Coolest Cafes in Silicon Valley

One of my favorite pastimes is to spend time in a cafe with a cool atmosphere and delicious coffee, either working, chatting with friends, or just enjoying life! I decided to make it my quest to find the coolest independent cafes in Silicon Valley (aka Santa Clara County, aka Southern San Francisco Bay Area).

This list is purely my subjective opinion. I considered what’s important to me in a cafe where I’d like to spend a lot of time. Yes, “Chandelier” is included in my ranking criteria. 😀

Note: I did not look at chains for this list, though a few of these do have a couple of locations. Also, all of these places have free wifi.

Croissante Bakery – Santa Clara

_{2908 El Camino Real, Santa Clara}

• Coffee Experience – 3. There was no menu to be seen in the bakery or online. They do have an espresso machine behind the counter. They also offer a high tea service.
• Sweets – 9. Large selection of baked goods and tarts! I didn’t give it a 10 because my chocolate croissant was a little burnt and didn’t have much chocolate inside.
• Actual Food – 4. Several savory croissants and ciabattas were on the menu.
• Chit chat seating – 6. Wooden chairs and benches. A long community table in the middle.
• Remote work – 6. Plenty of tables and chairs. I could only see 2 outlets.
• Noise Level – 6. Nice Christmas music during my visit, plus rather loud crowd noise due to all the hard surfaces.
• Parking – 10. The bakery is in a strip mall, so there’s lots of parking nearby.
• Chandeliers – 2. No chandeliers. 2 points for at least some hanging lights.
• Solo people watching experience – 5. Lots of people going through. Not cozy seating though where you’d want to hang out and pass time on your own.
• Hours – 8. Open every day 7 AM to 6 PM-ish.
• Overall Atmosphere – 7. Loved the branding. The pastries look amazing. It isn’t really a place I’d look forward to spending much time in. More of a “food to go place” for me.
• Final Sue Score (average of all scores above) – 6

*Note: I get the impression this place may be pretty new and that’s why they don’t have menus, and it felt a little bit “tossed together”. I will be sure to return and update my review in a few months.

Sue’s Gallery Cafe – Saratoga

_{14665 Big Basin Way, Saratoga}

• Coffee Experience – 10. Full coffee offerings. Delicious coffee is served in pottery made and sold at the cafe.
• Sweets – 6. A small selection of pastries.
• Actual Food – 4. A couple of toast options. (ie. avocado toast)
• Chit chat seating – 6. Outdoor seating at tables with chairs is a good option if the weather is nice. The indoor seating is in a separate room which also features pottery for sale on the shelves. This room has about 6 tables with chairs.
• Remote work – 9. Indoor seating has mostly remote workers happily sipping and typing away.
• Noise Level – 7. Not noisy at all. Indoor seating may feel too quiet for chit chat, depending on if it’s full of people doing remote work on their own.
• Parking – 6. Located at the end of the downtown Saratoga Main Street. You need to find street parking. So, you could luck out or you might have to park a ways away.
• Chandeliers – 0. Just track lighting.
• Solo people watching experience – 5. Not much foot traffic other than the people coming to the cafe.
• Hours – 7. Mon to Thurs 8 AM – 4 PM. Fri to Sun: 8 AM – 6 PM
• Overall Atmosphere – 7.5. Lovely to sit outside and see the beautiful hills surrounding you in nice weather. Fun to browse the pottery for sale, and to “sample” it as they serve their food and drinks on their homemade pottery.
• Final Sue Score (average of all scores above) – 6.1

Mademoiselle Colette – Palo Alto

_{499 Lytton Ave, Palo Alto}

• Coffee Experience – 8. Full coffee offerings, but they did not have my favorite lavender flavor for my cappuccino.
• Sweets – 7. A small selection of baked goods.
• Actual Food – 8. Delicious-looking menu for breakfast and lunch items. I plan to come back to try their Salmon Tartine for lunch!
• Chit chat seating – 6. A couple of tables and counters with seating. Outdoor seating is also available.
• Remote work – 5. This is a very small space. I’d only feel comfortable “staking out” a table if it was very slow. I did notice an outlet available.
• Noise Level – 8. It is a tiny place, so noise did not seem to be an issue. I might worry about everyone hearing my conversation if I was there for a chit chat 🙂
• Parking – 7. Located in downtown Palo Alto on a bit of a side street. Finding street parking nearby does not seem to be a big issue.
• Chandeliers – 4. Though one of the hanging lights over the display case was missing its cover, if both of them were covered it would be kind of cute. Some nice hanging lights over the seating areas.
• Solo people watching experience – 7. Some foot traffic people watching if you sit at the window counter or outside.
• Hours – 5. Monday to Saturday 8 am to 4 pm. Sunday from 8 am to 1 pm.
• Overall Atmosphere – 6. Tiny place that kind of felt like someone turned their living room and dining room into a coffee shop (not in a bad way). I think if you were a Rockefeller and lived in the neighborhood it would be a wonderful place to frequent.
• Final Sue Score (average of all scores above) – 6.5

Fleur De Cocoa – Los Gatos

_{39 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos}

• Coffee Experience – 10. Full coffee offerings. Delicious coffee served in real cups with saucers.
• Sweets – 10. Large selection of baked goods, tarts, and chocolates made from scratch! Their Chocolate Croissant was one of the best I’ve ever had!
• Actual Food – 8. Quiche, sandwiches, salads, and soup.
• Chit-chat seating – 5. 5 or 6 small tables seating 3 people max inside. Outdoor seating is also available.
• Remote work – 1. For such a busy place with few tables, I wouldn’t feel comfortable camping out here at a table to do work.
• Noise Level – 7. Though it was very busy when I was there, no blaring music or loud acoustics.
• Parking – 5. Located in downtown Los Gatos, so depending on when you visit you may find a spot right outside, or end up walking pretty far from a parking lot.
• Chandeliers – 10. 2 fab, glamorous chandeliers over the pastry cases, plus small chandelier sconces.
• Solo people watching experience – 6. Lots of people lining up, but with such few tables and in such a small space not ideal to camp out and while away time.
• Hours – 8. Open Tues – Thurs 8 AM to 4 PM. Fri & Sat 8 AM to 9 PM. Sunday 8 – 5:30. So at least on the weekends you might be able to grab a dessert.
• Overall Atmosphere – 8. Tiny but charming! Love the chandeliers and French feel.
• Final Sue Score (average of all scores above) – 7.0

Roy’s Station – San Jose

_{197 Jackson St, San Jose}

• Coffee Experience – 10. Full coffee and tea offerings.
• Sweets – 6. Small selection of cookies and sweet croissants.
• Actual Food – 7. Sandwiches and deli items fresh from Zanotto’s Grocery.
• Chit chat seating – 6. Plenty of shaded tables and chairs outside. Only a couple inside. So if it’s not nice weather, not great.
• Remote work – 6. There is a counter with outlets and stools for remote workers. This doesn’t look very comfortable, though, and faces the wall. Very few indoor tables, but many good sized outdoor tables.
• Noise Level – 7. Reasonable level music playing inside.
• Parking – 6. Street parking in the charming Japantown of San Jose. Sort of hit and miss.
• Chandeliers – 7. This is a refurbished gas station theme so fancy lighting isn’t expected, but they do have a nice brushed metal fan light, as well as string lights outside.
• Solo people watching experience – 8. Corner location in Japantown makes for some great people watching!
• Hours – 5. Mon-Fri 8am-2pm; Sat-Sun 8am-3pm
• Overall Atmosphere – 8. Loved the historic refurbished gas station, which has been in the same family since the 1940s! Though the interior is small, the patio is spacious. Overall a charming place! Be sure to check out what’s going on in Japantown if you’re visiting on a weekend.
• Final Sue Score (average of all scores above) – 7.1

Big Mug Coffee Roaster – Santa Clara

_{3014 El Camino Real, Santa Clara}

• Coffee Experience – 10. Full coffee offerings. Coffee roasted onsite. I had a delicious Lavender Latte I can’t wait to have again.
• Sweets – 4. A small selection of baked goods.
• Actual Food – 3. Toast concoctions mainly.
• Chit chat seating – 7. Many basic tables and chairs.
• Remote work – 10. Lots of people tend to work and study here! There are a couple of long communal tables with power strips as table centerpieces.
• Noise Level – 8. Good. Even with a full crowd, the noise level wasn’t annoying. Good “coffee house music” playing in the background at a decent level.
• Parking – 9. Located in a strip mall on the busy El Camino Real.
• Chandeliers – 7. Fab modern “chandelier” including heart-shaped lights. What’s not to like?
• Solo people watching experience – 6. Busy place. Mainly just people to watch who come in the shop since it’s in a strip mall which doesn’t seem to have a ton of foot traffic going by.
• Hours – 8. There are two locations. I was at the El Camino Real location which is open M-S 8-8 & Sun 9-9. So, no super early work sessions, but you could possibly get an after-dinner coffee.
• Overall Atmosphere – 7. This is a great place to work, chat, or hang out!
• Final Sue Score (average of all scores above) – 7.2

K Cafe Patisserie & Tea House – San Jose

_{923 S. Bascom Ave, San Jose}

• Coffee Experience – 10. Full Coffee menu. They also offer a high tea service.
• Sweets – 10. Pastries and cookies galore!
• Actual Food – 10. Great menu, including breakfast and lunch food. A good amount of food is provided!
• Chit chat seating – 10. A few velvety booths, and soft seating chairs. Shaded patio seating also.
• Remote work – 2. Such a busy atmosphere, wouldn’t be a good location for concentrating or spending a long period of time taking up a table.
• Noise Level – 7. Pretty good noise level for such a busy spot. If you sit outdoors they have cute fountains that help drown out the traffic noise from Bascom Ave.
• Parking – 0. Terrible parking situation! K Cafe has a tiny parking lot. Otherwise, you’ll need to find residential street parking which is not easy or close (usually).
• Chandeliers – 10. Many gorgeous chandeliers!!
• Solo people watching experience – 5. Lots of people on a weekend esp. There is no other foot traffic around though so you will only see people who are dining at the cafe. Probably not an ideal solo relaxing spot since it’s so busy and festive.
• Hours – 4. Hours are limited due to renovations as of this writing, only open Friday-Sunday for breakfast and lunch. You need to double-check the hours before going as they are often closed for private parties.
• Overall Atmosphere – 10. K Cafe is a fairytale dream! This has to be one of the most pleasing aesthetic cafes around. Pretty fake flowers, chandeliers, PINK, velvety seating, and a fake eyelash vending machine! Great place to go for a girly birthday celebration or bridal shower etc.
• Final Sue Score (average of all scores above) – 7.3

Douce France Cafe & Bakery – Palo Alto

855 El Camino Real, Palo Alto

• Coffee Experience – 9. Full coffee offerings, except they did not have my favorite lavender flavor for my cappuccino. I loved the little complementary biscotti with my coffee.
• Sweets – 8. Large selection of baked goods. I must admit to being a bit disappointed in my chocolate croissant. Small solid pieces of chocolate inside, and the croissant itself was meh. But there were many other delicious-looking offerings.
• Actual Food – 9. Wide selection of breakfast and lunch food. I had a ham and cheese quiche, which was wonderful.
• Chit chat seating – 8. There is plenty of seating with a good number of basic tables and chairs. Outdoor seating is also available.
• Remote work – 5. No laptops or paperwork to be seen when I was there, but perhaps if you visited at a non-busy time it would be ok.
• Noise Level – 8. Good, even when crowded a conversation could easily be had. Very faint music in the background.
• Parking – 9. The Cafe is in Town & Country “strip mall”, so there is plenty of parking typically available.
• Chandeliers – 3. I’ll give some credit for the cute blue and white lights hanging over the display cases.
• Solo people watching experience – 7. Lots of people coming and going. The Cafe is in Town & Country “strip mall”, so there is foot traffic.
• Hours – 8. Mon. – Sat. 7 AM to 7 PM – Sun. 8 AM to 4PM
• Overall Atmosphere – 7. Nice large French posters on the walls, delicious-looking treats, and good coffee. Nice atmosphere in the Town & Country strip mall. I haven’t focused on price during these coolest cafe visits, but I was pleasantly surprised that my order of a cappuccino, quiche, and chocolate croissant came to only about $14.
• Final Sue Score (average of all scores above) – 7.4

Marvel Cakes – Campbell

_{1614 W Campbell Ave, Campbell}

• Coffee Experience – 10. Full Coffee menu
• Sweets – 10. Amazing selection of beautiful pastries including their Spiral Croissant! I had a chocolate croissant, which was excellent!
• Actual Food – 4. Small selection of sandwiches served on their Spiral Croissants.
• Chit chat seating – 10. Tables with upholstered chairs, and outdoor seating.
• Remote work – 4. Only a couple of outlets spotted. Round tables rather small for working.
• Noise Level – 10. Very pleasant light jazz/lounge music in the background. Noise from the patrons not too loud.
• Parking – 7. Located in a large strip mall shopping center, so lots of parking but it’s also a busy center.
• Chandeliers – 7. Chandelier with lampshades to match the sconces on the walls. A sparkly chandelier would fit right in and be lovely!
• Solo people watching experience – 7. Because of the busy shopping area, there is a fair amount of foot traffic.
• Hours – 7. Closed Mondays. Tuesday-Saturday 10am-7pm; Sunday 10am-6pm
• Overall Atmosphere—9. The decor was surprisingly chic and charming. It felt like being in a Parisian hotel lobby, in a good way!
• Final Sue Score (average of all scores above) – 7.7

Great Bear Coffee Roasting – Los Gatos

19 N. Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos

• Coffee Experience – 10. Full coffee offerings. Coffee roasted onsite.
• Sweets – 9. Large selection of baked goods.
• Actual Food – 7. Quiche, Wraps/ breakfast burritos.
• Chit chat seating – 8. Many basic tables and chairs. Outdoor seating is also available.
• Remote work – 8. Lots of people tend to work and study here!
• Noise Level – 8. Pretty good.
• Parking – 5. Located in downtown Los Gatos, so depending on when you visit you may find a spot right outside, or end up walking pretty far from a parking lot.
• Chandeliers – 8. 3 cute, old-timey chandeliers add some ambiance.
• Solo people watching experience – 8. Busy place. Great people watching esp if you get a window table or sit outside.
• Hours – 7. Daily 7 AM- 6:30 PM. No after-dinner coffee/ desserts here.
• Overall Atmosphere – 7. Comfortable with good coffee and food options in the fun Los Gatos downtown.
• Final Sue Score (average of all scores above) – 7.7

MOHI Farm – Morgan Hill

90 East 3rd St, Morgan Hill

• Coffee Experience – 10. Full Coffee menu
• Sweets – 3. A small selection of pastries near the register and a few desserts are available to order.
• Actual Food – 8. A full small menu of farm-fresh meals.
• Chit chat seating – 10. Couches, tables, and countertops with comfortable chairs. Outdoor couch seating with fireplace tables, and tables and chairs with heat lamps nearby.
• Remote work – 7. Plenty of tables and chairs. A few outlets are available.
• Noise Level – 4. Country music played sometimes too loud. It’s quite loud inside when it’s crowded. No noise cancelling acoustics.
• Parking – 10. Lots of street parking and a free lot nearby.
• Chandeliers – 5. No chandeliers but nice wood beams in the ceiling, and a tree inside. Also twinkle lights and heat lamps outside.
• Solo people watching experience – 10. Especially on a Saturday morning when the farmers market is going on nearby, there is a parade of people and dogs walking by constantly.
• Hours – 10. Open daily at 7 AM, until 8 PM S-Th; until 10 PM F-Sat. I love being able to go there first thing in the morning to get some work done and be able to grab a coffee after dinner at night.
• Overall Atmosphere – 9. Very open and airy with a variety of comfortable seating options. Surrounded by windows, which open wide (like roll-up garage doors) when the weather is warm. Awesome people and dog watching on Saturday mornings when the farmers market is going on nearby. Frequent live music, ie. guitar/ singer soloist.
• Final Sue Score (average of all scores above) – 7.8

What Coffee – Santa Clara

_{1002 Monroe St, Santa Clara}

Note: This is a brand new cafe in its “soft open” stage. The grand opening will be in October, and I will update this review after that when the full menu is available.

• Coffee Experience – 10. Full coffee offerings.
• Sweets – 9. Delicious looking assortment of pastries, made on site.
• Actual Food – N/A. Their website mentions that they will serve sandwiches and brunch food soon.
• Chit chat seating – 6. Plenty of tables and chairs inside and outside.
• Remote work – 7. Plenty of descent sized tables and chairs. Quite a few outlets available inside.
• Noise Level – 9. Pleasant background music.
• Parking – 7. Street parking in downtown Santa Clara. Sort of hit and miss.
• Chandeliers – 9. Three different lighting treatments that look cool and cohesive. Gives a great ambiance.
• Solo people watching experience – 5. Not a huge number of people wandering around this area.
• Hours – 8. Open every day 7 – 7 (after the grand opening)
• Overall Atmosphere – 8. Cool mural on the wall. I loved the background music, pastries, lighting and general feel. Good-sized tables for working remote.
• Final Sue Score (average of all scores above) – 8

Lele Cake – Los Gatos

_{14178 Blossom Hill Rd, Los Gatos}

• Coffee Experience – 10. Full Coffee menu
• Sweets – 10. Gorgeous concoctions! The most impressive pastry case I’ve seen. Desserts I’ve never tried before and can’t wait to experience!
• Actual Food – 7. Small, unique menu featuring Russian cuisine. I tried the “Gruyere Waffles with Goat Cheese and Onion Marmalade”. It was like having a loaded baked potato! Delicious!
• Chit chat seating – 10. Indoor and outdoor tables and chairs. A large communal table in the center, as well as tables for various-sized parties. There was also a charming table with high-back rattan chairs.
• Remote work – 7. Bench/ table seating along one wall with outlets interspersed.
• Noise Level – 8. Even full, the noise level didn’t preclude easy conversation.
• Parking – 10. This cafe is in a strip mall with a large parking lot. No issues with parking.
• Chandeliers – 7. No chandeliers but cute lighting features with live plants make it feel cozy and welcoming.
• Solo people watching experience – 5. Though Lele Cakes has waves of being busy, it’s more like a restaurant where a line will form and people will then sit. Not a high traffic of people parading through.
• Hours – 7. Monday – Sunday 8:00 am – 6.00 pm
• Overall Atmosphere – 8. Delicious “real food”, amazing desserts, and a full coffee bar! Welcoming decor with live plants, some rattan chairs, and plenty of seating with outlets for remote work! Also outdoor seating.
• Final Sue Score (average of all scores above) – 8.1

Map of Mentioned Cafes

You may also want to check out the other posts on Cities in Silicon Valley.

Please let me know in the comments if you know of any other cool Silicon Valley cafes! Especially new cafes! Thanks for reading!

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