Philz Coffee

Big shout out to Reed at Philz for saving me and getting me a large container of Jacobs for our meeting in less then 24 hour notice (totally NOT what they recommend, give them 24 hours advance to order large to-​go orders.)
Reed did what he could to make it so my team had their favorite coffee and a great treat for all the attendees! Liz was very helpful as well!
Philz never disappoints and everyone there is so friendly and helpful! The coffee needs nothing but a good book and friend to enjoy it. Always flavorful and always spot on what you need!
Thanks again to the wonderful Philz team in San Mateo for helping me out in a pinch!

I honestly don’t understand why this place is so popular. I decided to give Philz another chance after not loving my first mint mojito about a year prior. Sure, it was a fine cup of coffee, but nothing to obsess over. Perhaps it was how I ordered it (light sweet /​soy milk), but to me, the flavor wasn’t special. I could definitely taste the mint, which worked fine with the coffee, but again, it failed to blow me away. I’m not claiming to be a coffee aficionado, but for $ 4+ for a cup, I feel like it should leave some sort of impression/​future craving…

That was weird. The cashier kept the 50cent change as tip under assumption. I mean I usually tip but to assume when you have tip jars already for you customers is wrong. She didn’t even toss it in the jar! This was the cashier at 12:50 today.
Otherwise I love Philz but the San Mateo staff does not hold a candle to the Westborough crew.

Yup. I agree with everyone else’s ratings. 5 stars for the drink, the service and the experience. If it wasn’t in such a busy area, I’d come here every other day.

I am a coffee fanatic. I love Blue Bottle in the City. I love Peet’s. I drink Starbucks if there’s nothing else available.
Discovering Philz for me was bad news. Philz spoiled me. The staff at the San Mateo store are always friendly, attentive, and overall fun. But I’ll only go early in the morning to avoid the mass crowds.
I think I need a large Jules right now…

Simplicity.
Many take it for granted in a world of fast-​paced and mass-​manufactured crap. I had always heard about Philz, still coming up for trips to the Bay Area, I rarely had the opportunity to head over to the peninsula. I heard the angels singing when I arrived. No wait it was Biggie Smalls. I haz hip hop, and coffee. Woot.
I completely flubbed my first visit by asking for a latte. *facepalm* It was late in the evening and driving through a maze of holiday shoppers rendered me useless. The barista kindly explained their order of operations. The vibe in that place was chill. It was a wonderful cornucopia of colors, scents, and people. This is why I love the Bay Area, my forever home. I was hesitant to order just a ‘regular drip’, but I rolled with it. I chose Philtered Soul, which I am currently drinking out of a Philz Coffee mug here in the middle of Riverside County.
That night I don’t think I slept, hell I actually got some work done. It’s so good that it tells procrastination to GTFO. During that visit, we purchased mugs and a pound of whole bean coffee. My bag of whole beans just ran out this morning and I’m patiently waiting for the next bag to arrive. The beauty of it is that you can drink the coffee black. Quality.

I’m going to start off by saying that I’m not one of those people who is a coffee addict that brings their laptop to a café or reads a book while sipping black coffee. I’m not even a huge fan of coffee, but Philz is a game changer. I know some of you coffee snobs may think «big chain coffee stores aren’t the real deal blah blah» but I still love coming here.
This location is so large with a ton of open space. Chairs and tables set up along the perimeter of the room and some longer group tables floating in the center. It’s a little confusing when you’re ordering your drink. I wasn’t sure how to order my drink the first time I came. But if you’re observant, you’ll find a brown board of instructions to the right of the counter. You line up and order your drink at the counter, go pay for your drink at the cash register, and then go back to the counter to pick up your drink when your barista calls out your name/​order.
I’ve only tried the Mint Mojito and Chai Latte here. The Mint Mojito, which is what everyone raves about, is great! I always ask the barista to make it more creamy and they always get it right. The Chai is good as well but I found that clumps of chai particles (I don’t know what it’s called) remain at the bottom of the cup. I took off my lid one time and tried to drink the leftovers but that was a bad idea.
Overall, love this place! Ambiance and drinks are good. If you ARE one of those people who reads or does work at a coffee shop, I think you’ll be pleased as well — it has the rich coffee smell you expect from a coffee shop and it’s quiet enough to concentrate on whatever it is you’re doing.

Hard to say if I’ll make it back to this Philz Coffee again so here — bam !!! 5 stars.
Big coffee shop. Nice atmosphere, love the vibe, love the staff, iced mint mojito coffee and with plenty enough mint.
Considering the fact that I’m used to finding the huge Siren logo, I didn’t have a hard time finding this location and parking wasn’t difficult as well. There is a garage to the back of the coffee shop — JUST BRING CHANGE.
It wasn’t difficult to order my java from this shop and unlike other non-(SBUX) shops, I didn’t feel intimidated by this one. The barista was really friendly/​accommodating !
Most of all, the music that played was — of all tunes 90s music (Sublime, Nirvana, Gin Blossoms…) as if they knew I was coming that day. LOL ! Super cozy, very nice chill.
Next time, San Mateo. Next time — it will be Philz, and it will be this shop !

I do love me a cup of Joe (or do we say Philz?), but for now just the sweet stuff. I’m slowly inviting coffee into my life after having avoided it for the past 23 years.
Back then, the smell of freshly grounded coffee was enough to wake me up, but now I need just a teeny bit more. Philz in San Mateo is such a nice treat when I have client meetings in the area. I usually am able to find parking relatively easily and directly in front of this location on the weekdays (though I can’t say the same for the weekends). Downside is you have to pay (metered parking, coins only in some spots).
Recently I inserted a dime and got 12 minutes from it. There was a huge line (7+ people ahead of me) but I was able to order, purchase some beans, get them freshly grounded AND get my drink to be out the door with a minute to spare. 11 minutes for a hip spot like Philz? Not too shabby!
I usually order the Mint Mojito when it’s not too cold out. And for days where I’m needing something a little warmer, the Mocha Tesora light sweet always does it for me.
Other notes: 4 barista stations (so it moves relatively fast), tons of seating space whether you’re there to work/​study, meet a friend, converse. There are tables and chairs and couches. The space is huge and open with vast lighting. There are a bunch of other non-​coffee options, pastries, juice, fruit, etc.

This has to be one of my favorite coffee joints now. I will admit I wasn’t really sure what the hype was all about when I tried them first in Palo Alto. Now that they are in San Mateo with the large and open space and close to where I live– I am hooked! The people here are super chill and cool. Every coffee you order is served with the same phrase ‘please taste your drink to make sure it’s perfect.’ There’s something to be said with this commitment. I’ve only had one drink order that didn’t work out and they quickly remade it perfectly.
It’s also a hub bub of Silicon Valley hipsters, mingling and discussing their billion dollar tech projects. I love it because I work for a start up and totally relate.
So if you want a very good cup o’ joe, make sure you come here. Philharmonic and Philtered Soul are currently my favorites. I started by trying Tantilizing Turkish and Jacob’s Wunderbar– but dang these are strong!!! Go and just enjoy the experience.

Pros:
–Delicious Iced Coffee
–Spacious, Bright
–Good music
–Productive people to inspire you
–Nextdoor to Curry Up Now
Cons:
–It’s busy
–It’s pricy

Love Philz. This one is usually not too crowded.
I like getting the mint mojito or the ecstatic (sweet & EXTRA creamy).

So many things I love about Philz but for today I will just say:
Ecstatic Iced Coffee
Friendly staff
Great customers
Adam; the best manager

Can we just say that this Philz is amazing?! All the staffs are friendly and helpful. Kudos goes out to Laquenta (spelling on her name, apologises in advance) for making my drinks perfectly and making sure I enjoy the flavor before leaving.
Additionally, Brittany on register refunded me an additional charge bc they had their 2 sausage burrito for 1 special, and she fixed it for me instead of charging me an extra $ 5.50.
The line may be long, but it’s worth waiting for great coffee and great experience. I’ll be a regular here.

San Mateo Philz Coffee is huuuuuuuuuge! And I like it!
I usually stop by here early in the morning to enjoy a nice Philtered Soul or Tantalizing Turkish before I go on my grocery run around San Mateo. I also pick up something to eat here as well as they have a pretty extensive food menu with Breakfast sandwiches, bagels, burritos, and quiche. Both their meat and veggie quiches are pretty good and pair well with any of their teas and coffee (
).
Even though this is a huge location, it can still get quite crowded and sometime the line would stretch out though the door. But there there are plenty of tables and seats for the masses. It’s also times like this when using the OrderAhead app does come in handy. And they do a great job getting all the orders fulfilled on time. Very convenient and I wish all Philz locations used it.
Parking here isn’t much of a hassle with plenty of street parking around the area and the huge parking garage behind it. Well, at least if you come early. It might be a little harder at night and weekends.
Even though I have a Philz near me in SSF, this is by far my favorite location. Awesome baristas, nice food selection, large space, plenty of tables and chairs, and easy parking. It’s a winner!

I have a strong feeling that Philz’s coffee company will land in downtown San Mateo. And the company did, after I no longer work near downtown San Mateo; a frequent lunch area when I worked there many years ago.
But I liked the newest Philz much better than the other locations. The new location is spacious, great place to do work and a perfect waiting spot for the Cal Train station, which is only a half a block away.
I have been here a few times and have ordered many tasty and crafted coffees. My latest visit, I had the popular Mint Mojito, another popular and specialty cold beverage for $ 5.00. San Mateo does get really warm and the Mint Mojito is the perfect beverage to cool me down with also a little perk.
The baristas from the new location are faster than the others. And they do a great job in making great coffee drinks.
I wished Philz was here when I worked in downtown San Mateo. Otherwise, I would be a regular here.

5 star café with the awesome coffee. Tried the healthnut cookie today and that’s awesome too. If I really have to criticize this place or rather give my two cents worth– I would say the order taking counter should be in front entrance from bstreet as it’s sort of confusing.
Secondly add a few tables near the cash counter as there is plenty of empty space in the middle. Also couple of chairs outside if it’s allowed for people who like to sit in sun:)
Last but not least, I want to try all your coffees so perhaps have a coffee sampler in small shot glasses for the indecisive people like me:) or if you ever have coffee tasting, call me:) Being a photographer at
I will photograph your food and beverage for free as I love your coffee so much!

This location recently opened up in Downtown San Mateo to the excitement of many, many people. It is more spacious and seems to have much more seating available compared to other Philz locations. It is almost always packed with people on laptops, students, etc. The staff is friendly.
I love getting the different coffees iced at Philz, with light cream and light sugar. Super refreshing!

I love this place.
I like the one in SF but this one is spacious and has lots of plugs and seats if you wanted to sit and do work here.
I usually get the philtered soul.
The only odd thing is the way you have to line up to order, and then go to a separate place to pay.
Other than that, and the somewhat pricey coffee (but well worth it), I highly recommend this place!

Philz: Location, walking distance. Addiction level: Sustained/​worsened. Oh dear, I’m so happy there is a Philz here. Wait, they’re going mainstream and will be popping up more and more places. It doesn’t matter because I can get my favorite coffee even more conveniently. Standout favorites, which, no doubt, you’ve heard about, are mint mojito and their tesora roast. Philz is great because you know you’re getting something high-​quality prepared with attention.
Given my profession and expertise, I also think it’s worth mentioning the impressive short-​term memories that the employees at Philz possess. At Starbucks, they write thinks down; at Philz, they just remember it. After having ordered at at least 5 different Philz consistently over the last several years, I’m still quite impressed. Haven’t had a missed order or an order in error yet (knock on wood). Just something I noticed :)
Also, I noticed the cream Philz uses is manufacturers cream – not readily available in stores. In case you were curious and ultra detail oriented, manufacturers cream has a higher butterfat content than heavy whipping cream. Could this have something to do with the addictiveness of their coffee? Do I need more dopamine released with every visit? Yes please.