Caffe Central

Their fresh juices are pretty nice and the boba teas are great as well. They have a great collection of desserts plus entrees like crêpe, pannini etc. overall a nice place to stop by for a quick drink /​bite

Stopped for a quick break and snack from shopping. I had their blood orange green tea with boba. I’ve never seen blood orange flavor (or regular orange, for that matter) at any tea place before. It was sweet and tangy but not tart. Boba was also decent. I liked it. My friend also got the a small caprese salad (tomatoes, mozzarella and basil) and I tried some of that — pretty good. Service and the process could be improved. There’s a pickup area where they just drop off your food and drink. Someone tried to take my friend’s drink thinking it was theirs. Also we tried to ask the guy when he came back to the counter, what the drink was, he didn’t know. I felt like they just made it so shouldn’t they know what they made. Very odd.

I had ordered the oolong tea before with rainbow jelly, but it was too strong for my taste buds. This time I ordered the original milk tea and my cousin had ordered the caramel milk tea. The texture of the tapioca pearls was perfect. It was soft and chewy. I’ve experienced in the past when the pearls were over cooked.
Anyways, the deserts has always caught my attention but never bothered to buy any. Speaking of deserts and pastries, I once have seen several fruit flies flying around the desert area. This is probably one of the reasons why I refuse to try their food.
Service: Good
Beverage: Good
Location: Excellent

They charge for everything with no quality dessert.
I ordered a chocolate strawberry crêpe, I asked the barista to add more whipped cream on top and she told me it will cost extra, when I paid almost $ 14 for the crêpe & $ 3 for the tea.
Totally rip off & the crêpe didn’t taste that good neither, I threw away half portion. Do not like !!

I must say their chocolate fondant cake is to die for. I come here specifically for that cake. I wonder if they sell a whole cake?! Great coffee by the way :)

It was early Sunday morning and I was in dire need of caffeine. I passed on my usual go-​to, E-​bar, because of the long line and also because my general proximity to Caffe Central. I ordered an espresso macchiato. I appreciated that the cashier warned me of the its diminutive serving size, as it is the European style. It was just the jolt I needed! The espresso was expertly pulled, accented by just the right amount of milk and foam.
I agree with some of the other sentiments that this place doesn’t get the praise it deserves. Maybe service tends to be a hit or miss, but the coffee is great. I’m just mad I didn’t start ordering from this place sooner!

Terrible customer service. Ever since they opened they have always had problems. They either get your order wrong or don’t listen to what you want. I have waited for a drink here for over 30 mins which is RIDICULOUS. I only come here because I liked the bubble tea flavors except they always get my order wrong. Either the person at the register types in my order wrong yet reads it back to me correctly or they don’t get it at all. I am never going to get my bubble tea here again. I’d rather go to Bar Code where I always get what I order.

This place never fail to disappoint me at all! Though I should probably try like different drinks since I always goes for the taro milk tea because of the flavor and its creaminess. Especially the texture. I had tried many boba places’ taro milk tea and nothing can compare to the one here at Caffe Central. So whenever I am feeling for Taro… I would come here for it. Overall service is friendly! Never experience any difficulty as of sort. Would definitely come here again! Only been here at least three to four times but I can definitely see myself coming here even more when I have time or if I feel like coming.

Was a great option at the Valley Fair mall for a quick coffee. Got a non-​fat iced latte here and it was super tasty. A little overpriced, but definitely would be my go-​to coffee place when shopping. Yum!

The service is awful. I have been here twice and each time been treated rudely by the staff. Today I ordered a beverage that was made incorrectly. I asked what kind of sugar was put in the drink and was told it was stevia, not the raw that I requested. The barista was rude and half turned to me stating, «That’s what I was told to put in it by the lady at the register». He then turned back around and proceeded to make someone else’s drink. A very sweet lady (short and either Mexican or Asian) came over and asked how she could help me. As I described that the wrong sweetener was added to my coffee, a rude woman came up (she was the only one not dressed in black) and proceeded to lecture me on putting my own sugar in so that they don’t do it wrong. I order coffee at least once a day from all kinds of cafes (Mom and Pop local coffee cafes to Starbucks) and I have never had an issue with adding raw sugar to a drink for which I am paying $ 4-​$ 5. Adding raw sugar is apparently too much to ask.
Prior to my incorrect coffee, the lady who was lecturing me had her cell phone out either texting or checking something. She slipped the phone in her pocket and did not wash her hands before returning to assisting with the coffee bar. I’m sure this is a health code violation. Needless to say I will not be back.

I would not even give this place one star, but unfortunately you have to give it a 1-​star minimum in order to write a review. I ordered a Hummus Avocado sandwich, which oddly only comes with one slice of bread.
The cashier charges me $ 1.50 for an extra slice of bread. A dollar fifty! When I ask her why the price is so high for the ONE extra slice, she tells me it is a special type of bread. Yea, right. I ask her to lightly toast the bread, and it turns out it was like «brock bread» when I bit into it.
Then, I eat my sandwich, and when I go to eat the salad, I see a fly on it. She tells me «Flies have protein, it’s more protein for you». I am furious at this point, when she then says that she was just joking. She ends up only giving me a refund for $ 3, the cost of the salad. Horrible service, I would not eat here again. I am a mall employee who frequently eats here, and the service they gave me today was just horrible. No wonder this place only has like 2 stars. This place needs to close down. Horrible customer service, to one of their regular customers.
–Manny

Good! I only order milk tea here, but each time I’ve quite enjoyed it! The service is pretty standard, nothing spectacular, but overall friendly. I always opt to come here over Youji simply because I don’t know how to order from Youji’s menu (I like simple menus, please don’t judge my brain). I always opt for the black milk teas, and have yet to be disappointed. The last two drinks I recall ordering were lychee and mint black teas, and both were really good! I actually find myself drinking them way too fast and craving more :(
I’m also SO happy they give smoothie lids now!!! I remember sometime last year when I came here, my boyfriend was trying to put the straw in the flat lid, and the drink ended up exploding all over his shirt. To say the least, he was not happy. The girl who handed us our drink apologized when we came back and saw what happened to his shirt, and explained that they had a recent shipment of defective lids and remade the drink for us. She was genuinely apologetic was much appreciated!
If I’m in the mall craving boba, this will probably remain my go-​to spot. However, I have other shops I much prefer in the bay.

They used to have Blue Bottle Coffee here. What happened? Well, I didn’t ask and I didn’t bother getting the coffee. I bought dessert instead (lemon bar) which is quite good. I just hope they reconsider serving BBC back.

Ordered the large (32 oz) watermelon green tea with boba and it was pretty yummy. Not quite sure how the prices compare to Youji (also provides boba right across from it), but this 32 oz was pretty large to share between two people! They were generous with the boba, but the ice on top of the boba made it difficult to sip it through the straw. Perhaps there was too much ice — next time I will try to ask for less ice.
They always have desserts (yummy looking ones) available and the barista told me that they are switching over to a different coffee from Blue Bottle, so be open to trying new roasts! They also offer fresh juice, which may be more fresh than Jamba Juice, not quite sure, but something to look into.
A nice break in the day!

Over priced everything. Cakes are average. Milk tea is a no go (just walk a few steps over to youji for good tea). Plus side-​blue bottle coffee, caprese salad (so fresh), nutella twist, and crepes! Crepes are really good… for mall food, other than that I probably wouldn’t have it. Their nutella twist though is great! About $ 3 for a huge, tasty, pastry rolled in nutella and a hint of pineapple I think. Love to get these as a quick pick me up in the middle of the day.

I’m not quite sure why this place has such low ratings as I have never had a bad experience from Caffé Central out of the 4 – 5 times I’ve been here.
When Valley Fair completed their food court renovation, I just had to check out the new digs; as I was browsing through the new food venues, I eventually came across Caffé Central. This divey lunch/​dessert venue gives out a modernized café look; hanging fixtures, granite countertops, wooden finishes, mini side bar near the pick-​up section, much similar to Starbucks.
What had really grasped my attention to this place, though, was as I was browsing through their delectable desserts, I noticed that they offer Crème Brûlée in THREE, (yes THREE) different options!!! (#CrèmeBrûléeLoverForLife) And of course, my Crème brûlée-​holic self couldn’t pass this opportunity by:
1. Crème brûlée classic with the burnt top in a mini tin container
2. Crème brûlée cheesecake (if you’re a fan of cheesecake)
3. Crème brûlée bar (more on the firmer side, like a brownie bar)
I SIMPLY CANNOT RESIST! These Crème brûlée dessert options are about $ 5.95, which are a bit on the pricier side, but then again, all of the new vendors at the renovated Valley Fair food court are an average of $ 10 – 15 for a full meal.
Please note that the Crème brûlée cheesecake is a huge hit so this sensational delicatessen tends to sell out before the evening hits. Try to come early if you want to try the Crème brûlée cheesecake, my dear sweet lovahs!
If you’re a boba lover, they DO have Bubble Tea options just for you! I typically order the Passion Fruit Green Tea/​No Milk/​Unsweetened/​With pearl. Side note #2: Not all of their drinks are freshly made (like Tapioca Express), so you can’t customize the sweetness for it. (boo) Due to this incapability, my teeth tend to get sensitive from the amounts of sugar they add into their green tea drinks. I just tell them to «water it down» to lessen the sweetness. On the upside, they sell a 32 ounce of green tea for about $ 3.95 (kinda like a Tpumps deal), so if you’re just having a major boba craving while walking around the mall and aren’t down to spend $ 5+ at Barcode, just purchase your drink at Caffe Central instead.
I highly recommend trying this place (more than once) for their desserts. I don’t have a say in any of their croissant’s or sandwiches, as I have not tried any of them. So if you’re trying to attain instant gratification through sweets after a long day of shopping, I recommend this place for you!
Additional Info:
Typical hours of operation: 8:00 AM — 9:30 PM
Mall level: 2 (at renovated Food Court)
Contact them directly at: (408) 241‑3088

The dessert display looked mmm good that I had to succumb to the cravings of something sweet. Can’t believe how there’s always a line here.
I think people just time it so they can form a line in front of me, take forever to order and make me wait longer.
Conspiracy jokes aside, I’ve tasted the following (not in one sitting)
1) Lemon Bar
2) Fruit Tart
3) Crème Brulee
4) Strawberry & Vanilla «something something» … I’ll accompany this review with a pic of it.
I must say they all tasted good. Probably if I had to rank them
#1 Fruit Tart– Sweet & tasty
#2 Lemon Bar– Sweet, not as tart as I would have liked
#3 Crème Brulee– It’s crème brûlée, tasted just like any other
#4 Strawvanilla… There was a vanilla fluff in the center between 2 pillowy pastry tops but I couldn’t taste vanilla with it.
Can you guess how much these 4 single-​serving items cost?
Try north of $ 25. Ridiculous. Could have bought a couple of pies and quarts of premium ice cream for the same price. The quality was not worthy of the price. Next time I walk by Caffe Central, I will turn my head and give it «the hand»

Really wanted to like this place as everything looked really good on the display. Sadly, this place ended up being a mishap on my part.
My girlfriend order the Good Morning Greens drink and apparently got the drink that is called Good Morning which is not green. I was right next to her, so I heard the word «GREENS» very clearly, but the cash register lady did not. Why in the world would you name two drinks so closely is behind me. She ended up keeping the drink she got, but overall, it was a major mistake.
My pastry was very plain. It looked good, but it really didn’t have much taste. It was bland.
Overall, overpriced with inept workers and also horribly naming structure. Sad face.: (

Craving boba? Craving a green smoothie? Craving coffee? Craving a dense piece of dessert? Crave no more while you shop at Valley Fair. Caffe Central does the job when it comes to cravings. :)
I’ve had the blueberry bread pudding here as well as one of their green smoothies. I’d have to say, the bread pudding was on point. So I’m sure any of the other desserts will cure a sugar hankering as well. The green smoothie however was more of a hybrid of green juice and maybe a gritty, icy green drink. I like that they don’t skimp on how much greens they add to the smoothie but I just didn’t care for the consistency too much. If I’m having a smoothie, I’d want to it actually be SMOOTH.
Either way, I’d still return here to try out one of their lattes and of course some more dessert as we go into the colder months.

I’ve been here four times and have not experienced any bad customer service. I also enjoy their products. Toward the last hour that they open they sell their sandwiches and some pastries for 50% off. They have mini sandwiches and paninis that they heat up for you. They have anything from smoked salmon, tuna, apple and turkey to ham and olives. And because August is national panini and national sandwich month, you have an excuse to try every single one of them! Plus they are TINY so it’s definitely possible to eat more than one.
Their pastries are very appealing. I tried a fruit tart and thought it was pretty good. They’re presented beautifully. I’ve also tried their affogato which is served with Blue Bottle espresso. They pour the coffee into the vanilla gelato in front of you.
They also randomly serve boba even though there’s already a phở/​boba stand directly across from them.
The NOLA iced coffee is really watery & costed over $ 4. It is much better @ Peet’s or Starbucks.