Paper Plane — Restaurant in San Jose

Trying to be in the holiday spirit here, but Paper Plane did not wow us, as it had done in it's early days post opening.

Drinks were fabulous and eclectic and we looked forward to know and savor the unique dishes served here.

The better half recollects discovering the Indian Summer cocktail at this place, many many moons ago.

And the ambience on an early evening Friday was so friendly and casual, with the bar keeps vying for your attention with their theatrics and conversation, while making your drink.

Maybe the place is now too well-known, overcrowded and not some place you would go on whim. We happened to do just that after a long time and found the placed crammed to bursting point with hipsters. We managed to get our drink and food orders in and the service was quick, but we could not find a decent table to savor their faire. Finally when we got one, the bussing was so behind, we were sitting on a table full of plates and leftovers which remained as is even after we decided to call it quits and go elsewhere for a decent dinner.

I ordered the SantaRex which served in a festive glass (the highlight of the evening) and the taste was not bad, but it certainly missed bringing my spirits up. It had Rye Whiskey, Oloroso Sherry, Spiced Apple Cider concentrate, Lemon Juice, Hard Cider and Baked Apple Cider. Price - $14 Rating - 3/5

The better half ordered the Koala La La La La La La ( Yes 6 times) and I think I enjoyed the drink more than her. But the portion size was minuscule so felt a little.. er... cheated. It had Gin, Pine Tree Cordial, Grapefruit Oleo and Eucalyptus Bitters. Price - $14 Rating - 3/5

We also ordered the CrunchWrap Supreme from the "Medium" menu - with pasture raised ground beef from CreamCo, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, cheese with Briseno Fire Sauce. Unfortunately the sauce had no fire and while the ingredients fresh, the wrap was not cut correctly till they were separated ( and lack of table space to complete cutting it through) we lost most of the filling while tearing each portion away. And it is not crunchy anyway and dripped oil ( possibly the cream turning into oleo due to the making process. Price - $15 Rating - 3/5.

The ambience was decorative, for the holidays, but I guess we were looking for our old Paper Plane , where we had the space to sit casually at the bar and chat up with the bar staff while sipping our drinks. Will need to return on an non event night possibly to...

Walked in on a Sunday night when I was looking for a good place to hang out with a friend in downtown San Jose. I had such an amazing time here. Great selection of craft cocktails!! Beats places I visit in San Francisco.

Location: Tucked in comfortably between other places to eat and drink in downtown San Jose, I actually missed it from the outside and walked past it. There are no parking spots right next to it, but there are public parkings at a distance of 1 block from here. However, since they are closed on Sundays, we had to walk a bit before we could find a parking spot.

Ambience: Really soothing and mellow vibes came from this place. It lit a bit dimly with the bar having brightly colored lights that give this place a classy look. There's all kinds of seatings like booths, community tables, individual tables with hight chairs, barstools etc. The music wasn't too loud and we were able to have conversations easily.

Wait times: I've heard downtown San Jose can get busy during the weekend, but I had no problem finding a table here (at least on a Sunday night). The place was just enough crowded to not be dead, but not too crowded that you get bad service or don't find a table.

Service: The staff was pretty friendly and service was pretty prompt. We had to order food and drinks at the bar. They brought the food at the table when it was ready (which was pretty quickly).

Food/Drinks: One word of the cocktails: Amazing. My wife and I usually prefer cocktails over beer and wine, and are on the constant lookout for places that offer something good. This place beats most places even in San Francisco that claim that they have great cocktail selections. This was probably the first time I saw cocktails on the tap!! And even they were great! I recommend Netflix and Dill, Daydreamin' and the Pimms (which is on tap). All of them great!! We also ordered fries. Even the $5 fries were good. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, hot and properly seasoned.

Overall great place! Too bad, couldn't try more cocktails, but will definitely revisit next time...

That moment when you take your bestfriend to her first hockey game ON A TUESDAY & then she decides that you guys are going on an adventure even though you both live 2 hours away & work in the morning & you go bar hunting & end up in bar called Paper Plane & begin having probably the best nights you've had in a long time.

What started out as a night I was unsure of ended up being one of the best nights I've had with my bestfriend in a long time. Mind you, we went to the first game the sharks had won in the season. & she said, "we are the good luck charms". Since being a mom, she had different priorities & me being busy with the hospitality industry season we don't really have much time to hangout nowadays.

But this day was different. Having seasonal tickets to the sharks & working in the industry are a bit difficult. Id never gone out to drinks after a game until this night. I've heard numerous stories about PaperPlane from friends that would frequent the downtown area & especially those that attended San Jose State University (SJSU). It was nothing like I expected. I had expected the place to be a dive bar of some sort, one that students would flock to. PaperPlane is better than that. It's a nice bar that offers good bar bites & also, a melting pot of people from the tech world, sports fanatics, students & business people from & visiting the area.

We met some amazing people that night & I hope that those bonds make us friends down the line.

But back to PaperPlane. The area is really nice, from the security to the bartenders. The drinks are...price wise average (ranging from $13-mid 20s). Bartenders are fun & suggest the best drinks, just tell them what mood you're in & they'll have the perfect drink set for you. So please tip them wisely! They're so nice & will engage in conversation with you & your friends.

So if you wonder what a night out in SJ is like, start at PaperPlane & see where the people you...