The Best Places to Eat in Los Gatos

A roaring fireplace anchors the stylish dining room, and the vine-covered patio fills with Los Gatos's well-dressed set on warm evenings. This is upscale Greek fine dining, not a whitewashed taverna, and the kitchen earns the distinction by staying Greek: stuffed grape leaves with braised beef cheek, a list of Greek wines worth exploring, and a burnt-honey mousse that makes skipping dessert feel unwise.

1. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant

A tasting menu tucked into the back of a wine bar, which is either a charming origin story or a logistical surprise depending on how you find it. The chef draws on a Lower East Side upbringing and California foraging in equal measure, and the cooking threads those two worlds together with enough visual ambition that the plate sometimes outshines the bite. The ingredients are strong enough to hold it all up.

1. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant

Zinc bar, pressed tin ceilings, and a shelf stacked with hot sauce bottles: The Bywater is a New Orleans-inspired Cajun and Creole restaurant in Los Gatos that commits to the bit. Zydeco on the stereo, gumbo on the stove. The chef behind this one is David Kinch, and regulars show up early enough to snag the andouille gumbo before it disappears. The Michelin Guide has handed it a Bib Gourmand, which tracks.

1. AAA Approved

A laminated sign reading "Welcome hunters. Wild game check in available" sets the tone at this family-run butcher and smokehouse near Old Town Los Gatos. Fishermen drop off coolers of fresh catch for the smoker; vegetarians get a pickle-and-avocado sandwich and a polite smile. Order anything built around the house-smoked meat, and skip the barbecue-sauce-heavy Super Hero in favor of the Jackie Special, a maple-sugar-cured turkey and bacon situation with cheddar and avocado.

1. San Francisco Chronicle Best sandwich spots in the Bay Area

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