The coffee & food here is pretty decent, however the staff is less than welcoming. If you are looking for a friendly smile with your coffee, look elsewhere. From the girls at the counter to the baristas in the back, every time I come to this location they seem irritated to be there. This morning I looked up to the barista and thanked him for the coffee. He never looked up, never smiled or acknowledged me. However I left with a delicious vanilla latte so oh well! read more

Seriously, I headed over here today strictly for the Lemon Poppyseed olallieberry Muffin. That muffin alone is worth the trip. They have some premade burritos from Chill Out and Breakfast sando's for those non-muffin eaters. I also had a jasmine green tea. They have a nice assortment of loose leaf teas and mate as well. read more

This place has a great product....They seem to be consistanly busy, which tells you that people love this place. With that said, you are not going to be in and out in two minutes with your favorite latte......You will need some patience, but good things come to those who wait. All I am saying, is give your self at least 10 min, sit and enjoy the free wifi, and people watch read more

Been there twice so far, once by myself and the other time with my husband. First time I got the ham and cheese breakfast bagel and a cup of hot chocolate, and when we went next time we got bagels with cream cheese (hubby got bagel with sun-dried tomato schmear) and their orange juice. Did the job, very filling, and very yummy. Definitely a good place to pick up some breakfast if you're in the area! Though if you're in a rush I may skip this place depending on how busy they are because the wait time may be more than what you'd like. Not a big deal to me though. read more

I've been coming here for years as a happy customer but as of last Tuesday I will no longer be a customer as Bathroom facilities are no longer available. Tell me this, if a paying customer purchases a drink that makes them need to use a bathroom facility why would one stay there to rest and relax only to have to leave to find a bathroom? Poor decision on the owners part. Where is your loality to your long time customers. Yes I am aware of your difficulties, but being in business is adjusting and putting new procedures into place to deal with what is your current reality. read more

Delicious Smoothies!!!!!!!!!! I've tried the strawberry banana, and the peanut butter..something. Whats even cooler is that they give you the extra smoothie that wouldn't fit in your cup in a separate cup! HOw cool is that. read more

Great drip coffee. Most organic and Fairtrade. Good mornin/ on the go foods. Great if you're on your way out of town on the 17.

Extremely rude and unfriendly staff, and my chai latte tasted like bitter hot water. 10/10 do not recommend.

Young man behind the counter was great. The chalk board signs and chalk board labels on Kerr jars sends smiles of home made care. A couple reviews here are off base. there is no sign on bathroom door. Restroom was amazing clean after the morning rush. They have to only give key to customers as get a reality check this is Santa Cruz and there is a large homeless population. Coffee perfect with a swirl in my non fat milk. Amazing low price. Not owned by the big chain giant but serving with love. Thanks guys read more

Java Junction - Love the old timey sign out front - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

sorry I can't give you more than 3 stars as the restroom is now for employees only, as a result my group of 8-10 people went elsewhere for a place with a restroom for customers. But your coffee was great. read more

Our decision to try Java Junction was based on the need for a quick bite to eat on a Saturday morning before wine tasting for the day. There were maybe two people in the line before we got to the counter. We ordered quickly and sat down to wait for our food. Keep in mind we ordered a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a breaker sandwich, so it was an easy order. The PB&J come out within a few minutes but we waited at least 20 minutes before hearing an order for a breakfast bagel. There were two orders ahead of us that I am sure consisted of maybe one food item but mostly coffee. So, 20 minutes was clearly excessive. We asked about the bagel, they didn't remember having an order so started making it. Then it was make incorrectly (made with cheese when asked to be without) and so another 5 minutes later, the bagel finally came out. Which none to our surprise was not the bagel that was displayed (had red onions). After 25 minutes, there was no acknowledgement from the staff that much time had passed and needless to say we were left hungry but mostly deflated. Java Junction: I really wanted to believe in a quick and easy breakfast for a Saturday morning in Santa Cruz. But unfortunately, you disappointed. Yes while you were apologetic about the mess up, it still doesn't seem that customer satisfaction is your top priority. While I don't live in Santa Cruz, I am sure I'll be back yet will find another scrumptious bagel shop on my visit. Peace and love from the central coast. Xoxo read more

They have really good coffee, smoothies and sandwiches! And they DO accept credit cards, there's just a 5 dollar minimum charge. read more

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Friendly staff, however the smoothies are a bit runny. Ordered the Tropical Storm and Matcha Green Tea and both were super runny and non consistent of any smoothies I've had from the other Java Junction Locations! Perhaps it was someone new? Other than that they do have great coffee... read more

If there was a Java Junction near me, I'd go there instead of Starbucks! I love the chill relaxed atmosphere! There are no frills here, just some awesome baristas making awesome coffee. :) Can't drive through Santa Cruz area without stopping for a java jolt pick me up! Remember to bring cash, since they do not allow the use of debit/credit card under $5.00. My fave is their homemade whipcream on top of my white mocha expresso! Delicious! A great place to people watch, sip on some goodness and do hw. read more

German Chocolate Iced Mocha with Coconut, Caramel, Chocolate, Espresso and milk. Get it double shot read more

Java Junction - German Chocolate Iced Mocha - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I am a customer here but I was not interested in buying anything today, I just needed to use the restroom and they wouldn't let me use it unless i actually purchase something, really pathetic in my opinion. read more

We happened upon Java Junction on a car trip and were pleasantly surprised to find awesome coffee, great food and a wonderful staff. The bummer is that I left my wallet there and didn't figure it out until I was two hours north! Uh oh! In a normal cafe, my wallet would be gone. Java Junction is not a normal cafe. It is the kind of place that restores your faith in humanity! Here's why. Wallet-less and distraught, I called and Mariah picks up. She was super helpful and concerned about making sure my wallet was safe and that I would get it back. Then the manager, Anne, took personal care to go out of her way to ship it to me, took the money out of my wallet to pay for the shipping and LEFT me the change. She would not accept personal compensation for her time and even called me to make sure I had the tracking number. I have never experienced such kind customer service- and I'm not even a regular (although wish I lived nearby because this place would be my hands down favorite). If they treat a passerby so well, that tells you how awesome they must be to their regulars! If I could give 10 stars I would. Now only if Anne could come train the staff in my local cafe in Berkeley... read more

I love this place! Amazing Lattes, and lots of great options for food and snacks on the go!

I went in for a macha frappe and the lady working there did not know what it was even though it was in front of her face. Asked for soy and my frappe tasted more like yogurt than macha. On top of that she was extemely rude and practically threw my drink at me. I'm never going back. read more

Didn't even buy anything because I was so turned off by the staff. Went in not knowing what I wanted and when I asked the dude about a couple options, he was very short and unenthusiastic. Seemed dull and boring so I left without buying anything. Maybe I will try again but for now, I'm unimpressed read more

Came across this cafe by chance when visiting the Patagonia Outlet (directly across River Street from this plaza) and was a little concerned about the average review rating here on Yelp, but figured to give it a shot and support local small businesses. Only other food option in the plaza was this cafe or Chipotle. We ordered 2 cold sandwiches (ham & cheddar and the turkey/salami/ham), large mocha freeze and a single shot of macchiato for a total of $22. The sandwiches were nothing special and were a little on the plain side (standard make yourself at home type) and the bread was just ok (we had both their wheat & sourdough). The mocha freeze was also just ok, but I did appreciate that the barista gave us the "excess" in a small to- go-cup which was a nice touch. It wasn't particularly busy around 11:30a on a Sunday and there were 4 workers behind the counter. No one was particularly warm & welcoming as others have mentioned in their reviews and you definitely get the sense they probably see their share of riff raff with the signs "we refuse the right to serve anyone before or after purchase" & the "if we suspect drug use..." right on their bathroom door. Strange because it has the potential to have that small-town everyone knows your name type vibe- but the food/coffee & lack of a friendly & warm staff were just "meh" for me... read more

Java Junction - Large mocha freeze and turkey/ham/salami sandwich. Does not come with side pickle. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Excellent service, particularly from the young man working the register at 1:30 Saturday

Best ever ever, amazing customer service,fast and incredible vibe! Thanks to Jose and Randy you guys and also the girls always make my day better; the friendly service the welcoming and super amazing coffee for sure makes life so much better every morning. Another plus is how super clean, neat and smooth the whole place runs. I would give thousand of stars for u guys. read more

Horrible customer service!!!! On Monday the 21st of Jan. 2019 the Manager reminded me that extra whip cream costs an extra 50 cents in a very rude manner. When I asked her why she seems to always have attitude towards me, she flipped out and said that I can leave that she has the right to refuse service to me. she then went to the register and retrieved my payment to give back to me. and then told me that I need to leave and that she was going to call security because "she could not physically push me out the door herself" I preceded to tell her that I need to speak to her manager and she informed me again in a rude way that she is the manager. I said that everyone answers to someone. she then said to me that her boss would have her back anyway. which I thought that is absurd..... But she seemed to be right about that. I left in tears shooken up AND EMBARRASSED she yelled at me in front of customers and her employees. I have been coming to this location for 6 months daily and sometimes twice a day. I had a friendly rapport with all the other employees they all knew me by name. but when ever the manager helped me she treated me as if I was an annoyance and a waste of her time. I never had a problem paying extra for something that I was getting extra of, It was her demeanor towards me that finally made me confront her rudeness. I called the owner after finding his phone number on the internet (no help to Her) and he listened to me and apologized for her behavior and assured me that she it was nothing personally against me but that his staff is under stress with the encampment around the way ( no excuse for bad customer service Remember I spend 50 dollars a week here faithfully not including a tip) I asked him If I was allowed to return to his establishment since it was a misunderstanding and he said that he didn't have a problem with me coming in and he would talk to her. I did not hear back from him saying other wise so I went in this morning with my sister and we ordered between the both of us around 20$ worth of items and the manager comes up to me and says that I am not allowed in there once again in front of other customers no respect she should have pulled me to the side.and told me she dose not want me in here ever again her co worker says "I cant believe its her your saying did this" she says yeah she just come in here and started threatening me and calling me names all over whip cream again in front of customers she is also lying I never called her names I am 37 years old not 2 nor did I threaten her. I called the owner and of course he did not call me back. I did nothing that warranted me to be treated this way. so No I would not go to this coffee shoppe Please do not support business that has no regard for treating their good paying customers with decency. The owner obviously supports such incredible disrespect from his managers with no consequences and allows them to continue to treat the people who keep his business running with no regard. read more

I love their sandwich - "THE BEST TURKEY" Fresh, made to order sandwiches. The service is pretty quick. Make sure you bring cash - No check card machine if under $5 read more

I love love love this place! Many mornings I would come here before work and grab a smoothie (tropical storm:D)and a ham & cheese, or spinach & feta croissant. They warm it up for you if you want and the people here are always friendly and quick with orders. A lot of people go here for their morning coffee which I assume is also good but I'm not a big coffee fan. They have an array of teas as well in which I've tried there ginger peach tea yum! If you want their fresh baked goods (which they bring every morning from a local bakery) you gotta get there in the morning or all the good stuff is gone! If you're feeling frisky, they usually have chocolate filled croissants as well!!! read more

I was trying to order an iced cappuccino and they said they weren't able to make iced drinks and then I asked, " Can you just make a Cappuccino and throw some ice in there?" Then the lady who seemed to be the shift manager proceeded to give me a lecture on how cappuccinos work. And in my head I'm like I get it but I just want some fucking ice in the fucking drink. Instead I got a real shitty latte that I didn't really want in the first place because I wanted an ice cappuccino. Don't want a lecture on fucking coffee, won't be coming back here again. read more

Pretty good place except for an unwelcome comment recently. I've stopped by for a slice of loaf bread, toasted bagels and cream cheese, toasted pb and j sandwiches and sandwiches with avocado. For coffee, I usually get a large coffee with room for cream, but after a 3.5 hour hike on a nice but humid morning, I was not in the mood for a hot drink. I ordered iced coffee, but asked for less ice, if that was okay with them. The barista commented they received the "less ice" request more often than they would like, but still honored my request. I'm not a huge fan of the drip coffee offerings at Starbucks, but at least the Starbucks baristas honor the ice request with no snide or off-handed comment. I prefer to support local businesses but not if the company culture is not customer-focused. I plan to stop by for more food and coffee, hoping, in future visits, the employee will keep her comments to herself. The other employees were nice, professional and friendly, which was a great way to represent! Woot. *plenty of free parking *good prices for sandwiches *coffee prices on par with locally roasted beanery joints *indoor and outdoor seating *clean single restroom read more

This place is okay. But something's off based on other reviews and today's experience. I went this afternoon and ordered a decaf mocha, emphasizing, no caffeine, which seemed to surprise the guy. We went back and forth a few times, but I figured he was clear what I wanted after I said "no caffeine" and "zero caffeine, right?" I never got called when my mocha was ready but finally went over to the counter and extracted the paper cup out from under the elbow of another waiting customer. Now it's after midnight and I am realizing it definitely had two shots of *caffeinated* espresso in it. Thanks, bud. I have a lot of work tomorrow, and can't afford to lie awake for the next 3 hours or so. I thought I'd put the time to good use here. read more

I love this place! Great outdoor seating! They offer a variety of different milks (almond, for example) and are always willing to make my somewhat complicated drink orders. The staff is very friendly. I love their veggie bagel! A great little spot to chill in the morning or afternoon! The only reason I didn't give them 5 stars is because their pastries are from Heather's Patisserie, and I do not support them. Besides that! Bravo! Very excellent! read more

I had a couple of drinks over the course of an hour or so and was planning to order a sandwich when I got hungry. I tried ordering it at 5:04 p.m. and was informed that they stopped serving food at 5. There was no sign and an exception apparently could not be made. Also, they won't let you use their bathroom. In a town with so many coffee shops, I don't need more than one reason to never to come back here. read more

Stopped in from traveling along the coast. Located in small shopping center, Gateway Plaza. Drinks and bakery items not fresh, no restrooms.

I used to love the hot chocolate here, but the past few times there wasn't much chocolate in it. More like some warm milk with a dash of chocolate. read more

Jose took my order and made my last mango in Paris and Best turkey sandwich. It was delicous, the smoothie was almost a meal in itself and the sandwhich was loaded. Customer service was fantastic, food was fantastic, drinks are fantastic. Keep up the good work! read more

I went into Java Junction this morning and bought a cup of coffee. I asked to use the restroom, as I take diuretics. The owner said we do not have public restrooms. I said, I had used them before. She said, too bad, talk to the city council about the homeless. I said that I had to urinate now, that I couldn't wait for the city council. Again, she said too bad. I said I will not be frequenting this shop again. The owner said "fine with me". read more

Closed their restroom to paying customers. Unfortunately, I won't be coming here again.

Another bland experience at this Java Junction. I ordered a soy mocha chai that I bought to warm me up on a brisk Santa Cruz day it tasted like a little bit chai and a little bit water. Totally flavorless. read more

Zero stars for this location due to extremely rude wait staff. Wanted to argue about my coffee order. Will never come here again and neither should you. Management needs to teach her to be nice to customers or get rid of her. She is obviously not suited for job. Yelp would not let me leave a no star rating so one star it is. read more

Java Junction is horrible. We had to wait for 30 minutes to get our food and they forgot part of our order. We had to wait as they forgot part of our order and they had to bring it to us. We also ordered to go and they gave our order to us for there and when we told them they just gave us some cream wrap and sent us on our way. We had to walk home in the rain. I am never going to go their again and I recommend that all of you who read this review do the same. read more

The coffee was great but the staff was not polite making the experience rough. Person taking my order was rude and short with answers about my coffee order. The employee making my drink called out the wrong name so I asked what was waiting at the bar he told me with attitude and repeated the wrong name looked at the cup and realized he said the wrong name and shoved it toward me. read more