20 Favorite Eateries - 2020

2020 has been a crazy year for the food industry. Restaurants have had to re-invent themselves, catering to takeouts and outdoor dining. It's been amazing to see how restaurants have supported each other, small popups and the community as well. These establishments need our support now more than ever. Here is a list of 20 eateries we really liked in 2020, hope you try some of these and are able to support local businesses. These are not in any specific order.

1. Voyager Coffee - Santa Clara

Super unique flavor additions to espresso drinks (bourbon, cherry blossom, ginger+ cayenne etc) + flavorful veggie savory scones (rarity in coffee shops)

Signature espresso drinks (Bali, Santiago, Lexington, North Pole) & everything scone

2. Arsicault Bakery - SF

Croissants- flaky exterior + creamy interior + almond topping; scones- melt in the mouth

Almond croissant & currant scone

3. Rosalind Bakery - Pacifica

Slices of crusty bread topped with deliciousness + savory buttery biscuits (nearby coastal views are a bonus)

Avocado toast, ricotta toast & jalapeno cheddar biscuit

4. Third Culture Bakery - Berkeley

Flavor packed muffins that are not cloyingly sweet + hand whisked matcha drinks

Mochi muffin & matcha drinks

5. Rangoli Sweets - Santa Clara

For those 3:30 pm snack cravings with chai

Indian snacks (spring rolls, special samosa, sandwiches) and milk sweets

6. Aurum - Los Altos

Upscale Indian dining with global flavor infusions

Dal makhani, mushroom makhana, raga kofta & chocolate rasmalai

7. Italian homemade pasta company - SF

When you crave fresh pasta!

Any pasta + pesto, ravioli & tiramisu

8. Cafe Colucci - Oakland

Best Ethiopian food in the bay?

Veggie platter + Doro wat

9. Ettan - Palo Alto

Creative Cal-Indian fusion with dishes you don't find in typical Indian restaurants

Monkey bread (not available for takeout), Vellore chicken curry + malabar paratha, jackfruit vada pav, jalapeno kulcha & sesame chaat

(picture credit: friends)

10. State of the mind public house - Los Altos

Non-traditional pizza + Cal beer

Pizzas (Grandma's pie), jalapeno balls, wings

11. Delhiwala chaat - Sunnyvale

Binge worthy chaat!!

Dahi batata sev puri, pani puri, aloo tikki chaat, chole bhature, pav bhaji, paneer pakora, parathas

12. Sushi Tomi - Mountain view

Casual no frills stop for fresh + flavorful Japanese food

Special roll (spicy tuna), dragon roll, any don (rice + meat/fish/chicken combo), bento

13. Madurai Idly Kadai - Sunnyvale

Top notch south Indian tiffin + fresh chutneys (take out!)

Any dosa, idli, vadai, sevai, parotta kurma, set dosa vadacurry, filter coffee & buttermilk

14. Shef - Chef Wayne (Delivery)

Authentic home cooked meals - delivered

Kerala chicken stew, chicken tikka masala , punjabi chole

15. Sichuan style restaurant - Berkeley

Tongue numbing flavor packed Sichuan food (generous portions!)

Chongqing style chicken & boiling spicy fish fillet

16. Mylapore Express - Delivery

Home cooked tummy friendly food you can eat everyday

Sambar, rasam, poriyal, kootu et al. (south Indian dishes)

17. Flour + water - SF

Incredible hand made pasta + creative flavors

Any pasta, tasting dinners

18. Zareen's - Mountain View

Pakistani-Indian food - beyond tikka masala

Chicken boti sizzler, silver spoon paratha roll, shami kabab, chicken memoni samosa, desi omelette brunch, paratha, sheermal and chai.

19. Falafel stop - Sunnyvale

Flavorful and fresh mediterranean - pocket friendly!

Falafel salad, sabich, chicken shawarma

20. Annapurna - Milpitas

Vegetarian Marathi food - a rarity in the Bay

Sabudana vada, zunka bhakar techa, misal pav, pav bhaji, puri + batata bhaji + shrikhand