Co Ba Dessert, Tea & Coffee — Restaurant in San Jose

Came here at 7pm on Wednesday with my mom for dessert after dinner. The store is clean. You're met with a beautiful mural on the wall and the interior is thoughtfully decorated in a green and red theme.

The staff was super friendly and helpfully answered any questions I had about the menu. I went to the digital ordering kiosk because I wanted to see photos of all the items. There's a wide variety of desserts and drinks. It costs around $7 for drinks and $10 for desserts which is a bit much but it seems to be on par with the likes of Meet Fresh and local boba shops. Boba is included in the drink price too!

I got a Jasmine Blossom and a Saigon Pearl. I asked for sweetness recommendations and while the cashier said to do regular since it's not that sweet, it was pretty sweet for me so I'd recommend going less sweet.

The Jasmine Blossom was a good, creamy Jasmine milk tea. If you like creamy, this is nice although I waited for my ice to melt since I like it less dense.

The Saigon Pearl is similar to my preferred drink at Bambu. It's quite sweet as well so we added more ice at home. I don't like sweet beans like mung beans so get this if you're like me. The texture of everything made it easy to drink with a straw or spoon. The lid had a crack when we received it though.

We got the Hoi An Imperial to share which is a warm chè and the wait is around 10 minutes since it's made fresh to order. It was hot! Wait or blow a bit before eating the grass jelly. My mom noted how fragrant the jelly was. The textures all worked so well together. We ate it at a table inside.

Many people were trickling in throughout our time there. I'd totally come back when I'm...

This store totally surprised me with its elegant and tasteful interior! Mind blown! I’ve never been to such a pretty and Instagram-able dessert place. And it feels so traditional and so Vietnam!

Co Ba Dessert is tucked away in a strip mall off North First Street which is right across from Samsung in North San Jose, next to Subway and adjacent to Noodle Express. Parkings are a bit scarce so prepare to circle around a bit, especially during lunch time.

I love the store’s combination of beige, dark brown, earthy red and green interior! It reminded me of Vietnam with reddish brown earth and green forest of bamboos.

The full portrait of a beautiful lady wearing traditional Vietnamese Ao Dai on the left wall will immediately capture your attention as well! The portrait pops up the entire place and grounds it at the same time.

There are many nice seating areas around the store and all looks zen and tastefully located, such as next to the big windows or against the beautiful portrait. It will give you endless opportunities for Instagram! Yes, please do it for the grams 😉!

You can order at the cashier area or self order at the iPad ordering station. The menu is easy to navigate and has various options from warm Vietnamese desserts to milk teas. We opted for the Classic Jasmine and Oolong Milk Teas as we had many meetings in the afternoon and needed those caffeine 😝

Their drinks are lovely with strong and bold tea flavors. However, it’s a bit too sweet for my taste. Maybe next time I’ll opt for the 50% sweetness instead.

I’ll come back soon to try their other items!...

Had the opportunity to check out Cô Ba Cafe for their soft opening. It's a Vietnamese coffee, tea and dessert cafe on the north side of San Jose near Levi's Stadium and Samsung US HQ.

On the coffee tip, they have "The Classic" & "Phintastic," which are two slightly different versions of Cà Phê Sữa Ðá (Vietnamese Iced Coffee). Both have condensed milk but the Phintastic also contains whole milk. "Sweet & Salty", aka Cà Phê Muối (Salted Cream Iced Coffee). The sweetness is adjustable (I'm more of a 25-50% person) and the coffee doesn't have hazelnut or flavoring, just straight quality ingredients.

They also have many other menu choices such as fruit teas, milk teas, hot drinks, blended drinks and desserts. I've tried the Tropical Oasis which blends together jasmine tea, passion fruit, lime, & peach and the Avocado Heaven, a freshly made avocado smoothie with a hint of coconut. They go to great lengths to use natural ingredients, such as opting to boil their pandan from scratch instead of using the bright green canned kind like many cafes do.

They have a really nice clean and well-designed modern interior with plenty of seating. On the wall is a large portrait on the wall of a woman name Cô Ba, a younger version of a street vendor. Looking forward to trying more of their desserts when they are available, probably as they get closer to their grand opening. It's great to have a legit Viet-style cafe in North San Jose. Their iced coffee will be perfect for when it starts...