The Blackbird Tavern

So I think I will try leaving a running review, mind if live journal this baby.
So I found this place by walking by, which sort of brings me to their first issue“location”. It is basically in the worst spot you can pick for a place going for a gourmet foodie thing, surrounded on all sides by shitty chains. This ally is where the dumb tourist from the flyover states come to eat when they are here in their shitty vacations to San Jose.
Anyways I really dig their effort to creat a kind of gastro tavern. Think Todd English but with a focus on cocktails.
So far I have ordered the spicy mule, and j must say it’s pretty good. I do feel bad for the bartender she seems to be having a really bad day, or maybe she just does not like me but she does not seem very happy at all, I think they could use a second bartender back there for sure.
The other issue right now which might not be all the time is that there must be 100 kids in here from some event downtown streaming their heads off, kind of kills the cool hipster vibe, lol.
Well the bartender just spilled the drinks she was making all over my bread, but I have to say her response was very kind and relatable, something I find very charming in a bartender. To be honest it was kind of ether highlight

Just wanted to add — this restaurant has now closed :(So sad!

I’d heard such good things about this place I was excited to try it out.
For the price, this place really needs to step its game up.
1) Everything was either WAY too salty or it was under seasoned. We did come later in the evening so we think some of our food had been re-​seasoned, re-​constituted, etc. several times over by the time it got to us. The food was saltier than any meal out in recent history and someone at my table actually wanted to send their soup back.
2) Service is unacceptable. The hostess was bored and was looking down on her cel phone to text when we came in. She literally never spoke a word to us and seemed annoyed by our attempts at small talk. I saw her texting more the rest of the evening. By the time we were finishing with our meal we were one of the last parties in the restaurant. There were 3 – 4 servers we saw constantly walking back and forth to a back room but we had trouble getting anyone’s attention. Manager and server were chatting when we left but didn’t bother to try to look at us or even say bye.
3) The atmosphere is fine. Like a modern casual American restaurant that doubles as a bar.
I am really surprised by all the talk of the delicious food here. I did like some of their offerings on their menu which I didn’t try but after my experience here don’t plan on returning.
Very underwhelming.
I’m glad DTSJ is growing but, mang, you really need to step your game up.

I’ve been here a few times, each time was very different and until I have reason to try it again, I don’t think I’ll be back.
The first time was nice, but the waitress didn’t know the menu very well. I ended up getting a salad and some meat platter and it was overall very tasty.
The second time I only used the bar, they had a unique selection of beers which was nice but their menu at the time was very limited– and I do not remember them having a happy hour.
The last time I came was last week and it was mid day and apparently they only serve a bar menu, it was so bizarre. All I wanted was to get some lunch, how could they not have a lunch or dinner menu mid day! I’ve never heard of that before, it’s too strange and I left unsatisfied.
I believe they still have some inconsistencies they need to figure out, until then, I will keep my review.

Mike was awesome. He served some deliciously balanced cocktails that didn’t even taste like booze.
The short rib grilled cheese was amazing! The meat was all pulled and juicy and there were two kinds of cheese! The horseradish cream got into the nooks and crannies of the perfectly grilled buttery bread and melded with the meat and gruyère nicely.
Seriously, so good.

I was extremely impressed with this place. I came here on a weeknight, (Monday? Wednesday? I don’t recall) for a date and were seated promptly. the adorable waitress got drink orders from us promptly. My date ordered a St. Bernardus Abt 12 which apparently is supposed to be one of the best beers EVER. It smelled lovely and he really enjoyed it.
We got deviled eggs and the house potato chips. Very impressed; the only complaint we had was that the onion dip for the chips was a little smoker than what I’d normally like, but the chips were very good.
Many of the menu items looked amazing and we eventually settled on a burger and grilled cheese and both were DELICIOUS. I’d love to come back and try some other items since those were so good, but I digress.
the artwork and vibe gave this place a really nice, young vibe which I really enjoy. I look forward to checking this place out again in the near future and I recommend it to all of my friends.

I’ve been here quite a few times now, and I think I’d go as far as saying this is my favorite place to go and get drinks in all of San Jose. The atmosphere is great, bartenders super friendly and attentive, and just the overall feel of the place is very unique.
The atmosphere is somewhat speakeasy like. The music either comes from a live band (normally complete with a saxophone, keyboard and other unique instruments) or a record player. By the bar, you’ll find an old-​fashioned coffee maker — definitely recommend an Irish coffee if you’re into that sort of thing.
The bartenders, as I mentioned, are great. Mark (or Martin as a friend of mine calls him) keeps us coming back. He always remembers our drink of choice — which is impressive since sometimes it’s two weeks between visits. Most importantly, he makes YUMMY drinks — the vodka/​gin dirty martini being my favorite.
So… If you’re looking for a casual place to go hang out for a couple of drinks, this is the place. Make it your first stop, though, because they do close at 11!

Pretty good place especially since my friend and I were looking for a place to hang out before a concert at sjsu
Located right next to movie theater
Tons of seating inside and outside
Clean bathrooms
Friendly and attentive service
Ordered half masala curry fries. The beef was tender and fries (most importantly) was crisp even with curry on top.
But best thing was short rib melt sandwich. Whoa. Toasted bread, not too much cheese and tons of meat. Didn’t expect the meat portion since it’s a melt. Not even greasy at all
The amount of food was perfect before night of dancing!
Also their Moscow mule was strong!
Yum!

My first time here was for the Unilocal elite event of the Kentucky derby. I had always wanted to come to this joint and now was the time!
They have a very nice outdoor patio seating area and nice tables inside. The bar was where most of my time was spent at this event. They served mint Juleps :) they were made with super fresh ingredients. Drinks and bar scene– ⁴⁄₅
They also served Kentucky inspired food to cater for the event. The food was pretty good– to average 3.
Live music– 3 the music was playing before and after the derby. I wasn’t sure of they always have love bands or this band was hired specifically for the event, but it have a really hip vibe to it.
I really want to come back for dinner to see what the place is like when open to the public. Nice experience!

The Blackbird Tavern is a restaurant/​bar on the Paseo in downtown San Jose. Overall, I like this place, but I think the food is a bit over priced.
I’ve been here a few times. Come for the drinks and get some food if you need to. I think the drinks are great and the bartender is really smart and has come up with some great cocktails. If you’re looking for a laid back place with some good craft cocktails without having to go to a stuffy bar, then this place is great.
The food is mostly bar food, and what I’ve tried I’ve liked, but it seems pretty expensive. I would prefer to get food somewhere else.

Came here to watch Sweet HayaH peform for International Jazz Day! And their performance was awesome! They had incredible energy and I was very impressed!
There’s a back area for bands to perform here, and I think it’s pretty neat. Business in the front, and party in the back! This little nook created a nice intimate setting and I really liked the vibe. It’s big enough to hold a decent size crowd but spacious enough for a mini banquet. There was also a separate bar, but cash only! I did wish that it was better ventilated though. I felt like I was burning up and sweating a lot from just sitting there. I looked up and from what I recall there was only ONE ceiling fan. That’s something I think Blackbird can definitely improve on. Other than that, I really like the ambiance and had a great time!

Let’s start with positive: atmosphere was great, music was great, service was outstanding!!! I would recommend the following tweaks: the wait staff needs to come to the table immediately (within 3 minutes) from when the chef brings the food, had this happened we could have received the missing steak knife needed to saw through the rock hard pork chop, the ketchup needed to balance the overwhelming curry frys, also would have been nice to get some butter or olive oil with dry dinner roles.
Food was just kinda so so, the menu written text was great, veggies under cook, pork overlooked like rubber. The plate looked nice but slid all over the the laminated table top impossible to keep it still while cutting the rubber chop. Who the hell designed the service pieces?
The placement of the service area for dirty dishes and clean utensils right next to my table was really annoying as the bus boys slammed the dirty dishes in there it interrupted the conversation and the music.
We spent about 48 buck a head — 2 drinks each, will NEVER eat here again but will come for drinks. Average drink price is 7.00

I had high hopes for this place, but…
Started with chips and dip — homemade chips which were a little disappointing and homemade onion dip which was a bit on the runny side. Ordered the beer battered fish served with potatoes and coleslaw as an entrée. The fish was bland and the batter was way greasy. The potatoes were just okay, and the coleslaw was sour, that’s a first. After the first two courses were a failure, I didn’t even bother with dessert.
Service was fun and friendly!!! Prices were okay. Parking can be tough as this is in the downtown area, but there are plenty of parking garages within walking distance.

Cool vibe, great location. Dooshy bartenders that are too cool to get you a drink. 30min wait to get a drink. 5 min wait for server to come to your table plop down a menu come back within 5 min ask if you want to order and when you say no he takes the menu away. That’s a first!
I had high hopes since I heard so much noise about this place. I had negative feedback before and after my visit and they lived up to everything I heard.
Live music is a nice touch it’s just too bad that the service is a bitter pill in your as*

REAL RATING: 1.5 stars
Valentine’s Day is, ummmmm, starting to get on my nerves. There’s already a lot of pressure on guys to deliver a memorable experience for their ladies. It all starts about a month (or more) before the big day by asking our chick to be our Valentine’s — sending flowers, chocolates, a card, etc. After that we have to scramble to come up with a fun and romantic evening. The best part of my situation is that Sandy is really chills, not high maintenance at all. However, I still wanted to take her out (because that’s what she deserves) and I thought Blackbird Tavern in DTSJ would be perfect. It’s a fairly new spot and they have live music so I thought it’d be perfect…
… You know that moment when everything comes crashing down? You realize all the work you put into something just crumbles before your eyes? Your palms start getting clammy, your head starts pounding with rage and your heart sinks with disappointment. Well, I want to thank Blackbird Tavern for doing all those things to me! THOSE. MOTHER. F*CKERS!
I should have known this place was absolutely bush league. Like the good gent I am, I booked a reservation three weeks in advance. I find out through a voicemail from Blackbird Tavern that they won’t be offering their standard menu on Vday. Instead, it was going to be a 3-​course meal for $ 45/​person. I didn’t get any further information so I called them back for more details. The response? «We haven’t created our Valentine’s menu yet. I’m so sorry. As soon as we have it available, we’ll post it on our website.». This was a WEEK before the big night and they STILL didn’t know what they were doing. A WEEK! I checked their website everyday for the next few days. Still no menu. So I called them again and spoke to Michael who was very apologetic while trying to shine my knob over the phone. It didn’t work and I just kept getting more frustrated. I FINALLY got the menu emailed to me the Wednesday before Vday and all I gotta say is that it was absolutely disappointing.
1ST COURSE
Me ~ Grilled Cheese ~ 1 star
The grilled cheese was literally just cheese with grill marks. I didn’t even know what kind of cheese it was. It was served with three triangle slices of store-​bought bread. No flavor. No wow factor AT ALL. It’s funny how this place tried to create a deconstructed grilled cheese dish because, well, they failed on an epic proportion.
Sandy ~ Roasted Radishes ~ 1 star
Think raw undercooked radishes served with a balsamic glaze. This dish was pretty atrocious. I want to apologize for not providing a picture of this, but trust me, you don’t want to see it.
2ND COURSE
Me ~ Braised Short Ribs ~ 2.5 stars
Very tender and cooked well. However, it totally lacked flavor. I’m not sure what the purpose of the sauce was. Served with some stuffing and mashed potatoes dressed with FROZEN peas and you get a loser.
Sandy ~ Grilled Pork Chop ~ 2.5 stars
Look, the pork chop was the best thing we had all night. Cooked well, great exterior, good flavor and moist interior. But the dish falls flat on the RAW broccolini and disgusting parsnips.
3RD COURSE
Me ~ Deconstructed Strawberry Cheesecake ~ 1 star
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That’s all I gotta say.
Sandy ~ Chocolate Mousse ~ 1 star
BUSH. LEAGUE.
I want to personally thank Blackbird Tavern for, what it seemed like, attempting to sabotage my evening with my Valentine. Not only was the food horrendous, it was an absolute rip off. Remind me how your bush league 3-​course meal was worth $ 45. PLEASE! TELL ME! If you’re going to charge a premium and take advantage of your customers on a night like Valentine’s, at least TRY to put effort into it. I don’t remember the last time I left a restaurant being this upset. At least I’ll remember it for the rest of my life for all the WRONG reasons.
Sandy and I still had a good time like we always do, but it had nothing to do with the food!

This was our first date night since our son was born. Upon arriving to the table there were two coats taking up one of the chairs. The hostess did not remove them. Nor did the waitress when we notified her that someone had left them behind. The waitress merely stated that they belonged to the table next to us. Rude!
The food: The deviled egg trio was tasty but I would have liked more of a distinction between the flavors. The chopped salad lacked flavor and dressing. The best part of the meal was the entrée & specialty drinks. The shrimp & grits & pork cutlet were amazing! The portion for the pork was perfect but the shrimp and grits was a smaller plate. This was fine for me but I’m a small person. I enjoyed a negroni (specialty drink) with my dinner.
Overall, this place was nice to try out.

My boyfriend’s cousin’s wife booked a private event at the annex next door. The venue did not disappoint as the employees consistently brought out delicious hor d’oeuvres, dessert items, sliders, and hot entrée items for the guests to snack on. The best part of the venue was that even though it’s located in a major part of downtown SJ’s restaurant area across from Baja Fresh and Thirst Tea, the lot looks abandoned on the outside – a great combination of exclusiveness and accessibility. The interior is definitely large enough for a party for 50 – 70 people. It also has private bathrooms.
My favorite items were the fried balls, sliders, the cheese selection, and the mushroom salad. Even as items ran out, the employees made sure the table never looked empty and brought more. The restaurant did a magnificent job ensuring the event ran smoothly.

***************************** 1,000 *******************************
Cool venue, we were here for the Cocktails War event with @DishCrawl team. Good cocktails, good service, and cool spot for downtown San Jose. We’ll definitely come back for the food.

Sat at the bar with my girlfriend for 15 minutes as the 2 bartenders proceeded to serve everyone but us as well as chit chat with other co workers.
Thanks for nothing Blackbird.

It’s been food week in the South Bay with all the recent restaurant openings. The Blackbird Tavern is one of a handful of spots to open, which placed it on my radar to try.
I came here with a girl friend last night and was most definitely pleased. Admittedly we were late for our reservation but the hosts were more than accommodating offering us seating inside or out. Though the AC felt nice inside on such a hot evening, we opted to sit outside at a communal table. I can’t think of any other places in the area that offer this type of seating. It reminded me of The Publican in Chicago. Unfortunately, the two guys sat next to us were the furthest from friendly (and had REALLY weird requests for the server) which defeats the purpose of said seating.
Saying that, our server VIVIAN was incredibly attentive and personable. Considering Blackbird had only been open ONE day, I was very impressed. Watching her gracefully handle the two guys next to us spoke volumes of her.
Rolled brown paper was delivered to our table only to unravel to present 2 BAGUETTES & a ramekin of soft butter.
Our BEERS came out within minutes of ordering, and she offered to pour into glasses for us. I appreciate the offer versus the assumption because sometimes I do want to drink from the bottle. The downside here was that drinks were limited to beer & wine with a very short list.
Next we placed an order for 3 small plates to share.
HOUSE SMOKED TROUT — served on a narrow rectangular plate the 5 elements of the dish were separate. From left to right: frissee with a lemon vinaigrette, halved red potatoes & a six minute egg, perfectly cooked green beans, and the house smoked trout. The frisee, egg and beans were the best part of the dish. The trout was just alright.
SHRIMP & GRITS — yum! 4 herbed shrimp were served over creamy grits with pancetta, topped with sliced spinach in a lemon dressing of some sort and a spicy red pepper sauce. Very, very good.
STEAMED CLAMS — Winner, winner! This dish was easily the star of our selections. The broth that the clams were in was to die for; Spicy, garlicy, salty — we definitely asked for extra bread so as to politely consume this deliciousness. I honestly would never have chosen the clams, but my friend wanted them & Vivian lit up when asked about them. The clams actually sold out while we were eating — so clearly these will be a popular menu item.
As to price — more than fair. The starters are $ 8 – 15 and the entrees are priced as you’d find at most restaurants — none exceeding $ 23. I didn’t see anyone order the charcuterie to gauge portion, but $ 6.75/each seems a bit steep.
Great service, great local spot and definitely worth a revisit.