Must-see restaurants in The Peninsula

  • Barbara's Fish Trap

    The Peninsula

    The crowds are always overflowing out the door at this kitsch, old-fashioned seafood shack by Pillar Point Harbor. Broiled rock cod, San Francisco-style…

  • Duarte's Tavern

    The Peninsula

    You’ll rub shoulders with fancy-pants foodies, spandex-swathed cyclists and dusty cowboys at this casual, surprisingly unpretentious fourth-generation…

  • Hukilau

    San Jose

    Located in San Jose's tiny Japantown, this fun Hawaii-themed bar serves filling island-style plate meals (sesame chicken is da best) and pupus (snacks or…

  • Luna Mexican Kitchen

    San Jose

    A bustling Mexican place specializing in parrilladas (grilled meat, seafood and vegetables served on a cast iron dish and meant to be eaten family style),…

  • Back A Yard

    San Jose

    Jamaican jerk chicken, pork, salmon and tofu are the house specialties of this beloved Caribbean-barbecue kitchen, which also fries catfish, snapper and…

  • Highway 1 Brewing Company

    The Peninsula

    Pull over to this roadside coastal-view haven for hearty barbecue plates and sandwiches to wash down with beers brewed on the premises. Self-proclaimed …

  • San Pedro Square Market

    San Jose

    Always busy, this indoor/outdoor marketplace downtown showcases a few shining local food stars such as Pizza Bocca Lupo, Konjoe Burger Bar, Treatbot ice…

  • Sushirrito

    The Peninsula

    Though the no-holds-barred flavor combinations would make a traditional Japanese sushi chef faint, these burrito-style wraps with rice and Mexican-Asian…

  • Bird Dog

    The Peninsula

    Downtown's most ambitious restaurant marries Bay Area ingredients with all-modern cooking techniques; even a simple sandwich is anything but when it's…

  • Palo Alto Creamery

    The Peninsula

    A downtown institution, this sparkling chrome-and-red-boothed beauty from 1923 is famous for its frothy milkshakes, hefty hamburgers and pies made from…

  • True Food Kitchen

    The Peninsula

    Not just another shopping-mall eatery, this healthy chain is a refreshing antidote to fast food. Quinoa and grass-fed beef burgers, ancient-grains bowls,…

  • Arcangeli Grocery Company

    The Peninsula

    Create a picnic with made-to-order deli sandwiches, homemade artichoke salsa and a chilled bottle of California wine. Don’t go breezing out the door…

  • Alice's Restaurant

    The Peninsula

    Inside an early-20th-century general store, this isn't the same diner made famous by 1960s folk singer Arlo Guthrie, yet it's still a popular stop for…

  • El Gran Amigo

    The Peninsula

    This hole-in-the-wall taquería has been slinging 'supershrimp' burritos (huge shrimp burritos with all the fixings), carne-asada tacos with homemade salsa…

  • Original Joe’s

    San Jose

    Waiters in bow ties flit about this busy 1950s San Jose landmark, serving standard Italian dishes to locals and conventioneers. The dining room is a…

  • Arcadia

    San Jose

    This New American steakhouse restaurant in the Marriott Hotel is run by Michael Mina, one of San Francisco’s celebrity chefs. It’s not the daring, cutting…

  • Flying Fish Grill

    The Peninsula

    Near downtown, this family-owned kitchen makes fresh cod, mahimahi and salmon tacos, along with deep-fried and grilled seafood plates. The pastel-colored…

  • Tofoo Com Chay

    San Jose

    Students and vegetarians queue for Vietnamese dishes such as the fake-meat pho and the heaped combo plates. Conveniently located on the border of the San…

  • Half Moon Bay Bakery

    The Peninsula

    Downtown, across from City Hall, this 110-year-old bakery makes grab-and-go breakfast pastries, pecan nut bars and tasty loaves of pumpkin bread. Tables…

  • Half Moon Bay Brewing Company

    The Peninsula

    Chomp on seafood and burgers while you swill pints from a respectable menu of local brews and gaze out at the bay from a sheltered, heated outdoor patio…