Academic Coffee — Restaurant in San Jose

Academic is a nice treat for me just a short distance from home.

I stick to plain coffee with half-and-half. I've tried Ethiopian, Nicaraguan, and Costa Rican to date. I think the best and most consistent of the bunch has been the Nicaraguan. I do find that the flavors and acidity on the brewed coffee fluctuate between visits, so some days are better than others, overall it's solid.

Main negative critiques comes from my partner whom has only tried two drinks. Decaf Breve Latte and Decaf Americano. Breve used too much half-and-half, and not enough coffee, and foam was lacking. The Decaf Americano we could tell the beans had good flavor, but the drink itself was brewed really weak. It was quite busy, so your mileage may vary. I might try a chai or vanilla latte one of these days and update my review.

As for food and pastries....

Miso Banana Bread is a top contender for my favorites. Not quite had a banana bread like it in taste and texture, the crispy rice I think is what makes it for me.

Chocolate Chip Cookie and Brownie are absolutely awesome, and are worthy of a 5-10 second zap in the microwave for melty bliss. The cookie edges over the brownie slightly just because of the added salt.

Orange Sugar Bun is really good, fluffy and moist, the candied orange peel and sugar pearls add a nice touch of flavor and sweetness without going overboard.

Cinnamon Roll and Cinnamon Apple Danish take their cinnamon seriously. The roll had some flavor notes possibly cardamom or maybe just a not so typical variety of cinnamon, either way it was very unique and for any die hard lover of cinnamon you'd be doing yourself a disservice not to give it a try.

Miso Cookie is subtly savory and more on the sweet side. It's a very interesting cookie. Slightly crispy edges and chewy center. Goes really well with their coffee.

Ham & Chesse Croissant if it was offered everyday would probably be my go-to. Croissant is crispy and buttery. The ham and cheese on point.

Seasonal Lox Bagel and Smoke Trout Bagel were some menu items I decided to give a try since it was available. Both were awesome, the Lox Bagel was hands down way better. All the ingredients were high quality, and super tasty...

I loved their ice coffee ($3.50)! Super mild and we'll rounded flavor, not crazy strong and in-your-face like some ice coffees can be. Great addition to my day. Chocolate croissant ($6) is pretty fantastic, great buttery pastry and chocolate is good quality, not too sweet but not too dark... perfect flakiness on top and crispiness at the ends! Honestly, it was great but a little expensive so next time I'll just go for the coffee and maybe a smaller pastry... ube mochi muffins ($4) from Third Culture are the best! They even sell the churro variety ($4) here, and of course a good selection of the mochi donuts ($4).

Barista/cashier was lovely and helpful, very sweet. Very quick service as well, granted it was just an ice coffee and pastry out of the display case but it was ready before I had a chance to out my wallet back in my backpack! The line went by fairly quick as well. Open and bright atmosphere was lovely, lots of people chatting or working at their respective tables. Lots of outdoor seating with varying degrees of shade from a nearby tree. Overall, great quality coffee place but some pastries are a bit expensive... though they are well-crafted and delicious!

Update: Tried the ice coffee another time and I regret not asking for what beans they used for the first ice coffee I had here cause (of course!) they change up the beans for the ice coffee. This time was a different coffee, still good but not my favorite flavor profile personally. There was the flavor of - if you've ever tried a cacao bean - that kind of acrid, sourish/acidic flavor that is very distinct. Still very drinkable and not overly strong but man, I am so sad I didn't think to ask exactly what they used for my favorite first cup! Wouldn't change my rating though; this experience just means that despite the small cafe size they have a diverse selection of coffees and flavors to suit your...

I love Academic Coffee and been visiting for years. I hope this review finds the right person because I’m not sure what happened to their quality and service. I’ve always enjoyed their coffee, when I lived in the area it was my everyday and posted on IG all the time and constantly told friends/ fam to visit them. Now that I live a little away I don’t visit as often, more like once every 3-4 months. So, this is the second time in 6 months when I have been unhappy with the drink that I have ordered. This time though when I went back and mentioned to the person at the cash register that the drink seems to be only milk and I don’t get any vanilla notes and barely taste the espresso, she kinda shrugged it away. I did notice that my drink was ready almost immediately post payment, which I didn’t think much of initially. In my experience espresso drinks take a little more than a few seconds.

Note: Also, the minimum tip amount starts around 20% but display shows in $ (I calculated based on total bill amount). This time it was undeserving in my opinion.

I hope Academic improves their service and look at how the drinks are being made. I’m willing to go back another time, just coz I’ve always loved this place and want to believe that it was a bad day. Hope I can post a more positive...