Left Bank Santana Row
The open exhibition kitchen provides onlookers a window into the magic our chefs create, guided by French native, Chef Roland Passot, well-respected in the industry for his passion and culinary expertise.
Located in San Jose's vibrant Santana Row since 2003, Left Bank transports guests to a quaint brasserie in Paris. Boasting one of Santana Row's largest bars, Left Bank is a place to see and be seen. Whether simply sipping a pastis or enjoying a full meal, diners capture the true feeling of the Rive Gauche in Paris.
Private Dining
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Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables
- Waitstaff wear masks
- Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
- Staff temperature check required
- Contact tracing information collected
Popular dishes
FRENCH ONION SOUP
Emmenthal
10 reviews
TROUT ALMONDINE
brown butter, roasted almonds, green beans
13 reviews
OYSTERS*
half dozen raw market selection
11 reviews
Featured specials
Mother's Day Menus & Specials
Treat the special mama in your life to Left Bank this Mother's Day! We’re serving our regular Brunch menu, along with our Spring-inspired menu addition, from open until 3 PM. We’re also serving a spectacular 4 Course Prix Fixe for $88 all day, featuring only the best for mom!
Our server, Srihari, was amazing! He clearly knew we hadn’t been out in a while and made the experience special. He double checked our order to be sure it was correct, never let us pour our own wine, he checked in on and conversed with us in perfect proportion which enhanced the experience.
My husband loves the steak frite and I am a vegan. They had a beautiful vegan cassoulet that made me feel like someone actually gave some thought to the meal instead of piling a bunch of steamed vegetables on a plate. Thank you, Left Bank, for making our first meal out in a long time a great one!
Escargot and nicoise salad were good today. My server was also very friendly and attentive.
Great dining experience! Restaurant management has greatly increased seating capacity to meet the requirements of these times, and did it in a way that makes it feel like you’re not just sitting under a tent in the street.
Service was terrible. The water glasses were dirty and had to be replaced. We ordered a starter it never arrived. A side dish was cold - we sent it back and the replacement arrived after we had finished our meal. We got zero attention from our server. The check for lunch for 2 with 1 glass of wine was over $100. Never again...so disappointing and just overall disgusting.
Enjoyable dining experience as always. Pleased to see even aftet post pandemic, that quality of food and level of service has not changed.
Great ave attentive service! Food was delicious.
Excellent outdoor lunch experience. Staff was friendly, patient and efficient. We all had burgers, cooked and tasted just right.
It’s not the Left Bank I remember from pre-Covid. It took forever to get the check. We were there almost 2.5 hours which was way too long. The loud music on the street is annoying.
We gave gone here several times in the past during the pandemic and the service has always been wonderful until this time. It is obvious that they have hired many new servers with little to no experience. Out waiter was nice but incompetent. We waited too long for out appetizers and then they brought our main course while we were still eating our appetizers and the one bring them was annoyed that we were still eating. When we were ready for our mains they were unevenly heated and dried out from being left under the hot lamps. Overall a very disappointing experience.
Poor table location for someone who had a reservation. Table I wanted was never occupied even as hostess said it was reserved. Service was okay but one entre of four showed up 7-8 minutes late, thus the rest of ours were cold.
Good service. Food met its normal standard.
Overall 10 of 10.
We had a great time at Left Bank and will certainly go back again in the future. Food and service were great.
This is one of my favorite restaurants-
I love every thing about it. At this visit
I was disappointed when the table bussers wheeled out a cart with plastic tubs to clear the dishes from our table and every other table...it was very unappetizing.
Great culinary experience
Food was fantastic as usual but the service was super slow.. give them time to get back up to speed after the COVID closure and I am sure they will be great again - but be patient and expect a bit of slow service for now!
Great food and ambience. We dined outdoor and were accommodated by the heaters that they provided for their guest :) we loved our dessert entree and appetizers!
Great food.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,,,,,,,,,.,,,,,,,.,,,,
Server was not as attentive as he should have been but otherwise it was great!
Delicious trout! They were out of my companion's favorite dish (confit fried chicken) and he selected the roasted half chicken which was ok but not as tasty as my Trout Almondine.
Service was a bit slow after the main course was brought to the table. (We had requested water and salt and pepper.) The sidewalk ambiance was nice and we generally enjoyed our experience at the Left Bank. We'll definitely go back!
The food is just really average. The menu is very French inspired, but the execution is really poor. The taste was ok, leaning towards bland. The presentation of the food was subpar. Wines were great, though. I like this place for the vibe, it's right on Santana Row with tons of people, good music, and good drinks. But don't go here for good French food.
My husband and I loved our food. The fondue was so delicious and our entrees were delicious too! The service was great. It was so nice to eat indoors. We've been to Left Bank many times over the years.
Food was very good. Server was very attentive. Social distancing observed.
Very disappointed! It was my daughter’s 25th bday, I had made the reservation 5 days before. First we got a small table that fits maybe 4 people maybe for drinks not even for dinner. We were 5 people so we asked for a bigger table, so we ended up sitting inside. No problem. We ordered drinks, 4 appetizers and 5 entrees. They brought the French fries and after waiting for more than half an hour I asked the waiter about our appetizers, they brought our entrees!!! So I said what about the appetizers ohh they forgot to bring them out so they told us will put your entrees on the side when you’re ready for them we will warm it up for you!!! I said no way we want new entrees ... so finally they did bring us new entrees, than we ordered 2 desserts, they brought us a profiterol with a candle for my daughter’s bday we asked for sharing plates and spoons they just brought us 4 spoons... So we asked for the check, they charged us double for each entree!!! So we asked them to fix it, which they did but no apologies what’s so ever. The manager came and said I take care of it, as if he’s doing us a favor. no sorry nothing!!!! Very disappointing experience!
Thank you for the ambience and delicious food. We enjoyed it!
We ordered an array of dishes. Everything was excellent. It was somewhat unexpected. We will be back again soon.
Food was excellent. Inside the tent, it was a bit chilly, we requested to turn on heater but it turned off rather quickly and nobody turned it back on.
Also wait service was a bit sparse; would have liked to see more check ins for refills. Also people bringing out food brought food to wrong table several times.
It was Easter and 5 of us were shoved around a tiny round table made for 2 people. We asked if we could put 2 together and they said no because they were reserved. Really unpleasant for what should have been a special Easter brunch.
This was our worst experience with a restaurant. We show up a few minutes early for our reservation they provide a table right at the entrance to the restaurant in a high traffic area. We ask if we can have another table. They say no because their computer has already pre-selected tables and they can't make the adjustment. What ever happened to human interaction to help in this case. They would not even try to accommodate and blamed it on their computer. Also said even though I had a reservation I would have to wait a long time for another table.
One of our favorite menu items got taken off which we are a little disappointing about
Great food. Felt very safe with tables spaced out. We had our own heater to stay warm outside. Service was great - little slow but the server handled it well.
The outdoor seating was wonderful. We had a table where I could watch interesting people walk by - one of my favorite things to do in Paris. We started with a dozen oysters with the wine flight; the wine choices were superb. My husband had the special which was ribeye with potatoes and green beans, which he enjoyed with a glass of delicious red blend My salmon with vegetables was perfect. We skipped dessert, although creme brûlée was tempting and settled for cognac, which was a perfect end.
I just wish they didn’t tack on the wage fee. They charged $65 for the ribeye, which should be enough - if not they should just raise their prices. This fee feels like a tax and puts a dent in the experience.
I like the ambiance. The food selection is a little weak and should be expanded. My trout was okay. The service was very professional
What an absolutely beautiful day to enjoy a leisurely lunch with friends at Left Bank! The food was enjoyable and service was perfect.
We had a wonderful meal. This is a great place for a date night
The service and value for this restaurant is definitely not worth the time or money.
I know restaurants have to quickly restaff because of the pandemic. I will give them the benefit of the doubt. They waiter who sat us tried to put all 6 of us at a table that was designed for 2. Service was slow. It took a while for the waitress to take our orders. I noticed they didn't have their famous sandwich on the menu so I asked the waitress. She said she could make me the CROQUE MONSIEUR. It wasn't good. It was a bad attempt at it. No béchamel sauce and the bottom piece of bread wasn't toasted. There was a broiled piece of swiss cheese on the top. Do not order it until they have trained their new chefs how to make it an its back on the menu. Our table also had the steak and it looked ok. The truffle fries were great and we had the cream puff dessert. Also very good. I had to keep asking for my water glass to be refilled. That's just a pet peeve of mine. Its not a cheap place to have lunch or dinner so I rightfully expect better service and food. I hope they can improve quickly.
We ordered bloody Mary’s they were like tomato with ice very watered down.
The waiter didn’t care!!!
Disappointing. We have been going there for years. Unfortunately we all that had gone down this year. It is all a different experience.
Reservations recommended, great food and they will adjust for vegetarians. Fantastic service and seating options.
pThank you so much for taking the time to give us your feed back regarding your previous visit her at Left Bank Santana Row. Cheers!, Ubaldo M/p
Beef bourguignon was pretty tasteless, and the meat was not properly prepared or cooked.
Pretty pricey, but food was great. Our server was extremely busy and didn’t have a lot of time to check on us. I think they may need to revisit how the assign tables. Overall great experience.
FAQs
You can order delivery directly from Left Bank Santana Row using the Order Online button. Left Bank Santana Row also offers delivery in partnership with Postmates and Uber Eats. Left Bank Santana Row also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (408) 984-3500.
Left Bank Santana Row is rated 4.4 stars by 4026 OpenTable diners.
Left Bank Santana Row does offer gift cards which you can purchase here https://leftbanksantanarow.cardfoundry.com.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.