One of San Jose’s premier shopping and dining destinations is about to offer customers new experiences on both fronts. Despite the economic struggles of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Santana Row is getting five new merchants and restaurants. According to the Mercury News, the shopping center announced this week that a clothing store, a home accessories retailer, a tea shop, and two restaurants will be added to the already long list of stores and dining options.

“We can see that top brands want to be in the best locations and Santana Row has proven to be that. Brands continue to want to have a physical presence in Santana Row,” Collette Navarrette of Federal Realty Investment Trust told Mercury News. The company developed and owns Santana Row. One of the two new restaurants in the outdoor mall opened its doors on Thursday. Left Wing Bar is a Korean fried chicken chain that also serves beer. In October, San Francisco-based men’s and women’s clothing retailer ‘American Giant’ is expected to open a shop at Santana Row in October. It’ll be the company’s fifth brick-and-mortar location. 

Another San Francisco company will open a month later in November. Boba Guys serves a unique line of popular tea varieties using high-end organic ingredients. If you’re in the mood for Asian dumplings with a west coast twist, then you’ll want to try the menu at Dumpling Time, which opens closer to the end of the year. The chain has three locations in San Francisco and is hiring for all positions at the new Santana Row shop. 

The home accessories and decorating store CB2 will be the last of the five new stores to open. The Crate & Barrel spin-off should be open within the first three months of next year. By that time, the number of customers deciding to return to brick-and-mortar locations like Santana Row could be majorly increasing. “The traffic counters have indicated that we have nearly rebounded from the pandemic. We are close to pre-pandemic traffic,” Navarette told Mercury News.