Soft colors and loud people greet you when walking through the door of My Friend Joe’s, the new coffee shop across the street from SRJC. This spot has been a graveyard for coffee shops for years. Like graveyards, these coffee shops have been dark and musty places of quiet contemplation. Not Joes’s, instead it is a bright, lively place with a sense of its own identity. This understanding of what it is may be Joe’s salvation.

There are a many coffee shops that try to be cool, hip and strange. My Friend Joe’s is not one of these. It just is cool, hip and strange. This ability to “just be” is one of the things that makes it a comfortable place to spend time. There is no pretention and as long as you accept the shop for what it is it will accept you for who you are.

Joe’s is not a quiet place, but then good coffee house is? Walking in the door, shouts of “what’s up dude?” and “what are you drinking?” hail from behind the counter. The staff yells back and forth to each other and the customers, joking, laughing and teasing.

The walls are painted in soft, comfortable colors that mute the impact of the cluttered counters. But let’s get one thing straight: these counters are not cluttered like a desk full of work but rather like grandma’s attic. Looking around, you never know what treasure you might find: a new band to listen to, flash cards to help you brush up on your slang or perhaps find little toy. However, you will not get much time to wade through all the fun things on the counter as staff members do their job efficiently; they turn out drinks and take orders with quick wit and sure hands.

Good service and an interesting atmosphere are two of the things I look for when I go out for coffee. However, having a friendly staff and great atmosphere will not bring me back if they do not know how to brew a decent cup of coffee. Fortunately from the simple cup of coffee to the exotic spicy mocha the drinks are smooth and tasty. The expansive condiment bar offers the opportunity to customize your drink with common items like sugar and cinnamon or the more exotic: cardamom and stivia.

As if good coffee and a fun environment are not enough Joe’s serves paninis and will soon be adding waffles to the menu.  I can’t think of a better way to start the day than waffles and coffee in a friendly place.