There’s something special about dining outdoors in the summer and early fall, when the days are still warm and long, and fresh tomatoes and peaches are rolling in.
The definition of “view” is pretty broad, but for our purposes here, we’ll define view as something attractive or interesting to gaze upon while grazing, whether it be a city or skyline, a sparkling waterfront, an artsy cityscape, a relaxing water feature or a sweeping vista.
Without a doubt, the King of the Hill dining spot is the Grand View on Mount Hamilton. With a garden, orchards and grazing cattle, it’s kind of hard to beat. But for anyone who’s not into making the circuitous trek up that somewhat heart-pounding road, we have other spots that offer a feast for the eyes.
Cityscapes
Right in the heart of Santana Row is Cielo, a rooftop bar that offers views of the sun setting over the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west. Enjoy dinner at Oveja Negra prior to cocktails, or just grab a light snack at Cielo and sip on a glass of wine while cozying up by the fireplace. While Cielo is generally open Tuesday through Sunday 5:30 to 9:30pm, they do offer private parties, so it”s prudent to check the event schedule or call ahead at 408.551.0010.
Eos & Nyx, a chic new two-story downtown San Jose hot spot, lies near the Hammer Theater and is right on the rail line. Outdoor seating is expansive, and the views of the city are very metro and at night, especially from the second floor, quite striking.
The food here is top-notch, brunch or dinner. Classics like loco moco get amped up by black garlic, while the veggie Benedict sports spinach, mushrooms and feta and Béarnaise. Large and in charge, the stack of chicken and waffles is served with kimchi butter, while moules frites are zhuzhed up with uni toast. A flatbread called Another One Bites the Dust is stuffed with mozzarella and mornay and topped with prosciutto and poached egg.
Dinner stuns with lasagna and duck Bolognese, a standard from Chef Nicko Moulinos, who used to helm the kitchen at Dio Deka. Wood-fired grill specialties include pork chop, branzino, dourade, lamb chops, ribeyes and porterhouse, with exquisite sides. Their cocktail scene is a step up, sourcing the mixology chops of the talent behind Paper Plane. Streetside or inside, the people-watching is outstanding.
RH Rooftop at the Stanford Mall is a showplace as much as a restaurant. Perched atop the Restoration Hardware store, it is massively white, light and bright, offering views of the hills to the west and the surrounding mall shops. It’s the perfect spot to be seen eating a signature summer salad of grilled shrimp and vegetables, including asparagus, corn, tomatoes and avocado. Or perhaps the Mulholland Drive Salad with iceberg, romaine, grilled chicken, egg, beets, tomatoes, cheddar, avocado, smoked bacon and balsamic vinaigrette. Sounds like a Cobb with an attitude. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner weekdays and for brunch and dinner on weekends.
Garden Spots
To conjure up the illusion of dining in a Roman trattoria, the massive fountain with huge metal figurines at Caffe Riace in Palo Alto can fit the bill. The food hasn’t changed in years, and is solid and very authentically Italian. The music of the fountains goes well with the Sicilian salad of sweet oranges and fennel and the penne Norma with eggplant, tomato and ricotta.
Nobu in Palo Alto recently unveiled two new reasons to dine in their lovely garden, endowed with relaxing water features and superb slabs of cool rock amidst the shrubbery. Brunch is served now on weekends, along with the full lunch menu, as well as a new tea service that begins at noon.
We loved the brunch/breakfast food, including the house-cured salmon lox with yuzu cream cheese on toasted levain topped with crispy capers, pumpkin seeds and microgreens, and the breakfast skillet of crispy potatoes, chicken apple sausage, sauteed miso spinach and poached heirloom cherry tomatoes topped with a free range fried egg.
Our favorite dish: the Bao Buns with spinach, yellow sriracha, crispy applewood-smoked bacon and sunny-side-up eggs and black sesame seeds. It was an adorable presentation with a watermelon radish and beet salad. For dessert, we indulged in the Suntory whiskey-soaked date cake, topped with vanilla sorbet and served with candied walnuts.
Waterfront Properties
In Redwood CIty, at the end of Seaport Boulevard off Highway 101, past scores of mostly empty tech and biotech buildings built before the pandemic, sits Hurrica, a restaurant awaiting discovery. Hurrica’s endearing nautical theme suits its location, next to a marina featuring some spectacularly modest yachts, including one that’s prominently for sale. The restaurant is sited to take in the water views, which can be enjoyed from the semi-covered outside deck or inside the marble bar, with its soaring ship sculpture. Spacious and accommodating to groups of all sizes, the menu is small, but competent (worth noting: a portion of featured oyster sales go to worthy local causes). The wine list is quite impressive. The seafood chowder was hearty, but not heavy, with clams and shrimp and finely diced vegetables. The burger looked immense. We’re going back.
Few dining establishments offer such unabashed luxury, world-class food, and service in a storybook setting as the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay. Surrounded by the deep turf of a top-rated golf course, and set right on a bluff above the surf, it offers three spots to quench thirst and feed the senses. Having recently dined at The Conservatory, the stylish, brightly lit and upbeat dining room, the food under the direction of Executive Chef Javier Arrebola was on point, with helpful and attentive service, wonderful cocktails and unbeatable views. The more secluded dining experience of Navio is ideal for special occasions (or expense accounts), while the Ocean Terraces, open daily from noon to 4:30, Monday through Thursday, and Friday through Sunday from 11am to 7pm, offers hearty and healthful fare. The bar is open until sunset on weekends. The lobster rolls, pork sandwiches, tacos and poke bowls and hamburgers aren’t cheap, but it’s worth it for the view. We especially love the Dungeness crab and artichoke dip and the little neck clam chowder with bacon. Score a room and make it an occasion to remember.
Mountain Eyries
Madera at Rosewood on Sand Hill Road boasts a magnificent view of the Santa Cruz Mountains, for breakfast, lunch and dinner, featuring summer-fresh dishes like Early Girl gazpacho, Dungeness crab roll, heirloom tomato risotto with Di Stefano burrata, summer squash and basil, and Half Moon Bay halibut with Brentwood corn, chanterelle and cherry tomato. You can also make like Popeye here and eat a side of Bloomsdale spinach with garlic confit.
A South by Southwest salad at Sand Hill Kitchen with field greens, roasted corn, avocado, queso fresco, crispy tortilla strips and ancho Caesar dressing costs just a couple of dollars more than that side of Madera spinach, and you’ll enjoy the views from the top of the hill, just across Sand Hill Road from Rosewood. The outdoor setting, with beautiful old oaks, is relaxing. Get the hand-cut fries or spiced tater tots: just $5 each. Seriously, this place rocks. Open weekdays from 8am until 3pm. We love this spot for its all-day breakfast/brunch, especially the avocado tartine or SHK simple breakfast. Both run $15 each. The grilled cheese here is insane.
Perched in the hills above Santa Cruz, atop the challenging and recently completely restored golf course originally designed by Dr. Alister MacKenzie and Marion Hollins, with input from Bobby Jones, Pasatiempo dates to 1929. The MacKenzie House, on the ninth hole, serves breakfast and lunch from 8:30am until 7pm, with “Taco Tuesdays” and other specials, under the direction of Pasatiempo Executive Chef Anthony Kresge and Hollins House Chef de Cuisine Ryan Soden. The historic Hollins House is available for special events, including gourmet lunches or dinners, with a pretty sweet side of views to the ocean.
While concert season is in play at the Mountain Winery, this view-laden spot offers pre-performance dining at the historic Chateau La Cresta, with a three-course prix fixe for $125 per person. Recent menu items included appetizer choices of hamachi crudo, Brussels sprouts with bacon and capers, or a grilled peach and burrata salad with prosciutto, and entrée selections featuring Markegard short ribs with mushroom risotto; pan-seared za’atar halibut with with flageolet beans, spinach and romesco sauce; Mary’s half rotisserie chicken with potatoes and lemon cream; and pasta Amatriciana with pancetta, tomato cream sauce and Pecorino romano. Desserts include pistachio or triple chocolate mousse, or limoncello raspberry cake. Wine pairings are $30 additional per person and feature Mountain Winery wines. We can drink to that on a warm Bay Area night.
Caffe Riace—200 Sheridan Ave, Palo Alto. 650.328.0407. cafferiace.com
Chateau La Cresta, 14831 Pierce Rd, Saratoga. 408.741.2822. mountainwinery.com/dining
Cielo, Hotel Valencia, 355 Santana Row, San Jose. 408.551.0010. hotelvalencia-santanarow.com
Eos & Nyx, 201 S Second St, Suite 120, San Jose. 408.831.6880. eosnyxsj.com
Hurrica Restaurant & Bar, Westpoint Harbor, 150 Northpoint Court, Redwood City. 650.499.4858. hurrica.restaurant
Madera, Rosewood San Hill Hotel, 2825 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park. 650.561.1540 maderasandhill.com
Nobu Palo Alto—180 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto. 650.798.8396. noburestaurants.com/paloalto
Pasatiempo, 20 Clubhouse Road, Santa Cruz. MacKenzie Bar & Grill Clubhouse: 831.459.9162; Hollins House: 831.459.9177. pasatiempo.com
RH Rooftop, 180 El Camino Real, Palo Alto. 650.328.4004. rh.com/us/en/paloalto/restaurant
Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, 1 Miramontes Point Rd, Half Moon Bay. 888.293.0524. ritzcarlton.com
Sand Hill Kitchen, 2400 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park. 650.304.3966. thesandhillkitchen.com
When you wrote about the Cielo, I thought of the restaurant at the top of Eataly, across the street. For the
Grand View on Mt. Hamilton, I thought of the restaurant with the great view at the summit of Highway 17. For Palo Alto, I suggest Alpine Inn (the old Rozatti’s).