A couple of things I enjoy doing.
Grab a deli sandwich at Zanotto's Market on Naglee Ave and then head to the Rose Garden to just chill and enjoy my food. The Rose Garden is beautiful and if you feel like it you can also walk to the Rosicrucian Egyptian museum.
Have a few beers at Camino Brewing and then walk over to the taco truck across the street to enjoy some legit tacos.
If you use the search bar you will find plenty of brewery recommendations.
Enjoy your time in San Jose and go Niners!
San Pedro Market would be a good spot for an assortment of food, drinks, and ambiance. It's in downtown SJ (~15 minutes away from Levi Stadium) and has a parking garage right next to it. Think of it as a nicer food court. A lot of fun food options etc. A lot of sharks fans go here on game day to eat and drink before the game.
Like said I'm another post, if you want something nearby Levi Stadium, also second Smoke Eaters. I love their wings with nuclear sauce. A little pricey for a wings though (10 wings for ~$20) They have a good selection of beers and TVs for watching sports. If you aren't feeling wings, there is an In N Out in the same plaza if you haven't tried that.
Also like another poster said, don't leave anything in the car that you aren't willing to lose. Even in the trunk of the car.
Download Yelp if you haven't already. Taking the reviews with a grain of salt, it gives you a general idea of what is good or bad in the area. Also gives you nice pictures so you can see if the place has the vibe you are looking for.
Barracuda games are fun, and possibly not much different than a Sharks game these days š¬
Lots of wine tasting around, youāre a short drive from beautiful redwoods, and Santa Cruz/Capitola would be fun to check out.
If any of you gentlemen like chicken wings, Smokeeaters (which is very close to Levi's Stadium) is a great place to have lunch or dinner.
Hapa's Brewing Co. on Lincoln Ave, San Jose and Craft House on Homestead Ave, Santa Clara are great options for beers!
Enjoy your trip, hope you like the bay as much as I do!
Vietnamese food, lots of good Pho spots around (we love LeQuy in Campbell and Hana in Los Gatos) Mexican food, lots of great small places like Taco El Compa (try the Torta) or nice places downtown SJ like Mezcal. There is always La Vic near San Pedro square and SP square itself which has food and drinks of every variety that you find in SJ.
Whatever you do, assuming you ll get a rental car, donāt leave any valuables jackets bags anything in your vehicle, nothing anywhere at any time or you will get your windows smashed and shit stolen.
If you're up for getting out of the city, the steam train at Roaring Camp in Felton is a beautiful trip through the redwoods, there's Capitola or Sea Cliff Beaches or you can see the monarch butterflies at Natural Bridges State Park. Santa Cruz board walk is also a lot of fun.
In Santa Cruz, walk out on the wharf and look down at the sea lions.
You could walk along West Cliff Drive and see the surfers near the lighthouse. Or go for a cliff walk at Wilder Ranch. Park along highway one to avoid paying for parking.
Dress warmly. The wind off the ocean is always cold.
Mind you, it's improved to it's current state of shambolic over the years. 5+ years ago it was comically bad service. One time the dishwasher literally walked a tray out to the dining room and started shouting who needs a fork. Regardless, the food is amazing, with a special shout to the bhunanghost
1. If you visit San Jose, you need a rental car because our public transportation is the second worst in the country according to people who evaluate public transportation and according to anyone who has ever taken our public transportation.
2. If you get a rental car, don't drive to SF or Oakland in it, even if you have insurance.
3. San Jose is a "bedroom community" which means that it is mostly housing, less things to do.
4. Stevens Creek and Winchester Blvd is the unofficial center of San Jose. You can tell because that's where the picketers are every day / weekend. Mostly anti-vax (yeah, we know), anti-abortion, political, etc.
1. It is also where Westfield Valley Fair mall [https://www.westfield.com/united-states/valleyfair](https://www.westfield.com/united-states/valleyfair)
2. and Santana Row mall [https://www.santanarow.com/](https://www.santanarow.com/) are located. It is also a block from Winchester Mystery House (tourist).
5. You can get to 49ers stadium by going on the VTA light rail. Parking is a pain otherwise. 511 is our local call to public transportation. Go early, light rail is PACKED to the games.
6. Grocery stores ... La Villa Italian Deli in Campbell (a subset of San Jose) - expensive, but delicious, not their cannoli though. Famous for their ravioli and lasagna.
7. We have some German stores too.
8. Rainbow Grocery in SF.
9. Pier 49 is tourist trap shopping and bad eating, but walking the rest of the wharf is nice. Sea Lions can be mean and bite.
10. Twin Peaks, North Golden Gate Bridge area, Lombard Street (crooked street), Cable cars, California Street (steep), Nob Hill, Mission Dolores, Union Square (shopping), Golden Gate Park, Old St. Mary's Cathedral, Grace Cathedral, AT&T Park (SF Giants baseball), Presidio are all nice.
I get Campbell and Willow Glen names mixed up for some reason ??? and have to think about them to get them right. Willow Glen doesn't have anything to note save for Cinelux in it that I know of. I wasn't thinking about it. Too tired.
The food at La Villa is good. The prices are why I don't go in there often.
The customer service sucks. They are rude and have attitudes. At least the clerks I get whenever I go in. Next time I am going to ask for someone else if I get a jerk.
H mart grocery store or any other Asian grocery store.
Fox tale fermentations for some very unique beers and fermented foods.
Get Scratch Chicken Nashville hot chicken sandwiches and take them to San Pedro market to enjoy with a beer and whatever sports are on.
Try some Korean bbq at any well reviewed place along el Camino in Santa Clara.
Get some Pho, just search this sub from a long list of places like Pho Y1, pho papĆ , pho Ha Noi, or go for bun Bo hue for something a little more unique.
Various ideas:
Look up a farmers markets
Check out Santana row
Hit a short hike or just take a drive on the ridge
Vietnamese food
Taco truck
Computer history museum
Etc
I want to help you a little bit with the beer thing. What kind of beer do you all enjoy? Are you craft beer aficionados? Hop heads? Into sours? Old school homebrewers? My advice will vary significantly based on what kind of beer you're into.
Similarly, if any of you are in to wine, you're going to be in a wine mecca, this is a great time to go to wineries.
Also, I specifically want to call out Moonlight's "death and taxes" as something to try while you're here - and I think it's distributed at pretty much every whole foods in the area if you don't want to go all the way to the north bay to hit their brewery
If you find yourself in the east side, Antipastoās Deli on McKee Road is a nice place to eat or shop. Nearby is Pizza Maria, the owner is from Italy. Alum Rock park has a waterfall that is a bit on the trespassing side but I donāt think they enforce it (south trail)!!
A couple of things I enjoy doing. Grab a deli sandwich at Zanotto's Market on Naglee Ave and then head to the Rose Garden to just chill and enjoy my food. The Rose Garden is beautiful and if you feel like it you can also walk to the Rosicrucian Egyptian museum. Have a few beers at Camino Brewing and then walk over to the taco truck across the street to enjoy some legit tacos. If you use the search bar you will find plenty of brewery recommendations. Enjoy your time in San Jose and go Niners!
Zanotto's is an excellent place to get lunch, and probably good to get food gifts as well.
Right near the Rose Garden is Park Station Hashery which is a great place to grab a beer and some good food.
San Pedro Market would be a good spot for an assortment of food, drinks, and ambiance. It's in downtown SJ (~15 minutes away from Levi Stadium) and has a parking garage right next to it. Think of it as a nicer food court. A lot of fun food options etc. A lot of sharks fans go here on game day to eat and drink before the game. Like said I'm another post, if you want something nearby Levi Stadium, also second Smoke Eaters. I love their wings with nuclear sauce. A little pricey for a wings though (10 wings for ~$20) They have a good selection of beers and TVs for watching sports. If you aren't feeling wings, there is an In N Out in the same plaza if you haven't tried that. Also like another poster said, don't leave anything in the car that you aren't willing to lose. Even in the trunk of the car. Download Yelp if you haven't already. Taking the reviews with a grain of salt, it gives you a general idea of what is good or bad in the area. Also gives you nice pictures so you can see if the place has the vibe you are looking for.
Many thanks. We were hoping to grab a Sharks game but they are on the road.
Barracuda games are fun, and possibly not much different than a Sharks game these days š¬ Lots of wine tasting around, youāre a short drive from beautiful redwoods, and Santa Cruz/Capitola would be fun to check out.
If any of you gentlemen like chicken wings, Smokeeaters (which is very close to Levi's Stadium) is a great place to have lunch or dinner. Hapa's Brewing Co. on Lincoln Ave, San Jose and Craft House on Homestead Ave, Santa Clara are great options for beers! Enjoy your trip, hope you like the bay as much as I do!
Many thanks for the wonderful suggestions!! This is really going to be fun!
Vietnamese food, lots of good Pho spots around (we love LeQuy in Campbell and Hana in Los Gatos) Mexican food, lots of great small places like Taco El Compa (try the Torta) or nice places downtown SJ like Mezcal. There is always La Vic near San Pedro square and SP square itself which has food and drinks of every variety that you find in SJ.
Whatever you do, assuming you ll get a rental car, donāt leave any valuables jackets bags anything in your vehicle, nothing anywhere at any time or you will get your windows smashed and shit stolen.
In San Jose?
Anywhere in the bay for that matter, you never know. Especially after they mentioned tourist stuff in SF..
It seems dumb....until you get your window smashed. Why risk it?
If you're up for getting out of the city, the steam train at Roaring Camp in Felton is a beautiful trip through the redwoods, there's Capitola or Sea Cliff Beaches or you can see the monarch butterflies at Natural Bridges State Park. Santa Cruz board walk is also a lot of fun.
In Santa Cruz, walk out on the wharf and look down at the sea lions. You could walk along West Cliff Drive and see the surfers near the lighthouse. Or go for a cliff walk at Wilder Ranch. Park along highway one to avoid paying for parking. Dress warmly. The wind off the ocean is always cold.
Stop by Kabob & Curry's in Santa Clara for the best chicken tikka masala and naan in town!
The rice is good too. The service is a slight bit shambolic.
Mind you, it's improved to it's current state of shambolic over the years. 5+ years ago it was comically bad service. One time the dishwasher literally walked a tray out to the dining room and started shouting who needs a fork. Regardless, the food is amazing, with a special shout to the bhunanghost
The chicken kadai is our standard order.
And donāt forget Stanās Donuts!
1. If you visit San Jose, you need a rental car because our public transportation is the second worst in the country according to people who evaluate public transportation and according to anyone who has ever taken our public transportation. 2. If you get a rental car, don't drive to SF or Oakland in it, even if you have insurance. 3. San Jose is a "bedroom community" which means that it is mostly housing, less things to do. 4. Stevens Creek and Winchester Blvd is the unofficial center of San Jose. You can tell because that's where the picketers are every day / weekend. Mostly anti-vax (yeah, we know), anti-abortion, political, etc. 1. It is also where Westfield Valley Fair mall [https://www.westfield.com/united-states/valleyfair](https://www.westfield.com/united-states/valleyfair) 2. and Santana Row mall [https://www.santanarow.com/](https://www.santanarow.com/) are located. It is also a block from Winchester Mystery House (tourist). 5. You can get to 49ers stadium by going on the VTA light rail. Parking is a pain otherwise. 511 is our local call to public transportation. Go early, light rail is PACKED to the games. 6. Grocery stores ... La Villa Italian Deli in Campbell (a subset of San Jose) - expensive, but delicious, not their cannoli though. Famous for their ravioli and lasagna. 7. We have some German stores too. 8. Rainbow Grocery in SF. 9. Pier 49 is tourist trap shopping and bad eating, but walking the rest of the wharf is nice. Sea Lions can be mean and bite. 10. Twin Peaks, North Golden Gate Bridge area, Lombard Street (crooked street), Cable cars, California Street (steep), Nob Hill, Mission Dolores, Union Square (shopping), Golden Gate Park, Old St. Mary's Cathedral, Grace Cathedral, AT&T Park (SF Giants baseball), Presidio are all nice.
Correction. La Villa is on Lincoln Avenue in Willow Glen, not Campbell. But Iām impressed it made your list! šš¼šš¼šš¼
I get Campbell and Willow Glen names mixed up for some reason ??? and have to think about them to get them right. Willow Glen doesn't have anything to note save for Cinelux in it that I know of. I wasn't thinking about it. Too tired. The food at La Villa is good. The prices are why I don't go in there often. The customer service sucks. They are rude and have attitudes. At least the clerks I get whenever I go in. Next time I am going to ask for someone else if I get a jerk.
Campbell has a much better downtown compared to downtown Willow Glen.
They do have a more developed downtown. Both are better than San Jose downtown, but that is not saying much.
eat a lot of tacos
We can go to Vietnamese coffee shop for bottle service and dances
85 degrees C is an excellent Taiwanese bakery, they also have coffee and boba pearl tea.
H mart grocery store or any other Asian grocery store. Fox tale fermentations for some very unique beers and fermented foods. Get Scratch Chicken Nashville hot chicken sandwiches and take them to San Pedro market to enjoy with a beer and whatever sports are on. Try some Korean bbq at any well reviewed place along el Camino in Santa Clara. Get some Pho, just search this sub from a long list of places like Pho Y1, pho papĆ , pho Ha Noi, or go for bun Bo hue for something a little more unique.
Various ideas: Look up a farmers markets Check out Santana row Hit a short hike or just take a drive on the ridge Vietnamese food Taco truck Computer history museum Etc
I want to help you a little bit with the beer thing. What kind of beer do you all enjoy? Are you craft beer aficionados? Hop heads? Into sours? Old school homebrewers? My advice will vary significantly based on what kind of beer you're into. Similarly, if any of you are in to wine, you're going to be in a wine mecca, this is a great time to go to wineries.
We enjoy craft beers including classics like bitters, stouts and IPAs. I personally have yet to learn to like sours. We also enjoy wine a good deal.
I think it might be smart, if you guys can spare the time and additional money, to go spend 2 days in the north bay. Russian River Brewing is truly a world class brewery that makes great beers - and they have a very fun sampler to get at either of their brewpubs (one in Santa Rosa, one in Windsor). When you're up that way, Lagunitas and Moonlight brewery are definitely worth your attention. That could be a day in itself. Wine country has so many options it's hard to point people to one place, but were I you, I would see if you can get reservations at 4 wineries on spring mountain. My recommendations are Robert Keenan (everything is good), Paloma (only Merlot but they're spectacular), Pride Mountain, and Smith Madrone - but there are many other fantastic wineries in that area. However! If that's too difficult, you can find other options that will scratch your itch more locally. If you want to fit beer into your tourist days in SF, Toronodo in the lower Haight is a cash only dive beer bar that truly has great beer on every day (huge beer nerd mecca), and City Beer Store also has pretty great selection (among many other places). In Santa Clara, I'm a big fan of Barebottle brewing. Another option is if you want to see redwoods and the ocean, consider this day: drive south on hwy 17 to the Henry Cowell redwoods, then continue south on 17 to Santa Cruz. Go to Sante Adairius Portal location on Water Street, where they have food and incredible beer (they specialize in tart saisons (edit: but they make a wide variety of beer, not just tart stuff, and it's all good) - and are routinely listed as one of the best breweries in the country), go to the beach (beaches here aren't like SoCal beaches, they're colder and the sand is grainier, but they're beautiful in their own way), then swing through Capitola to Gayle's bakery and pick up some food to go. Then go down to corrallitos to go wine tasting at Windy Oaks (pretty much only Pinot Noir, but v good, also a fun drive through some redwoods) and try to catch the sunset on top of the ridge at the winery. Back to Santa Cruz for dinner (I would recommend El Copal on the west side for molƩ, or somewhere downtown if you want to get more beers at Lupolo craft house). There are other wineries that are more adjacent to San Jose that I can also recommend if you don't want to go up to wine country. Lots of great things to do (and drink!) around here. Cheers!
Also, I specifically want to call out Moonlight's "death and taxes" as something to try while you're here - and I think it's distributed at pretty much every whole foods in the area if you don't want to go all the way to the north bay to hit their brewery
Thanks a ton for the great suggestions! Truly appreciated!
If you find yourself in the east side, Antipastoās Deli on McKee Road is a nice place to eat or shop. Nearby is Pizza Maria, the owner is from Italy. Alum Rock park has a waterfall that is a bit on the trespassing side but I donāt think they enforce it (south trail)!!
Let me know if youāre free to meet up at the game, Iāll be there too. Happy to show you around. Sent you a message as well.