Reviews of Chromatic Cafe (Coffee Shop)

Megan Cheek

Enjoyed a smooth and earthy Gibraltar today. Will definitely be back to try some of the other drinks, too!

Josh Sat

Slow service.

Sharon Smith

Love the coffee, love the treats, love the atmosphere, staff are the nicest!

Brian Hemmings

Got a chance to stop by here one afternoon. It wasn't crowded at all, so I was attended to very quickly. I ordered a regular matcha latte and 3 macaroons (lemon, blueberry lavender, and salted caramel), which they spend time individually packing. The matcha latte was one of the best ones I had in a while - very rich, not too bitter, with a hint of sweetness. I also really appreciated the messages they put on their drinks - it really did put a smile on my face :). The macaroons were sweet and soft, and made for a great snack later.

Chad Gorham

Great cold brew.

Peter Parker

Best tumeric coffee

Wes Maciejewski

The coffee was quite good. The vegan cherry scone was great - but where's the clotted cream? The one downside is the price. Drip coffee and a scone aren't worth $9.30. I get it, and I appreciate it - they're trying to pay everyone a living wage. Unfortunately, the prices will deter me from coming back.

Aaron Huffman

Tldr; Quality coffee, quality service, nice atmosphere. I usually come here for the freshly roasted beans and it comes with either a cup of brewed coffee or espresso. When I come in once every week and a half or so once I run out of beans at home I always get an espresso and a cup of brewed coffee and an espresso. The drip coffee is good quality and about as good as my pour over I do every morning. Many people will find this as a good step-up from anything generic like starbucks. The espresso is really something to be sought after. I've only recently started drinking straight espresso shots from time to time. The espresso here really awakens the taste buds on the tongue filling them with a bold proper coffee taste. Someday I wish to be able to make espresso like this at home however I may be a bit away from that. I forgot to take pictures, I'll add some next time I go!

kevin pan

The coffee tastes very delicious. Met the owner of the coffeeshop. She was very nice and took her time explaining the process making coffee. Definitely a good place to enjoy being there alone or chat with a group of friends.

Arquimedes Ponce

pretty good coffee and im not even a big coffee person.

weiwei pu

Looking forward to the coffee class!

Ya-Chu Chang

Interesting blends of coffee beans. Great coffee and pastries.

Jorge Molina

Caps are delicious.

Gunveet singh

Best latte you will have in downtown. A little expensive though. Friendly staff is a plus.

Dmitry Samorodov

Coffee is ok, getting a bit overpriced though

J Albelo

Excellent coffee. Great service. Tasty pastries. STOP GOING TO STARBUCKS! Right now! Stop it. Bad public. No! Seriously folks, go drink some real coffee. This place is legit. I’m from Portland and have been around the world 8 times, I know my coffee. Support local businesses.

Thad Conn

Delicious latte. Absolutely perfect. Fresh roasted beans and a perfect espresso to milk mix. With a coffee shop on every corner it seems as though everyone is in the coffee business. However, only certain shops actually know what they are doing. Chromatic Coffee gets it right.

Ian S

Excellent coffee and nice settings. My only complaint is that they close early.

Shawn Chi

Espresso drinks are comparable to the craft coffee shops and roasters in SF. True for the whole beans too!

Andy Guru

Good place

John Ross

The staff was very helpful and observant.

Jonas Gebhardt

Hands down, one of the best coffee places in the area and I'm glad they finally opened their second location which is right in downtown San Jose. Their roast is smooth but still very special and unique. They know how to roast coffee and they know how to prepare a perfect espresso beverage. Love the vibes in this place too - the interior design is minimalistic and well thought through. San Jose needs more of these individualistic places that add character and soul to downtown. I just wish they would open on the weekends as well.

Abbi Diaz

Friendly and informative staff and good drinks

T Soren

Absolutely great coffee!

pistolswing

They make me smile because they are not robots.

Sam Hayward

Chromatic is one of the best coffee shops in the area, and it's great they've finally opened a location a bit closer to downtown. Excellent pastries too. B2 nearby isn't what it used to be, so love that they opened up on this side of downtown. The one thing I don't get about this place - only opened till 2? Really? Even on weekends? I hope this is just temporary till they establish their footing more. Every other coffee joint in town goes at least till 5 or 7. You pretty much can only come here on your morning commute downtown, if you have one. I work late so get up later. Coffee shops for me fill that "afternoon coffee" need.

Jared M. Cuevas

Real ingredients (ie, house-made vanilla syrup and chocolate powder). These guys know their coffee! No artificial stuff. You can even get a traditional Cuban sugar syrup shot.

Duane Brinas

Alot of people think this place is the same as the store/shop in Santa Clara. This place in San Jose is more of a roasterie that is why they are probably open only until 2pm. They roast their beans here. IMHO better than blue bottle.

Elias Madrid

Love this place the only place that the coffee is priced right

Cameron Prescott

The great, always helpful, staff makes this my favorite coffee shop dt

Peter Yurista

Super hip, clean, really nice service, and I like supporting local shops. Coffee was ok. Presentation was strange (short bar glass?). Small. But, the worst thing was the smell....it was nauseating. I have no idea what it was, but I got a small headache while I was sitting there. Won't go back sadly.

Lee Ross Gómez Jr.

Cool (woman owned) café to enjoy some really good coffee and tea in Downtown San Jose.

Bent Johan Poulsen

Coffee was ok lacking edge. Too much milk in the cortado and slow serving as well. Prices were well above SF levels

Charley Parker

Refused to serve espresso over ice. Alternative drink was fine but who wants strangers telling them their preferences are wrong?

Hanako Rodriguez

Amazing cafe with coffee, teas, avo toasts, pastries, friendly ppl, WiFi and outlets!! Great vegan and caffeine free options as well for their special lattes

Vikram Balakrishnan

Best coffee in South Bay, maybe even in the entire bay area. Classic coffee is great and some of the creations are surprisingly good like dark coconut mocha. Vibe is laid back and local, great spot to work or pass some time. They're also offering some beer and food now which makes it easier to stop over for a meal.

Nati Cohen

Good coffee and pastries

M M

Had a great filter and avo on toast (if a bit small). Will definitely return.

Robin Fisher

It's so tasty. The service was very helpful and observant. Prices that won't shock you.

Khaled

Excellent locally roasted coffee

Danièle Van Geenhoven

(Translated by Google) Friendly staff (Original) Personnel sympa

Nathanael Lierly

Cool shop, great coffee, good selection of pastry

Seth Martinez

Wonderful service and rad coffee

Mona Stat

Small coffee shop, seating is limited but coffee and specialty drinks are great!

Bill Hollowsky

Fantastic coffee and great service. This is the second time we've gone as a team and everyone loved their coffee!

Sterling Witty

Nice little spot with a friendly environment. Got a tasty and smooth cold brew. Looking forward to trying the bag of beans I got.

Max Godshamgod

Legit great coffee and espresso

Elena Yanovich

Fantastic!!!

A UperSpaceGuru

Awesome coffee & awesome people

Nathalie Defrenne

Came in twice and ordered the dark coconut mocha and the chatta. Both drinks were good but very sweet. Would like to try a plain late or coffee to give it a true try. It's a nice place and grateful we have local coffee shops to support.

Mike Maraldo

Great people, great coffee, San Jose downtown is lucky to have quality like this.

Emmanuel Gigante

One of my regular coffee crawl spots

Chris Cox

Great coffee!

Bennett Compton

i love this place. makes me feel like i in nashville again.

Jamie Gonzalez

Good coffee. Nice people. Viva la GENTE!!

Brent Pearse

The always consistently awesome and smooth Chromatic coffee. And, they are located in my favorite building in #dtsj the Realty Building. If you believe in unicorns this is the place to drink them ;)

Larry Kuo

Very friendly staff and great latte.

John Remus

Great new second location for the popular Chromatic Coffee brand. Standing bar space along the entire side of the cafe, some small tables in the center. Excellent drinks and food, some mugs, shirts, and beans for purchase as well. Bike racks of front riders and a short walk from several popular downtown locations!

Curtis Jones

Coffee tasted good. Sweet from 2nd Floor bakery. Friendly service. Beautiful building with comfortable bathroom.

Amber Nalu

Awesome coffee house. Wonderfully dog friendly. Marshall (Great Pyrenees) and I love it here.

Dillon Carlos

4 stars is mostly about price, not quality. I had an excellent Americano here, probably the best one I have had in San Jose. However, it was nearly $5 with out tip for the drink, which is simply espresso and hot water. I imagine the lattes and such must be even more expensive. The atmosphere is pretty typical downtown coffee shop. Pretty well lit, cute furniture. Honestly, nothing too unique or memorable. Very friendly staff and quick service. Not bad!

Lawrence Lui

This is my favorite local coffee spot right now. Also glad that they have a "stamp card" feature to keep me coming back. It's right next to the last rail so it's easy to pop in on the way to/from your destination. They also sell some locally made products inside which is pretty cool.

Spencer Fricke

Edit: They are open on the weekends now!!! Probably my favorite place to get coffee in downtown SJ by far, the only issue is it's not open on weekends so definitely make the trip if you are around downtown 2nd Street on a weekday!

Melony Chakrabarty

Great coffee, service can be a bit slow but there baristas were nice

Anton Rusanov

The Gibraltar coffee I got here was really really good.

Lily Anderson

Dark Coconut Mocha

Michelle Buckley

Looking forward to coming back with my relatives. The bill was average for the menu. They have so many reviews for a reason.

Lindsey

I travel often to Seattle-WA, Vancouver-WA, and Portland-OR, and this is BY FAR the best coffee I've ever had. The aromas and the flavors are incredible. Unfortunately this location is only a roasting location and they're moving soon, but James recommended great coffee to me and was a very chill guy. I sincerely hope they expand because I'd like to get their coffee every day at my office.

Christopher Pasillas

This is hands down the best coffee place in San Jose, and there is a long list of coffee places here! By far I get the most comfortable and positive vibe from Chromatic compared to other craft coffee shops, even though there are some other amazing places downtown. The mochas are unbelievable and there are (usually) actually non-dairy pastry options--and they're delicious! Please visit this place so they can extend their opening hours for me ok?

Luke Boyd

I was informed by the owner that this location is now Gente Cafe where it was previously Chromatic Coffee. They feature specialty coffee with a Latin theme which is reflected most evidently in the naming of their menu items. While I can't compare Gente to Chromatic having never been to a Chromatic Coffee, I was very satisfied with the experience and would definitely visit again. Speaking of the owner, he was very friendly and clearly passionate about his craft. It was inspiring listening to his plans to explore more styles of coffee in addition to the current menu which already features a decently broad and diverse selection. I tried the mocha latte and almond fruitcake. The mocha latte was perfectly balanced, smooth, creamy, and light. I've never heard of a mocha latte before but the idea is brilliant and was perfectly executed. The cream art inspired by spooky season was a pleasant touch as well. Definitely go check them out.

Ganesh Vasudevan

This coffee shop is branded as high end and likewise, charges high end prices. But this new branch doesn’t have smooth processes running yet. I ordered a 1:1 blend but after 10 minutes of watching others served before me, I had to ask about the status. They had completely put it aside.... because the beans and grinder weren’t ready. This after I paid and they chose not to let me know. On top, the outdoor tables were coated with dried coffee and clearly hadn’t been wiped all day. I eventually got a standard coffee .... it was OK. Stick with Philz.

Anthony Johnson

Drip coffee is great

Cris Neckar

Glad Chromatic opened up downtown. I was surprised at how empty it was though. Fantastic Baristas as usual for Chromatic.

Wes Williams

Great coffee, friendly staff.

Luz Myers

The coffee was very smooth no bitterness and brewed perfectly. No jitters and no problems- went there because I saw my Baby Sister walking and she said she usually goes there! Good job on not supporting the coffee monster (green lady), and supporting local!

Erica Gomez

The service was friendly and sociable. The place has a good feel to it.

Shuhei Yotsumoto

It's on the pricier side (but fair imo) and it takes a good 5 minute wait for your order, but it is definitely worth it on a day off. The Dark Coconut Mocha is my favorite dessert-coffee in town.

Chikezie Ejiasi

Such a good vibe and like the location. Wish they were open Sundays. Had two donuts imported from Oakland. So good.

Brick Steele

Great coffee, super cool staff, and the printer is very convenient

Adam Briles

Good high quality coffee. Polite staff. Prices are a bit high, BUT pretty fair for the quality you get. This is not Starbucks quality so don’t expect Starbucks prices.

romeo

In A Nutshell: -Chromatic Coffee is a joke. -Yeah I opted to try the "hand pour" coffee, which was listed at MP (market price) so today it was $5.99. -It wasn't the most I paid for java either (the $10 Kopi Luwak in Bali or the $15 Geisha in Panama top the list). -The coffee tasted like 7-11 coffee & I'm SERIOUS as SERIOUS can be. -I also do not like the "minimal layout" of the store. -Did they not unpack everything to rush business OR is this the typical layout? Zzzzz... -The customer service was just - aight. -No humor allowed in the joint? Overall, stay away from Chromatic Coffee and go to PHILZ! Philz rules in both coffee, customer service and vibe.

Jessica Waite

Chromatic is always a wonderful experience. The staff is lovely, the drinks delicious, and the snacks are delightful. Can't recommend it enough! Try the vanilla latte with oatmilk for a delicious treat.

Frank Kadel

Quick, friendly service. Limited options. Limited seating.

Nikesh Dhar

Expensive!

Justin Tsai

Great taste

Yolande Tian

Love their classic tea! The owner is so friendly and easy going. They also have reward program- coffee class for free! Me and my friends had great time here and would definitely come back