Please tell me there's something decent to eat in the San Jose Airport.

[QueenB]

Next month, I'll be flying out to San Jose for a business meeting. Unfortunately, on Friday, I will have a lot of time to waste at the airport before my flight home departs. Long story, but the person driving us will have an earlier flight than I do, so I'm stuck in the airport for almost six hours..

Is there a decent place to eat in there?
If not, I'm demanding I get flown out to San Francisco instead in June and July. ;-)

[mardy]

Eager to read the responses you receive. All jokes aside, I'm not sure there's anywhere remarkable to eat in San Jose, let alone at the airport....

[Melanie Wong]

If you were from this area, you'd know that San Jose has the best Vietnamese food to be found in the Bay Area, just one example. Perhaps the OP can be dropped off somewhere nearby, like Japantown, and find her own way to the airport later.

[mardy]

Surprise. I am from that area.......

[barleywino]

If i were stuck at the airport for that long, i would grab a short (5 minutes?) cab ride to Gombei in Japantown http://www.insiderpages.com/b/1331226... which serves classic inexpensive casual (mostly non-raw) Japanese comfort food, very accessible to Western tastes -- beef yakiniku (if you like grilled steak), chicken katsu (fried breaded cutlets) w/ or w/out curry, unatamadon (eel w/ egg and tofu rice bowl), etc. This is more than decent, it's a destination imo (used to eat lunch there regularly).

[oaktowngirl]

There is nothing decent to eat in the San Jose airport. That being said, it is close to real food and you have plenty of time to explore.

[ML8000]

A 2nd or 3rd on hanging out elsewhere before hand. SJ Japantown is very close to the airport (and Gombei is great) and downtown SJ not much further. A cab should take 10-15 mins, so if you gave yourself an hour to call and get the ride, you'll be fine.

Downtown might offer more options. The Hotel DeAnza (old botique) has a very decent Italian place and full bar and you could very comfortably hang in the lobby or bar to kill time and easily have the doormen/valets call a cab for you.

[lrostron]

Oh, please. As I sit in my office on South Market in downtown San Jose, I can think of many places for lunch if QueenB grabbed a cab during her six hour time at the airport. Let's start with the Grill at the Fairmont, 19 Market for some great ecletic Vietnamese food, Rokko for wonderful sushi and other Japanese delights, Smoke Tiki Lounge just for a kick, Spiedo next to the farmer's maket on San Pedro, A & O for a nice steak...shall I continue?

[QueenB]

Almost too many choices! :-)

[ML8000]

Nice list...glad you're in downtown SJ and not me. Geez, I was thinking of the traveling aspect and lugging around a suitcase and all. Nice to know there's many options.

[lrostron]

Just depends on what you're hankering for the day you're in SJ. ML8000, I like it here but have to admit that I work in downtown SJ, but live in Fremont, and recently relocated from living in the Sacramento/Roseville area for the last 20 plus years. It was time to come home. Trust me, SJ has many more dining options than Sacramento/Roseville!

[ML8000]

SJ is fine. I use to date someone from SJ during the dotcom boom although she liked SF more. I imagine it's booming more then ever and the options are very good but perhaps not for a traveler. Any way, sorry about the needling...after all I live in Oakland and that's not beyond flak...but then neither is SF actually.

[rworange]

I'm not from San Jose, but I'd have to disagree there is no good food there.

As far as the airport is concerned, does the highly-rated tiki bar Martini Monkey in the old terminal sell food or only drinks?
http://www.thesonsofscotland.co.uk/big%20paul/castawayinsanjose.htm
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=6909&forum=2
http://www.critiki.com/cgi-bin/location.cgi?loc_id=459

I understand that while they don't have wifi, they have a ton of plugs for a computer.

From the first link, it sounds like a great place for a drink, especially the Cuba Libre ...

"At Martini Monkey it isn’t Bacardi & Coke with a piece of lime or blended from “Drink Syrups”. Jay cracked the code of flavors in the original Coca-Cola (c 1920s) yielding huge complexities of herbal flavors no longer in the cola. Cuban Rums now unavailable in the US, also have different taste inflections from other rums which he accounts for as well with a bit of raw demerara sugar and a few drops from his bitters library. Also present is a whisper of gin, Jay’s research has informed him were present then. Blended with this are fresh squeezed juices of different varieties of limes."

Here's the food available at the airport
http://www.sjc.org/inside/services.html

[rworange]

I found this that answered my own question ... no food at Martini Monkey, but if you want a drink this seems like the place to go.

http://groups.msn.com/DrinkBoy/genera...

The owner sounds like a Chowhound of the highest order in the drink world ...

"If I can ween a guest off of an Apple-Tini and turn them on to a Hemingway Daiquiri or even an Apple Cocktail made with fresh lemon instead of sour mix and sprite, then I'm doing my part ... If one person walks in the bar and is pleased because we have several different kinds of bitters on the bar, then I am a happy guy. Not everyone is going to appreciate these things, and I understand that. But it would be a tragedy to not try.

The reality is that I work in a bar at an airport, and ALL of humanity walks through my doors each and every day. Hopefully, one cocktail at a time, one conversation at a time, I am doing my part and making a difference.

Here's to the craft of the cocktail and the art of bartending...CHEERS!!!"

[daveena]

Has anyone been to Penang Village recently? I went maybe two or three years ago and thought it was good, at least as good as any other Malaysian restaurant I've been to in the Bay Area, and definitely better than any of the airport options. The spinach with belacan was delicious. Can't remember anything off the top of my head.

The key is, it's really, really close to the airport , which is important because cabs in San Jose are really expensive (I used to live 4 miles from SJC by Mapquest, and it was a $13 ride, before tip).

1290 Coleman Ave
Santa Clara, CA

[chefgrlardee]

There is a shuttle bus that you can catch across the street from the terminal. It will drop you off on N. 1st St. and from there you can pick-up the light rail, which will take you into downtown SJ where many of the restaurants the previous posts mentioned exist.

[taco_belle]

Yes. Take the number 10 VTA bus to the Metro Airport light rail station.
The bus is free. Watch out as there are 2 buses with the number 10.
If you get on the wrong one, you won't end up on a desert island, it will
just take longer to get to where you want to go. Better to just ask the
driver.

The light rail fare is $1.75 If you head toward downtown, you could get
off at Japantown/Ayer, if Melanie Wong's suggestion appeals to you.
Or just go into the central downtown area, getting off at Paseo de San
Antonio or Convention Center.

I'll leave specific restaurant destinations to others.

[Andy Jacob]

The San Jose Mineta International airport is centrally located, my recommendation would be to check in your bags. You are within 5 miles of fine examples of many excellent cuisines. Chinese, Japanese (near Japantown), Thai, Korean, Indian, Vietnamese, Italian, Mexican. If you are willing to catch a cab, downtown SJ, Japantown, and El Camino Real would be your best bets for a nice excursion.

You could even go for a nice wine tasting at J. Lohr Winery off the Alameda (1 exit S. of SJ airport on the 880).

[eatzalot]

QueenB, I have been to hundreds of decent restaurants within a few miles of SJC. (About 200. I could show you their business cards.) Some are worth a visit from out of town. None is right at SJC but one (first listing below) is in walking distance. The few other reccs below are a random sampling. Note also specifically that Fri and Sat nights are "dead" times in the local hotel trade (whose market consists overwhelmingly of business, not pleasure, travelers) and so, contrary to the usual rule, you sometimes have a much easier time getting tables Friday or Saturday nights, if you happen to dine at HOTEL-located restaurants in that area.

Spencer’s steak house (San José Doubletree Hotel, off 101, walking distance from SJ airport): a Hilton concept, opened 2004. Many wines by the glass, thanks to a triple (48-bottle) wine-bar cooler-dispenser. Of recent visits, some found outstanding food, others less so. Onion soup is notable, and large, as is “apple pie” (not a typical US version), and epic “hash brown” potatoes (more like a Swiss Rösti with bacon and cheese folded inside, when sampled).

Other proven, widely appreciated places slightly further out.

Habana-Cuba, Race St., San José (408 988 2822). Unique. Excellent arroz con camarones or arroz con pollo with fried plantains, etc.

Afghani House , Sunnyvale at Santa Clara border (408 248 5088) -- Ali Tehari's place, opened 1995. Outstanding, two cousins operate older competitors (both called Kabul) up the peninsula.

A few downtown SJ venues:

A. P. Stump’s, downtown San José (408 292 9928)

Il Fornaio, downtown San José location only (Hotel St. Claire, 408 271 3366) -- distinctive, a small chain but individual. Grilled marinated steaks, seafood specialties, lively noisy atmosphere.

La Pastaia, De Anza Hotel, downtown San José (408 286 8686)

71 Saint Peter, San Pedro Square, downtown San José (408 971 8523)

[eatzalot]

Couple others near SJC airport but North (a couple of exits on Highway 101). Both unique, both in general region of Great America complex. Both are even sort of indirectly connected, as I'll explain.

Birk's (www.birksrestaurant.com) -- Mesquite-grill elegant casual place, took over somewhat the role of silicon-valley power-lunch venue from Lion and Compass (Sunnyvale) in the early or middle 1990s. (I've witnessed actual Power Lunches at both.) The food has been excellent and casual in my experience. Haven't been there recently but it seems to be going strong.

Parcel 104 (www.parcel104.com) . "New American," respected high-end restaurant located in a suburban hotel (so comments above, on local hotel-venue busy times, apply). Well-executed high-end cooking in my few visits. Exceptional wine department has a Master Sommelier (Randall Bertao, passed in 2004 I think) who is modest and extremely helpful.

The slight connection between them is that one gastronomic friend works as a representative for a well-known hih-tech firm. Formerly took clients out to eat at Birk's, but has switched to Parcel 104. (For whatever that's worth!)

[QueenB]

Another question. I'll be around for the lunch hour, as opposed to dinner. My free time will be from 12 to 4 (I'll assume I have to be back at the airport by 4 to catch my 5:45 flight back to DFW). I'm seriously thinking about Japantown. Though, I admit, we haven't decided for sure yet. I think it will be a last-minute choice between all the recommended places. Anyway, I guess my question is, are the recommended places open for lunch?

Unfortunately, I'll be lugging my bag around. I'll only be in San Fran for 2 days, so no use packing heavy bag to check. I don't mind hauling it around.

Thank you all for your suggestions! And please feel free to add more.

[taco_belle]

Gombei is open for lunch at least Monday through Friday.

You might also have a look here:

http://www.japantownsanjose.org/resta...

I'm not sure this is totally up to date, but it's a start and gives
names, addresses and phone numbers.

[siliconvalleybabe]

The martini monkey lounge is a great place for great cocktails and cool music, but there is no food. The food options at the airport are pretty sad, and pretty bad! If you are in a hurry and need something quick, Senor Jalepeno makes a couple of good burritos in terminal c, but if you have more than 2 hours to kill, check your bags and head out into San Jose. Downtown, Japantown, and Santana Row are all within a 5 to 10 minute cab ride. There are a lot of great restaurants in San Jose, so save yourself the despair and boredom of sitting at the airport for 3 or more hours. Even 2 hours at San Jose Airport seems like an eternity. The martini monkey does make it better, though. They have a great little bar. As for their special Cuba Libre and some of the other drinks, you have to ask or specify. If any Joe Blow comes in and orders, say, a Cuba Libre, you'll get just a rum and coke. But if you specify you want THEIR Cuba Libre, you get one that is almost like the original. Same with margaritas. just tell them you want a classic margariata, or mai tai, and you get one handcrafted using fresh pressed juices and none of that bottled premix crap. they also have an assortment of bitters for manhattans and old fashioneds, and a reaelly nice gin and rum selection. if the young guy that owns the place (or manages it) is there, you are in for a treat. he really knows his stuff. so...save yourself some frusteration, have a nice big dinner in downtown, relax, catch a cab back to the airport, and then give yourself about 30 to 45 minutes to enjoy a good cocktail made the right way at the monkey.

[katya]

If I *had* to stay in the airport to eat, I'd go to the CPK ASAP. Definitely don't make the mistake I did and go through security and find out you only have one restaurant, and it's a Togo's! Here's my (still scary) story:

It was a scene of out a horror movie. We passed through airport security into our small four gate terminal, and then the reality of the situation hit us. We were trapped and the only place to eat was Togo's!

I stood in a line of about 10 people for 8 minutes before my turn to have one of 3 counter people take my order. That part was fine. The bizarre part was that once at the front of the line, it took at least another 15 minutes to get my food, and it wasn't like my order was complicated (barbecue chicken sandwich and half an Italian sandwich with half a salad). In the meantime I saw a father with three boys order, get their food and go within 5 minutes. I guess I must have had the slowest sandwich maker ever.

On top of that, this Togo's made me remember why I'd avoided Togo's for the past 2 years. It goes without saying that my sandwich was gross. I have now learned my lesson about ordering Italian sandwiches from places that will fill them with cheap meats. The salad was surprisingly pretty good with feta and lots of veggies.

We couldn't throw away our garbage. The garbage was so ridiculously full, piles of it were precariously stacked on one another. Instead we used the trash cans just beyond Togo's borders, where airport janitors seem to be able to take out the trash on a regular basis. Since the Togo's trash can was inside Togo's borders I don't think it was the airport janitor's jurisdiction, and therefore I blame the obvious sucky sub-par sandwich chain.

[yehfromthebay]

I kind of like 360 Burrito in the Southwest terminal. I had a breakfast burrito there last week, which had eggs, potatoes and fresh spinach. It was quite satisfying, especially with the hot green salsa. As far as airport food goes, San Jose is pretty bleak but, hey, at least they serve hot food. Has anyone had the "luck" of being stuck at the San Diego United terminal? The choices were Starbucks refrigerated sugary sandwiches or generic refrigerated sandwiches. Yum.

[QueenB]

Well, unfortunately circumstances have changed, making my morning meeting even longer than originally planned. Which means...no time to venture out into San Jose and check out all the food opportunites. Kind of annoying. So, now I have to hope they feed us at the meeting (which no lunch shows up on the schedule), or I'll have to hunt down some grub in Terminal A. CPK it will most likely be.
Thank you all again for your help. Hopefully, next month they'll give me more time to explore.

[siliconvalleybabe]

Flew out of Terminal C last night. The Martini Monkey Bar & Lounge now serves Hot Cubano Sandwiches! That is all they were selling for now (they just started), but who needs anything else. If a place like In N' Out can get by selling JUST cheeseburgers, why not, right? Do one thing and do it well. We met Jay and Carlos, and I must say, their family recipe for the Cuban Sandwich is amazing. They said they will be serving them with Plantain Chips in the near future. Do yourself a favor if your in Terminal C and hungry: skip Burger King and the sad little food court, and get yourself a handcrafted cocktail and a M.M. Hot Cubano Sandwich at the Martini Monkey.

[yehfromthebay]

Too bad it's not in Terminal A, where Southwest's located...Booo.

[rworange]

link to a year-old post, but this is the first I've read about the cubano at Martini Monkey. Anyone have any updates here?