Add a wildly popular Chinese fusion restaurant to the hustle and bustle of downtown San Jose.
Eating at home has a “soft opening” this week in a distinguished urban property that has been vacant since longtime tenant Flames closed through the pandemic. The space near the Martin Luther King Jr. Library is large — greater than 11,000 square feet — but Home Eat brings the experience of enormous operations from its restaurants in Cupertino, Sunnyvale and Fremont.
Founded in 2015, Home Eat (also often called Fashion Wok) grew from a Taiwanese-style hot pot restaurant to what its owners describe as “a big, integrated catering restaurant serving Sichuan, Hunan, Taiwan, and independently developed fusion dishes combined.
The 10-page menu is obtainable for lunch and dinner three hundred and sixty five days a 12 months and until 11:30 p.m. most evenings. Nearly 170 numbered dishes and drinks line the pages, with an emphasis on woks and hot pots suitable for one to 2 guests or a gaggle. Add the party trays and the variety of offerings increases to 374.
No. 1 is Sichuan High Wok with pork, shrimp, spam, vermicelli, tripe, corn, fish balls, fish cakes, crab meat, tempura, tofu and fish tofu, and No. 169 is Hot & Sour Pork Bone Rice Noodle Soup. with quail eggs and mushrooms. Customer favorites include the Spices Satay Beef Wok and the Beans and Eggplant with Soy Sauce. Looking for warmth? The Numbing Spicy BBQ Fish Fillet is popular.
And then there are the wings. The classic dry-fried chicken wings with sweet soy sauce are a best seller and by far essentially the most commented-on dish on Home Eat's Yelp pages. The hot wings, fried to order, deliver juicy chicken encased in a crispy shell that tastes sweet and garlicky. Chili peppers are sprinkled on top.
Home Eat's service model emphasizes speed and efficiency. Guests can order from the waiter or use the QR code on the table. Meals here start with a big carafe of water and end with complimentary orange slices. Tables are stocked with plates, cups, napkins, chopsticks, and other sharing utensils, so that you don't must summon a waiter until you wish takeout boxes.
The drink menu includes Thai milk tea and boba milk tea. Juices (passionfruit, strawberry, peach, lemon) in addition to just a few beers (including Tsingtao) and Coppola wines. For Mother's Day this weekend, all mothers who dine at a Home Eat restaurant on Saturday or Sunday will receive a free fruit juice (a $4.75 value).
Details: Open 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, until 9 p.m. Sunday, 88 S. Fourth St., San Jose; www.homeeat.com
Bay Area News Group staff author George Avalos contributed to this report.
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