Breakfast
With its 20th consecutive win, Hobee's hits it out of the park with the best breakfast in town. According to Hobee's president Edward Fike, their BDBIT: Best Darn Breakfast In Town is still the most popular - two eggs, served your way; "Country Style" hash browns; and toast or blueberry coffee cake. New this year is the gluten-free menu so everybody can enjoy a meal.
2312 Central Expressway, Mountain View, 650-968-6050
#67 Town & Country Village, Palo Alto, 650-327-4111
4224 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, 650-856-6124

Chinese
Chef Chu's is a longtime local favorite for its great service, quality ingredients and consistency. Owner Larry Chu Jr. says that everybody enjoys the selection of specialty dishes such as potstickers, Peking duck, and wok-seared rack of lamb, and that vegetarians will also find a parade of entrees to enjoy, including tofu and noodle dishes.
1067 N. San Antonio Road, Los Altos
650-948-2696

Coffee House
This year's winner, Red Rock Coffee on Castro features live music and an open-mic night on Mondays. Besides brewing a great cup of joe, its community-oriented focus draws people in. Along with live music on Saturdays, there's also Saturday coffee tasting events that have expanded to include Espresso Tasting and 1 Coffee 5 Ways, a tasting designed to highlight the various brew methods one can use at home.
201 Castro St., Mountain View
650-967-4473

Fine Dining
Sometimes what separates the gold from the bronze is more training. Executive Chef Joey Elenterio of Chez TJ agrees, citing the restaurant's fine dining success as "a matter of taking the three or four extra steps." Featuring a menu that changes every three to four weeks but always includes fresh produce from farmers' markets and the restaurant's garden, Chez TJ boasts fine French and California cuisine inspired by local produce. The food may vary, but customers say the quality never changes.
938 Villa St., Mountain View
650-964-7466

Fusion
Xanh's contemporary, cutting-edge feel encompasses its design and its cuisine. The restaurant serves a variety of meat, seafood and vegetarian dishes in innovative spins on classic Vietnamese recipes. Also open for buffet lunch, the restaurant offers family-style dining during the day and vibrant nightlife after the sun goes down. Xanh also won for best Vietnamese restaurant.
110 Castro St., Mountain View
650-964-1888

Indian
Mountain View's Amber India wins once again with its traditional North Indian tikas, curries, biryanis and more, enhanced with flavors such as chilies, saffron and rose water. Manager Manjeet Singh says that while its most popular dishes are butter chicken and chicken tikka masala, Amber's traditional, rich cuisine leaves diners happy and full.
2290 W. El Camino Real, Mountain View. 650-968-7511
150 University Ave., Palo Alto. 650-329-9644

Italian
Frankie, Johnnie and Luigi Too does home-style Italian food, and does it well. In addition to traditional pastas and garlic bread, there's a wide selection of pizzas and wine. Owner John V. D'Ambrosio says that local favorites are lamb osso bucco, an oven roasted lamb shank, and cioppino, seafood in a light tomato broth served with pasta.
939 W. El Camino Real, Mountain View
650-967-5384

Mediterranean
To put it simply, customers return time after time to B Mediterranean Grill House== because "they like the food," says owner Hasan Ibrahim. The restaurant offers everything Mediterranean, from falafel to a feta cheese salad to baba ghannuj (an eggplant dip), but Ibrahim says most popular are the chicken shish kabobs -- barbequed chicken served on skewers with rice and salad or hummus.
650 Castro St., Mountain View
650-625-9990

Mexican
Whoever said the number 13 is unlucky has never been to Mountain View's favorite Mexican restaurant. Fiesta del Mar is our readers' choice for the best Mexican food in Mountain View, and this year, it won for the best seafood restaurant as well. Enjoy unique camarones (shrimp) dishes and a menu of 200 tequilas. Online take-out ordering is also available through the restaurant's website.
10005 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View
650-969-3835

Middle Eastern
Offering traditional Turkish food since 2005, Cafe Baklava wins best Middle Eastern cuisine once again. With many traditional Middle Eastern classics like doner kebap, moussaka, alinazik, Cafe Baklava embodies authenticity, right down to the Turkish beer and hookahs; it's no wonder Cafe Baklava wins the gold once again.
341 Castro St., Mountain View
650-969-3835

New Restaurant
Since July 2011, SteakOut has been catering to Mountain View residents' meatier needs. Founding partner Mike Finley says customers love the restaurant's grass-fed, pasture-raised hamburgers ---seared on both sides on a griddle to retain flavor and juice -- and 18 beers on tap. While burgers dominate as the favorite meal, the menu also includes sandwiches and salads.
383 Castro St., Mountain View
(650) 209-0383

Outdoor Dining
Cascal won in two categories this year: readers ranked it as the best place for outdoor dining and it tied for the best place to have a business lunch. "The menu offers over 25 tapas-style dishes -- a Spanish tradition of small plates with savory flavors -- as well as a variety of traditional paellas and regional dishes," says manager Brad Daley. There's live music on Friday and Saturday nights.
400 Castro St., Mountain View
650-940-9500

Business Lunch
Lunch with a client? Pick Country Gourmet, because locals voted it the best business lunch in Mountain View, in a tie with Cascal. Country Gourmet has a variety of salads, soups and wraps along with the favorite almond chicken and three different types of quiche. A lively bar, patio and indoor seating offer the right combination for business conversation.
2098 W. El Camino Real, Mountain View
650-962-1700

Sushi/Japanese
A champion every year since 2007, Sushitomi clearly has a lot of fans in Mountain View. Open for lunch and dinner, the restaurant serves sushi, of course, but also tempura, teriyaki, donburi rice bowls, noodle soups and grilled appetizers.
635 W. Dana St., Mountain View
650-968-3227

Thai
For over a full decade, Amarin Thai has been a favorite among readers. Patrons say the restaurant offers high quality Thai favorites at affordable prices. Owner Supawan Pimsakul lists the pad thai and various curries as customer favorites, but with two extensive menus -- one strictly vegetarian and the other serving all kinds of Thai food -- Amarin offers authentic Thai for all.
174-176 Castro St., Mountain View
(650) 988-9323

Vegetarian
If you see duck on Garden Fresh's menu, don't be fooled. As Mountain View's favorite vegetarian/vegan restaurant, the restaurant doesn't carry meat, although it does serve meat substitutes and plenty of tofu for vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters to enjoy at a healthy lunch or dinner. Each entree comes with brown rice (a healthier alternative to traditional white rice).
1245 W. El Camino Real
650-254-1688

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