Really mediocre place. They don’t actually know how to make coffee drinks, unfortunately. I ordered a flat white and was served a 12oz latte.
Service I found to be subpar, zero acknowledgement of customers, more baristas standing behind the counter just chit-chatting versus acknowledging the line at the counter or even making drinks?
I’m glad the team is friendly with each other though, that’s good.
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 1
J Shah
Stumbled upon this eatery while looking for a coffee shop after a grueling Costco run! It is super conveniently located right next to the Costco Almaden. Not only is the coffee excellent, but the banh mi is one of the better ones we’ve tried….Especially the bread! I love that there is a limited choice, but whatever is made is made well. We’ve tried the chicken and the veggie/tofu banh mi. But really the bread is the best part….I know I said that once already. The sandwich could do with some more veggies but you can always pay for some extras. We’ve been there three times and there’s a host of younger people working in the store and the service is always pleasant and quick. There’s plenty of seating inside and outside. If you’re in the mood for coffee and some quick bites, this is the place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nancy Lara
Be ready to spend 20-30 min waiting for your order. Cashier recommended iced vanilla latte since it was their best seller, and it was not worth the wait. Took a few sips and tossed the drink outside Trader Joe’s. It didn’t taste good. Staff doesn’t seem happy to be there either.
Service: 1
Meghan Hall Gefrides
An absolute favorite! The avocado toast is always perfectly made, simple but delicious and light. The Nutella toast and persimmon toast are also personal favorites, done very well. Also recommend a quiche!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
eyal bek
Great local place near Costco and trader’s Joe’s Gibraltar was solid
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Moran David
Spectra Coffee is a gem in San Jose. I stopped by today and had their Gibraltar, and it was outstanding—beautifully balanced, rich, and smooth, with the kind of precision you only get from a shop that truly cares about coffee. The espresso was perfectly dialed in, the milk texture was spot on, and the overall experience felt thoughtful and high-quality. Great atmosphere, friendly baristas, and clearly a place for people who appreciate the craft of coffee. I’ll definitely be coming back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Emily Shung
At one point Spectra’s vanilla bean latte was one of my favorites in the South Bay. Recently, however, I felt the quality has gone down. The espresso tastes more bitter and the vanilla flavor and aroma is either not there or completely overpowered. I’ve found that if I get a single shot of espresso the flavor balance is better, although I wish that they had decaf espresso. My recommendation is 1oz coffee both for a superior vanilla latte with decaf options — but it’s quite a bit pricier and I have to drive farther.
Parking is usually easy to moderate here (depends on when Costco/Trader Joe’s gets busy) and the cafe gets busy by around 9:30 or 10.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Alicia Keeney
If you want to stop by to grab a quick coffee, this is not the place. I come here sometimes before going to Costco and only when the line is short. The service here for some reason is extremely slow especially when there's a line longer than 3 people..expect to wait about 15 to 20 minutes to get your drink and even longer if you order food. Another thing that I've noticed is that the person running the cash register and handling cash is also preparing your drinks and fetching your food..so that's a big no for me. Isn't there a rule against that?
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Anne Lewis
My favorite local coffee shop. The only drawback is that it is so popular that the wait can be long. It is still my favorite spot for a morning coffee and avocado toast!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pandan Waffle, 3'' Quiche
Akshay Patel
Amazing service and nice atmosphere. Lots of people working, seats fill up quick. Normal iced latte was great.
This was a really disappointing experience. Hot chocolate was more hot milk than chocolate, the americano was luke warm and the ice coffee had no flavor. Just everything was really underwhelming and a waste of time and money.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Robert swain
Throw your diet and food restrictions out the window - heaven on earth if you have a stout wallet and unlimited calorie daily intake!
I go there as often as I can..
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Shimaa Mohamed
Lovely place…. Rich coffee… nice people
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Orizema
Popped in because I was nearby getting groceries and hadn’t eaten. Never seen/heard of it before so the layout confused me at first because no one was at the “register” and I couldn’t distinguish it from the pickup area. Once I got my bearings and was ready to order, the person who came over didn’t greet me or seem friendly. It didn’t feel like there was an obvious waiting area if you’re just getting takeout because the space next to the pickup area was narrow (due to more/rearranged furniture not seen in other reviews’ pics), so I sat a ways away by the window. It was loud and my hearing is poor enough that I didn’t hear when one of my items was ready. Still, managed to get both items and went on my way. The cinnamon twist pastry was yummy and satisfied the craving I had for a cinnamon roll without being overly sweet. I wanted to try the sausage mushroom quiche as well but they were out so I swapped for the sun dried tomato and it was delicious.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Jen Sharif
Spectra Coffee has some of the best food I’ve had at a café. Thank you Bryan for your patience and recommendations. The mushroom and spinach quiche was honestly the best quiche I’ve ever tasted—highly recommend. I ordered the banana cream latte, which was very subtle in flavor; adding caramel made it sweeter to my liking.
My husband enjoyed his mocha, which had a strong, rich chocolate flavor. The cashier mentioned they use Ghirardelli chocolate sourced from the San Francisco factory. We did ask for hazelnut flavoring, but they didn’t have it available. His yogurt parfait was also delicious—fresh ingredients and lightly sweetened with honey.
The only downsides were the long wait and difficulty finding a table, but it was an extremely busy Saturday around 10:30 AM. Despite the crowds, I’d definitely come back for the food and to try their rose or mint latte next time. I did want to mention the staff were working very hard to get through orders and were super kind and helpful. It was a very pleasant experience overall.
Really mediocre place. They don’t actually know how to make coffee drinks, unfortunately. I ordered a flat white and was served a 12oz latte.
Service I found to be subpar, zero acknowledgement of customers, more baristas standing behind the counter just chit-chatting versus acknowledging the line at the counter or even making drinks?
I’m glad the team is friendly with each other though, that’s good.
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 1
Stumbled upon this eatery while looking for a coffee shop after a grueling Costco run! It is super conveniently located right next to the Costco Almaden. Not only is the coffee excellent, but the banh mi is one of the better ones we’ve tried….Especially the bread! I love that there is a limited choice, but whatever is made is made well. We’ve tried the chicken and the veggie/tofu banh mi. But really the bread is the best part….I know I said that once already. The sandwich could do with some more veggies but you can always pay for some extras. We’ve been there three times and there’s a host of younger people working in the store and the service is always pleasant and quick. There’s plenty of seating inside and outside. If you’re in the mood for coffee and some quick bites, this is the place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Be ready to spend 20-30 min waiting for your order. Cashier recommended iced vanilla latte since it was their best seller, and it was not worth the wait. Took a few sips and tossed the drink outside Trader Joe’s. It didn’t taste good. Staff doesn’t seem happy to be there either.
Service: 1
An absolute favorite! The avocado toast is always perfectly made, simple but delicious and light. The Nutella toast and persimmon toast are also personal favorites, done very well. Also recommend a quiche!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great local place near Costco and trader’s Joe’s
Gibraltar was solid
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Spectra Coffee is a gem in San Jose. I stopped by today and had their Gibraltar, and it was outstanding—beautifully balanced, rich, and smooth, with the kind of precision you only get from a shop that truly cares about coffee. The espresso was perfectly dialed in, the milk texture was spot on, and the overall experience felt thoughtful and high-quality. Great atmosphere, friendly baristas, and clearly a place for people who appreciate the craft of coffee. I’ll definitely be coming back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
At one point Spectra’s vanilla bean latte was one of my favorites in the South Bay. Recently, however, I felt the quality has gone down. The espresso tastes more bitter and the vanilla flavor and aroma is either not there or completely overpowered. I’ve found that if I get a single shot of espresso the flavor balance is better, although I wish that they had decaf espresso. My recommendation is 1oz coffee both for a superior vanilla latte with decaf options — but it’s quite a bit pricier and I have to drive farther.
Parking is usually easy to moderate here (depends on when Costco/Trader Joe’s gets busy) and the cafe gets busy by around 9:30 or 10.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
If you want to stop by to grab a quick coffee, this is not the place. I come here sometimes before going to Costco and only when the line is short. The service here for some reason is extremely slow especially when there's a line longer than 3 people..expect to wait about 15 to 20 minutes to get your drink and even longer if you order food. Another thing that I've noticed is that the person running the cash register and handling cash is also preparing your drinks and fetching your food..so that's a big no for me. Isn't there a rule against that?
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
My favorite local coffee shop. The only drawback is that it is so popular that the wait can be long. It is still my favorite spot for a morning coffee and avocado toast!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pandan Waffle, 3'' Quiche
Amazing service and nice atmosphere. Lots of people working, seats fill up quick. Normal iced latte was great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
This was a really disappointing experience. Hot chocolate was more hot milk than chocolate, the americano was luke warm and the ice coffee had no flavor. Just everything was really underwhelming and a waste of time and money.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Throw your diet and food restrictions out the window - heaven on earth if you have a stout wallet and unlimited calorie daily intake!
I go there as often as I can..
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lovely place…. Rich coffee… nice people
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Popped in because I was nearby getting groceries and hadn’t eaten. Never seen/heard of it before so the layout confused me at first because no one was at the “register” and I couldn’t distinguish it from the pickup area. Once I got my bearings and was ready to order, the person who came over didn’t greet me or seem friendly. It didn’t feel like there was an obvious waiting area if you’re just getting takeout because the space next to the pickup area was narrow (due to more/rearranged furniture not seen in other reviews’ pics), so I sat a ways away by the window. It was loud and my hearing is poor enough that I didn’t hear when one of my items was ready. Still, managed to get both items and went on my way. The cinnamon twist pastry was yummy and satisfied the craving I had for a cinnamon roll without being overly sweet. I wanted to try the sausage mushroom quiche as well but they were out so I swapped for the sun dried tomato and it was delicious.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Spectra Coffee has some of the best food I’ve had at a café. Thank you Bryan for your patience and recommendations. The mushroom and spinach quiche was honestly the best quiche I’ve ever tasted—highly recommend. I ordered the banana cream latte, which was very subtle in flavor; adding caramel made it sweeter to my liking.
My husband enjoyed his mocha, which had a strong, rich chocolate flavor. The cashier mentioned they use Ghirardelli chocolate sourced from the San Francisco factory. We did ask for hazelnut flavoring, but they didn’t have it available. His yogurt parfait was also delicious—fresh ingredients and lightly sweetened with honey.
The only downsides were the long wait and difficulty finding a table, but it was an extremely busy Saturday around 10:30 AM. Despite the crowds, I’d definitely come back for the food and to try their rose or mint latte next time. I did want to mention the staff were working very hard to get through orders and were super kind and helpful. It was a very pleasant experience overall.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: 3'' Quiche
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