Pastelaria Adega draws big crowds for downtown San Jose opening

You can loosen your belt a notch and put off any plans for pre-holiday dieting: Pastelaria Adega opened for business Friday, bringing its wildly popular pastéis de nata to downtown San Jose.

And it’s already a hit. There was a 40-minute wait Friday morning, and the Portuguese bakery and cafe — opened by Adega restaurant owners Carlos and Fernanda Carreira — was still doing brisk business well past lunch.

In addition to its signature Portuguese custard tarts, the menu includes an array of sweet and savory pastries like Portuguese rice muffins (bolos de arroz), cream-filled rolls (bolas de berlim), a fruit-nut bread (pão de frutos), sponge cakes (queques), and brioche-based croissants filled with chocolate, as well as Portuguese specialty breads and coffee from Portuguese roasting company Delta Cafes.

“We’re very proud of our culture and our cuisine,” Fernanda Carreira said. “We don’t want to misrepresent it so we go to all lengths to make sure we get the right things.”

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The Carreiras should be applauded not just for opening a second venture but for again taking a chance on a location others might have passed on. When Adega opened in 2015, the family was adamant about it being in the Little Portugal district on Alum Rock Avenue in East San Jose. The restaurant earned rave reviews and a Michelin star the following year. That was — and still is — a big deal for that part of town.

Similarly, you’d expect to find a bakery and cafe like Pastelaria Adega somewhere on Lincoln Avenue in Willow Glen or occupying a tony spot in Palo Alto or Los Gatos. Instead, it’s on East Santa Clara Street, a part of downtown that has been challenging for businesses, with vacant storefronts and people sleeping in doorways at night a hallmark of the area. This isn’t San Pedro Square or even the arty SoFA District.

But developer Gary Dillabough — whose Urban Community owns both Pastelaria Adega’s building and the adjacent Bank of Italy building — said he appreciated the Carrerias’ spirit and enthusiasm and hopes their bakery helps lead downtown’s resurgence.

“Sometimes in life you need to find fearless people to take on the challenge that most of us wouldn’t do,” Dillabough said. “Those are the kinds of things that help change cities. There’s no silver bullet that makes a great city. It’s a bunch of small things like this.”

Pastelaria Adega is open every day at 30 E. Santa Clara St. from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

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