 |
| The seating is right in front of Vero's. |
http://www.veroscoffee.com/
Style and Character:7
Service:7
Coffee: 8
Food: 8
Value:7
Date of visit: 2019-01-27
 |
| A perfectly archetypal coffeeshop sign |
I used to work in an area called "SoDo" in Seattle. I stood for "South of the Dome" referring to the Kingdome, which no longer exists. A very expensive contractor we hired from the east coast, in a totally unsolicited manner, said we should stop calling the area "SoDo" because it was just a sad SoHo wannabee attempt. In fact, SoHo only started getting used in the 1960s and that was a "ripoff" of the London SoHo. Anyway, creating neighborhood identity by giving these names has been going on for a while, like it or not.
Now there is "SoFa" in San Jose. It's not as widely recognized as SoHo in New York or London, or even SoDo in Seattle, but maybe it will catch on. It stands for "South First Arts" referring, I presume, to it being a little south of downtown, centered about first street, and it's striving to be seen as an artsy area.
Veros is in the SoFa district. In fact, it's in the SoFa Market. To be honest, the place didn't seem that artistic to me, but it has it's appeal. It's a revitalized space now being put to good use with a selection of small eateries, and a rather large bar in the back. There is also a nice outdoor seating area that has an urban mini-park feel to it.
Veros Coffee Bar is near the front entrance, just to your right as you walk in. We were there during what was probably a slow time Sunday afternoon. The girls behind the Veros counter looked under-stimulated, but were polite and got our orders correct. It's one of those places where you have to ask for cream and they let you pour from their carton. I always prefer it the cream is simply available at the condiment bar, but this is a small thing. The condiment bar was clean, but missing napkins.
The seating is in a common area shared by several businesses. This does makes the seating feel a bit like a food court of a mall, but it's not so bad. All the vendors have non-chain feel, and large windows keeps you pleasantly connected to world outside so you don't get the introversion of so many mall food-courts. There is also a small window-facing counter near Veros that might be a nice place to perch with coffee and watch the world drift by.
Scott had an Almond croissant with a drip coffee, and I had a scone with an Americano. Both our drinks were light bodied. My Americano was more acidic and I prefer, but still enjoyable. The pastries were light and fresh. Some people might favor a more dense scone, but I thought mine was delicious.
 |
| Scott showing off his fluffy croissant |
Veros certainly is an important part of the SoFa Market. The arcade would feel incomplete without a coffee shop, and Veros has enough of an independent look and feel to stay credible. There isn't anything amazing about it, but it feels like the right sort of business in the right sort of location. With any luck, it'll get better with time.
Comments
Post a Comment