Campus Burger opens to long lines for it's $1.99 burgers in Downtown San Jose

One of Downtown San Jose's most popular new restaurants is a burger shack in a large kiosk where the Circle-A Skateboard shop used to be on Paseo de San Antonio (don't worry about Circle-A, they relocated to SoFA). 

When I first found out about Campus Burgers, the pricing is the first thing that stood out. They have just five items on the menu and the hamburgers are just $1.99. This seemed too good to be true... I've paid $7 for a Big Mac before. However, this is a legit restaurant. The owner Jim Angelopoulos previously owned and operated Scrambl'z in Almaden and Yolked in Morgan Hill. It's all about simplicity and efficiency to get the costs down to something anyone can afford.

Campus Burgers did a soft opening last week where they gave away 1,000 burgers for free. In the following days they have had long lines and have completely sold out of food well before closing time. They are ordering more meat to keep up with demand. As a side note, San Jose State University is a block away and classes don't even begin until August 19th.

So far their Yelp rating is an impressive 4.5 stars with 30 reviews in the past week. This is despite people often waiting more than half an hour in line to get their burgers, which are cooked to order. Initial reviewers are really impressed with the quality, value, and are even comparing it to In & Out. I can't wait to try this for myself, but if you're in the area it certainly seems worth swinging by.

Source: SVBJ (photos by Tomas Ovalle from the SVBJ)

Six new retail shops opening in Downtown San Jose in the Qmunity District!

A third MOMENT retail project is coming to Downtown San Jose on August 9th. Their first project was in San Pedro Square on the ground floor of the parking structure. Next was a project along Paseo de San Antonio by San Jose State. Now they are brining six (maybe seven) new retailers to the very center of Downtown San Jose at 21 & 23 Post Street. This is in the relatively new Qmunity District and near the Velvet House, another new retail location.

These two retail spots on Post street have been vacant for a long time in what is arguably San Jose's best bar and nightlife area. The new stores are the Tiny Keyboard Shop, Neko-oi, Rose Gold Jelly, It's Kleine, Cub N' Cony by Malisa Suchanya & Sudibear.

More info including details on the grand opening weekend (Aug 9-11) and store hours will be released over here in the coming days.

Source: The Downtowner Email Newsletter & 408Nate

Starlight Cinema - free outdoor screening of The Goonies Aug 3rd

Starlight Cinema is a beloved Downtown San Jose tradition featuring popular movies along with accompanying activities in Saint James Park. This weekend the movie is The Goonies starting at dusk (~8:35pm) on Saturday, August 3rd.

The pre-movie activities include a scavenger hunt at 7pm hosted by Secret San Jose, photo-ops with themed props, and Goonies trivia with prizes. Other free activities include:

• Henna body art with Henna Fairyy
• Build Your Own Boobie Trap activity with Children’s Discovery Museum
• Raffle hosted by The Tech Interactive
• Canvas painting activity with Guadalupe River Park Conservancy
• Bocce ball with Volo Sports
• Lawn games, rock wall by Climb On, & t-shirt press designs by Mobile Screen Printing Party, provided by Viva Parks

Things get more fun if you are 21 and over. From 5-7pm you can mention you are on the Goonies Bar Crawl and get discounts at Fox Tale Fermentations, Dr. Funk, Five Points Cocktail Bar, O'Flaherty's Irish Pub, and Tiki Pete (all excellent options I must say). Dr. Funk is perhaps the most appropriately themed for The Goonies.

If you swing by the SJDA Info Booth, you can also enter for a chance to win a #DTSJ treasure pack that include $100 in gift cards, 4 San Jose Earthquakes game vouchers, 2 Music in the Park tickets, and a Goonies tote bag. Taking a survey at the same location will get you a t-shirt and a chance to win a $25 Dr. Funk gift card, 2 Music in the Park tickets, and a #DTSJ tote.

The last Starlight Cinema for 2024 will be To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar on August 17th.

New mixed-use project with a beer garden opening soon near Levi's Stadium

Finally, 49ers fans will have a place in easy walking distance to hang out before and after games. A new mixed use project on Tasman will feature a Food & Beverage Garden that repurposes an old Carl's Jr. into an indoor bar with local beers, wines, and cocktails. The indoor/outdoor concept will feature food trucks and outdoor games like bocce ball and corn hole.

The residential building behind the beer garden will have 311 luxury apartments in an eight-story building, 100 of which come fully furnished. It also features a two-story fitness center, yoga studio, bike share, a resort-style pool, fire pits, and gaming lounges. 15,000 SQFT of retail will also be available in the ground floor of this building which are separate from the 14,000 SQFT beer and food garden with games.

The beer and food garden is set to open in a few months, just in time for the 49ers season.

Source: LinkedIn, Ensemble

 

San Jose's Little Saigon now has a Night Market

San Jose has the largest Vietnamese population of any city in the United States, which helps explain why we have the best Vietnamese food in the country. Little Saigon in East San Jose consists primarily of both an indoor and outdoor mall with dozens of and restaurants, many of which specialize in very specific Vietnamese dishes. Now you can add a monthly night market to a list of attractions there.

Officially called the "Story Road Night Market" it will be a Vietnamese-focused event in the Grand Century Mall parking lot. It'll features multiple food and retail vendors along with cultural performances. Not all of the vendors will be Vietnamese, they'll also have Mexican birria tacos, Nashville hot chicken, and Portuguese/Asian fusion egg tarts.

If you've never been to Little Saigon, this is the perfect opportunity to explore the area. The night market takes place today from 4-10pm at 1111 Story Road. Parking and Admission are free. The next events will be on Sep 6, Sep 7, Oct 11, and Oct 12.

Source: KQED

Rising popstar Celeste Doshi brings brat summer to town

It's finally the weekend, so what better time to promote a local San Jose artist. Celeste Doshi is an indie pop singer-songwriter known for her emotionally charged and edgy lyrics. Her debut single, "I Wish I Never Met You," was released on July 1st and showcases her brutally honest songwriting style, capturing the feelings of heartbreak and frustration. 

The song is produced by Emmy Award-winning composer Mike Meiers. Celeste's music has been compared to the style of Olivia Rodrigo and Conan Gray. She has performed at various venues in San Jose and Los Gatos and was selected to participate in the Mastermind Songwriting Retreat in Nashville in 2023. Celeste is working on her debut EP, "twentysomething," set to be released in 2025, which promises to delve deeper into the experiences of a sensitive young woman navigating the complexities of life.

You can listen to her first single here!

Other Links:

Spotify

Apple Music

Insta

TikTok

MOMENT Sidewalk Shops - new monthly popup event in Downtown San Jose

MOMENT has made great strides in bringing retail back to Downtown San Jose. The original four retail spots in San Pedro Square have been successful and MOMENT has recently expanded to the Paseo of San Antonio. Now they are doing a monthly pop-up experience at both locations.

Over 25 vendors will be right outside both clusters of MOMENT shops this Saturday, July 27th from 1pm to 6pm. For more info, head over here.

Source: 408Nate

Downtown San Jose gets a new retail store called Velvet House at 50 Post

Downtown San Jose is great for many things, but retail has historically not been one of them. This is slowly starting to change with great projects like MOMENT and pockets of activity here and there. The newest store I just found out about is called Velvet House and it's a women's "fashion forward" shop.

The owner Dayna Moya Gonzalez and her husband George are East San Jose natives that opened The Club on Post last year. This is one of Downtown San Jose's best brunch spots and has the absolute best Espresso Martini in San Jose. Velvet House is right across the street and is a brick-and-mortar extension of Dayna's online business.

The store features a variety of clothing and accessories. I am not going to pretend to know anything about women's clothing, but can say that there seem to be options for every occasion and prices are very reasonable. The location at 50 Post is right in the Historic District, steps away from great food and San Jose's nightlife.

For more info on Downtown's newest store, head over here.

New single family housing suburb proposed for San Jose's Almaden district

If you thought single family construction was over in San Jose, guess again. Latala Homes plans to build 177 new detached homes, averaging just under 2,500 SQFT per home at 20202 Harry Road. 36 of those homes will be designated as affordable for low-income households. The site is currently an empty field so no demo work would be necessary.

Before the urbanists get up in arms, this is already as deep into the suburbs as you can possibly get. There is nothing walkable anywhere near here and there probably never will be. If you're wondering where Harry Road is, it's where Almaden Expressway literally dead-ends. That is how deep this project is into Almaden. The silver lining is you can go horseback riding or visit one of San Jose's most romantic and isolated restaurants, La Foret, with a short drive.

Based on the area, I think most of these homes will likely go for around $1,000/SQFT, so you're probably looking at a range of $2M-$3M depending on how wide the range of home sizes will be.

Source: SF YIMBY

Angkor Chef has official ribbon cutting

Angkor Chef started their soft opening in November, but the restaurant and bar are now formally complete. I love this restaurant for a many reasons. It's the first dedicated Cambodian restaurant in Downtown San Jose, the food is delicious, it has clean modern decor, service is friendly, and everything is reasonably priced. It also has quite the story.

Chef Channy Laux is a survivor of the Cambodian genocide. At 13, she dealt with starvation, sickness, and repeated separation rom her family. In 1979 she made it to Lincoln Nebraska as a refugee and ended up earning a Bachelors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln followed by a Masters in Applied Math from SCU. She then worked as a Silicon Valley engineer for 30 years and now this is her passion project.

Angkor Chef features iconic Cambodian dishes with a focus on noodles, stir-fries, and umami-rich Prahok dishes. All the sauces are made from scratch using produce and herbs sourced from local refugee farmers and imported spices from Cambodia. Some of the sauces are also bottled and sold, one has even won awards (Lemongrass Paste). You don't have to take my word for it, Angkor has a rare 4.5 star rating on Yelp.

Angkor Chef is open Tues-Thur from 11:30am-9pm, Friday from 11:30am-10pm, and Saturday from 12pm to 10pm. It's closed on Sunday and Monday. You can also order pickup or delivery over here.

San Jose becomes the first city in California to allow homeowners to sell ADUs

In order to solve for housing shortages, skyrocketing rents, and dizzying mortgages we have to think outside the box. San Jose just took a significant step to increase the housing supply and provide more low cost options.

San Jose already is one of the most accommodating cities when it comes to building an ADU (accessory dwelling unit) on your property. On a typical single-family lot, a homeowner can build a detached ADU up to 1,000 SQFT or an attached ADU up to 800 SQFT. Now, instead of just renting out the ADU, you can actually sell it as a condominium.

This will encourage more people to built them in their backyards and open up low-cost homeownership for more people, especially those early on in their careers. Some ADUs are quite nice, like the 500 SQFT one mentioned in the source link below.

San Jose is already receiving four times as many requests to build ADUs as San Francisco. In fact, even homebuilders like Robson Homes are including them as options for new housing projects in San Jose. 

Source: ABC7 News

Frozen sing-along today at The Tech Interactive

The Tech Interactive is collaborating with Broadway San Jose for a sing-along event featuring what is still one of the most popular children's movies. Kids can belt out their favorite tunes and dance with Elsa, Anna, and Olaf during this one-day event. It runs from 10:30am-12:30pm at The Tech.

Sazon Latin Food Festival in San Jose

The Sazon Latin Food Festival is coming to the Japantown area next month. This free, family-friendly event celebrates the rich diversity of Latin American cuisine and culture, featuring food from the Caribbean, Central America, and South America, along with live Latin music. 

Event Details:

Date: Saturday, August 31st and Sunday, September 1st, 2024
Time: 11:00 am - 6:00 pm
Location: Gordon Biersch Brewing Company at 357 E Taylor St, San Jose, CA 95112

Event Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sazon-latin-food-festival-in-san-jose-two-days-family-friendly-tickets-889886543607

Highlights:

• A dozen food vendors offering authentic Latin American dishes

• Merchandise vendors with unique items reflecting Latin American culture

• Family-friendly activities such as face painting and henna

• Live salsa music band performing

LOOPKICKS 20th Anniversary

I have to come clean and say I've never heard of LOOPKICKS or Tricking before this week. However, all you need to do is watch the 36 second video below to see exactly how crazy this new sport is. Tricking is a mix of combining kicks, flips, and twists. It was created in San Jose by 12-year-old Isiah Flores in 1999.

LOOPKICKS is the longest running tricking team, camp, and gathering. This year is their 20th anniversary and tomorrow, July 19, is their coveted Nightshow where they feature the best domestic and international trickers with battles, exhibitions and performances. 

The LOOPKICKS Nightshow starts at 7:30pm at 2790 El Camino Real in Santa Clara. Tickets are $10 at the door. There is also a whole weekend of classes and workshops over here.

100+ affordable homes proposed for 1207 North Capital Avenue

A new project between Alum Rock and Berryessa would add 129 affordable homes in a five-story building right across the street from VTA Light Rail. The proposal has 13,000 SQFT of communal spaces including lounges, fitness facilities, and outdoor spaces.

The location is an easy walk to three different retail centers that have multiple restaurants, a clothing store, and a Safeway. BART is also just three Light Rail stops away.

Today this site is just an empty lot at 1207 North Capital Avenue so very little demolition and prep work would be necessary. Unfortunately, there is no timeline for groundbreaking and construction.

Source: The Mercury News

San Pedro Square Block Party on Thursday, July 18th

Over 60 businesses around San Pedro Square will be participating in the latest Downtown San Jose block party. The even will feature live music, tons of food, local makers & artists, and activities for the whole family. Ground zero will be along North San Pedro Street (you can't miss it now with the new mural). 

The event runs from 5pm to 9pm and there is free parking for 90min in the Market & San Pedro Square Parking Garage or free all night on metered spaces after 6pm.You can also easily take Light Rail to Saint James Park and walk two blocks.

1,472 new homes headed to Seely Avenue in North San Jose

There are only a few empty lots left for development in North San Jose, one one of those is at Montague Expressway and Seely Avenue right along the Coyote Creek. The land currently has farmland and orchards, which somehow have survived over the decades right in the middle of Silicon Valley.

The proposal on the table today would add 1,472 residential units and retail between three developers: Hanover Company, Pacific Companies, and SummerHill Homes. The total project would be a whopping 2.3 million SQFT, with 1.7 million SQFT for housing, half a million SQFT for parking, and 16,120 SQFT for retail. 

Most of the housing would be 1,140 market-rate apartments which would wrap around a new public park. 178 units would be affordable housing and 154 units would be townhomes. Of the apartments, 159 would be studios, 737 are one-bedrooms, 368 are two-bedrooms, and 54 are three-bedrooms. Parking would support 1,967 cars and 944 bicycles.

Construction would last about four years from the initial groundbreaking, for which there is no ETA yet.

Source: SF YIMBY

San Jose's Archer Aviation is partnering with Southwest Airlines to build air taxi network

Archer Aviation is making a number of headlines lately. They just announced plans to build a network of five different air taxi locations across the Bay Area. Now they are announcing a partnership with Southwest Airlines to collaborate on integrating air taxis into California airports.

Southwest is California's largest airline and has operations at 14 different airports across the state. They are the largest operator at San Jose International Airport, which appears to be one of the five air taxi locations that Archer is planning.

The vision is that Southwest customers could do door-to-door trips between places like Napa or Santa Monica that do not have commercial airports within a few hours. You'd go from your Southwest flight to an air taxi that would take you to your destination in 10-15min.

Archer Aviation is headquartered at 190 W. Tasman Drive in North San Jose.

Source: Silicon Valley Business Journal

Yelp ranks a San Jose Indian restaurant as #2 in the United States

Yelp has put out it's very first ranking of the best Indian restaurants in the US, and the second one on the list is none other than Kadhai Kitchen in North San Jose. It actually started out as a food truck and is a small hole in the wall shop that serves a short menu of vegetarian options. 

I ordered almost the entire menu today on Doordash and was really impressed. In fact, I forgot it was vegetarian. Their specialties are pavs, kind of like Indian sliders using homemade buns stuffed with a potato fritter and a variety of sauces. Many people say it's as good as what you can get in Mumbai.

I ordered Pav Bhaji and Ragda Pattice along with Thums Up (an Indian soda similar to Coke that is now ironically owned by Coke). They also had a corn cutlet which is a corn and potato croquette that my wife and I loved. Their eggless date & walnut cake and a mango lassie were a great way to finish the meal. It wasn't expensive or overly spicy, and the flavors were outstanding. I think it's a perfect option for a quick meal or snack and you can't go wrong with anything on the menu. I'm already looking forward to ordering again--or better yet going in person.

Only two Indian restaurants in California made the list, which is surprising to me. Kadhai Kitchen did San Jose proud!

Kadhai Kitchen is located at 2678 Cropley Avenue and is open from 4:30pm to 9pm Tues-Fri and 4pm to 8:30pm on Sat-Sun.

Source: The Mercury News

San Jose's fanciest movie theater shuts down

The ShowPlace Icon movie theater at Westfield Valley Fair has suddenly shut its doors. The theater was one of the many entertainment draws at Valley Fair and featured premium seating, food, and cocktails. The ShowPlace Icon in Mountain View's San Antonio Center has also shut down.

COVID and the writer's strike was not kind to the movie theater business. Even though Icon offered a more unique upscale spin on going to the movies, sadly it wasn't enough.

There is good news though. The space will remain a movie theater and the general manager of Westfield Valley Fair has indicated that there will be a new theater operator soon.

Source: Silicon Valley Business Journal

Prime corner spot in Downtown San Jose to become a new restaurant and office space

A new corner restaurant is destined for 189 West Santa Clara Street at the intersection of Almaden Avenue. The space is part of the thriving San Pedro Square area and the owner already operates multiple restaurants around this block.

The space is also known as the Lyndon Building and was constructed in 1884. In 1902 it housed the Times-Mercury which was a precursor to the San Jose Mercury News.

The new restaurant will span 5,500 SQFT and feature both a bar and outdoor seating. It will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and the menu will be California-style farm-to-table. It still doesn't have a name, but will be something related to the newspaper printing heritage of the building.

There is also an 8,000 SQFT upper floor that will be leased as office space. This part of the building was a venue for big bands and country music in the 1940s and '50s, and then rock in the '60s. I believe it also hosted the Irish Innovation Center at one point. The building owner envisions a tenant such as a creative firm or AI startup for this space.

A restaurant and high-tech tenant would further activate this space and help connect it to the next block, which has an Opa! Greek restaurant and an office tower.

Source: The Mercury News

Downtown West Creekside Socials - Upcoming free classes

Downtown West's Creekside Socials programming is continuing into July. To me this gives hope that Google still has a foot in the door with San Jose. Their multi-million SQFT, mixed-use campus next to Diridon Station might be on hold, but the promised cultural activities and activation of the new neighborhood are still pushing forward.

The latest event is a series of West African dance classes on July 12, July 29, August 16th, and August 30th. This is hosted by Kuumba and is a energetic dance workout featuring live drummers and highlighting the dance and spirit of West Africa. All classes go from 6-7pm at 56 Barack Obama Blvd. in Downtown San Jose. 

There is also a sewing and upcycling event hosted by Chopsticks Alley Art from 5-7pm on Thursday, July 11th. This event will also feature live music by San Jose musician, Lucas Tecson.

Both events are free and you can RSVP to either over here.

San Jose to be part of five Bay Area air-taxi locations

How would you like to quickly hop between San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Livermore in just 10-15 minutes? How about Napa for an additional 15-30 minutes? That is exactly what Archer Aviation is planning in the Bay Area.

Archer is planning to build air mobility hubs, with the main one being at Kilroy's Oyster Point in South San Francisco. The San Jose location appears to be the private aviation facility at San Jose International Airport.

Archer is building electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) that seat the pilot and up to four passengers and their carry-on luggage. The aircraft go up to 150 mph and skip all ground traffic. A 90 minute drive can become a 10 minute flight.

Timing is not available nor is pricing, but this will be a hot industry to watch as several companies are entering this space. I'm all for any alternatives that will help people bypass highway traffic.

Source: Businesswire