71 Saint Peter Restaurant

I'm in San Jose for business so I won't be able to give a review that spans several visits but I think my one visit will be enough.
71 Saint Peter is amazing. I ate early so was seated as soon as I arrived. My waiter was very kind and attentive. He understood that I was alone so I was taken care of quickly but I didn't feel rushed. The menu is small so it wasn't hard to pick what I wanted. I don't like going to restaurants that bring out a binder with a multi page menu.
I started with the Brussels. I about fainted they were so good. I'm not the best at ordering wine so I always ask my server to pick for me. James picked the perfect wine to pair with my spaghetti carbonara. Both were fantastic. I didn't have desert but they do have a nice desert menu.
I hope work sends me back to San Jose so I can eat here again.

My party of four arrived at 71 Saint Peter Restaurant at 6:40 PM on a Saturday and was seated right away on a reservation basis. The restaurant is located in a busy downtown area, alongside the street with other restaurants. Since the weather was nice out, we chose to sit outside. We were given water and menus right away.
We started off with appetizers and ordered the bruschetta and roasted lamb flatbread. They were AMAZING appetizers. I give a solid 10/10 for both of them. For the main dish, I ordered the parmesan crusted tilapia, and it was DELICIOUS. Everything about is was SO GOOD. Loved the presentation, loved the taste. It was awesome.
Customer service was great too. Our server was nice. They brought us another drink when pollen had fallen into our drinks, refilled our drinks at appropriate times, and even told us about their dessert options for convenience instead of bringing the menus back out.
I had a great experience here, so I totally recommend 71 Saint Peter Restaurant if you are in town.

In a recent post-COVID opening, 71 Peter appears to have found its ideal space in the crowded San Pedro Market scene.

Greeted by the lovely and welcoming Dan, we instantly felt we belonged.

The French-inspired rustic comfort atmosphere even extends to the ubiquitous parklet they've constructed of stained wood to coordinate. If you can (before the crowds overrun that restaurant row), get one of the adjacent patio wooden booths. They're heated when the temperature drops, and perfectly comfortable otherwise.

James served and was a pro. The menu here is very well edited and thoughtfully curated, so think the Mediterranean opposite of Cheesecake Factory. James provided thoughtful recommendations, and when we abruptly decided on wine when our mains had been served, he handled selection so we could carry on. His pairings were perfect--a juicy cab with their shiitake mushroom risotto, and a softly oaked Chardonnay with the tilapia orzo dish.

Talking of which, while risotto is in essence a simple comfort dish, 71Peter's take was EXACTLY what you want when you want mushroom risotto. The crispy kale topping was a nice addition for texture and bitter green flavor counterpoint.

The tilapia was incredibly fresh and sweet, standing up nicely to an unctuous (but not heavy) orzo beurre blanc bursting with Mediterranean veg and a kick of pepper.

A similar profile was highlighted in the pesto tomato bruschetta starter, which we also loved.

The Old Fashioned was nice but not especially smooth--it was pretty strong, so guests may love it more than we did. The Sangria special was nicely complex, if a tad heavier than some sangria sits.

But the thing I'd consider crime for is the sour cream fudge cake--I want to be clear that I did not particularly want dessert, I hogged it when I came, and despite my extreme fullness I literally considered ordering another one. I was angry when it was gone.

All-in-all, a treat we'll be back for!

Great cocktails. Shrimp cakes had a thick, tough crust on the outside. I cut it open and ate the inside. Dressing on the warm spinach salad was just warm, tasteless oil flavored with bacon. Unpleasant. Strawberry cheesecake was ok. I don't know if I would eat here again, but would get drinks.

Nice outdoor seating. Inside is dark and kind of depressing.

I'm not sure if they were having an off day or Friday nights they didn't have any management working but for having the image of an "upscale" restaurant..it was far from the experience I had. Food took about an hr to get to us, we watch others get upset when they hadn't received what they ordered as well. The place was not full or busy at all. Our party watched the kitchen for awhile and notice that the whole staff just seemed lost, or got in the way of others, like there was no one leading the orders. Food came out "Ok" . The menu is small and it had premium dishes, dishes you'd see at 4-5 star restaurants but they lacked flavor. I'm really disappointed because we heard good reviews.
The one thing that was nice is the aesthetics of the place. But then with all the money they put even in the restroom, it was poorly kept. Try at your own risk.

Highly do not recommend. We ordered the oven roasted lamb flatbread, truffle fries, and a couple glasses of wine. The truffle fries were decent, but the lamb flatbread was absolutely terrible. The flatbread looked like a store bought pita covered with odd-tasting tzatziki and lamb, topped with the most disgusting feta I had ever tasted. We came on a Friday evening, and it was surprisingly 90% empty with only 1 waiter. The service was still fine, and we appreciated that he did not charge us for the flatbread.

Pros:
* They serve Allagash White
* Phyllo Baked Brie was good, wish they would've added an additional piece though.
* The server was very attentive.

Cons:
* The walnut butter served with the Phyllo Baked Brie was not my favorite. Would've been better if they were whole walnuts.
* Shrimp cakes, were just ok and a little overpriced for the portion size.
* Sour Dough Grilled Cheese was very tasty, although it was on the smaller side so it should be reclassified as a small plate as opposed to an entree. The salad was overdressed and had too much lemon juice. The menu states that chips were included, but I did not receive any with my order.
* The carbonara looked rather dry to me, but my dinner companions said it was ok.
* They were not able to honor the yelp promotion of 1 free glass of wine with the purchase of an entree :-(

We were pleasantly surprised when we dined here this past Friday! Excellent location right in the heart of San Pedro Square with an interesting menu and rustically European decor. If you check in on Yelp, you get a glass of wine with your meal which was a lovely perk. The staff are very friendly here and were working so hard as they got very busy right when we arrived. We had a reservation. The food came out a bit slow, but so many places are understaffed right now so we always remain positive and supportive to the staff who work so hard to make our evening special. We ordered the Brussel sprouts as an appetizer and they were really unique served with cous cous and some veggies. I liked them! For entrees, I got the lamb and my husband got the tilapia. Both flavorful. My kids both got pasta and enjoyed their food a lot. They also ordered Shirley temples which were actually made with homemade craft grenadine so they loved them. We each got a cocktail and they were very well prepared. Good food downtown can be hard to find so I would highly recommend coming out and supporting this spot!

I came here because a restaurant I wanted to eat at was super packed, and I didn't want to wait. Lo and behold, this restaurant was pretty empty, and the menu sounded pretty good. The ambiance is great, and it's so cozy inside. And our waitress was really nice, too.

I ended up getting the risotto du jour, which ended up being mushroom that night. I thought my food was just ok, but the portion size is so small for what you pay ($24).

The bathroom was also pretty disgusting. There was so much standing water (and maybe urine) in front of the toilet, and I felt icky just being there.

Decent but not great. I like the ambiance is good, the theme is well executed throughout. Service was good. Prompt and responsive.

Okay. Not good. Not bad.