Latest Ranking – Cà Phê

Here are Mr. Nguyen’s latest list (03/12/2024) for the San Jose coffee shops.   I decided to change it up a bit as there are just too many cafes here, but really only a few are worth going to, so I have removed those that aren’t worth being listed. This is just a list. I decided not to rank the cafes anymore because my opinions don’t really match most of you. These are only the opinions of Mr. Nguyen, and you may not agree with them. The price of drinks have gone up, and the average is now $8 per cup of coffee and $9 for juices and smoothies. Food is approximately $12-$16.

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1. Fantasy Café
1040 McLaughlin Ave
San Jose, CA 95122
Fantasy Café (formerly CN1) is a classic Vietnamese coffee shop to go to. It is lingerie/bikini only, but their uniforms are probably the most creative of all the cafes and leaves a little bit to the imagination. Boss lady, Chi Uyen, has a great eye for Vietnamese café fashion. The waitresses are by far some of the hottest girls in the history of Vietnamese coffee shops in San Jose.  This coffee shop is a great place to take people who are new to the Vietnamese coffee scene.  Fantasy and has banned the smoking inside all day and night.  Coffee is $8/cup, and they have beer here as well. It’s a nice place to go to in the evenings for a beer. Fantasy closes at ~9PM.

2. Paradise Cafe
2400 Monterey Rd.
San Jose, CA 95111
www.instagram.com/cafeparadise408
Paradise remains at the top because of hospitality and talent. Their staff remains top notch in San Jose, and at any given time, they have about 3 or 4 girls working in lingerie. They have plenty of TVs for your sports viewing pleasure and a nice outdoor patio with umbrellas and heaters for cold weather. The location is somewhat out of the way for those working the tech scene, but they do have some great food options at their shop as well as many options around the café for those engineers looking for a spot to eat and drink Viet coffee. The tacos are awesome! It’s a good place to come in the evening to hang out also, and they typically show boxing and
MMA fights.

3. Nhà Hotspot

2133 Morill Ave.

San Jose, CA 95132
www.instagram.com/hs_sj
Nhà Hotspot is the new iteration of Hotspot Café and remains high in my book because of the great service and food.  The place is brighter than it used to be, and the menu is even better than before. The location is a bit far from the hustle and bustle of Little Saigon, but it is well worth the drive.  The attire is strictly PG, but it’s a somewhat refreshing change from the more risqué cafes.  The venue is spacious, and the waitresses are extremely friendly and attentive.  They make an effort to remember the regulars by name here, which actually gives this place a more intimate feel. Smoking has been banned completely. They have plenty of TVs to watch your favorite sporting event, Vietnamese and Korean pop, or EDM and hip hop music videos.  During football season, it’s probably one of the best places to watch every single football game on TV.
They offer a variety of food and drinks for a very affordable price.  Beer is on the menu. Coffee
is $8/cup.  Visit their Instagram site to get updates.

4.  Em Quyen
1998 Tully Rd.
San Jose, CA 95122
I believe the general consensus is that Em Quyen is the best risqué café right now.  Most guys on this forum love this place, and it’s a constant subject of conversation. It’s a great place to grab a cup of coffee in the morning before work.  With smoking banned all day, this place is one of the cleanest.  In my opinion, the girls here are the hottest of the 3 rique cafes. Quyen is still one of the prettiest owners around SJ.  This place gets packed frequently, and due to the small size of the café, it’s not uncommon to share tables with complete strangers.  There are plenty of HD TVs to watch your favorite soccer matches or football games. No food is served here, but you can bring your food over to enjoy the games on TV.  Coffee is $8/cup.  Bring lots of cash for the Happy Hour (or what I call the shakedown). The shop closes around 5PM.

5. DV Cafe
1947 McLaughlin Ave
San Jose, CA 95122
https://www.instagram.com/dv_cafe_/
DV Café is the newest café in San Jose located right across from EQ and next to Palm Cafe. Attire is on the same level as EQ. The venue is nice and clean, and it’s non-smoking. The girls are extremely friendly, and a tip goes a long ways there. If you’re looking for risqueness, this ranks high on that scale, and I suggest you check it out. Bring lots of cash. Coffee is $10/cup, and they require you pay upfront as well as leave a tip when you leave. This place closes at 5PM.

6.  Palm Café

1969 Tully Rd. San Jose, CA 95122
www.instagram.com/palm.cafePalm Café still make the list, but as usual, the smoking kills this place. The waitresses rank high on the hotness scale, and their uniforms are excellent. I would like to visit this place more often, but I can only stand the cigarettes for so long. Waitresses are generally hot. You can view their roster on their Instagram. They do serve beer here, which bumps this place up a few spots. I’m assuming the coffee is $8 here also. This place is open late.

7.  Nguyen Espresso
1659 Tully Rd.
San Jose, CA 95122I’ve decided to include NE because it gets talked about a lot on this forum. However, it is one of my least favorite spots. Risqué factor is like EQ. Venue is small and cramped, but it is clean (relatively speaking) due to the non-smoking policy.  The service is decent. This place is recommended for newbies to the coffee shop scene if they want to see what these cafes are all about. Coffee is $8/cup.