Discover Santa Clara in Two Days
Santa Clara, California is a city near San Jose, in California's Silicon Valley. The city is home to various tech company headquarters and boasts:
The Intel Museum (currently closed and expected to reopen in January 2023) with exhibits about the making of the silicon chip
But I wanted to discover the best restaurants, cafes, and bars. So, I began my search on Instagram and Google, and here is the list of the top 6 places I would visit during my 48 hours in Santa Clara:
The newly opened Italian Eataly’s Terra Restaurant and Lounge at Westfield Valley Fair mall near Santana Row. You can see here how I got an ungettable reservation since they book out one month in advance.
An oldie, but a goodie, Pizza Antica in Santana Row. I used to come here in my undergrad college days at Santa Clara University 10 years ago!
Another Santana Row pick: El Jardin Tequila Bar to sit outside.
While not local to Santa Clara, one of my California faves is Blue Bottle Coffee and this location is at Santana Row
Pretty much all of Santana Row and the newly remodeled Westfield Valley Fair mall are great to walk around for shops, drinks, and food. Check out their Events pages linked here.
Need a blowout in Santa Clara? Drybar and Atelier are located in Santana Row. Oddly, Drybar has terrible hours and availability, so although I would have loved to get mine there, I made a reservation at the much more available and amenable, Atelier Studio (this blowout was about $60 with one of their junior stylists, so it’s more expensive than Drybar).
Where I stayed in Santa Clara: Santa Clara Marriott. It was pretty old and outdated, but very clean and comfortable.
Since it was a business trip, I was on the run! I will be returning periodically throughout the year so stay tuned for new hotels to stay at and more to do in the surrounding area.
These are my top drink, food, and activity recommendations in Santa Clara and San Jose, California!