Our neighbors at the bar were admiring our food so we passed bites of food across the bar. Everyone wanted what we had and said they would come back next week and order the same entrées.
It was so much fun. The atmosphere is friendly, consistent and fun. We loved learning about the chef, his wife and the history of how they opened the place. They just closed the lunchtime dining because they wanted more time with their two-year-old little boy. This is a wonderful experience for anyone who decides to try this place. We love the service staff, especially Gustavo and Bob, they are friendly and helpful. Matthias the chef, Margo his wife and Umberto have done a great job opening this quaint little place in our downtown neighborhood and I am so grateful for having them.
Name: Paul
Occupation: Public Relations Executive
Location: San Francisco
Favorite Restaurant: Wood Tavern
Reviewed Naschmarkt Restaurant: Saturday, April 6, 2013
When we arrived to Naschmarkt we were greeted by a very friendly staff and immediately sat on the outdoor patio (as requested) with a great view of downtown Campbell. The wait staff was very friendly, offering tastings of Austrian wines and recommending what would go best with food. Everything we ordered was absolutely delicious, but I would go back for the scallops and Austrian napkin dumplings; both have exquisite flavor. The scallops were perfectly cooked and are paired impeccably with the purple cauliflower puree. The Austrian napkin dumpling, when eaten with the mushroom cream sauce and schnitzel, tastes like Thanksgiving dinner.
Name: Will
Occupation: Attorney
Location: San Francisco
Favorite Restaurant: Café Tiramisu
Reviewed Naschmarkt Restaurant: Saturday, April 6, 2013
My wife, son and granddaughter went to Naschmarkt on Saturday evening for dinner. With a GPS it was easy to find but the traffic and parking was a bit of a problem. It is on street parking and the "Old Town" area is popular and often crowded.
The Old Town area is very nice and provides pleasant surroundings.
We had reservations and were seated immediately. The restaurant has an interior section and an outdoor section which is protected by an awning and heavy plastic side covers. The interior section seats about 60 and the front outside section seats about 40 additional dinners.
The tables are close together and it is slightly crowded. The noise level is on the high side but you are able to carry on a regular conversation with only some slight interference. The patrons seemed to span all age groups -- except no children. It is not a family dining experience. The dress was business casual and no shorts, etc. but it wasn't a formal dining room atmosphere.
Starters: We ordered a beet salad which was good but nothing exceptional. On the other hand the Pan Seared Diver scallops with the purple cauliflower puree and crispy pancetta was excellent. The scallops were fresh and had great taste and the pancetta made a wonderful accenting taste. The purple cauliflower puree made the visual presentation artistic and very pleasing.
Service: There was a little delay in attending to our table when first seated: but once our waiter came, he was very attentive and helpful. He answered questions about the menu and dishes well and very clearly. He was solicitous to our 9 year old granddaughter which made the meal even more enjoyable. All meals and service was presented properly and quickly.
Main Courses: We tried three main courses and our granddaughter had an starter plate as her dinner.
a) Homemade Tagliatelle Past with sauteed Tiger Prawns, green asparagus, English peas, Meyer lemon and arugula pesto. The dish was very large and generous in its proportions. The prawns were fresh, firm and cook perfectly. The tagliatelle must have been homemade at the restaurant and was perfect in texture. It was very long and could have been a little shorter for eating convenience.
The quality was very good and the dish was cooked well.
b) Roasted Salmon with parsnip puree, baby bok choy, cherry tomato confit and Kalamata olive pesto. The salmon was fresh and cooked perfectly. Its flavor was exceptional.
The cherry tomato confit and Kalamata olive pesto was outstanding. This highlighted the salmon and its wonderful flavors to make the dish a completely wonderful experience.
c) Jager Schnitzel (signature dish): Pork schnitzel braised in a mushroom cream sauce with Austrian napkin dumpling, green asparagus and kohlrabi. I remember that the sauces in Austria were heavy and often had a heavy dairy cream base. The sauce on this schnitzel was light, clear with a generous amount of firm mushrooms. The sauce added to the flavor of the pork rather than bury it as the sauces I remembered from Austria. It was a very nice dish which was topped with wonderfully cooked asparagus.
The waiter was very solicitous to us and our needs and the owner-maître'd came to our table to check on us (he did this with all the table in the front-inside of the restaurant). He told us the restaurant had only been opened for twenty-two months and he believed it was the only restaurant with an Austrian menu between San Francisco and Salinas.
He also told us that the other owner had previously owned a successful restaurant from which he had retired. This previous restaurant served Italian/French cuisine which might explain the lighter sauce on the schnitzel. Also the chef is Swiss-Austrian.
Our granddaughter order the Quark Spatzle with Smoked Chicken as her main course. We all shared so this became our side dish. The spatzle was light, moist and had a light flavor while the smoked chicken was very good.
The meal was wonderful and I would certainly recommend the restaurant to anyone who was in the South Bay or was looking for a restaurant in that area.
