A stylish high end pizza place with 4 Northern California locations. We reviewed the location in upscale San Jose’s Santana Row shopping center. Pizza is the draw, so we focused on it. The pizza is thin crust artisanal Roman style. They also serve pasta and meats.

Decor, Vibe - Modern room with some antique touches. They have outdoor seating, that works great for taking in the scene. Santana Row is definite a fashonista’s paradise.

Menu:
Website Menu

Picks:
None

OK:

Three Cheeses, Shaved Broccoli, Caramelized Onion and Pancetta ($10.50 Small) - Very thin crust. Weird combination of healthy vegetables with bacon. Little Salty. Not much pancetta. Much of the crust’s edge was burnt. So thin, we had to eat entire pizza to make it a full meal.

Spicy Fennel Sausage, Portobello Mushroom and Roasted Onion ($11.25 Small) - Very thin crust. Very Greasy, Sausage wasn’t spicy at all. Crispy crust on the edge buy chewy towards middle.

I’d recommend going to nearby Straits Cafe or Yankee Pier instead of this place. For better thin crust pizza, hit Pizzeria Defina or A16 in San Francisco.
Reservations are not accepted, but guests are encouraged to call ahead to be placed on the wait list during busy times.

Other Locations:
3600 Mt. Diablo Boulevard
Lafayette, CA 94549
925-299-0500

800 Redwood Highway, Suite 705
Strawberry Village
Mill Valley, CA 94941
415-383-0600

5540 Douglas Blvd. Suite 150
Granite Bay, CA 95746
916-786-0400

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Ramen HALU is a popular Japanese noodle house in a strip mall off 280 in San Jose.  There is wait here most times, but not as crazy as well known Santa Ramen in San Mateo.   The main draw is the tasty ramen noodles in four different styles but just one broth.  This is in contrast to Santa Ramen that has one type of noodle, and 3 types of broth.  There is a limited selection of salads and appetizers. If you are not into noodles, avoid this place.

Decor, Vibe - A slight step up from generic Japanese restaurant decor. 90% of the people in this restaurant are of asian descent.

Menu Pictures

Picks:

Halu Ramen ($7.50) with Cha-shu Sliced Pork, green onions, bamboo shoots ($1), Seaweed ($1), and Kikurage (Ear Mushroom) ($1) . The noodles are soft and chewy, and hot out of the kitchen. The broth is heavy on the pork flavor side.

Lobster Ramen ($15) had lobster blended in the broth and some lobster meat on top. Also fried leek, shallot, Chun sa chan, and Ao Nori are also added. A top flight limited edition noodle dish.

OK:
NONE

Pans:

Cha-shu Sliced Pork ($6) - Cold and lots of fat on this meat. We liked Santa Ramen’s pork better.

It is more a matter of personal preference if you prefer this to Santa Ramen. Frankly geographic proximity would probably dictate which you went to. The draw is the ramen. The service is average.  It takes about 15 minutes to get your ramen, once you order. Ramen HALU is not a place where you linger. Most people are out in 30-45 minutes.

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This mom and pop, family style restaurant serves Middle Eastern Halal, Indian/Pakistani food.
Per Wikipedia: Halal is an Arabic term meaning “permissible”. In the English language, it most frequently refers to food that is permissible according to Islamic law. It is located in a generic part of San Jose not far from the Westfield Valley Fair shopping center.

Most people buy items to go, but there are several tables for you to sit and eat your items. The decor inside is pretty basic and generic.

Menu pics

Menu

Food Pics
Picks:

Hummus ($4.25 Reg/ $5.95 Large) - Really warm and delicious pita bread, with some of the best Hummus we’ve tasted. A little zesty. I’m sure the Baba Ghanooj is also good.

Chicken Biryani ($9.75) - Aromatic and flavorful rice and chicken dish served with special yogurt sauce and salad on the side. The chicken was tender and flavorful.  The rice was real flavorful and had some crunchy tidbits in it.

Beef Kebab Plate ($9.75) - Kebab of quality cut ground beef freshly spiced on a bed of saffron flavored rice. Available as spicy. Good beef quality, not a lot of flavor. Same type of rice as Chicken dish.

OK:
None

Pans:
None

The service was fine, with the people very friendly.  This place is not a luxorious place by any means, but
offers lots of value in the food their provide. Worth the trek if you are in the neighborhood.

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