RESTAURANTS IN DOWNTOWN SAN JOSE
The restaurants listed are all easily reachable from the Fairmont and will give you a good variety of cuisines at different price levels. There are not many breakfast places
besides the hotels so you might have to settle for a Starbucks. All phone numbers are in the 408 prefix. B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner. San Jose is a very safe city and you can comfortably walk to any of these choices.
There are three special restaurants in the Fairmont. Pagoda (998-3937, L,D) is a lovely room serving upscale Chinese food at upscale prices. The Grill on the Alley (294-2242, L,D) is a great steakhouse, a branch of a Beverly Hills institution, with large portions, an excellent wine list, old-fashioned service, and big booths. The short ribs and creamed spinach are memorable. A branch of the national seafood house, McCormick and Schmick’s (283-7200), offers many fresh seafood choices in a lovely, urban setting. Stick with simply prepared choices.
Within two blocks east, some of the more interesting finds are: E&O Trading Company (96 S 1st, 938-4100, L,D), serving southeast Asian specialties in an exotic and fun atmosphere. You can make a great meal out of appetizers. Around the corner is Gordon Biersch (33 E. San Fernando, 294-6785, L,D), a branch of a famous Bay Area brew pub, featuring a nice selection of starters, sandwiches, and entrees. They have an excellent hamburger. Hawg’s Seafood (150 S. 2nd, 287-9955, L,D) offers a nice variety of seafood dishes, salads, and sandwiches. Lunch prices are reasonable. House of Siam (150 S. 1st 295-3397 ; also at 55 S. Market, 279-5668 -- both locations are one block from the Fairmont-- L,D) offers the best Thai food in downtown. The S 1st location is newer and prettier, but the food is the same at both. P.F. Chang’s China Bistro is located on the corner of San Fernando and 2nd (98 2. 2nd, 961-5250, L,D) in a large and lovely space.
West of the Fairmont, the best restaurant is Scott’s Seafood (185 Park Ave, 971-1700 L,D), rather expensive, but with nice food and a great view of San Jose. Ask what’s fresh. Below Scott’s is Peggy Sue’s (183 Park St; also at 29 N. San Pedro, 298-6750, B,L,D) one of the few restaurant offering breakfast and famous for hamburgers with a great variety of toppings. A block north is Shalimar Indian Cuisine (167 W. San Fernando, 971-2200, L,D) which has a wonderful lunch buffet. You won’t need dinner, but their individual selections on the dinner menu are all quite good too. Right nearby is a Starbucks in Park Center Plaza, 293-3274. There’s also one at 150 S 1st, 293-9945. Also for breakfast is
Le Boulanger (95 S. Market, 286-6780), offering fresh pastries all hours and soups and sandwiches for lunch.
A couple of blocks north is a cornucopia of eating and drinking places, San Pedro Square. There’s also a theater and many music venues and it’s a good place to spend an evening. A few of the better restaurants are: AP Stumps (160 W. Santa Clara, 292-9928 L,D), one of San Jose’s best, featuring seasonal specialties prepared beautifully with a great wine choices; 71 St. Peter (71 N. San Pedro Sq, 971-8523 L,D), with reasonably-priced yet delicious French-accented California cuisine and excellent house-made focaccia; Blake’s Steakhouse (17 N. San Pedro Sq, 298-9221, L,D), which is never as crowded as the food deserves (very good prime rib); Sonoma Chicken (L,D) a new, reasonably-priced cafe featuring roasted chicken and better desserts than you might expect. A couple of blocks further west are two restaurants worth the walk: La Pastaia (233 W. Santa Clara, 286-8686, in the De Anza Hotel, L,D),offers excellent Italian dishes, including a really nice ravioli in brown butter sage sauce; and Henry’s World Famous Hi-Life (301 W. St. John, 295-5414, D), where you take a number and wait in the bar of this historic building and then move to the dining room for huge portions of steaks, ribs, or chicken or other daily specials.
Southward a block, you’ll come across Original Joe’s (301 S 1st, 292-7030, L,D) a classic big city Italian with large portions served by waiters who have been there for years. You can’t go wrong with simple dishes. Next door is a branch of Il Fornaio (302 S. Market, 271-3366, in the Hyatt Ste. Claire, B,L,D) which offers a breakfast buffet, great breakfast entrees, especially the French toast, or fresh pastries, then fine Italian selections for lunch and dinner. It’s a great place for HappyHour with free and very good appetizers. Across Market is Arcadia, in the new Marriott (100 W. San Carlos, 278-4555, B,L,D), under the direction of star chef, Michael Mina, offering excellent food but at very high prices. If you want to splurge on a $20 lunch, this is the place. Eulipia (374 S 1st, 280-6161, D) was one of the first California cuisine restaurants in San Jose and still offers excellent choices. Check and see if they have a prix fixe special. Another block south and two blocks east is an excellent Vietnamese noodle restaurant, China Chen (400 S 3rd, 294-2525, L,D). Their shrimp wontons in soup and their flour cake are very special.
Besides China Chen, downtown San Jose has many small Vietnamese sandwich and noodle houses. All are decent. There are also quite a few taquerias, each with its own devotees. Two of the best are Mucho’s (72 E. Santa Clara, 277-0333, L,D) with excellent spit- roasted chicken in a number of dishes, and La Victoria (140 E. San Carlos, 298-5335, B,L,D) with very cheap breakfast burritos and great tortas and
quesadillas.
And if you can find it and feel like getting your morning exercise and ending with a treat, go to Lou’s Living Donut Museum (387 Delmas, 295-5887) with superb glazed and cake donuts; a real classic and worth the splurge.
Ned Himmel
ned.himmel@sjlibrary.org
wk: 408-808-2151 fax: 408-808-2133
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