Espressamente Illy

Unexpectedly one of the best lattes I’ve had! The guy who made it was really nice too. Good start to my trip.

As other reviewers have noted, this is the best coffee avail at SJC Airport. It’s tucked all the away near Terminal 19, but it is worth the trek. Not only is the coffee so much better than the other places (Starbucks, Peets, La Boulange…), but the lines are typically shorter too.
Prices are fair and comparable to the other cafes in the airport. Medium Americano (12oz I think) was ~$ 3 and it is soo delicious. They also have all the regular coffee options, like lattes, capps, caffe fondente, etc.

illy coffee at any airport is a must have. Typically you’ll see the standard starbucks, Peets, Dunkin Doughnuts etc. If you’re in search of great coffee espresso you must go to Espressamente illy at SJC. Prepare to be amazed!

Good coffee. Most of the time there was no one at the counter but the service was good by Colin (I’m pretty sure he was busy doing work related stuff — prepping). Then this grubby chick with tattoos on her neck came up out of the employees only room. Idk if she works here or not because she’s not in a uniform. She is leaning up on the counter texting and has been for for about 5 minutes. They just lost a star.

Came by for a cup of coffee before my flight the other day.
Coffee here was surprisingly decent. Service by the staff was very good as they bring out your drink if you drink your coffee inside the coffee shop.
My latte fondente (mocha) came out not too sweet after requesting to cut the syrup in half. Extra foam also enhanced the taste of the beverage too!
~$ 4.75 for a small latte fondente.

Illy coffee at SJC has the best tasting coffee in the airport. Service is always a delight, and the drinks are made just how I want them. If you get a chance pay Illys a visit, and try out their sandwiches with your coffee, they are superb.

I dont like early flights. If im flying to southern California, it’s not long enough to sleep really. So I figured I’d get my caffeine on. I’d not gone to SJC airport in a long time and they’ve really done some renovations. The food selection is better and the EI space is pretty nice. Quick espresso shot and Im on my hour flight.

Coffee was great, but don’t ring the bell more than once ;-)
Rang the bell and waited a while. My wife rang the bell a second time just as the nutjob came running from behind a door yelling «don’t ring the bell, I’m coming!». As he heard the second bell ring then came a ton of attitude and he was just downright rude.

So happy Illy is in the airport. I am tired of the usual burned coffee. Colin at espressamente was super helpful and knowledgeable about the art of coffee. Pass up the SBucks and keep walking down the hall to MUCH BETTER coffee.

Friendly service. Great espresso. I ordered an iced latte. I prefer decaf at this time of the day, but they don’t carry it. :(I took my chances and am hoping it doesn’t keep me up all night.
The place is clean and they have a few tables for seating. It’s a nice place to hang while you wait for your flight.

Delicious latte and surprisingly not super duper overpriced for it being inside the airport. It has a hint of sweetness — I do prefer for it to be more sweet and would add more sugar, but I’m trying to cut down on sweets. This latte is perfect for that!

Double Espresso is too small with $ 2.55.
I thought this is America, not Europe.
Here is the rest orders by 2 people
Proscuitt & Mozzarella sand $ 6.95
Macchiato $ 2.55
Croissant $ 3
Total $ 16.37 plus tip

Hmmm… I agree with all the Europ-​phile reviewers that European coffee is better than evil-​empire American chain-​store coffee.
But the guy holding down the fort on the morning I went was a bit of a putz and kept saying he couldn’t make espresso coffee for «another 10 minutes» … for about a 30 minute period. He even suggested that we buy our bagel at Le Boulanger next door because it was a buck cheaper. That’s ‘nice’ but seriously… you should be proud enough of your shop and its items not to tell people to go elsewhere. I actually said «nah its OK I’ll buy the bagel here» and got some attitude in return. I think he just didn’t want to heat the bagel.
I do recommend coming here for coffee. Even the drip coffee is yummy and not burnt like Starbucks. But there are limited food options for sure.

I went to Espressamente Illy just because the $tarbuck$ line was too long and that I wanted to taste test their latte and compare it to the evil empire.
The guy behind the counter was working solo and it was a weekday morning… not really a ringing endorsement on how much business they were expecting to get. I ordered a vanilla latte… something that I got all the time from the Sbucks. After a while, the barista got it out for me and upon my first sip, I really liked it. It was nicely mixed with the right amount of foam on top. I was going to leave him a tip but he said he wasn’t allowed to leave a tip jar on top of the counter??? Huh? No tip jar at a coffee shop? That’s just wrong…
3.5 STARS for the latte and service.

**SOLID EUROPEAN COFFEE BAR AT THE SJC AIRPORT**
My European needed his espresso.
And we were overjoyed to know that this coffee shop existed.
WHERE
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GATE 19.
AMBIANCE
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Typical modern Italian coffee bar.
But at the airport.
COFFEE
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CAPPUCCINO
Delicious but not too strong. I wanted it stronger. But solid taste. No bitter grounds. Smooth. Lots of foam.
RATING ⁴⁄₅
CAPRESE SANDWICH
Mozzarella cheese, tomato, and basil sandwich slightly tasted. Great snack. I was so inspired on how easy and simple it tasted, I made some at home the following evening.
RATING: ⁴⁄₅
SERVICE
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Very quick and friendly; tipped him $ 2.
Thank you for not making us go to Starbucks!
GRAZIE!
xoxo

Wow! Had no idea this place was in the terminal!
I had a flavorful cappucho to go but then decided to sit in the café and people watch.
The gentleman making the coffee was a little confused when I paid and walked away, he stopped me to give me my change. He almost seemed robot-​like because I guess people don’t typcially tip him??? That can’t be right! Am I missing something? I had to insist he take the tip. (twilight zone moment).
The place is clean and not too busy at 11am.

The espresso is good, but I personally don’t like the flavor profile of Illy coffee: it’s a little too bright/​sour for me.

Once you’ve had a cup of Illy, everything else sucks. The only coffee we brew at home (freshly hand-​grinded, french-​pressed or espresso) is Illy, and the location in SJC tastes exactly the same. I’ve had Illy brewed elsewhere too, and there’s this distinct taste that you can never achieve with other beans. Flavorful and rich, the way you would imagine the best coffee to be.
I always pick up a latte before flying out. Service definitely isn’t as fast as Starbucks or Peet’s, but that’s because you’re getting a quality cup of coffee. The baristas are excellent too… and will even remake your drink (or fix it) if they think it’s not to the standard.
If you’ve never had Illy before, try it! Definitely pricer, but totally worth it if you want some quality coffee.

Its hard to ever pass up an Illy’s whenever I cross paths with one. The coffee is so rich and full of flavor. I love me some Illy! Even though I picked up an iced green tea lemonade at the Starbucks near gate 24, I didn’t hesitate to order me up a skinny latte 20 minutes later. I had no regrets either, the cup of Joe was oh so satisfying.
It’s good that I don’t have an Illy’s near home… that would be dangerous!

sometimes you get out of work early (good thing) but you can’t change your flight because the standby upgrade is $ 94 each (bad thing) and you end up at the airport 3 hours too early (hmm).
What to do? between gates 18 – 20, there’s a bar, a pub, a sandwich place and this coffee shop. Espressamente Illy offers the most tables and chairs (good thing) of the four places, and shelter from the hot afternoon sun that gives everyone in the terminal a northern californian tan. It’s nice to be inside away from the windows
I’ve liked Illy since my first cup in London but their coffees and espresso here don’t come cheap. A «medium» iced latte (for my polar bear) is $ 4.35 and a «medium» cappuccino is also $ 4.35. Drinks come in medium and large only.
Although we are definitely paying an airport premium on our coffee drinks, being able to surf the internet for hours for free (wi-​fi provided by the airport) with somewhere to sit and a table to rest the laptops and two drinks to sip on for under $ 10 is sure a good thing.