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Where to Eat in Silicon Valley, According to the Local Chefs Who Cook There

Local chefs from some of Silicon Valley’s most notable restaurants reveal their favorite South Bay spots, from Vietnamese noodles to fine dining and family-friendly pizza.

Silicon Valley has a big appetite for money, talent and the next big tech startup. Its dining scene reflects that same drive, with polished rooms, tasting menus and Michelin attention built around a region full of ambition. Ask chefs where they eat on their days off here, and the answers may surprise you. They look past polished dining rooms and return to kitchens that have earned their trust through consistency and hospitality. 

That trust can also be shaped by a childhood ritual, a comforting meal or a recommendation passed from one cook to another after years in serious kitchens. Other times, it comes from watching another chef work with confidence and a point of view that feels distinct from their own. The throughline is less about these recs being fancy versus casual or old-guard versus newcomer. These chefs notice details that guests may not pick up, like the balance of acidity, the crispiness of a crust or the flow (or lack thereof) of service—even on the days they’re clocked out.

For this guide, seven chefs working across Silicon Valley and the greater South Bay share the restaurants they happily recommend to friends. The group includes chefs from Michelin-recognized kitchens and a Top Chef winner. Together, they showcase a variety of restaurants beyond the expected tasting menus and expense-account-type dining rooms, without dismissing the appeal of either. For the days you don’t feel like arguing about where to go eat, here are 15 chef-recommended restaurants to check out in Silicon Valley.

The Best Dining in Silicon Valley

Slice of Homage Pizza

10 Butchers Korean BBQ

Barebottle Brewing Co.

John Madriaga, Executive Chef at Vina Enoteca

Vina Enoteca’s executive chef, John Madriaga, grew up in the South Bay. His impressive resume includes the three-Michelin-starred Noma in Copenhagen and Mirazur in France. For his recommendations, however, he leans more into his childhood when he speaks of his favorite Silicon Valley spots. Otherwise, he’s going to places recommended by his former restaurant peers or enjoying restaurants that are different from what he’s cooking every night.

2082 North Capitol Avenue, San Jose, CA 95132

Pho Kim Long is a longtime favorite of Madriaga, first suggested to him by fellow cooks. “My colleagues at Manresa, where I previously worked, introduced me to their version of bún riêu, a dish of fluffy crab meatballs served with shredded cabbage, pungent shrimp paste and spicy condiments that can be added at will,” he explains. Beyond bún riêu, Pho Kim Long specializes in pho, crispy pan-fried noodles and a variety of other Vietnamese noodle soups.

2628 Homestead Road, Santa Clara, CA 95051

For Madriaga, Stan's Donut Shop is “the best in the Bay Area.” Much of its allure lies in nostalgia. The Santa........

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