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San Jose: The Bay Area's Great Immigrant Food CitySan Jose: The Bay Area's Great Immigrant Food City

To outsiders, San Jose is better known as a tech hub than a food destination. But those who have spent time in the city’s vibrant immigrant and refugee communities know better. They know it as the city of Vietnamese malls and Mexican flea market taco stands — and home of the Bay Area’s most delicious Somali food, its most exceptional pho, its most decadent torta. If you’re still skeptical, this series of features, essays and guides will convince you of the truth: that San Jose is the best place in the whole Bay Area to sample the region’s vast wealth of immigrant cuisines.

San Jose: The Bay Area's Great Immigrant Food City

Project Manager/Editor: Luke Tsai | Contributors: Adhiti Bandlamudi, Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí, Beth LaBerge, Andria Lo, Grace Hwang Lynch, Thien Pham, Yosimar Reyes, Adesh Thapliyal, Jacquelyn Tran, Tana Yonas | Designer: Rebecca Kao | Engagement: Justin Ebrahemi, Sarah Pineda | Additional Editing: Sarah Hotchkiss, Gabe Meline, Nastia Voynovskaya

A taco truck employee hands a plate of food to a customer through the window.

Long Live La Pulga, the San Jose Flea Market No ‘Urban Village’ Can Ever Replace

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A steamer tray full of freshly fried tofu, as part of a buffet-style display. Text on the left reads, "San Jose: The Bay Area's Great Immigrant Food City."

How Vietnamese Americans Made San Jose America’s Tofu Capital

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A woman in a bright yellow dress poses for a portrait inside her restaurant. Text to the left reads, "San Jose: The Bay Area's Great Immigrant Food City."

The Bay Area’s Most Famous Ethiopian Restaurant Started With a Love Story

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An illustration of a Vietnamese takeout meal with fresh herbs and peanuts. To the left, the text reads, "San Jose: The Bay Area's Great Immigrant Food City."

Social Media Kitchen Confidential

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A man in a "Japantown" T-shirt holds a tray of poke; the text to the left reads, "San Jose: The Bay Area's Great Immigrant Food City."

San Jose's Japantown Stayed the Same for More Than 70 Years. Now, Change Is Coming.

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A durian, a pastry, and a green beverage on a countertop; the text to the side reads, "San Jose: The Bay Area's Great Immigrant Food City."

Boba, Chè and ABGs: A San Jose Local's Guide to Vietnamese Drinks

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Close up of an older Latina womans face as she grinds chiles in a molcajete; the text on the left reads, "San Jose: The Bay Area's Great Immigrant Food City."

My Abuela’s East San Jose Kitchen Fed Dozens of Undocumented Workers Every Week

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An illustration of various international foods such as pho and an Ethiopian veggie combo, with the following text overlaid: "San Jose: The Bay Area's Great Immigrant Food City"

San Jose Is the Bay Area’s Great Immigrant Food City

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