I normally dont often write reviews, but this one I think its a must. We were on our way to SF and my hubby was so need some caffein. We took a quick exit, and looked up a coffee place close by, Java Junction was right there. I didnt expect anything much until we stept in. A very nice atmosphere, cozy interior, simple decors. I ordered the Milky Way Mocha with decaf instead of my usual go-to matcha and my hubby got the Rasberry Mocha. The drinks came in with just clear cups with ice and thick layer of cream on top. We were very curious when taking a sip from the cream top, and oh my it got us both. The cream was thick, with a hint of chocolate, and my hubby's cup got the rasberry taste in it. I'm not a coffee enthusiastic but I must say, my Milky Way Mocha was so good that made me glad that I decided not to get the matcha this time. We both finished our drinks when we passed SJ. Good service, easy stop, nice atmostphere, and the mochas, recommended! read more

Java Junction - Milky Way Mocha - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

My cousin and I would come here daily when we were younger my wife and kids and I set to stop in for coffee today staff was super nice coffee was good sadly I didn't have an iced coffee so I didn't check if they had the homemade whipped cream but I will tell you 13 years ago it's was sooooo good I will have to come back on a warm day and see if they still make it! Don't sleep on this place when coming to Santa Cruz it's one of the best here for this area besides LuLus on Pacific Avenue! Do not go to the drive up Lulus horrible owner!! Just check all his reviews!!! read more

Java Junction - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I ordered a matcha it took soo long. I only ordered one thing. They weren't busy at all, so I was very shocked by the wait. The matcha was really watered down and it tasted very artificial. I didn't try the food, so I can't speak to that. But if you're in a pinch and need a quick coffee or Matcha... This is not the place to go. The staff also seem really rushed or anxious, and not very present with customers. One thing I love about a great coffee. Shop is the way staff engages with their customers. The way they charge. You is also weird. I get the 25% cup fee, but it's $.75 if you want the drink, Iced, and then another dollar for milk substitute. I was just disappointed, and hoping for at least a decent Matcha. I couldn't finish it. It was really bad, tasted very artificially. read more

Java Junction - Matcha, not good. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

We've been going for several months.my wife,daughter,and myself...the quality has been drastically dropping off. I complained the manager, told her about the employee in question...she said she didn't know who I was talking about,but we keep seeing them work totogether..gave them a chance and the girl served me a Monkey Business and the top was covered in powder ! BLAH ! Wife wanted another try today on the way to SJ to do our volunteer work with the homeless, my Reeses Iced Coffee was pure powder at the bottom of the cup I choked drinking it through the straw and had my wife take the wheel while I tried to spit it out so I could swallow and breathe !! NEVER AGAIN !!! Starbucks: we are coming back !! read more

Java Junction - See the bottom of the cup..its caked with powder... - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Great little coffee shop on sea bright. The employees are extremely friendly, super helpful and my hot coco was delicious. My son always gets the white mocha and their sandwiches are very tasty too. I am not sure about these other reviews as i have never had anything but great experiences with the employees. There may be 2 java junctions, but the one on sea bright is great! read more

My interaction was pleasant, but the food was terrible. I got an avocado toast. It was a small sad, soggy piece of bread with a thin layer of mushed up avocado and a tiny bit of pepper sprinkled on top and that's it. I paid nine dollars for what seems like a dollar store wheat bread and maybe half of an avocado mushed up. Very low quality. I'm sadly not over exaggerating when I say it was bad. read more

I came here today an got a medium hot cup of chocolate . The drink went down good. The cuatomer service here is really good and they have a nice asortment of breakfast items n sandwiches for lunch read more

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Every time I come here the staff is always very friendly and great. The pastries are very yummy, I've had the lemon blueberry loaf and it is my favorite pastry there. The chocolate chip cookies can sometimes be a little old tasting. The drinks are always made perfect, also an amazing place to study and get work done, very inviting and comfy . There's outdoor and indoor seating. read more

Java Junction - Lemon blueberry loaf with glaze - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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I've been here twice and for some reason Java Junction isn't able to pull a quality shot of espresso. Its more like a huge portion of strong coffee. Second, there's no restroom for customers whatsoever. We all know River Street is a freeway for homeless people, however a paying customer who has a legit need to use a restroom should have access and not have to go behind a tree. read more

Took a pit-stop here to get some coffee on our way to Santa-cruz beach and beyond. They followed all the Covid-19 practices. Doors were wide open and sanitizers were provided. Staff was wearing masks. We got some coffee and they condiments were laid out in a different section. We wanted to buy some vegan baked good but the staff wasn't sure if the items were vegan or not. Overall a nice place to get some coffee and non-vegan baked goods. read more

Java Junction - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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I've been here for a mediocre cup of coffee many times. This morning at 6:30 I came in , parked my brand new Audi in front, ordered some food and was having a bathroom emergency. The manager refused to let me use the employee BR, told me to go To Ocean Ave. I asked where on Ocean, she became hostel and said I was arguing with her, I wasn't. She was the most rude Santa Cruz person I've encountered in years. I have to come to this area about every 6-8 weeks for my dog grooming. I will never stop here again. I'm hurt and offended by this business I've been coming to for more that 3 years. Owners, you need a new manager. read more

Why only 3 stars. 1) ordered a Bagel and Lox - Was wonderful! 2) service great! 3) no restroom 4) no electrical outlets 5) wifi - need password. Definitely not a place to enjoy food and do a little work. Unfortunately won't be returning. read more

I ordered an avocado toast on wheat for $7.50. The toast was barely toasted and still limp and the avocado was spread so thin you could see the bread underneath. read more

Dropped in for coffee and a bagel yesterday morning (leap day). I was served by three pleasant women with smiles on their faces and obviously happy to be there. There where a few patrons in lobby, it was clean. The countertops where free of crumbs and spilt coffee from previous guests, and not an ideology flag to be seen! =) read more

Why am I paying almost 11 bucks for a smoothie just for the employee to take the extra that didn't make it into the cup and drink it right in front of my face like a mid shift snack? I saw him pouring it into a Dixie cup thinking it was coming my way... since I paid for it... but no. My overpriced "smoothie," which is more like a juice by the way, is apparently a treat for somebody else. Bring your prices down or at least offer half sized smoothies too. And your food should be sold until closing. Why do you stop selling food early? Whatever. read more

Came here in the morning to get bagel and coffee, I drove from over the hill for about 45 minutes and I need to use the bathroom number 1 so bad. After i ordered my food. I asked if I could use the bathroom, the tea and skinny lady was so unfriendly and told me that there's no bathroom. Which in fact, I've used their bathroom before. Too bad, I spent for $8.00 and gave them $2.00 tip. I should have not given them tip, so rude. You don't treat customer like that. What comes around goes around. read more

The ratings are poor for a reason. I came in with 15 minutes to spare on the 20th. I came in because one person was in line, there was one more person who walked in front of me. Making a total of two people in line in front of me. I knew 15 minutes was ample time for a quick coffee. Tipped and paid. After 12 minutes elapsed I peered behind the barista counter and saw there was a line of maybe more than 8 cups. I kindly asked if I could come back later as I couldn't wait. 1) if it's going to be over 15 minutes for coffee, maybe let someone know. 2) I understand the 2 people in front of me had large orders, and that's why I kindly asked to come back. I couldn't make it back in for 3 days because I have business in Santa Cruz and the Bay Area. That evening I had to return to the Bay Area. Not a big deal, I frequent this place often and if they couldn't redeem the coffee at my next visit- the barista should have just said, "Hey, I can't, but let me refund you" They verbally consented to myself picking up my coffee at a later time. I came in today, no one in the coffee shop- and asked kindly if I could pick up the coffee. The kid working was confused. He got the tall brunette, woman. No absolutely not, you left your coffee. No, I am returning to pick up the coffee I was told I could pick up at a later time due to the excessive amount of drinks that were waiting to be made without no knowledge of the unusually long wait. She was extremely aggressive, and was basically just implicating me as a liar without saying it directly. She said I have no proof of purchasing the coffee and when I showed her and then asked for a refund she refused. Saying I left my drink, which I did not, I was told I could come back at my leisure to grab it. Any professional would have left a note in the drawer of this unusual incident. So she called the police, as I demanded a refund and basically nothing happened except wasted tax dollars. Except them telling her that this is a civil suit and that she needs to refund me. I called the non emergency line to ask questions. Lol, you didn't provide the service why didn't she refund you, is what they said. Ha! How greedy can you be though? To have avoided this, they should have immediately refunded me and this never would have happened. I thought because I was a decent human being, I would allow them to keep the tip and keep my money invested and Since I come in enough, it would be no problem for me to grab my coffee that I paid for. This business has poor quality, poor customer service and they are even abusive towards their customers. They rather get into a heated argument than to offer a refund for a service they did not provide. Payment for my coffee, here is the tip they adjusted for themselves even though they never provided the service they were compensated for. That's theft! read more

Java Junction - Java Junction has no problem stealing from customers - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I came in here to get a coffee, and had the most amazing experience with customer service. One of the barista's named Gianna not only served me the most amazing iced vanilla latte I ever did have, but was so welcoming and mad the environment that much better. I recommend to anyone looking to start their day on a sweet note! read more

The ladies working very nice. Coffee and food is just alright but for the price it cost is rather go anywhere else. $10 for my drink that was made wrong and I called and said I am throwing it away and want a refund the workers said okay come back. Apparently the owner does not do refunds so they gave me a credit which I probably won't use. Normally would not complain or make a review but $9.75 gone for a coffee I didn't drink. read more

Today I used our visit to Java Junction as a learning opportunity for my teenage son. Unfortunately, the lesson he learned was how a bad employee can ruin a customer's experience and change their mind about how they feel about a business, regardless of how clean or pleasant the decor. As regular patrons to the PetSmart and World Market, we've been coming to Java Junction for years. But today was the first time we were ever met - as we barely stepped foot in the door - by a young female barista barking (not in a pleasant tone) "Are you ready to order?!". It was silly, and a bit jarring. Enough to make us chuckle and say, "Um, we just stepped in the door." This seemed to annoy her and she went all sullen as we looked over the menu. She asked again... "Are you ready to order?"... This time we were, but she was brusk and unpleasant as she took our order. I don't know about you, but I get very uncomfortable when I imagine that the person who is preparing my food may be harboring hostile feelings towards me. Who knows what they may do to my food to exact revenge on whatever imagined insult they felt from me. (Case in point: I ordered a can of soda with my sandwich and she handed me a warm can of soda. This made me have to choose if I wanted to "bother" her once more to ask for a chilled can, or perhaps (gasp!) a cup of ice.) But, there we were, waiting for our food - warm soda in hand - to be prepared by a young woman who seemed angry at us even before we set foot in the shop. Oh, and because she failed to ask if we were eating there, she wrapped ours to go, forcing us to sit there and eat our overly-toasted tuna using cling wrap as our plates. The Moral of the Story: My son is interested in business and saw how this one pissy employee has probably impacted our desire to return to Java Junction. I should mention that the sandwich she prepared was only "fair", at best, and the Tuna we asked for on lightly toasted sourdough came out as Tuna on nearly burnt white toast. I washed it down with warm soda, and we left. With so many options to choose from in Santa Cruz, it's hard to say when - or if - we'll be back to Java Junction on River Street. read more

Mgr too much for my taste. Came out to the lot being intrusive to the reason I went thete in the first place, to place a call to family after a wuick bite. She took issue with my asking for the restroom and when i picked up my food after I found one, my being friendly to the staff that helped me. Not cool read more

horrible customer service from manager and business owner. no respect for customer and zero manners. I ordered a shake and even gave them a tip, paid $13 for a shake. I did not notice they close in 5 min. They did NOT inform me they are closing in 5 min. I went to play a vb and came back after 20 min. They were cleaning inside. Manager told me she threw out my shake and refused to reimburse me. She claims she yelled out that they are closing. There were not many people on the beach. She could have put my drink out. The owner standing next to her said the same: no shake, no money return, it's my fault. He was not even trying to be nice. I was buying their shakes frequently playing vb there and always came to pick it up after a game. I guess not any more. read more

rlly bad coffee for way too much money. i went there for the wifi, which i could use if i bought something. i got a mocha and it was butts. only took 3 sips then gave up. read more

Save your time and money! Terrible customer service, 3 workers and not one acknowledged me or said good morning or a simple HI. Once one of them was off the phone she took my order, but not after I waited for what seemed a LONG time (almost 3 minutes), again with absolutely NO acknowledgment or eye contact while she was on the phone. Once in received my $7.00 coffee I was disappointed- the coffee was warm, almost cold. read more

We went here today to get two mochas and received not only terrible service, but awful coffee! the person working the front was cold and unkind to me and my family. The coffee tasted cheap, watered down, and all around unpleasant to drink. we ordered one of their "freeze" drinks, and it wasn't even drinkable, tasted like pure creamer! Definitely won't be back, and I suggest you try another coffee shop in the area. Good luck! read more

Food is excellent, and the chai tea is amazing. The service was very good the employees were very helpful with explaining all of the food options. The shop was very cute and had a good vibe in the store. read more

Java Junction - Medium chai tea with a plain bagel with cream cheese - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Always great positive energy and lovely people working! So happy with this place. I truly enjoy going there. Great smoothies and bagels. I need to try other things on the menu. I requested them to switch out the orange juice in my smoothie for mango and they kindly did!! Thank you so much people of Java Junction. It is always great to see you. Thank you thank you thank you! read more

Java Junction - a hand holding a cup of coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I ordered two smoothies that were $16 and a cookie. After they made the smoothies they told me they don't have straws. I was like, well if I had known that I wouldn't have ordered them! They made no apologies, didn't offer a refund or anything and the sad thing is I left them a tip when I paid. This is horrible customer service, I wish I had read reviews before hand. I also learned they ran out of straws yesterday! Like really, you could have bought some today. They gave us spoons and I was with my infant. read more

Java Junction - a smoothie in a plastic cup on a table - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

NOTE: No power at this place, I walked in with my computer, ordered tea/food to find out they have no power. They have Internet, that says weak. I would expect a courtesy when I walk in with a computer to let me know once I spend money that I won't be able to work at their location. Will not return. read more

The German chocolate mocha is so good!! Drank it up real quick. They really know their stuff, especially about mochas. Try the creme brule mocha it will have you absolutely losing your mind. Great service too the people treated me kindly. read more

This place has better coffee than Verve two blocks down tbqh. I like the atmosphere better here too--the baristas are nice, the coffee is always good and hot, and their oatmeal is good too. I went in today to get an iced chamomile tea, and they make them naturally non-sweet, but they have honey and packets of sugar if sweetness is your thing. There's not many people during the day and not too loud either, so it's a good place if you like to study or write papers at coffee shops. It's also close to a World Market, Ross, and PetSmart, so it's the perfect place to get good coffee after shopping for snacks at World Market and visiting the cats at PetSmart. The only things to be wary of are that they have a minimum charge of $5 for all card transactions, so if you're going by yourself, bring cash or prepare to pay more than $5, and they don't give you straws with your drink. I think it's a county ordinance, but they only give you straws with your drink if you ask for one. Some baristas automatically give you one, but most of them don't. read more

Got a latte and pumpkin spice chai after brunch to enjoy on the beach. My boyfriend said his latte was good and given it was under $5 for a large it deserves 3 stars right there. My chai was way too spicy - I think if they toned down the spices it could've been ok as all I could taste was the pumpkin spice and nothing else. Staff seemed tired and a bit unfriendly but given covid and understaffing kits understandable why so we didn't complain. They had pastries for sale with a big "you touch you buy" sign. Great location by Twin Lakes Beach with free 30 minute parking at the lot. Street parking is free but very competitive. read more

I just paid for a sandwich. I am the only paying customer in the store. There are three employees here. Fifteen minutes no food but the tall woman with pink hair who was supposed to be making my sandwich instead made two sandwiches and a smoothie for herself and a homeless man who wandered in. She is now leaving. When I asked about my sandwich another employee had to step up. read more

I am somewhat picky about my bagels. I mostly get annoyed when cafes hand me a cardboard looking bagel with those plastic Philadelphia cups of cream cheese and want me to do it myself. It's just lazy and I'm too lazy to do it, also it doesn't taste very good and it's never quite enough. Anyway, java junction evenly spreads quality cream cheese onto my quality bagel and they do it in a thoughtful way that doesn't make me feel like they're in a hurry to get me out of there. Also, they have an awesome selection of creative coffee seasonal drinks that puts Starbucks to shame. To top it off it's located in the parking lot of Ross so it's not all crowded with hipsters, it doesn't have a pretentious vibe and they don't bump up the price because they are selling coffee and pastries- not a lifestyle. read more

Best coffee and sammiches on the west side! Quick stop off the hwy next to my atm omw to work! Friendly fast service. It's the club car for me read more

50/50 shot of getting a bad coffee here. Today it drove me to leave a review. No customers in the place but me. A lonnnng time after ordering, I got a soy latte that had had hot water added to it because they were low on soy. I guess they thought I wouldn't notice or wouldn't notice until I had left? Ka-razy! 2 stars because while it tasted nothing like a latte or any coffee drink I know of, it did have caffeine... read more

I went in and I ordered a frappe. The frappe was horrible. I asked for an espresso shot in it and there was not a single extra espresso shot in it. The frappe was not blended at all. It was watered down. My partner and I would never go there again to get anything to drink. read more

I've always liked Java Junction, but for me, I find it problematic they don't believe in wearing masks. Kinda bummed since its become a statement of keeping each other safe and they choose not to. Won't be back until this covid thing gets under control I guess. read more

Cute place and good prices but no bathrooms and no plugs to charge computer. I would also love to see some organic options on the menu:)

This was my favorite coffee shop in Santa Cruz. I stopped there virtually every time I am in the area. I have no complaints about the products or baristas. The owner is a different matter. When one consumes coffee beverages and food, one can anticipate that it might become necessary to use the bathroom. But unlike prior visits, the bathroom is now off limits to customers. I have a physical handicap that requires me to visit the WC more often than others. But I was told by the barista that the owner would fire her if she let me use the facility. I appreciate that this location has a homeless persons problem, but the problems they cause are a cost of doing business in the area. The owner should be savvy and kind enough to either allow customers to use the bathroom or close down the location. You cannot expect to thrive when you treat customers poorly. read more