Saratoga, California -- Check out one of the coolest cities in Andy's own backyard!
Beautiful Saratoga, California lies at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Its highly sought-after real estate is complemented by a rich collection of wineries, parks, public gardens and cultural attractions. Downtown Saratoga is a picturesque creekside village set against a backdrop of redwood-covered mountains. Though it's a quiet and exclusive residential community, Saratoga is close to San Jose's urban attractions, Santa Cruz's beaches and Silicon Valley's top companies. Saratogans welcome visitors, and its restaurants, boutiques and hotels make it an ideal Northern California destination.
Saratoga Hotels
Saratoga's boutique hotels offer idyllic settings and personal service. In Saratoga Village, Inn at Saratoga and Saratoga Oaks Lodge welcome visitors to Saratoga's pedestrian-friendly downtown shopping district.
Visit Motel.com for best hotel deals.
Saratoga Hotel Discounts
Saratoga Restaurants
The rebirth of two restaurant row anchors "the Plumed Horse and La Fondue” have breathed new life into Saratoga's restaurant community. Along with French restaurants , Gervais, La Mere Michelle and Le Mouton Noir, new American style restaurant The Basin and Japanese sushi restaurant Masu Sushi, there's no shortage of fine dining options in Saratoga.
Saratoga Area Attractions
Visiting Saratoga: Hakone Gardens, Mountain Winery, Montalvo and more.
The AMC Saratoga 14 cinema has 14 screens, with new releases and midnight movies. And there's 19 other theaters within a ten mile radius of Saratoga.
Saratoga Music and Nightlife
Saratoga Bars and Clubs: Entertainment, music clubs and night spots.
Saratoga Real Estate
Buy a home in Saratoga.
Saratoga News
Headlines from local newspapers and Saratoga area radio and television stations.
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Saratoga Restaurants
Featured RestaurantsSent Sovi
14583 Big Basin Way, Saratoga CA 95070
Tel. 408.867.3110
French countryside meets contemporary California cuisine. $$$$ One of the San Francisco Bay Area's finest restaurants is tucked away in a small Saratoga village house beneath the lush green foothills. It's where Bill Gates and the prime minister of Japan go when they're in town. But Sent Sovi is anything but pretentious. It's just an intimate, simple restaurant with stellar food.
Three Degrees
140 S. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos CA 95030
Tel. 408.335.7341
Located just outside of Saratoga in the neighboring town of Los Gatos, Three Degrees restaurant is a casually elegant dining choice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This downtown Los Gatos restaurant serves creative preparations of California cuisine, highlighting the finest in fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Tucked into the Toll House Hotel, the breezy Three Degrees Restaurant features a beautiful patio area for al fresco dining, as well as space for private events.
Book a table at Three Degrees
The Basin
14572 Big Basin Way, Saratoga CA 95070
New American. Saratoga's progressive restaurant and watering hole combo serves comfort creations given luster by this proactive kitchen The Basin has some refreshingly high standards. Produce is organic, seafoods are fresh and the menu accentuates American ideas, enhanced by Asian spin and Mediterranean comfort. Closed Mon.
Bangkok Palace
14515 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, CA 95070
Thai cuisine. Located in charming downtown Saratoga, Bangkok Palace serves a fresh menu of Thai standards such as pa-nang beef, spicy "jungle curry" with red curry, coconut milk and bamboo shoots and honey pork. Open for lunch Tues.-Sun., 11am-3pm. Dinner daily 5-10pm. 408.872.1319.
Bella Saratoga
14503 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, CA 95070
Rustic Italian cuisine. On a sunny afternoon, the fetching patio of Bella Saratoga is hard to resist. The menu of rustic Italian fare makes the downtown Saratoga restaurant a standout. House-made pasta, grilled petrale sole, steamed mussels, and desserts all shine.
Blue Rock Shoot
14523 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, CA 95070
Coffeehouse. Looking and feeling like a combination tree house and cabin retreat, Blue Rock Shoot has become a Saratoga destination. The big, hillside coffeehouse offers rooms and patios on several levels. Downstairs there's even a bookstore. Coffee, beer, bagels, pizza, salads, and sandwiches make it hard to leave.
Florentine Restaurant
14510-B Big Basin Way, Saratoga, CA 95070
Italian cuisine. Open for lunch and dinner Sun. noon-9pm, Mon.-Wed. 11am-9pm, Thurs.-Fri. 11am-10pm, Sat. noon-10pm. 408.741.1784.
Gervais Restaurant Francais
14560 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, CA
French cuisine. Open for lunch Tuesday-Saturday 11:30am-2pm, dinner Tuesday-Saturday 5:30-9pm. Closed Sunday and Monday. 408.867.7017.
Hong's Gourmet
14510 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, CA 95070
Chinese cuisine. Open for lunch Monday through Friday 11am to 2:30pm, and for dinner Monday through Thursday, 5 to 9:30pm, Friday 5 to 10pm, Saturday 11am to 10pm, and Sunday 11am to 9:30pm. 408.867.2554.
The Iron Skillet
15662 Los Gatos Blvd., Los Gatos.
The Iron Skillet serves basic American fare, appealing to a wide range of tastes, from pastas to South-of-the-Border. Open daily 7am-9pm. 408.356.0600.
La Fondue
14450 Big Basin Way, Saratoga.
Dining at La Fondue is indulging in one of the finest restaurants in San Jose. Praised for everything from exemplary cuisine to incredible style to a top-notch setting for dates and special occasions, La Fondue wows patrons and restaurant critics with irresistible fondues. In addition to cheese and vegetable fondues, a fabulous selection of over 30 varieties of game (ranging from filet mignon to lobster to alligator) is offered, and guests can fashion their ideal combinations to cook in one of the available broths or bisques. The menu continues to gratify discerning palates with robust salads and an enviable wine list.
Open Mon-Thu 5:00pm-9:30pm, Fri 5-10:30pm, Sat 4-10:30pm, Sun 4-9:30pm. 408.867.3332.
La Hacienda Restaurant
18840 Saratoga-Los Gatos Road, Los Gatos.
Originally built as a Japanese tea house in 1901, La Hacienda seats some 350 diners inside and on the verandah and the patio. It caters to weddings and banquets and attracts a big dance crowd on weekends. The food appeals to all ages of people who relish Italian cuisine. La Hacienda offers variety from Chef Jesus Murguia's popular French onion and lobster bisque soups to the salads of Bay shrimp and tomatoes and hearts of romaine. Open for lunch Mon.-Sat. 11am-2pm, dinner 5-10pm Sunday champagne brunch 10am-1:30pm, dinner 3-8pm. Dancing Thurs.-Sat. 8pm-12:30am. 408.354.6669.
Masu
14510 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, CA 95070
Japanese cuisine. Lunch 11:30am-2:30pm Mon-Fri, noon-3pm Sat-Sun; dinner 5-10pm Mon-Thu, 4:30-10:30pm Fri-Sat, until 9:30pm Sun. 408.868.0600.
The Plumed Horse
14555 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, CA 95070
European cuisine. Open for lunch Mon.-Fri. until Dec. 23, 11:30am-2pm. Dinner Mon.-Sat., 6-10pm. Closed Sun. 408.867.4711.
The Prolific Oven
18832 Cox Ave., Quito Center, Saratoga, CA 95070.>
Bakery. Open daily 7:30 am to 10pm. 408.378.9880. More >>
Sushi 2/2 Train
18802 Cox Ave, Saratoga, CA 95070
Sushi. Open Mon.-Sat. for lunch, 11am-2pm, dinner 5-9:30pm. Closed Sunday. 408.376.0244.
Vienna Woods Deli-Restaurant
14567 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, CA 95070
Vienna Woods is reminiscent of European street cafes. Its door opensto the second level of a patio, which descends five levels beneath anaged oak from Big Basin Way to a wooded lot below. The owners fashionedthe restaurant after a famous eatery in the forest near Vienna, Austria.Open daily 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday 11am-4pm. 408.867.2410.
Yeung Shing Restaurant
14107 S. Winchester Blvd. at Knowles Dr., Los Gatos, CA
At the Chinese-American restaurant Yeung Shing, the menu lists 163 items, with something for every taste: pork, lamb, chicken, beef, seafood, soups, vegetables and rice. Open Mon.-Sat. 11am-9:30pm, Sun. 3-9:30pm. 408.370.2032.
Saratoga Hotels
Inn at Saratoga
20645 Fourth Street, Saratoga CA 95070
Tel. 1.877.413.8848
A stunning and serene hotel in Saratoga, theis an exquisite retreat that will pamper business and leisure travelers. A travel writer called it "one of the splendid small inns in the nation." It's right in Saratoga Village, overlooking the Saratoga Creek at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains, and it's only minutes from renowned destinations like Paul Masson Winery and Villa Montalvo.
SPECIAL RATES: INN AT SARATOGA
The Toll House Hotel
140 S. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos CA 95030
Tel. 1.888.583.0062
Nestled at the base of the majestic Santa Cruz Mountains, the Toll House Hotel captures the charm and ambiance of historic downtown Los Gatos. Just steps away you will be surrounded by delightful shops, fascinating art galleries, international restaurants and antique stores. The Toll House Hotel and Los Gatos is the perfect base for exploring the Santa Cruz Mountain Wineries, Villa Montalvo's Concert Series and the beach town of Santa Cruz.
SPECIAL RATES: THE TOLL HOUSE HOTEL
Saratoga Oaks Lodge
14626 Big Basin Way (between Fifth and Sixth streets), Saratoga, CA 95070
Quaint cottage walking distance away from shops and village of Saratoga.
more info | check rates and availability
Saratoga Area Attractions
Aegis Gallery of Fine Art
14531 Big Basin Way, Ste 2, Saratoga, CA 95070; Tel. 408.867.0171
Features works by local artists; exhibits change monthly.
Garrod Farms
22600 Mt Eden Rd, Saratoga, CA 95070; Tel. 408.867.9527.
Horseback riding in the Saratoga Foothills and on Cooper-Garrod Vineyards.
Hakone Gardens
21000 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, CA 95070; Tel. 408.741.4994
This Japanese garden park also includes a reproduction of a 19th-century Kyoto tea merchant's home, which can be used for cultural and artistic events, weddings and business meetings.
Mountain Winery
14831 Pierce Rd, Saratoga, CA 95070; Tel. 408.741.0763
This historic landmark built by Paul Masson can be used for weddings, corporate events, concerts, and wine tastings.
The Gallery at Montalvo
15400 Montalvo Rd, Saratoga, CA 95071; 408.961.5813
A center for the arts since 1939.
Saratoga Rotary Art Show
West Valley College, 14000 Fruitvale Ave, Saratoga, CA 95070
Tel. 408.867.7274
An annual Saratoga Rotary Club fundraiser that typically features works by 175 artists.
Villa Montalvo Arboretum
15400 Montalvo Rd, Saratoga, CA 95071; Tel. 408.356.2729 (park office)
A preserve for the gardens of deceased Montalvo estate owner and former California senator James Phelan.
Youth Science Institute
Tel. 408.867.6940
Saratoga Local Bars
The Bank
14421 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, California; Tel. 408.867.5155
The Bank is one of a kind in Saratoga, a local dive bar amid some decidedly haughty surroundings and boy, are we thankful because even the toniest of neighborhoods needs to have a blue-collar drinking establishment for the regular folks. The Bank is actually Saratoga's oldest bar and once you step inside you'll realize the validity of that statement because the interior looks as if it hasn't seen the light of day in all of its' thirty years of operation and there's these freaky old whiskey decanters placed everywhere that were probably part of some too hip for his time landed gentryman's estate. But, once you get past that, the drinks are cheap and The Bank gets Saratoga rocking nearly every night.
The Basin
14572 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, California; Tel. 408.867.1906
The Basin is the neighborhood bar in Saratoga complete with all of the amenities a neighborhood bar in Saratoga should have: an outstanding wine and port selection, excellent drinks (especially the martinis), small cheese and fruit plates, and classic American fare. The Basin takes care of its' patrons in style and comfort without all of the pretensions you might expect from a Saratoga bar and restaurant boasting a relaxed, friendly atmosphere where customers and staff chat easily.
Blue Rock Shoot
14523 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, California; Tel. 408.741.5180
A great low-key alternative for a night out in Saratoga, Blue Rock Shoot offers its' patrons a casual, lodge-like woodsy atmosphere in which to enjoy some local live music in the folk, bluegrass or jazz veins. The outdoor back patio at Blue Rock Shoot is the perfect place in Saratoga to catch up with old friends and, while the interior of the club is small, it totally provides fans with an intimate, memorable experience from any act that rolls through.
Viaggio Ristorante Mediterraneo
14550 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, California; Tel. 408.741.5300
Viaggio Ristorante Mediterraneo's, in Saratoga, bar and lounge area more than makes up for its' small size and quiet atmosphere by serving excellent drinks by downright friendly bartenders that make everyone feel welcome whether they're in for a quick drink or waiting for a table in the restaurant. But, if there are no tables available, you can certainly dine at Viaggio's bar and continue the conversation you already started with that friendly bartender.
—Saratoga Bars and Clubs reviews by Ryan Osterbeck
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