Philz Coffee — Restaurant in San Jose

Edit: Jan/24

Philz is back, service and drinks have been astounding the past two months.

Replace, not remove.

This was my beloved coffee shop, I came here 3 times a week (years ago) when I went to SJSU, but something happened and the magic isn't there anymore.

My experience before: The moment I walk in I’d smell the soothing sensation of coffee beans shuffling around the store. The baristas would joyfully welcome me in and gladly offer suggestions on what to try that day. Staff would hum along to my favorite hip-hop and R&B artist being played in the speakers while my favorite drink was being made. Lastly my favorite quote, “Try this and let me know if it needs any adjustments.” as the barista confidently waited for my obvious approval. I didn’t come to this store to get coffee, I came to this store to find moments of peace, joy, safety, laughter, and community from my chaotic school life.

Now: The atmosphere is stressful and uncomfortable Staff do not feel passionate or happy working there Baristas won’t look in your direction when they call your name Drinks taste more like flavor water than coffee Mint Mojitos uses half the amount of mint as it did before Avocado toast (delicious) is no longer on the menu The prices rose in exchange for less flavor and less service

Maybe social distancing removed their charm Maybe Covid supply chain issues removed their quality Maybe the removal of Fire/Police Department patches also removed the feeling of peace, community, and unity

I hope management will find creative solutions to recreate the charming culture Philz once had. Don’t...

The coffee is why one comes here. Period.

Philz has a large variety of light, medium, and dark roasts that are ground and brewed to order as sweet and creamy as you like. Their trick of the trade is using a huge amount of ground coffee to brew a single cup in order to produce a very strongly flavored product. Each cup is made individually by pouring near-boiling water over your ground coffee of choice and through what looks like cheesecloth.

Protip: Bring your own coffee mug and they will fill it, no matter how big it is, and only charge you for the price of a regular small coffee. This will save you 50 cents off the price of a large, plus you'll get more coffee than will fit in one of their large cups.

As far as the atmosphere is concerned, it's always cold inside, the outside seating is uncomfortable, and it's not particularly clean or welcoming in either. The furnishings are of the typical funky college coffee house variety.

Philz offers some prepared foods, some of which they will warm up for you. They always look a little sad; like they've sat in a case for several days. I haven't ever tried any food there myself and have only rarely seen anyone else actually eat anything they've purchased on site.

If you enjoy people-watching, this particular Philz is a great place to do so, especially when SJSU is in session. Bear in mind, the downtown location attracts a good cross-section of folks: from college students to cops on patrol to bleary-eyed residents of the adjacent high-end condos who shuffle in wearing their bathrobes and...

Right across street from the SJSU campus. Opens early 7 days a week to caffeinated the area. This location is definitely a SJSU student hangout / study hall no matter what time of day with the university is in session.

Like all Philz, location is always busy. There will be a wait, but the line does move quickly.

And with all Bay Area Philz locations I have been to, the friendly baristas know their stuff and are very familiar with both Philz’s coffee and food menus. They can quickly figure out what your like to drink if you need drink recommendations while quickly getting down to business and making your customized coffee drink while you wait.

I always do like their prompt, reassuring Philz statement as the Barista hands you the cup - “taste it before you leave to be sure your happy” — so you are never disappointed with what you ordered. I have never asked to make me another coffee.

There is seating both indoors and outdoors. Front doors are wide open so very easy for a disabled person to get in and out without any assistance.

To reduce your wait time, it is faster to order ahead using the Philz app.

As for parking, this location is more of a neighborhood drop in, walk-by kind of place than to find parking and then walk in...