Bloom

My partner and I had breakfast here on April 21st, 2024. We ordered--

2 Iced Teas
1 Croissant French Toast
1 Chilaquiles

The Chilaquiles was made well and tasted good, but as a personal preference, we both are not fans of a green Verde style sauce. Basically just for the future we need to be aware if there's multiple sauce options, etc.

As for the croissant French toast... the toast part was delicious. The pomegranate molasses tasted like a balsamic reduction. Very tart, and unfortunately for me, I had lathered the entire croissant in this molasses so it became moist and so sour tasting.

Prices were very affordable!! The most expensive items on the menu looked to be the cocktails ;- )

Thank you for reading!

Another popular brunch spot in South Bay. We came on a Saturday for brunch at 10am and the estimated wait time was already 40 minutes. We got some coffee at the Starbucks next door and waited there. Luckily it ended up only being 20 minutes before we got a text that our table was ready.

The croissant French toast was delicious. The fruits balanced out the sweetness from the croissants. Portion size is pretty big.

Cons: This cafe is popular so it does get pretty noisy. As some others have stated, they do ask people to leave as soon as you finish eating/paying because of the waitlist.

I had breakfast here at on the 24th of March. We showed up at 8AM which is when the business opens. We walked in and a guy who was in the front walked away (presumably a worker that does not deal with greeting customers but also does not deal with sitting them). A serious and pretty glacially cold lady acknowledged our presence and, without too many ceremonies, she went on about her business and she had us sit at a table. Luckily, it was far away from the front door that was wide open as if it was a 90°F day when, in actuality, it was probably in the low 50s (why keeping the door wide open at that time in the day was not something my mind was able to process).
I looked through the menu and I spotted a few things that were interesting. I do not consider myself a breakfast person in the sense that I hardly go out for breakfast, mostly because I can make myself a decent breakfast at home but also because the price of breakfast nowadays is fairly outrageous. Not surprisingly, here you won't escape with paying less than $15-20. After a few minutes I narrowed my choices to a churro waffle which is in line with my typical breakfast: sweet 95% of the time and savory 5% of the time.
Our waitress, Anastasia C., came to our table. I ordered a hot coffee with brown sugar along with a churro waffle with dulce de leche on the side. After that I looked at the place getting busy. When we walked in I think no more than 5 tables were occupied. 10 minutes later half of the floor was full and the guys behind the counter in the kitchen were working hard.
My coffee arrived in about 3-5 minutes and my churro waffle came about 5 minutes later. The coffee, American style (light and watery) was decent. It wasn't bitter nor acidic. It was accompanied with some milk that I poured in it. The churro waffle was good. It was both soft and crunchy, with a good amount of sugar crystals and the dulce de leche was good. The plate included also blueberries and strawberries. All in all the breakfast was good and Anastasia was very good at her job.

I cannot deliver 5 stars to this place for a couple of reasons. First, when I walked in and we were taken to our table, I immediately smelled the odor of water mopped tables. That is the smell of tables that are not sprayed with some solution that smells like lemon or clean: they smell like wet towel passed on a surface. It's pretty gross and it's not even healthy because germs stick around. Second, while browsing through the menu I saw that they offer a "carbonara" for lunch. It's described with several words like linguini, pancetta, garlic cream sauce, parmesan, arugula and torched egg yolk. Being an expert in that area, that all sounded like a blasphemy, likely worse than cursing at the Vatican while assisting the Pope as he celebrates the holy Mass. After reading that I knew right away that whoever came up with that nasty concoction knows nothing about carbonara for many reasons. First, the pasta is almost always spaghetti. Nobody makes carbonara with linguine (notice that it's linguine with E like Edward and linguini is a deformation of the actual word). Second, pancetta is wrong. The proper pork cut is guanciale (watch Katie Parla when she explains how to make a carbonara - she knows what she does). Third, there is no garlic, there is no cream and there is no sauce. WTH is that gross combination anyway? Fourth, it's not parmesan but at most Parmesan or, more properly, Parmigiano Reggiano but still: wrong. Carbonara is made with another cheese: pecorino ... not the same. Fifth: arugula has nothing to do with the carbonara. Sixt: egg yolks are never torched. A proper carbonara has an entire egg which is broken and mixed with the pasta in the pan right after it's cooked. Its heat will cook the egg and there is no need to do anything idiotic like using a torch unless you try to impress somebody who knows nothing about the plate or you want to play with fire. I do not dare to imagine what a carbonara looks or tastes like. If you want to taste the real thing I know 1 place in Sunnyvale that really knows how to make it consistently according to the proper recipe. Don't waste your money trying it at this place.
Hence, after the smelly tables and the carbonara blasphemy, my rating has to drop to 3 stars. You can't have smelly tables and a pretentiously incorrect menu. You need to do basic things right.

This is a cute brunch spot in San Jose! I went with two friends and we came on a Sunday around 10:45am. We were told the wait would be 1.5 hours, which was a great estimate of time considering they texted us 15 min before my 1.5 hr timer went off. The thing is, they only give you 10 min of grace period before you have to check in in-person. I recommend coming back to the restaurant around 20-25 min before your time runs out to be extra safe. The hostess was really nice to us, and only had us wait a few minutes since we came 17 min after the text was sent.

The three of us shared 3 dishes: the Spanish chorizo bene, croissant French toast, and chicken and waffles. I'd definitely recommend the latter two dishes. You can never go wrong with croissant French toasts at brunch spots, and this was no exception - the perfect medium of sweet and custardy. As someone who does not like chicken and waffles at any establishment, I would rate this a 9/10 and would definitely order it again! The chicken wasn't dry at all, great crispy outer layer of skin and moist on the inside. The Spanish chorizo bene was good but not my cup of tea. The poached eggs were perfectly runny and the muffin was fluffy and great, but I personally don't prefer the sogginess of the bread considering the sauce was on top (standard for Benedict dishes). However, my friend thought it was great so it just depends on your preference.

If you don't mind putting your name down early and waiting, I would recommend coming here for a weekend brunch date. The atmosphere was bright inside and lively, with good service. I'd come again :)

Bloom
202 Saratoga Ave Santa Clara, CA 95050
bloomeatery.com
(408) 345-2667


April 6th, 2024.

Can't go wrong with restaurant that is next to Starbucks. Win win situation for everyone. Mom wanted brunch and brunch it is after my waiting to the last-minute tax appointment.

We got there closely after they just opened for the day. And note there are already people in line. Lucky for us, we got seated within 5 minutes of checking in.

* Sweet Potato Shishito Hash. Scratch made corned beef, mixed with sweet potatoes, caramelized onions and blistered Shishito peppers served with two eggs and house potatoes or a cup of fruit.
* California Bene. House bacon, tomato and fresh avocado stacked on our artisan fresh baked levain bread. Topped with two poached eggs and our scratch made hollandaise. Served with your choice of house potatoes or a cup of fruit.
* Waffles with mixed berries.
* The potatoes are omg.com. I got full eating them that I had to take home my sweet potato hash order.
* I did wish I ordered their specialty drinks; they looked pretty.

Small place but they made do with all the spaces within. View of the kitchen-open style. Next to it is the bar area. Additional seatings are available at the bar. Tables are spaced out very closely, so yes, you will be hearing table conversations. The staff are very attentive, courteous, service with a smile.

Let's spring into Bloom! Or should I say, let's BLOOM into Spring! And get some brunch. :)

AMBIANCE
Modern and simple. I love the hanging planters filled with beautiful, lush pothos above the booth seating upon entrance. There's a white neon sign that spells out Bloom on one of the walls. The light fixture that spreads out like a flower blooming filled with 20+ bulbs is magnificent--a well-thought-out interior.

SERVICE
My friends and I came in on a Thursday for brunch around 1 PM. Surprisingly, there was a 20-minute wait. Service was swift and excellent.

FOOD
We ordered to share.

* Croissant French Toast -- I love the presentation of this entree. It was a beautiful and significant portion. It came with two croissant French toasts, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, vanilla cream drizzle, and a big scoop of whipped cream. Served with a side of syrup. I didn't have to use much syrup since the entree was dressed with pomegranate molasses, which was sweet enough.

* Garden Scramble -- The scramble was filled with seasonal vegetables, tomatoes, mushrooms, green onions and topped with cheddar jack. Side of fruit cup: blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries. A significant portion and everything was fresh.

* Breakfast Croissant Sandwich -- We ordered ham (alt. bacon), which came with cheese, scrambled eggs, and house aioli. Again, this portion was huge. We all took a bite, and it was delicious.

* Side order of Bacon -- The order is supposed to come with four pieces, but we got like five or five and a half. No complaints. The bacon is dressed with a chili maple glazed.

* Side order of Tartine -- This order came with slices of levain bread, European butter, and an organic jam; it was a berry of sorts.

* Side order of House Potatoes -- The potatoes were seasoned well and had good flavor. They could be a tad crispier. It was served with ketchup.

* Mango Lemonade -- This is freshly made in-house. Good tart and sweetness level. The mango is very subtle.

Overall, it was a great experience and food. The portions are enormous, so we had a ton of leftovers. It was pretty loud inside. The noise just echoed, so I often had to lean in to listen to my friend speaking from across the table. There are a few outdoor seating at the front of the restaurant.

Learned about this place from a fellow Yelper and it's been on my list. Finally made it out on Good Friday for brunch and place was packed around 11. Our party of five waited about 25 minutes for table. We were greeted fairly quickly at our server and he apologized for the wait. Food came out quickly. We enjoyed Jumbo crab bene, Croissant french toast, Spanish chorizo bene, Bloom burger (add bacon), and Steak & Eggs. Everyone enjoyed their food. The crab is real lump crab meat and not a fried crabcake with a bunch of fillers.

Unfortunately, one of the chorizo bene had an overcooked a solid yolk but the other three did ooze.

Restaurant was beautiful and contemporary. There is a full bar with bar seating as well. Combination of regular and high top tables. Plus outdoor patio seating.

Will definitely add this to the brunch rotation.

Came here for a second time as my boyfriend really enjoys their shishito hash.

I had the bloom burger on my first visit and the carnitas bene on my second. Both were phenomenal.

I really like that it's dog friendly and the servers are really nice. Will be back again!

Went to Bloom on a Sunday morning at 10:30 for brunch with my friends! It's in a plaza with lots of parking so no huge issue there and the overall vibes of the restaurant are super cute.

We waited about 30 min for a table which is a win for brunch on a Sunday in my books! We got the chicken and waffles, as well as the sweet potato shisito hash and both were great! Although I did need a bit more seasoning and hot sauce for the hash as they felt a bit bland.

Overall tho, great brunch place for catch up with your friends! It's quite lively and loud but fun!

Updated w additional photos from the past year.

Soup of the day was clam chowder and it was delicious! Huge bowl for $8 was a good deal, and it was a lot of seafood unlike many clam chowders served elsewhere that are mostly potato. The freshly cracked black pepper was such a nice touch!