Gong Cha Willow Glen — Restaurant in San Jose

One of the many things I do after moving to a new place is scout out the local shops, restaurants, gyms, and other businesses to see which ones are worth frequenting. When I found myself living in Willow Glen, I was disappointed to find that the only tea shops I was interested in were located either in downtown SJ or in shopping centers too distant for me to go out of my way for. So, when I saw that there was a Gongcha slated to open up right next to my house, you can probably guess that I was excited to try it out. And man, I'm glad I did.

There are two things that are important to me in a tea or coffee shop. First is obviously the drinks. If the tea is bad, then it's not worth my time. But the ambiance of the place is equally if not more important to me. When I have work to do, I'll usually do it out of the house as it's impossible for me to focus when at home. When I visit a tea shop, I'll spend at least two or three hours there depending on how much work I have. As such, I'm pretty selective, and I'll stick to a dedicated study spot that's in my area. For my time in Willow Glen, this specific Gongcha is that spot.

The tea is quality. Generally, you can tell if a tea place is good by trying out their standard milk teas with less or no sugar. Good tea will be smooth and the flavor of the tea will shine through without being overbearing. Poor quality leaves or over-brewed tea will have a distinctly unpleasant sharp flavor. Tea shops with this issue will often mask this by saturating the drink with sugar and fruity syrups. This Gongcha does not have that issue. I have always enjoyed their tea, regardless of what drink I'm having. Usually, I'll have a brown sugar milk tea with less sugar, but occasionally I'll have a plain jasmine or black milk tea, also with less sugar. On a rare day, I'll have a fruit milk tea. I don't know what their routine for brewing tea is or how often they replace their tea, but it always tastes right regardless of the time of day I go.

I've been going here for a few months, and the place is always well kept and welcoming. It's rarely crowded, and there is usually seating open for me to study at. The decor, furniture, and color scheme are quite nice, and create a relaxing atmosphere. The seats are comfortable, and there's a couple of tables with outlets at them, which suits me just fine. They also decorate the shop according to the season. In October, they had spider webs and little critters in the fake planters, and caution tape on the glass walls. Right now, they have a Christmas tree and some snowflake stickers on the door. It's not exceptional for a place like this to have seasonal decor up, but it does show me that the staff does put thought into the presentation of the store. They also have board games out if you're hanging out with your friends and want to chill out for a bit.

Speaking of the staff, they're really cool. I'm the kind of person that actually dreads being recognized at a shop. I realllly don't want to make small talk with some guy that's only speaking to me because he's noticed me come in like 5 or 6 times before and feels a vague sense of obligation to say something just because he works there. But I don't feel uncomfortable talking with the baristas here since they're genuinely decent people. They always give great service and are clearly capable at their jobs. Shout out to LJ, Annie, Kai, and Destiny!

Overall, whether you're looking to stop by for a quick drink or hang out for a bit, go to this Gongcha! There aren't many, if any, good places to get tea in Willow Glen. You...

A must visit brand new Gong Cha location!

Excellent lighting, simplistic and modern atmosphere, gave me a spacious and refreshing feeling as I walked in and thought that it would also be a great place to hang out and study.

I’ve ordered the brown sugar milk black tea with egg pudding, an always must try for the first time trying out a new place as a personal preference.

I got my particular order with %50 ice and %50 sweetness. Not too sweet, but not too light either while being super fresh, just on point. Amazing. They’ve also let me try a sample of the London fog brown sugar milk tea, and it was more on the bitter side, but the aroma was on point. Although I went with the more recommended black tea, I would definitely want to try out the London fog on my next visit.

The highlight of this visit was honestly the staff members. It’s usually a hit or miss when I go to various milk tea boba spots, but all of the members had a great vibe going on. I really appreciated that.

At the time of my visit, it was LJ, Tiffany, and Kai working at the Kiosk. Everyone was fantastic, but Kai was especially attentive, his calm demeanor and superb customer service made the whole...

I love the variety of drinks. I like the QQ Passion Fruit Green Tea, Brown Sugar Boba Milkshake, and the Strawberry Yogurt Smoothie. You can change the sweetness and ice levels for most drinks. Another plus for me is they use the eco friendly sugarcane fiber straw!

As for the physical storefront, there is plenty of seating with space. It is not tight like many tea shops. They even have some board games you can borrow and play.

They have multiple kiosks (2 in the lobby and 2 at the "register") to order from. The staff is nice.

They sometimes have promos like a pin or keychain with a purchase of a certain dollar amount!

Their app is pretty good, so you can order ahead/for pickup.

They have a weekly free drink raffle on Friday. You can also rent the space for events with tea and snacks. You can also get...