Bar Tako, a culinary mash-up of Mexican and Japanese techniques and ingredients, has joined San Pedro Square in downtown San Jose.<\/p>\n
Think tamales filled with shoyu-marinated short rib, topped with ancho chile sauce and pickled ginger. A5 Wagyu served with mole. Elote slathered with kewpie mayo, lime, chile, cotija and a sprinkling of furikake. A mezcal-grapefruit cocktail with muddled shiso.<\/p>\n
Other highlights include an extensive raw bar featuring sushi-grade fish with Mexican sauces. Tequila, mezcal and Japanese whisky dominate the beverage lineup.<\/p>\n
Intrigued? Bar Tako is a limited-time-only offering, so there\u2019s no waiting until later in the year to give it a try. This restaurant concept \u2014 developed by alums of San Francisco\u2019s Back of the House group \u2014 will fill the space through the end of June.<\/p>\n
The temporary restaurant residency gives owners Mike and Grant Messinger time to plan the next permanent resident of the spacious building \u2014 without leaving San Pedro Square with a mid-block vacancy.<\/p>\n
Olla Cocina, the contemporary Mexican restaurant here since the summer of 2016, was preceded by La Pi\u00f1ata. Before that, this was the longtime home of Blake\u2019s Steakhouse.<\/p>\n
Bar Tako is a walk-in restaurant with no reservations. However, there are options to book the space for private parties, receptions and even full buyouts \u2014 and it\u2019s already appealing to upcoming San Jose convention-goers.<\/p>\n