Gate-side coffee and snacks near SJC Terminal A security
Peanuts sits airside in Terminal A at Norman Y. Mineta San Jose (SJC), just past the main security checkpoint and a short walk from the A10–A15 gates. It’s a small, counter-style setup that works for a quick coffee, bottled drink, or snack before short hops on airlines like Alaska and American using this concourse.
Hours track with the morning bank of departures in Terminal A, typically opening before 6:00 a.m. and closing by early evening when the last flights push. If you have a 7:30 a.m. departure, you can usually grab a drink and something wrapped to go without risking boarding. Late-night flyers after 9:00 p.m. should assume it may already be shuttered and plan on grabbing something earlier in the concourse.
Pricing runs in the usual airport range: expect drip coffee around $4, packaged snacks in the $3–$6 band, and bottled drinks closer to $5. You’re paying for proximity to the gates, not a destination meal. This is more “top off your caffeine and grab chips or a granola bar” than a sit-down option like what you’ll find closer to the larger restaurants in Terminal B.
Food choices lean heavily on pre-packaged items: chips, nuts, candy, breakfast pastries, and a couple of fridge-case sandwiches that work when you need something fast before a 90-minute hop to LAX or PHX. Nothing here counts as a full restaurant plate, so if you want a real meal before a transcon, budget time to walk toward the bigger spots deeper into A or over to B.
Tip: Use Peanuts as a backup plan: grab coffee or a snack here only if your gate is within five minutes’ walk and your boarding time is under 25 minutes away, otherwise walk farther down Terminal A for more substantial options.