WhatCoffee & Bakery brings French Asian pastries, freshly roasted coffee and brunch to Santa Clara

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Curiosity is the driving force behind WhatCoffee & Bakery, Santa Clara’s newest roastery and bakery.

“I want people to be curious about, what beans do we use and what kind of recipe and what flavor?” owner Rain Sun said. 

The logo, a sideways question mark reminiscent of both a smiley face and a coffee mug, illustrates Sun’s desire to foster a coffee culture in which visitors are curious about the origins of their coffee and how it’s produced. WhatCoffee, which held its grand opening Oct. 2, is serving up Asian-inspired coffee drinks using in-house roasted beans, housemade French Asian fusion pastries, sandwiches and weekend brunch. 

“It’s a one-stop shop,” Sun said. “No matter what you want – you want a quick drink, grab and go or you want sit-down, dine-in brunch, we’re ready.”

The cafe roasts 1,000 pounds of coffee daily, offering 20 bean varieties sourced from countries like Indonesia, Bolivia, Ethiopia, Colombia and Brazil. Customers can watch coffee beans rotate in a giant roaster at the cafe, sipping the fresh roasts in classic drinks like lattes and cappuccinos, as well as more innovative beverages like grape shaken cold brew and its hot rose cordial latte ($7.50). 

Taking influence from Asia, find matcha drinks like iced raspberry matcha and iced coconut matcha ($7.99), as well as non-caffeinated drinks like the mango silk splash ($6.99). Housemade pastries include croissants in flavors like pistachio or mango, doughnuts in varieties such as coconut chocolate mocha and strawberry cream and a selection of Danishes, muffins and morning buns. 

The daily all-day menu features breakfast croissants, eggs Benedict toast and a variety of sandwiches on ciabatta bread. The brunch menu, available Friday to Sunday, features brunch pork sliders, chicken and waffles and more. WhatCoffee features plentiful indoor and outdoor seating with high speed Wi-Fi and welcomes pets in the outdoor covered patio area. 

Sun immigrated from China to the East Bay with her family as a teenager for a better education. She grew up working at her parents’ bakery in San Mateo and their roastery in Santa Clara, both of which they sold during the pandemic. Sun went to college for biology and sociology, but she never stopped thinking about her fond memories working at her parents’ businesses. 

“They really planted a seed in my mind,” she said. “I was like, ‘I love the smell of freshly baked croissants in the morning. I love the smile from customers when they receive the perfect latte art.’”

Sun said she opened WhatCoffee in Santa Clara because she wants to help with the city’s  revitalization and bring more life into town, something she said has decreased over the years.

“I really want it to be a really popular spot within the community, and I want people to (feel that) whenever they think about the name, the brand, they are curious and they’re happy,” Sun said.

WhatCoffee & Bakery, 1002 Monroe St., Santa Clara; Instagram: @whatcoffeeandbakery. Open Monday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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