Silicon Valley continues to capture the world’s imagination (and ire) as the modern technology industry’s geographic nexus. But the city of San Jose itself, regrettably, so often gets passed over. Americans forget—or simply don’t know—that San Jose is the nation’s 12th largest city and carries with it fascinating cultural and historical legacies. From time immemorial when the Ohlone peoples migrated with the seasons between the rolling hills of the Diablo Range and the shores of the San Francisco Bay, to the transfer of California from Mexico to the United States to post World War II sprawl that forever transformed the region into a metropolitan area, San Jose has learned to reinvent itself, time and again.
Some cities in the United States arrived early to the specialty coffee game, establishing their reputations decades ago. Others have had their coffee awakenings more recently. San Jose, overshadowed by its two coffee famous neighbors to the north, San Francisco and Oakland, has walked its own narrative path with coffee culture, both an early arriver and a late bloomer. A decade and a half ago, third wave coffee’s footprint in the South Bay was small, but influential; Barefoot Coffee launched in 2003, earning national press and helping pioneer an earlier era of mindful coffee sourcing (and providing a first foray into the coffee industry for a number of notable coffee professionals). Today, the region’s cafe scene has in many ways caught up to what you’ll find in Oakland and San Francisco, doing so in inspiring fashion.
Sprudge recently spent a week in the city exploring new and old coffee spaces. Below are some of the ones that sparkle and continue to reinvent the way the city does coffee.
Chromatic Coffee
Opened in 2012, Chromatic Coffee is definitely an old school mover on this list. The roastery cafe operates in the Arts Mercantile Building between downtown and the Willow Glen neighborhood. Talking coffee with owner Hiver van Geenhoven reveals that he is committed to equitably sourcing the world’s best coffees, believes in coffee education, and cares deeply about the future of San Jose.
Van Geenhoven, who was raised between Marin and Santiago, Chile, landed in coffee working as a barista, lab manager, and eventually a green coffee buyer. At Barefoot Coffee, he learned about the trade from mentor and longtime Bay Area coffee warhorse, Andy Newbom. Van Geenhoven’s drive to build up the local coffee scene results in Chromatic’s all-star group of baristas and a one-of-a-kind space that hosts live music, art shows, and latte art throwdowns.
The cafe recalls a time when fruit orchards dotted the landscape in the South Bay. Its charm comes from intersecting motifs: industrial meets DIY meets orchard store boutique, housed in a repurposed packing shed. The Heart’s Nectar captures the spirit perfectly. It features Heart’s Delight Blend cold brew, a squeeze of lemon, blended peaches and apricots, spiced syrup, and—are you ready for this?—the chewiest, most delectable ever barley topper, all served over ice.
Academic Coffee
Academic Coffee’s first location has been a fixture in Downtown’s SoFa district since it was opened in 2017 by the husband and wife team of Frank Nguyen and Kathy Duong. The cafe serves as a community gathering spot for handcrafted drinks like single origin espressos, seasonal favorites, and drinks inspired by considered Asian flavors.
One of Nguyen’s ongoing collaborations has brought back coffee to San Pedro Square Market—one of the city’s most beloved public spaces—in the form of a vintage record store themed cafe, Playback Coffee. Additionally, Academic’s second location on Winchester Blvd. in Santa Clara is now part of an outdoor space that triumphs as an example of urban landscape design. The cafe shares a plaza with Agrihood Santa Clara, an urban farm accessible to the public.
A gorgeously painted grain silo, community garden, bocce ball court, and stage await the concerts and food pop-ups that bring life to this site on weekends. Palm trees, tables adorned with umbrellas, and fragrances wafting in from the garden add another layer of comfort. Inside the modernist shop, a line snakes out the door, and the friendliness of staff that drives the original location prevails. Order an Elderflower Tonic and hang out a while.
Voyager Craft Coffee
Lauren Burns and Sameer Shah envisioned travelers setting off on a global adventure to far-off destinations, so they named their business Voyager Craft Coffee. Their dream took flight after Burns built out a coffee cart in an old garage over a decade ago, which allowed them to sling coffee at local farmers markets. Today, Voyager Craft has six locations, each with its own wonderfully curated interior.
Voyager Craft’s newest location, adjacent to San Pedro Square Market is an eye-popping design of color and creativity. Shah describes the aesthetic as “Willy Wonka meets coffee.” Add murals by local artists and the cafe finishes as visually stunning. The destination menu, a series of delicious drinks—The Tokyo, Lexington, Bali, Manila, Santiago, and Valencia—elevates drink design to the status of art.
Voyager Craft’s newest location opened in July of 2025. At the opening event, DJs pumped out hits on the front patio during a daytime coffee party, hyping the audience with updates while attendees sipped pour over samples and vendors hawked their wares. Mayor Matt Mahan showed up for a ribbon cutting, but the event could have just as easily celebrated San Jose as a fully developed specialty coffee destination.
Moonwake Coffee Roasters
Moonwake Coffee is having a moment as the go-to coffee spot in San Jose. The cafe’s interior showcases the intentional design that Ming and Mabel Wood harnessed to build their cafe (featured in the Build-Outs of Coffee 2024). The botanically inspired vibe diffusing space has three coffee trees growing in a circular planter, inviting guests to forget about the world outside. A relief of the Moonwake logo on the wall opposite the bar further radiates peace and tranquility.
The bar area is highlighted by an elegant half-moon design that looks straight out of a posh hotel, backlit and decorated with brewing equipment. The slo-bar lets visitors engage the baristas making their pour-overs. Through the sliding glass doors at the rear, visitors can gauge that Moonwake is serious about coffee. The staff roasts coffees while others cup newly arriving samples and unpack the results.
Featured drinks include creations like the passionfruit ginger espresso tonic and the Cafe Chicheme, an iced dark roast Americano complimented by a layer of sweet corn cream, flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, honey, and topped with munchable freeze dried corn. The selection of coffees available for pour-overs, espressos, and delivery, such as dynamic cherry Catuai, thermal shock Caturra, and Hacienda La Esmeraldo Guabo 4 Natural Gesha hints at Ming Wood’s obsession to create one of the best coffee programs in the state.
Coffee & Water Lab
Coffee & Water Lab (CWL) was opened in 2021 by husband and wife Luis Pedroza and Amy Hsu. Located in Mitsuwa Market Place, a Bellwether zero emissions roaster hums along during business hours, a Poursteady system automates pour-overs, a Ground Control machine brews drip and Eversys espresso machines work overtime to meet the constant demand, a reminder that technology plays a major role at CWL.
The cafe’s emphasis on alkalinized water is all-encompassing. Pedroza discovered an appreciation for good water while working in Switzerland. Touring coffee venues there and in neighboring Italy sold him on the significance between high quality water and great tasting coffee. The espresso tonic, short Americano, and Edwin Norena Watermelon Patch co-fermented pour-over we sampled during multiple visits added a final measure of proof.
The staff and owners at CWL also understand the art of third spaces, so the cafe comes alive with visitors during peak hours. Their philosophy of social connection is driven by Pedroza and Hsu’s experience with cafe culture in Asia and their business partner Justin Warmkessel’s simple wish to carve out a relaxed space where people can connect over coffee.
Nirvana Soul
Nirvana Soul opened in the SoFa District in 2020 as the long-standing dream of sisters Jeronica Macey and Be’Anka Ashaolu. The cafe stays true to its roots of being inclusive and making specialty coffee available to all. Trimmed in vibrant pink, the cafe’s decorations are as cooly spellbinding. Nirvana Soul also has a spacious mezzanine that overlooks the cafe, a place in which to retreat with a good read and a cappuccino.
Set in a row of Black-owned businesses, the cafe could easily double as a jazz club at night. It’s the type of cafe where you walk in to get some work done but instead get sidetracked by meeting parade of new friends—like a couple passing through from Michigan, the lady next door who owns a cigar shop, or a barista who is about to start a shift but pauses to describe the ways in which the cafe is indeed soulful. The mezzanine can be rented, and the cafe often comes alive with open mic nights, live music, and-dare we say-coffee parties. The sidewalk seating proved an epic opportunity to people watch, and gave us the chance to pet some passerby animal friends while sipping on a Celebration Latte before starting the day.
AM Craft
AM Craft offers a respite from the dizzying pace of life that surrounds San Jose State University, striking a balance between craft and comfort. What the cafe lacks in size, it makes up for with chill neighborhood vibes, perfect for gathering with friends. Inside, the cafe features minimalist decor in a relaxed atmosphere with bar seating and natural light-attracting windows. Outside, San Joseans play chess, commune, and take in the urban scenery, which is accented by a neighboring sandwich shop and laundromat.
In 2022, A.M. Craft debuted as the expression of Michael Shieh and Ashlee Chai’s philosophy of crafting food, coffee, and tea in a space where community and friendship contribute positively to the surrounding area. The drink menu features favorites such as the Marshmallow Latte, Salted Maple Bourbon Latte, and uber-tasty drip flights from a local, an out-of-state, and international roasters.
Eddie Gomez is a freelance journalist based in Modesto, California. This is Eddie Gomez’s first feature for Sprudge.
