It has been a decade since the Super Bowl was held in the Bay Area. The South Bay’s food scene has grown a lot since then with a greater diversity in cuisine. Whether you’re heading to the big game or just visiting town, you will want to plan your day around a feast of sisig, tacos, ramen, wontons or shawarma.
Here are eight recommendations for where to eat in the South Bay that are off the beaten path.
Ramen Hajime
5229 Stevens Creek Blvd., Santa Clara
The competition for the best ramen spot in the Bay is fierce, but Ramen Hajime is without a doubt a top contender. Both the thin, straight noodles and the thick, wavy noodles are made in house. To sample a bit of everything, try the kiwami tonkotsu that features two types of pork chashu, a jammy boiled egg, black mushrooms and a black garlic sauce. Keep a close eye on their social media page for limited-time specials like ramen bowls topped with chocolate, crab or scallops.
Pre-Hispanic Mexican Cuisine
30 E 3rd St. #120, Morgan Hill
Pre-Hispanic started as a food truck that roamed South Bay breweries and farmers markets. In September, they opened their first physical location in downtown Morgan Hill. The menu boasts a large selection of specialties from Yucatan including cochinita pibil, al pastor negro and xnipec salsa. If you’re only trying one dish, let it be the chorizo and octopus taco assembled on heirloom corn tortillas with a crispy cheese skirt.
Manakish
670 Stockton Ave., San Jose
This fast-casual Mediterranean spot started as a stall in the downtown San Jose food hall and has since opened a standalone location in a quiet neighborhood a few minutes from the airport. They are best known for their pillowy Levantine flatbread (manakish) that comes with toppings such as whipped kefir, za’atar and tomato-cucumber salad. If you’re looking to pick up a meal to dig into while you watch the game, go for the tri tip or chicken shawarma fries loaded with gooey cheese and garlic sauce.
Chicken Licious
2863 Senter Rd., San Jose
As one of the few Malaysian restaurants in the South Bay, Chicken Licious represents the cuisine well by offering dozens of dishes. This is the type of restaurant you want to visit with a large group as many of the plates are served family-style. If you’re new to Malaysian cuisine, you will want to start with char kway teow. It’s a stir-fried rice noodle dish with crispy bits of pork, sausage, prawns, bean sprouts and egg. It’s also dungeness crab season, so save room for the whole crab tossed in chili sauce.
VeLa Thai
346 E William St., San Jose
This recently opened Thai restaurant offers a unique take on brunch. The VeLa omelet plops a swirled egg and a mound of crab over rice. Tom yum sauce is pooled around the edges for dipping. The most eye-catching dish is the Thai boat noodles served with a teapot of soup for pouring over meatballs, vegetables and noodles. The best bite here is the hoi hor, minced crab and pork wrapped in tofu skins and deep-fried.
Tapislog Cantina + Tapislog Bistro
1998 Homestead Rd. #113, Santa Clara + 819 W Hamilton Ave., Campbell
Tapislog Cantina + Tapislog Bistro offer a large Filipino menu with stews, soups, grilled meats and noodles. For a fun fusion, order the burrito filled with sisig, garlic rice, and lumpia. You can also build your own combo plate that comes with up to three very generous portions of meat. Make sure to include an order of the lechon (crispy fried pork belly) and complement it with a selection of the bright, pungent sauces available at the table.
Tai Kee Wonton
2092 Concourse Dr. STE 1, San Jose
The original Tai Kee Wonton was started by the current owner’s great-grandfather in Taiwan. The main attraction is the handmade wontons served in soup or coated in sauce. I would argue that their greatest hit is actually the gua bao, a Taiwanese sandwich stuffed with a melty slab of pork belly, pickled mustard greens and peanut powder. The bao for the sandwich is made fresh which gives it a superior pleasantly chewy texture when compared to store-bought.
