Berkeley and Oakland have the density: a serious cup is a normal block, not a destination. Rockridge, Temescal, Piedmont Avenue, the Elmwood, and North Shattuck are the habits. Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Alameda, and Pleasanton do the downtown version well.
Judge a town by whether you would leave the house for a coffee without getting in a car. That test predicts more about daily happiness than a kitchen backsplash.
Towns
Inner East Bay
Oakland
The bridge lands here, and so does dinner.
OpenBerkeley & the north hills
Berkeley
Campus, canyons, and a food culture that predates the trend.
OpenBerkeley & the north hills
Albany
A small city with Solano Avenue as its living room.
OpenInner East Bay
Alameda
An island of Victorians, beaches, and a main street that still works.
OpenCentral Contra Costa
Walnut Creek
The East Bay downtown people drive to on purpose.
OpenLamorinda
Lafayette
A downtown you can actually finish walking, plus a reservoir.
Open