of chips available....but no big deal. If I had known how big my sandwich was going to be, I would have known that chips or soup were not even necessary.
Good to see some places don't change very much at all!
People thought this was:
Intermezzo (n.)
1.full, juicy, tomato-containing, sprout-exploding, cheese and meat packed-to-the-brim sandwiches on succulent honey wheat buns.
2. fresh, mountainous, possibly illegal in 48 states salads that will make you late for work, class, yoga, wake-boarding, etc.
And they've got a cool indoor tree. This place is a Berkeley institution.
People thought this was:
I consider myself a BLT connoisseur and Intermezzo gets my vote for best BLT(A) in the East Bay! Bacon is perfectly cooked, avocado comes with the sandwich (I really hate paying an extra dollar + for avocado at other places...) and the bread is fantastic. Plus the sandwich is huge for $6.25. If BLTs kept better, I'd save a half for later. But they don't so I just gorge myself.
I hear the salads are great, but I can't bring myself to order anything but the BLT when I'm there. Maybe someday I'll do the half sandwich/half soup combo.
People thought this was:
Come here for the salads...that is what they are known for. The sandwiches, while tasty, serve only as a distraction.
For the uninitiated, the salads are served in a medieval trough of a bowl. Veggie freshness overfloweth, and eventually, it will overfloweth onto your lap and fly onto those dining in your blast radius. But no matter, everyone is enjoying their food and doing the same..."Flight of the Valkyries" is an appropriate soundtrack to the orgiastic mastication of non-meat. The floor is covered in detritus but you don't care because you fought hard for your seat in an area where there are only 2 flies buzzing overhead instead of 7.
The homemade honey wheat bread is a fitting accompaniment to your salad. You'll just wish you hadn't eaten so much of it because your salad never seems to disappear. Cucumbers, carrots, garbanzos, kidney beans...they just keep reappearing. Can you try to finish? A wise little green man once said: "Do, or do not. There is no try."
People thought this was:
Where to even begin...
If you're there with a friend, order the Chef salad for like eight dollars and it will feed both of you and generate leftovers. For real. I'm not one of those people who will hit up a brunch place and be like "oh let's just SPLIT the croque monsieur, and maybe a side of the mixed greens," I'm more like "okay so I'll have two of the turkey sandwiches, and can I substitute fries for the side salads. Yes, for BOTH of them," but I am utterly full and content after eating half of an Intermezzo salad.
The sandwiches are superb too, and are made with the ever-present Intermezzo bread, which is delicious and theoretically is baked on the premises.
Finally, the coffee: they BREW IT TO ORDER and you can even choose from a variety of roasts. I ordered a small coffee for like a dollar and received at least 20 ounces of delicious, fresh, strong coffee. Intermezzo: it's like the 7-Eleven of lunch places, only instead of slurpees they serve artisan coffee. And they don't sell gas, but instead natural foods. Okay so that analogy just fell apart.
People thought this was:
This is a good spot for a quick lunch (soup, salad, sandwich). The portions are kind of large so bring an appetite or ask for a box.
I had the half sandwich and salad combo for $6.75 and it was satisfying. I recommend the chicken salad sandwich as it is jazzed up by the addition of apples and pecans in the chicken mix. Best of all, it appears every ingredient in this place is very fresh, making this a healthy alternative to other lunch spots on Telegraph.
People thought this was:
I think I need to make another trip back here and re-review because everyone always raves about how great this place is.
I've had both their salad and their sandwiches and I wasn't very impressed with either. The salad was kind of soggy and the dressing didn't taste like anything. It was rather expensive too. Same with the sandwiches. Hidden under those thick slices of bread is...I have no idea.
I come out of here feeling like I did the right thing though, so I throw in a few stars for that.
People thought this was:
Great places usually always stay great. But since the last time I went to Intermezzo, it has only gotten better. This has been my go to spot throughout high school and college. I haven't been here since I went to Cal, but my excursion here yesterday showed me how much I missed the place.
The unbeatable chef's salad is large enough for two people at $6.75. Only the freshest, highest quality ingredients are in the salad. Piles of chicken/tuna, avocado, and hard boiled egg always top off the large pile of greens, beans, and alfalfa sprouts. Where else do you come for JUST for the salad? The sandwiches and soups are also unbeatable. And their house bread is just something you can't get anywhere else.
YES, I cross the BRIDGE for this.
WOW the bread!!! Where do they get this bread....
Yes, salad is amazing for $7, but I can find similar one in SF if I am willing to pay over $10. But the bread...omg
I usually get half sandwich with half salad for $8.75. The $4 toll to cross the bridge is now worth it.
People thought this was:
I love salads the size of my head with good ingredients for less than $10.
The breads and sandwiches are just as oversized and just as good.
The half Bacon/Avocado sandwich comes with 6 slices of bacon, no joke.
You can pretend to eat healthy, get way too much food, not spend a lot of money. Outside of having to deal with a long line, there's no reason not to go here.
The Poppy Seed dressing is awesome.
People thought this was:
Ok...So this would start with 5 stars for just their BREAKFAST BURRITOS!!! Little-known secret...only till 11am less than 4 bucks...pretty much the shit.
However...they're only gettin 2 stars because the place is so damn dirty. I hope the rumors are true and that a new management team really is coming in because it was disgusting. I used to love it there when I was a freshmen, but by my sophomore year I couldn't stand it anymore...definitely not the salads.
Too dirty for me, and I'm not even a germ-a-phobe.
But if you can handle it go for the burrittos...YUM
Anyone who knows me knows that I don't eat salad and I don't leave anything on my plate. This is the only place you will see me eat a salad (as a main course, no less) and actually have leftovers.
I'm usually torn between the sandwich/salad combo and the chef's salad. I love the BLTA (A stands for avocado). Their bacon is thick and usually well-cooked (overcooked occasionally). Their chef's salad is yummy and packed with greens, alfalfa sprouts, kidney, and garbanzo beans, an egg, avocado, croutons, and your choice of meat (ham does it for me). Oh, and they're famous for their poppy seed dressing. They shove all this into the poor take-out box. When I mix it at home, all kinds of ingredients spill out of the box (which I eat, of course).
Oh, and their bread is so yummy, I can eat it straight up. Good stuff.
People thought this was:
This place is delicious! THIS PLACE IS NOT CLOSED!
We almost went to Ralieghs but they got shut down! UH OH!
Today my bestie and I chowed down on sandwiches and salad. She got the eggplant, and I got a veggie without cream cheese sub hummus(I am not that into cream cheese). We each got a green salad, but should have just shared because they are so big.
The seating here can sometimes be a bit cramped during the lunch rush but today it was not big deal, and they have these huge windows that make the place feel bigger.
Minus one star because when I asked to sub hummus for the cream cheese the girl making my sandwich looked at me like I just ruined her life. RUDE. The whole time she made my food she was just glaring at me. I asked, I did not demand hummus. The check out dude was way nice though. Maybe he saw her mean mugs.
I've been going to Intermezzo for 11 years and I miss it like crazy! There is nothing like it in OC. The sandwiches and salads are incredibly delicious and their homemade bread is like no other bread. It is perfection - especially the honey wheat with a hint of sweetness. They are very accommodating when it comes to customizing your order, like extra avocado and no sprouts (who actually likes bean sprouts - so retro-vegetarian).
So although the food and service is worthy of 5 stars, I have to knock one for a combination of things - the line can be ridiculous, cash only, and the portions are huge. I always order my salad or sandwich with a to-go box or wrap.
People thought this was:
I LOVE Intermezzo!!! Definitely one of my favorite places to eat when I was a Cal undergrad. Great big portions of fresh ingredients - I love salads with avocado and sprouts. The best things about Intermezzo though are their honey wheat bread (soooo yummy) and poppyseed dressing (double yummy). Usually their portions are enough for two meals - especially their half salad/half sandwich combos.. soooo worth it!!!
Line is usually out the door but goes by fast. Definitely a must go!!!!
I've never been a big fan of having salad as a meal. Intermezzo tried to mess with that thought with their giant, tasty salads with everything I'd ever want. True, it's a little bit more expensive than your average salad, but the amount you get is unbelievable and can fill you up like you've never thought a salad could.
The salad dressing is amazing, and they somehow have the best sprouts I've ever tasted. Too bad I'm not a huge salad fan.
For just $7.50, you can get a HEAPING troughful of their delicious chef's salad with assorted greens, carrots, sprouts, garbanzo & kidney beans, avocado, boiled egg, cherry tomatoes, and your choice of deli meat.
A few weekends ago, my college roomie and I re-lived our Cal days here by splitting this ginormous salad. (It was only a few years ago that we lived just one block from this fine establishment and frequently patronized it. Ahh, the good ol' days.) The salad easily could have been 4 meals, but in our great hunger (or gluttony...? sometimes it's hard to tell), we polished that baby off in about... 90 minutes. The ingredients were all fresh, including the slice of honey oat bread that I love but could not have. Amy kindly ate that and the slice of watermelon (both of which you get with any salad) while I went to feed the meter, thus saving me from some embarrassing public drooling.
On a Saturday afternoon at about 2 pm, there were at least 10 people in line ahead of us when we arrived (and as many when we left). Luckily, the people behind the counter work at lightning speed, and there's entertainment to be had on Telegraph while you queue up out the door. Be sure you know what you want when it's your turn or you might be met with some impatience. That said, all the salads and sandwiches on the menu are good (soups not so much, according to aforementioned roomie) so don't worry and just enjoy!
People thought this was:
If you are like me and can wolf down Whoppers like potato chips, Cafe Intermezzo is a great place to visit for some greener, healthier options!
I definitely recommend the Chef's Salad or any of the sandwiches as they are all tasty and cheap.
It is advised however that you come before 12PM because it will be busy. No surprise considering the gratuitous amount of salad in every meal. I seriously cannot finish a salad bowl by myself. It's so much.
And it's really fresh too! I think I found a baby rabbit at the bottom of the bowl the last time I ate here. :)
All in all, a must-visit place on Telegraph Avenue.
People thought this was:
It can't be closed, one of my favorite salad places of all time! I knew I was home when I was at Intermezzo!
People thought this was:
I agree that the poppyseed dressing is the best ever. And a secret from an ex-Cal undergrad.... you can get their bread-ends for only a quarter each. Or just give them a buck and they'll give you a huge bag! Huge chuncks of their fabulous bread for only pennies! The ends are great to use for making sandwiches and french toast at home. Their loss, my gain.
Or, you can buy some and then pass them out to the bums on telegraph. One time I did that, some homeless dude told me "Man does not live by bread alone." I thought it was a pretty clever response, so I bought him a sandwich. :)
People thought this was:
Adam and I came here the other day and got into a fight. This is not unusual because Intermezzo makes me nuts. You get there and there's inevitably a huge line, though it moves quickly. Then you've got to game the place seeking a place to sit. And once you're seated, it's loud and chaotic.
Until recently, I still would've given these guys a four- if not five-star review regardless of its chaos. After all, it's Telegraph -- what do you expect? But this last time, I took a moment to take a good look at my meal. I do like their chicken-salad sandwich -- always get it -- and the house-made bread is spectacular.
But their much-vaunted salads are nothing more than a bunch of chopped produce. Hell, I can do that myself, albeit not on such a grand scale. The dressings don't do much for me either. Throw in the many reports of mice, and I think I may stay away from Intermezzo for a while. Adam and I can bicker elsewhere.
People thought this was:
Neighborhood: UC Campus Area
Category: Sandwiches
Neighborhood: UC Campus Area
Category: Vegetarian
Neighborhood: UC Campus Area
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: UC Campus Area
Category: Cheese Shops
Neighborhood: Downtown Berkeley
Category: Sandwiches
When I used to live in Bezerkeley these are the…
I love sandwiches. You must love them too if…
It's where I live, it's where I love, it's where I…
Places I used to go back in those crazy college…
Berkeley is a motherlode of cheap good food. But…
From all four corners of the Bay Area (even though…
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
All the cool spots to chill/party at for, but not…
