The famous blueberry coffeecake has finally arrived in downtown San Jose.

In Silicon Valley, blueberry coffeecake means one thing: Hobee’s, the locally owned restaurant group founded 50 years ago in Mountain View.

This month, owners Camille and Daniel Chijate opened for breakfast and lunch in a landmark blue Victorian on North Second Street that has been home to a German-American social club for decades.

This location is officially named Hobee’s Restaurant & Beer Garden. The brews and companion menu will make their debut in early 2025, the couple said.

But the patio is already welcoming alfresco diners. Eventually, there will be seating for 140 outdoors. The homey interior accommodates 65.Hobee’s menu is a long one. At the other locations — Palo Alto, Sunnyvale and Redwood Shores — the Florentine Scramble and the Benedicts are particularly popular. Names of many dishes reflect the restaurants’ Peninsula heritage. The El Camino Ommie, for example, folds seasonal veggies into an egg white omelet.

Burgers and sandwiches are served with a choice of hash browns, tortilla chips or a small cup of black bean chili.

Besides the popular coffeecake, Hobee’s is also known for its freshly brewed Cinnamon-Orange Tea, a strong, aromatic, caffeinated blend.

The restaurant was pleasantly busy during its first “soft opening” days, attracting a mix of neighborhood residents and Hobee’s regulars — and even repeat business. “The first customers who came in this morning were the last people who came in yesterday!” a delighted Camille reported.

The couple aims to play a strong role in the neighborhood, Camille said, including offering a menu for concertgoers and moviegoers at the nearby Levitt Pavilion at St. James Park.

Details >> Open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday (closed Thanksgiving). 261 N. Second St., San Jose; https://hobees.com

Great Greek Mediterranean now grilling in San Ramon

The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill has opened its second Bay Area location in San Ramon.

Following up the success of the Danville location, which has a 4.8-star rating on Google, the newest spot features a 45-seat indoor seating area and a 10-seat patio in Diablo Plaza.

“We’re excited to open our second restaurant and expand access to healthier dining options in the San Ramon Valley,” said owner Amarendra Thummeti, who also owns an information technology consulting firm.

A franchise with locations all across the country, the Great Greek Mediterranean Grill bills itself as an elevated fast-casual restaurant.

The chain gets high marks for its Great Greek Gyro, which features a choice of beef, lamb or grilled chicken with all the extras, and the Gyro Plate, with gyro meat, feta fries, pita and a side of tzatziki.

Appetizers include the spanakopita and a Greek salad wrap. For dessert there’s baklava and baklava ice cream.

Details >> Open Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. PT, and Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. at 2475 San Ramon Valley Boulevard; thegreatgreekgrill.com.

Redwood City neighbors open the Baker Next Door

Two next-door neighbors recently opened up a European-style bakery in Redwood City, aptly named The Baker Next Door.

About 10 years ago, when then-San Francisco residents Jenna Johnson and her husband were expecting their first child, they moved into a new home in Redwood City. It was right next door to the Clarke family — and Brian Clarke introduced himself as the neighborhood curmudgeon.

The families quickly became friends. Clarke’s daughter babysat for the Johnsons, and the “curmudgeon” turned out to be an intellectual property lawyer and general counsel with a penchant for baking.

Clarke says he’d been a fan of excellent bread since trying Acme Bread Co. during his UC Berkeley undergrad days. His baking fascination deepened when his young family moved to Belgium for his spouse’s job. Once back in the U.S., Clarke built out a commercial kitchen in his garage and began sharing his baked goods with the neighborhood.

Meanwhile, Johnson was no stranger to the restaurant world. She’d worked in a kitchen in Brooklyn before coming to California, where she’d taken on a graveyard-shift baker role with Mayfield Bakery before moving to front-of-house roles at Boulevard and Foreign Cinema. She went on to help her family revive The Hut in Santa Clara.

After that project, she says, “We joked about opening a spot of our own.”

The bakery opened this summer on Redwood City’s Main Street, with everything from fresh baguettes and country loaves to pain au chocolat, monkey bread and liège waffles — the latter an homage to Clarke’s time in Belgium. On the savory side, they’ve got Clarke’s new favorite, an asiago, olive and thyme loaf, plus salads and sandwiches like a Croque Monsieur and a vegetable-topped focaccia.

Details >> Open from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday at 851 Main St. in Redwood City; thebakernextdoorrwc.com

Crust Sourdough Deli comes to Pleasanton

Crust Sourdough Deli has opened its first Alameda County location at a Stoneridge business park in Pleasanton.

The Bay Area-owned Crust specializes in sandwiches made with freshly baked sourdough rolls. All are topped with your choice of Swiss cheese, regular or spicy spread, regular or spicy mustard, lettuce, tomato and red onion.

Turkey and ham slices combine in The Original. Among the other featured signature sandwiches are the Sourdough Dip, roast beef with au jus and bacon jam; Hot Pastrami, with muenster and pepperoncini; Pesto Super Veg, layered with avocado, roasted pepper, cucumber and carrot; and the Meatball and Impossible Meatball sandwiches, topped with marinara, provolone and parmesan.

Meal-size salads include the Quinoa Super Greens Salad, Chipotle Southwest Salad and an Italian Chopped Salad.

This Crust location maintains weekday office hours, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at 6200 Stoneridge Mall Road. Breakfast is offered from 8 to 11 a.m.

The other Crusts are in Los Gatos, San Jose, Milpitas, Santa Clara, Palo Alto and Redwood City.

Details >> www.crustsourdough.com

Send restaurant news tips to Linda Zavoral at lzavoral@bayareanewsgroup.com, Kate Bradshaw at kbradshaw@bayareanewsgroup.com or John Metcalfe at jmetcalfe@bayareanewsgroup.com.