A new addition to the food scene has arrived in Downtown San Jose with the soft opening of Entre Comales at 330 S. Third St. This taqueria and pupuseria steps into the space once occupied by the well-known Iguanas Burritozilla, bringing a wave of Latin flavors to the neighborhood. Residents and visitors now have a new spot to explore authentic Salvadoran dishes right in the heart of the city.
A new spot for all-day meals arrives in Downtown San Jose with the opening of Poppy & Claro at 50 West San Fernando Street, right next to the San Jose Museum of Art. This restaurant fills a hole once occupied by the members-only Capital Club, which closed in December 2024. It's a welcoming venue open to everyone from office workers to museum visitors. Set to launch on Thursday, October 16, it will operate from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
"It became obvious with our partners that the level of business was not sustainable," Levine told San José Spotlight. "We tried multiple pivots over the last nine months in terms of dining room layout, menus, etc. and just didn't find a formula that connected with guests."
I'm glad that instead of building something brand new which it could have done pretty much anywhere Hillbrook decided to bring its students to downtown San Jose and specifically to two historic but vacant buildings near St. James Park that required millions of dollars of renovation. That was a very intentional decision to have a school in downtown San Jose and have this idea of the city as a classroom, Head of School Mark Silver said.
Project developer Jay Paul Co. and broker Newmark, a commercial real estate firm, believe Cityview is one of downtown San Jose's best locations. There is nothing else like Cityview in downtown San Jose, said Phil Mahoney, a Newmark executive vice chairman. This is an entirely new, mixed-use project on 11 acres at the center of downtown. Real estate executives are hopeful because project developer Jay Paul Co. is bolstered by a long track record of success in the Bay Area.
Downtown San Jose has produced an upswing in economic activity, with jobs and foot traffic showing improvement amidst broader economic headwinds. In the 2025 fiscal year, downtown San Jose accommodated an estimated 27,400 jobs, up 8.3% from the previous year. Despite high office vacancy levels at 29%, average asking office rents improved slightly to $4.37 per square foot, signaling positive changes in the commercial real estate market.
Westbank purchased the Charles Davidson Building at 255 West Julian St. in downtown San Jose for approximately $14.2 million, utilizing Acore Capital Mortgage financing of up to $207.9 million.
