CK Cafe

by Cynthia J.

I believe in the recent years there has been a new owner, Mr. Pong. If you go there alot you tend to develop some sort of friendship with him. haha. If you ask him to, he`ll smoke an entire cigarette in one puff!! The setting of the area is nice, i mean your in a cafe! The smoothies are good, the tea is good, the coffee is ok... its just a really chill place to be.

by Joe J.

They stay open relatively late, and the space is cool. Coffee's okay. Service is okay.

by Amber M.

This place was a bit hard to find. My first impression of it was that it looked a bit shady and creepy--but it does seem to have it's charm. The coffee is pretty good and they had a lot of cool teas. It is a bit expensive, but what independent coffee shop isn't? I like that they have free wifi and you can stay however long you want. There aren't as many seats inside though, and it's a little dirty.  There is outside seating, but it's not recommended if you don't like loud noise/people talking and smoking, playing chess, etc--as that's all there really is. As for the food selection, I wish they offered more, or at least had some fresh pastries. Customer service is great. This place opens late too, which is a plus.

by Phu N.

Are you a resident of Claremont, CA? Do you live in a neighboring city? Have you heard of a couple of Taiwanese entrepreneurs named Calvin Kathy [Hmm... CK?]? Do you love hot tea served in a translucent kettle?If yes, yes, yes! is your answer, you might have come across this place hidden behind an alley somewhere in the Village East. Don't worry. This is place not-so-sketchy. Even, I go here. Rather, It's a place destined for regulars. Warning: you must afford, as Mrs. Kathy advertises, "[The] one dollar minimum for everyone! (or else get out you worthless dirty, loitering, artsy, punk bum." If you have enough nickels and dimes, you can become a regular too!On the inside there are some comfortable couches, along with some old nifty board games you can access for free. Outside in the patio, there are plenty of chairs and tables. A cool place to hang out with your friends and/or converse with friendly strangers.

by Rhea B.

I haven't been here in a while, but back in the day, this used to be called Nick's Cafe Trevi, because it was once squeezed into this tiny space next to Harvard Square Cafe. Years ago, it had damn good baristas who made a mean cup of joe. As a teenager, my Mod boyfriend and his scooter buddies would meet here for a cuppa and a smoke, then zoom off on their shiny Vespas. But I digress.I'll be back later this summer and give you an update of CK Cafe. RIP, Nick's Cafe Trevi.

by Nathan B.

Used to be Nick's Cafe Trevi like others said, back when starbucks was only a "good idea." Its changed now, and just like all the other cafes. No refills on regular coffee... no french press... no style... no artists grouped in the shady corner... but the location holds a place in my heart. RIP Nick's.

by Seth G.

I have been going to CK for the last six years. It has good tea, coffee (better than Starbucks) and smoothies. It is as sincerely unpretentious as it gets. They are also open later than any of the area coffee shops, which tend to close around 10:00PM.

by Lindsey R.

I have found it. My saving grace in the wretched Inland Empire (sorry, peeps). A cafe that is open past 7pm or 10pm WITH free wireless? Che Madonna, ragazzi! The people who work here are so sweet and I can tell they've established a great relationship with their customers because it's mostly a young crowd, and they always say Hi to them and visit with them as their hanging out. They've definitely made a very student/young adult friendly cafe here. They have everything from coffee/tea/smoothies/boba to cookies, pastries, snicky-snacks and cold beverages. They're herbal teas are wonderful. I got the Dragon-Jasmine Tea and it was a little bulb, then when they dropped it into the hot water, it blossomed into a flower!Insanity!!! That with a drop of honey-bellissima! It's a huge mug of it too. They have open mic on Thursday nights and are open until midnight. Fabulous. This is exactly what I need for my studying purposes. I am just so happy and grateful that CK Cafe exists! The only rule, is that you have to make at least a $1 purchase (a bottle of water is a dollar) and that's it. There's plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Great place to hang out, when not studying and the weather feels good.**Oh and P.S. If you're like me, and couldn't find the damn place because you're driving all up and down Yale ave and don't see a sign for CK Cafe (I've been searching this place for a few weeks now)...well it's behind all the other shops in the private back lot. Just an FYI.

by Ryan D.

CK is the best coffee shop I've been able to find in the area. I'm heart broken that my first years at the claremont colleges were spent not knowing this place existed. It's hidden in the parking lot behind heroes. Mr. and Mrs. Pong are incredibly friendly and always remember what you want to drink(I guess if you go there a lot like I do at least). Mr. Pong will always come have a cigarette with you and is very nice but will kick your ass at chess. They recently started taking credit and debit cards. Like everyone else has said they do a fun open mic night on thursdays.They just recently established actual business hours and put in a new sign to prove it. They even have pretty cheap hookah.Overall its a great place to go have a cigarette and coffee and do some work or bullshit with the other patrons and remember if you are really daring challenge Mr. Pong to chess.

by Kevin D.

Went there yesterday with some friends.  It's pretty hard to find because it's in an Alley. I've visited the claremont village for as long as i can remember but I didn't know that it was a totally different place at night.  They have boba.  My friends told me a cool asian guy owns the place and he's really friendly.  That place is a good place to hang out because it has books and board games you can use or you can just sit and talk with friends.