The Most Flavorful Cafes in San Jose

Ada's Cafe

★★★★★ 4.5 (218) • $

"Personally I have not gone to this place, but my coworker brought me some pastries and they are to die for, I have been in a strict diet but pastries are my weakness so I will consider it as my cheat day well only to make space for the pastries, since she could not made any decision going to Ada's she brought 3 different ones and I am glad she did, she got blueberry scone, cinnamon roll and blueberry muffin.Blueberry Scone: The moment it hit my mouth I was speechless Oh!! My!!! The last time I had something so amazing don't quite remember, but this one hit the spot and I slow down to leave the last piece for last.Blueberry nut muffin: Not as quite as the Scone but I am a pecan kind of person and I love muffins so this pastry was great not as amazing as the first one but tbh the scone takes 1st place. Cinnamon Roll: I am not a cinnamon kind of gal but this sure surprised me, the first bite was out of this world specially with the cream on the side, I always imagined it super sweet but no on the contrary it was easy to eat and no remorse while eating it. Now this was an exceptional experience with these 3 pastries but I need to visit this place in person so I can try other ones that I bet are as good as these ones. If this pastries are amazing I can just imagine eating them at the spot right from the oven and in a homie feeling, I will definitely try to visit this place very soon. But for now I will enjoy them, thank you for the hands that prepare them you guys are amazing"

Machu Picchu Cafe

★★★★★ 4.7 (21)

"New cafe that opened 5 weeks ago. Beautiful space and ambiance. Spectacular pink tree in the middle of the cafe and plenty of comfy seating. The chicken empanadas were delicious. I look forward to going back for the coffee and non-caffeinated drinks, some of which are Peruvian inspired. Very friendly barista. Great to have such a sweet spot in the neighborhood!"

Manresa Bread

★★★★☆ 3.8 (262) • $$

"This cute little bakery shop located on State Street in Downtown Las Altos makes the best monkey bread in the entire Bay Area! What is monkey bread you ask? Imagine a kouign amann on steroids! More buttery. More sugary. It's crispy and flaky on the outside and moist and soft on the inside. Each piece of the monkey bread breaks off into little small bite sized nuggets covered in the perfect mix of caramelized butter and sugar. Pop one in your mouth and be ready to be in pastry heaven. If you're coming on a weekend, be sure to show up early as they sell out quickly!"

Hana's Cafe & Deli

★★★★☆ 3.9 (43) • $

"OK. THIS IS THE BEST KEPT SECRET IN SOUTH CITY. HANA'S HAS: 1.THE BEST ASADA STREET TACOS 2. THE BEST LASAGNA IN THE PENINSULA (I AM NOT EVEN KIDDING) 3. THE BEST CHOW MEIN ON WEDNESDAYS and the list goes on. Offering Mexican sodas and other goodies, this spot is AMAZING! If you try the asada tacos and feel that there is a better place in south city I will pay for your meal. If you try the LASAGNA and you tell me that you have had a better one in the peninsula I will be surprised. On Wednesdays, they do a delicious CHOW MEIN that I like to mix with their fresh veggies. SO DELICIOUS AND GOOD FOR YA! The key here is that they do everything fresh and never frozen. ;-)"

Stardust Superfood Coffee

★★★★★ 4.5 (68)

"(Tom Cruise singy voiceover disguised like Luigi from Spotify's "you ME & luigi")The vibe is hidden, super mod, hip coffee craft superfood destination. (I love superfoods. It's how I stay an A-lister.)Tina warmly greeted me! She is super cordial!Latte w/ Almond Milk. Hot. You can taste and appreciate the coffee!Taro Latte! Iced. Ube goodiness. Tina's recommendation. Supergood!The Stardust Bowl. My gosh! This is a must try...over and over. Hemp granola. Banana. Blueberry. Goji Berry. Mulberry. Honey. She is exquisite! Every spoon was a delight!Would order everything again!Thanks, Tina!Woohoo!"

Bistro Maxine

★★★★☆ 3.6 (574) • $$

"Great place to come after a visit at Stanford. I would highly recommend this place for the best chai you have ever had! Also the crepes are delicious and good size! You have to try the savory crepes but don't forget the sweet for dessert! We will definitely make this a regular spot for breakfast or lunch!"

Mandala Tea House

★★★★★ 4.6 (55) • $$

"Love this place! Super cute, but it randomly resides in a Yoga studio. The Deets:+ All ingredients are really fresh+ Vegan options available+ Smoothie/Juice mason jars come with your purchase. Bring it back, save moolah! + Acai bowls are super yummy! + Cute trinkets & yoga gear for sale. Shop while drinking coffee, tea, smoothie or eating an acai bowl. GO there! YUM!"

Cafe San Jose

★★★★☆ 4 (851) • $$

"I arrived on a Tuesday morning around 8:30. Only one other table. It has a Diner feel and is located in a strip mall. staff was super welcoming. I ordered an Apple chicken with tater tots. I def recommend if you are in the area."

Forbes Family Café

★★★☆☆ 2.6 (33) • $$

"This is the place to go if you want noodle soups (RIP Thai Cafe). They offer pho and chicken laksa, both with vegetarian options. The pho is not "San Jose level," but it has the right flavors and herbs; and the laksa is quite good and very spicy. The portions are reasonable and they're only $7.50 with a Stanford card. They can take a while to make during the lunch rush, so go early (noodle soups are available 11-2).If soup isn't your thing, then they offer breakfast and lunch bars, which are self-serve, and some premade options such as sushi and sandwiches. The snacks can be a bit pricey, ie. $4 for a granola bar; and the meals can get expensive since they price it by weight (usually around $12). They also run out quick.As of this review, Forbes takes meal plan dollars which is great if you are a Stanford student."

Baysider Cafe

★★★★☆ 3.9 (73) • $

"Their fish sandwich is my all time favorite!!! It's soft and juicy. Super friendly staff!"

Counter Point Café

★★★★☆ 3.9 (7)

"Ordered the portobello mushroom sandwich, turkey sandwich, and the crispy fried chicken sandwich. All were prepared quickly and tasted great!Service was curious and quick. Meals were served to the table. A nice touch! The premises are very nice, clean and quiet. Will definitely come back!"

Honey Bakery & Cafe

★★★★☆ 3.8 (149) • $

"Stumbled upon this lovely little bakery. The desserts are beautiful and so good. The owner was kind and she mentioned everything is a made in house. I got the chocolate and pistachio eclairs and a slice of the napoleon cake. So worth it, would go back, especially for the pistachio eclair!"

Gu-eum Cake & Bakery

★★★★☆ 4.3 (257) • $

"A cute little bakery serving up classic Korean flavors with a twist in their baked goods and delicious drinks! Stopped in for a little treat for the colder weather, a Goguma Latte and a Sweet Potato financier. Took home Injeolmi Crumble Cake, Sweet Corn Cheesecake as well as a Lemon Lime and Matcha Madeleines to share.The Goguma Latte is a good non-coffee choice, very thick and warming. I always associate sweet potato with cooler weather so this was very comforting. The financier was delicious as well with pieces of sweet potato on top, nice and moist, lightly sweet and a slightly crisp exterior. The best compliment I can give for everything I was able to try from here is that everything here is "not too sweet". You can really taste the flavors of what they are described as whether it is a sweet creamy corn in the cheesecake or the bright, citrus in the lemon lime madeleines. The shop itself is pretty small so not much seating, but does have a few tables for guests. Very minimal and aesthetic inside. Great place for more Korean flavors and not overly sweet desserts/treats."

Baby Cafe

★★★★☆ 4 (66) • $$

"I gave it another try after the initial soft opening and it was from day to night Wait time to be seated - 15 - 20 minutes depending on the party size Beef stew won ton noodles is good- beef stew is soft and good amount of wonton The Tom yum shrimps with spaghetti is kind of strange The taste is there and very saucy It's an acquired taste that needs to get use to it Overall - not bad"

Cable Car Cafe

★★★★☆ 3.7 (320) • $$

"This is just an old school diner; there isn't a single fancy or modern thing about it. And that's what makes it so perfect! The food is solidly good; the service is efficient, friendly, and motherly without being intrusive; and the prices are exactly what you'd expect. I'm so glad this place exists!"

Boba Drive

★★★★☆ 4 (506) • $

"why is the first thing on your menu something that doesn't even have tea in it????!?!?!I ordered a Brown sugar Boba, and was so sad when I realized that what I had ordered was basically just caramel flavored milk with Boba in it. I don't understand who would order this on purpose? They should on the menu explicitly state that it does not have tea in it or just make it a secondary option based on a milk tea. Disgustingly sweet and childish drink"

Grocer + Goddess

★★★★☆ 4.1 (9)

"My husband and I have gone here at least 5-6 times. The food is so delicious and everything we've tried so far has been so yummy and the prices are reasonable. The location is really convenient as we live not too far. Great specials on Thursdays and the lemon pepper wings were super tasty. The service is great and everyone is friendly and attentive. We totally recommend folks to try this place!!!"

The Midway

★★★★★ 4.6 (33)

"We just had dinner at the Midway. Each time the food was fresh, inventive and somehow still comforting. It's a small restaurant so dinner reservations can be helpful. I'm in love with the interior of this spot, it has this 90s beach cafe vibe, but not too "on the nose", also love the art up on the walls. We have always been able to find street parking, but if you struggle with that there is also a public lot between Charlie Hong Kong and Whole Foods."

Oh Honey Macaron

★★★★☆ 4.2 (83) • $

"Delicious desserts! We loved the sweet treats the spot has and there's a small patio area with nice tables, just know that there's very limited seating. There's also drinks if you're interested and a small vending area. The taro paste was great, and I regret not getting others to try. Service is counter service, and fast (grab your desired treat and hand it to you). Would recommend if you're craving sweet while enroute in the area."

Tamper Room Cafe & Gallery

★★★★★ 4.5 (281) • $

"This is such a cute and roomy place. There are some board games for you to play on the side of the wall. There's also a bunch of artist's work that you can buy which is pretty cool. Great area for a study or coffee date. I got the matcha latte with ube and the ube flavor was really strong which I appreciated. Did not taste bitter at all. I did notice that when they do run out of their cups, they give you a paper cup instead. I do wish that they have more cups to accommodate to everyone though."

Plucky’s Cafe

★★★★★ 4.6 (82)

"Plucky's is a wonderful addition to the neighborhood! It's low key but serves up an astounding menu and is a place that you can just sit and chill for several hours while you play some games.There is a fee to play the games but that's probably to keep you honest and ensure that heathens don't completely destroy them. I really enjoyed the butterscotch latte I ordered yesterday. It was velvety and had the perfect balance of sweetness from the butterscotch and the more bitter, fudgier notes from the espresso.Looking for more return trips!"

Gong cha

★★★★☆ 3.9 (147) • $

"Came by Gong Cha after a few drinks at Barebottle brewing.I haven't had Gong Cha in awhile, so decided to try it out!I ordered:QQ passion fruit green tea $5.75sub coconut jelly for bobalarge +$0.5030% sweet25% iceDrink was $6.25 in total. Boba was cooked well, not overly sweet, and tea flavor was just right. Definitely will be back!Plaza parking, otherwise, you can park across the street in the garage."

Brew Bytes Cafe

★★★★☆ 3.7 (3)

"This is one of my favorite places to get halal hand slaughtered sandwiches. The service is great! They will not restrict you to the food items on the menu. They will whichever item you want however you want it. Their house sauce is also really delicious. I always make it a point to come here whenever I go to the Santa Clara Kaiser since it's not too far from there. I usually order to go and get enough to last a couple of meals. I would recommend this place to anyone who wants eat a good decent sandwich. Some people might be put off by the price, but you get what you pay for, and here you get great food, with the peace of mind that it is legit halal. Five stars from me. My family and I love the kesariya chicken, but you can turn it into kesariya meat. More people should check this place out."

Cafe LaTTea

★★★★☆ 3.8 • $

"Pearl Milk Tea (Black Tea)Judgment: A (but S in my heart)tea has a decisive presence yet not dominating lending itself to a pleasant harmony of light cream, sweetness, and tasteful bitternesspog pearlsinviting interior, classic hangout spot, a natural study habitat, and the memories of respite found here from the weariness of academics and lifeeasy to find a cool spot to sit and enjoy right outside or even behind at the pseudo parkgreat selection of drinks and honey toasts for when the ol' pals get together again to reminisce of simpler days pastsometimes busy, sometimes not, often depends on school in session or not but generally fast service"

Amy's Grill & Cafe

★★★★☆ 4 (630) • $$

"Decided to try a new breakfast spot and found Amy's Grill on Yelp. It's in the same shopping center as Fitness 19, Sonic, and Grocery Outlet. There's plenty of parking available since it's in a big shopping center. They have about 5-7 tables outside in their patio and about 6-8 tables inside the small restaurant. I went on a Saturday morning around 10 am and was greeted and seated instantly. I got the Veggie Omelette with Cheese which comes with bell peppers, onions, spinach, and mushrooms. It comes with hash browns or hot fries which are like country potatoes and toast. I got the hash browns and after tasting the hot fries I wish I would've ordered those as they had lemon pepper seasoning and were really crispy. The omelette plate was a perfect serving for myself, but compared to other restaurants it was smaller so if you are super hungry it might not be enough. I did wish they had hot sauce besides tapatío that paired with the omelette to give it a bit more taste. My sister-in-law liked her strawberry banana waffle which looked delicious. The staff were really nice and attentive the entire time and the food arrived pretty fast. If you want a normal breakfast I would recommend Amy's. On a beautiful day it would be nice to sit outside and enjoy breakfast. I will definitely be returning in the future and would recommend to friends and family's. Check them out!"

Esther's Kitchen & Beer Garden

★★★★☆ 3.8 (838) • $$

"My friend Jinsol and I came to Esther's Kitchen for some brunch a number of years ago. She was Korean and we had Korean food places closer to where we both lived in Albany. Trying to find a place for one of my ethnicities, I found Esther's Kitchen as a place offering German food. Inquiring if she would be interested in trying it out, she said yes, so we tried it out.On our visit, she was particularly spellbound by the bakery offerings, including bread, that was rapidly dwindling with a long line of eager customers snatching it all up. We opted for in-restaurant dining, each going with a plate meal. My order was a Bavarian breakfast (yes I even have ancestors who hailed from Bavaria), which consisted of poached sausages (weisswurst), pretzel, sweet mustard, and radish. I found the items tasty and well-executed, enjoying the adventure of figuring out what order to eat the items in/how to eat the items. She thought it was different, in a good way. Workers were professional and quick in our interactions."

YAY Cafe

★★★★★ 4.7 (44) • $

"Working nearby this is my place to go for lunch. There is something for everyone to enjoy, from vegetarian to pescatarian. Daily specials can be everything from Sweet Chili Fried Chicken with rice and salad to Grilled Salmon. Or Pasta Bolognese or Basil Tofu. No matter what your pleasure Christine and Marlo will take great care of you. They know when I place my order, if the special comes with rice and salad, it's less rice and more salad for me, or no salt on my fries if I order them. A few sandwiches are available every day. My favorite is a chicken chipotle wrap with grilled chicken, onion, tomato, lettuce, and chipotle mayo wrapped in a flour tortilla.Serving the few people that are essential workers and others that need to be in their jobs, they are an essential business. Menu is limited during the Covid outbreak. No more salads or breakfast, sadly. During these times, you can order online and pick up in about 15 minutes. Of course you can still show up and pay with cash or card. Social distancing and masks rules are enforced."

Cafe Dio

★★★★☆ 4 (139) • $

"Loved this spot! Conveniently located across the street from Hotel Los Gatos, our weekend getaway spot. We came here each day for a morning latte and the breakfast wraps. We tried a couple different types- all were delicious. Our go to was the Homer, but the spinach wrap was delicious as well. We encountered that they sell out pretty quickly each day. A relaxing casual coffee spot! Check it out!"

Le Creme

★★★★☆ 4.1 (612) • $

"We ordered the beignets with condensed milk and one vanilla bean Malasada and it was soo delicious ! It did take about 10 mins to get but the owner/workers were very nice. It's a small cafe with a couple tables inside and a couple tables outside. Would definitely recommend trying this cafe out, especially the malasadas !"

Cafe Borrone

★★★★☆ 3.9 • $$

"This is a hidden gem! Well sort of lol it's on El Camino Real has wonderful outdoor seating and always a lot of people there :-) super friendly staff wonderful food and I'm so excited now because now they're open on Mondays they normally close on Mondays and Tuesdays and that makes me so sad because that's a social place to go. They're working on opening on Tuesdays I guess so I am so happy. I hope they end up seven days a week You gotta try this place."

Cafe Big Mug

★★★★☆ 3.9 (205) • $

"Love the coffee, vibes and coziness here. I have been to Big Mug at a different location, and this is pretty similar, but a bit smaller. But at the same time it feels lighter and keeps the same comfy atmosphere here for talks, working over laptop, just enjoying the coffee cup. Parking is available in front of the building. Restroom is quite specious. You do need to keep the receipt to get the password or you can ask. The same goes for the wifi password. The staff was amazing, I really loved talking to barista. I ordered large latte and really loved the cup!"

Craftsman and Wolves

★★★★☆ 4.2 (23)

"TLDR: Solid pastries. "The Rebel Within" just get it.**NOTE** This location is a booth at the Palo Alto Farmer's Market SATURDAY ONLY. You can order online ahead of time and pickup here, or go and see what's still available. Food:(4.7/5) The Rebel Within (soft boiled egg thing): GREAT. The star of the show. A really strong ham/cheese muffing. Strong additional green onion/savory flavors. The base would make a really great scone/muffin on its own. The perfectly soft-boiled egg takes it to another level! The yolk was perfectly jelly and added extra richness. A full breakfast in muffin form. It's pretty heavy, and could carry you through the morning. Great idea. Great execution.(4.0/5) BlackBerry Almond Muffin: A dense, moist, flavorful muffin. Large chunks of blackberry mixed in. Very fruit forward without being too sweet. Nice crumbly, sugary, chunks on top were a bonus. (3.9/5) Kouign Amman (Nectarine filling): An interesting step up from your standard KA. A HUGE amount of nectarine filling. Not too tart/sweet. Like a homemade nectarine jam stuffed inside. Great cross-section and filling/pastry ratio. The filling could have been even more Nectarine forward, but still very good.(3.0/5) Croissant Pudding (Saturday/Sunday only): A standard bread pudding-type dessert made with croissants instead of bread. This added even more buttery richness, but looses the croissants' signature layering and textures. It's definitely tasty, but not mind-blowing. (2.0/5) Dark Chocolate Croissant: SKIP. Worse than a standard croissant. It had great layering/lamination. Well baked, with a great dark chocolate color. But the flavor didn't come through. Not enough sweetness to counter the dark chocolate's bitterness. The bites with actual chocolate chunks were pretty good. Though, a standard croissant would have been a better play.Other: - Best to order online beforehand. Pickup time doesn't matter. Your order will already be packaged when you arrive.- They sell out of "The Rebel Within" pretty quickly."

DV Cafe

★★★★☆ 4 (11)

"A number of Viet cafes recently opened in SJ to end 2022 strong!For this location, the coffee was okay, and so were other drinks from what I can tell. Cafe has the typical interior layout; mostly tables for four but no sofas. The uniqueness is a non-Viet staff except for the owner? The atmosphere is great. Everyone is friendly and actually talks to you instead of hanging out behind the counter, lol. Many TVs are showing sports if you're not into chatting.Easyvto find and plenty of parking. It is located in a small outdoor shopping center on the main thoroughfare Tully Rd. Add to the Viet cafes rotation, yeah."

Country Rose Cafe

★★★★☆ 4.2 (402) • $$

"Good food, fast and great service. Will come again. Hate that yelp makes you post a minimum set of characters just to say you like a place."

Menlo Cafe

★★★★☆ 3.7 (120) • $

"It's been over 10 years since I've ventured a meal on Santa Cruz Avenue in Menlo Park. I was a fixture there for years when my office was on Menlo Ave. At one point, I believe I had dined at every restaurant on the main and side streets Yesterday I was getting a haircut and decided to have lunch. With so many choices I decided to start walking up the street to see what caught my fancy. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a blast from the past....the Menlo Cafe. This little hole in the wall (serious it can't be bigger than 200sft) was my go to sandwich place years ago I was surprised that the same menu was up on the wall and they still had my favorites, egg salad with cashews and tuna salad. I asked the young lady if this is the same owner and same recipe, she said yes. Unable to decide I ordered both. Did not disappoint. Same yummy taste that I remember over 10 years ago. The cashews give the creamy egg salad just the right texture and the tuna salad reminds me of my grandmas. If you are looking for a great egg salad, it's the best. I suggest having it on wheat toasted with lettuce and tomatoes."