Tucked Behind a shady courtyard in Stanford Shopping Center sits Gregorys Coffee, a coffee shop chain originating in Manhattan, New York.

Famous for its vegan options and zero upcharge on alternative milks, Gregorys Coffee opened in 2006. Since then, it has rapidly expanded to 50 locations nationwide, opening its first locations in Palo Alto and Milpitas in early April. The black and white airy interior has plenty of seating, making it the perfect spot. The couches in the back of the store are a great secluded place to relax.

Additionally, Gregorys Coffee provides ample outdoor seating because of its proximity to the shopping center’s courtyard.

Because of the large space, Gregorys Coffee prides itself on its warm and welcoming atmosphere, perfect for any studying or working to be done.

“Our focus on the culture of bringing out something that’s different [from] other coffee places … is really nice,” Johnny Alcantar, the supervisor of the Stanford location, said. “The atmosphere is really great.”

Open every day from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., Gregorys Coffee is one of the few coffee shops in the area with extended hours, perfect for both early mornings and late nights.

“This store [has been] a long time coming, so we’re excited,” Alcantar said. “Anyone’s always welcome here.”

Croissant ($3.10)

All baked goods at Gregorys Coffee are made in-house, and displayed for customers to view and select. We were excited to try the dark, crispy croissant.

We asked for the croissant to be warmed up, and it came att the perfect temperature to eat.

We found the croissant to be lightly sweet and very bready, not light or flaky like a traditional croissant. This croissant would be great paired with one of Gregorys hot coffee drinks.

Next time, we would get something less basic, like their breakfast sandwiches or egg bites.

Iced Cherry Blossom Matcha Latte ($6.95)

To start off the drink menu, we ordered the seasonal cherry blossom syrup in a matcha. With a twist on the original matcha latte, this drink included cherry and rose syrup.

The drink also came with vegan cold foam, which does not include an upcharge. The drink was beautifully presented, with the matcha forming a distinct layer from the syrup.

However, compared to the photo on their website, the drink did not have the distinct pink and green layers.

When we mixed the drink together, the cold foam was not noticeable and blended into the milk.

Overall, the drink was light and refreshing. The matcha had a nice, mild flavor and didn’t taste overly grassy or earthy.

We did find the cherry syrup to be a bit intense, with an especially strong aftertaste, but we really enjoyed this drink.

Strawberry Hibiscus Refresher ($5.35)

We tried this drink with light ice and freeze-dried strawberries on top, touted as one of the best drinks Gregorys Coffee has to offer, according to reviews.

Despite its vibrant pink color, we found this drink to be sickly sweet at first, before it gave way to an overly tart aftertaste. We could only drink less than a quarter before the sweetness became overpowering.

Spicy Avo Toast ($7.10)

We tried the spicy avocado toast from the store’s limited food options. The Spicy Avo is one of the more expensive items on the menu, and for the price, we found it to be a little underwhelming, arriving on a small slice of bread slathered in chili oil. The excess of chili oil made the bread soggy, greasy and masked all the other flavors.

We did find that the avocado tasted fresh and the toast had a nice crispiness, but the amount of chili oil distracted from the other flavors

Iced Biscotti Testarossa ($6.95)

Another one of Gregorys Coffee’s signature drinks, the Biscotti Testarossa, is an iced latte with hints of hazelnut and almond. The drink also comes with a mascarpone and orange zest cold foam on top.

Though we couldn’t taste the orange zest, the cold foam mixed into the drink fairly quickly. We definitely recommend this drink, with its strong notes of almond and subtle hints of chocolate.