Whispers Cafe & Creperie - East Brokaw, San Jose

You know your cafe is a hit when people start saying it's helping to save the city. That's just what happened to Whispers Cafe & Creperie in 2013, when NBC Bay Area said the cafe and other new restaurants were spurring a resurgence of commerce in downtown San Jose. For owner Danny Qutami, the praise was the culmination of a string of successes. It all started when he opened the first Whispers in Belmont and it quickly became a neighborhood favorite; it continued as he followed with two more locations in San Jose, which have been equally well received.

It's no wonder Whispers is so popular. Not only are the cafes open all day, but the menu includes just about anything a hungry person could dream up. Breakfast is served any time, and includes both sweet and savory creations—there's a Half Moon crepe with sliced peaches and a honey-orange glaze, and there's also a California benediction with bacon and avocado. Lunch and dinner offer an equally diverse selection that includes New York strip steak, pesto-chicken sandwiches, and Alaskan salmon burgers. Whispers is popular with the happy-hour crowd as well, thanks to the full bar and flat-screen TVs.