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Hotspots in The Valley
Fremont, San Francisco
Silicon Valley, a region in Northern California, is best known as the home of some of the world’s top technology corporations, up-and-coming startups, and prestigious investor firms. It’s inevitable to encounter a few notable personalities while exploring the area. However, for those who want to really surround themselves with CEOs, venture capitalists, and fellow techies, here’s a list of The Valley’s most frequented hang-outs!
A Silicon Valley institution, Buck’s Restaurant is known as a breeding ground for tech companies. It was in the kitschy American joint that Hotmail was invented, Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen first met investor John Doerr, PayPal nabbed its initial funding, and Tesla convened with backers to raise funds. Situated near both venture capitalist hotspot Sand Hill Road and Stanford University, Buck’s still sees plenty of deals taking place in its booths. Book a table, order a stack of flapjacks, and keep your eyes peeled—you might just see the next billion dollar idea come to life!
- +1 650 851 8010
3062 Woodside Road, Woodside, California, USA
- http://www.buckswoodside.com
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Coupa Cafe is a regular haunt of The Valley’s superstars, making it a great place to catch the attention of CEOs (Apple founder Steve Jobs was a loyal customer!) and high-profile investors. Over 40 startups have used the space to test their prototypes, including customer service company Talkbin and social media marketing firm Crowdbooster. A vanguard of technology, Coupa Cafe incorporated Bitcoin payments into their system in 2013. They also have an app to speed up service for on-the-go entrepreneurs!
- +1 650 322 6872
538 Ramona Street, Palo Alto, California, USA
- https://www.coupacafe.com/
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The place to see-and-be-seen, Rosewood Sand Hill hosts the area’s hippest social scene. Venture capitalists, professors, lawyers, agents, socialites, and tech wizards come to mix and mingle over posh food and cocktails. Beware of Thursday’s “Cougar Nights,” an unofficial event in the hotel bar famous for matchmakers, stiletto-shod women, and impressionable patrons. It’s an unusual spectacle, but it’s a peek into Silicon Valley’s dating scene.
- +1 650 561 1500
2825 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California, USA
- https://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/sand-hill-menlo-park
Get your fix of Silicon Valley’s fuel of choice at Philz Coffee! It’s particularly popular with the kids at Facebook who even have a stand-alone branch in their Menlo Park headquarters. The family-run chain celebrates community, exhibited through communal tables and excellent customer service. Take your joe just the way you like it—the baristas will happily adjust it to make the perfect blend; or enjoy your coffee in the classic “Philz way”: medium-sweet and light on the cream.
- +1 415 875 9370
3101 24th Street, Mission Disctrict, San Francisco, California, USA
- https://www.philzcoffee.com/
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Silicon Valley’s high society counts on The Village Pub to serve gastronomical masterpieces (albeit, still pub food) to level the billion dollar deals that take place in the restaurant. They even have an impressive wine list containing more than a hundred options! At lunch time, executive types arrive in full force, often changing tables after every few hours to meet with a fresh set of faces.
- +1 650 851 9888
2967 Woodside Road, Woodside, California, USA
- http://www.thevillagepub.net
Right across Caltrain Station, The Creamery is deal central in San Francisco’s South of Market (SoMA) neighborhood. In 2012, venture capitalist firm CrunchFund’s co-founder Michael Arrington said that his company had closed deals here more than anywhere else! Watch tech savants either pitching ideas or furiously tapping on their laptops as you sample the cafe’s organic fares. Keep an ear out; sometimes, corporate secrets are dropped by too-excited employees at the other table!
- +1 415 896 1446
685 4th Street, San Francisco, California, USA
- http://www.thecreamerysf.com
When Silicon Valley clocks out of work, they flock to the fifth floor of Hotel Zelos (formerly Hotel Palomar) for drinks at Dirty Habit. Get cozy on one of the sofas with a trendy cocktail; and watch the night unfold. The sexy, al fresco bar comes alive through a jumble of well-dressed finance guys, classy corporate publicists, and quick-witted tech types.
- +1 415 348 1555
Fifth Floor Hotel Zelos, No. 12 4th Street, San Francisco, California, USA
- http://www.dirtyhabitsf.com
Starbucks continues to power Silicon Valley’s on-the-go crowd, supplying them with their usual caffeine fixes on the daily. Get your usual order, sink into one of the stools, and lock your eyes on the door; a famous face—like genetic biotech company 23andMe founder Anne Wojcicki—might just come in. The Sand Hill & Sharon Park outpost of the coffee giant also doubles as a venture capitalist hotspot. Financiers fill up the spacious cafe, meeting with hopeful founders by the hour.
- +1 650 926 9593
325 Sharon Park Drive, Menlo Park, California, USA
- https://www.starbucks.com/
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