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    Academic Coffee

    4.2 (337 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 4:00 pm
    Updated 1 week ago

    Academic Coffee Photos

    Business Info

    ACADEMIC COFFEE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Academic Coffee

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    Reviews With Photos

    Melissa G.

    Their pistachio specials from the last couple months were very good. However, it appears they've moved into guava season. I like this coffee shop, I've been coming here and especially the San Jose location for a long time. I appreciate consistency in my coffee shops and to be honest, academic seems to be losing the plot. Today I ordered one basic drink and one specialty- a vanilla latte and the guava matcha drink; both were just mid. The guava matcha is beautiful aesthetically, but the guava was way too overpowering, you couldn't taste the matcha. Also no oven to heat up the pastries. I still like their alum rock beans and purchase them regularly. They used to give you a drip coffee or espresso shot with purchase but I guess not anymore. Overall this spot appears to be leaning towards style over substance, but I hope they don't go that route. This review is a 3.5 but I rounded up because of the pistacho specials from the last couple months were very good.

    Annie Y.

    There's a small parking lot in the back; otherwise, you can find street parking about a block away and walk a few minutes. They offer both indoor and outdoor seating. I ordered the Piloncillo Latte, and it was rich, creamy, and good. Service: 5/5 Tip(s): - Small parking lot in the back - Indoor and outdoor seating available - Accept Apple Pay

    Eva C.

    Love! Their parking lot is very small and usually full so parking is a bit difficult. I've tried their guava cream matcha, banana cream matcha, and hojicha. I personally am a fan of guava so I really enjoyed the guava cream flavor. Their banana cream is also very well made it had a strong flavor that paired well with the matcha without it tasting artificial. They have some seatings both inside and outside, which was really nice.

    Banana matcha
    Maddie W.

    When I think of academic, the one drink that's unbeatable is their banana matcha. I keep ordering it at other coffeeshops hoping for a similar one, but it's not the same!! The banana flavor truly shines and everyone I've brought here loves it and is converted. It really does taste like a banana cream pie and matcha in the best way possible. Their pandan latte is also solid! I've yet to explore more of their drinks, but heard good things about their seasonal red bean latte. Their double chocolate chip cookie is to die for. Truly such a wonderful spot!! It's a smaller space, but there's decent amount of outdoor seating. Parking is meh, it's mostly street parking and very limited spots behind the building. The driveway feels illegal with how steep it is. Be careful if your car is low!

    Double Matcha Latte & Hojicha Latte
    Kiana L.

    Went to Academic Coffee to celebrate our birthday morning since it's one of my cousin's favorite matcha spots, and honestly, it made for the perfect start to the day. The café itself is small but clean, with a simple and relaxed vibe. The staff seemed really nice, which made the experience feel easy and welcoming. We ordered the double matcha latte and a hojicha latte, and I can definitely see why this is one of my cousin's favorite spots. The matcha was strong, smooth, and well balanced, especially with the double scoop, giving it a richer flavor without being too bitter. The hojicha latte had a nice roasted, nutty taste that felt really comforting and not overly sweet. It's one of those places where you can tell they care about the quality of the tea, and it really shows in the drinks. Overall, it was a great way to start our birthday, and I'd definitely come back again for a solid matcha fix.

    Jason Q.

    Drinks were amazing, I only tried the banana matcha, but it was easily one of the best matcha I've had this year. Super smooth, rich, and not overly sweet. Service was friendly and quick, and the staff made the experience even better. The ambiance had a clean, modern vibe with a nice downtown feel, making it a great spot to relax. Prices felt fair for the quality you're getting. Stopped by Academic Coffee in downtown San Jose and it definitely lived up to the hype. Will definitely be back. 5/5 stars from me.

    Pandan Latte
    Anh T.

    I visited Academic Coffee for the first time with a couple of friends. Finding parking was difficult in the area. I didn't wait too long to try their pandan latte with oat milk, and it was excellent! I wish that the pandan flavor came through a bit more strongly, but it was still sweet enough and balanced well with the espresso taste. The oat milk also added a nice creaminess without overpowering the drink. The drink was unique and stronger in coffee flavor. The area itself is cute, with seating available to work at or hang out with friends.

    Banana latte and guava latte
    Ash R.

    We went to academic coffee and got the banana matcha latte and the guava matcha latte. Ive heard a lot about Academic coffee but today was the first time I went. Overall, it was just fine. The flavor was too milky and the cold foam to matcha latte was very off. The flavor of the guava cold foam also felt super artificial. I asked for light ice but since they were making 10 of these at the same time, they put full ice which quickly diluted the flavor. Overall, just ok, probably wouldn't return.

    Strawberry matcha and banana matcha latte
    Grace P.

    Absolutely obsessed with their banana matcha. Their banana cream is heavenly. Perfectly sweet and creamy enough to mix with the drink to sip on. Parking is kind of tricky here. There's like 7-8 parking spots in the lot, but the sign says you can only park for 30 minutes. I recommend parking on the street or across the street at bank of america.

    Lizey N.

    Matcha here is good quality and just lightly sweetened. The strawberry matcha is also good but sometimes can be tart or sweet, not always consistent so I usually just go for the regular matcha which is still good, earthy, and balanced. I like the little seating area in the back to be able to do work, there's a few seats, a couch, a table, and bookshelf which is cute.

    Menu - 03/08/26
    Venus L.

    Academic Coffee is one of the recurring places that frequent my TikTok so when an opportunity arose when my husband and I were in the area, I knew we had to stop by. I didn't realize the proximity to Valley Fair mall so I suspect that's why the line was so long on a Saturday afternoon, too. Limited spots on the street in front of the coffee shop, but there's parking in the nearby neighborhoods. I opted for their banana matcha and my husband got their vanilla latte. The banana cream on top of the matcha tasted delicious and went too quickly, but I get why it's hyped. The vanilla latte tasted good and not overly sweet. Overall, the ambiance is nice with both indoor and outdoor seating. The line can be long, but does go by pretty quick.

    banana matcha (left), vanilla latte (right)
    emily d.

    Used to be an absolute favorite and go to for the easy parking, great drinks, and proximity, but slowly have been trying other spots. I have always loved the banana matcha along with their seasonal drinks like the melon matcha or double matcha, but have felt like the coffee quality and dial can be inconsistent occasionally making the coffee sour. Understandably with the increase of demand the price has also gone up for the matcha to maintain quality, but because of that I have also started looking elsewhere. But I also have always appreciated how sweet and kind the staff is, always a wonderful interaction at the counter! I usually park the street over or around and walk through the community garden or apartments to reach Academic, but usually the parking lot itself is pretty full.

    Pistakio cream latte
    Tiffany H.

    Drinks: 3.5/5 Service: 5/5 Ambience: 5/5 Academic Coffee has a nice vibe and service was great! Weather was perfect for outdoor seating. Matcha was more grassy than expected. The matcha strawberry latte tasted better after mixing. Matcha banana latte w/ almond milk was not bad. Probably liked it more than the strawberry one. Was not crazy about any of their coffees. Pandan latte had a nutty flavor but didn't taste like the typical pandan flavor. Pistakio cream latte was ok. Also couldn't appreciate the pistachio flavor. Didn't finish either of the coffees. Convenient place to grab a drink, but not sure if I would go out of my way to come back here.

    Banana cream matcha latte & guava cream matcha latte

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    Ask the Community - Academic Coffee

    What's the phone numbers of the SJ & Santa Clara Coffee shops? Also, where exactly (land mark) is the Santa Clara shop next to? We had a hard time finding it, & despite Gps,…

    Hi Shirl! I'm not sure what the phone number is to this Santa Clara location but I can tell you that it's located on the same side of the old strip mall that has the Shoe Cobbler in the corner located on Dorcich Street. It's just a little further… Read more

    Are they still serving guava matcha latte?

    Yes we are still serving it!

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    These are some of the best cookies I have ever had in my life! We needed to place a large order for…read morework, so a colleague and I came by to test them out first. The aroma of fresh baked cookies hits you as soon as you open the door, it's it's over. Give me all the cookies. Now normally, I would only order chocolate anything but decided to try ube. This cookie was everything, slightly crusty outside and soft interior. We then placed an order by contacting them via email and the process was super easy. We asked for them to be individually wrapped, which they did. Cookies were delivered on time & we're still warm. Everyone loved them. Can't wait to order again!

    One of our top favorite cookie spots for ooey gooey fluffy cookies! We love that they have flavors…read morethat rotate as well as their classic chocolate chip cookies. Keep in mind it is a store front but there's no seating! It's tucked away on el Camino but it's such a cute little secret cookie spot! The service was so quick and he was super nice he caught us eating them in the parking lot haha if you're new to it and just want to try it out, they have day after cookies for a discount (if available), or check them out on TooGoodToGo (food saving app!) every now and then you can save cookies (your benefit 1000%)! But I do recommend trying them nice and fresh too

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    My review is based solely on the preorder and pickup experience for the seasonal persimmon…read moredesserts. I kept seeing posts about whaT's More cake's persimmon cakes, so I decided to give them a try. I preordered the persimmon molten cake and the persimmon crepe cake through their website. The online ordering process was smooth, and both cakes were ready right on time for pickup. Unfortunately, the persimmon molten cake was disappointing. While I appreciated that it wasn't overly sweet, it was very mild in flavor. It tasted more like a simple sponge cake with a persimmon filling in the center, and overall, it felt quite underwhelming. In contrast, the persimmon crepe cake was much better. Each layer had persimmon cream and jam, which gave it a stronger and more pronounced persimmon flavor without being overly sweet. Overall, it's a cute cake shop worth checking out if you're looking for unique flavors in the South Bay. Parking: Plenty of parking available in the lot.

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