The perfect thing to satisfy a high caffeine tolerance, an extra thirty minutes after school, and the feeling of “more espresso, less depresso” lies at a quaint coffee shop on El Camino Real: Robu Coffee.
The shop, which opened in late 2024, not only serves your daily dose of lattes and Americanos but also blends modern and traditional Asian flavors and styles: from Marble Vietnamese phin-dripped coffee to Korean-styled Einspänner lattes to Japanese egg salad sandwiches. Their coffee includes a blend of Robusta—the namesake of the shop—and Arabica beans, resulting in a blend of sweet, floral, rich, and woody flavors.
With the coffee store only being an eight minute drive away from school, Nanditha Venkatasubramanian (’27) and I set out on a mission to explore the deliciousness of their caffeine and rush to submit our order before their 3:30 P.M. closing, which has, fortunately, now changed to 4 P.M.
Immediately, we were greeted by wide windows and clean seating with melodies from Lofi Girl playing softly in the background. We placed our order with the welcoming and friendly staff and waited around ten minutes for our drinks. With additional opinions from our parents and friends, here’s our order and ratings.
Banana Pudding Matcha: A unique combination of Japanese matcha and surprisingly one of the only American food innovations, the banana pudding matcha was very smooth and refreshing.
While mixing the banana pudding in the drink does make it a little grainy, the banana chunks in the matcha drink provide a nice contrast of textures. The matcha itself has its distinct and unique taste, but it is not overwhelming or super bitter.
Overall, it definitely met the hype on Google Reviews. You could say that this drink “ate”… 8/10.
Vienna Einspänner Latte: Of course, we had to try something with their delicious Einspänner cream!
The coffee flavor is quite strong in the latte but not overpowering. Garnished with a subtle hint of cocoa powder, the Einspänner fits perfectly with the creaminess of the latte without feeling super heavy. This is another one of our highly recommended drinks, scoring a 9/10.
Vienna Einspänner Black with Coffee Jelly: This is definitely a lighter version of the previous latte, but it comes with a more distinct contrast between the creamy top, the deep Americano, and the subtle sweetness from the coffee jelly at the bottom.
The coffee jelly is an amazing addition, as it mimics the shape and texture of lychee jelly and adds the perfect amount of sweetness into the black coffee.
Is today October 10th? Because this gets a 10/10 from me.
Coconut Americano: While the Einspänner cream did add some needed sweetness, and the coconut and coffee flavors were easily identifiable, this was not my favorite combination. The coconut was not as fresh or as blended with the Americano as we would have liked, but if you are a fan of bitter drinks, this is a possible option to try. The final verdict is a 5/10.
Strawberry Milk: While not being overwhelmingly mindblowing, the strawberry chunks included in the drink were a great addition, and the sweetness level was very well balanced. The milk was definitely more prominent than the strawberry flavor, but it had a very fresh taste. We carefully hand it on a silver platter: a 7/10.
With its welcoming atmosphere and unique flavor combinations, Robu Coffee is an ideal place to stop by after school, try out new drinks, and spend time with friends!
