Stella Java

I always go to Stella Java after a run on the Santa Cruz path with my running group! We love the outdoor seating in the courtyard of the mercado so we can also get food or a pastry from the other vendors to pair with our delicious coffee from Stella. Their cold brew is really delicious and comes in an adorable mason jar. You can get refills on drip coffee. Even their tea and chai tea is very yummy if you’re not into coffee. Check them out — you will NOT be disappointed.

4 words: Cold brew on nitro! Stella Java shares space with the Sonoran snow cone business but their coffee is worth taking a trip to the Mercado. I met with a friend here for a Sunday afternoon coffee today and I was not disappointed. The staff was very friendly and there were still plenty of seats even in the middle of the day. Seeing that it’s a shared space and can be crowded on weekends, I would not recommend it as a place to do work. Stella offers a nice atmosphere with the open air spaces of the Mercado and is right next to La Estrella bakery. Coffee and a pastry anyone?

Very good lattes. With a bakery next door. Great courtyard setting. Bring a book and enjoy.

The coffee here is awesome; rich and flavorful but not bitter. This with great service located in a lovely courtyard plaza makes it worthwhile to us to go an extra few minutes out of our way.

Great coffee, friendly and helpful staff, comfortable atmosphere– Stella is a gem. Can be a nice place for quiet study or catching up with a friend, or for a post-​Tanias 33 burrito melting espresso (fighting burrito coma tends to be what brings me here).
Great outdoor seating in the Mercado too, and I love that the patio becomes overrun with cyclists a few times a week– it’s the perfect stop off or end point for the Loop.

Yum! I did not expect to find coffee of this caliber in Tucson. Well, I should rephrase that. I don’t generally expect to find coffee of this caliber anywhere outside of Portland, Seattle, SF, LA, etc… Coffee hubs. But lo and behold, here we have locally-​roasted, single-​origin beans; pour-​over, French press and Aeropress techniques (alongside espresso); and serious knowledge of a good cuppa.
This little coffee joint is housed inside the Mercado, and offers up a really, really good coffee program. I was duly impressed with my single-​origin Nicaragua pour-​over. Also with the friendly service and cool surroundings. There are a bunch of other interesting things in the Mercado, and a great courtyard where you can sit a drink your black gold.
Props to these folks for bringing it with the quality coffee and proper techniques.

You have to know that this place is inside of a building complex. There is a court yard in the center and there are shops and restaurants you can explore yourself. My friends and I got a mocha, latte, and a chai. The batista was very professional and welcoming. She made the drinks in a fast manner and I was well on my way to be caffinated. I did find a hair in my drink which happens but the batista quickly apologized and made a new drink for me as fast as I can. I was a happy customer at the end of my visit. The court yard has many tables there for you to sit on. The coffee shop shares a building with an ice cream shop so you can have the best of both worlds. The coffee here was delicious and the service was excellent. I will definitely be back if I’m ever in Tucson again.

This morning there was a huge accident by my house, so I had to take a detour to work and my morning cup of joe. Usually j just jump into a QT and buy the largest cup I can. But since I had to venture off course I remembered this cute coffee shop in the mercado Agustin. The staff was super polite and answered my questions about the differences in drip and pour over. I’ll have to admit I don’t know too much about coffee. I ended up choosing the drip coffee and … Wow !!! A few sips and I’m ready to take on the day. This coffee is the real deal. Strong notes but very smooth. I paired it with a la Estrella bakery empanada. I plan to come back again and try the other variety of coffee drinks they have at this coffee shop.

I love the fact that there is a coffee place in the Mercado San Agustin (Public Market). It’s located right next to Sonoran Sno-​Cones. There are about three long wooden tables for indoor seating shared between three different shops, and five tables outside with umbrella covers. It’s the perfect place to catch up with friends, or grab a quick cup of coffee.
I went here around 8am on a Tuesday morning. It was quiet enough for me to do some quick work and read through emails; probably since the other shops weren’t quite open yet. Wifi is free — no password needed. This would be a decent place to squeeze in some studying time. Maybe not for an extended period of time as the chairs aren’t super comfy or cushy. However, if you get hungry, there’s a bakery and sno cones that are only a couple of steps away.
Parking was easy to find along the street. Coffee tasted pretty good — love the latte art. I will definitely be returning when I’m in the area.

My cousin and I were looking for a new coffee joint. She suggested Stella Coffee to me and I’m so glad she did. It’s in a private secluded plaza/​courtyard with a bakery, snocone bar, a gift shop, and a restaurant and a few other small businesses.
The coffee was fantastic! We got hot vanilla lattes and they were so delicious. I literally drank mine in 5 seconds and wanted another one. We even stopped at the bakery for pastries which went extremely well with the coffee and were very inexpensive (about 60 cents per pastry). There’s inside and outside seating available but it was nice enough to sit out. Definitely coming here again!

Thanks again. Another great drink!
A handful of small restaurants to grab a bite to eat. Open outdoor seating area shared between shops. Close to A mountain.

After my third visit here, I decided to finally give this place a rave review. I was lead here by Unilocal and all the great reviews. The first visit I had a vanilla bean latte which was GREAT and today tried a cappuccino which was nice and frothy but I admit I was quick to gulp it. Already planning my next visit and planning to try an iced coffee next time! By the way it’s pretty convenient that Estrella’s bakery is next door :-)

Amazing iced chai tea latte.
The atmosphere is great and the baristas are wonderful.
Glad I went to check them out, they have great coffee and loose leaf tea.
Why waste your time with Starbucks when there’s a place like this available?

I loved this little place! Located in the cute San Augustin plaza, it is a perfect place to grab a great vanilla soy latte, sit and enjoy the weather and cute atmosphere. The service was friendly and kind. Located next to a cute pastry shop (that was unfortunately closed the day I went) that is convenient! I loved that their vanilla latte was not too sweet, like some places.

Wahhhhhh. Iced Americano, black. My go-​to beverage of caffeinated choice.
Stella. Yay! As it’s walking distance from my casita, I frequent this stand. Note, again, the five-​star review I gave a little less than a year ago. Young guy behind the counter this morning was super gracious throughout the following exchange, by the way.
Well, this time my espresso drink tasted a bit off. Happens! I wasn’t the only coffee-​lover who thought so and his hot version wasn’t great either. I, though, wasn’t enjoying mine enough to swallow it (literally), so I took it back. He opted to not-​enjoy his that much, but his prerogative, of course.
I was met with the female owner (?) saying: «we haven’t had any sent back all day.»
I guess it’s your first, then.
«What does it taste like?»
«A little sweet, kind of … sour, maybe … rancid?»
I didn’t want to say that, but guess what? I know espresso and maybe it was the roast (I said as much) but it wasn’t right. Not only did it taste a bit icky, but it was pale.
«Maybe you should get regular iced coffee instead.»
I agreed. «Yeah, it’s probably the whole batch.»
Regular iced black was quite good, as usual (I get that sometimes too.)
Implication, though: I’m wrong. Guess what? Customer is always right, and if an employee disagrees, employee say nada/​makes it right (which they did, but not without giving me grief first).
Talk about me behind my back. I don’t care. But I’m not coming back to be condescended.
Ciao, Stella. No longer five-​stellar.

I had to get a decaf americano because they don’t have iced decaf coffee. I’m a huge coffee fan, but I recently had to cut out the caffeine for health reasons. Anyways, I love the location. The Mercado is great. I came here before work. I wished they would have something to eat like bananas or baked goods. I prefer Raging Sage as a coffee shop.

Dirty Chai!!! Love it! The peruvian chai is unbelievable! I can drink this by the gallon!

Stella Java is the first place I visited in Tucson. I stopped in on a cross-​country roundtrip road trip from Los Angeles, CA to Charlotte, NC, and it was easily one of the best cups of coffee I had during my coast-​to-​coast journey. The experience of visiting Stella was so lovely that it was actually one of the reasons that I considered moving to Tucson (among other actual reasons, of course :)).
What I’m saying is Stella has some really great coffee, y’all.
I’ve come here a number of times since relocating to Tucson, and here are things that have been true on every one of my visits:
1. The coffee is always excellent. I’ve had the chance to try quite a few different drinks here, and they have all been delicious. They understand how to properly pull shots of espresso, which makes me usually opt for an iced latte of some sort. I feel confident ordering because I know it will never have a burnt or bitter taste to it here.
2. The employees are always friendly. They are always happy to see you. They are always helpful if you have questions. They know their stuff and they are able to answer your questions and give you great recommendations without talking down to you. Plus they are equally as nice to my wild child daughter, which is rare and just takes them up to a whole new level for me.
3. I always leave feeling like I’ve had a truly great experience, even when I’m just grabbing something to go. Every. Single. Time.
Whether you’re a local or just passing through (they are located conveniently close to the I-​10!), Stella is a winner, for sure.

I’m a fan! While my breakfast burrito at Seis Kitchen was being prepared, I headed on over to Stella, where they served Exo roasted coffee (and I love me some Exo.) I like that they give you samples to try.
However, I do not like the iced coffee on nitro. The nitro gives it a really sour taste that takes away from the coffee itself. That’s just my personal opinion.

The Mercado is gaining popularity in no small part due to Stella Java. It sits at the end of the tracks on the west side of town and this coffee shop has created a reason to stay on the streetcar till the Convento stop. We go to this coffee shop about twice a week to order coffee from the friendly wait staff and then sip our beverages in the tranquil courtyard.
They’re rarely busy, except when a mass of bicyclers come drafting in from the Santa Cruz River path. Free parking is abundant either on the street or in the large dirt parking lot next to the Mercado building.