San Pedro Square Bistro & Wine

Dear San Pedro Square Bistro & Wine:
I am sorry to hear that you lost your lease.
Yours was a restaurant that I always took for granted. I am reminded of a tragically appropriate quote from the bard:
For it falls out
That what we have we prize not to the worth
Whiles we enjoy it, but being lacked and lost,
Why, then we rack the value, then we find
The virtue that possession would not show us
While it was ours.
Please make good on your promise that you will see us again soon at a location nearby.

Sadly, this place doesn’t get as much play as the newer restaurants that surround it. Which is a shame because San Pedro Square Bistro & Wine has well crafted comfort food.
My team comes here often for birthdays or special occasions. They can handle groups of 7 – 10, with reservations, for lunch. We like to sit out in the front patio area and people watch. The cornish game hen is a must have! I prefer mine with frittes but their garlic rice is great too. It’s perfectly crisped with a honey butter glaze. YUM!
I’m also a huge fan of nicoise salads and their version has grilled salmon versus the traditional tuna. Their crab burger is packed with lots of tasty crab and is super filling. I prefer it over the grilled ahi tuna since the tuna can get a little watery and makes the bun mushy. I ended up just eating the tuna and foregoing the bun altogether.
If you’re a carnivore, their short ribs, burger and filet mignon cubes are on point. They all go great with the Belgian style frittes.
The only part I can’t always rave about at SPSBW is the service, which can be inconsistent. At first, I thought this was due to our large groups. But I have been there with smaller groups and seated in various parts of the restaurant. It can be hit or miss.

my favorite!
theeeee best meal is the filet mignon and salad dish with the yummy garlic rice!
the garlic fries are amazing too!

They stopped validating parking, I’m so disappointed! The list of places that still validate parking are like, the places you shouldn’t even drive a car after visiting.
Like, all the bars. I mean, I get it, it’s downtown and parking is easy to capitalize on. But that’s just what made is sooo dope! You can go into SP, chill w your homies, get some food, some ice cream, a beer or two, then go home and not pay for parking.
I mean, now, I had to pay like $ 7 for 2 hours of parking. Wtf is that??? Y’all wack and you know you’re making enough money off of the venue/​food. Why do you feel the need to take out the best part about SP?

Good food, but pricey. Probably not worth it unless someone else is paying… The cubed fillet mignon was very tasty. Happy hour specials include a pint of Scrimshaw for $ 4.

Yeah, it’s fine. It was a last minute kind of thing for a late (ish) dinner. The service was good (really nice girl… forgot her name), food took the right amount of time to arrive, they have a good wine selection (and waitress was knowledgable). The place is cute/​rustic and the outside is different and very nice.
So, good service, nice ambiance, a good selection of wine. The food was average, not anything bad, not great… does the do.

Came by for lunch the other day and the experience certainly went downhill. Historically, my favorites included the cubed filet mignon or the cornish hen. The cornish hen that I saw the other day looked much smaller than before and seemed dry on the outside…
Skirt steak with garlic fries was new on the menu and decided to try it. Despite ordering medium rare, the steak came out medium well and wasn’t well marinated… in fact there wasn’t too much flavor… :(The garlic fries were okay… they were much better before…
The iced mocha was a total disaster… it was more of a bitter coffee flavored water that the waitress said she added 2 shots, cream and sugar!!! The waitress came by asked how it was… and I informed her that it didn’t work out… she did offer to make a replacement… but I was horrified at that time already…
…they do have a pretty cool area to sit outside for lunch…
…it is interesting to see the employees feed the meters in front of the restaurant after taking orders?!?

This spot is great for a quick lunch! Service is quick and the food is really good. I had the cornish hen and that was delish! Would definitely come back.

This place is great… the food was super and the service was great! I ordered the filet mignon dish thanks to other Unilocalers reviews and advice!
We ordered dessert, and although was great, I don’t think it was worth $ 6.95. I ordered the crème brûlée but the top wasn’t crispy!
The reason for the 5 stars though…
So we are on our way to see Cinderella a few blocks away and our party of 9 sits down. A few bites into our meal the lady who was in charge of the tickets realized she left her tickets in her suitcase in the hotel, 30 minutes from the restaurant.
Our friend went and was able to print out 9 tickets without any problem! How many restaurants can say that? She just took over the little office and with no problem!
The service was excellent and all the waitresses all took of us! :)
Well done! Oh yes… and there’s a parking garage across the street!!!
⁴⁄₁₀₀

I loved this spot! All I’ve ever had was gnocchi from Trader Joes… but the homemade gnocchi in a bechamel sauce was HEAVENLY! It was light and airy in the inside with a good pan fried outside — it was like home made donuts! The mushroom crustini smelled yummy, but were meh at best.
I had the bubbly flight, which was tasty, but not amazing. However, the sizzling Cornish Hen stole the show.
I’d highly recommend this spot to a friend; it’s a small menu, but everything was cooked perfectly. Simple food, cooked simply perfect… well, that’s simply DELICIOUS.

Came here for my bday and my lil sis’ bday. A great wine and dine location for a fancier occasion. I got the filet mignon cubed which was all nice and juicey. Although it doesn’t really fill up a six feet one figure, it’s still a good place to hangout or for a date. There’s a large variety on the menu so don’t be worried about the selection because I’m sure there’s something to accommodate everyone.

When coming to new places for the first time, I always like to look up Unilocal and see what the recommended is (like any other true Unilocaler). There was a lot of reviews that said the Sizzling Cornish Hen and the Pan Seared Filet Mignon Cubed were the best! When looking at their menu, I was just so distracted by everything on the menu. So much sounded delicious! My best friend and I ended up ordering:
–Spicy Chicken Sandwich Grilled Chicken Breast on Focaccia, Jalapeño Mayo, Provolone Cheese, Bacon, Grilled Onion, Avocado, Garlic Fries — I’m so glad I went with my cravings at the time and ordered this. It was delicious! I’m into spicy food and when I first got my meal, I didn’t smell any spice (like how you can smell buffalo wings) and the chicken looked like plain grilled chicken. Well I bit into this bad boy and WOW!!! So fresh and so good! The chicken was cooked to perfection, focaccia bread was warm and fresh and the spice was definitely there in the Jalapeño Mayo! I will definitely order this again!
–Pan-​Seared Filet Mignon Cubed Marinated Filet Cubes with Roasted Garlic, Garlic Rice and House Salad — This was definitely fit for my filipino taste buds. This reminds me of a filipino dish called Bistek (meat marinated in soy sauce and lemon). It was even served with garlic rice which is totally filipino as well. Loved this dish!
The customer service here was great! The décor was so cute! Food came out perfect and fast!

I’ve been here a number of times with coworkers for lunch and only once had a sub-​par experience, but even that was hardly remarkable.
The pan-​seared filet mignon was a little salty, but I hear it’s an improvement from the old recipe that added soy sauce as it was seared.
Bistro steak was very well-​made and a very solid order no matter if it’s the first time or the fifth time you’ve ordered it ;).
The juicy and buttery skirt steak is also a group favorite and if someone in your group does end up ordering it, demand a bite!
I once ordered the steak sandwich, which took some time to get into. Balsamic vinegar reduction made the sandwich slightly sweet. The red onion was a little overwhelming. But a pretty strong 4 out of 5 for that dish.
The garlic fries were amazing as you can expect from their use of not only garlic, but truffle oil as well.

Food here is alright. I don’t think anyone in my group was amazed by anything. Service is pretty slow. The place wasn’t remotely busy the night we were there, but it took quite a while to get our check, have our waitress pick up the check and then get our cards back.
====================
I ordered:
CHICKEN ROULADE ($ 19) — 3.5÷5
Stuffed with prosciutto, baby spinach, mushrooms and provolone cheese with a white wine sage sauce and mashed potatoes. I didn’t want mashed potatoes, so I asked to sub for veggies. The waitress said I could but failed to mention anything about it costing an extra $ 3.50! A few carrots and zucchini for an extra $ 3.50?! I’d rather just not eat the potatoes. The chicken itself was alright, but a little on the dry side. I liked the stuffing much more. The sauce was creamy but nice and light. It might not look like very much food but it’s a pretty good-​sized portion in my opinion.

Incredibly lucky to have stumbled across San Pedro on Unilocal while looking for a fancy dinner date. I wasn’t sure what to expect since I’d never been to Downtown SJ before, but the upscale casual ambience accepts both jeans and cocktail dresses!
For two: started with the Fried Calamari and Filet Mignon Carpaccio. The Calamari isn’t noteworthy other than being a good stomach filler if you’re worried about not being full. The Carpaccio on the other hand… I’m not sure what it is about this combination of pine nuts, tender beef, cheese and arugula that’s so fragrant! I’m not normally one for raw meat, but get this if you’re a carnivore and try to steal the recipe from the waiters. We moved on with the Sizzling Cornish Hen (w/​Garlic Fries) and Grilled Chilean Sea Bass. I’d never had sea bass of the Chilean variety before, and I’m really glad that this was my first experience with it. Cooked to a buttery perfection and not a hint of fishiness — it’s the kind of grilling that flakes apart with gentle pressure on your favorite Food Network show. The risotto-​like mixture underneath with the fish really made my stomach’s day. But it was a little undercooked and clumpy, and also a tad too sweet on its own. Oh Cornish Hen, if only all chicken wings were made in your likeness! The crispy sweet glaze makes it reminiscent of Korean style chicken wings, but there’s a whole lot more tender meat under that lickable exterior. With both of these entrees, cut, nibble, savor, and repeat — draw out this experience as long as possible.
The indoor tables probably won’t seat more than 4 – 6 people. It’s slightly more intimate here, yet you’ll also get a peek into the happenings at the lounge/​bar next door. On your way to the bathroom you’ll see cases on cases of wine — it seems they’re wanting in cellar space. The bathroom itself is comfortably sized though, with not one, but TWO mirrors for all your primping needs. The lighting inside might not be optimal for checking for an alcoholic flush though…
Our waitress was pleasant with a hint of sassy; the good kind! She recommended a light, William Hill chardonnay with the bass that worked amazingly. And at the end, she came out with a free scoop of vanilla ice cream — because «all Virgo babies are special». Amen! :)

Date night with the bf last Saturday night before watching Wicked!
We arrived around 6pm without reservations, but they had plenty of tables available. We opted to sit outside as it was a nice day. We were seated right up against a divider which separated us from the entrance to The Brit, which is an open air sports bar, so it was pretty loud and definitely took away from the romantic atmosphere.
We ordered:
SUMMER WINE FLIGHT– Super refreshing, sweet and light.
MUSSELS w/​GARLIC FRIES — The mussels were in a buttery sauce and came with a side of delicious garlic fries. We thought it was an odd combination, but it worked. Who doesn’t love garlic fries?! We were expecting a smaller sized dish, but were happily surprised that it was more than a handful of mussels.
TRICOLOR BEET SALAD — The beets were so sweet and refreshing on a bed of organic greens sprinkled with goat cheese and candied walnuts. Yum! It was a pretty large salad — definitely sharable.
SIZZLING CORNISH HEN — The hen didn’t come out sizzling, but it was fried and glazed with a sweet honey garlic butter sauce. It was a bit dry, but I really enjoyed the crispiness and the glaze.
PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM RAVIOLI — Pretty tasty ravioli in a mushroom cream sauce. I enjoyed this dish, but I didn’t really taste much truffle oil.
Overall, we had a nice time despite the boxing commentary. The food was enjoyable and the wait staff were pleasant. I would like to come back again and sample their other flights as well as other small plates.

I love this place. It’s the perfect place to go and have lunch or dinner if you’re in Downtown San Jose. I usually come here for lunch and if it’s not too hot, I’ll sit on their patio.
Although I plan on ordering something different every time I come here, I almost always have the same thing. I ordered the Crispy Cornish Hen with garlic rice and it also comes with a salad for $ 12! It is fried to perfection and the sauce they put on top is really what makes it so great. I always ask for extra so I can dip the chicken in it and use it as a dressing on the salad.
Not only is the food good, but all of the servers are very nice and freindly. Definitely recommend to anyone!
P. S. It’s a wine bar, so they have a huge selection of wines to choose from.

*~*Great Location, outdoor seating, rustic ambiance*~*
Small menu but well selected!
Ordered:
Angus Beef Lasagna (there is nothing about that which is not delicious-​sounding)
It was as good as it sounds.
Street downtown parking with paid garages near by as well.
Great for group activities.
Recommend.

After walking away from San Pedro’s, I let out a long sigh and said to my husband «I can totally see us coming back here again.»
I had a great meal here, and I put the emphasis on «great». I really don’t understand why wine bars usually only serve cheese and paninis, so finding one that have amazing food is such a treat. We had a reservations here for a Friday night (even though it was not really crowded) and was seated at the corner table. I love the somewhat quiet, casual ambiance here. Our server was super sweet and attentive, and again the food was delicious. For starters we have the mushroom crostinis and carpaccio. The crostini was very good and I love how the baguettes were toasted perfectly.
I ordered the sea bass with sushi rice entrée, while my husband had the Cornish hen. The crispiness was perfect, and the meat was still somewhat juicy. The glaze was really what did it though. Wonderful entrée that I highly recommend. It came with a side of garlic rice, or fries, and salad. I think the garlic rice was a good call. The subtle garlic taste made eating rice that much more interesting. The seabass was also cooked perfectly, but the entrée wasn’t as good as the Cornish hen.
In addition to that, we asked our server to pair a wine with our entrees. They have such a massive wine list, it was very difficult to choose. Because she’s not confident to do the pairing recommendation herself, she went back to ask the owner. I appreciate servers that can admit they are not sure what the best pairing is because we’ve had a few times where we let the servers pair, and they were terrible. Anyway, the pairing of the J Lohr Pinot with the Cornish hen was really good. The chardonnay he chose for the sea bass was not bad.
The food, wine, ambiance and service here is definitely worth the solid 4 stars. Matter of fact, I’d give it a 4.5 if I could.

It is really too bad this place has closed since it had awesome food. I wish they would put a mailing list on heir website to be informed when then open in a new locations again.