Sunnyvale is the heart of Silicon Valley’s living, working, and eating pulse. While techies code, locals and transplants feed their souls in restaurants that reflect Sunnyvale’s blend of old-school California, global influence, and understated innovation.
Think farm-fresh ingredients, no-fuss hospitality, and a food scene that’s both welcoming and subtly adventurous—ranging from retro diners and family-run taquerias to Korean barbecue and lunch spots where you’re as likely to hear Mandarin as English.
Dishdash
Downtown Sunnyvale’s most beloved Middle Eastern spot, Dishdash, is always buzzing—weeknights, weekends, and lunchtime with coworkers. Inside, the energy is as warm as the spiced lamb shank; the décor feels slightly exotic but totally homey.
Plates are generous, glowing with jewel-colored saffron rice and a rainbow of homemade dips. Locals swear by the fattoush, the signature kebabs, and that unforgettable bamieh—lamb slow-cooked with okra and tomato sauce.
The sense of sharing, of abundance, is what makes Dishdash a local favorite for everything from date nights to casual family celebrations.
Tanto Japanese Restaurant
Tanto’s unassuming strip-mall location hides a bustling izakaya beloved by Sunnyvale’s large Japanese community and long-time residents alike. Inside, the wood-paneled dining room is always humming with the click of sake cups and laughter.
Small plates of sautéed mushrooms, tender pork belly, and fresh sashimi come out fast, perfect for sharing and sampling flavors you may not find at your average sushi bar.
The kitchen’s yakitori skewers—especially the juicy chicken and subtly smoky shishito peppers—keep regulars returning, and the staff is celebrated for their warmth and efficiency.
Hobee’s
If you really want to understand Sunnyvale, you need to experience Hobee’s.
This mini-chain has become a Bay Area institution, and the Sunnyvale outpost is classic—cheery, sunlit, a bit retro, and always swaddled in the irresistible aroma of fresh-baked cinnamon-orange coffee cake.
Breakfast here is practically civic religion: think scrambles full of garden-fresh vegetables, giant slabs of the coffee cake, and pitchers of coffee served by staff who seem to know everyone by name.
On weekends, lines snake out the door—and most customers greet one another like neighbors. It’s one of the rare places that captures both the spirit of old-school Silicon Valley and its fiercely local loyalty.
Birks Restaurant
Tucked into a business park near Moffett Towers, Birks is one of the last, great power-lunch steakhouses in the county—a place with wood paneling, serious martinis, and regulars who know the whole staff by name.
Here, business deals happen over plates of prime rib, grilled salmon, and house-favorite French onion soup.
Locals love Birks for its comfortable old-school polish and the subtle feeling of nostalgia—from the elegant service to the generously poured drinks and the perfectly cooked meat.
No surprise: it’s always packed at lunch, but the bar still hums with after-work camaraderie into the early evening.
Chelokababi
For over forty years, Chelokababi has fed Sunnyvale with some of the best Persian food in Northern California.
This is a family-run, constantly packed spot—low-key but full of charm, where an aroma of saffron, grilled meats, and slow-cooked khoresh stews always greets you at the door.
Kabobs are impossibly juicy; the rice, fluffy and fragrant; the bread, always warm, with a plate of sabzi and feta to start every meal.
For many locals, Chelokababi is the taste of comfort, home, and tradition—shared, as always, with friends new and old over a big bustling table.
Get the All-American Travel Secrets!
Don't miss out on America's hidden gems!
