we love stopping in for breakfast or lunch! The food is always tasty and the coffee hot. We usually get the egg and bacon sandwich
Tram N.
Had part of the day to myself so I figured I should go on a me date to enjoy some food and quiet time in my neighborhood. I live 2 min. away and despite how close I am I don't venture out as often as I should. It was incredibly windy that Sunday otherwise I would have opted to sit outside. Speed wasn't an issue because I received my order w/in 5-6 minutes. I had my brow touch-up appt. at noon, I walked in and ordered around 11:10. I ordered the taco salad, their tomato basil soup, and their cauliflower quiche. I have been to Purple Onion once in Los Gatos many moons ago. I remember the salad was not only delicious but pricey but the price here was nearly $2 lower. The soup was creamy and a little tart. The quiche was amazing. Definitely order this! The salad was huge; crisp and fresh.. I made it into 2 portions because of its size. I'd totally order the salad again, too. Don't get me wrong. I'm not one of those trying to steer clear of carbs and FYI cauliflower (and every other vegetables) have carbs.. it irks me when people are chowing down a salad and say they're not eating carbs. You order, you pay, and you seat yourself. Once your order is ready the pager will buzz. You can order a beverage or opt for water that you can refill on the counter (by the napkins and utensils). Super clean. Super cute. Love Willow Glen. I had a great me date. Thank you.
Alan Zoller
Great food, but a little pricey for my tastes.
Charleen R.
So excited to find another Purple Onion! I have been to the ones in Los Gatos and Campbell, and had no idea there was one in Willow Glen! Food is just as good and the space is modern and cool.
Tania S.
Nothing special... I ordered the vegetable quiche which was just okay and the lox spread, which poorly presented; a clump of lox and blob of cream cheese. The baguette it came with was eh and the dried tomato spread was disgusting.
Jeff Shipp
Lox plate with pretzel bagel deconstructed and a medium cafe at lait.
Matthew Iaquinto
Very expensive, but hands down best salad I've ever eaten
Mihaela Tanase
Came here for breakfast. $16.95 for a half sandwich and cup of soup. They were good but portion sizes were rather small and the food is way overpriced. $16.95 did not fill me up like a breakfast should. On the good side, they can customize sandwiches with gluten free bread. Ambiance of small mall with high glass ceilings and indoor seating is great. I see wines on offer too. Did not taste the coffee. At the Los Gatos location you can definitely fill up for breakfast with $16.95. The Willow Glen location doesn't have enough to offer for the price to keep me coming back.
Paulina B.
This is my favorite place in San Jose for a nice healthy salad! They also have two locations in Los Gatos. Very clean place (Cleanliness is a big deal to me) large portions, super fresh, healthy and delicious!! I highly recommend the Purple Onion Cafe and I'm super picky!!
Drake Martinet
Really enjoyed my salad, and the iced latte was top-notch. I’ve been looking for a nice, well-lit place to do work in downtown Willow Glen, and I think I’ve found it. Really fantastic spot, despite the non-standard real estate (an arcade of shops inside an old theater)
I really want to like this place, since I love their Los Gatos location, but it just keeps missing the mark. They've been out of chai the last two weeks at least, and whenever I get a breakfast sandwich it's burnt and all I can taste is burnt bread. For the price, not at all worth it,
Katrina C.
I was walking down Lincoln Ave and looking for a place to stop by for lunch. I had a few minimum requirements in mind: 1.) something healthy, 2.) considerably affordable, and 3.) a peaceful space where I can have personal time to myself. I started on the Minnesota Ave end and made my way towards Willow St. I checked out several menus until I finally settled on Purple Onion Cafe. Purple Onion loosely checked off on all 3 of my criteria, but what particularly got me was their farm-to-table business practices. I trusted that the ingredients were fresh and locally sourced. After I placed my order for a glass of wine and a Big Clean Salad with chicken, I found a cozy little corner in the restaurant that looked out on Lincoln Ave. There were a handful of guests in the restaurant, but it was quiet enough to enjoy some leisurely reading while eating. No fuss in waiting for my order; it was delivered directly to me when ready. The Big Clean Salad with chicken was so yummy! The salad had lots of flavors and textures as it consisted of mixed greens, baby kale, cucumbers, tomatoes, purple onion, olives, carrots, peas, goat cheese, croutons, pumpkin seeds, and chunks of chicken. I liked that the vinaigrette was mixed in lightly. What was also great about the salad was how big it was for a half order. I felt very satisfied and wasn't able to finish the last couple of bites. I must say that the half salad was a bit pricey still. A half salad for $8 turned into $12 with the addition of the chicken. The costs of adding protein/toppings varied depending on what you got. You can choose among chicken, salmon, tuna salad, steak, meatloaf, and grilled veggies. The chicken was the cheapest.
Cha D.
Love the iced coffee mocha which I usually order. I also love the ambience and the interiors of the coffee shop. They also serve soups and some type of sandwiches aside from the usual pastries.
Meeko B.
The spinach quiche was plentiful and tasty but wasn't left in the microwave long enough to get it even warm. I should have taken it back to the counter to give it 30 seconds more time but was too engrossed in conversation with my friend to do it...my bad! 9-7-19
Barbara B.
Hit or miss with service, expensive food. I went here a couple times over a year ago and found the wait staff to be very surly (same with the one in Los Gatos), so I stopped going. Since Le Boulangerie closed I gave this another try a couple months ago. The wait staff was very pleasant the first five times. The food is still expensive for hot dishes that are pre-made and heated up. Today I decided to try a cup of soup. I asked if it came with bread and was told it did. The soup came out with no bread - a different server flat out said "only the bowl has bread". When I politely mentioned that all the staff should have that understanding, she had nothing to say and walked away. And it was $6.50 for a small coffee cup size of broth with a few vegetables. Wish I hadn't left a $1 tip.
we love stopping in for breakfast or lunch! The food is always tasty and the coffee hot. We usually get the egg and bacon sandwich
Had part of the day to myself so I figured I should go on a me date to enjoy some food and quiet time in my neighborhood. I live 2 min. away and despite how close I am I don't venture out as often as I should. It was incredibly windy that Sunday otherwise I would have opted to sit outside. Speed wasn't an issue because I received my order w/in 5-6 minutes. I had my brow touch-up appt. at noon, I walked in and ordered around 11:10. I ordered the taco salad, their tomato basil soup, and their cauliflower quiche. I have been to Purple Onion once in Los Gatos many moons ago. I remember the salad was not only delicious but pricey but the price here was nearly $2 lower. The soup was creamy and a little tart. The quiche was amazing. Definitely order this! The salad was huge; crisp and fresh.. I made it into 2 portions because of its size. I'd totally order the salad again, too. Don't get me wrong. I'm not one of those trying to steer clear of carbs and FYI cauliflower (and every other vegetables) have carbs.. it irks me when people are chowing down a salad and say they're not eating carbs. You order, you pay, and you seat yourself. Once your order is ready the pager will buzz. You can order a beverage or opt for water that you can refill on the counter (by the napkins and utensils). Super clean. Super cute. Love Willow Glen. I had a great me date. Thank you.
Great food, but a little pricey for my tastes.
So excited to find another Purple Onion! I have been to the ones in Los Gatos and Campbell, and had no idea there was one in Willow Glen! Food is just as good and the space is modern and cool.
Nothing special... I ordered the vegetable quiche which was just okay and the lox spread, which poorly presented; a clump of lox and blob of cream cheese. The baguette it came with was eh and the dried tomato spread was disgusting.
Lox plate with pretzel bagel deconstructed and a medium cafe at lait.
Very expensive, but hands down best salad I've ever eaten
Came here for breakfast. $16.95 for a half sandwich and cup of soup. They were good but portion sizes were rather small and the food is way overpriced. $16.95 did not fill me up like a breakfast should. On the good side, they can customize sandwiches with gluten free bread. Ambiance of small mall with high glass ceilings and indoor seating is great. I see wines on offer too. Did not taste the coffee. At the Los Gatos location you can definitely fill up for breakfast with $16.95. The Willow Glen location doesn't have enough to offer for the price to keep me coming back.
This is my favorite place in San Jose for a nice healthy salad! They also have two locations in Los Gatos. Very clean place (Cleanliness is a big deal to me) large portions, super fresh, healthy and delicious!! I highly recommend the Purple Onion Cafe and I'm super picky!!
Really enjoyed my salad, and the iced latte was top-notch. I’ve been looking for a nice, well-lit place to do work in downtown Willow Glen, and I think I’ve found it. Really fantastic spot, despite the non-standard real estate (an arcade of shops inside an old theater)
Restaurantji Recommends
I really want to like this place, since I love their Los Gatos location, but it just keeps missing the mark. They've been out of chai the last two weeks at least, and whenever I get a breakfast sandwich it's burnt and all I can taste is burnt bread. For the price, not at all worth it,
I was walking down Lincoln Ave and looking for a place to stop by for lunch. I had a few minimum requirements in mind: 1.) something healthy, 2.) considerably affordable, and 3.) a peaceful space where I can have personal time to myself. I started on the Minnesota Ave end and made my way towards Willow St. I checked out several menus until I finally settled on Purple Onion Cafe. Purple Onion loosely checked off on all 3 of my criteria, but what particularly got me was their farm-to-table business practices. I trusted that the ingredients were fresh and locally sourced. After I placed my order for a glass of wine and a Big Clean Salad with chicken, I found a cozy little corner in the restaurant that looked out on Lincoln Ave. There were a handful of guests in the restaurant, but it was quiet enough to enjoy some leisurely reading while eating. No fuss in waiting for my order; it was delivered directly to me when ready. The Big Clean Salad with chicken was so yummy! The salad had lots of flavors and textures as it consisted of mixed greens, baby kale, cucumbers, tomatoes, purple onion, olives, carrots, peas, goat cheese, croutons, pumpkin seeds, and chunks of chicken. I liked that the vinaigrette was mixed in lightly. What was also great about the salad was how big it was for a half order. I felt very satisfied and wasn't able to finish the last couple of bites. I must say that the half salad was a bit pricey still. A half salad for $8 turned into $12 with the addition of the chicken. The costs of adding protein/toppings varied depending on what you got. You can choose among chicken, salmon, tuna salad, steak, meatloaf, and grilled veggies. The chicken was the cheapest.
Love the iced coffee mocha which I usually order. I also love the ambience and the interiors of the coffee shop. They also serve soups and some type of sandwiches aside from the usual pastries.
The spinach quiche was plentiful and tasty but wasn't left in the microwave long enough to get it even warm. I should have taken it back to the counter to give it 30 seconds more time but was too engrossed in conversation with my friend to do it...my bad! 9-7-19
Hit or miss with service, expensive food. I went here a couple times over a year ago and found the wait staff to be very surly (same with the one in Los Gatos), so I stopped going. Since Le Boulangerie closed I gave this another try a couple months ago. The wait staff was very pleasant the first five times. The food is still expensive for hot dishes that are pre-made and heated up. Today I decided to try a cup of soup. I asked if it came with bread and was told it did. The soup came out with no bread - a different server flat out said "only the bowl has bread". When I politely mentioned that all the staff should have that understanding, she had nothing to say and walked away. And it was $6.50 for a small coffee cup size of broth with a few vegetables. Wish I hadn't left a $1 tip.