San Jose has some of the best restaurants in the country, and I've narrowed them down to just 11 of my personal favorites.
1. Los Gatos Cafe
BREAKFAST FOOD. Is my favorite kind of food! The wait on the weekends is always long, but always worth it. They always have great specials, plus the portion sizes are huge. The bakery items - especially their carrot walnut bread - are sooo delicious. Every time I go home after eating here, I have to take a fat nap.
2. Santouka
If you're looking for authentic ramen then let me put you on. Santouka is located in the middle of the Japanese supermarket, Mitsuwa, along with a couple other food spots. Not only do they have some of the best ramen, but their rice bowls are also to die for.
3. Kyusu
Burmese food?? I did not know that was a thing until this little spot opened up several years ago. My favorites on the menu include the tea leaf salad, beef stew, and the coconut jelly dessert.
4. Kobe Pho & Grill
The Bay Area has tons of great Vietnamese restaurants, but Kobe is my go-to. The pho is so good, and even their dishes like steak or chicken are also perfection. Plus, they always play poppin' music which makes the dining experience that much better.
5. King Eggroll
I LOVE King Eggroll solely because of their egg rolls. They have other Chinese food, but King Eggroll has the best egg rolls. My mom use to buy huge trays of dozens of egg rolls for events and potlucks.
6. La Cueva
It is nearly impossible to find a decent Mexican place in New York that is in any way comparable to places back home - like La Cueva. BUT, I can eat anything on the menu from La Cueva and enjoy it. It's a small place, but I never seem to have to wait for a table, and the people there are always super friendly.
7. Boiling Crab
I'm salivating as I write this because Boiling Crab is one of my favorite restaurants. You can order two pounds of crab, choose your seasoning, and they bring it out in a huge bag with corn and sausage. Then they rip the bag open and just dump it onto your table. They even give you bibs to put around your neck because it gets so messy. But this place is TOO DELICIOUS.
8. Back A Yard
There aren't many Caribbean food places in San Jose, but Back A Yard originally started as a little hole in the wall, and now they have a larger location in downtown. Whenever I go here I have to get oxtail and ginger beer.
9. Pizza Antica
Located in Santana Row, Pizza Antica is perfect for date night, family dinners, dressier, or casual. Everyone that works there is super hip and friendly. But about the food. The sweet corn pizza, spaghettini with fennel sausage, and fried chicken with spicy honey are the best things on the menu.
10. Naschmarkt
Naschmarkt is probably my favorite restaurant. It's Austrian cuisine, so they have wiener schnitzel and spaetzle, but their chicken, fish, and steak dishes are just as great. My FAVORITE part of my meal is always dessert, so the vanilla souffle is a must have.
11. Icing on the Cake
Speaking of dessert - Icing on the Cake is the CUTEST bakery you will ever see. They have a huge glass case of all their cupcakes, cakes, cookies, breads, mooncakes, and more on display. They also do custom cakes, and my favorite flavor is the banana cake with cream cheese frosting. Literally everything they make there is delicious. The store also has a bunch of little knick knacks and cards and random things that I could spend hours just perusing through.
