Author: Patrick Chuang :: Last updated August 02, 2025
This is an incomplete list of places worth trying "over the hill", mainly in the South Bay and some Peninsula areas as well. There is a lot of great food here, especially Asian food, and I hope this helps guide you to some interesting places. Or as I tell many people, it may help you decide where NOT to eat. YMMV.
I link via Google Maps when I couldn't find a decent website for the restaurant itself. If you want to do your own research, Hungry Onion and Eater SF can be of some help, but after the demise of Chowhound about a decade ago, there's no one good central repository anymore, which is too bad.
* = my favorite/highly recommended places
Here's my work website which is how most of you probably got here, but maybe not...
1. Chinese
1.1 South Bay
*Koi Palace: [Milpitas] A newly opened branch of the highly-regarded Daly City tour-de-force mothership. Has set a new standard for dim sum in the area. Not been for dinner, but should also be of high quality. Beware the long waits. I would arrive well before 11 am if you don't want to be waiting for 30 to 45 mins. Coming at noon is a stomach suicide mission.
*Din Tai Fung: [Santa Clara] So much has been written that I don't have anything to add. It's about as good as the LA (Arcadia) branches. Crazy busy so be warned.
*Ox9 Lanzhou Noodles: [Cupertino and other locations] One of my latest favorite spots for Chinese noodle soup and small appetizers. Very popular so go a little off-peak. A few different locations have opened recently.
*Dumpling Capital [Santa Clara]: Excellent Northern Chinese style dumplings.
QQ Noodle: [Cupertino, Milpitas] Hand-pulled noodles. Great texture, and a variety of toppings to go with.
Mayflower: [Milpitas Square] There a few branches of this Cantonese banquet restaurant around, but the one in Milpitas is closest and most convenient. I'm not a huge fan of their dim sum, but they are rather good for dinner.
1.2 Peninsula
*Tai Pan: [Palo Alto] I think this is top-tier dim sum in the entire Bay Area. To me it's comfortably better than Koi Palace. Don't let the Palo Alto address scare you off. It's more expensive than typical, but on the plus side, it's quieter and takes reservations.
*Royal Feast: [Millbrae] Possibly the best-executed Chinese food in the Bay Area. Fairly unassuming but the food is excellent. Nominally a Sichuan restaurant but there are a wide variety of dishes. Highly recommended.
Koi Palace: [Daly City] Often cited as best dim sum in the Bay Area, but beware the wicked lines, at least on weekends. Go very early (or late?) or as a party of one or two and it's not so bad. The roast pork here is almost always excellent. Their dinners are also very good. You pay a premium for top-quality dim sum, by the way. I'd rather to go Champagne Seafood if you're in the area.
Da Sichuan: [Palo Alto] Sichuan. Very good flavors. Not dumbed down at all.
*Chef Zhao Kitchen: [Palo Alto] Not to be confused with Chef Zhao Bistro. This place is very good. XLB the best in the Bay Area, non-DTF category. Shenjian bao also really good. Definitely the new go-to Shanghainese place. Unfortunately, everybody else knows it too. Can get really busy. Show up near opening and you should be OK.
2. Japanese
2.1 Groceries
Mitsuwa: [San Jose, near San Jose/Cupertino border]. Excellent Japanese supermarket.
2.2 Sushi
Disclaimer: I'm a traditional nigiri sushi guy. I value the quality and selection of the fish above all else. If you want rolls, fusion sushi or whatnot, there are probably better places than these. And I try to only sit at the sushi bar, so I won't vouch for table service.
*Gintei: [San Bruno] My choice for best sushi with a good white board at not crazy prices in the Bay Area. Beautiful sushi bar, serene ambiance. My favorite Bay Area sushi place. Bonus: super-convenient to SFO
*Sushi Jin: [Mountain View] A more modern style of sushi, but still very enjoyable. Omakase is a pretty good deal (by Bay Area standards), and the sake list is excellent and reasonably-priced.
*Sakae Sushi: [Burlingame] One of the OG top tier sushi places in the Bay Area. Pricey. Best reason to go is to eat off the excellent white board.
*Katsu: [Mountain View] High-end omakase with prices to match. The chef-owner brings in a lot of less common stuff from Japan. Strong sake list.
Sushi Yoshizumi: [San Mateo] Omakase-only spot with very few customers (seven on the night I was there) per seating. Has a Michelin star but I wasn't that impressed. High quality and more creative but also considerably more expensive than Gintei, and a heck of a lot harder to get into. I'll spend my money elsewhere.
Sushi Tomi: [Mountain View] Old school spot that's quite popular. It's fine if you're in a pinch.
2.3 Ramen
The ramen scene has exploded in the past decade so that it's hard to keep up. Here are a few, but it's not all that hard to find a decent place these days.
*Santouka: [San Jose] It's in the small food court of the Mitsuwa grocery store and has exactly the ambience (zero) that one would expect. Also has great ramen. Their toroniku (ramen with pork jowl meat) is fantastic. Fairly high on the salt and fat content, though, so it's not health food (but no good-tasting ramen is, really). Very busy.
*Taishoken: [San Mateo] A branch of the shop in Japan that literally invented tsukemen. Excellent.
JINYA: [San Jose] Belongs in the top tier of the local ramenya. A branch of a well-regarded chain.
Ramen Taka: [Santa Clara] Only one visit, and tried only their tsukemen, but it was very good.
2.4 Izakaya
There are a number of Japanese izakayas in the South Bay all serving a range of cooked dishes whose origin is essentially bar food, but it's evolved well-past french fries and jalapeno poppers. Easier to think of them as tapas restaurants. Small plates allow you to sample lots of interesting dishes. I haven't eaten at all of these often enough to distinguish which one is the best, but they all have their advocates.
*Leichi: [Santa Clara] Probably the best izakaya in the South Bay. Sake list is fine but nothing special.
Dan Izakaya: [San Jose] Have had many good meals there. Focus on izakaya-style dishes. Grilled pork cheeks and kimchi fried rice were particular standouts but almost all dishes were very good.
Sumiya [Santa Clara]: Probably the best yakitori in the South Bay. One tier down from Ippuku in Berkeley, however.
Tanto [Sunnyvale]: Huge menu.
Gochi [Cupertino]: Leans toward fusion than traditional Japanese.
2.5 Other Japanese
*Huchi Ju Hachi: [Saratoga] Cooked Japanese dishes. Chef Suzuki apparently trained as a kaiseiki chef. Food feels very personal, which is reinforced by the very small kitchen staff (normally just Suzuki-san and one sous chef). The grilled mackerel (saba no ichiya-boshi) is amazing and not to be missed.
*Kaiseki Aoki: [Saratoga] A very high-end kaiseki spot. Very expensive, with quality to match.
Gombei: [San Jose] Mainly for inexpensive cooked dishes. Curry plates, tonkatsu, croquettes, that sort of thing. The equivalent of a American diner - in a good way. The newer Curry Hyuga might be a good alternative (yet to try).
Wakuriya: [San Mateo] Kaiseiki-style fixed-menu. Expensive. Hard to score a reservation. An awesome experience with great service and outstanding seafood dishes. Meat dishes are less notable.
3. Vietnamese
San Jose is home to a very large Vietnamese population so there are more restaurants than one could possibly try. There's a huge concentration of Vietnamese restaurants in the Vietnam Town mall. You can do a LOT worse than going there and seeing what looks good and reasonably busy.
*Pho Y #1: [San Jose] Very good southern-style (more strongly flavored with star anise, cinnamon, etc) beef pho.
*Pho Papa: [San Jose] The best beef pho I've had in the Bay Area, besting the previous winner Pho Ao Sen (Oakland and Berkeley). All their meats are a notch or two above the norm, with their tai (rare steak) a particular standout.
*Pho Ha Noi: [San Jose] Northern-style pho. I love their pho ga, but some people swear by the pho bo. In the massive Vietnamese superplex. Don't miss their mem cua be (item #1) -- best fried spring rolls I've had outside of Hanoi. I'm somewhat obsessed with this place. Recently expanded so lines aren't nearly so bad anymore. There's now also a second branch in Cupertino. Parking at the latter is problematic, but the food quality is pretty similar to the OG location. Update: even more new branches throughout the Bay Area!
*Pho Ga Nha: [San Jose] Also really good pho ga. Different style but worth a try if the lines at Pho Ha Noi are too long.
*Duc Huong: [San Jose] Top tier banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) in the Bay Area. Lines can be long at prime lunch time. It's buy 4, get 1 free. I'm a big fan.
Pho Kim Long: [San Jose] Their beef pho is OK to my taste, but others think it's great. I find their chicken pho to be the real highlight. You can (and should) ask for "fresh noodles" which are not found on the (English) menu. Heard some good things about their bun rieu and bun bo hue but haven't tried.
*Com Tam Thien Huong: [San Jose, 2 locations] Awesome broken rice (com tam) plates. The combination plates (#42 to 45) are huge with lots of different and delicious things to eat with the huge mound of rice. The BBQ beef was particularly tasty. I got two meals out of one order. There's frequently a line during meal times but it goes pretty fast. Perhaps this review will encourage you to go.
Bun Bo Hue An Nam: [San Jose, 2 locations] Specializes in bun bo hue (duh), a Vietnamese noodle soup that's generally spicier and more... rustic and adventurous... than pho. I'm no expert here, but give it a try.
Da Lat: [San Jose] Very good noodle dishes. As at a lot of similar places, you can ask for noodle soups dry, which then comes with broth on the side. I prefer this style, personally.
Huong Lan: [San Jose; also a branch in Milpitas but might not be quite as good] Very good banh mi.
4. Other Notable South Bay Restaurants
4.1 Korean & Southeast Asian
*Jang Su Jang: [Santa Clara and Milpitas] Another contender for best Korean BBQ in the area? More refined than most Korean places. Others might say instead that spice and garlic levels are toned down, although I imagine you could ask for dishes to be legit spicy without a problem. A nice variety of various dishes. Beyond BBQ, they have really good pan-fried dumplings, haemul paejeon, soondobu, etc.
*10 Butchers Korean BBQ: [Sunnyvale] The newest (and most expensive) contender for best Korean BBQ in the area. It's my new favorite if money is no object.
* Seo Rai [Santa Clara]: Korean BBQ and sibling to Chungdam just down the street. Excellent quality at prices a bit lower than 10 Butchers. Panchan is nothing special. Don't get the bulgogi, but all the other meats were very good to excellent.
Han Sung: [Santa Clara] Good Korean BBQ place. Uses real hardwood charcoal instead of gas. Good panchan.
Chicken Licious [San Jose]: I have yet to try this slightly oddly-named Malaysian spot, but reports are very positive.
4.2 South Asian
*Hyderabadi Dum Biryani: [Milpitas] Biryani specialist. Best I've had in the Bay Area, although that's not a huge sample. Be warned that when they say spicy, they really mean it. Medium was plenty spicy for my taste.
*Biryaniz: [Milpitas and Mountain View] Also Biryani specialist. Seems like the most common answer to the best biryani in the South Bay from those with South Asian ancestry. I prefer Hyderabadi, but I can see the argument for Biryaniz.
*Mylapore [San Jose]: A new entrant into the scene that I've heard South Indians believe is top-tier. I went once and greatly enjoyed it.
Madras Cafe: [Sunnyvale] Tasty dosa.
Kebab and Curry: [Santa Clara] A well-known hole in the wall. Biryani was a bit too dry for my liking, but curry and kebab dishes were very good.
Pav Bhaji and More [3 locations]: For pav, obviously. I haven't tried it but heard good things.
4.3 Pizza / American
Slice of New York: [San Jose] NY style pizza, somewhat old school. Has slices and whole pies. Open fairly late if you're on your way home from SJC. I'd avoid their sausage topping. I don't think it's objectively great, but for some reason I really like it. Maybe it's the Pizza Cognition Theory?
*Blueline Pizza: [Campbell] From the same people as Little Star in SF/Berkeley, but different name. Good deep dish pizza. Waaaaaay better than Zachary's, and even better than the big-name Chicago joints (Uno, etc.). You can even get half-baked and finish the baking at home. Call ahead to streamline the process.
*Pizzeria Delfina: [Palo Alto] One of my favorite pizza places in the whole Bay Area. Branches in SF, Burlingame and Palo Alto.
Oak & Rye: [Los Gatos] Very good modern pizza.
*The Refuge: [Los Altos & San Carlos] Excellent pastrami sandwiches, fries, burgers, and an extensive Belgian beer list.
*Smoked Out BBQ: [Santa Clara] While there isn't much good BBQ in the area, this is the one spot that's legitimately tasty.
Orchard City Kitchen: [San Jose] Lots of people love it. I think it's good, albeit loud and some of their dishes lean to the sweeter side.
Village Pub: [Woodside] Upscale American. Expensive and somewhat dressy. Instead of the full restaurant menu, one can also sit at the bar and have an upscale burger.
*The Bywater: [Los Gatos] Excellent, casual New Orleans style place from David Kinch (Mentone). Raw oyster bar is excellent, as is their fried chicken. Next up for me are the po' boys. Casual but not exactly cheap.
4.4 Other
*Mexico Bakery : [San Jose] Outstanding tortas. Large, cheap and delicious. Better than any I've had, save one stand by the UNAM metro station in Distrito Federal (a.k.a. Mexico City).
*Walia: [San Jose] Excellent Ethiopian. Interesting but balanced flavors. Terrific execution on every dish. Injera has a nice sourness to it as well. I far prefer this to Zeni.
*Dish Dash: [Sunnyvale] Middle eastern. Big place, good for groups. I thought the food was excellent
*Oren's Hummus: [numerous locations] Excellent and reasonably priced Israeli food.
*Back A Yard [Caribbean]: Really good Jamaican and other Caribbean style food.
Falafel's Drive-In: [San Jose] Convenient off of 880. Very tasty falafel though the pita sandwiches to tend to fall apart, so it's not exactly eat-in-the-car food. Lots of positive comments about the banana shakes as well.
Zeni Ethiopian: [San Jose] Lots of people rave about this place and it's pretty busy, but I was slightly underwhelmed. Dishes were somewhat hit-or-miss. A decent fraction of the people looked like they were from East Africa though, so maybe I'm the one out of step. I'd try Walia first, myself.
5. Late Night near SFO
In case you need someplace to eat near SFO but it's after 10 pm.
Izakaya Mai: [San Mateo] Decent izakaya. But for late-night, it could be reasonably satisfying.
Yakitori Kokko: [San Mateo] Best choice for somewhat late night near SFO. More good than great.
In-n-Out Burger: [Millbrae] My default and open the latest.
6. A few places in SF and the East Bay:
There are a million lists of best places to eat in these areas so I've not really bothered to discuss them here until now. I'll highlight a small number of places I really like, with some bias towards cheaper places.
San Francisco: Deli Board for sandwiches (though not cheap). Mensho Tokyo might be the best ramen in Northern California. Nopa does everything well (but make reservations). Kin Khao for higher concept traditional Thai. My favorite lunch spot is Hai Ky Mi Gia for their #4 (egg noodle with wontons and braised duck leg -- I prefer it dry, i.e. broth on the side, instead of as a soup).
East Bay: Kabana for Pakistani. Ippuku for outstanding yakitori. Kiraku is an excellent izakaya (with commensurate lines). Pho Ao Sen for beef pho (recently added a Berkeley location). Gregoire for fancier take-out. Comal for fancy but very tasty Mexican. Chez Panisse for the OG home of California cuisine, and still great and relevant. Great China is surprisingly good (the nicer decor makes me immediately suspicious). Belotti is my favorite for Italian pasta dishes in the entire Bay Area.