Village California Bistro & Wine Bar Reviews

Good service, polite servers and good with kids. Food was good, enjoyed the coffee here.

Walked in looking to have a nice drink in a quiet restaurant and was extremely disappointed. The bartender refused to believe my form of identification and went on to accuse me of using an older sibling s ID. He also spoke to me in Spanish, assuming that I was fluent in a language that I don t speak just based on the color of my skin. I know it is their job to look at an ID but to scrutinize it to a point where personal questions are asked and assumed is disappointing. What else besides my legitimate form of identification do I need to bring in order to prove my age? I work hard for the money I spend on myself and refuse to go to a place that accuses me of using a fake ID. Will never go back.

Very bad/ discriminative /racist behaviour by the owner and bar tender - Owner was Cassy ( i think was her name).

We got there at 5:45pm on a saturday evening while the happy hour was still on. We got seated at the bar and there were only 5 customers in total at the bar. The bartender made eye contact with us but didnt come to us for our order. 5 mins later a couple walked in and got seated next to us. Bartender came over and took their order and completely looked away again. We made gestures for him to come over but he totally ignored us. At about 6:10pm a single woman walked in and occupied the chair next to us. The bartender came and took her order and thats when i walked to the owner and wanted an answer as to why we were ignored.. she called the bartender aside upon our request, and he was apologizing saying "i thought you were done with your drinks"? what? seriously? and the owner completely supported him.. This is a discriminating place.. i asked the owner - do you think i am going to walk away without paying? why because i am brown?. .. she had nothing to say. I look around and sure thing there were no brown colored customers there.. i might sound racist here but this is the truth about this place and i experienced it the first time where the demographics is so diversed..

My go to spot for brunch! Cannot go wrong with the following items: french toast with strawberry compote, village breakfast or traditional eggs Benedict. Wash it down with a bloody Mary!

Came here for brunch. Food and drinks were on point will def come back

The worst experience I have ever had. The bar tender in checking my very real ID in my mid 20 s, put his hand up while I was talking and then began talking over me. I will never return because I will not be treated like that when I just want a glass of wine.

I sat at the bar and service was pretty good.
I ordered a Caesar salad with chicken and was pretty disappointed. The chicken was way too overcooked. It was tough and tasted now like ash. The salad part was leaves of romaine coated in the dressing. The idea was interesting, but it didn't taste like Caesar dressing. But it was pretty good. The very poor chicken just overwhelmed to virtues of the salad.

The food was good although, my fish was a bit greasy and when served, they did not bring any tartar sauce. I had to ask for it three times and the waiter looked at me as if I was making some weird request. Service was slow and poor. Very disorganized staff.

Always a great place for dinner and fine refreshments. And now a late time breakfast, just like the song: Badaboom!

We had a very enjoyable dinner on a Sunday night here. Their al fresco tables at the front are great, as you get to sample the atmosphere outside. I had a very nice burger (go for the extra avocado!) - well prepared, and using good quality meat.

lemon sole is delicious! Our sever was super friendly and helpful as well.

If you come here during off-peak, like their happy hour times, even on weekends, prepare to wait and wait and wait. I guess the kitchen and staff is more focused on preparing for dinner, but the two times I came in for what was intended to be a quick snack between lunch and dinner, both turned into more than an hour for what amounted to an order of a few appetizers.

Since it's happened twice now, I won't be back.

the service was very sociable and kind. if it wasn't far from my work i would come by more.

Service was mediocre.... And that's being nice, bland food, and my smoked salmon Benedict was missing red onions which was clearing in the description of the dish. 75% of the dish potatoes.

Honestly, the food was decent... But the service was the worst my date and I have EVER experienced. Our waiter barely stayed around long enough for us to get our food orders in before running off without asking what we'd both like to drink. Following that, we had to personally ask for bread to be given to us (from a busboy because our waiter was already ignoring us, and no one ever brought us plates to eat it on). Following this, he only stopped by our table twice more: once when my date went out of her way to ask for a little more bread, and then he didn't show up again until we had a couple bites left of our entrees. How could he have possibly made any change to a bad dish at that point? The food was practically gone! Hahaha

Furthermore, our waiter preferred to bus a higher-paying table than bring us our bill. He definitely doesn't understand the primary responsibilities of his job too well based on the way he treated us.

I ordered the calamari and the paella both are fresh and the service is great. I recommend this place. The workers are really good. Price is average

We had brakfast. Nothing to wtie home about. Service was kind ans attenrive.

Love sitting outside and people watching. Their brie pastry is delicious! Always a good assortment of seafood and meats.
Not so pleased with the choice of chardonnays by the glass.

Although the service could have been better, I love their wine. They have a great selection, but again maybe just a little more work on the customer service and it would be great.

nice atmosphere and service, but the food was bland.

The food was good, but the menu options were limited.

It tries a little too hard to be fancy, because it's in santana row. Food is decent, drinks are good.

I eat / drink here often and love their food. The cocktails are really good, too. The downside is the service outside is slow, but that seems to be a common issue on the row.

Very Bad service. The food is average .
I don t recommend it

Used to be five stars, one chef left years ago, then a string of other management changes. Hopefully they will get back to their former glory.

Been there for breakfast, good. But if you have an happy hour, put it on the menu. I don't want to show up and guess what you have. Check out the menus for the other eateries in SR...

Tasty food and no wait. Overpriced though and smallish portions.

Delicious. A lot of vegetarian options and really nice terrace.

Great food and great service.

This would have been a 5-star review if the owner hadn't tacked on a surcharge fee to our order to state that he or she doesn't believe the workers here deserve a living wage. We saw no notice of this surcharge anywhere until the bill came.

If you have to raise prices, raise them. It's better to be honest than play deceptive, political games. Shame on you!

Food tastes fine, some interesting presentation touches

Service is good and friendly, everything seams nice before you order food. I have ordered New York steak, supposed to be great, 36$... I was really disappointed! They brought me the stake after 5-7 minutes after I ordered, medium steak. Obviously it was super rare. So they brought me another one, in another 5-7 minutes... over cooked. So I have a feeling, it's not fresh... precooked probably...

Yummy meals, endless wine rack, great atmosphere crowd watching Santana Row.

I went here for lunch recently on a weekday. The restaurant was reasonably busy, but we got our table right away. The service was good. The menu is not large, but nonetheless has many good dishes to choose from. Overall it was a pleasant lunch while sitting outside.

Village is an average restaurant in the Santana row district. The place is nicely set up as a restaurant/wine bar. I initially reviewed the wine list but the list was way overpriced. I expect the traditional markup but most bottles were at least 5 times the retail. Ordered a couple of mixed drinks which were decent. Had the lobster ravioli and the rock cod. Good not great. Nothing to remember.

Love the food I've never been disappointed! Bloody Mary bar is great you must try at least once and I guarantee you will go back! Service is great from hostess , bartenders, and waiters/waitress!

This will be the very last time I eat here given several terrible experience. This morning it took 35 minutes to get two eggs, bacon and toast. The toast was cold, the bacon under cook (I had asked for it crispy) and the egg yolks were already broken on my plate. For whoever the owner is, you should know your manager is running this place into the ground. I have eaten here many times and never a single attempt from the manager to check on our meals or service. The wait staff that they hire is totally incompetent. They can't take orders correctly and have zero concept of customer service. I can only believe this stems from the training they get from their managers. Please don't waste your time in eating at this place.

Good service. Duck was really good, menu has changed since last time. Ceviche was not that good. Location is fun, but parking can be a mess.

Obviously in a good location, right in the middle of Santana Row. If you get to sit outside on a nice day, it s great. Inside average. The food is ok. Nothing that surprises. Neither bad nor good. Decent quality. Standard fare.

the service was very friendly and kind. it has a great feel to it. they have a lot of positive reviews for a reason.

Four of us walked in for an early dinner. The house Cabernet was great. I had the pulled pork. A nice preparation well browned , pinto beans, some plantin slices, and pickled onions. My companion had beef rib tips, which were excellent . Another had the Brie with apples. The forth had a burger, well prepared and enough for a split, but he ate it all him self. Our waitress was great, all at a reasonable price.

The service was slow and the food was mediocre for the price. Came here for weekend brunch and had the Country Gravy & Biscuit, the gravy was clumpy and the food was cold.

Good food and wine selection on Santana Row. They have decent seasonal menus, which is great.

Absolutely bland and uninspired food. I ve had spaghetti o s that were more flavorful than the linguini served here. The service is slow and impersonal. Eat elsewhere.

Never coming back to this place. Came here with a friend, and forgot my sunglasses. Tried talking to the manager or owner the next day and all I ve got is rudeness and unsympathetic responses. They refused to show me video footage, and our conversation on the phone ended with him screaming at me.
I ll make sure everyone knows what kind of business you re running.

Oh, and not to mention the time you have to wait to get your order. 30 minutes for 2 cocktails is absolutely ridiculous!!!!

Good selection of wines with a nice decor. A little pricey, but standard for establishment at Santana Row.

Just a regular price on a great location with overpriced but average food. We had two burgers and asked them to be well-done, they were slightly burnt. The waiter was really friendly and the atmosphere seemed nice though.

Came here for brunch and would go back again. The waiter was really helpful with the menu since it was mine and my friends first time there. I ordered the eggs Benedict and really enjoyed them. They were well seasoned and perfectly done.

The waiter service is a bit slow, the amount of things is not much, and the taste is like

Hokkaido should describe the noise I screamed at the toilet not soon after having brunch here. Not doing that again

the food was good on the mild spicy side. service was good.

This place is nice for an upscale brunch. The vibe and environment was very laid back and relaxing. Great customer service and the Host was great as well! The crab cakes egg Benedict is a must try!

The restaurant was almost empty at 4 pm, and there was a lot of staff standing around and chatting, or wandering around seemingly doing nothing . I had to get up on three separate occasions to request service. Absolutely unimaginable that management didn t address the issue. The food was good, but I wouldn t recommend this restaurant with all the other lovely options on Santana Row.

I never knew an egg scramble could be so over cooked and tasteless. I ve had tofu scramble that tasted more like eggs than an actual egg scramble at this establishment.

Very average in all aspects. Super slow service and mediocre food. I don t see any reason to come back.

When I want a restaurant with a nice ambiance for breakfast, I come here. I especially like the Egg Bruschetta which is nicely prepared with fried eggs, avocado and perfectly cooked bacon on bread. I also like the The Village Break with eggs, sausage or bacon, potatoes and cinnamon roll that is well portioned to share with someone for a light breakfast. The service is good as well.

Decent food for what you pay for, but not very impressive. Although the flourless truffle chocolate torte was pretty amazing. And the staff is very nice and attentive.

Good outdoor seating, no wait on Friday. Food mediocre

I came in for lunch at 2:10 pm on sunday. I ordered the divorced eggs and was informed by the server that the eggs come out over easy and asked of that was ok. I said for sure. Then, I sat and waited for about 30 minutes and she finally brought out the dish. The eggs were burnt and were completely hard. I had to wait about 5 minutes before I could flag back down my server to show her. Somehow she overlooked it when she brought it out. She said she would go and show the chef. I told her I did not want the dish but she said she would see how long it would take l. About 5 minutes later she brought out the new dish. It was a runny soup consistency with a few chunks of ground meat, some peppers and onions with two eggs on top. I ate the two eggs and a few of the peppers before letting the server know that I was done and that I would like to leave. She brought me the 15 dollar bill for essentially two eggs at that point. It took about 40 minutes total to get the food which was horrible. I let the lady at the front know as she was the most professional looking person in the place. Worst dining experience I have ever had. I've eaten out in san Jose for the past 2 weeks 3 meals a day as I am here for work. Everywhere else has been great. Came to the counter burger to get a burger after ( yes I was still that hungry)and the experience there was incredible. Great staff and manager!

They ve had the same menu since they opened, which wasn t particularly impressive to start. Their turnover is ridiculous, so the food standards - on original recipes - constantly take a hit. They also seem to be constantly out of salt in the kitchen.

Great location in Santana row. I loved sitting outside. However, for the price, I thought the service was mediocre which took away one star and the food was a bit bland which took away another star.

Lunchtime salad with bottled cider was tasty and nicely presented.

There was a very short wait time, great kobe burger, amazing red velvet cake, and the waiters were nice. The only thing i didn't like was the potato wedges. Each was 1/4th of a whole potato.

Delicious food, great waitress, and loved the ambiance. Overall pleasantly surprised I loved this place so much!

Good experience here. Food was better than I expected. Portions are decent size, quality is good. Servers are quick and attentive. Menu is not big, but every item is distinct and is worth trying. Outside seating available, together with heating lamps. They have happy hour daily 3-6pm.

If you want good food and ambience this is not the place to go. Waited an hour for our meals. When they arrived the meat dishes were undercooked and the pasta was mush. The manager didn't give a rat's ass about their failure of a service. Lots of other restaurants in Santana Row to enjoy a meal and beverage with great service than this place.

Ordered the biscuits and gravy with fried chicken. The biscuit was flat. So was the fried chicken. Not enough gravy. And the flattened chicken was overcooked/dry, a common problem with children breasts exacerbated by the ease of over frying something so flat.

It was filling, I suppose.

I would not order it again. I probably won't come here again for a few years, until the memories fade, or until their menu or chef changes.

This is my favorite restaurant on Santana Row! The menu is seasonal and always has great options. The staff is super friendly and always makes you feel more than welcome, and the wine selection is the best!! This is my go-to place for having business meals also!

Super yum food- definitely order "Village Burger" if you want a safe choice, it always turns out great! They also have a lovely bathroom if you need to take selfies and photos of yourself as your narcissistic streak unleashes itself- I enjoy wasting my time in there as friends & family wait for me to order. Both the lighting in the bathroom, and the food seduces me. I shall burn in church for making people wait, but it's so worth it! Just make sure to order the damn burger! The wine and beer selection is pretty decent too! xoxo

The wait for an outside table can be long on weekends especially if the weather is nice

I will never know how the food was. We were let in at 2:15pm at 2:30pm we had to just get up and walk out. I don't think they knew we were there. None of the staff looked us in the eye,no one came by and said I will be with you in a minute,no glass of water even. If you want to have a deep undisturbed conversation this place is for you. I would advise bring your own snack appetizer though if your are even a little hungry . The waiter took the order of the people next to us and easily could have taken ours next. But no he imputed their order,then processed a charge . I think he was getting our glass of water when we walked out. I feel bad for wasting water in the drought.

A casually French style bistro serving simply delicious updated American fare with a very good wine selection and attentive service.

Food was delicious. But it was incredibly slow and the waiter didn't really mention anything when it was very obvious that we were celebrating a birthday . I'm just surprised the waiter didnt say anything. Doesn't all restaurants offer something small (like a dessert) for free? We literally didn't want to celebrate with a dessert at this location. You guys essentially lost more business for others on the table to have dessert because it just seemed the waiter didn't care and just took orders. I'm really dissapointed.

Always great food, excellent service, nice atmosphere and good bar. Much more relaxed than other places in Santana Row. If you want to have a great conversation it's a perfect place for it.

Cozy setting and good location. Good for having a conversation, romantic or business. The food is decent. The bloody marys were great and fresh.

Nice but very slow service. Food? Not a good experience at all.

For a Restaurant in a high end shopping center food is so so, and service poor. I struggle between giving this place a 2, or a 3 star. The beers are ok, but mixed drinks are poor. The calamari is over-cooked and greasy, the onion rings are pretty bad. The burgers are ok, and the fries are good, and the complimentary bread is stale. Will I go there again? NO.

Fastest service from a place like this I've ever gotten. And the food was fantastic too.