Restaurants are reopening across Silicon Valley and newly vaccinated diners are looking for places to grab a drink with a friend, have an overdue date night, drop in for a quick bite or top off a meal with some sweets. This guide has all of that covered.

Drinks & Spirits

South Bay Spirits
Southbayspirits.com
695 Quinn Ave STE 2, San Jose; 408.620.4020
The distillery’s signature “lawless” apple or black cherry liqueur is great for drinking or baking. Its house-made hand sanitizer is great for getting through the pandemic.

Los Gatos Soda Works
losgatossodaworks.com
21 College Ave, Los Gatos; 408.402.5111
This contemporary cocktail bar serves up award-winning drinks like A Man and His Mule, a mixture of Ketel One with green chartreuse and ginger beer.

St. Stephen’s Green
ststephensgreen.com
223 Castro St, Mountain View; 650.964.9151
St. Stephen’s Green still has dozens of craft beers on tap and now offers its food, wine beer and cocktails to go.

The Vesper
thevespercampbell.com
394 E Campbell Ave, Campbell; 408.680.0401
The Vesper has food, but the real highlight is the cocktails, an amalgam of classics with modern twist to borderline alchemy.

True Brew San Jose
truebrewsanjose.com
787 The Alameda, STE 10, San Jose; 408.320.2867
True Brew has a little bit of something for everyone, with 100 beers on tap and a menu of salads, burgers and fish and chips.

Salvaje
drinksalvaje.com
369 Lytton Ave, Palo Alto; 650.433.1897
Priding themselves on their natural made wines, Salvaje wine is made with a taste to be remembered. Diners can visit the restaurant to enjoy drinks with appetizers.

TAP’T Beer & Kitchen
justgottapt.com
259 W Washington Ave, Sunnyvale; 408.617.8278
TAP’T may sound like a regular craft brewery with a long list of California beers, but its menu of breakfast, lunch, dinner and shareable meals begs to differ.

Desserts

Psycho Donuts
psychodonuts.com
2006 S. Winchester Blvd, Campbell; 408.533.1023
Zany donuts swapped out seasonally. From now until winter, donuts like the “Boston Scream Pie,” “Cereal Killer” and its “Apricotology” will grace the menu.

Anton SV Patisserie
antonsvpatisserie.com
1969 O’Toole Way, San Jose; 650.273.7357
Diners can impress their better half with a fancy array of French desserts, including black sesame, vanilla and tiramisu mille crêpes.

Nubia’s Pasteleria
nubiaspasteleria.com/about-us.html
1030 Piedmont Rd, San Jose; 408.791.6811
Locally-owned cake shop offering custom cakes and desserts for any occasion.

Tiger Sugar Cupertino
toasttab.com/tigersugarcupertino
19620 Stevens Creek Blvd STE 180, Cupertino; 408.352.5218
Drink options include black sugar milk with cream mousse and vanilla black tea latte.

Bambu Desserts & Drinks
drinkbambu.com
89 S Park Victoria Dr, Milpitas; 408.945.8989
Bambu serves up Vientamese-inspired drinks, puddings and coffee.

Dolce Spazio Dessert Cafe
dolcespazio.com
221 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos; 408.395.1335
Artisan bakery serving desserts and espresso using Asian ingredients in its one-of-a-kind recipes.

Casual Fare

Quality Bourbons and Barbeque
Eatqbb.com
216 Castro St, Mountain View; 650.969.1112
Love bourbon, barbeque and a good deal? QBB offers 10% off its food and a whopping 33% off  its bourbons for call-in orders.

Amato’s Cheese Steaks
amatoscheesesteaks.com
1162 Saratoga Ave, San Jose; 408.246.4007
2306 Almaden Rd, San Jose; 408.264.4001
Amato’s claims to have the “best cheese steaks in the world,” but diners can test for themselves at the Maple Center or Willow Glen Shopping Center in San Jose.

Tony’s Patio BBQ
tonys-patio-bbq.square.site
5202 N 1st St, San Jose; 408.493.6090
San Jose chef Tony Santos shifted gears from his catering business to an Alviso-based barbeque joint during the pandemic.

Frodo Joe’s Petit Cafe
frodojoes.com
39286 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont; 510.790.0999
Sweet and savory crepes served in international styles.

Rio Adobe Southwest Cafe
rioadobe.com
10525 South De Anza Boulevard STE 100, Cupertino; 408.873.1600
This Southwestern restaurant is open daily and serves enchiladas and burritos.

Court’s Lounge
facebook.com/CourtsLounge
2425 S Bascom Ave, Campbell; 408.559.9880
Court’s Lounge has long been a neighborhood favorite to watch sports, play pool, sing karaoke or eat some barbeque from San Jose-based G and Pops.

Lados
ladosfood.com
115 Plaza Drive, Sunnyvale; 650.290.1234
A woman-owned Pakistani restaurant named after a sphere-shaped dessert.

Koong’s Restaurant
koongsrestaurant.com
103 N Milpitas Boulevard, Milpitas; 408.946.8020
Affordable Chinese and Korean restaurant with delivery and takeout options. Known for its potstickers and noodles.

Veggie-friendly

Vegetarian House Vegan
vegetarianhouse.com
520 E Santa Clara St, San Jose; 408.292.3798
Vegetarian House is strict about serving a menu full of fresh, organic, locally sourced dishes ​that are cooked and seasoned with non-GMO ingredients.

Veggie Garden
veggiegardenvip.com
2464 W El Camino Real, Mountain View; 650.961.6888
Classic Chinese cuisine with fresh, plant-based ingredients.

Tofu Plus
tofupluskoreanbbq.com
10971 N Wolfe Rd, Cupertino; 408.777.0900
This Korean barbeque restaurant may specialize in tofu, but its menu offers a variety of options.

Pizza Flora
goodkarmasj.com
78 S 1st St, San Jose; 408.560.5065
Pizza Flora may specialize in vegan and vegetarian dishes, but it still has all the classics, including cheese, pepperoni and margherita, alongside some speciality ‘za.

Date Night

Willard Hicks
willardhicksgrill.com
280 E Campbell Ave, Campbell; 408.374.5000
17270 Monterey Rd, Morgan Hill; 408.763.5660
Steaks, pork chops and American fare is served up on the patio or inside the restaurants daily.

Ladera Grill
laderagrill.com
17305 Monterey Rd, Morgan Hill; 408.201.9200
Ladera sits in the historic Keels Building on Monterey, offering seafood, steak and chicken dishes.

INDO Restaurant & Lounge
indorestaurant.com
3295 El Camino Real, Palo Alto; 650.494.7168
Traditional Indonesian flavors served in an assortment of small plates by Chef Diana Anwar.

District
districtsj.com
65 N San Pedro Street, San Jose; 669.292.5252
District’s extensive menu includes a wide selection of wines, cocktails, cheese, charcuterie and more.

Vaso Azzurro Ristorante
vasoazzurro.com
108 Castro St, Mountain View; 650.940.1717
If there’s one thing Chef Allan Sadri wants anyone to know about his cuisine, it’s that every bite is meant to be savored, whether on the heated patio or at home after grabbing a dish to-go.

Food Trucks

La Pupusa Loca
yelp.com/biz/la-pupusa-loca-san-jose
1025 Winchester Boulevard, San Jose
A hidden gem tucked away in a far corner of San Jose, this local food truck offers various kinds of pupusas, a Salvadorian staple.

De la Tierra
delatierraveganfood.com
449 E Santa Clara St, San Jose; 408.775.3046
Food truck specializing in Mexican-inspired eats with a vegan twist.

The Waffle Roost
thewaffleroost.com
49103 Miolmont Dr, Fremont; 408.314.4823
Chicken and waffles on the go, as well as Belgian-style dessert waffles and sides like mac and cheese offered daily. Check the website for various South Bay pop-up locations.

La Chilanguita
yelp.com/biz/la-chilanguita-taco-truck-san-jose-3
4719 Moorpark Ave #4167, San Jose; 408.724.3168
590 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose; 408.724.3168
Local street-style tacos featuring carne asada, al pastor and lengua at this budget-friendly taco truck that pops up in various South Bay locations.

Pupusa Time
Sunnyvalesalvadorianrestaurant.com
105 E Fremont Ave, Sunnyvale; 650.666.5594
Pupusas, a Salvadorian delicacy, are available daily in Sunnyvale.

Hula Truck
hulatruck408.com
3295 Woodward Ave, Santa Clara; 408.466.9350
Serving Pacific Islander and Filipino favorites with a California twist, including lechon kawali, tocino and chicken adobo.

Asian Momo House Food Truck
asianmomohouse.com
296 N Fair Oaks Ave, Sunnyvale; 408.900.8359
Tasty noodles and momos are offered at this Nepali-Indo-Chinese fusion restaurant.

Berlin Eatz
berlineatz.com
1600 Dell Ave, Campbell; 408.761.3093
Hearty German street food featuring plates like currywurst, spaetzle and schnitzel in pop-up locations across the South Bay.