Really great experience at Saltea. Tony, the owner, was super welcoming from the second we walked…read morein and just has a really fun, charismatic personality. There are a ton of great options here, and a lot of the drinks have really interesting names with stories behind them, many inspired by his own customers. Tony actually took the time to tell us some of those stories, which made the whole experience feel a lot more personal and memorable. The ambiance is really chill too. Everything feels clean and well kept, with Buddhist statues throughout the space, good vibes, and a bunch of cool collectibles you can actually buy, including Labubus and other Pop Mart-style items. It gives the place a lot more personality than your typical coffee or tea shop. He's the type of owner who would take really good care of his customers and make sure people leave happy. You can tell he's genuinely dedicated to what he does, and the fact that Saltea is open late makes it even better. Definitely my number one coffee and tea spot around here. Great drinks, great atmosphere, and an owner who genuinely cares about the people who come in. Hermés

Great Service. Tony is very welcoming and very persuasive about his menu and trying new drinks!…read moreEach time me and my boyfriend have came in we have tried new drinks all in which are amazing. The vibes are chill and amazing. Menu is very funny and refreshing to see such unique names to amazing.

With all of the boba and matcha competition in San Jose AND THIS PLAZA ALONE, I grew out of my…read moredesires for Tastea over the years. However, I was enticed to come visit after they announced a new Avocado Coconut Dream and Mango Coconut Dream! A friend told me this reminded her of ginataan, and I can see that!! A fun similarity. Super fresh mangos, which were sweet and ripe. The mochi cubes were YUMMY! I loved the texture. The sago and coconut tie the whole drink together.

Came here on a toasty day and the perfect mix of crispy and plump popcorn chicken with a refreshing…read moreand cooling avocado beverage brought us smiles and satisfaction. This fine establishment offers a great ambience for individuals wanting to meet up have a coffee date, a meet up, and a place to study. This is a nice place to relax inside the store and also providing outdoor seating. Perfect to cool down in a very hot weather. this location also offers many different dishes to snack on, and many different beverages satisfy your cravings. although in a competitive location, this quick stop is a go to spot for snacks and drinks. this location allows easily finding parking and spacious for gatherings and meet ups. The staff are very nice and welcoming. The shop is very clean and very bright, providing a very good atmosphere. I recommend this tasty spot and would definitely come back for the delicious snacks and drinks.

Taste: 10/10 Service: 10/10…read moreAmbiance: 7/10 Price: 8/10 If I'm here on the east side of San Jose, Nuoc Mia Ninh Kieu is my go-to for sugarcane juice. Enter through the front entrance of the Grand Century Mall, turn left and make your way down the hall to the food court. Among the colorful array of food shops, is a bright green shop that is Nuoc Mia Ninh Kieu where a silvery machine to the left is seen squeezing out sugarcane juice! I shouldn't say that I hate carrots -- that's unbecoming of me -- but I strongly dislike carrots. This is one of the only ways I would enjoy carrots: nuoc mia ca-rot! I rarely order anything else from here but I would encourage you to explore their menu and come back for more! Nuoc mia ca-rot has a wonderful blend of mild earthiness of the carrot and the grassy undertones of sweetness from the sugarcane. It takes the edge off of what would otherwise be a very sweet drink! I would much prefer nuoc mia over boba milk tea (particularly on hot, summer days!). Sugarcane juice is a bit pricey here, but I chalk it up to this is a specialty shop just for nuoc mia which lends a certain nostalgia for Vietnam. There are versions of the drink here that you can't get anywhere else. If you want to experience a taste of Vietnamese culture, Nuoc Mia Ninh Kieu is a great place to start! Try them out!

This is honestly one of my fave spots for nước mía (sugarcane juice) in San Jose. It's located…read moreinside the food court at Grand Century Mall. Ninh Kieu is pretty well-known for their fresh pressed sugarcane juice (made when you order!!) and also got a bunch of specialty healthy juice combos. I went on a Saturday around lunch time and it wasn't too busy, waited like 5 mins for two drinks. My all-time go-to is the OG sugarcane juice with kumquat... soooo refreshing, sweet with that little citrus kick, just hits every time. I also brought my bestie with me and it was her first time trying sugarcane juice ever, and she loves strawberry so I got her that flavor... tell me why she got OBSESSED. She literally finished the whole thing in 30 mins and was still talking about it 2 days later saying she was craving it again lol. Price is pretty average compared to other spots, nothing crazy, but the quality is always consistent and fresh which I appreciate.

My bf and I are on a Palmetto hyperfixation!! It is so refreshing and yummy after a hot yoga class…read moreand the perfect treat! My fave is their warrior blend- its coconuty and mango. Loveee their chia seed pudding and toppings in the bowl. It is so so refreshing and yums! My bf gets a build your own bowl with acai blend, POG blend, and dragonfruit(?) i think! Whenever I make my own bowl, it's never as good as the warrior blend so I've decided to just stick with that for now! Quick service, and small shop but we like sitting outside the yard area and enjoying the weather!

Visited the Santana Row location twice this summer, both times this hit the spot. Cold, refreshing,…read morecolorful, and tasty! I love how customizable the build your own bowls are, and how fresh the fruit is. No seating inside, but there's benches, tables, and planter edges to sit on in the general area. Does take a bit long for orders, likely because a lot of the toppings/ingredients are blended / cut more freshly! There's paid parking garages all around. Fairly allergy friendly in that they list what is vegan, nut free, gluten free, etc., but there are a lot of nut ingredients used in general so just an alert for potential cross contamination for those severely allergic.

RANG Final…read moreThoughts: 4.50/5 Review for Rang. They have weekly matcha pop ups at Rose Tea Lounge. Original location is in Elk Grove, but they are here in San Jose area. Kind of hard to see and find them? given that there aren't really any signs posted outside. I perhaps wouldn't have known about it if my friend didn't tell me about it. Drink: Guava Matcha Einspanner: 4.5/5 This is their matcha with house-made guava puree at the bottom and topped with silky guava foam. Their foam is so nice and creamy. Felt very light and just thick enough. Silky consistency that mixed well with the drink. My friend noted that they make it fairly sweet, so I opted for the 25%. This was still quite sweet for me. Each component is sweet itself, so when you combine it, its mostly just sweet. No tartness to cut any of it. Perhaps the guava has something to do with that. Guava is a sweet fruit in general, so I seemed to expect as much. The matcha itself had a nice color to it. Very vibrant. Light bitterness. Lovely consistency overall. I like each component separately and I like them together when it's fully combined. Strawberry Matcha Einspanner: 4.5/5 This was my friends drink and I also really liked it. Had to try it for my review purposes. Per their Door Dash description, this is their matcha latte with their home-made strawberry puree and topped with velvety strawberry foam. There really wasn't much of a difference with this one and mine besides the fruit. His was slightly more tart than mine, which is something I like. Again, the drink itself leans more on the sweet side, so any sort of tartness would be nice to cut some of that. Matcha color is amazing. Nice and vibrant. Lovely silky consistency. I like the ratio of fruit flavor and matcha. Some places will make it just taste like milk, others have an imbalance of flavors. This one was just right for me. --------- Quality: Ceremonial Matcha and whisked to order We saw them whisk the matcha to order. Not really a display cooking kind of counter, but they do do all of that in the front where the cashiers are. You are able to watch if you so choose. I do like the matcha that they use, so it seems like a high quality one. That or it's because they aren't batching their matcha like other places. I understand that batching doesn't make it lower quality, but something about whisking it fresh is always better. Price: Average Will depend on the drink, but the prices are around $7 to $9. For our drinks, average around $8.25 per drink. Quite a common price range for a cup of matcha. This one was made well, so no complaints here. There was no upcharge for the oatmilk, which is always a plus for us. Service: Whisked matcha fresh No interactions today. We ordered directly on the kiosk and then just waited for our drinks to come out. Something that I like is that they whisk and make the matcha in front of us. Kind of hard to see, given my height and spot that we were standing, but they do whisk it in the front for us. Of note, they use this hand towel or cloth to wipe the bowls. Not sure how sanitation does with that, but I digress. Just an observation for today. Ambiance: Quaint Flower Café Vibes This place is giving very quaint flower café vibes. I would totally work here if I could work from home or if I needed to study. Space is incredibly spacious on the inside contrary to how the outside and plaza area is looking. Little dim lit inside, but that might be from the little lighting that's hitting through the windows given the angle and evening sun. Location/Parking: Small Plaza This place is like a pop-up/collaboration with Rose Tea Lounge. There's really no label for it outside of the storefront, but when you go into the café and on the kiosk, you can directly order from them. Kind of interesting how it works and I probably would have never seen it if my friend didn't bring me here. Location is not the best as it is right in a smaller plaza on the side of Story Road near the 101 freeway. At least they chose an area that is slightly less saturated. Vietnam Town is really close by and they really do have too much going on over there sometimes. Parking lot is also small, but it seems to work well with the smaller plaza size.

Alpha Phi Omega, community service fraternity decided to bring me here to bless this business…read more They have plenty of options and immaculate vibes. Family and friends environment. They even have an outside patio area. Highly recommend with my utmost respectful regards!

Since I was in Vietnam Town on a warm weekday afternoon, I was craving a Vietnamese drink or…read moredessert to cool me down. I remembered Hien Khanh Dakao opened recently and decided to stop by. The inside of the shop is small, though the seating arrangement inside looked roomy with bar seating against the window, tables, and even a bench. The decor and ambiance were very floral and inviting as well. The shop was completely empty when I arrived aside from a lady behind the counter who appeared to be eager to take my order. Since soursop is somewhat hard to find on a menu anywhere, I decided to order the Soursop Snowhite under blended drinks (I'm not sure if the misspelling was intentional or not). This was one of the two most expensive items on the menu and came out to $10.95 after tax, which is quite pricey for a simple smoothie without anything added to make the price justifiable. My drink was ready in about five minutes. If I had to guess, the cup size used was 16 oz with overflow in the cap. The drink had the soursop flavor I was hoping for and the texture was thick, but fortunately not overly thick that it was hard to suck out of a straw. However, I only noticed smalls bits of soursop as if only a small amount of real fruit was used and the rest of the flavoring was artificial or filler. For $10.95 I was definitely expecting more in terms of quality and I felt ripped off getting this smoothie. Perhaps I should've played it safe and ordered a che dessert or one of their special drinks. I'm not sure if Hien Khanh Dakao gets busy during peak dining hours or on weekends, but I could see why I was the only customer during the time of my visit. I think I would've had a better experience if the pricing was not much higher than drinks from other businesses in Vietnam Town. I think I'll purchase a drink from one of the many other competing drink spots the next time I'm in the area.

I recently visited Hien Khanh Dakao after eating dinner in the Vietnam Town plaza. I was really…read morecraving something refreshing and sweet, so we decided to go here for the first time! Upon first glance at the menu, it really reminded me of Bambu haha. I was debating back and forth on a few drinks. Eventually the cashier recommended the Longan Jelly Delight, so I went with that! This drink consists of longan, grass jelly, pandan jelly, basil seeds, coconut meat, and coconut juice. They did not skimp on the toppings at all and the jelly here was sooo soft! Compared to bambu (they have a similar drink to this), I'd say this is a lot less sweet, which I prefer! Not too much seating though, so we just grabbed it to go :) Overall, I had a good experience here. If I was having dinner in Vietnam Town, I'd grab this again for dessert!

Vietnam town is always a good side of SJ to visit if you want a nice pick-me-up latte (whether it's…read morematcha or coffee). My aunt brought me to Trung Nguyen Legend and I was so glad to try it out. We came by on a weekend so parking in the plaza was ridiculous as expected. The cafe itself has seating inside and outside on a covered patio. There wasn't too long of a wait to order or for our drinks to be ready. I got the iced Viet egg coffee. So yummy! Very strong as Vietnamese coffee usually is. Perfect caffeine level to bring on the drive from the Bay down to SoCal. If you are looking for an egg coffee that's on the stronger side, I would definitely recommend Trung Nguyen Legend. When I'm back in town, I'm for sure going to stop by to get my fix.

I was honestly shocked by my recent experiences here. Last…read moreweek, my mom came by twice--once on a weekday and once on the weekend. Even though the shop was nearly empty, she had to wait at least 15-20 minutes on the weekday and almost 45 minutes on the weekend just for coffee and bread. That kind of wait time is simply unacceptable. What surprised me even more was that every time I visited, there were only 2-3 employees working. This is a well-known coffee shop, yet it feels severely understaffed. In the U.S., customers value their time, and any business should understand that. If you consistently make people wait this long, don't expect them to keep coming back. The drinks used to be one of the reasons I loved this place. They weren't the absolute best in San Jose, but they were good enough that I kept returning. Unfortunately, the quality has noticeably declined. One day the coffee is overly bitter, another day it's overly sweet. The taste is inconsistent from visit to visit, which tells me there is little quality control. I'm extremely disappointed. This used to be one of my favorite coffee shops, but the way it's being run now makes it feel like customer experience is no longer a priority. Long wait times, inconsistent drinks, and chronic understaffing are not what I expect from a business with this reputation. Tuần trước mẹ mình có tới mua trong tuần hay cuối tuần gì đều đợi nước và bánh mì rất rất lâu mặc dù tiệm rất vắng khách. Mình khá bất ngờ vì một thương hiệu lớn như vậy mà quy trình làm quá chậm chạp đợi ít nhất phải từ 15-20p cho trong tuần và thậm chí 45 phút cho cuối tuần. Càng bất ngờ hơn khi tiệm chỉ có 2-3 nhân viên hầu hết mỗi khi mình ghé đến. Thật sự họ có hiểu thời gian ở Mỹ cực kỳ quan trọng không? Kinh doanh họ phải hiểu điều đó chứ? Còn không thì đừng mong có khách! Nước họ trước tới giờ cũng đâu phải gọi là quá tệ ở San Jose này. Nhưng dạo gần đay Chất lượng nước càng ngày càng đi xuống, cà phê thì bữa đắng bữa ngọt, vị thay đổi liên tục - không ổn định. Quá thất vọng vì một cửa hàng coffee mình rất yêu thích lại thay đổi cách run tiệm như kiểu không tôn trọng khách hàng!

My favorite chicken pate chaud! Hard to believe it's actually even tastier than the also delicious…read morepork version. If I remember correctly, it's buy 3 get 1 free. Don't worry, you won't have any trouble finishing them all and they freeze really nicely. :)

Nice clean shop, got there close to closing and was still able to get some stuff I wanted. They…read moreoffer combos and different pastry items but the main attractions seem to be banh mi and pate chaud. Banh Mi: Got the grilled pork and mine was supper stuffed compared to normal, I like adding a fried egg so I added it at home and it's not from the restaurant . The bread is especially good with a nice crunchy outside and soft inside. Chicken pate chaud: this might be a sleeper since they had plenty of these but sold out of pork. It's just as well seasoned and tasty, they also bake these in square shapes so if you buy both flavors you know which is which. Pork pate chaud: the classic, this one is round and quite good here. Nice crispy layered pastry without too much butter and flavorful poor inside.

Once again I have digestion issues. I've been able to feel much better in the past by giving my…read moredigestion a break and getting nutrition with delicious JuiceAlize fresh juices. I love how each combination is so perfectly balanced and full of flavor. The owner said she did a lot of taste testing before finalizing her recipes. There is a discount for 6 or more, so I always get at least that many. Also LOVE the fresh Tumeric!! So good for inflammation. By far my favorite fresh juice company for so many reasons.

Very friendly and attentive. Associate is very knowledgable about her product and is very…read moretransparent. The juices are freshly squeezed too so thus they are BEYOND refreshing and taste exquisite. And the associate noticed I had a bit of allergies so she gave me a free tumeric lemon shot to help me. How sweet! Thank you!

I got the fruit addict, regular size, less ice, and no sugar. It was delicious! I love the fruits…read moreand I love pandan. Very filling! Def did not need sugar added because the fruits are sweet ;) My sister got the bambu favorite that was grass jelly, pandan jelly, and basic topping inside. She got reg size, less sugar and less ice. I can def taste the sweetness but honestly you dont need any more sugar that that. This was good too. My mom got the awesome trio because she loves beans lol she got no sugar and less ice. Reg size. We ate them up! Delicious!! The staff are really nice too. Parking was easy to find since plaza like area. I did not need a restroom so I am not sure if they have one but if you do need one the plaza is right next to them.

I was lured back here by all the Tiktok ads roaming across my For You page talking about their new…read morematcha menu. A mostly chè place with a matcha menu? I had to check it out to see if the manufactured hype was worth it. And well... If you're a matcha noob, get it. If you're a matcha snob, then definitely look elsewhere. I got the White Champaca while my baby cousin got their Tokyo Fog. Both drinks had a light matcha flavor despite their pretty green hue and lacked the distinct flavoring differentiating them from a plain matcha latte. Where are the distinct floral notes that signify that these drinks are White Champaca and Tokyo Fog? They're overwhelmed by the milkiness and sweetness. Anyone who wants to experience the matcha for themselves, remember to Adjust Accordingly (this isn't the type of place where they ask). However, they're not bad-tasting as a random milk tea. If you never had matcha before or don't like its distinct tea flavor, Bambu might actually be the place for you. Nowadays every drink place, boba bar, and pop-up are looking to cash in on the current matcha bubble while it's still hot, but you must make sure that your product is worth going out of the way for. Because guess what? A lot of your competition is literally right around the corner... and better (marginally). Unfortunately, as a long time Bambu goer, their other offerings are starting to lack too. My other family members got their usual order of Thai Tea and a Bơ Dầm, and they were surprisingly disappointing. Their Thai tea is usually punchy and strong, making it a family favorite, but this time it was super milky and watery. Their long-time classic, the Smashed Avocado, was unusually bland and missing many of its typical toppings leaving it also visually lackluster. For $11 for a large (!!!), you can't have poor quality control like this. What could possibly be going on behind the scenes at Bambu that their products are going downhill by the day instead of improving? Especially when they're trying to drive new customers into their space via a newly established internet presence. Sadly, maybe it's time to go back to the drawing board, or remember what it was that made their brand so unique in the first place.