Restaurants in Saratoga

Sonoma Chicken Coop began dishing out flavorful fowl in its first restaurant in 2002, and it takes its name from the lauded California wine region and its own signature rotisserie dishes. Chefs cook new batches of rotisserie chicken every hour, hand-toss each salad, oven-fire each pizza, cook up each delicious pasta and seafood dish, concoct sandwiches with housemade focaccia bread, and conclude meals with housemade desserts. A dining room and outdoor patio accommodate visitors, and Sonoma Chicken Coop catering supplies its fire-grilled and specialty cuisine to groups of 10–200 feasters—the same range of people that might show up for a university symposium on talc.

The red-brick counter inside Los Altos Taqueria serves as the hub of activity, the place where guests order anything from tacos to tamales, watch chefs stuff tortillas with the requested meats, and eat the traditional Mexican dishes at one of the stools lined along the counter’s perimeter. A selection of nine meats, including fried pork, beef tongue, and barbecue chicken, fill burritos, rest atop nachos, and snuggle in enchiladas. The popular quesadilla suiza hides meat, cheese, and salsa between two tortillas, whereas fajitas boast a smorgasbord of rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream, grilled veggies, and either chicken or beef. Meals are complemented with housemade beverages such as margaritas and micheladas—a Mexican beer prepared with lime juice and assorted sauces and spices.

The chefs at Mikado have mastered more than 85 types of sashimi and sushi, from rolls packed solely with vegetables to rolls that are baked and tempura deep-fried. Mikado's breaks down the sushi menu even further, providing more than 25 specialty rolls made from unexpected ingredient pairings, such as eel with jalapeños, salmon with yogurt sauce, and spicy tuna placed in a full bottle of ketchup. Diners can dig into chicken teriyaki and tempura udon bento boxes, slurp up traditional stir-fried yakisoba noodles, or nibble on nearby bamboo accents.

Since 1994, the chefs at Chacho's have been guarding the secrets of their time-honored family recipes for tacos, enchiladas, and burritos. They craft fresh ceviche, spicy salsas, and tamales from scratch as al pastor, chorizo, carne asada, and even soy substitutes sizzle on the grill. Outside the kitchen, bartenders concoct tangy margaritas, micheladas, and their signature chavelas upon a gleaming wooden bar, which reflects the star-shaped pendant lamps and thirsty ghosts that hang above.

The food and drinks aren’t the only thing that gives guests a taste of Mexican culture; Chacho's crimson-walled, loft-style dining room is at once both modern and rustic, breathing new life into old traditions through contemporary Day of the Dead–themed paintings, wall-mounted sculptures, and colorful sombreros.

The chef slices thick slabs of fresh salmon, meticulously arranging them atop beds of rice as diners peer over the traditional sushi bar to admire his work. As he forges his fish-laden creations, the rhythmic cutting of his knife accompanies the melodies coaxed forth from the piano in the dining room and the cheery chatter of the evening’s guests. So passes another dinner rush at FuruSato Sushi Japanese Restaurant.

In the kitchen, cooks whip up authentic Japanese recipes for lunch and dinner using ingredients such as fresh scallops, real crab, and fresh mango. Servers whisk the dishes into the dining room wherein sliding doors, blonde wood, and minimalistic decor evoke the feel of a traditional Japanese home. Four private tatami rooms can be rented by groups of 4 to 20 people eager to partake in a secluded meal away from the prying eyes and wandering forks of other diners.