SweetHome Kitchen — Restaurant in San Jose

Is this the south bay’s best kept secret??? We stumbled into this unassuming hole-in-the-wall when the line was too long for our favorite Ethiopian and Japanese restaurants next door.

All the other patrons were speaking Chinese so I knew it was legit… but I was a little bit nervous about the menu options, many of which I’d never encountered before, despite considering myself a lover of Chinese food. (Some hardcore examples: duck blood soup, pig ear salad)

This restaurant specializes in cuisine from the region of Nanjing so they’ve got some American favorites like combo chow mein and broccoli beef, but also more adventurous dishes like the ones I listed above.

We played it relatively safe and ordered the seafood ChaoMa noodle soup and the xian hand pulled noodles with tomato and egg sauce.

Folks, this was hands down the best noodle experience I have had in my life.

The seafood soup came out first. The broth was incredible. Very generous helping of both noodles and various seafood. I only tried the shrimp but it tasted fresh, not frozen.

My hand pulled noodles took significantly longer. I joked aloud, “what are they doing, hand pulling the noodles as we speak?” Turns out they WERE. They hand pull the noodles to order and they’re thick and chewy and perfectly cooked with a delicious light vinegary tomato sauce. I have had a lot of noodles at a lot of Chinese restaurants and I couldn’t believe the quality, price, and the care they put into these dishes.

The grand total? $33.

We were the last ones there and the owner waited patiently for us to finish our meal, smiling at our baby, not hurrying us at all.

We ate our plates clean and left wondering why no one is talking about this place.

Forget fancy dining, from now on all birthdays, anniversaries and Valentine’s Day meals are happening at sweet...

I came here three times because the prices are great and the portions are generous. I got the 3-combo meal all three times as well as a bunch of other stuff. Please refer to my pictures only if curious. I didn't like any of the fried dishes. The chong qing chicken consisted of really small, tough pieces although I didn't really notice until my partner pointed it out. The fried fish had really thick breading. The fried pork - meat had no flavor.

In regards to the frozen foods, which had a cash discount, the chive pancake had thin skin which isn't my personal preference. The dumplings were pretty good.

The workers were real friendly and came outside when we were looking at the menu to answer our questions and introduce the items.

We also got their meat and veggie buns and they tasted fresh, even though the filling tasted the same for both.

They do have a great variety of dishes so I do blame my partner for ordering the less...

RUN DON’T WALK!!

Can’t believe my good luck for stumbling into SweetHome Kitchen today. This new Chinese establishment serves food you can find in your grandma's kitchen.

The star of the show for me was their cabbage & pork bun. I kid you not, it's like biting into a flavor explosion. Juicy AF and so tasty! Probably one of the best buns I’ve had in quite awhile (and I eat them a lot). I also tried their Braised Pork Bun and MaganCai Pork Bun - equally juicy and delicious! I also tried their Stir-Fried Fish, which was tender and perfectly lightly seasoned.

They’ve also got frozen dumplings in packs of 20 for sale that you can take home! They have my absolute favorite: pickled cabbage pork dumplings. I can’t wait to try them next!

The staff were super friendly and helpful when I didn’t know what to get. Come grab food to-go or for a sit down meal. Service is super fast, especially if you’re starving.

This place is...