San Jose has a new brunch restaurant, Bloom, serving up chicken and waffles, croissant French toast and carnitas Benedict, among other savory and sweet breakfast and lunch delicacies. Plus, it has a full cocktail bar.
Read more Review: Pop star’s 1st tour in nearly 20 years draws massive crowd in Bay Area
“We like to pride ourselves on all-fresh ingredients and an elevated twist on breakfast,” says co-owner Kiara Manion, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Reza Manion.
Opened May 23, the restaurant so far has largely the same menu as its Santa Clara sister location, Bloom Eatery, with several additions to the bar program. However, in the coming months, they’re planning to expand their downtown San Jose dining service to include dinner hours four nights per week, she says.
In addition to the chicken and waffles ($23), popular dishes include the honey sesame Brussels sprouts ($15) and croissant French toast ($19), served drizzled with vanilla cream sauce and pomegranate molasses. Among the more unusual offerings at the restaurant are Tunisian style crisps ($19) — flaky dough filled with egg, tuna, capers and cilantro, fried and served with a salad, she says.
The cocktail menu combines about five or six staples with another five or six rotating seasonal recipes. They’re crafted to be light and pair well with the entrees, she says.
Read more Salmon fishing resumes off California coast for first time since 2022. Here’s what that means
The couple opened Bloom Eatery in Santa Clara in 2020, and explored several other options for a second restaurant before landing on their current storefront in downtown San Jose. The space they ultimately chose is “light, airy and modern, but still cozy,” she says.
Reza grew up in a family that owned a breakfast cafe, and went on to attend culinary school, Kiara Manion says. “It was always his dream to open a place of his own.”
He eventually developed a vision for a brunch spot whose vibe was more upscale and less mom-and-pop or greasy spoon, and had a full craft cocktail menu, she says.
“We really try to offer elevated service with a neighborhood feel,” she says.
Details: Open 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday at 225 W. Santa Clara St., Suite 100, San Jose; bloomeatery.com.
Read more Steamy Bay Area heat wave expected to peak at mid-week
About the Author
