Thread: Will be in San Jose

the first week of January. What are some fun things to do, where is the best place for dining? etc, etc. I've heard Santana Row is the best place to go, but what is there to do besides that?

I live in San Jose, but don't often use the words "San Jose" and "fun" in the same sentence

I like Santana Row, but not necessarily for dining. It's an upscale place to shop, plus it has a movie theater there I frequent (plus more across the street at the Winchester theaters). To me, it's more of a car- and people-watching kind of spot in a nice atmosphere. Plus, they have valet parking so I don't have to worry about the car as much when I go there.

I've eaten at Straits and it was good. Maggiano's is decent, but more of a chain Italian place. Plus, if you're from NJ, you probably have lots more authentic Italian restaurants out there, so might not want to bother with Maggiano's. There's a Left Bank (French) and LB Steak, and also a new Yard House, but I haven't been to them, so can't speak to them. If you like good burgers, The Counter has some good ones, although I think I still prefer Five Guys (although they're not in Santana Row).

Outside of Santana Row, coworkers and I will sometimes go to The Fish Market for lunch - decent seafood place. If you like BBQ, there are several Armadillo Willys in the area (I love me some BBQ with a vanilla shake!), as well as Andy's BBQ on El Camino Real (more of a hole-in-the-wall, but I like their BBQ). Armadillo Willys has good brisket, and Andy's has good tri-tip.

Downtime, I've been to the Grill on the Alley in the Fairmont Hotel, nice steakhouse/grill, and also Taste of Siam, which is a nice Thai restaurant.

Other than some other local restaurants we go to for lunch (nothing outstanding really), I usually head up to the City (San Francisco) for "nice" meals, or to my favorite pizza place Zachary's in San Ramon (also ones in Berkeley and Oakland).

Can't think of anything "fun" to do here. To me, San Jose is more of a bedroom community for people who work in Silicon Valley, as I do. For fun stuff, I usually end up going down to Monterey/Carmel, up to the City, or up to wine country.

If you're into wines, and are here long enough to do it, I would strongly suggest a trip up to Sonoma or Napa and visit some of the wineries. Might be overcast and/or rainy this time of year, but if you're into wines, should still be a fun trip. If you're into Zinfandel at all, I would recommend visiting Seghesio and Ridge over in the Dry Creek Valley area (near Healdsburg).

Have fun, and hope this info helps!

This was more than helpful, thank you so much!