Great Bear Coffee

Flat out the best mocha I’ve ever had. Get the whipped topping and skip a meal, it’s worth the indulgence.

The 3 C’s that everyone highly recommends? I agree!
Coffee flavor wasn’t very strong by any means and the chocolate was very powering but not too much that makes it overbearingly sweet. Whip cream was good! Not as dense as I’d expected, but good taste to it.
Probably the only thing I would recommend. My latte with added vanilla was more foam and tasted like warm milk. I couldn’t taste the vanilla or espresso in my drink. Oh well, better luck next time maybe…

CCC! CCC! While reading reviews about this place, I noticed everyone rave about this drink and now I can see why! I don’t mean to be another one in the crowd, but this drink really is something everyone should try at least once! From coffee lovers, to non coffee drinkers, this drink is still a pleaser. The CCC is Ghirardelli chocolate, vanilla ice cream, coffee, and house made cream. Everything comes together to create this creamy, decadent drink with a perfect balance of coffee and chocolate. The cream is thick and not too sweet, so it balances out the heavy chocolate flavors. Its definitely a must have treat.
Aside from that, they also offer some breakfast burritos and other small pastries such as a «crimpy» and quiches. I went with their custard crimpy and I loved it! Its some sort of baked, dense pastry with custard in the middle. The consistency of the custard is not runny custard like the filling inside of cakes, its more firm and very similar to asian egg tarts. I enjoyed it and would probably get it again or try the other crimpy flavors!
They have a good amount of small tables squished together that are normally taken. They have a bar as well which I thought was cool to see in a coffee shop. It literally looks like a bar where you could order a good Old Fashioned or something, except you’re actually just sipping on coffee haha. You can also order 16oz bags of beans here from their selection!

They make an ok soy capp, but their Triple C (Coffee, Chocolate, and Cream) is fantastic! On the heavy side, but the Ghirardelli chocolate and vanilla ice cream make it decadently delicious. Recommend trying at least once!
Note it’s often packed on the weekends with little chance of grabbing a seat or two.

Sometimes at coffee shops I will order things on the menu that just sound good, and not even know what they are. This particular time I ordered a macchiato. (I truly had no idea what it was)
The first thing the barista tells me «You know… this isn’t what you would get at Starbucks…»
«No problem, I have no idea what it is at Starbucks, and I have no idea what it is here. I’ll take it!»
And thus began my journey of thoroughly enjoying non-​Starbucks macchiato’s.
I like this place a lot, they roast their own beans, have a great food selection, and judging by the fact that it’s always crowded, they must keep most of their customers happy.

This is my favorite coffee house in my home town of Los Gatos! I have been coming here every weekend for as long as I can remember, used to come with my kids when they were little and now we still come when they are back from college! Latte though they have had a HUGE turn over in employees! Yes you may think I am reacting to change and to give people a chance! Believe me I get it, but in the industry world you need to do these kind of changes seem less! I am tired of the new staff still been new after weeks on the job. The sad thing is that the familiarity is gone, them knowing and recognizing me is gone. I am also so tired of them not getting my order correct!

My husband is totally addicted to their mochas and I can see why! The mocha itself is well balanced and not too sweet and is topped with home made whipped cream (also not too sweet). Every time we are in the area we stop at Great Bear so he can get his «special» mocha.

Nicely sized café with awesome cold brewed coffee. I would stop by again to get that cold brewed coffee again if I was to pass by, but I wouldn’t want to get on my laptop to knock out some work because of the restroom… Not that it’s dirty or anything, but there is only one tiny restroom for the entire place considering the size of the place. If it did have a bigger bathroom or at least two bathrooms, I would give this business five stars. I just personally think that restroom is a very important aspect of a business, especially for a café where people are meant to spend a few hours sipping on drinks.
They do use cups made from plants, so I give them props for that as well. Go green!

It’s always so busy when I’m here on the weekends. That’s a good sign right? Yes! The CCC is indulgent, rich, amazing and worth every calorie! Space gets a little cramped but delicious drinks and it’s one of the few places that doesn’t close early on Sunday’s I visit Los Gatos.

Love this place. Cranking out some reviews as I wait for my Genius Bar appt next door. Small aside, these small town downtowns have such a great vibe to them. I wanted to opt for their signature CCC but needed to be elsewhere soon. The latte is rich and creamy. No complaints. Seems to be bustling with activity (note: not crowded) but it seems like there’s still lots of space available to sit down with laptop and coffee.
PS the tip jar is hella funny. It’s a jar of a bear and it says, «Save the cows, tip the bears!» ha ha

I purchased an extra large latte and it came in a very cheap cup. The coffee itself had a weird taste.
It tasted like burnt coffee with stale milk. I went back and saw their milk cartons just sitting on the countertop not in the refrigerator. I don’t know how long the milk was sitting out there for. The barista was very rude but she made me a new latte, which made no difference. It ended up in the garbage anyway. It was the worst latte and customer service I have ever had.

Stopped in for a cup of coffee and it was good. I skipped my favorite coffee place on Main Street due to having a bad cup on Sat. A guy made the coffee instead of the lady and it was not the same. So I stopped in here and I will be back to try other items.
Please don’t review this business if you received a freebie for writing this review, or if you’re connected in any way to the owner or employees.

Great Bear Coffee has the best coffee in Los Gatos — Absolutely love their cappuccino, the CCC (Chocolate, Coffee, Cream) is sinfully delicious, their poppy seed, banana bread and biscotti are so yummy, and their service is consistently excellent. Kevan, Laura, Amanda, Mike, Brent, Harmony, Eric, Stephanie, Daniel, Dustin and Olivia are the baristas and coffee gurus making my heavenly cappuccino. Best of all their entire staff always takes pride in making the drinks to be the best ones that you will ever have.
Perfectly located in downtown Los Gatos, it is easy to find and once you see the long line inside, you know you are in the right spot. Great Bear has tables and a counter with seating area, their WIFI is the best in LG, catch up in your reading with local magazines or newspapers, a great place to chat, hang out or relax which it makes this a more enjoyable experience.

By far, one of the best iced lattes with sugar free vanilla I have ever had! Highly recommended these guys.

This is my favorite place to get coffee in downtown Los Gatos. I love the CCC aka Chocolate Coffee Cream which is basically a milkshake with some thick whipped cream. SO great on a hot day and I usually split it in two to share.
Cold brew is good and foam on the lattes are frothy and delish. Atmosphere feels empty a lot of the time and there are too many tables so they are shoved right next to each other.
YUM!

If you’re a coffee snob, this is the place to be in downtown Los Gatos. I, for one, am not a coffee snob but I do love a good mocha frappé or latte. Or in today’s case their CCC (CHOCOLATE COFFEE CREAM). Order it, you’ll thank me if you ever bump into me. :)
Their pastries and desserts look amazing too. I’ve had two of their homemade trail bars and they are simply delish!
I kinda wish their coffee menu was a bit more extensive like Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company down the street.

Known for the infamous C³ or CCC also known as chocolate coffee crème.
Tina’s Treasures and Tribulations
— Coworker gave me a gift card to this place. It’s one of the memorable independent coffee establishments I’ve ever been to and just recently voted in Metro for it.
— I’ve only been here once so based off of this one experience and I’m hoping there will be more
— I work at Starbucks so I would say I’m a bit of a coffee snob
— The CCC is the most popular as mentioned earlier and it is a blended cold beverage similar to a frappuccino.
— I want to go back to try another drink. :)

I am not a coffee drinker. Never was, never will be… at least not in the near future. BUT. Great Bear Coffee has changed my perspective on going to cafes.
Met up with a couple of classmates on a Saturday afternoon to study, and I Unilocaled «cafes for studying» hoping to get a place with outlets, space for groups, and that mid-​range level of loudness and quiet volume for our discussions.
Great Bear Coffee hit all the right notes with everything that I was looking for in our study session! They do have Free WIFI and I even tried their one shot macchiato, and really loved the bitter flavors and cute little cup it came in. I’m still not gonna be a coffee fan (tea drinker FO LYFE), but their coffee really is delicious… and their baristas really know what’s up. One of the baristas working that afternoon was very sweet and allowed us to move two tables together for our study group – thanks homegirl!
I loved the warm-​hearted vibes of the café that fostered conversation all around us, so we didn’t feel like we were being too obnoxious. There were people next to us having a relaxed chat with friends, working on their computer solo-​style, and couples people-​watching out the front window. All in all, I can’t wait to come back here and *GASP* try more drinks and spend time here solo or with a group. For solo wanderers, Great Bear also has a bartop area with PLENTY of outlets and people who don’t want to face other parties/​groups and make awkward eye contact! Win-​win for everyone!

I’ve only had one drink from Great Bear Coffee so I don’t know how much weight you should put in my review.
When I walked in, I liked that there were so many people inside. It seems like they have a lot of regulars. A couple of kids walked in after me and the workers knew them by name so I thought that was really cute.
I specifically came in for the chai tea latte because it had a lot of great reviews. I was disappointed thought because it didn’t have a very strong taste. it seemed heavily diluted. I was also a little sad because a lot of the reviews mentioned it would come with homemade whipped cream. Mine didn’t have that. I guess maybe I should have asked for it.
Overall I wouldn’t come back from the chai tea latte but I wouldn’t mind checking Great Bear out some other time and seeing if they have specialty drinks or trying some of their pastries.

TL;DR? The coffee jewel of Los Gatos! I’ve been to LG before but usually for dinner dining. I was already awake early morning and decided to be spontaneous and study at a café. My curiosity paid off and so will yours! GBC is BEARY AWESOME TEEHEE
Drink Quality, Service, Location, Ambiance, Prices: A
5 Stars spectacular bonanza!
Nota Bene:
1) The Famous Chocolate Coffee Cream is LEGEN-​WAIT FOR IT-​DAIRY! (Thanks Rachel) CCC comes in a 16oz at $ 4.95. It’s a «perfect blend of coffee, Ghirardelli chocolate and vanilla ice cream topped with real whipped cream.» It’s like drinking a dreamy choco milkshake with hints of coffee in it! The cream itself is very smooth and not overly frothy. It is devilishly sweet since it is made of Ghirardelli chocolate, so opt out of the whip cream if you’d like.
2) There are 2 or 3 hour public parking lots around if you are not staying for long. There are full day lots behind GBC and near the post office
3) The ambiance here is total hipster chic– love it. The music played is classical or instrumental, classy and soothing! Also the music isn’t blasting or glaringly obvious, thank goodness. You can keep your earphones out and still do work peacefully. They feature local artwork which is totes awesome!
4) Plenty of space. There are about 12 tables (small round ones and a long table) and even a coffee bar with 8 chairs.
5) The menu offerings are bomb diggity, and of course they have a whole showcase of baked goods and various hot/​cold foods available. They use MONIN Syrups and various tea brands (Celestial, Choice, etc.)
…Hot or Iced Espresso Drinks: Latte, Mocha, Espresso, Americano, Cappuccino, Machiatto (12, 16, 20oz)
…Famous CCC (16oz)
…Hot Drinks: Coffee, Refills, For Here Mug– One Size, Double Dose, Café Au Lait, hot Chocolate, Steamer, House Brewed Chai, Spiced Cider, Tea (8, 12, 16, 20oz)
…Cold Drinks: Iced Coffee Cold Brew, Bear Cap, Iced Chai, Black Citrus Iced Tea, Organic Jasmine of Berry Iced Tea (12, 16, 20oz)
6) Service is friendly! Perhaps it was because I came at 7AM, but they were very accommodating and down to earth. I brought my 36oz cup and didn’t charge me extra because I said the CCC didn’t need to fill the cup. They also gave me a personal cup discount $.25 to boot. Booyah!
7) For coffee bean buyers, they sell various kinds (darker roasted blends– African gold, osos espresso, french bear, blue note; organic mocha java, organic blue note, New Guinea, medium roasted blends– dancing bear, eyes of the world, and natural process decafs– mocha java blend, Italian). All 16oz bags range from $ 12.50 to $ 14.50.