Over one street, near the southwest edge of campus and just down hill from the International House, Caffe Strada's outdoor tables and flowering pear trees create a convivial open-air atmosphere. ``I like the spectacle -- the street theater aspect of Strada,'' says Berkeley graduate Karen Ahn, who adds that you can watch -- or participate in -- the lively pick-up scene.

Strada's coffee comes with a distinctly international flavor: Perhaps because of the cafe's proximity to the I-House, on a given night there are almost as many languages being spoken as there are tables. - www.sfgate.com