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    The Bywater

    3.7 (811 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

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    THE BYWATER ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - The Bywater

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    Manny G.

    Solid all around. The service was exceptional. The food was delicious. Fried chicken was on point. Shrimp po boy was dressed perfectly. The greens are something to try. The grits were meh. The front of the house could have been a bit more inviting. Great spot for brunch.

    Trini S.

    Wow! Wow! Wow! A true 5 star meal. Everything was delicious and they have a spectacular happy hour menu that allows for you to try a bit of everything. These portions were Happy Hour portions- very generous! Service was quick and they were very busy, so we appreciate how they were straight to the point. Will definitely come back and bring all the friends!! Ambiance is lively and casual.

    Alyssa R.

    Since we were in the area we decided to try this place for their brunch. Their selection was a little small to choose from and prices were a bit high for their portions. I had the breakfast plate with brisket and got a side of gravy. It was good and the brisket was tender but nothing too special, although the gravy was a bit salty for me. My husband had their smoked meat po boy with andouille sausage. We liked their bbq sauces though. We sat at their outdoor patio under a heater which was nice since we had our dog. So they're pet friendly! It was just odd to see the bill that they require a 4% surcharge to cover tipping even though it also asks for an additional tip? Which was new to us. Otherwise it was a cute establishment.

    Seafood Gumbo
    Jake B.

    We absolutely loved our meal at The Bywater. We had high hopes and were still blown away by everything. Our favorite was definitely the shrimp po boy, but the hush puppies and gumbo were both delicious as well. Will for sure be back!

    House Old Fashion.
    James L.

    Bywater is an amazing by restaurant from the atmosphere, food and beverages. We ate the hush puppies, gumbo, the shrimp and the oyster Po Boys and the smoked game hen which was beyond amazing. Service sucked! I believe her name was Shawnda or something like that. She acted as if we were a burden from the moment she greeted us. For a dining establishment such as this I would expect more. My 5 stars are for the restaurant and the food.

    Front entrance
    Lily S.

    I'm working my way through my Michelin Bib Gourmand list, and The Bywater is next up. Upon entering, there's a vintage New Orleans vibe. There's 2 outdoor seating areas, both a bit rustic compared to the inside space. We came for lunch, and today the clientele were mostly seniors (which is cool with me). We had the lunch special, which includes a po boy of your choice, fries or salad, and a drink. We also tried a couple of other classic Nola dishes, which we really enjoyed. The food was more mild than I expected, except for the seafood gumbo which brought a little bit of heat. What we ordered: + Hot link sausage po boy with fries - surprisingly the sausage was not hot at all. It was a good sausage but not sure why they call it a hot link. The fries were incredible - super crispy with nice creole seasoning. + Catfish po boy with salad - nicely fried catfish with a cornmeal batter served on a roll that's wonderfully soft and fluffy. The only thing lacking was some pickles to give the sandwich another dimension. The salad was excellent with many different lettuces and herbs in a vinaigrette dressing. + Broiled oyster Musca - first time having oysters, and these were so smooth and juicy. The buttery crumb topping added a nice texture. + Seafood gumbo - finally something with some heat. This had great blacken flavor, lots of seafood, a little rice.

    Beignets
    Jessica L.

    Fun casual Louisiana style restaurant with high vibes and strong drinks! Indoors is lively bar vibes, and they have a large outdoor patio with plenty of heaters which is great for a large group or a dog. At nighttime, they have a smoker going which has really strong smoke smells, so don't wear anything nice. The menu has a wide price range from burgers/hot dog to prime rib, so there's something for everyone to enjoy. They also have a large drink menu that is reasonably priced.

    Menu
    Sayeeda A.

    The ambience is very cute, vintage Louisiana vibes, the staff was respectful and friendly. We ordered a few items from the menu: the hush puppies (came out a little too deep fried, was lacking flavor. Could've redeemed the missing flavor with the sauce that came with it, but it was just maple syrup type sauce), the broiled oysters were yummy, and the pot de creme, though a bit on the sweeter side was pretty yummy.

    Gumbo bowl
    Mitzy M.

    What a fabulous little find! I had walked by here a handful of times and the name stuck out, but it wasn't until it was suggested to go here for lunch on Valentine's Day that I was pleasantly surprised to find a New Orleans restaurant in the heart of Los Gatos. We started with mediocre coffee but it's coffee. Would like to see an improvement on that but otherwise zero complaints. Fried oysters had a great breading. The cocktail sauce had a surprising kick of horseradish and was delightful The po boy was HUGE with so much shrimp, it was never ending ! Crisped to perfection and the ratios of ingredients was exactly what I wanted. Husband got the gumbo bowl and ate it all up! I'm pretty sure he would've licked the bowl if he wouldn't have been stared at. Can't wait to go back again !

    Bywater Beignets
    Gabe Y.

    Okay so now my newest experience at the Bywater was fantastic. My ideal meal anytime I go here now would be the starter of shishito peppers, the muffuletta, finished by the butterscotch pudding as dessert. The new item of shishito peppers are predominantly seasoned with mam nem which is like a fish sauce. Pairing this mam nem with subtle lemongrass gave vibes of Vietnamese cuisine. The large chunks of sweet pineapple that gave a nice acid touch to cut through the savoriness. The muffuletta is really a delight to eat. The meats, cheese and olive spread is such a flavor bomb. It has crispy crunchy outside due to being a pressed sandwich and a super moist interior. This is definitely something that's uncommon to find elsewhere at any sandwich places and thus a must try/have. Lastly the butterscotch pudding is great because it gives you the deep roasty flavor, not too sweet, and with the flaky salt makes it that much better. Fantastic music and friendly laid back staff that give a buddy buddy vibe. I would come back for specifically these items.

    Beignets
    Julie S.

    2nd time to Bywater- this time for brunch with our daughter. Everything was tasty a our favorites are seafood gumbo, shrimp salad, biscuit, andouille sausage and the beignets. Service was great! We really like the ambiance.

    Crawdad eggs Benedict, mind blowing delicious!
    Pamela Z.

    For this tiny little place, the food was absolute perfection! This might seem like a little hole in the wall in Los Gatos, but boy does the food scream, New Orleans. Everything we had was absolute perfection. We ended up ordering the beignets without the powdered sugar or chocolate sauce, just because we didn't want the extra sugar. They were so delicious all by themselves. It came with three and that was more than enough to share. We highly recommend this place! We will definitely be back over and over again. The staff was attentive and very friendly. I loved their iced tea. Our server brought the box out for me to see, so that I could order some myself if I ever wanted it at home.

    Shrimp and grits
    Lexi R.

    I'm pretty torn about this place! I'm such a sucker for shrimp and grits, but I did not enjoy the one from here. The grit had a nice texture, but I didn't really like the flavor of the sauce and the shrimp were a bit overcooked. On the flipside, the brisket was pretty good! Some pieces were more tender than others but overall I enjoyed it and the biscuit is delicious here! It's so soft and melts in your mouth! The crawfish Benedict was OK. Nothing too special about it and it doesn't even come with a side. Service was great! There's both indoor and outdoor seating which is nice . Definitely a mixed experience for me.

    Todays specials! (26April 2025)

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    We love the happy hour, it's all week long ! Great oysters and grilled cheese the BBQ brisket is killer!

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    Good food and service, but super overpriced. The patio out back is really nice for summer days.

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    Page 1 of 21

    Ask the Community - The Bywater

    Can i bring my pup to the patio?

    Is HH menu only served at the bar or at the table as well?

    i think its served at both.

    Is the brunch menu served on Saturdays? What hours?

    Yes Sat & Sun 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. per their Insta

    Is there any vegan options or things that can be made vegan :)?

    No, not really. My husband looked into that for a team lunch in the Before Times, and was told that they might be able to put together one dish after they had the reservation. But no, you won't be able to walk in and get something vegan. That's not… Read more

    Happy hour? What time?

    On their website it says Every Day 3-5

    View All 6 Questions

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    Los Gatos Cafe

    Los Gatos Cafe

    4.3
    (2.6k reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    Hey there Party People…read more I had heard of this place from friends so I decided to try it. I confused this place with another restaurant when I did my first review. So I want to set the record straight because Los Gatos Cafe was a really good experience. It's a small place but there are outside tables as well. You can order lunch at any time as well as breakfast. We started with Banana Chocolate Chip pancakes. Holy smokes they were the bomb. They had a ton of fresh bananas inside as well as a nice amount of chocolate chips on top. I had the Hot Turkey and Pear sandwich. I know the combo sounds weird but it was super tasty. The pear added crunch and sweetness to the sandwich. There was also a good dose of grilled onions to go with the owie gooey cheese....yum. Hubby had the Granite Flank Steak Sandwich . It was smothered in Gorgonzola cheese with a good portion of Flank Steak. The steak was tender and well seasoned. It was the perfect flavor bite. So going to add this place to the frequent flier list. Be kind to one another

    Not very good. Thickest Swedish pancakes I've ever had. Can compare with fast food or ihop…read more(actually I like ihop more). Service was very prompt and fast. When the lady shoved the pancakes on our table the lake of molten fat the Swedish pancakes were swimming in poured directly on to my pants through the gaps in the metal table (the tables do not have tablecloths, they are totally bare). They even brought the check soon after bringing us our food and told us we could pay whenever we were ready. UPDATE: 5 hours after eating here, still feeling over full and sick like I ate something with a lot of the wrong kind of fat. Won't be coming back.

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    Intieror
    Intieror
    Crabcakes - $22
    Crabcakes - $22
    Build Your Own Omelette

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    Breaking Dawn Brunch

    Breaking Dawn Brunch

    4.1
    (454 reviews)
    0.7 mi

    This place is great!! Loved the ambience! The vibe is kinda swanky when you walk in, but the…read moreservice is super chill and the menu is casual Asian fusion brunch. Everything we had was delicious!! The Vietnamese coffee was BOMB!!! 5/5 would recommend! My friend & I shared the pork spring rolls (5/5), fo shizzle (4/5 - meat was super tender but a bit fatty for me, egg stuck to the bottom of the cast iron), and the ooh bae pancakes (5/5). Would absolutely come back & try more things! Bring your appetite. We were STUFFED!!

    Some hits and some misses at this trendy Vietnamese fusion restaurant…read more HITS: -Ube pancakes -Pho poutine fries- if you're gonna get one thing here, I would get these. Managed to capture the pho flavoring of a broth in the meat and gravy atop a bed of fries -Fo shizzle- tender beef in a tomatoey sauce MISSES: -Pho french dip. Broth was really good pho broth but the sandwich was just meh and I could not get over the provolone cheese flavor overpowering the pickled veggies. It just did not go well together imo. -Pork belly fried rice. pork belly was really dry. The whole dish was nothing special NEITHER HIT NOR MISS: -Lemongrass tofu burger. Was cool to watch the burger bot assemble this, but overall it was just ok. Wanted a vegetarian option so this checked off the box for that. It comes with fries. It was interesting because the fries just sit in a box and the robot adds it on the plate. Not sure how long they're sitting in their boxes on the warmer. Vibe is hip, younger crowd, they have a live DJ on weekends

    Photos
    Live DJ for fun brunch vibes!!
    Live DJ for fun brunch vibes!!
    Pho poutine (May 2024)
    Pho poutine (May 2024)
    Fo sizzle

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    Fo sizzle
    Gardenia Los Gatos

    Gardenia Los Gatos

    3.8
    (296 reviews)
    0.6 mi
    Full bar
    Private events

    Stopped in for a quick happy hour on Wed. The weather dictated that we sit inside, although there…read moreis a lovely front patio dining or sipping area. Originally when they opened, the menu online looked tailored more towards brunch, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Turned out, there were a lot of menu options that fit into HH. Quite a few beverage options, as well, that are lightly discounted 3:30- 5:30pm. We enjoyed the HH menu Sparkling Rose ($12) and the HH ahi tartare served with wonton chips. The Rose was nice, and the ahi was pretty good, but nothing noteworthy. There have been so many restaurants in that location over the last 25 years, starting back at the Chart House, so I suspect a really perfect dining experience might be required to stay around long term. Hopefully, being open all day will help with success, too.

    I've been here multiple times. The food is great, but the service is terrible -- especially given…read morehow much they charge for the meals. On our latest visit we were sitting outside when it started raining. We walked inside and asked to move in since we had already ordered our food. At 9:30 a.m. there were only two other customers inside and plenty of open tables. The person who greeted us said, "Hmm, well I'm not sure... we have a big party coming at 11:30." I looked at my watch and replied, "That's two hours from now and there are lots of tables open right now." We got seated, our food arrived, and then it started raining harder. Instead of quietly moving out the couches to add additional tables and chairs, the staff dragged them all across the floor, creating loud scraping noises the entire time. It made for a really unpleasant dining experience. We asked for a little more coffee, but it never came. We even flagged down our server and she just stared at us blankly as if we had never asked. We eventually just got up and left. The food was good, but it doesn't make up for the terrible service and rude treatment.

    Photos
    Don't you love that vintage wall?
    Don't you love that vintage wall?
    Honey rose latte
    Honey rose latte
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    Los Gatos Parkside

    Los Gatos Parkside

    4.4
    (435 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $$$

    This restaurant has a cool vibe with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, plus first-come,…read morefirst-served bar seating. If you're hoping to sit inside, I'd definitely recommend making a reservation. The service was wonderful from start to finish. My friend and I both ordered the smash burger and I've got to say it was easily one of the best burgers I've had in a long time. The meat was perfectly cooked and seasoned so well. The sweet potato fries were crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and absolutely delicious. And whatever you do, DO NOT skip the bread pudding. It was a 1000/10! Not overly sweet, perfectly balanced, and the texture was incredible. If you're on the fence about dessert, just order it, you won't regret it. The only minor downside was that the sodas were very flat and tasted a bit syrupy. Other than that, everything was fantastic. The prices were reasonable, the portions were generous, and the overall experience was excellent for such a cute spot in downtown Los Gatos. Will definitely be returning soon!

    I really enjoyed my dinner at Parkside! The ambiance was amazing and the staff were so kind. We…read morebrought a cake and they kept it for us in the fridge during dinner and cut it up for us at the end of dinner. The smashburger was good but I wish the buns were more toasted (if they were toasted at all). The meat and toppings were good but the bread was underwhelming. The truffle fries were good but lacked enough truffle. I'll definitely come back but probably get something else.

    Photos
    Pretty drinks
    Pretty drinks
    Parkside Burger ($23)
    Parkside Burger ($23)
    Crab Cakes ($20)

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    Los Gatos Cafe Uptown

    Los Gatos Cafe Uptown

    4.2
    (882 reviews)
    1.2 mi
    $$

    The food is always fabulous! The service is always good! Sometimes you have to wait but it is so…read moreworth it!

    My favorite breakfast/brunch spot in the South Bay!!!…read more I appreciate this location as there's plenty of parking so it's one less thing to worry about. There's both indoor and outdoor seating, but your entire party will need to be present until you can be seated. I feel like the prices here are very reasonable considering how much you get. Most entree items not only come with potatoes, but also your choice of a bakery item as well! The souffle omelettes are truly divine. Pictures really do not do it justice. They're so light and fluffy and keeps you wanting more! The potatoes are also delicious and seasoned beyond your typical rosemary/thyme situation. This is not confirmed, but I think they also add cumin and turmeric as well to spice it up, making these potatoes so much more interesting. As for bakery items, our favorite was the apple crumble pound cake, which was listed as a special of the day. I also enjoyed the carrot walnut bread, which was basically like a carrot cake without the frosting or the raisins. What I was most excited for was their famous cinnamon roll. This thing is an absolute beast. It's like a serving size for a small family of 5, especially if you're all getting your own entrees. The salted cinnamon butter was delicious, but the cinnamon roll itself was dense and bready. There were drier bits toward the center, so the addition of butter was necessary. I was hoping for something light and fluffy, so I was disappointed. Nevertheless, all the other food was so delicious, it'll keep me coming back!

    Photos
    It's booming inside!
    It's booming inside!
    Cinnamon roll
    Cinnamon roll
    Kids Mickey Mouse pancakes

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    Lou's Coffee Shop

    Lou's Coffee Shop

    4.2
    (682 reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$
    Grab-and-go
    Vegetarian friendly

    Good stuffs! Coffee cake was good, soft, warm, and just right amount of moisture…read more Can't eat them all! Had to take half dishes home for my tomorrow's breakfast.

    We recently visited this breakfast spot and unfortunately had a very disappointing experience…read more The seating area is very tight and cramped, so if you go with a big group it will be to small. The food was good overall, but it was somewhat bland. The main issue was the service we received from our server, Maria D. From the moment we sat down, she did not greet us and took our order as if she didn't want to be there. Not once did she return to check on us or ask if we needed refills on water or coffee. I had to get up multiple times to request coffee, water, and even a to-go box. When I politely asked for her name, she ignored me twice. After bringing the receipt, she handed it to me in a frustrated manner and began clearing the table. While doing so, she dropped creamer on my phone. She never came back to collect the payment -- I had to get up again. When I approached her with the receipt, she told another server to take my payment without acknowledging me at all. We remained friendly and respectful the entire time, so this treatment felt very undeserved and disrespectful. I do want to thank Bethany, who was very kind and helpful whenever we needed assistance -- even though she wasn't our assigned server. She stepped in multiple times while also handling her own tables, and her kindness did not go unnoticed. Overall, this was one of the worst service experiences we've had, and it was disappointing because it could have been avoided with basic courtesy and attentiveness. I really hope management can give me a call or message back because it's not okay being treated like this for no reason!

    Photos
    Tiki Mango Mimosa with vodka and oj!
    Tiki Mango Mimosa with vodka and oj!
    Lou's Coffee Shop
    Chicken and Waffles w/ Gravy (BOMB) California Crepe.... (also BOMB... )

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    The Bywater - cajun - Updated June 2026

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