Who wants to commit to a whole entree when you can enjoy several bites from a parade of small plates?

Arcadia
Yes, Arcadia is primarily a steak house, but the top of the menu includes lots of excellent small plates like the beef tartare poppers: chopped tenderloin with a potato-shallot cake and quail egg.

Blowfish
Santana Row’s Blowfish is known for its sushi, but don’t miss some of more offbeat items such as the Tokyo ceviche: Dungeness crab, octopus, tuna, wakame, cucumber, and mango mixed with yuzu dressing and topped with cucumber sorbet.

Dan
An izakaya bar is the Japanese equivalent of tapas bar. The small plates menu at Dan goes way beyond edamame with dishes like clams steamed in sake, sea urchin with soft boiled egg and braised pork. 

Hay Market
Willow Glen’s Hay Market restaurant offers several great small plates you’re not going to find elsewhere like “duck, duck and duck,” duck wings, duck pate and duck rillettes.

Picasso’s
We couldn’t make a list of San Jose tapas restaurants without including the city’s only true Spanish tapas restaurant.