San Pedro Square Market

One my favorite places to go in San Jose is the San Pedro Square Market. I have been coming here since it first opened, in fact I was at the soft opening and the official opening. I have watched it grow and absolutely love what it has become. 

Several evenings there is entertainment, you can find the large chalkboard in the Perazzo building along one side of the market, there are tables, chairs and booths set up and this is where the musicians will be found. 

Sama Zama has a very good Caesar salad, nice crunchy whole romaine leaves with a very light dressing and big, thick anchovies! They will leave them off for those who don't care for them, but then why, oh why would you order a Caesar salad? 

I'm in the Perazzo Building enjoying my wonderful salad. What makes this so great is you can get food at any of the restaurants, or a bottle or glass of wine from the Vino Vino wine bar and bring it to any table! There is even a cocktail waitress wandering around for those who want to imbibe! 

Our all time favorite is Little Chef Counter. Usually David and I just sit at the small counter, and when they have french fries cooked in duck fat we always get an order. If you see that they are serving steak frites, don't miss it! 

Tonight we stopped by Vino Vino and picked up a bottle of Windy Oaks Winery Pinot Noir, then wandered outside between the buildings. The market is comprised of three distinct buildings, be sure to wander among them to discover everything! 


The lights and heaters were on, and big screen TV's right there for those who HAD to watch football!

We decided to try a new restaurant, called Phonomenal Noodle house, located in the Lusardi building. 

The fellow at the counter was very friendly, we chatted about the wine and he snapped a picture so he could buy some later. He recommended our two dishes, Shaking beef with red rice for me and Oxtail Pho for David. We paid and had a seat at one of the tables in the center. That's what makes the market so wonderful, we can wander and pick and choose from different restaurants, they are all neighbors and share tables, there are no boundaries. It becomes almost like a party, you wander where you want and enjoy it for a while, then move along to another location. 

They delivered our food to the table, the service was casual and friendly. My beef was wonderful, the flavor was amazing! The beef was very tender and the spice just perfect. I had to hold off from eating all of it so David could have some.

I am happy! Beef is one of my favorites, and to find beef that is extremely tender, while still having flavor is a treat. It was Filet Mignon.....

David said his Pho was perfect! He had just driven Cooper back up to school at Chico and had eaten a lot of heavy foods in the last two days. The Pho was comforting, and the flavors complex. The broth was delicate yet packed full of intense flavors, there were three large oxtails and plenty of fresh bean sprouts, basil and jalapeño to add in.

As we always do, we stopped at Pizza Bocca Luppo and picked up a pizza Margherita to go. Whether you decide to have a pizza here, or one to go, don't miss it!

You can park in the city parking garage across the street, and then have your parking validated, where else in San Jose can you do that! 

When summer comes the tables outside are great for sitting and people watching, and listening to music and enjoying the wonderful flavors of the restaurants. 

I was given $50 to spend at San Pedro Square Market. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are my own.