Firehouse No.1 Gastropub
| Address: | 69 N San Pedro St, San Jose, CA 95110, USA |
| Phone: | +1 408-287-6969 |
| Site: | firehouse1.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–12AM 11:30AM–12AM 11:30AM–12AM 11:30AM–2AM 11:30AM–2AM 4:30PM–2AM 11AM–12AM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 9
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Christopher Humphrey
Appetizer: Fried Calamari (seasonal special) Entree: Firehouse Burger, medium rare Side: Arugula Salad tl;dr: Satisfying, high-quality food; a little pricey but I got what I paid for The fried calamari was chewy - as expected for calamari - but still tender enough to be manageable. The breading had a good crisp, with a light pepper seasoning that worked well to offset the oil, but it also had a tendency to fall off the squid bits. This was served with a very complex spicy Mayo dip, with a subtle, almost fruity undertone to it. The arugula salad was very unexpected, in how far it got with so little accompaniment. Other than a slight sweetnsour edge from the dressing, the arugula is all you can taste here. But I wasnt left chewing disconsolately, like I often am with underseasoned greens; they were savory and, again, slightly peppery, in a way that almost buries the expected bitterness. An enjoyable eye-opener. The Firehouse Burger has the beef as its centerpiece, and for good reason - its high-quality, rich, savory deliciousness. The usual burger veggies (tomato, lettuce, &c) were served on the side, almost embarrassed to accompany the burger lest they detract attention from the main event. They do cut the beefs richness when used, though its debatable whether thats a good thing! ;) This was our third choice in the area after other restaurants didnt pan out, but even though we didnt have a reservation they were able to find us a table for two.
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Walter Scott
Stopped here on a Saturday night for dinner with friends, and thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Somebody else described as heavy comfort food, and Id have to agree. The small plates were pretty generous portions for the price, and we ordered several to share, including mac & cheese, calamari, pork belly, chicken wings and the charcuterie platter. Everything was cooked perfectly, and we were pretty full by the end of the night. Drinks were great, too - Habanero Matador and Barrel Aged Goddess were great. Decor is very cool and casual - its old school exposed brick, and they have seating in the back and in the patio out front. Parking lot is directly across the street, and they do validate the parking as well. I would just advise checking the Sharks schedule because we left when the game let out, and it was pretty difficult getting out of the parking lot (or even better, get there early and dont be forced to park on the 6th floor like we did...). One star off for the loudness - I get that its a bar, but after 9PM it was so loud it was hard to hear everybody else at the table. Make a reservation as it does get pretty full.
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Barbara Ross
Ive eaten here a couple of times and I have to say I was never disappointed! Its the perfect place for a small intimate outing with your significant other or drinking buddy. For one, you can taste the quality of the ingredients. There isnt much on the menu but everything Ive had here so far has been excellent---from the food all the way down to the cocktails. They also have an awesome selection of craft beer. I highly recommend getting the Bone Marrow to start. Wings are also good. Today I had the steak and fries and comes with a side of arugula salad (my favorite kind of greens). So delicious! They make a special butter with spices that they pair PERFECTLY with the steak. One other thing, the place is pretty small so I always ask for outdoor seating. Ive never eaten or drank inside since its a very tight space.
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Luis Mijangos
Had dinner here for the first time.when we arrived here they were nice. we order a bottle of wine they came back and told us they didnt have that wine any more so they offer us a new one witch was to dry $87 for the bottle and only had 1 glass of Wine we couldnt drink that wine . After 20 minutes of waiting finally one server came and took the order! We order Mac and chesse one burger and one NY Steak. Took them at least 40 minutes for our food to finally come out. Our Mac and Chesse never came out. I am a chef and let me tell you this was one of the best steak Ive ever had it was cook perfectly tender and tasty after all only the food was good even though it was late I would never go back service was really bad.
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Ben Falter
Food was okay; service wasnt impressive. Pros: Small focused menu, servers who are willing to engage you share their favorites etc. Cons: Our server, Rog, seemed to be focused on telling tourists where to go in SF, pushing another table to have shots of alcohol they didnt know what they were being served. A few small services misses added up; a bar drink of ours given to next table and never acknowledged, didnt ask how food was once we had a chance to take a bite, and an empty beverage glasses not acknowledged until we were ready to leave. Deep fryer not at right temp chicken and homemade chips had good taste but way too greasy. Id come again if friends forced me; otherwise plenty other options around
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Jared Fountain
Came here Friday night around 7:30pm. Pretty busy. Place is small, so if you plan to eat, try to make reservations. Place looks a little divey, but the food menu and drinks main has something or everyone. To eat I had the bacon gouda mac and cheese, which was really good. To drink, i ordered the gypsy sour, which was also very good. Service is just ok here. I think they might need 2 servers, because one server is not enough for the number of tables. We had to flag our server to order. We also werent notified that there was a shift change, so we just flagged someone down to get our check. Overall, I still liked it here. Would probably opt to sit at the bar next time.
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Jerome Ross
I chose this place to eat because Leizel had posted about it just a few hours earlier. I am glad I made the choice to come there, because Leizel was right on! Their Mac&Cheese was AMAZING. The cheese, bacon and potato chip crumble was like heaven on the tongue. The husbeastie had their cheese burger and I treated myself to a large pork chop. The burger was served with a salad, and the husbeast said it was delicious and well cooked. My pork chop was served with brocolini and polenta. While I didnt enjoy the polenta - its not my favorite side, the brocolini was delicious. I loved the pork chop. it was cooked to perfection. Our waitress was fabulous.
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Josh Hampton
I am always hesitant to try gastropubs. It seems that most restaurants that try to bill themselves as a "Gastropub" are trying to just latch onto the term to justify charging extra for common, boring fare. Not so here. Everything I had was house made and delicious. They even have sour ales available on tap, which I find fantastic. I ate the sausage sandwich which was absolutely divine. Extremely flavorful and moist, each bite giving my mouth another pleasurable flavor experience. The bread pudding and creme brulee were excellent and if I were forced to choose between the two, it would be an impossible decision.
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Dave B
A friend and I tried this out on a whim while looking for a place to catch up in downtown SJ. Overall the food was pretty good and the staff was friendly. The angry prawns were suitably upset about being eaten, The pork sliders were great, and the beer and cocktail selection was good. The real star of the show was the lower-middle-class onion dip which accompanied the home-made fries. It was just like the dip my mom used to make, but I would never tell her that what she made was lower-middle-class. She was decidedly upper-middle-class.
