ADEGA is the kind of place that embraces beauty in the details. Its owners curated the space with a glass-enclosed wine rack, hand-made furniture, and wine barrel-making tools on its walls—and these little touches add up. Most striking of all is the mosaic art on the back wall. Flourishes of blue paint across tile portray feathers from an outstretched wing, scrolling on a fancy frame, part of a Greek pillar, and a dozen other abstractions of grandeur — building into the crest of one majestic wave. Be aware that a night at ADEGA means investing in the full seven-course Chef’s Tasting Menu. We think it’s well worth the price. Not only is ADEGA the first and only Michelin-starred restaurant currently in San Jose, but it’s the only Portuguese restaurant in the U.S. to achieve a Michelin star.

For curried goat and oxtail stew with a delicious side of art make sure to drop by Back A Yard. While the dishes delight your taste buds, the bright lime pillars and floor-to-ceiling mural will engage your mind. The mural depicts a scene from Faiths Pen, one of the owner’s favorite foodie haunts on the North Coast of Jamaica, and drops viewers into an immersive scene where roadside vendors hawk jerk chicken and fried fish from a small army of BBQ grills lining the street. “Food at these roadside shacks is unpretentious [and] soulful with a huge dose of Jamaican Charisma,” the owner shares on Facebook.

If there’s a trendier place to order tostada and tamales than Olla Cocina, then we’ve yet to come across it. Located on a string light-lit street around the corner from San Pedro Square Market, its large open windows reveal a charming interior of wagon wheel light fixtures, tiled flooring in hacienda-style, and accent walls with wildly patterned wallpaper. One wall displays a collage of vintage movie posters, while another presents a bold skull pattern—ideal backgrounds for those Instagram photoshoots.

Visit the Good Spot for your late-night bites and after-dark photoshoots. This “gastro-lounge” serves American-Asian food in a playful modern space with a plant wall, LED lights, and art by local muralist Fernando “FORCE129” Amaro Jr. The mural features a large geometric sloth to pay homage to Good Spot’s spirit animal. Its leisurely presence embodies Good Spot’s mission to “nourish the souls of sloth humans.” On the restaurant’s website, the owner explains that “The humble, permanently smiling creature brings a youthful, whimsical touch to the entire place and reminds us to not take ourselves, or itself, too seriously.”

How many people can say they’ve savored a steaming bowl of tom yum while contemplating a mural of Godzilla shooting laser beams out of its mouth at a flying tuk-tuk rickshaw and a cluster of floating durian fruit? We can all think of a few restaurants that take themselves too seriously, but not so with Must Be Thai. From a projector playing Bruce Lee movies and the Thai version of Superman to the Lego check and tip tray, this restaurant glories in its funky weirdness. So load up on pad thai, curry, and roasted duck and soak in the atmosphere. 

Expect springtime year-round at Vietnamese coffee and brunch spot K Café. The place is dressed to the nines — its pink ceiling covered in a flurry of silk flowers, gilded branches, bird cages, and an exorbitant number of chandeliers. If the weather is warm, join the goddess statues and life-sized horse sculpture in the garden patio. Outside, you will also encounter a mural featuring a row of colorful shops and the store’s owner with her two dogs. And the pièce de resistance? The food matches the atmosphere — so expect truffle mushroom eggs benedict on a patterned plate and flowers on your French fries.