Introduction | Food & Drink | Music & Nightlife | Goods & Services | Art & Culture
OVERALL
Best New Restaurant
Manresa Bread Cafe
195 E Campbell Ave, Campbell
Cedar Room Pruneyard
1875 S Bascom Ave #100, Campbell
Achilles
2521 Newhall St, Santa Clara
Best Restaurant (Culinary Excellence)
Alexander’s Steakhouse
19379 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino
Orchard City Kitchen
1875 S Bascom Ave #190, Campbell
Adega
1614 Alum Rock Ave, San Jose
Best Chef
Jeffrey Stout, Orchard City Kitchen
1875 S Bascom Ave, Campbell
Andrew Welch, The Basin
14572 Big Basin Way, Saratoga
Jim Stump, The Table
1110 Willow St, San Jose
Best Dining Value
Aqui
Campbell, Cupertino & San Jose
Bill’s Cafe
Fremont, Palo Alto & San Jose
Angelou’s
21 N Second St, San Jose
Best Small Restaurant
Braise
1185 Lincoln Ave, San Jose
Zona Rosa
San Jose & Los Gatos
Yuki Sushi
Santa Clara & San Jose
Best Family Restaurant
Aqui
Campbell, Cupertino & San Jose
Bill’s Cafe
Fremont, Palo Alto & San Jose
Old Spaghetti Factory
51 N San Pedro St, San Jose
Best Romantic Restaurant
La Fondue
14550 Big Basin Way, Saratoga
Grandview Restaurant
15005 Mt Hamilton Rd, Mt Hamilton
Manresa
320 Village Ln, Los Gatos
Best Restaurant Patio
Jack Rose Libation House
18840 Los Gatos-Saratoga Rd, Los Gatos
San Pedro Square Market
87 N San Pedro St, San Jose
Andalé Patio
21 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos
Best Dessert Spot To Do It for the ‘Gram
Somi Somi
Cupertino & San Jose
A generation that grew up sharing photos of food has prompted more and more chefs to focus on feasting the eyes as much as pleasing the palate. There’s no shortage of Instagrammable fare in the South Bay, but few place as much premium on the optics as Asian dessert spotsmany of which create designated nooks for customers to pose with their eye-popping treats for IG-worthy shares. Korean creamery Somi Somi serves up soft-serve ice cream nestled in adorably photogenic taiyaki, a goldfish-shaped waffle made fresh to order, and adorned with your choice of technicolor toppings, from Fruity Pebbles to ube-purple macarons, to make your sweet treat picture perfect.
Best Late-Night Eats
La Victoria
Hayward & San Jose
A Slice of New York
3443 Stevens Creek Blvd, San Jose
Original Joe’s
301 S 1st St, San Jose
Best French Restaurant
La Fondue
14550 Big Basin Way, Saratoga
Le Papillon
410 Saratoga Ave, San Jose
Left Bank
Santana Row & Menlo Park
Best German Restaurant
Teske’s Germania
255 N First St, San Jose
Naschmarkt Restaurant
384 E Campbell Ave, Campbell
Ludwig’s German Table
261 N Second St, San Jose
Best Latin Restaurant
Zona Rosa
San Jose & Los Gatos
Cascal
400 Castro St, Mountain View
Mezcal
25 W San Fernando St, San Jose
Best Cuban/Caribbean Restaurant
Habana Cuba
387 S 1st St, San Jose
Back A Yard
80 N Market St, San Jose
La Bodeguita del Medio
463 California Ave, Palo Alto
Best Cajun Restaurant
Boiling Crab
Multiple locations in San Jose
Poor House Bistro
91 S Autumn St, San Jose
The Bywater
532 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos
Best Italian Restaurant
A Bellagio
33 S Central Ave, Campbell
Aldo’s Ristorante & Bar
14109 S Winchester Blvd, Los Gatos
Al Castello Ristorante
2083 Camden Ave, San Jose
Best Mediterranean/Greek Restaurant
Dio Deka
210 E Main St, Los Gatos
Dishdash
190 S Murphy Ave, Sunnyvale
Agape Grill
845 Stewart Dr, Sunnyvale
Best Middle Eastern Restaurant
Dishdash
190 S Murphy Ave, Sunnyvale
Arya Global Cuisine
19930 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino
Oren’s Hummus
Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto & San Jose
Best Steakhouse
Alexander’s Steakhouse
19379 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino
Forbes Mill Steakhouse
206 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos
Dry Creek Grill
1580 Hamilton Ave, San Jose
Best Barbecue
Henry’s Hi-Life
301 W St John St, San Jose
Smoking Pig BBQ
Fremont & San Jose
Armadillo Willy’s
Los Altos, San Jose, Santa Clara & Sunnyvale
Best Vegetarian Restaurant
Good Karma
37 S 1st St, San Jose
Vegetarian House
520 E Santa Clara St, San Jose
Happy Hooligans
1711 Branham Ln, San Jose
Best Hawaiian
Hukilau
230 Jackson St, San Jose
Hawaiian Barbecue
6233 Santa Teresa Blvd, San Jose
Banana Crepe
248 Jackson St, San Jose
Best Ramen
Orenchi
3450 Homestead Rd, Santa Clara
Ramen Nagi
Santa Clara & Palo Alto
Hana Sushitomi
635 W Dana St, Mountain View
Best Pho
House of Pho
San Jose & Sunnyvale
Pho 24
747 S Winchester Blvd, San Jose
Pho Wagon
1712 Meridian Ave, San Jose
Best Poke Restaurant
Poki Bowl
4750 Almaden Expy, San Jose
Downtown Poki
96 E San Salvador St, San Jose
Hawaiian Poke Bowl
387 S 1st St, San Jose
Best Pearl Teas
Boba Bar
310 S 3rd St, San Jose
Gong Cha
Fremont, Milpitas, Palo Alto, San Jose & Sunnyvale
Fantasia Coffee & Tea
Cupertino, Milpitas, San Jose & Santa Clara
Best Vietnamese Restaurant
Anh Hong
1818 Tully Rd, San Jose
233 W Calaveras Blvd, Milpitas
Khanh’s Restaurant
335 S Winchester Blvd, San Jose
Com Tam Dat Thanh
1055 Tully Rd, San Jose
Best Korean Restaurant
Jang Su Jang
3561 El Camino Real, Santa Clara
Korean Palace
297 Stevens Creek Blvd, San Jose
Q Pot Korean BBQ & Hotpot
1610 E Capitol Expy, San Jose
TIE
HoM Korean Kitchen
76 E Santa Clara St, San Jose
Best Raw Bivalve Happy Hour
Forthright Oyster Bar
1700 W Campbell Ave, Campbell
There’s nothing quite like a fresh oyster. Crisp, creamy, with perhaps a little lemon tang and a drop of vinegary hot sauce. The only way to improve upon this delicacy is if you have a dozen, but that can get pricey. At Forthright Oyster Barcousin to The Table in Willow Glenhungry patrons can choose from a large selection of oysters from all over the country. Some will run you around $3.50 a pop, but if you time it right and catch Forthright’s excellent happy hour, you can score the bivalve of the day for just $1.50 each. At that price, you might as well get two dozen. Oh, and bring a date. Oysters are an aphrodisiac, you know…
Best Thai Restaurant
Krungthai
642 S Winchester Blvd, San Jose
Amarin Thai
5205 Prospect Rd, San Jose
Blue Mango
635 Coleman Ave, San Jose
Best Seafood Restaurant
The Fish Market
Palo Alto, Santa Clara & San Jose
The Boiling Crab
Two San Jose locations
Scott’s Seafood
185Park Ave, San Jose
Best Sushi
Mizu Sushi
1035 S Winchester Blvd, San Jose
Cha Cha Sushi
547 W Capitol Expy, San Jose
Ariake
1008 Blossom Hill Rd, San Jose
Best Burger
Brown Chicken Brown Cow
397 E Campbell Ave, Campbell
Kirk’s Steakburgers
2388 S Bascom Ave, Campbell
Konjoe Burger Bar
San Pedro Square Market, San Jose
Best Hot Dog
Happy Hound
15899 Los Gatos Blvd, Los Gatos
Mark’s Hot Dogs
48 S Capitol Ave, San Jose
Original Gravity
66 S 1st St, San Jose
Best Pizza Independent
4th St. Pizza Co.
150 E Santa Clara St, San Jose
Bibo’s NY Pizza
1431 Bird Ave, San Jose
Oak & Rye
303 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos
Best Pizza Regional
Pizza My Heart
Cupertino, Los Gatos, San Jose, Santa Clara & Sunnyvale
A Slice of New York
San Jose & Sunnyvale
Blue Line Pizza
Campbell, Los Gatos, Mountain View & San Jose
Best Deli/Sandwich Shop
La Villa
1319 Lincoln Ave, San Jose
Antipastos
3454 McKee Rd, San Jose
Los Gatos Meats & Smokehouse
575 University Ave, Los Gatos
Best Microbrewery Food
Campbell Brewing Company
200 E Campbell Ave, Campbell
Uproar Brewing Company
439 S 1st St, San Jose
Tied House
954 Villa St, Mountain View
Best Desserts
Icing on the Cake
50 W Main St, Los Gatos
Peter’s Bakery
3108 Alum Rock Ave, San Jose
Frost Cupcake Factory
1305 N Bascom Ave, San Jose
Best Doughnuts
Stan’s Donut Shop
2628 Homestead Rd, Santa Clara
Psycho Donuts
Campbell & Santa Clara
Manley’s Donut Shop
Cupertino & San Jose
Best Bagel Shop
House of Bagels
Campbell, Cupertino, Los Gatos, San Jose, Santa Clara & Sunnyvale
Bagel Bar
519 E Campbell Ave, Campbell
City Bagels
52 W Santa Clara St, San Jose
Best Ice Cream/Gelato
Willow Glen Creamery
1100 Lincoln Ave, San Jose
Dolce Spazio Gelato
221 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos
Sweet Retreat
846 Blossom Hill Rd, San Jose
Best Frozen Yogurt
Yumi Yogurt
3787 Stevens Creek Blvd, Santa Clara
PennyLane Frozen Yogurt & Candy
715 W Hamilton Ave, Campbell
Frozo’s Frozen Yogurt
1000 Lafayette St, Santa Clara
Best Fast-Casual Fine Dining
Pasta Armellano
14560 Big Basin Way, Saratoga
Saratoga’s Plumed Horse is no stranger to local fine dining best-of lists. Peter Armellino’s white tablecloth has been praised in Sunset and held a coveted Michelin star since 2009. While accolades like these tend to come with higher-priced menus, date night doesn’t need to break the bank. His recently opened Pasta Armellinolocated across Big Basin Way from his flagship establishment, in the heart of downtown Saratoga’s gourmet gulchoffers a stripped-down, fast casual menu that doesn’t skimp on quality. Customers queue up and order like they might at a deli, circling the meals they desire in pencil, on clipboards. Pay at the counter, grab your tray with drinks along with a number, and wait just a few minutes to be served. Innovative salads, elegantly simple soups, and incredible pasta dishes arrive quickly. Even sampling a dish from each section of the menu, with drinks, a party of two can leave walk awaycompletely satisfied and satiatedfor less than $100.
Best Food Truck
Grilled Cheese Bandits
@CheeseBandits
Sam’s Chowdermobile
@chowdermobile
Tacomania
@tacomaniainc
Best Caterer
Smoking Pig BBQ
Fremont & San Jose
A Catered Affair
1680 Martin Ave, Santa Clara
Blue Rock BBQ
3001 Meridian Ave, San Jose
TIE
Sushi Confidential
Campbell & San Jose
Best Tea Room
Lisa’s Tea Treasures
167 Main St, Los Altos
Fairmont Lobby Lounge
170 S Market St, San Jose
Satori Tea Company
14482 Big Basin Way, Saratoga
Best Ethnic Market International
Food Bazaar
2052 Curtner Ave, San Jose
Santo Market
245 E Taylor St, San Jose
Chaparral Supermarket
1001 E Santa Clara St, San Jose
PENINSULA
Best Business Lunch
Il Fornaio
520 Cowper St, Palo Alto
Buck’s of Woodside
3062 Woodside Rd, Woodside
Cascal
400 Castro St, Mountain View
Best American Restaurant
Los Altos Grill
233 Third St, Los Altos
Scratch
401 Castro St, Mountain View
Hobee’s
Palo Alto
4224 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
Best Chinese Restaurant
Chef Chu’s
1067 N San Antonio Rd, Los Altos
Fu Lam Mum
153 Castro St, Mountain View
Kirin
485 Castro St, Mountain View
Best Place to Skip the Brunch Line
Italian Brothers Bakery
1401 W San Carlos St, San Jose
Not to knock Midtown’s hottest new brunch spot, but there’s nothing at the end of the line that’s worth a two-hour wait, not even The Breakfast Club’s delectable blueberry-lemon short stack. Instead of standing awkwardly in the restaurant’s entryway counting the minutes and glaring at diners taking their sweet time to pay up, head over the crosswalk to Italian Brothers Bakery. It’s no brunch spot, but it’s a great Plan B that’ll inevitably become your Plan A. Run by the eponymous Sicilian siblings Marco and Giacomo Montevago, the place is more than a bakery; it’s also a rosticceria and gelateria. The Montevago brothers learned the family recipes as children working in their great-grandfather’s bakery in Palermo and decided to continue the tradition a world away in San Jose. After stints at a few other local Italian restaurants, the pair took over the spot last year at San Carlos Street and Meridian Avenue, where they serve up Sicily’s signature sweets and smoked meats.
Best Japanese Restaurant
Fuki Sushi
4119 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
Sushi Tomi
635 W Dana St, Mountain View
Jin Sho
454 California Ave, Palo Alto
Best Mexican Restaurant
Reposado
236 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto
Fiesta Del Mar Too
735 Villa St, Mountain View
Palo Alto Sol
408 N California Ave, Palo Alto
Best Indian Restaurant
Passage to India
1991 W El Camino Real, Mountain View
Darbar
129 Lytton Ave, Palo Alto
Chaat Paradise
165 E El Camino Real, Mountain View
Best Thai Restaurant
Krungthai
590 Showers Dr, Mountain View
Shana Thai
311 Moffett Blvd, Mountain View
Indochine
2710 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto
Best Taqueria
Los Altos Taqueria
2105 Old Middlefield Way E, Mountain View
Taqueria El Grullense
3636 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
Sancho’s Taqueria
Palo Alto & Redwood City
Best Breakfast
Buck’s of Woodside
3062 Woodside Rd, Woodside
Palo Alto Creamery
566 Emerson St, Palo Alto
Joanie’s Café
405 California Ave, Palo Alto
Best Independent Coffeehouse
Red Rock Coffee
201 Castro St, Mountain View
Cafe Borrone
1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park
Dana Street Roasting Company
744 W Dana St, Mountain View
Best Bakery
The Prolific Oven
550 Waverley St, Palo Alto
Esther’s German Bakery
987 N San Antonio Rd, Los Altos
Mayfield Bakery & Cafe
855 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
Best Burrito
Sancho’s Taqueria
Palo Alto & Redwood City
La Costena
235 E Middlefield Rd, Mountain View
Rincon Sabroso
122 N Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View
WEST VALLEY
Best Business Lunch
Nick’s Next Door
11 College Ave, Los Gatos
Steamer’s Grillhouse
31 University Ave, Los Gatos
Aqui
201 E Campbell Ave, Campbell
Best American Restaurant
Orchard City Kitchen
1875 S Bascom Ave, Campbell
Nick’s Next Door
11 College Ave, Los Gatos
Capers Eat & Drink
1710 W Campbell Ave, Campbell
Best Chinese Restaurant
Blue Sky
2028 Winchester Blvd, Campbell
Tsing Tao
104 San Tomas Aquino Rd, Campbell
Yeung Shing
14107 S Winchester Blvd, Los Gatos
Best Japanese Restaurant
Kyoto Palace
1875 S Bascom Ave, Campbell
Sushi Confidential
247 E Campbell Ave, Campbell
Kamakura
135 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos
Best Mexican Restaurant
Andalé
6 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos
Casa Lupe
2169 Winchester Blvd, Campbell
Aqui
201 E Campbell Ave, Campbell
Best Thai Restaurant
Thai Spice
337 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos
Thai Orchid
866 E Campbell Ave, Campbell
Mint Leaf Cuisine
14420 Big Basin Way, Saratoga
Best Taqueria
Adelita’s Taqueria
1896 Curtner Ave, San Jose
Jalisco
525 E Campbell Ave, Campbell
Taqueria Los Pericos #3
1581 W Campbell Ave, Campbell
Best Breakfast
Stacks
139 E Campbell Ave, Campbell
Hash House
851 W Hamilton Ave, Campbell
Southern Kitchen
27 E Main St, Los Gatos
Best Independent Coffeehouse
Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Co.
101 W Main St, Los Gatos
Orchard Valley Coffee
349 E Campbell Ave, Campbell
Great Bear Coffee
19 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos
Best Bakery
Icing on the Cake
50 W Main St, Los Gatos
Manresa Bread
276 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos
Fleur De Cocoa
39 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos
Best Burrito
Andalé
6 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos
Adelita’s Taqueria
1896 Curtner Ave, San Jose
Aqui
201 E Campbell Ave, Campbell
Best Anime-Themed Dumplings
Mingle’s Mango
5278 Monterey Hwy, San Jose
If you’ve never been to Mingle’s Mango, a word of advice: Ignore your first impression. Tucked between a Catholic church and a $7-a-chop barber shop in a drab Monterey Highway strip mall, it’s easy to miss. And if you do manage to find it, the facadefeaturing a haphazardly hand-painted sign and red-curtained windowslooks so much like a rub-and-tug hub that you might want to take a hard pass anyway. We happen to think the fly-by-night exterior is part of the charm here. Venture past those dingy glass doors to discover a sanctuary to Chef Mingle Wang’s two great loves in life: Dragon Ball Z and xiaolongbao. The hole-in-the-wall purveyor of dim sum and hand-pulled noodles is dimly lit and lovingly decorated with anime murals on all but one side of the restaurant, where projected anime flickers on a pair of drawn white curtains. According to Wang, he launched the restaurant in 2017 in part to raise money to produce a Dragon Ball Z movie in homage to his passion for the cartoon that he says “never fades away with age.” Then there’s the menu, which besides Wang’s signature dumplings offers a tempting array of dishes well worth trying, from family-recipe staplessoups, noodles and steamed bunsto quirky one-offs like the swirled-potato-on-a-stick Pornado, pastry-wrapped sausage Spicy Dick and chocolate-filled dessert dumplings.
CENTRAL VALLEY
Best Business Lunch
Pedro’s
3935 Freedom Cir, Santa Clara
Alexander’s Steakhouse
19379 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino
Birk’s
3955 Freedom Cir, Santa Clara
Best American Restaurant
St. John’s Bar & Grill
510 Lawrence Expy, Sunnyvale
Sara’s Kitchen
1595 Franklin St, Santa Clara
Parcel 104
2700 Mission College Blvd, Santa Clara
Best Chinese Restaurant
China Stix
2110 El Camino Real, Santa Clara
Tao Tao Cafe
175 S Murphy Ave, Sunnyvale
Mandarin Gourmet
10145 N De Anza Blvd, Cupertino
Best Japanese Restaurant
Yuki Sushi
1827 Pruneridge Ave, Santa Clara