Hey hey hey! (Good old "Music Champ" or for those not familiar with that Japanese variety show,…read more"Fat Albert"!) Another legit Japanese bakery in the Yay? You bet! Jiro/Jirou Cafe & Bakery (Jirou Sabou/二郎茶房) is a Japanese cafe on Belmont's Las Pulgas and Carlmont. From what I have gathered as I did my prior scouting/dining scouting (I can't recall anymore), the place is only 3 years old. Seeing that I'm a San Jose/Milpitas cat, I'll type what this place has over Clover and vice versa. This is done not only so that I can recall what I ordered should I enter as I get off 101 again. This is also done so that Belmont residents, Frisco ones and those nearby can get an idea of what to expect when they can decide whether Jiro or Clover has the better batch of items. I felt awful for staying in for 3 hours of the 4 weekend hours of operation yesterday, but as I type up this review and remember to insert the usual "Yes guys, the ladies are cute!" statement, I did get more items before this place closed for the day. I blame/thank the music, especially an Utada Hikaru-san song. The staff's really terrific. The look seems random with a simple look wall and a white and pink stripe look wall that gives me shades of Anna Miller's, but it works because the place is really cute. I mean, there's a Kuromi decoration as opposed to the Too Short name dropped Kitty in Clover! Though there's a kiosk, there's also the ever important bottle of sanitizer and the register should you pay with cash. Okay, I better get the comparison paragraph pair out of the way. Let me show you something--I mean start with what Jiro has over Clover! (Yay "In Living Color".) As I typed in the last paragraph, Jiro has Kuromi. Beside that, there are items such as an iced houjicha latte with in house cream, Japanese sodas including my San Franciscan friend's melon soda that made him wish he's back in Japan, cat shaped bread along with multiple forms of cat decorations, Anpan Man pan with Jiro being the second place I have been to carrying them after Sac's Mahoroba, big savory sandwiches such as yakisoba sando, tonkatsu quesadilla, yuzu cheesecake, pan such as sakura pan, matcha panna cotta, Belgian chocolate brownies, juurokucha bottles (a non-caffeinated tea of 16 ingredients) and on the go snacks such as the Japanese animal crackers boxes. I can't forget the seating, an element Clover had before the pandemic mess. What Clover has over Jiro. Clover has the cooler Sanrio character. Regarding the foods and drinks, Clover has Italian sodas with the Torani syrups, ice cream for the French ones as opposed to cream or half and half, piroshiki/pirozhki, mini versions of sandwiches such as korokke/croquette and okonomiyaki/modan'yaki pan (savory pancake with noodles for the latter if you are not familiar with Japanese food), donut twists, strawberry sando, and Japanese strawberry shortcake. Regarding what I bought, I picked out items I can't get at the other Japanese bakeries I've been to in the sakura pan, the yuzu cheesecake and the houjicha latte. The latte's cream is so silky. The sakura pan is also good. As for the cheesecake, while I think Charlie's (as in the cheesecake place on Redmond) makes the most yummy cheesecake, Jiro's for me probably makes the least guilty cheesecake (a very good trait to have) because it's not that sweet, and yuzu's a good fruit to have. The flaws. Outside of the parking lot across the street, the place has really bad parking, as you can only park for 20 minutes in front of the cafe. You figure that there's the lot around the corner, but don't use it, as it's for the medical center. Also, there are limited hours of operation (11-5 Wednesday to Friday and 12-4 on the weekends). Neither flaw can't be helped I suppose, especially since Belmont isn't really a suburb you think of regarding Japanese food. If only there's a fruit sando or a korokke pan. Jiro is an amazing spot for me. While it unfortunately will never be my top Japanese bakery (I've known Clover's for around 20 years), it is a very good bakery never the less. To think, I found this spot on the fly after having lunch. If you live in Belmont, visit this place often because having a Japanese bakery is like having a Mr. Mays baseball card or for some of you, a shiny Pokemon. Get there early so you don't miss out on items. +/Jiro is a jiving cafe because of its adorable staff, brilliant visuals, and a grand list of Japanese pastries and drinks. -/Carpy parking and limited hours made me twitch.

Not. Good. At. All…read more Nothing is fresh here, it's a little pathetic really. Pork kastsu sandwich: Nearly tasteless, luke warm, cold sauce, cold untoasted bun. I would prefer a mayo or thousand island dressing. No side. Expensive for what you get Yakisoba: Some kind of cheap microwave situation. No meat. Rip off. Came here because of the good reviews and feel duped. AVOID! Bad bad bad. Just horrible.

Store was BUSY! We found this while looking for Trader Joe's! The girls loved the reviews and were…read moreready! I love that they have a rewards club that I definitely signed up for, so when visiting my friend we can come back! Outdoor pics aren't related to this shop, but it does assist with beauty and ambiance! Such a nice little downtown area The girls loved their boba! The only thing that didn't work, was the text stating the drink was done, came in three hours late... To Boba Guys defense it's a service issue with this entire area!!! Has NOTHING to do with Boba Guys!!!

I stopped by on a weekay afternoon. The place was not busy. Strawberry matcha latte was my favorite…read moreitem here. Korean banana milk was my other drink. That was really good as well. I was disappointed that they dont have a restroom for their customers.

I Saw that Yan's Garden has boba tea so I had to give it a try and I found it excellent…read more Friendly staff! Amazing service and most importantly amazing tasting drinks!

Very disappointed. Came here for the first time after lunch for a quick drink. The wife and I both…read moreordered strawberry coconut ice jelly. When we received our drinks we were very disappointed to find there isn't even any strawberry in the drink. There is no description of the drink on the website or ordering kiosk but judging by the picture I would think there's probably supposed to be some strawberry puree in there. Instead what we got was coconut milk with red colored jelly inside. No strawberries! Unfortunately we were already back to our car before we tried our drinks so I couldn't go back and ask if it was supposed to be like that. Coconut milk with sugar actually still tastes good, but totally not what I expected when I ordered a drink that has the name strawberry in it. Note: Judging by the other pictures on Yelp, it looks like there is supposed to be strawberry puree in there but neither of our drinks had any so I guess the lady who made our drinks just left it out

The Brown sugar Boba was amazing Fast service and amazing…read morestaff. It also such a cute place. I love the name and I love clean the establishment was

Hit Hillsdale Mall while in the San Mateo snd stopped by tris place upon my sister's recommendation…read moreand I am glad I did. They had delicious matcha and boba drinks. They are super clean and friendly and didn't even charge us for the cute pink bag to take away our purchase. They are not in the immediate food court area, just a few stalls down so there's no crowding when trying to order. If you like boba and matcha, and are in the Hillsdale Mall, this is the place to stop!

Miso caramel never had anything like it, i'm shocked and…read moreimpressed and very down to get this again or try other things on the menu also the Miso caramel didn't overpower the coffee taste at All which is imo rare? service was great and speedy considering how long the line was (30min before closing too wow) I also loved the decor and I think this would be a great place to work: there's wifi, some seating and I think i saw a plug but not 100% sure

4/5 Kaizen Coffee…read moredefinitely lives up to the hype when it comes to their pour over. The space is clean, modern, and aesthetically nice, but it is pretty small and not really the type of café I would hang out at for hours. It reminded me more of a busy boba shop where you grab your drink and go. We came around 1 PM and waited about 10 minutes. They only allow around six people to queue inside, so there was a pretty steady line of people waiting outside. This place gets BUSY. We tried the black sesame iced latte and a single origin pour over. The pour over was easily a 10/10 for me. I love light roasts that are super fruit forward, bright, and almost tea like, and this was exactly that. The barista was also incredibly friendly and even shared his recipe with me, which I really appreciated. The black sesame latte was one of the drinks we kept seeing on social media, so obviously we had to try it. Unfortunately, it was not our favorite. The black sesame tasted pretty grainy and bitter, which clashed with the sweetness of the coffee rather than complementing it. I would probably give that drink a 3/5. One thing I really liked is their whole bean selection. They had a ton of freshly roasted coffee available, including beans from Hydrangea and Black & White. Overall, Kaizen gets a 4/5 from me. The pour over alone is enough to bring me back, but I was expecting a little more from their black sesame iced latte

Needed a sweet treat after brunch at Brothers Café in the same plaza…read more Passionfruit, orange, and grapefruit green tea hit the spot! Love this unique flavor combo that I haven't seen anywhere else - I may have to customize this combination from now on at other boba spots.

I give up as today's milk tea drink is once again a disappointment and actually the worst, water…read moredown, lack of flavor, and barely any ingrediant drink I've ever had; I think it was 100% water and not tea. This is the 3rd time in a row of diuted drinks and it's included the ice blended drinks too. I've been a loyal Rare Tea San Mateo customer since opening as there was a lack of boba tea places nearby. I often skip getting a drink at one of the 20+ downtown San Mateo drink places just to support this local Rare Tea. I would have brought it back but was already on 92 freeway and didn't want to drive back. Only reason I am giving it 3 stars is 1 extra star because the Boba was still good, and I hope the owner reads this and will improve the product or the staff training so the store will improve. Good luck.

This is a boba bubble tea spot on the famed restaurant row of San Carlos. Nestled on the south side…read moreof laurel. This place has your typical milk tea and fruit tea selextiona including many latte flavors but the difference is that this place features a plush cup that has a plushi3 at the bottom. Tjis also has mochi donuts. A set of labubus line the xountsr.

Pros: - Easy order kiosk…read more- Spacious - Beautifully decorated - Pistachio cream w/bits was used for the latte (not powder) Cons: - Out of the pineapple item I ordered and had to change to mango - The mango supreme was extremely sweet - No option to adjust ice and sweetness level - Our seats and the table were dirty - For the amount of space they could afford to have a bit more seating - The menus are due for an update (taped over with pricing changes) - The employee was on the phone the entire time while making drinks

I stopped by Mints and Honey on a Friday for lunch and had a great experience. We were able to find…read morestreet parking nearby, and since there is no dedicated lot, it was nice that we did not have to pay. As soon as we walked in, we were warmly greeted and seated. The host was very friendly and explained that once we were ready to order, we could head to the register in the back. After placing our order for a group of four, our drinks arrived within just a few minutes. They looked exactly like the menu descriptions and tasted just as good. The food was fresh, hot, and clearly made with quality ingredients. We all especially loved the tomato soup. We also ordered a waffle to share as an appetizer, and it came topped with large, beautiful strawberries that tasted amazing. The portion size was generous. I ordered the Fresh Mozzarella sandwich on ciabatta bread and asked for it toasted, and it was phenomenal. I did not have very high expectations since this was a quick, last minute choice and we did not even check reviews beforehand, but I am so glad we gave it a try. The inside of the restaurant has a cute and colorful vibe, and everything felt clean and well kept. I will definitely be coming back to try more items on the menu

SO CLOSE TO A 5***** review had an employee not been so passive aggressive when bringing is the…read morelast in our order. The food and drinks 5 ***** for this type of brunchie place. My first time here but my girlfriend who was visiting from Texas has eaten here recently while flying through to see her brother. This place very close to SFO airport so a great place to have breakfast Brunch or Lunch before picking up or dropping off at SFO as only 12 to 15 min based on traffic. THE FOOD: Cortado 10/10, Ice Tea 9/10 Flat White 8/10 (from Australian in our foursome) Hot Chocolate 9/10 Mixed salad Amazing. Soft boiled eggs perfectly cooked and balsamic on point. They have great sourdough served with delicious jam. We also had the prosciutto fig and goat cheese which was 10/10 and our friend from Texas enjoyed her GF Sammie. Husband had the Tuna Melt which he said 9/10 only because of the bread, he said 10 if he's had it on the acme sourdough ;-) Next time... The Place: Great location with lots of parking but not this past Sunday as huge event in town but in general loads of street and lot parking near by. Quaint seating inside and outside seating on both sides of this corner location. You order inside and seating is first come first serve so I imagine depending on the time of day it could be hard for any groups over 4 Employee Interaction: Super until the last person we interacted with. You order inside and they bring stuff out as made which is just the nature of busy brunch place. For example we had food come out in staggered spurts which is what you expect so as a example our friend who ordered first (10 min before us ) got her fig Sammie first but we got half our drinks first. Our food was staggered over a 15 min period also very expected at this type of brunch place. The problem came when the lady would brought the last food item the GF item and she said hey are we missing anything and I said yes my cortado and friend who ordered 10 min before we did so half and hour ago said she never got her hot coco. She was Super polite and brought them pretty quickly . We said thanks for finding them for us and she lectured us on how busy they are etc etc and were like WHOA THERE we did not complain although my friend could have as he drink came after she had eaten and 30 min after she ordered and yet we never complained. My complaint is with this staff members attitude, and I "assume" it came from dealing with folks expecting the food or drinks to all come out at same time and thats not how these types of places work. WE GET THAT and again it would have been a 5 had we not been lectured after thanking her for hunting down our drinks ;-) Will I be back SURE the food was great

Surprising little neighborhood store serving the children and the kids in us adults in Belmont…read more Found this place when my hojicha latte go to place was closed. Situated right next door to Jiro's Cafe on Alameda De Las Pulgas. Enjoyed the milk tea that I purchased. Was thrilled that grass jelly was an option on the add ones list. Pleasantly surprised that the prices were more than reasonable. Also available but did not try their frozen yogurt bar... though it was tempting! Next time.

Ya-Ua Yogurt & Boba Tea is located on the street view of a busy main road. I did not realized how…read moreout of the way this spot was, until I was going down the long street it was on. Parking is street parking, but I was lucky and got a spot right out front. The exterior and interior was simple. Not much service either, they looked surprised when I walked in and it felt like they just wanted me in and out quickly. I originally wanted a jasmine green milk tea, which they said they do not have it anymore. Instead of suggesting a green milk tea - the employee just intently stared at me, so I asked If they had a green milk tea instead, which he responded with that they do. He rang me up quickly and told the other employee to make my drink. I looked around and they had a 'Pumping Station' for their frozen yogurt, but the machines did not looked like it had been used in a long time or it even worked. As I was pondering, I received my drink shortly after. My green milk tea with boba tasted okay. It had a good sweetness to it with 50% sugar. It was creamy with only a hint of tea taste, which I enjoyed. It had a graininess to it, which was off-putting. Overall, decent milk tea (besides the graininess) and size for the price.

Got the mocha with cinnamon maple twice this week and it's been delish! So nice to find a local…read moregood price, good crafted, good size latte local around here! Friendly staff and fast service, we got our drinks right away. Not as much of a stay and study place, but more of a stay and chat over a drink. Which is so nice and refreshing. Love that you can sit outside. 10/10 will come back! Mocha is delish Banana bread syrup is delish! Cinnamon maple syrup for the win!

I've been coming to Groovy Goose since they opened about 3 years ago. Whenever a local business is…read morehitting one home run after another, they've got my business - about 95% of my coffee shop dollar goes to the great folks at Groovy. FRIENDLY! The crew there is so pleasant and helpful and smiley - nothing starts a day better than being greeted by all those Groovy Geese (& Ganders). QUALITY! The products - drinks of all kinds, baked goods, sandwiches - always great quality ... I've never had a bad item from groovy. CONSISTENT! Unlike other places, where you hope the that one skilled barista is working, it does not matter who is foaming up my morning drink. The team at Groovy Goose delivers the same yummy hot drink with predictable skill. Kudos to Siera and Nathan for created a local treasure and to their crew for being AWESOME. Thank You!