The bustling Starbucks Coffee on Ranch Drive is located right in the middle of the huge McCarthy Ranch shopping center. The handful of outdoor tables are hard to claim at this busy location, but there is a fair amount of indoor seating.
Like most in the chain, this Starbucks has free Wi-Fi, and it has a particularly convenient setup for customers who want to work on their computers: Long counters on each side of the store enable workers to sit without monopolizing tables.
A modern coffee and tea cafe with romantic lighting, this Fantasia Coffee & Tea location whips up delicious milk teas, teas, and coffee in record times. The cafe uses aromatic teas and prepares chewy pearls with great consistency. For fruit-flavored drinks, they use pieces of fruit in addition to juice. Also available are Asian cookies and sweet pastries such as cream puffs and mochi. They also have stamp cards but you will need to specifically ask for one. Leave your credit cards at home--this cafe is cash only.
A popular tea manufacturer in the U.S. and in Taiwan, Ten Ren is also a café. Pick up a cup of authentic Chinese tea at the bar. Watch the staff whip up orders using steel martini shakers. Or purchase bulk leaves to brew in the comfort of your own home. The menu features a wide variety of beverages, including milk teas such as the green tea with aloe vera and guava black tea with tapioca pearls. Ten Ren's Tea & Ginseng also serves smoothies and other refreshing and healthy drinks. And don't forget, happy hour is from 4pm - 8pm.
While Milpitas – like most cities – has a substantial number of Starbucks Coffee stores, the store at Dixon Landing Road and California Circle is by far the busiest. Visible and easily accessible from Highway 880, this Starbucks has a convenient drive-thru window and long hours. The store is relatively small and only has a few tables in the seating area, but there are several outdoor tables by the entrance.
This bakery aims to be a crowd-pleaser, offering a range of drinks and doughy goodness for every taste. Don't like tiramisu, crème brulée or croissants? Try the Asian pastries such as the egg custard tart, green waffle or rolled spongy cakes with creme fillings. Prefer savory? Try the Vietnamese sandwiches made from freshly baked bread on the racks ($2.95). With a light, crisp crust and soft inside, you'll be sure to order two just for yourself.
Golden Bakery has an espresso maker and offers American coffee drinks, but it's better known for its tea variety -- tapioca pearl milk tea and flavored black and green teas.
For all it offers, Golden Bakery doesn't have many tables. And lastly, this business only takes cash. Make sure to stop at the ATM or get cash back at Ocean Supermarket next door before coming.
Top Cafe serves late-night Hong Kong-style comfort food until 3am daily. It's a great spot to satisfy any late-night munchies and the extensive menu includes all kinds of Hong Kong and Mandarin dishes, usually served with rice or noodles. Try the baked Portuguese pork chop or chicken over rice, baked spaghetti, baked clay pots, or the famous rice porridge with 1,000-year-old eggs. Complimentary soup is served before the meal. For those early-birds, stop by for a Spanish coffee, which is topped with a generous scoop of ice cream. The restaurant has friendly, accomodating, attentive employees and seats about 25 customers. Cash only.
Lee's Sandwiches, part of a chain, offers variety when it comes to Asian and Western sandwiches. The sandwich menu includes, jambon and pork roll, vegeterian, and a special combo. It also has many other Asian foods, ranging from spring rolls to desserts to specialty drinks. Enjoy yourself in this quiet resturant or take the food home.