While in California, one of the places I visited with my husband, sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephew was Santana Row in San Jose, California.
Santana Row is an upscale shopping area and to name a few of their designer stores are Salvatore Ferragamo, BCBG Max Azria, and Burberry. There are also familiar stores, such as, H&M, Urban Outfitters, and Ann Taylor LOFT. I had a lot of fun window shopping.
I certainly missed out on all the great restaurants since I ate beforehand and didn’t quite know what to expect.
We visited Santana Row the day after Thanksgiving so all the Christmas lights were up. It was so festive and a great family outing for just strolling and breathing the fresh and crisp California air.
BAKERY REVIEW: COCOLA BAKERY
Since we weren’t super hungry, we settled for dessert at Cocola Bakery, a charming French bakery that offers sweets, salads, and sandwiches. Just look at the plethora of desserts. 
LOCATION: 333 Santana Row, San Jose, CA 95128 (other CA. locations)
MENU: Cocola Bakery Menu.
COST: $$
CUISINE: French/Bakery
RECOMMENDED TO: Everyone.
My sister, brother-in-law, and I went for a cup of English Breakfast (forgot the picture). My husband skipped.
For desserts we ordered a Crème Brulee (on the right) which I found to be very average, however my sister and brother-in-law really enjoyed it. We also ordered a Crème Feuillete (on the left), a puff pastry filled with vanilla crème. This was delicious! OMG, I think I ate majority of the dessert. 
My nephew, Nikhil, loves chocolate and requested the Dome (on the left) which was Banana Crunchy Mousse. Very yummy, I especially love the banana & chocolate combination. Next up is the Le Sultan (on the right) (Hazelnut Cake) which was layers of coffee and hazelnut mousse. This was definitely above average, but I can’t say I loved it. 
Surprisingly I found out my niece, Neha, isn’t a fan of sweets. Can you believe that? I don’t know a single kid who doesn’t like sweets, and well, Neha decided to order herself a salad with kalamata olives. This kid also LOVES olives like there is no tomorrow. I have to say it is sort of a blessing to have a kid who doesn’t like sweets. Very strange, but cute.
VERDICT for COCOLA BAKERY: 3.5 / 5
Overall I liked the Cocola Bakery, but it wasn’t amazing or anything. The desserts are sort of hit or miss, you’ll either encounter an awesome dessert or something above average. Definitely a good bakery for people watching and a relaxing hangout in Santana Row. The cost of desserts here are almost $5 a piece which is expected given the location.
OVERALL:
Honestly, I had never heard of Santana Row until my sister mentioned it to me, so I didn’t even know what to expect. I was very pleasantly surprised since I’m a huge fan of eating and shopping, you really can’t go wrong with the vibe here. It’s a great place to hangout and people watch since most “women” are very well-dressed. And the best part is, it is located within San Jose so it’s fairly close to the residents. Santana Row is a great family hangout and I would totally go back there for a real meal next time, just sayin’. 🙂
TELL ME: Have you been to Santana Row? IF so, where did you dine and shop?
A foodie who is passionate about living a healthy-ish lifestyle, cooking, and traveling. You'll find a mix of everything here and lots of seasonal content. I moved from Jersey City leaving behind my family & friends to beautiful Southern California for love. I'm adjusting to the laid-back SoCal lifestyle and learning a lot about myself along the way. Come join me on a soul searching journey and I'll tell YOU "what's cooking" through my love for food, fashion, and travel.
I've never heard of Santana Row…it looks beautiful though. And your niece Neha? She's my hero. Maybe she can send some of her dislike for sweets my way. 🙂