Redwood City’s Best Bites

Following the examples set by nearby, trendy San Francisco and San Jose, Redwood City comes to the dinner table with plenty of dining-out spots worthy of the most discerning foodie. How could it not? Redwood City is home to some of the biggest players in Silicon Valley, and everyone knows coding makes you hungry.

Stacks

In operation since 1997, Stacks represents the modern evolution of the American diner. Stacks maintains two locations, one in San Jose and one in Redwood City on El Camino Real. Both have earned certificates of excellence for their above-par food, with Stacks loved by locals as a favorite brunch venue where waffles, skillets, and perfectly done eggs can be enjoyed.

Timber and Salt

Redwood City earned its early reputation as a logging port, where felled trees would be shipped off to their final destination. Timber and Salt’s name pays homage to Redwood’s history of seaborne timber, and its menu is a who’s who of fresh and modern American classics, like fried wings, pulled pork, and seared salmon, accompanied by an attractive and thorough cocktail menu.

Harry’s Hofbrau

Harry’s Hofbrau lives and breathes turkey. According to their website, Harry’s goes through 1,000,000 pounds of Tom Turkey’s every year, and we hope that’s a typo. Open since 1954 and with two locations, it’s the only place Redwood residents should ever go to get their gobble on. Not to say it’s all about turkey at Harry’s; aside from turkey, this Austrian cafeteria is also known and loved for its assortment of freshly carved meats.

Cariblue

A town with no Caribbean food is a town that suffers. Thankfully, Redwood City suffers not, with Cariblue supplying everyone’s fill of curried goat, oxtail, jerk chicken, and plantains. Vegetarians should feel spoiled by Cariblue’s veg options, namely their curry tofu and jerk polenta. 

Milagros Latin Kitchen

We’re all tired of hearing about how California has the best Mexican food in the USA, so we won’t mention again that California has the best Mexican food in the USA. But while we’re on the subject of California, the best Mexican food, and the USA, it’s important to point out that Redwood City has not been left out of this curious reality. Like the rest of California, Redwood City features some rather good Mexican food, unlike other places in the USA, like Wyoming or Maine. Case in point: Milagros Latin Kitchen, where fine tequila and Jalisco-style fare can be found.

Capelo’s Barbecue

If there’s anything that might challenge Mexican food for “most bickered-about cuisine in America,” and if it’s not pizza, then it’s most certainly barbecue. Like warring tribes vying for legitimacy, each school of barbecue viciously bares its teeth at the other, but all join forces when it comes time to proclaim that California simply doesn’t have good barbecue. That’s probably what inspired Capelo’s to establish the greatest barbecue chain in the San Francisco peninsula, where only the finest USDA prime, organic meats are smoked, sliced, and ultimately devoured.