Don’t mind us — we’re just nomming at Nomikai. | Photo via @nomikaisj
Happy hour, anyone? For our glass half full kind of locals, we’ve rounded up 21 places to find deals on drinks + snacks around the great 408. Cheers.
Hungry for meal deals
Nomikai | Thursday-Saturday, 6:30-9 p.m. | Bring a crew of friends and enjoy a Punch Bowl on Thursdays only, plus 20% off all starters and wine and $9 deals on signature cocktails, drafts, and mocktails before 9 p.m.
Keeping spirits up
The Pressroom | Daily, 3-5 p.m. | Hit up this buzzy spot in the historic 1884 Lyndon Building for 50% off all cocktails, martinis, and wine by the glass, plus $7 draft beers and $12-$16 snacks like fried artichoke and guajillo short rib sliders.
Biggest bargains
Olla Cocina | Daily, 3-6 p.m. | Indulge in half-price wine and cocktail carafes and half-price beer pitchers to go with $5 tacos or the $10 ceviche tostada. You get free chips + salsa, too.
Pobladores Night Market | 5:30-9 p.m. | Parque de los Pobladores | Free | Shop 20+ local makers, artists, and small businesses at this outdoor market that also features live music, art galleries, food trucks, and a beer garden.
CityDance San José: Country Line Dancing | 6-9 p.m. | San Jose Museum of Art | Free | Mosey on over to the museum’s Circle of Palms of an evening of open-air line dancing; museum admission is free from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., too.
“Head Over Heels” | Through Sunday, Aug. 24 | Times vary | City Lights Theater Company | $43+ | It’s opening night for this musical that follows the 1980s rise of The Go-Gos — expect hits like “Vacation” and “Our Lips Are Sealed.”
Friday, July 18
Hombres G & Enanitos Verdes | 8 p.m. | SAP Center | $90+ | Talk about Latin pop royalty — the Spanish rock band from Madrid performs with the Argentinian rockers from Mendoza and we’re feeling all of the feelings.
Saturday, July 19
Hella Plants Market San Jose | 11 a.m.-5 p.m. | CrossFit Silicon Valley | $11 | Add this to your weekend plants — this market will feature pretty plants, hands-on workshops, and food vendors.
SJMade Summer Fair | Saturday, July 19-Sunday, July 20 | 11 a.m.-6 p.m. | Santa Clara Convention Center | Free | Shop 300+ makers, artists, designers, and small businesses and partake in workshops and fun activations.
Sunday, July 20
Shiny Side Up Bicycle + Car Show | 10 a.m.-3 p.m. | History Park | $10 | Celebrate SJ’s custom bicycle and car culture by cruising over to this show featuring custom builds, classic muscle cars, and lowriders alongside live music + local vendors.
Barry Manilow | 7 p.m. | SAP Center at San José | $35+ | He writes the songs that make the whole world sing — the “Copacabana” and “Mandy” icon performs what he says is his final tour.
Wednesday, July 23
Ben Bankas | 8 p.m. | San Jose Improv | $32+ | This rising stand-up comic also hosts his own podcast dubbed “The Bankas Show.”
Pacaso plans to expand to Italy. | Photo provided by Pacaso
How do you follow a record-setting year? By getting stronger.
Take Pacaso. Their real estate co-ownership tech set records in Paris and London in 2024. No surprise. Coldwell Banker says 40% of wealthy Americans plan to buy abroad within a year, so Pacaso’s planned Italy expansion is big.
They’ve already made $110 million+ in gross profits to date, including 41% YoY growth last year. (They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.) And you can invest for $2.90/share. †‡‡
The Hello Kitty Cafe is now open at Westfield Valley Fair and accepting reservations. The permanent cafe is dedicated to the whiskered Sanrio character and offers afternoon tea service and themed merch. It’s open daily, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Coming Soon
Campus Burgers — the local spot known for its burger deals starting at $1.99 — is opening a second location at the former Park Station Hashery site near the rose gardens. A debut date has yet to be announced, but the restaurant plans to offer 1,000 free smashburgers on opening day.
Civic
San Jose is cracking down on vehicles parked on city streets with expired registrations of six months or more. Enforcement teams are currently issuing warnings but starting Sunday, Aug. 17, vehicles could be towed immediately. To bolster enforcement resources, the city has ended its Extended Parking Stay Enforcement pilot program.
Kids
Danny the Dragon rides again. After months of construction, Happy Hollow Park & Zoo reopened its beloved Danny the Dragon ride this week — a park staple since 1961. The “reimagined” ride takes visitors through five lands and a new story where Danny discovers that “home is where the heart is.”
Development
Planning will begin next month for a $53 million renovation to the physical education complex at De Anza College in Cupertino. The project will include expanding instructional space to accommodate more students, adding safety systems, and upgrading infrastructure for more tech use. Construction should start in 2027. (The Mercury News)
Biz
Here’s the tea — San Jose native and NFL star Chidobe “Chido” Awuzie is now an investor in Nirvana Soul Coffee. The local coffee shop says this will fuel growth and community impact. Awuzie said he’s happy to support “the kind of spaces I wish I saw more of growing up.”
Award
The California Transportation Foundation recently named SJ’s reconstructed Trimble Road/De La Cruz Boulevard overpass the “Interchange Project of the Year.” The stretch over US-101 debuted in August 2024 with safety improvements, more capacity for traffic, and a dedicated walking + biking path. This is the project’s sixth major award.
Read
July is Disability Pride Month, a time to celebrate the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act and advocate for inclusion. To learn more, the San Jose Public Library has put together this list of young adult books about disabilities and neurodivergence, from memoirs to graphic novels.
Number
The San Jose Public Library says a record 10,000+ residents signed up for its Summer Learning program. So far, San Joseans have logged more than 40,000 books and read nearly 700,000 minutes. If you want in, there’s still time to sign up — the program runs through Thursday, July 31.
Try This
When you design your kitchen in 3D, you know what you’re getting before the hammering starts. See every color and finish in front of you with Lowe’s Style Studio, SJ’s new immersive, free-to-try virtual customization tool. Here’s how it works.*
Looking for an at-home way to earn a bit of extra income? Test new snacks, try new products, and give feedback on films and shows through L&E Opinions’ market research studies. 100% of studies are paid, and it’s free to sign up.*
Wellness
Shaped to arouse the whole you, this FDA-registered vibrating ring adjusts to your unique shape to support arousal, natural lubrication, and overall intimate wellness. (For the 77% of our readers who are women, consider this part of your self-care toolkit.) Bonus:Save 30%.*
Home
Imagine stepping into a sleek, modern shower and not tripping over a peeling tub. HomeBuddy can match you with a local pro for a spa-worthy remodel — get a free estimate.*
“Living My Best Life” singer-songwriter Ben Rector was in San Jose last weekend for a golf trip and he had dinner at The Second Wife, a new Indian restaurant on Skyport Drive near the airport.
Rector praised the owners for their hospitality and putting their all into their business, even if their dream of owning a restaurant is scary and difficult. He also said the food was “genuinely delicious.”
Save hundreds when you shop Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale for top deals on apparel, home, beauty, and more. We’re adding these five to our cart before they sell out:
The fun doesn’t have to end here. After reading the newsletter, head over to our games page. Games refresh with new challenges every day at 6 a.m. from crossword puzzle to Sudoku to themed word search.
As someone who grew up listening to Los Enanitos Verdes, I was so excited to see them in our events calendar this week. It brought back sweet childhood memories of my brothers and I blasting the jams on our little boombox, singing “Cada Vez Que Digo Adiós” at the top of our lungs. Lowkey (OK, off-key), we still do it as adults.
What’s a band or song that’s woven into your core memories? Let me know — I’d love to hear all about it; I’m sure you sing beautifully.
‡‡This is a paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals. Under Regulation A+, a company has the ability to change its share price by up to 20%, without requalifying the offering with the SEC.
}})
}})
