Coffeebar: Very Silicon Valley

Coffeebar would be easy to miss if you're not looking for it

1149 Chestnut St, Menlo Park, CA 94025

Style and Character: 7
Service: 7
Coffee: 8
Food: 8 (based on one huge cookie)
Value: 6 (again ... based on one huge cookie)

Date of visit: 2019-01-12

When we visited around noon on a Saturday this place was packed. Scott managed to find one table in outdoor seating. And this place is big with two huge shared tables, several places for bar seating, lots of tables for two, and a lounging area. It was all full. It's a good sign when a place is busy. It's good for the mood of a spot, and indicates that it's offering something that is attracting locals. After enjoying an Americano and splitting a chocolate chip cookie between us, the appeal of the place is pretty clear.

As you walk along the sidewalk and approach Coffebar you don't see much to indicate a packed coffee cafe is in front of you. The decor, inside and out, is all business casual. There are no cutesy European pretensions here. It's an upscale cafe, and with lots of food options.

Food prep at Coffeebar

The ordering was efficient. The girl behind the counter asked us how many shots we wanted in our Americanos, which is a good sign. In short, the counter service was fine. The staff appeared busy, but not harried. It was all unremarkable, which is what you generally want you ordering experience to be.

The condiment bar had the full array of cream and sweeteners including simple syrup. There was also dry fettuccine at the condiment bar. I wasn't expecting to see this and I would have thought that I was mistaken, except it was in a bin labelled "FETTUCCINE". Since I didn't see any stirring sticks or spoons, I decided it was for stirring the beverages. It seemed to work, though as I did this I looked about apprehensively worried I was misusing the fettuccine.

Our Americanos where smooth and light bodied. The outdoor seating was actually fine even on a cool winter day, which, by the way, is about 60F in Menlo Park. As I sat outside I could look through the front window of the cafe and amongst the throngs of coffee sippers, and Macbook Air users, I watched some people stirring their coffee with fettuccine. Is this a thing now?

The chocolate chip cookie we ordered was fresh, tasty, and I got melted chocolate on my fingers. In all, a good experience. And did I mention it was about six inches across? It's a excellent cookie for two.

Coffee with a cookie

This appears to be a clean and well run cafe. The coffee was good. They seem to have good baked goods. I suspect the other food is good as well. There is a strong Silicon Valley vibe to the place. The clientele looks young and prosperous. People type on their laptops and chat about their plans and dreams. Coffeebar even has their own highly-produced website coffeebar.com where you can read about their company culture and their history.

What this place is not, is cozy, and this an not simply an issue of size. The decor is clean, modern, and well cared for. But the place has all the personality of a pair of khakis. And that's fine. Khakis can be great. And I can understand why people like to come here, just as I understand why lots of people wear khakis. I think most people who like to go out for coffee would like Coffeebar, but some people might prefer a more quaint environment, a place that might need a little dusting, but has a touch more charm.