This spring marks a new chapter in Silicon Valley’s ever-evolving journey toward culinary greatness.
Three new bar-restaurants are now (or about to be) open for business: Strāta from the team behind downtown San Jose’s most vibey spots, Causwells Menlo from the team behind the well-loved Marina bistro, and Asia Live, an enormous new food emporium from SF chef George Chen.
Here’s everything you have to look forward to right now.
The bar and lounge at Strāta in San Jose(Ashley Ann Photos)
Strāta, San Jose
At Strāta, seasonality isn’t a background player, it’s the main character. Every six to eight weeks, this new San Jose restaurant rotates its menu to take advantage of California produce at its peak. On opening two weeks ago, this meant chicken-fried morel mushrooms with yam espuma and shallot kimchi, rockfish with squash velouté and nasturtium pesto, and a cocktail with cilantro, snap peas, and lemon that distilled late spring into a glass.
The latest brainchild of M.O. Hospitality—the group responsible for bringing the city the mixology masters at the swanky speakeasy Alter Ego (66 1st St.), the vibrant Mediterranean-inspired Eos & Nyx (201 S. 2nd St.), and a handful of other bar-restaurants downtown—Strāta channels the same kind of design-forward energy, with an earthy palette of warm browns and mauves; inset, backlit wine cellar and display shelving lined with ceramics; and a bar backed by arched millwork. The lounge’s wall of windows faces directly onto San Jose City Hall across the street, bringing brightness to the sweeping, hotel-bar-like space.
Through a doorway on one side lies the restaurant, a more intimate space with leather-backed chairs tucked under white tablecloth-draped tables, and a sculptural ceiling with globe lighting that hangs clustered like grapes. An upcoming second phase of design by Manu Studios will add dark wood booth seating, amber lighting, and a stage for live music.
Strāta will feature a frequently rotating menu based on seasonal California cuisine.(Ashley Ann Photos)
Strāta is an expansive, ever-changing stage for talented executive chef Roberto Mendoza, who’s already put his classical training, Michelin cred (Manresa, Atelier Crenn, Chez TJ), and more than 20 years of experience into the Mexican and Japanese-influenced menu at Alter Ego. Here, he and the team will play with “California cuisine” in every way, from its broad cultural influences to its regional techniques and flavors, showcasing dishes like rockfish crudo with white soy aguachile and crispy rice and chicken roulade with asparagus in a prix-fixe menu. Signature plates and shareables like seasonal pizza (currently made with shaved black truffle) are available a la carte in the bar-lounge.
A thoughtful wine program (including pairings for the prix fixe menu), as well as NA drinks, flow seamlessly between both spaces, along with the creative, expressive cocktails for which M.O. Hospitality’s bar-restaurants have developed an enviable reputation. These, too, will spark with seasonality, including that aforementioned cilantro-toned Peas & Thank You; the Hanami with pisco, sherry, strawberry, rose, and matcha whipped cream; and the Sunstone with mezcal, tomato water gin, nectarine aperitif, and lime.
// 181 E. Santa Clara St. #10 (San Jose), stratasj.com
Causwells Menlo focuses on American bistro fare with a Southern twist.(Hardy Wilson)
Causwells, Menlo Park
The latest San Francisco team to make its debut on the Peninsula is chef Adam Rosenblum and beverage director Elmer Mejicanos, the duo who most recently opened the darling Jewish deli-inspired Super Mensch in the Marina (whose insane chocolate cake made the list at 7x7’s 2025 Big Eat).
It’s with Causwells, the pair’s original neighborhood bistro which first opened in 2014, that they’ve migrated south to join other SF-originating chefs and restaurants including Sri Gopinathan, David Nayfeld, Robin, and Burma Love, at the buzzy Springline complex in Menlo Park. Compared to the sliver of a space the restaurant occupies in the Marina, Causwells 2.0 is enormous, with enough room for booths and tables inside the dining area, an outdoor patio, and a grand bar that stretches across one wall and is crowned by the original’s signature Art Deco peacock wallpaper.
Similar to the original, the menu at Causwells Menlo will focus on American bistro fare with a Southern twist. But Rosenblum isn’t resting on his laurels: he’s incorporated more of his culinary history into new dishes like New Orleans-style charred oysters with herb butter and romano cheese and steak tartare with celery salad and oyster aioli; the caviar with aerated potato and fennel confit is a dream. The team didn’t leave everything beloved in San Francisco, though. The original restaurant’s popular burger with secret sauce made the move, along with Ivan’s chilaquiles and a chicken and sausage jambalaya at brunch—which, incidentally, is served daily.
Beverage director Elmer Mejicanos mixes a drink at the martini cart(Hardy Wilson)
Mejicanos, whose super creative and often boundary-pushing cocktails have made him a well-known name in the industry, developed 18 cocktails for Causwells Menlo, taking into account both seasonality and the microclimate’s warmer weather in refreshers like the Ceviche (pisco, passionfruit, aji amarillo pepper, chili) and the deliciously spicy-tangy-sweet Open Sesame (tequila, bianco vermouth, cold-pressed poblano, lime, agave, toasted sesame, black volcanic salt). You could say that the heart of the program, however, is nestled not behind the bar but on the roaming martini cart, a throwback feature stocked with the goods for three signature drinks, including the filthiest of filthy martinis with house-smoked olives, and a sazerac made with jaggery and finished with a bubble of absinthe.
// 550 Oak Grove (Menlo Park), causwells.com
Coming Soon: Asia Live, Santa Clara
Highly anticipated Asia Live from chef George Chen and Cindy Wong-Chen of SF’s China Live (644 Broadway, Chinatown), has finally gotten the green light to open its brand-new 15,000-square-foot space on June 12th. The massive, two-floor restaurant and retail space will be rife with multiple live cooking stations and have 350 seats for digging into signature dishes across a variety of regions such as sheng jian bao (juicy pan-fried pork buns), pad-bahn (a Vietnamese-Thai crossover), and tandoori butter chicken nuggets and chutney.
The Asian food emporium will also have a grab-and-go counter, and an outdoor pergola and patio to take advantage of Silicon Valley’s warm evenings. There will be three distinct bars, including a connoisseur wine room hosting weekly wine and tea tastings and cooking demos, and Bar Lucy, a refined lounge with a similar vibe as the sophisticated Cold Drinks at China Live. A rooftop terrace will open a little down the road. Expect a variety of nods to both old Shanghai and the modern Asian diaspora (think niches dedicated to Bruce Lee and Lucy Liu) woven through the interior design, and signature condiments, organic teas, cookware, toys, and other Asian goodies in the retail shop.
// 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd. #1891 (Santa Clara), asialivesv.com
A rendering of the soon-to-open Asia Live in Santa Clara(Courtesy of Asia Live)
