Citrus

Citrus is located on the third floor of the hotel. It has great ambience and was a quiet spot to enjoy dinner. The restaurant is fairly small and played quiet instrumental music in the background. Nice décor and setting for a date or quiet dinner. The service is good — our busboy was quite diligent and very good. Our waiter was attentive as well. The only small drawback was that the food service was just a tad slow — but it was nice to sit and enjoy a relaxed dinner.
My dinner companions and I had the soup of the day (which was a Portuguese sausage soup), the fried chicken, beef short rib, and mushroom risotto. The food was tasty and well prepared. The entrees were nice sized portions, and with the generous bread and butter we were very satisfied with our meal. Our only regret was not being able to try one of their desserts. The manager stopped by to tell us about their version of baked Alaska, and it sounded fantastic… But entirely too full to indulge in dessert. The manager was so very sweet, you can tell he is passionate about food and dining experiences — he definitely added to the great experience we had!
Will definitely visit again to try the dessert and recommend for quiet dinner!

Wasn’t my choice to come here but had to come here for my works dinner party. I didn’t have high expectations of this place because of the Unilocal reviews so I wasn’t bummed out when my food tasted like shit. One of my co workers ordered the sea bass and I ordered the rib-​eye steak so we can split it. Sea bass was burnt and so was the steak it was like I was eating charcoal. The only thing I thought was good was the hummus. So many other places to eat in Santana Row, why come here?! Disgusting food and way over priced. Funny thing was there was barely any one eating in this place. Even our waiter said he didn’t have a favorite dish here! Lol hey at least he was honest!

Had a great dinner at Citrus the other night. Perfect place to enjoy a casual or special occasion meal away from all the action/​noise/​craziness at Santana Row. Taste matched the presentation. Special thank you to Jon who went out of his way to make us feel «special». We will be back. Go, you won’t be sorry!

I like this place a lot! (Well, the 5 stars kinda show that!)
Considering a very bad service on Christmas Eve at Strait’s Café, I was hoping I’d have a better dining experience on Christmas Day. I was thinking «I didn’t ask Santa for any gift; just give me a good dinner reception, at least.» Well… apparently I am less naughty this year!
We got to the restaurant 10 minutes early, and were seated right away. The hostess with a sweet, welcoming smile showed us the table reserved for us, and she also gave us a choice of available seating… very nice gesture!
Then, the waiter introduced himself to us, and offered the specials. Our waiter has a very friendly and confident demeanor, very unlike that sorta cocky, almost nonchallannt attitude of our waiter at Strait’s the night before.
I shouldn’t really compare these two restaurants… it’s like «one is up here… the other is down here.»
Things of note:
o I love love love A VERY LIMITED SHORT MENU, less to choose from is good!
o the bread variety is good.
o my turnip soup was alright
o prime rib special was cooked to my liking… too big, however, for me to finish the whole thing
o my crème brûlée is crème brûlée
o the ambience is perfect for a quiet, wine/​dine type of night
So you see… the food is good… but what made this a 5 star rating is the AWESOME SERVICE!
— the hostess with a genuine smile, a very professional demeanor all throughout
— the attentiveness of the staff… water, fast clean up, etc.
— our memorable Waiter Eric… who was very attentive: came back frequently to pour wine, came back to ask how our first bite of our rib was, offered to take a picture of me and my company, gave us a wifi password when we tried to check in to a social media to rave about this experience (just briefly, since we have a rule of no phones during dinner)
— the manager that poured our wine and chatted with us for a couple of minutes
I will eat here over and over again. And I hope this level of service remains as-​is. You have a very good formula here, keep it that way.
I missed Christmas dinner with my family (they’re miles away in the South), and all I wanted for Christmas is a good service from a Santa (na) Row restaurant this week.
Thanks for the awesome Christmas Day dining experience, Citrus!

Skip this place. So many better restaurants in Santana Row. My husband and I went there to celebrate our 3^rd anniversary. My 1^st impression as you walk into the place was «Hmm, nice place», but then there was a whiff of mustiness that hits you in the face which threw me off. We were the only other people in the entire restaurant (even for a Monday night).
The food was absymal. They served some bread which was stale and smelled mouldy. The curried lamb was great but the there were sliced habaneros on the dish, they waiter didn’t mention it (not great if your staff isn’t knowledgeable about the food) and I thought they were sweet peppers and had a bite. Yea it was not a pretty sight, considering we were celebrating. I was in a lot of pain. I had to chug some milk and took a while to get to normal.
Our entrees came out pretty quick. My husband had the rib eye which was mehh and my fried chicken was okay. The chicken was served on some mashed potatoes and creamed corn. The corn tasted funny and was tangy and musty. I brought half my entrée home coz it wasn’t very palatable. All the food tasted old and mouldy and microwaved. I was very disappointed.
I refused to order dessert after the experience. All this and $ 85+tax+tip. Steer clear of this place.

Came here for dinner and tried the following and the verdict is:
— Hamachi salad with mandarin segments, furkiake, hearts of palm ⁴⁄₅
— Palate cleanser — seasonal sorbet ³⁄₅
— Mesquite smoked rib-​eye with green beans, guanciale, salsa verde ³⁄₅
— Grilled asparagus spanish chorizo ⁵⁄₅
— Fried lollipop kale aged white cheddar ⁴⁄₅
— warm cinnamon sugar doughnuts with chocolate sauce, salted toffee crème diplomat ³⁄₅
The salad was fresh with very light dressing which some people might find to be on the mild side.
The smoked rib eye was a bit stringy and tough for my liking.
The side asparagus and the kale were quite good. Think the Spanish chorizo and crunchy kale did the trick.
The dessert doughnuts were rather dense in texture but the accompanying salted toffee crème was really scrumptious and could have been great with anything or eaten alone.

Ordered the steak which was pretty good, Caesar salad was yummy! The service was fair to good.
Lychee martini was way to sweet for me. Service was good. Not sure why it was so dead in the restaurant for a Saturday night.
Will definitely go back.

I would argue that this is the best restaurant in Santana Row. Jonathan, the maître d, our waiter, Eric, and the kitchen staff strive for the very best. We received five star service. The food was fresh, creative, and the large portions were perfectly prepared. The kitchen approaches each dish as a work of art and the staff gives each guest the attention and courtesy they deserve. Thank you Citrus for a wonderful evening.

Food quality, presentation, ambience, and service were all superb! Love love love ^_^
From the bottom floor, I asked the valet guys where’s the restaurant in Hotel Valencia. Wonder if my 2 chefs are there. They asked Citrus? I said yes. Then, they replied it’s on the 3^rd floor. And directed me to the elevator.
Once in the elevator, there was definitely a rustic feel with the wooden walls beside me on both ends of the elevator.
Highly recommend the Chilean Seabass! Delicious! Chef de Cuisine Ocean makes great, delish food! & Pastry Chef Rosalynn makes beautiful, savory desserts too! I was spoiled by 3 complimentary dishes… hehe because I am their… lets just say professional. LOL :)
Also, the chocolate mousse dessert was sooo delectable! Gosh, something came over me and I was like mmmmmmmmmmmmm. Hehe ^_​^ Loved it!
First time eating at Citrus and was indeed absolutely pleased and satisfied!
All in all, would love to dine here again and again! I thought to myself, «Wow, this is wayyy better than all the fine dining on all cruise ships I’ve ever been.» Best I ever had in entire San José. Props and many thanks to the Chefs, kitchen staff, server Manny and hostess Vanessa.

My friend and I wanted to have a nice relaxing dinner out and decided on Citrus. We only knew that it was located in Hotel Valencia and set out to try it. On the Santana Row end, there is no sign for Citrus outside /​by the hotel. After the valet drivers directed us to the elevators, we arrived on the 3^rd Floor (weird side note — there is no 2^nd floor so at least you won’t get lost).
Citrus is nestled by the courtyard as a secluded spot for dinner and relaxation. Even with a large networking event happening that evening, the interior proved mostly soundproof.
Our selections were standard steakhouse offerings:
— Char crusted flatiron, potatoes, sauce worcestershire: I ordered a medium rare steak which tasted fine. The sauce was a nice addition but nothing really stood out about this dish. One con was that I was given a dull steak knife and had to work really hard to cut my meat…
— Short ribs, olive and raisin tapenade, walnuts, tagliatelli pasta: The short ribs were tender and the taste was fantastic! However, the presentation was unappealing to me. I’m not sure it was the lighting but the sauce on the meat and pasta looked dark and murky. I originally thought it wouldn’t taste as good as my steak, but it proved me wrong.
I also tried their cocktail menu and asked for the gummy bear martini. I’d recommend if you have a sweet tooth, but it was too sweet for me.
Overall, the experience and service was good and I would consider the restaurant again if I were shopping in the area… I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here as parking is not the easiest to find.

Just had an amazing night here! I have a feeling that people don’t know that there is this amazing restaurant in the hotel because it wasn’t very busy. Our server Daniel was one of the best waiters I have ever had. We sat outside, which I would suggest. We had a little mix up with our order and the manager, Jonathan came over right away and made sure to take it off the bill. My husband had the filet mignon and the sauce on this was amazing!!! Our friend had paella and said it was amazing.
You can drive right in front of Hotel Valencia in Santana Row and get free valet parking! Just have the hostess stamp your ticket.
I’m going back for sure!

Food: Excellent! My fiancé and I got the tortilla soup and the lobster salad to start. We were also given a complimentary lamb meatball for each of us! He got the rib eye as the main entreè and I got the shrimp and grits. We really enjoyed both! We shared the chocolate tart for dessert. DELICIOUS!
Service: Exceptional! They are so attentive, and so helpful! Daniel was our server and he was so great! He even took a picture of my fiancé and I and it came out perfect! (Instagram worthy ;)). Jonathan, the bar manager I believe, was also very attentive!
My fiancé is here visiting from Florida and he was also very impressed with the service. We will definitely be back!

The only true fine dining restaurant in Santana row. The mixed reviews are warranted.
The service was okay as I remember. Not great, but not bad either.
The food was good and prepared well. It was a bit pricey for what it was and where it was located.
It secluded at the roof top and makes for a great date spot.

Came here on my birthday and had a wonderful experience.
Service was good, food was delish and the company fantastic.
For starters we had the burrata and tomato appetizer and the lobster appetizer, both were very flavorful and we gobbled up every last bit. We were also given a complimentary ceviche shooter that was dynamite.
For my entrée, I enjoyed my ahi that was seared perfectly. Usually when I order ahi, the chef overcooks it and it dry, but not here. Instead of the kimchi rice, I opted for broccoli, which was also cook perfectly, not overcooked and a little crunchy, just how I like it.
Food is reasonably priced here, 4 of us ate for $ 200.00. We were all happy with our meals and all agreed that the quality was there for the money.

Ambience is alright. Lay out of of seating is awkward. Front space is empty feeling, bench seating is good but they have issues with large mirrors. Can hit your head easily.
I am sure it is difficult being a small hotel. Lay out is breakfast in the morning, meetings afternoon, then dinner. It is a multi task layout and it shows. Sound system tinny.
Food has an Asian flair to it. So when they started with the bread it was strange. They serve a cheese infused bread. Waiter did not mention this so I first thought it was under baked and doughy textured. Later I figured out what it was. The bread taste good, but it would have been nice to have an explanation instead of guessing.
Starters I had the Caesar salad and my partner had the clams with pork belly. Both were good the clams had a wonderful broth. Second course. I had the ahi tuna with Kim Chee fried rice. Delicious. I am going to try to make the rice at home. My partner had the flat iron steak. Very tasty. Only issue waiter did not ask how we wanted the steak cooked. Came to us medium. We like our steak medium rare. For dessert we had the mango panacotta with a coconut lime sorbet. It was really good. The waiter should have asked if we wanted coffee. Missed opportunity for him.
Over all the food was good. A pleasant surprise. The only thing I could suggest is train the wait staff. On how to explain the food and present the food. I would also do a different type of bread if you don’t train staff to explain it. This place has great potential. Just needs some tweaking.

I want to give this place a 4stars for the food. 3stars for the ambience.
I love Hotel V and have stayed here numerous times. Great highend boutique hotel with all the amenities, shopping and free parking. And, you get free breakfast ‘boofay’ if you stay overnight. I made a reservation to Citrus not knowing this is the same spot where they serve the breakfast. The restaurant isn’t the best looking or intimate but our male server was great. It is a bit dark and the tables are fairly close to one another. Nonetheless… Food was EXCELLENT:
Smoked Wild Clams (big ones)
CA Oysters (pretty presentation)
Diver Scallops (super tender but only a few pieces)
Main Lobster
and entrée was lamb chop over linguine (which we didn’t eat cuz we were super full from the appetizers)

Had dinner here last Saturday with my husband and I can see why this place has some mixed reviews.
We made reservations here way in advance, but I don’t believe it’s really necessary unless you are coming with a large group. We arrived at 5:30 just when they opened and we had this place all to ourselves pretty much during our entire dinner. Quite romantic actually with the dimmed light and instrumental music playing above.
I was browsing at pictures on Unilocal and the diver scallop caught my eye, so we ordered that for appetizer… but only to find it was not the same presentation of what was on Unilocal and it only came with 2 scallops (instead of 3 as pictured on Unilocal) and 2 plantains that was shaped just like the scallop. It was delicious, but don’t think it was worth $ 17 for only 2 scallops. We felt a bit cheated.
For entrée, we had the Ribeye (cooked medium) and Salmon (sub the noodles with veggies). Both were amazing! It was so delicious that we totally got over our disappointment with the scallops. I would say that the Ribeye and Salmon was more satisfying than the Ribeye and Salmon I’ve had at Alexander’s Steakhouse. Not kidding.
Their dessert menu didn’t catch my eye so we had dessert at Cocola along Santana Row.
This is a nice place to have a nice dinner in Santana Row away from the crowd. We will be back.

Before meeting up with friends, my husband and I decided to try this place out. It’s located in this beautiful hotel Valencia. It’s located on the 3^rd floor. When you walk into the restaurant, it feels romantic as the lights are dimmed and the décor is absolutely gorgeous.
We ordered the smoked wild clam dish as an appetizer and it was delicious. I am not a fan of clams, but the sauce and pork belly that came with it made it yum! The seared ahi tuna with kim chee fried rice was delicious. The tuna was perfectly seared and it went well with with rice. The house cut steak burger was nothing special. The only difference from a regular burger is the pork belly they added. The meat was juicy though. The server we had was attentive. He made sure we had plenty of water and checked up on us to make sure we are ok.
If we are in the area, we may give it another try.

Citrus is located inside Hotel Valencia. The atmosphere is spacious and cozy.
We ate here on Valentines Day this year and I loved it! This place was excellent in every aspect. Our server was fantastic, the food from the appetizers to the main course was so, so good.
They started us off with a nice glass of champagne and a grilled oyster shooter. Next was a very fresh and tasty sashimi appetizer. We tried the abalone and skate next. After that we had a nice pallet cleanser citrus yogurt drop. Our main course was to die for! I really enjoyed our evening and
I look forward to eating here again one day.

How could I forget to write a review of this?! Shame on me!
Cute small romantic place for a date. We were the only young ones here, but still enjoyed our time here. Service wasn’t bad and prices won’t break your bank.
Food was really good and unique:
Cocktail Shrimp– huge and plump, so good
Sea Bass– flakey and soft mm
Halibut– not as soft as sea bass, but still good
Mudslide– delicious
Also ordered a glass of bubbly each and then got a bottle of Rose champagne to share.