Recs for Mountain View dinner under $40/head?

[Rafie]

Calling any MV hounds for recommendations!

In town for work tomorrow - and I've got 2 dinners to figure out in Mountain View.

No restriction on cuisine (just want good food, literally will eat anything). Also, budget limit's got to be under $40/head. Even better, I have a car so i'm willing to drive (say, within 30 min?)

Any ideas?

[Peter Yee]

Shana Thai (Moffett Blvd.) can be done for under $40/head if you don't go overboard with appetizers and desserts. You'll get a modern take on Thai food.

For Mexican, my favorite is still Taqueria La Bamba (Old Middlefield Road or Castro St.; I go to the former). I love their carnitas and you can also go El Salvadorean with pupusas if you prefer. Castro Street location is better if you prefer sitting at tables, although I think both locations require ordering at the counter. You should be able to eat well for $10/head.

Despite living in Mountain View, I don't generally eat there for some odd reason. Could be that I'm mostly burned out on most of the restaurants near me.

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La Bamba
2058 Old Middlefield Way, Mountain View, CA 94043

Shana Thai Restaurant
311 Moffett Blvd, Mountain View, CA 94043

[lrealml]

I have never had good Thai food at Shana.... I've gotten dragged there for lunch a few times...

[Peter Yee]

I try not to think of it as traditional Thai food and then I am just fine. :-)

[Robert Lauriston]

Kappo Nami Nami is great in that price range. They have dishes I haven't seen elsewhere.

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Kappo Nami Nami
240 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041

[lrealml]

That is a broad question. There are lots of good restaurants right in MTV and dozens of every type if you are willing to drive 30 mins. I think it depends on what you want.
I think you need to figure out what you are in the mood for and then do some research on the boards accordingly.

But if it helps, off the top of my head, right in downtown MTV I like Xahn(Vietnamese) and Sakoon(Indian) for trendy Cal influenced fusion food; both are only good for dinner(for lunch they have buffets). I also love Maru Ichi's Kuro ramen, and Tea Era's bubble tea. Cascal has good Sangria but the food is not great. Sushi Tomi has decent sushi. Stay away from anything that is a pub/bar.

[mdg]

Indian food is our star cuisine here, with some of the best you'll find anywhere in the country. Sakoon and Amber India in Mountain View will be at the high end of the price range but still OK. For less expensive Indian nearby there's Taste Buds in Sunnyvale and Peacock in eastern Mountain View, plus vegetarian stars like Chaat Paradise in Mountain View and Madras Cafe in Sunnyvale.

There's also fine Naples-style pizza at Napoletana Pizzeria in Mountain View, and delicious Mexican food at Estrellita in Los Altos, just across the street from Mountain View (stick to the specials and the chicken Oaxaca).

Enjoy!

Michael

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Estrellita Restaurant
971 N San Antonio Rd, Los Altos, CA 94022

Madras Cafe
1177 W El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA 94087

Chaat Paradise
165 E El Camino Real, Mountain View, CA 94040

Amber India Restaurant
2290 El Camino Real Suite 9, Mountain View, CA 94040

Taste Buds
673 Grape Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94087

Sakoon
357 Castro Street, Mountain View, CA 94041

Peacock Indian Cuisine
867 E El Camino Real, Mountain View, CA 94040

Napoletana Pizzeria
1910 W El Camino Real, Mountain View, CA 94040

[Peter Yee]

Thanks for the Napoletana Pizzeria recommendation. I didn't know something had taken Cafe Mazeh's place. Sounds like we might actually have interesting pizza in Mountain View!

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Napoletana Pizzeria
1910 W El Camino Real, Mountain View, CA 94040

[Robert Lauriston]

You're visiting from NY? Might want to focus on things we have that aren't available or as good in NY. I'm not sure what that would be within half an hour of Mountain View. Maybe Mexican in Redwood City? Peruvian? Certain regional Chinese cuisines?

[mhuang]

I second the recommendation for Kappo Nami Nami for Japanese food and Napoletana Pizzeria. They've both been consistently great for dinner.

For Ramen, I think Shalala (which just opened recently) is better than Maru Ichi or Ryowa. If you're willing to drive a bit further, Orenchi Ramen in Santa Clara is also within the price range.

In Los Altos, Sumika (which does yakitori) can also fit the bill, but it is also easy to go over the $40 a head mark if you get too carried away ordering skewers.

In Sunnyvale, there's Yume-ya, which has some nice homestyle Japanese dishes ( I love their pumpkin croquettes), along with some excellent sushi.

SGD Tofu House on El Camino is also good for soondubu (korean tofu soup), but they also have other korean dishes too; for a more upscale korean dining experience, there is Palace BBQ and Jang Su Jang in Sunnyvale/Santa Clara.

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Kappo Nami Nami
240 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041

Sumika
236 Central Plz, Los Altos, CA 94022

Maru Ichi Restaurant
368 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041

SGD Tofu House
3450 El Camino Real # 105, Santa Clara, CA

Jang Su Jang
3561 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95051

Shalala
698 W Dana St, Mountain View, CA 94041

Napoletana Pizzeria
1910 W El Camino Real, Mountain View, CA 94040

[eatzalot]

Look, there are now 100 restaurants just in the dense downtown area (Castro St) and I think at least 40 more elsewhere in MV. Almost all meet your budget and some of them at the upper end (Kappo Nami Nami and Sakoon already named are examples) are downright elegant and unique. Actually you can get a fairly upscale meal for around _fifteen_ dollars a head (WITH beer or wine) if you can make it during "happy-hour" times, generally ending 6PM, at one of the finer restaurants that offers an aggressive "happy-hour" menu at the bar (Cantankerous Fish pioneered this practice on Castro St.; Sakoon and the relatively new Scratch do it also; all three incidentally are within a half block of each other with plenty of nearby parking).

A little searching will disclose many past threads answering related queries. Below is one that I started, with lists (and links) to the 100 downtown-MV restaurants of all kinds. Many people, even those who live nearby and have long experience of local restaurants, don't yet realize how much this scene has grown just in the last five years, with some restaurants even worth journeying for (including Napoletana Pizzeria, which opened several weeks ago and is becoming very popular with its fresh strictly Neapolitan woodfired pizzas).

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/755376

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Sakoon
357 Castro Street, Mountain View, CA 94041

The Cantankerous Fish
420 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041

Napoletana Pizzeria
1910 W El Camino Real, Mountain View, CA 94040

Scratch
401 Castro Street, Mountain View, CA 94041