The silver lining behind Camino Brewing's closure

No one wants to see a popular business shut down in San Jose. Sadly Camino Brewing Co. announced that they were closing their operations last week. Fortunately, there is a silver lining... the space will not be vacant for long.

Word on the street is that the entire space will be reinvented and the building owner--Jim Salata--wants to have a new concept open THIS summer. It sounds like it will be much more than a taproom and may or may not include a brewery on site. They have a great outdoor area, so I can't wait to see what the new space will look like.

Jim Salata also has another project in the Downtown San Jose area. He's restoring the former Faber's Cyclery into a new bar called Benjamin's Saloon. However the Camino replacement will take top priority, especially since Faber's Cyclery is in a 140 year old building that has to be painstakingly restored.

Source: The Mercury News

 

San Jose's Tech CU Area will host a new MMA event series

Tech CU Arena is owned by the San Jose Sharks and home of the San Jose Barracuda. However, the newly expanded center is able to host a variety of events. A pair Bay Area combat sports veterans have chosen the location for a new series called FIGHT NIGHT AT THE TECH.

The first event takes place on Saturday, May 18th at 4pm. Tech CU Arena has a capacity of 4,200 and tickets start at $65. For more info head here.

Source: SVBJ

San Jose's Raging Waters is coming back better than ever

After a lot of drama, Raging Waters will reopen this summer after all. San Jose has approved California Dreamin' Entertainment as the operator of the Lake Cunningham water park. 

Raging waters opened in 1985 as the largest water park in Northern California and has a 350,000-gallon wave pool and 14 water slides. The previous operator (Palace Entertainment) suddenly breached its lease two years before expiring in 2025.

California Dreamin' will put in millions of dollars in capital improvements and plans to have the park open by Memorial Day weekend. It also happens to be the same company that is redeveloping the former Raging Waters park in Sacramento. Plans for Sacramento include more attractions, a lazy river with a swim-up bar, a year-round restaurant, 2-acre venue with wine garden and live music, and a Chuck E. Cheese-themed children's area with family-friendly water rides. Hopefully they will do something similar to help revitalize the San Jose landmark.

Some of the specific opportunities mentioned for Raging Waters in San Jose are an expansion of the park to include the marina, lake, Action Sports Park, or underdeveloped areas. 

As a side benefit, by getting the park open this summer San Jose will collect around $5 million in tax revenue.

Source: SVBJ

New renders for affordable housing in Alviso/North San Jose

Next to the Topgolf towards the very north of San Jose are plans for multiple projects. One of the more significant ones involves 780 apartments sitting on top of 16,200 SQFT of retail. The apartments would be split into eight buildings up to seven-stories tall.

The design isn't glamourous, but if it helps keep the prices reasonable I'm all for it. We definitely need more housing in this area which is near the bulk of Silicon Valley tech jobs.  

Source: SF YIMBY

Hinodeya Ramen Bar coming to Downtown San Jose

Remember China Wok in Downtown San Jose on North Market Street? The space will soon be home to Hinodeya Ramen Bar. They have a location in Campbell today with exceptional reviews. Unless I'm missing something, this would be the first true Japanese ramen bar in Downtown San Jose. Unfortunately I couldn't find an ETA on their website.

In other restaurant news, the expanded Elyse will open at the end of next week, featuring delicious French Vietnamese cuisine and craft cocktails. More on that very soon.

Santana Row has a Speakeasy now!

Today I finally got to try Suspiro, the new Spanish & Peruvian restaurant at the end of Santana Row facing Meso. They just opened three weeks ago and have a few kinks to work out, but the ambiance was outstanding and the food was solid. My favorites were the Paella, Ceviche, and Lomo Saltado. However, this restaurant hides a secret...

In the very back past the unisex restrooms there is a black curtain that reveals a Ms. Pac-Man arcade cabinet. Behind the arcade is a locked door that takes you to S.Suspiro, a secret speakeasy! You can only get in with a reservation and have to be escorted by staff.

The Speakeasy has a completely separate food and drink menu from the restaurant, and even has it's own hidden patio on the other side of the building (last photo)! I don't have a lot of other info except for the house rules:

- No standing at the bar

- No flash

- No name dropping

- No smoking

- Please be patient, our drinks are labor intensive

- Please exit quietly

I can't wait to try it out. Previously, the closest thing Santana Row had to a secret bar was Cielo--a rooftop wine bar where you have to take two separate elevators up to reach in Hotel Valencia.

To make reservations for S.Suspiro and experience the first actual Speakeasy at Santana Row, click here.

Viva CalleSJ - April 21st

This week has been insane, so today I just have a quick teaser for an upcoming post. Viva CalleSJ is one of my absolute favorite San Jose events and it's back April 21st. It also happens to run through one of my favorite Downtown districts, SoFA. More on this next week!

Plans to convert medical office to housing near Santana Row

This is a relatively small project, but an interesting one due to it's location and density for the surrounding area. There is a proposal in play to demolish three single-story commercial buildings at 2881 Hemlock, 376 Baywood, and 384 Baywood and replace them with a six-story mixed-use building.

The structure would have 18,825 SQFT of commercial space on the ground floor (potentially commercial condos) and 75 "high-end" residential condos on the upper floors. The condos would be a mix of 1-3 bedroom units. There would also be 100 parking spaces in two underground parking levels.

In terms of location, it is a two-block walk to Santana Row and short walk to Valley Fair. This is a prime area for redevelopment.

Source: SVBJ