Nice little spot, bright, clean and colorful décor. The people here seem friendly and look like they really enjoy being there. I tried the avocado eggrolls and BLT sandwich. The eggrolls had this very crispy, flaky wrap that kind of reminded me of a French pastry. Inside the eggroll was some kind of tofu that resembled meat, sliced avocado and fresh vegetables. This was served with a dipping sauce that was a lot like the kind they serve with the similar eggrolls from the Cheesecake factory. I was very impressed with the BLT sandwich. Some people complained on past reviews about the price... but I thought for vegan, it was pretty reasonable. Yes people, vegan, imitation meat/cheese foods tend to be more expensive than the real kind. I'm pretty certain it's because of the processing work that goes into turning soy products into "cheese" and "turkey slices'. Anyway, everything tasted pretty close to real meat, cheese and bread (which is normally made with some kind of animal by product). One sandwich was $6 and change and did not include a side. I also tried a customized shaved ice dessert that was topped with vegan vanilla ice cream, red beans and condense milk.. This was not as spectacular as I'd hoped. I had regular shaved ice recently while I was in a different city, which included ice cream and it's usual syrupy topper. This was nothing like that. The ice cream just didn't taste the same. It was creamy, like ice cream should be, but lacked flavor. Bottom line, if you're a fan of healthy vegan eating, but also crave the crusty, crispy carbs most non-vegans eat, try this place. Don't come expecting really cheap food. And finally, try the ice cream before you buy it to decide for yourself if you think it's worth getting. read more

Friendly service and great vegetarian food! I recommend the Crispy Nuggets and the Tofu Stir fry. The crispy nuggets had the exact same texture as a regular store-bought chicken nugget, but they're made out of bean curd and I think I may like these ones more! You don't feel as guilty eating them. The tofu stir fry was light and flavorful. The staff here are awesome, friendly, and attentive. Great place for vegetarians! read more

This place is amazing! Nicest people work here, amazing ice cream & vegan boba drinks. Owners showed me and my best friend who has been vegan for 13 years pictures of their vegan cat! They sell vegan dog food too. Recommendations: Vegan waffle cone double scoop ice cream with cookies & cream/caramel fudge flavors :) They started serving vegan food too, haven't tried it out yet but I will soon! read more

Vegans - please disregard my review. I'm sorry. Side note, the people running the place were so nice. I almost feel bad about leaving this review, but want to make sure that other non-vegans don't make the same mistake I did. Dear non vegans... For some completely unknown reason I was in the mood to try vegan food. I need to be healthier overall and figured why not start on a Friday. Saw the reviews and photos here, suggested it to a vegetarian coworker and she was game. When we got here, I immediately started having second thoughts. It's not that anything was wrong with the place, it was clean, bright, friendly, but when I started looking at the menu I was doubting this would live up to the Yelp set expectations. We split the avocado rolls and a green juice. The juice came out first, and it overwhelmingly tasted like celery. It reminded me why I avoided healthy food for so long. Maybe if there was a little more fruit juice added, like some pineapple juice, it would have been enjoyable. The avocado rolls were actually pretty good. The sauce was decent and they were nice any crispy yet flaky if that makes sense. Coworker got the pesto panini, and said the pesto was decent. I got the stew. Oh my. See, meat eating non-vegans, you know what meat tastes like. And chances are you like it, otherwise you'd be a vegetarian. Well, there appeared to be two types of "meats" in this dish. A beef substitute thing that tasted like the smell of my dog's canned dog food. (To be fair he's got health issues and eats better than me some days, venison and potato hypoallergenic prescription cans. That being said... I don't want to eat something that tastes like the smell I get when I open a can for him.) Then there was something I can only assume was intended to replace chicken. The texture made me almost lose it. it was spongy, and chewy, and wrong in every way. It didn't taste good, but the taste was no where as offensive as the texture. So, I basically ate the rice with the sauce and all the veggies. And was hungry two hours later. I guess I had it in my head that vegan food was more about celebrating veggies, legumes, nut/coconut butters and other sorts of edible things, and not so much about faking meat. If real meat tasted like that I'd be a vegetarian for sure. TL:DR - if you're a meat eater don't suffer through this. Go somewhere with real meat, and count calories. I'm assuming the overall rating is compared to other vegan restaurants, but don't let the rating fool you, if you're not a vegan keep it moving. If you're a vegan, um, enjoy? read more

This is definitely one of my favorite places to eat. I go here at least 3 times a week and even more during the summer for their shaved ice. My favorite dishes are: Avocado rolls Crispy rice patty plate Beef noodle soup Beef stew over brown rice Shaved ice w/ strawberries, tapioca, rice balls, and condensed milk Red bean soup w/ extra rice balls The couple that own the shop are super friendly and pretty much know what I like and even remembered my phone number because I call in so often. Great ingredients, definitely doesn't make me feel sleepy or crappy after consumption. read more

my cousin recommended this place for their friendly service & cute decor, have to say I'm not disappointed!! I like how everything is vegan-friendly, as well as environmentally friendly, worth going here for some tea i stead of waiting in long lines next door at BAMBU read more

Happiness Cafe - lychee green tea in an environmentally friendly cup!! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - San Jose, California

I'm too much of a meat lover to truly love a vegan restaurant, but I did give this place a good faith try. We came here for a large birthday lunch. First off, this place is not equipped to handle large parties. The restaurant kindly hobbled a bunch of small tables for us to dine at and gave us a bunch of paper plates, cups, and plastic utensils to share the appetizers. That seemed odd to me since I associate vegan restaurants with being more eco-friendly, but this place seems to be the exception. After a while, we placed our orders for the avocado spring rolls, bowls of noodle soups, and waffles and ice cream. The food took an unreasonably long time to come out. I can understand that the restaurant isn't used to accommodating large parties, but the amount of time between each dish coming out was a bit ridiculous. One couple with us had basically finished up their entire dish already before the first of the five bowls of soups came out. Then we waited for the other bowls to come out slowly, one by one. What's the point of dining together if your food comes out in such irregular intervals that you're basically eating alone or awkwardly insisting someone else eat their dish and not wait for the food to finish arriving? The food itself was decent, for being vegan. The avocado spring rolls were surprisingly good and easily my favorite part of the meal. However, the noodle soup wasn't impressive, or maybe I just missed my pieces of meat too much. Overall, I'd direct my vegetarian and vegan friends to this place (without accompanying them), and then meet up for drinks after they're done eating here. read more

Excellent vegan menu. Diverse food options and vegan options for boba teas and other drinks. Food tasted great and was made fresh. The owner was extremely kind and even her two cats are vegan. Hands down a great spot with a focus on clean and sustainable food. I'll definitely be back when I'm in San Jose again. read more

The place is so nice. I really like the honeydew smoothie. Also, the happiness special waffle is really flavorful.

The entrees here are alright, but I do not recommend getting appetizers or frappes. Ordered the nuggets, hot dog, ocean sandwich, and a mocha frappe for $30. The sandwich looked okay and was pretty decent compared to everything else. Nuggets are a bit pricey as it's 5 small pieces for $7. I would not recommend the mocha frappe at all as it looks 0% similar to the picture on the menu. It was all watery and melted when we received it. In addition, it had no whip cream and was a completely darker brown than the pictured frappe. It wasn't even blended smoothly as it was basically just a huge chunk of ice in the middle with melted chocolate/coffee around it. Overall, the only items I would get from here on would probably be the rice dishes, noodle dishes, or sandwiches. If you're thirsty, you'd be better off walking next store to Bambu or even anything else in the plaza. read more

The lady behind the counter was stoked on life! Very friendly. I had the shaved ice. It is a pretty hefty serving, so I'd recommend it for two people. They only accept cash at the moment so I had to borrow cash from my SO. I will be back to try the vegan ice cream. read more

So awesome to have a place to go to for vegan ice cream! And the owners are super nice, too!

I am very lactose intolerance and never had luck finding great ice cream without the milk and nasty hormones until I came to this new cafe! I hate rice cream but their nondairy, no-eggs, low (or I think maybe non) cholesterol ice cream is super delicious! Taste so much like the real ice cream I use to eat. And for $4.75 you can get a huge bowl of shaved ice with fresh fruits and and a nice drizzle of strawberry syrup! I had the mango, coconut, strawberry special and it's super good and huge! I had to share it with my sister because it was so large. This place use to be yogurt parlor and is under new ownership by two extremely nice couples who are also avid vegans. They gave me a free magnet with their cute logo along with my ice cream! It is still under some remodeling so I can see why there are some old warn wall and chairs. The cafe is abit hard to find (to the right of 99 ranch store with a sign that says "yogurt") but the sweet owners said they will have a new front with their cute happy cat logo. And the service is top notch. You can't ask for better service, especially for a little cafe. William and Tammy are the owners who are always there working and they are work really hard and fast but they are always sweet with a lot of energy, always give free samples for any flavor of their ice cream. I recommend their orange or mango ice cream, as it really taste like ice cream for something that doesn't have milk! So for all you vegans and vegetarians out there, this place won't disappoint ya. "Happiness Cafe" is truly a cafe to be happy in. Edit: visited 01/15/14 So I came back to the cafe and boy did they made a lot of improvement even though they cafe was already good. Now the cafe is very cute with clean, and lovely bright interiors: new chairs, tables, kitchen, everything! So the pictures I submitted are irrelevant as the place is completely remodeled. Now they have new items in the menu. My whole family went and we pretty much tried everything in the menu: avocado roll, patty melt, ocean melt, fries, noodle soup, pesto pasta, and veggie hot dog. We shared so I had a bite of everything and oh my god they are good. I love meat, but I wouldn't mind eating these vegetarian meals for a life time. The rolls are so crispy and delicious, the sandwiches are also crispy and the bread and veggie meat are very rich. I really wished this place is close to were I live, otherwise I would be a regular! And last I heard from a vegan friend said that the place added more food and they are great. The place just keeps getting better and better. read more

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Go to place for Jain food as well! Amazing service. Waffles are fresh and delicious. Avocado smoothie is a must try health freaks! read more

Happiness Cafe - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - San Jose, California

I needed a quick take-home dinner and saw their photos on yelp- fast & tasty. saucy stew with tofu, brown rice and veggies. I also had their hot black milk tea; it tasted better than the ones made with dairy! I definitely found my new go-to spot for milk tea and a quick healthy meal. I'll have to come back to try their vegan ice cream, but I'll wait for a warmer day! :) read more

Mashed potatoes so so. Avocado rolls extra bomb. Chicken nuggets bomb. Chicken salad bomb. All vegan, yes!!

Nicest owners ever! Great menu. Loved the customizable shaved ice options. Great lunch combos too!

Didn't even know it was vegan. Everything taste a little off but they are very good at masking the not meat not dairy taste. Great healthy option. read more

Customer service is amazing! Everyone is genuinely friendly, sweet, and patient. They even allowed me and my friends to stay 30 minutes after closing, since we were still eating. :) Everything I have tried so far has been amazing! The Ocean Melt is probably my favorite so far. The bread was perfectly crunchy, but still light. The "tuna", melted with the vegan cheese, lettuce and tomatoes were absolutely incredible. Better than any meaty tuna sandwich I have ever tried, and without the bad karma. ;) My boyfriend and friend both ordered the Crispy Patty with Rice, which is pretty decently portioned for the price. The patties were light and crispy, and meshed beautifully with the sauce, brown rice and dark leafy side salad. My boyfriend also ordered the avocado roll, which, to me has continually lived up to the hype. The roll itself is pretty large, but it is cut in half so you may share the deliciousness. On another occasion, we tried the hot dog. It was not at all lacking in size and was delicious! It would have been more amazing if the bun was slightly toasted, but still great nonetheless. (If you are a meat eater, you may not necessarily find that it lives up to your typical meaty standards. If you are vegetarian or vegan, worry not! Their hotdogs are a great snack.) Tea/Dessert: Taro milk tea -- My bf loved this as it wasn't too sweet, like you would find at other milk tea joints. Though it was somewhat thick and grainy to me. However, I believe it is because they used real taro, which is great! Hawaiian Hibiscus tea -- Incredible balance. Not too flowery or sweet and very refreshing! Black milk tea -- Not too sweet (which I found very pleasant despite having a huge sweet tooth), and also very refreshing. I finished the entire drink while sitting there (which for me is a first, as it usually takes me a few hours to finish one drink). Pearls were very soft and chewy. Love them. Sampled the butter pecan ice cream and will be coming back to get a cone in the near future! My friend and I ordered the chocolate cheesecake and passion fruit cake. The cheesecake was good, but I thought the passion fruit cake was the winner out of the two. I loved that it wasn't too sweet, but was still moist and decadent. I hope they open up more locations within the surrounding area. We can never have too many vegan joints! :) read more

I love this place. The avocado rolls are delicious! Tammy is so nice and always makes sure you're enjoying your food.

A quaint little mom and pop shop that sells everything from boba beverages, ice cream, and full on meals. I had no idea that it was vegan, so I ordered the curry beef dish. It was decent, kinda felt like something a friend's mom would cook up. This place was constantly busy during my visit especially because it's not so big. I would only go here for to-go orders. read more

I'm addicted to their avocado rolls. Also a big fan of their stew of rice and crispy patty over rice

Richard Pro here with another review. There are tons of positive review about this place having lactose free and vegan products. Great! I appreciate the service this cafe provides to the vegan and lactose intolerant community. However, I am neither lactose intolerant or vegan. Ordered a lychee (milk?) tea. Forgot what the menu said but I was definitely expecting something with milk since I just wandered into the cafe and glanced randomly at the menu. Also, on my first visit here I had no idea this place served vegan/lactose free products Anyhow, I got some strange cloudy concoction that had residue floating around. It was some kind of thick lychee juice, without lychee pieces. Took a sip...and bleh, it was awful. Pearls were mediocre. Couldn't taste any tea. One star. The only thing I like about this place is that it's family owned and they have a very positive attitude. read more

I typically don't go to vegan restaurants but this place is absolutely delicious. The food is excellent and very flavorful. The people are so friendly and polite and their service is exceptional. You need to come here to understand why the reviews are very positive! read more

I love everything about Happiness Cafe! I'm a generally miserable person but the people working here always put me in a better mood. (= The food is amazing and the place is so pleasant that I don't even order takeout ahead of time because I actually don't mind sitting and waiting there. The owners are like the sweetest people ever. They always remember my name and are an absolute delight to talk to. read more

This place is great! The food items are all delicious and all the sweets also! The atmosphere is quiet and calm. The staff are friendly. Every time I go here I make sure to order different things. The vegan tuna sandwich is creamy and delicious. Their milk teas are also refreshing. read more

Tai tea is great! I love it! But, next time I would not add grass jelly! But waste great!

This place is great. Got a vegan noodle soup and it was a good size and the taste was great. I like cilantro and I kinda wish there was a bit more, but that's just me. The owners are friendly and my family and I were greeted right away. I know I'll be coming back here when I'm craving some vegan dishes. read more

Delicious vegan options. Fabulous vegan ice cream!

Remember Popeye the sailorman? Heres a nice place to eat/drink and feel more like him! The place was clean and well lit; the staff bright and friendly. The food looked decent (I got a salad, had some of my moms noodle soup too). It was a fair amount that still has me feeling good afterwards, maybe could have snuck in a dessert though? I'm vegetarian bordering vegan, so I have a bias toward people coming to give their input to this (new to me) establishment. My personal taste leans toward more eclectic raw, super fresh power food, but it can't always be done, so heres a place to go with stuff all prepared but still healthy. I think the menu options are suitable for the greater public to stop by and celebrate meatless mondays and all of life once in a while... :) read more

My review is simply for the standard milk tea which I had after going to Gen BBQ. I had high expectations based on the yelp rating but it was just ok. I'm guessing the reviews are for other items here which I didn't have the opportunity to try. read more

Ordered their Jasmine Milk Tea and Taro Milk Tea. Both light drinks. Not too milky/creamy like other milk teas. Very friendly service. Desserts look delicious, I should probably come back and try some! Located next to Bambu but this place is a vegan place which makes it different from others! Parking can get crazy since its shared with every other place around. read more

This is a tiny vegan spot in an Asian plaza. I was there on a Sunday. The area had a lot of people and the parking lot was pretty busy.. I had the crispy patty with rice.. It was different. Good, but I probably wouldn't pay that price for it again. I'm not a vegan so I'd probably find a place with a similar dish containing actual meat for a cheaper price.. read more

I always come here to get drinks every time I go to Gen with friends. Every single time I have been here the workers were super nice and helped me with all of my picky needs. I love that they use real fruit and veggies in their drinks rather than that nasty powder stuff that a lot of other places use. I have not tried the food yet but next time I definitely will! read more

As a new vegan it can be a challenge to find fast and tasty food that I can eat on the go. I've been to this place multiple times and tried a variety of items on the menu, everything has been very tasty! My favorite has to be the "chicken" pesto sandwich. The bread was warm and was slightly toasted, the "chicken" was well seasoned. Service is fast and friendly which is always a plus. Just a heads up, it can be difficult to find parking. It gets pretty pack since it's located in a plaza with other restaurants and an Asian supermarket. read more

Best avocado smoothie hands down. I came here with my cousin a few weeks ago and she ordered the Taro smoothie. When it came out, it was white instead of that generic purple. However, my confused cousin asked the employee why it was white and found out that they use fresh fruit unlike the other local pearl drink places. Good to know! No wonder I've been back for my Avocado smoothie 4 times within this month. I did try my cousins Taro smoothie and it was good and refreshing as well. Oh and you have to try their avocado rolls.. Literally hit the spot. I'll be back here again soon. read more

Love this place. Strawberry milk tea, yummy food, and a craaaaazy waffle sundae that dreams are made of. Thank you Happiness Cafe!!

Really good food and drinks. Vegan, so heavy reliance on soy - I wonder if there are not more alternatives to soy, since there is disagreement about the benefits of non-fermented soy. read more

I just happened to be shopping in Ranch 99 and just happened to yelp vegan food and found this amazing place! I got the tofu strip with rice. Along with a thai tea. The tofu was perfectly seasoned-i would have liked it to be spicier but that's my preference. THey make all their drinks with soy milk or almond milk which is great. I'm yet to try their desserts :D Will be back again forsure. read more

Happiness Cafe - Tofu strip with rice and Thai tea! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - San Jose, California

Absolutely amazing. Words can't express the gratitude I have towards this place. I have been inching closer and closer to being fully vegan and with a place like this it's not hard at all! Obviously their avocado rolls are amazing and a must-get. Also, the patty melt is EXQUISITE. Tastes just like the real thing but BETTER. I also highly recommend the avocado smoothie (I add chocolate sauce to mine). Can't wait to try the rest of the menu read more