Zanotto’s Downtown Market

My heart dies a little every time I pass by this store. It’s just sad to see family businesses fail. Oh well, they still got two other stores.
Zanotto’s Downtown Market was once glorious, with delicious sushi, stocked shelves, firm fuzzy peaches, fresh produce, and some hipster-​esque, trendy grocery items (think eggplant and garlic hummus flavored organic flax chips with spirulina).
Now, the tuna sushi pieces are suspiciously purple, empty freezers with sad signs, mushy peaches, and Cheez-it’s scattered on strangely placed shelves.
The sandwiches are still good, though.
It really kills me to see a small business struggling to keep up with the big corporations that are able to offer a wider array of grocery items at competitive prices. I am hating myself for giving Zanotto’s a two-​star review, but on the bright side, Zanotto’s will soon put its best foot forward and open a deli nearby. So even though there won’t be any hipster groceries, the delicious, fulfilling sandwiches will survive and continue to serve the downtown community.

I just wanted to reiterate that I’m a fan of this place. Salad bar and deli rocks! Unfortunately, the rest of the store doesn’t seem to garner many patrons.
Overheard an employee there today saying that there could be some changes coming this summer…

I love that this place is only a couple blocks away from where I work, I come here all the time for BLTs on dutch crunch. They make a great sandwich, with fresh ingredients and lots of topping options. The people behind the counter are ridiculously nice. Most of the time they’ll «forget» to charge me for the extra bacon on my BLTs.
Now excuse me while I go make sweet, sweet love to this sandwich.

Produce and meat do not appear fresh. Resisted buying the strawberries and cherry tomatoes… but learned the hard way on the meat. picked up a chicken thigh on Tuesday… placed it immediately in the fridge when I got home. Took it out this morning (Thurs) to use and it had already gone bad. Nasty stench.
Lots of homeless people loitering around the parking area…
I heard and read the sandwiches are good so I will go back to try it. but not at this location…

I was curious about this market since I usually visit the Safeway closest to it. I was highly impressed with the produce prices. They are the lowest I’ve seen anywhere. The quality seems great. Now their dry goods are more expensive than Safeway. But the produce is less than half the cost of Safeway on average. The customer service was great. I think this may be my new produce spot. I feel healthier just thinking about it. :)

It’s like a Trader Joe’s with an awesome Deli.
Pros:
–Wide selection of unique groceries
–Deli is packed with all sorts of goodies. You could eat lunch every day here and have something different. (Soup, Sandwich, Sushi, Salad, hot deli (wings, fried yummies,))
–Eating area inside and outside for lunch
–Next to a VTA Stop for VTA users (also see con)
Cons:
–Next to a VTA stop for non-​VTA users means there’s always a hustler or homeless nearby
–A little pricey for their items
–Limited selection of produce, meats and fish. I would not do my actual shopping here, but just the grocery portion.

This review is strictly for the deli sandwiches.. .
My dad likes to think he’s a deli sandwich connoisseur, and since he delivers to the downtown area he used to always pick me sandwiches up from here and drop them off at my work. They are… AMAZING. I love the fact that you can fill out a little sandwich form that lets you check off what you want on it. There are a lot of options for condiments, cheeses, and extras (like sprouts!) none of which cost extra, and there is a lot of great meat available. My favorite is the pastrami sandwich on dutch crunch. You can even order half a sandwich, which is a pretty good deal because that option isn’t usually available at other places.
Overall the sandwich is about $ 5-​$ 6, which is about the same as a place like Togos which has old ingredients and lousy bread (don’t get me started on places like that). I’ve been trying to tell as many people about their sandwiches as possible, especially because as a market they are in direct competition with Safeway (and probably losing because they are rather expensive… but they do have a good variety of fresh produce and organic meals). GO GO GO!

Although some of their items can be a bit pricey, Zanotto’s has a great selection fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, and unique items I can’t find anywhere else. They also have a pretty good selection of wines, plus hard alcohol.
They have a great salad bar, which is almost always fully stocked and has a great variety of fruits and veggies, and its also a great inexpensive choice for a healthy meal. There’s a good selection of soups, too. They have a deli with made to order sandwiches, as well as cakes, muffins, etc.
They just renovated the inside, and it looks nice — not completely finished, but there’s much more indoor seating now.

The deli makes a really fab tri-​tip sandwich! I was craving one for lunch the other day and Unilocaled tri-​tip and came up with Zanotto’s, and I was not disappointed! Super yum!

I’ve been to this branch twice. I ventured in mostly to buy water when I do my summer walks.
It’s always a pleasure to walk into any Zanotto’s for that matter. The sandwiches are always amazing. The soup. Their soup is just so authentic and so good. My fav is the clam chowder and the noodle soup.
I know for a fact that they make a fresh batch of soup everyday. I walked in at the Bascom branch around 8:30 pm one night and they were about to get rid of their soups. I was able to buy some but I was happy to know that they don’t just reheat them the following day!
Their fresh fruits are fresh! Reminds me of my other fav. Andronicos.
This particular branch in DTSJ is not as nice to sit outside as the one in Bascom but will do.
Otherwise the whole pleasant experience is still captured at both branches.

This is the market to go to in the heart downtown San Jose. My friend used to live in the apartments adjacent to this place, so I used to come here a lot on the weekends for my «hangover breakfast,» which consisted of Gatorade, powdered donuts, and Advil.
Buy hey, Zanotto’s has more to offer than just simple hangover cures. It has hangover causes as well. There is plenty of beer, wine, and hard liqour to choose from. And for those that live a much healthier lifestyle than I do, Zanotto’s features the freshest and most impressive produce you’ll find anywhere outside of Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. The veggies here are excellent. Throw in a friendly and helpful butcher staff and you have pretty much all you need to make meals worth eating at home.
My favorite thing about this place is the café/​deli section. The sandwiches are amazing and taste better and cost less than any sandwich place you’ll find in downtown San Jose. And for those watching their figures, the salads and soups are great.
When it comes down to it, Zanotto’s is one of the best lunch options in downtown San Jose.
I just hope the inferior «market» down the street doesn’t run this place out of business.
That would definitely suck.

Choices, choices!
The deli here seems to be a pretty popular spot for the downtown lunch rush. Filling out the sandwich form was very helpful picking out your custom sandwich at your own pace. There’s no pressure for you to hurry up and order!
It took me a few minutes to decide with the list of tempting sandwich combinations… but I ended up getting a half salsa turkey sandwich on a Ciabatta with pepper jack. Along with a small cup of chowder, my $ 6 half sandwich and soup combo was quite filling.
Really good sandwich! Looking forward to my future custom sandwich.

Great sandwiches.
It is the kinda place you should go with someone who has been there before though; you kinda need to know what your doing. In the back of the store there are 2 wood podiums with sandwich forms. Their ingredients are all awesome. The soups are all really good. They have other hot & prepared food available, most things there are over priced but really good. I don’t really care for the enchiladas myself. They have some outdoor seating that is really nice.

Their paninis are good, but a little expensive. I’m sure you can make a good sandwich out of their ingredients too, but I’m not so good at doing that. I put spicy mustard on my last sandwich, and it knocked the socks off me, and not in a good way.
But the chicken pesto panini was delicious.

Zanotto’s is that great neighborhood market that you love going to because the quality is always fabulous but cringe every time your total comes up at the checkout counter. Eh — sometimes quality/​organic/​local has its price :)
Since Suviande opened up a block away from my work, I haven’t needed to swing by Zanotto’s as much as I used to for those last minute ingredients (produce, spice, etc.) But what I love about this market is their deli section and salad bar. Sandwiches are made to order and ginormous! Packed with deli meats, veggies, schmears, and just about anything else you want to throw on them. For about $ 6/​sammy, you can feel good about what you’ve just eaten. Soups are also made fresh daily… veggie minestrone has been my personal fav. Salad bar is always stocked with a great variety of goodies to choose from… so good and colorful, that you almost forget you’re eating healthy :)
And as my sister always says, «eat by a variety of colors». She’s a smart gal :)

San Jose has a downtown that is on the verge of being really good. There are a number of places to go on any given night, but at the same time, a number are closed, even on a Thursday. So, living a bit north of downtown on the light rail, I try to get down there for any reason I can devise, even though I know any particular destination may be closed.
But this night was special. This particular time was the night I picked up my newly-​sharpened knives and took them on a stroll through the darkened alleyways and by-​ways of downtown San Jose to see who I could see and follow them for a while.
Okay, just kidding. But if you do find yourself picking up newly-​sharpened knives, make sure you have a good, non-​obvious way to carry them. Some sort of large bag is good, but you also need something to fit snugly around the blade, lest they poke through and stab you in the back. I took an oven mit, though they did stick a cork on the point, which was a nice touch.
In addition to using the Cutting Edge to sharpen knives, Zanotto’s catered my apartment complex’s holiday party. Yes, they cater, and yes my apt complex had a holiday party. The brie with fruit sauce on top was amazing. I didn’t try anything else, though it looked good. Just a little cheese and a lot of wine, thank you very much! (Not winning any of the door prizes, I felt I deserved it!)
The other thing I know about Zanotto’s is that this is the place to come if you like steak. I mean big, healthy, Texan-​sized steaks. Depending on when you come here, it can be difficult to pick out a steak for one. The last one I got would have fed a date, had I had one. Instead, I gorged myself on some rib-​eye and then cut the remainder into thin slices for a morning omlette.
It can be a little more expensive than other stores, but there is a great wine selection and it is not more expensive than, say, Whole Foods, and they are a lot further!

Cute little grocery store nestled in downtown San Jose.
Do some shopping, walk over the road for a beer in San Jose Bar & Grill followed by a tasty meal in PF-​Changs. All in the same block. Sweet.
Fine selection of cheeses and fresh meats. I’m dying to taste the «secret black marinade» tri-​tip. It looked yummy.
The breads looked fresh and tasty too — especially the ciabatta rolls.
They also have a surprisingly good choice of wines for reasonable prices. We even saw Opus One and Camus !!!
Finally, I couldn’t finish his review without mentioning the happy and helpful staff.
Its just a shame this place is downtown… On the bright side, you can get your parking across the street validated — just watch you dont get hit by VTA as you make the left turn (JeannetteZ).

This review is for the deli only. The grocery store prices here are astronomical.
The deli is very good. One of the best places to grab a sandwich in downtown San Jose. They have these order forms you fill out and place on the counter. They use very high quality ingredients and have a good selection of meats, cheese, breads, and condiments to choose from. A whole sandwich costs $ 5.50, only 50 cents higher than a foot long at Subway, but the quality is head and shoulders better.

Incredible salads (my fav is the Club Med), fab marinaded meats (great for grilling), all the spices and stuff in cook books you can never find in a Safeway.
I love to grab a salad or sushi (made with brown rice) and sit at one of the tables out front and people watch.
They even have an SJSU discount, so bring your student ID.

Happened upon this market on an after dinner stroll from my downtown hotel. Figured I could get a few apples, some juice, and maybe nab a good specialty beer if the selection and prices were right. I also needed some ibuprofen, too, and it looked as though I could get it all here.
I got the urban Whole Foods vibe that David D wrote about as well, with a little less shine and a little more down-​homeyness. I like finding places like this in cities I’m visiting. Definitely a welcome alternative over the high priced, poorly stocked gift stores located in most hotels.
The place had a nice produce section, a decent looking salad bar, and what looked like a fine selection of cheeses and the like. I mostly shopped the perimeter of the place, and only wandered down a few aisles.
The beer selection was good too, albeit a bit expensive, with a few selections from the folks at the New Belgium Brewing Co, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale. In the end I settled for a Rogue American Amber Ale in a single bomber bottle, as the others were in six-​packs and there’s no way I could finish them all in time for my flight tomorrow!
I also got some apples, some water, ibuprophen and a magazine, too.
I normally don’t buy the name brand OTC drugs, but I must say, I was shocked at the prices for the mainstream stuff they carried! Thankfully they had an «off brand» for just over $ 3 — I usually pay $ 2.99 for the Target brand — but when I got to the checkout counter it wouldn’t scan. This seemed to annoy the checker since the beer wouldn’t scan either, but whatever.
Another employee went for a price check on both items. She shouted «$ 4.89 for that, and $ 5.99 for the beer.» The beer price was way high too — more than Whole Foods sells similar, but that’s what it said on the shelf, so I was OK with that. Places like this don’t have the volume advantage of a WF market.
But $ 4.89 for the ibuprofen? Um, I don’t think so. That was nearly $ 2 more than the posted price. The price checker seemed pissed that I quibbled about the price, so I went to go look for myself — the register was right in front of the HBA aisle — and sure enough, it was $ 3.09.
I barely got a thank you from the cashier, who put all my stuff (including the magazine and a «sweating» beer bottle) in a single plastic bag — no choice of paper or plastic as with the customers before me. Obviously she was more than ready to go on her break, which she loudly announced as she pushed my stuff down the conveyor belt and walked away.
Thankfully the young man at the next register was quite pleasant when I asked for a small paper bag to wrap the beer in, and another plastic grocery bag so I could double the one I had.
Not exactly a pleasant shopping experience, but since I plan to regularly attend a huge industry conference held annually at the San Jose Convention Center, it’s good to know this place is within walking distance.
Now if only I could get my groceries without attitude!