|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Santa Clara has a new pregame spot for 49ers’ home games that’s both family-friendly and dog-friendly.
Clara’s Junction, opening Thursday, Sept. 26, is a social gathering hub featuring a sit-down restaurant, a taco truck, a barbecue pit, cornhole, fire pits and more. It’s located just a 10-minute walk away from Levi’s Stadium and will be part of a new mixed-use community called the Clara District. Clara’s Junction and the Clara District are owned by real estate investment firm Ensemble.
“(Clara’s Junction) is almost like a backyard barbecue,” said Adam Rosenbaum, president and COO of Apicii, the hospitality management group behind the culinary program at Clara’s Junction. “You could hang out at Clara’s Junction for four or five hours and have a great time.”
While the feel of Clara’s Junction may be like a barbecue (and barbecue will be served out of The Pit), the food offerings are more diverse. The main restaurant, located inside a former Carl’s Jr., will offer elevated bar classics like smash burgers and chipotle chicken nachos, healthy options like ancient-grain bowls and tuna poke, mains like steak frites and tri tip sandwiches and seasonal specials. For drinks, find cocktails, non-alcoholic options and a rotating selection of local beers.
“It’s all approachable, casual, and it complements the good time of just hanging outside, walking around,” said Apicii chef Daniel Sharp, who spearheaded menu development at Clara’s Junction.
Step into the restaurant’s backyard and find The Pit BBQ and Taz’s Tacos on weekends and game days. Both are original concepts created by Apicii, and Taz’s Tacos is named after Tasman Drive, where Clara’s Junction is located. Expect Carolina pulled pork, St. Louis style ribs and Korean barbecue short ribs at The Pit and chicken tinga, beef birria and Baja fish tacos at Taz’s tacos.
“It’s nice to be in a restaurant environment where it’s not just linear, there’s a lot of avenues of exploration for the guests,” Rosenbaum said. “You can go in with a group of six friends and have a beer and play cornhole. You can go for a happy hour with your office and get the taco truck. You can come in for a pregame meal.”
Clara’s Junction plans to host sporting-event watch parties, happy hour, live music and trivia nights.
“It’s a place to really create a sense of community and really a convivial kind of environment where people from different backgrounds are going to be able to get together and have different experiences,” said Tom Dillon, CEO of Apicii.
Clara’s Junction, 2221 Tasman Drive, Santa Clara; Instagram: @clarasjunction. Open Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Pit BBQ and Taz’s Tacos truck operate Friday to Sunday, noon to 8 p.m. and always on game days.
Dig into food news. Follow the Peninsula Foodist on Instagram and subscribe to the newsletter to get insights on the latest openings and closings, learn what the Foodist is excited about eating, read exclusive interviews and keep up on the trends affecting local restaurants.
Correction: This article has been updated following new information from Clara’s Junction that it will not be offering bocce ball or serving salmon skewers. The spelling of Daniel Sharp’s name and his job title have also been updated.
