Orchestria Palm Court Restaurant

Stunning restaurant with a lot of character! Their old time pianos are very unique, and the food is quite good as well. Try one of their soda fountain drinks, which you can’t get anywhere else. The staff are very warm and welcoming while the service is quite fast. Ask the staff about the mechanical pianos and they would be more than happy to tell you about the history of the instrument. This is one of my favorite restaurants in the Bay Area!

This restaurant has a lot of interesting character in its decor with player pianos and other musical devices that still work and play period music. It has a very historic and vintage vibe. The food was well plated and had good, layered flavors. The vegetables were cooked to perfection. The pricing was very reasonable, even with a 25% tip automatically added to the bill. The service was friendly but not necessarily attentive. This is probably by design. The customer's orders are not taken at the table. They have to go to the bar (in the back) to place the order and pay the check. This is not really efficient and can create a bottleneck during busier times. The location is suitable for those going downtown for other events at nearby theaters, the convention center, or at the Plaza de Cesar Chavez.

Very unique San Jose restaurant with European American cuisine. The building itself is quite historic, accompanied by the unique mechanical pianos, this is a fun restaurant to celebrate or for any occasion. They only open for dinner Friday and Saturday so be sure to make a reservation if you plan to dine there. The food is done well made with fresh and local ingredients. We got the sea bass, Chicken Saltimbocca, tenderloin steak, and shrimp Puttanesca. The sea bass is delicious! Flaky and buttery and light. The tenderloin steak is cooked perfectly medium rare and rich in beef taste. The Chicken Breast Saltimbocca is cooked fine but since it's breast meat, it is naturally dry. Steak knife was not provided and it was a bit hard to cut with butter knife. The shrimp puttanesca is done exactly as described. For those who eat a lot may want to choose something else that's more hearty. We also got a side of gnocchi and it was very creamy. We like the artichoke but would prefer a lighter sauce. The service is great even though you order your food and drinks at the bar. The Antique fountain drinks are a must have as well. We got the Chocolate Phosphate NY style, Poppy Dew, and Apricot Ambrosia. Chocolate Phosphate is like a chocolate cream soda. Poppy Dew is very refreshing. apricot Ambrosia fruity with almond taste.

The most quaint and charming restaurant! Delicious food, entertaining pianos, and attentive service. It feels like you’re transported back to better times. Generous portions at a reasonable price point. There are several vegan options including a great eggplant Parmesan available with advance request. The butternut Marsala pasta had a flavorful cream sauce and plenty of veggies like squash, mushrooms, zucchini. The profiteroles are crisp and light, drizzled with chocolate sauce and filled with fresh whipped cream. The self-playing pianos play delightful tunes throughout the evening. It’s like getting dinner and a show. The favorite part of the evening was definitely the drinks! The soda fountain options are creative and tasty. The apricot ambrosia is particularly good, with nice almond flavor that balances the tartness of the apricot. The best drink of the evening was the East Frisia tea service. A hot pot of Assam black tea atop a tea candle to keep it warm arrived on a silver tray with rock sugar. You place cube in the cup and then as the tea is poured over, the cube crackles like an ice cube. Assam tea is reminiscent of English breakfast.

Essentially a museum of working player pianos and other self-playing instruments--xylophone, violin, giant music boxes and more--with an interesting restaurant. The food was quite good, we had the Austrian goulash, pear salad, profiteroles and made to order sodas--the Poppy Dew and the Cherry Sour Phosphate. I recommend everything, especially the profiteroles and the sodas. The goulash was served on great crunchy spaetzle and had a rich flavor. Seating is limited and you need to make reservations a few days ahead. The tables were close together without a lot of room to walk around between, but the atmosphere was great. Different player pianos/etc. play automatically from time to time, several are fascinating to watch. The staff is excellent. No tipping; a 14.5% service fee is automatically added. The prices were fine for the food quality. The night we were there the clientele were mostly older than 35. Definitely a unique and fun dining experience.