Strata Restaurant Review: Downtown San Jose's Newest Spot | Metro Silicon Valley | Silicon Valley's Leading Weekly

"In 2023, the MIRO building replaced the parking lot across the street from city hall. Rollati Ristorante moved into the ground floor. The interior design referenced mid-century modernism with a color scheme subtly inspired by il Tricolore, the three colors of the Italian flag. Rollati's was a cheerful place to have a meal. The pasta and pizza dishes were reasonably priced comforting iterations of familiar favorites. The bar and lounge area was spacious and inviting. But diners didn't embrace it. The restaurant closed late last summer, less than two years later."

"Strāta, from the M.O. Hospitality collective, is opening in its place this month. M.O. operates several San Jose concepts including Paper Plane, Alter Ego and Eos & Nyx. To succeed where Rollati failed, the collective has mastered the art of social media presentation and messaging. Everything looks great online, from the friendly party vibes to the colorful drinks and the photogenic dishes."

"IRL the food and drinks work in theory as conceptual concepts. At a recent media preview meal, every dish I ate left me underwhelmed. When I got home that night, I made a peanut butter and blackberry jam sandwich to cleanse my palate."

"“Realistically, when we open the door and start doing business, everybody who walks in the door is a critic,” Rich said, nodding to the immediate impact of Yelp reviews and online influencers. “We have to take that seriously and understand people are coming in spending their hard-earned money with us and so there is no excuse for not being there.”"

In 2023, the MIRO building replaced a parking lot across from city hall, and Rollati Ristorante opened on the ground floor with a mid-century modern interior and a color palette subtly inspired by the Italian flag. The restaurant offered reasonably priced, comforting pasta and pizza, plus a spacious bar and lounge, but diners did not embrace it. Rollati closed less than two years later. Strāta is opening in its place under the M.O. Hospitality collective, which runs other San Jose concepts. The new restaurant’s online presence emphasizes friendly party vibes, colorful drinks, and photogenic dishes. A media preview meal left the food and drinks underwhelming, and a later conversation with Evan Rich framed reviews as immediate, with every first-time guest acting like a critic.

Read at Metro Silicon Valley | Silicon Valley's Leading Weekly