Great Bear Coffee
Category: Coffee & Tea [Edit]
19 N Santa Cruz AveLos Gatos, CA 95030 (408) 395-8607
The Bear offers four Ice Teas-including Organic…
Announced 3 days ago
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 6:00 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Fri 6:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sat 7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sun 7:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Wi-Fi: Free
59 Reviews for Great Bear Coffee
One of Great Bear Coffee's Favorite Reviews
This is a great place to work at as they have free WiFi and plenty of outlets throughout the cafe. Plus, their coffee and service is stellar. Very friendly atmosphere. And I LOVE their iced coffee (cold brewed, so it tastes amazingly smooth and mellow) and their Vanilla Great Bear Cap. Thanks to the strength of their coffee, I was able to pound out 2 pages worth of BS for my performance review in no time!
Oh, but it still smelled like roses... :)
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whatever drink you get make sure it has whipped cream added, even if you get an ice water ask for whipped cream. And make sure you add some chocolate powder on top of your bed of whipped cream and just scoop it up with those wooden stick and eat it like a dessert.. YUMM. oh and their coffee is pretty awesome also.
I'm glad I don't live near here anymore else i'll be a size of a baby elephant.
Mmmmm this place is so good that it's going to kill me one day...seriously! I cannot come here without ordering a drink and getting a killer stomachache because I am lactose intolerant. Its worth every cramp, ache and run for the rest room though!
Our favorite drink...I can't remember the name of it but its chocolate, coffee and cream and OMG dellllisshhhh!! My stomach is still recovering from it today! Wonderful ambiance, great service and I think its cool that they have free Wi-Fi (even though I have never used it).
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I did not have the chocolate coffee cream drink that everyone and there mothers was ordering. My waistline can do without the extra 1000 calories it must've been packing, it looked delicious but I opted for the coffee and a peanut butter cookie.
Anyways, I can see what other yelpers meant with the weird service. It's not bad nor is it really good. Maybe I'm used to baristas, cashiers being a bit chipper or happier about their positions in life? I would expect it from the staff at Barefoot since they know they got the best coffee on the block but even they seem to relish their roles in the customer service game.
The coffee is good here and thats all that you really need to know. They have a decent number of tables to sit at and plug in to for that free wifi. It will get busy pretty often in a lot of spurts as it seems like no one in Los Gatos works and they spend most of their free time walking around, shopping at boutiques and eating.
Being a minority I stuck out like an african american on a hockey team out here. Not a bad thing but if you get uncomfortable in those types of situations, be warned. Hahaha I figure its par the course considering Los Gatos itself is pretty devoid of colour unless you count mystic tans.
Still a good place to get coffee along with Los Gatos Coffee Roasting House down the street and an even better place to overhear conversations about wearing uggs boots and Paris Hilton. I think the chocolate coffee creams attract a certain clientele if you know what I mean.
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They serve killer vegan cupcakes, go for the carrot cake one. Their drinks are good and it is fun to people watch while sitting inside near a window.
One cashier/server was kind of rude to me once, but that has been the only time. So, one star off for that. Reasonable prices.
If you're in the Los Gatos area this is a good place to get some pretty good coffee and snacks. Reasonable prices. Limited seating.
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Awesome coffee, killer location, cool staff, and comfortable seating. A good, social place to hang out.
Really killer place.
One of my favvvvorite coffee shops. The Chocolate Coffee Cream is delicious (CCC) and beats any other blended drink by far! They hand make their whip cream...mmmmm...delicious!!! Their pies are also the best! Since the mac store opened next door they have unlocked their wireless internet. Therefore, it gets pretty packed with mac enthusiasts at every table, or so it seems. It does get pretty loud at times. So if you are trying to study or get some work done be sure to grab your headphones. This place does get packed with family (ahem...reunions...or so it seems) and high school students. But it is a fun place to meet up with friends!
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Slightly pretentious and over-rated coffee experience. I will say that the CCC's are wonderful, but so not worth the dirty looks from the workers when you order them. Parking is bad around dinner time and on the weekends. It gets better after 7:00pm usually, but the Bear closes at 8:30 during the week. Unless you're in the area and dying for some caffeine, I don't think this place is worth the drive.
Speaking as a person who was a long-time customer, and now is an employee about to end his tenure with The Bear, you have to appreciate how great this shop really is. The coffee is top notch, the employees really take time to get to know their regulars, and the ambience is killer.
To all of you who dog the service, just be a normal person and don't talk down to the staff and you will be treated like royalty. NO, we don't requre you to tip big for us to serve you well. NO, we don't need you to adhere to certain "rules". Just be a normal person, treat us like a normal person.... and sit back and get ready for a killer cup'o'joe, or a sweet CCC.
Free WIFI rocks, but don't be mooch and not buy anything!
A real go-to-place for sure.
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Great Bear is the high school dropout of all coffee shops; this place was built for bad asses, socially awkward hipsters, starving artists, freeloaders, helpless men who like talking to attractive women, and Los Gatos High girls who order CCC's and then go two doors down to the Apple Store to take MySpace photos with Photo Booth.
If you are a hoity-toity Los Gatos snob who likes to be waited on hand-and-foot wherever you go, you will definitely find this coffee shop unfit to your standards, and you might as well walk on by. On the other hand, if you are looking for a casual, straightforward exchange of coffee and monetary units, or are just looking for a place to look like hot property with your notebook computer or philosophy textbook, grab a seat.
And besides, I've never had a problem with any of the employees; I always get friendly hellos and good conversations with the baristas--no exceptions. Why don't you try asking THEM how their day is going? I mean, unless you are completely incapable of being a thoughtful human being...
My drink recommendation is a soy banana hot chocolate (it seriously tastes like a chocolate dipped banana), with their homemade whipped cream, of course, or a Twinings Earl Grey tea.
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The coffee here is good, the atmosphere is fairly comfortable and laid back. It seemed like most people came to sit and talk, which is what I was doing. The prices were reasonable. The barista seemed to be having a problem with the fact that my companion was having trouble deciding about a dessert for 30 second when there were no other people behind us in line, and no other drinks to make. He managed to be pleasant but it seemed like a close call between that and eye rolling.
They table buser had more of a sense of humor. We lingered here for quite some time. Atmosphere is good for sure.
I will say, the mocha I had was quite good as well.
3 stars for the attitude and the lack of flavor in the turtle cheesecake. Wouldn't recommend it, but I would come back if I were in the neighborhood.
I stopped in here one day to get an herbal iced tea. I asked the barista what kind of HERBAL tea they had, and after rolling her eyes and sighing heavily she recited a list of black and green caffeinated teas! WTF! Sorry for asking you a question and making you work little Miss Slacker with an attitude! I asked her again what kind of HERBAL teas they had -- something, ANYTHING with NO CAFFEINE! We went back and forth on several different teas with me sounding like a broken record, "That's not HERBAL. It has caffeine!"
This place sucks big time!
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CHOCOLATE COFFEE CREAM is the BEST. Seriously. Not kidding. I drive 30 minutes every week just to get it. WOW. So YUM!!! The atmosphere is pretty laid back. Lots of people come in and sit and chat for a while. Baristas can have attitude. We were waiting for our drinks last time (we already ordered) and the barista wanted us to move to the area where people stand in line for drinks....kind of confusing...people would think we were standing in line then, no? Anyway, got my weekly fix of the YUM-O Chocolate Coffee Cream....so I was happy.
If you crave a little bad attitude with your drink, this is your kind of place.
I worked here a few years back, and what irritated me the most was the attitude of my coworkers. Now, I'm all for a bit of snark with your latte, but these kids take the cake when it comes to disrespect. None of them seemed to value their customers, and most seemed largely inconvenienced by the requirements of their job.
Every barista here goes through a fairly thorough training process when they begin, but whether or not most of them retain this is debatable. They almost always pull their espresso shots before steaming their milk, thus they "expire" and get nasty, bitter, sour. Milk is not steamed with thermometres, but temperature is gauged via the exterior temperature of the milk pitcher (ie, who knows how hot it is, or whether or not it's safe to drink ?), and shots are often pulled too long and get watery.
There are, however, a few things at which Great Bear truly excells; their whipped cream is actually whipped, not some chemical reaction that comes out of a can. It's delicious on their mochas, which use Ghiradelli chocolate powder instead of the Mystery Sauce you find at most places. Their chai lattes are great as well, the perfect mix of spicy and sweet, and it's a local company's product (Atomic Chai from Santa Cruz). The manager boils the chai base himself in the back of the house every Monday. Mmm, smells so good. The CCC (Chocolate Coffee Cream) is nice if you adore gastrointestinal terror every now and then; it's ice cream, milk, toddy (cold-brewed coffee) and the aforementioned Ghiradelli chocolate powder. If you have the slightest adverse reaction to dairy products, avoid this like the plague.
You may also notice that familiar smell of roasting beans at Great Bear. Twice a week, the roasters drive to the Port of Oakland to pick up fresh green coffee beans, which are later blended together and roasted in-house. They really excel at medium and light roasts, namely Dancing Bear and Eyes Of The World (Notice a theme ? The ex-Santa Cruzan hippie owner loves the Grateful Dead). French Bear is a good dark roast, but slightly over-roasted, as it is usually roasted until the beans are Nearly Obliterated. I prefer my French roasts a little closer to Slightly Seared.
The ambiance is fine, minus the art (local artists, almost always) which has the potential to be atrocious. There are lots of tables with computer hogs grouped around the electrical sockets, including four or five of these types seated at the communal table. The computer thing kinda drives me crazy; I'd like to go to a cafe to meet and converse with people, but it's a little hard when everyone around me is Google Earthing their mom's house and perusing Amazon.com. Would it kill them to unplug and, I donno, be human ? Wifi is offered but not free, and the chairs can be uncomfortable after a few minutes so if you're planning on camping out and studying for a few hours, bring a cushion or something.
Baked goods and foods are pretty hit or miss. Veggie lasagne is brought over every couple days from Santa Cruz, along with the vegan cupcakes, and both are spectacularly lacking in flavour. The quiche are pretty good though. But the real treat is the pumpkin bread, brought over every morning from Icing On The Cake over on Main. That stuff is delicious. They also have a large selection of non-coffee cold drinks, including Odwalla, some ginger beer, sparkling water, and Coke in the cute 9-oz bottles.
As far as Los Gatos goes, this place is pretty low in pretentiousness, high in attitude. Feel free to talk smack about the employees, cos they're probably talking smack about you.
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Great little Coffee place. They have the richest yummiest hot chocolate with fresh real whipped creamed. The quiches here are delicious, so are the big snicker doodle cookies. Cozy place with not too many tables though, and usually it is pretty crowded. Thats the only downside. Other than that it a great escape from Starbucks....
Good spot to have coffee when Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company is closed.
On Monday, November 26, 2007, I had an excellent americano @. Great Bear.
It's was such a cold evening, that a hot drink really hit the spot.
The best of everything... Best Service, Best Mocha, and Best Atmosphere!
Stop in on the way to the Sunday Farmers Market! Relax, read the paper, chat with friends, and eye the cute guys in their spandex bike shorts. No thank you... But yes please!!! :)
Fun times, good people, and a great brew... can't go wrong!
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Free wifi
plugs towards the back
great chocolate coffee cream (blended mix of choc icecream, coffee, and whipped cream)
open until about 10 on weekends
lots of windows for sunshine fix
laid back environment for studying
Mon-Thu 6:00 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Fri 6:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sat 7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sun 7:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
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Ah, the famous Chocolate Coffee Cream (or as the townies and regulars know it - Triple C). For those of you looking for an artery clogger you won't regret, definitely try this shake drink. The whipped cream is made by the Cafe themselves - it contains three simple ingredients of heavy cream, vanilla syrup and caramel syrup. For those who want a stronger coffee taste but still indulge in this sweet thickness, just add a double shot of espresso.
There is only one roaster here, and he roasts about twice a week. The most popular roast is called the Blue Note (there is also the Blue Note Organic). This cafe is known for their dark roasts - they only have a few light roasts, so keep that in mind, you light roast drinkers! However, if you are a serious coffee connoisseur, I would not come for their drinks - there is nothing special to discover here.
There are a few delicious morsels here and there - but they often run out even in the early morning. Their blueberry muffins are topped with crisp sugar, and the blueberries are juicy inside. There are also vegan chocolate cupcakes, but they are way too chocolatey and iced for me. The food, otherwise, is a bit on the mediocre side, and the health bars and smoothie drinks in the grab-and-go bottles are just abysmal. There are new workers that filter in here and there, but luckily, the expert baristas stick to making the drinks.The food here is a bit on the mediocre side, and the health bars are just abysmal.
Now, I have mixed feelings about the atmosphere of this place. This place does attract many older customers (ranging from my parents' age to way old). Because it is located in a well-known yuppie-ish area, you do occasionally get run-ins with fussy people . I accidentally bumped a woman's chair, and in turn, received the evil eye and a "harumph!" However, the workers are friendly, laid-back, and mostly younger (college age). There is a cool mural in the back of the cafe, and many paintings and photos done by some of the workers here.
Overall, this cafe is a great place to hang out with a small group, or to go by yourself with your laptop to study or whatnot (as long as you choose a good time when it's not super crowded - stay away from Sunday noontime. There are plenty of outlets near the back of the cafe, and they play music softly enough not to distract you.
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I am not a huge fan of coffee, but they have the BEST milkshakes I have ever had. They are rich and thick, with plenty of chocolate to go around. I highly recommend you get the chocolate shake with whip cream.
I kept hearing that this place was quite known. At first glance I wasn't interested in it. I went in here to buy a Red Bull and that was the first time I got to look at the interior. I like the brick wall but it seemed rather disorganized. I knew I had to try a cup of coffee.
The other day someone offered me if I wanted some coffee. I said I wanted an iced mocha with whipped cream. I was a bit bothered by the fact that they squeezed my whipped cream in the coffee instead of using a bubble to make it float. It was good, but for someone who lives whipped cream i was disappointed.
Yesterday I decided I would go order something else. Hazelnut mocha.
I even asked for a bit more syrup. My god, they made one of the BEST hazelnut mochas I've ever had. I'm afraid that I'll never have one that tastes the same. The foam was perfect, do they use a different type of syrup? The best cocoa ever? Whatever they use, next Monday I will buy about 78 of these. Good job baristas.
Oh, on another note. I hate that they don't have an espresso bar for pick- up drinks. I don't like bumping into the people paying for their drink when I pick up mine.
Go get yourself a cup of coffee now. Run!
They even have veggie lasagna...
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I like this place because the last 5 times I have been here, my gf's and I have sat and talked for effing 4 hours straight talking the whole friggin time and no one bothers us. Oh yeah, the coffee and tea drinks are good and the desserts are yummy too. So, we can reload on caffeine when our throats get parched from talking so damn much.
They also have local art up on the brick wall, which I always love seeing, even if it is atrocious.
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This cute, cozy spot is an amazing environment with my #2 favorite iced coffee, they also have yummy carrot and chocolate vegan muffins, very tasty! I only with my puppy could enjoy this experience with me. But I understand. Another eye catcher is they are always featuring a new artist's work on their walls!
I don't get it. What's with the attitude? Non-chalant customer service makes me not want to visit again.
Good vibe in the rest of the place though.
After driving past it a million times, I decided to come in here today since I had a few hours to kill. I'm sitting here right now, writing this review, with my wonderful iced mocha with fresh whipped cream and a peanut butter cookie. The music is just what I would expect for a coffee house, which is perfect for getting my homework done!
The only reason I docked it a star was because of the customers... I'm getting a little tired of listening to the sex lives of the women next to me. Really, people, you're not on your cell phones...
Five stars for the CCC.
0 Stars for the service. I've lived in Los Gatos my entire life, and it's been like that for as long as I can remember. It's really too bad, as they have some pretty good coffee. I would go there more if I wasn't so routinely irritated by snobby high schoolers.
If you find yourself driving highway 17 on a warm summer evening, and you're craving a mix of chocolate ice cream, coffee and real whipped cream, and you need some fuel for the road ahead, exit at Los Gatos Boulevard, stop at Great Bear and order the "chocolate coffee cream". Skip the baked goods. They're neither made on site, nor very good. But this drink is very good and very out of control.
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I've only tried one thing from here...the famous Chocolate Coffee Cream. This is the best blended coffee drink I have ever had!! It gets pretty busy on weekend mornings but it is nice and quiet on weekday afternoons.
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The only reason we come to this place is for the Chocolate Coffee Cream. It is kinda expensive...just a little over $4 for a grande-sized cup...but it is worth it. Trust me. We usually just get one, but last time we had to get 2 because I didn't want to share. :)
Nice kick back coffee shop on the LG main drag. Tables only. Some tasty coffee drinks. pastries and more.
Laid back and pure Los Gatos. Strange paintings on the wall, but, hey, they are supposed to be there.
The Chocolate Coffee Cream is the "best of the best" here. It breaks all recommended daily allowance for calories, but you won't care.
Fun place, has music also, and sometimes you see all those intellectuals with their laptop doing whatever.
For those that like the "Coffee House" feeling, Great Bear is for you.
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Good coffee, and excellent pumpkin bread. Nice relaxed atmosphere. Hazelnut iced coffe had WAY too much syrup, though.
Okay, if I'm not at Peet's or Mr. Toots I'm here. This place is awesome. People are really chill, actually the whole place is really chill. And If it's your first time you gotta get the Chocolate Coffee Cream aka The CCC. Forget the Starbucks blended drinks this is the King. You gotta try it.
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I have to say first of all that I have only experienced one of their drinks but it has kept me returning time and time again for a nice little caffeinated beverage. My friend Liz and I go to the Great Bear every time she comes home from Chico and both order up a Chocolate Coffee Cream (CCC) and pray we find an empty table to sit down and catch up. If we don't find a table, which has only happened a couple of times, the downtown area is a nice place to go for a walk. The art on the wall is always changing and is usually quite pleasant to look at while waiting for your drink. The employees do a good job of keeping the place in good order and give fairly good service. One of these days I'll have to get adventurous and actually try something other than a CCC.
Only bad thing I can say is that their whipped cream tends to be over whipped to the point of almost breaking. Which doesn't appeal to me at all. (Yes, I know I'm picky but it's the small things that add up and trust me, I know what whipped cream should look like. I'm pastry chef, we have to know what properly whipped cream should look like.)
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I love the Chocolate Coffee Creams! I went there for years just to have one. then one day I saw the barista dip her finger in the whipped cream (the make it fresh) and lick her finger. I was so disgusted and I told the cashier. I sent them an email and never heard back.
The coffee a little bit like cardboard, but great, if you like a light roast. At least it's not acidic or burnt like Starbucks or Coffee Bean (for you SoCal-ers).
Sunday morning: The place was packed with neighborhood couples, people with laptops, and middle-aged men catching up on their man talk. Decent place to study or read, as well. We need more down-to-earth places like this in the South Bay.
P.S. Take advantage of the free unlimited parking in the neighborhood on Sundays.
great ambiance, tasty drinks (DO try the homemade whipped cream, it makes a world of difference over the nitrous-based whip made by sbucks and peets), and free wifi and plugs galore for computers who have weak batteries.
unfortunately, there were so many flies running around the place it kind of just grossed me out and ruined the experience for me a bit. everytime a fly landed on my arm i had to check if it had also tried to sample my drink. blech.
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I was seriously craving a chai, and it was pouring in Los Gatos, so my friend and I ducked into this Cafe that she always wanted to try. Apparently everyone was thinking the same thing.
My chai was just so so. It was way too cinammony and not very sweet, I am actually ok with it not being sweet, but the Cinnamon burned in your mouth it was so strong.
But the coffee bar was nice to sit at and chat for hours in the rain, and then they have free wifi, so I saw a lot of people looking busy on their computers. It's a nice place to be. Next time maybe I'll order something worth giving a higher star rating.
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The boyfriend took me here raving about this drink called the CCC or something. I was worried cuz im a starbucks whore. It was pretty damn good. It's like a chocolate coffee with whip. Cant taste the coffee and thats what i like!
Ever since I can remember, Great Bear has been in LG. I went here today for the first time in probably about 7 years. The guys behind the counter were pranksters and made me laugh-- which is what I needed because I had a crappy day. There is a foam goddess there and I wish I knew her name. She made THE PERFECT VANILLA SOY LATTE.... that foam was made of fine frothy bubbles and smooth textured.... major props... might have to go back to my old high school stomping grounds more often. In looking at "the glass case" there was some damn good looking quiche and goodies... oh did I mention they have chocolate covered espresso beans!! OH YES!
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