Editor’s note: This article is updated with a video contributed by staff reporter Lauren Vu.
Most big chain cafes and boba shops, such as 7Leaves or Starbucks, provide students with perfect spaces to study, eat, drink and hang out with friends. However, students might find those well-known stores busy most of the time and it is hard for them to find a place to sit down and study.
Don’t you worry; check out these gems nearby De Anza for your alternate study spots when you’re too tired waiting in line for 7Leaves or Starbucks.
Calibear Cyber Cafe
1336 S Mary Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94087
Calibear Cyber Cafe is an Internet cafe that is perfect for gamers and students who need to rent a PC to study or just to relax with games.
The café provides its customers with a variety of services for rent, such as a pool table, gaming PCs and mahjong games. Their rental PCs take up most of the store’s space, leaving two long tables with outlets on the side for people who bring their laptops.
Calibear serves a variety of boba drinks and great-tasting Asian street food. The food and drinks are somewhat expensive compared to other nearby shops and cafes, with the cheapest item being the corndog at $3.99 and the most expensive being the unagi don, Japanese grilled eel with rice, at $15.99. The chicken curry on rice ($13.99) paired with the assam milk tea, a mellow drink in combination with rich milk and green tea, is an easy-to-go meal for when you need to study.
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Payment option: Cards and Apple Pay only
Hours: 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. everyday
Phone: (408) 703-7070
Rating: 4/5
Distance from De Anza: 6 minutes by car and 38 minutes by bus
Big Mug Coffee Roasters
3014 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95051
Big Mug Coffee Roasters is a well-known spot for students around the South Bay for its variety of drink options and a constantly growing menu of food items for purchase.
There are different types of teas, coffee, latte, and smoothies that you can also customize. Their smoked salmon on toast ($14.50) is small but filling, with a light cream cheese layer, half an avocado that is sliced, fresh pesto on top of a piece of toast and a side salad with vinaigrette on the other.
Considering its large customer base, Big Mug’s space takes up an abundance of tables and chairs, which means that Big Mug is usually very busy, especially during the weekends. The Wi-Fi is also not free, so customers must purchase something to receive the password and bathroom code. Although Big Mug is prominently busy from time to time, its fast-paced atmosphere is perfect for long study sessions with friends, and it also closes later than most cafes in the area.
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Payment option: Cash, cards, and Apple Pay
Hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m from Monday to Saturday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday
Phone: (408) 816-7932
Rating: 3/5
Distance from De Anza: 17 minutes by car and 46 minutes by bus
T%
3050 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95051
T% is a small boba shop decorated in an all-white modern theme with a small drink menu.
T% has a menu of 32 drinks with its jasmine tea, one of the key ingredients in most of the drinks, certified for the Superior Taste Award by the International Taste Institute.
Although it does have a large open space like Calibear, its upbeat atmosphere and unique taste in decorations still invite lots of people to come and check in on Instagram.
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Payment option: Cards and Apple Pay
Hours: Noon to 10 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday and noon to 11 p.m. from Friday to Saturday
Phone: (408) 564-4076
Rating: 3/5
Distance from De Anza: 16 minutes by car and 40 minutes by bus
Sulbing
3050 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95051
Sulbing specializes in bingsu, Korean shaved ice desserts, and drinks. Sulbing has a large space with plenty of chairs and tables that can fit up to 80 people.
Similar to Big Mug, Sulbing requires customers to buy food or drinks to get the Wi-Fi password. Sulbing gives off an atmosphere where students can focus and finish what they need to do with its soft, gentle music and bright natural light.
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Payment option: Cards and Apple Pay
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 9:15 p.m. everyday
Phone: None
Rating: 4/5
Distance from De Anza: 15 minutes by car and 39 minutes by bus
Teahee
979 Story Rd Unit 7012, San Jose, CA 95122
Teahee is a small Vietnamese dessert shop located in Little Saigon plaza.
Teahee has a large menu of drinks, including frappes, coffee, sugarcane juice, tea, and smoothies. Teahee’s sugarcane juice series has eight creative renditions of the popular sugarcane juice in Vietnam. CocoCane ($5.95), a mix of coconut juice and sugarcane juice, is a good choice for people who want something sweet from the sugarcane juice but have a mellow kick to it that the coconut juice provides.
The spot would be a better choice for students who live near the Eastside San Jose area, as it’s farther from De Anza compared to all the stores recommended above.
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Payment option: Cards and Apple Pay
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. everyday
Phone: (408) 642-5978
Rating: 3.5/5
Distance from De Anza: 16 minutes by car and 53 minutes by bus
Although the five recommended boba shops and cafes are not the most popular and are relatively small compared to name brands such as 7Leaves or Starbucks, consider coming when you want to try some new spots and support local businesses.
