MoonBean's Coffee — Restaurant in San Jose

Came because of the good reviews, left... confused. Had an iced latte ($3+, small) and a Will Turner breakfast sandwich (without eggs, $5+). Dining partner had a soy latte ($5+, large) and a Joe Montana breakfast sandwich ($5+). The breakfast sandwiches are good but so very tiny, not worth the price... not very satisfying. Also the avocado is more like a guacamole than sliced avocados which wasn't bad, but for the price I was thinking it'd be fresh sliced.

As for the coffee, the ice coffee with regular whole milk and no sweeteners was extremely milky and sweet (from the milk???). It was much more like milk with a smidge of coffee than coffee with milk, ratio was definitely odd. It was not pleasant to drink. The soy milk they use is also incredibly sweet and had the same issue with huge ratio of cream to coffee. Got the Ethiopian Sidamo (1lb for $16) for home pour-over coffee and that was okay, nothing special.

The employees were nice and informative so that was a plus. The set-up of the cafe makes it a little difficult to look at the menu without seeming like you're in line, or getting past people who are looking at the menu. There is an okay pastry selection including donuts which are very average, a few gluten/wheat-free options which was nice to see. There was a neighborhood-type atmosphere so it feels like people like this place maybe for the vibe or social connection, but the actual coffee, food, and prices for the portions of the food... I wasn't amazed by.

Sadly it didn't live up to the reviews, a very...

[the coffee] Great local coffee shop, using freshly roasted and grinded coffee beans. I had a flat white and it was on point, nice coffee art, great flavor which was not at all overpowered by the milk (5/5).

[Staging] I loved the details in the staging of the café... some sacks of beans, a beautiful custom built coffee roasting machine by the San Franciscan Roaster Co., a wall displaying a variety of beans, digital menu and hanging vintage-looking light bulbs (5/5).

[Seating] I think the seating area was a little bit overlooked (3/5). Yet it is good enough for working... the chairs are comfortable and there are plenty of electrical outlets, internet speed is average, not so good for conference calls but you can get some research done and some emails through, I would say a 3/5. There's also an outside seating area.

[Food] Over to the snacks and pastries, it looks like a Costco run, with standard cookies and muffins, there's room for improvement.

[Service] Very kind staff! I just felt a little uncomfortable as I witnessed the manager complaining to one of her team members.

[Parking] The coffee place is inside a shopping area, so yes! There is plenty of space...

A friend took us here after lunch, and recommended the dark roast pour over, and it was good! The shop roasts its own coffee right on site on a daily basis in a San francisco roaster that costs $70,000! The owner is happy to tell you how it works and at what temperature he roasts that coffee. There are bags of raw coffee in burlap bags right next to the machine. The beans are initially green and look kind of like peas, but the final product looks like what you buy in the store. The coffee shop itself is cozy and has nice chairs and a couple of small sofas to sit in. You will find people drinking coffee and working here all the time. When the roaster is on, it gets warm inside, but you can sit away from it or go sit outside too. So how's the coffee? Very good, better than Peet's or Starbucks. The pour over is the most flavorful and I liked that a lot, but I diversified and tried the Cafe au lait and that was excellent too. The coffee has plenty of caffeine and I enjoyed the pick up. So this is an authentic coffee shop with excellent product in an nice unpretentious atmosphere that I...