It’s time to bid adieu to Steamer’s Grillhouse, just named by the readers of the Los Gatan as Best Seafood Restaurant in Los Gatos for 2024, as well as the number two restaurant in town overall. After 45 years, the Matulich family is closing the beloved restaurant where locals have celebrated milestones over the decades.
Steamer’s started as a humble café on North Santa Cruz Avenue, then moved to a free-standing building in the original part of Old Town. It quickly became a magnet for lovers of fresh seafood and raw shellfish, and some tasty clam chowder. I remember eating there frequently in the late 1980s, before they relocated to their current spot on the other side of University Avenue, in 1999.
Paul Matulich shared in an earlier interview that when the original café was demolished, it brought an emotional response from loyal customers. “People came to me and said, I want table such-and-such, because that’s where I got engaged,” he said. “I had a guy buy my entire bar for his house. The emotional connection of people to the place was amazing. Now I have the kids and even grandkids of people who used to work here coming back to visit.”
When Matulich started Steamer’s in 1979 with his brother, Mark, and sister, Linda, he had just opened Courtside. At the time, his brother was working at a Sheraton in Hawaii. His sister was managing a tasting room outside Gilroy. He’d already been working with restaurant entrepreneurs to open legends like Sundance in Palo Alto, and he thought it would be good to have a business the siblings could operate together. Ever since, his sister has been running the office and doing the accounting.
For Paul, cooking was his real passion, and one that required a commitment that is not easily found. “It requires a certain kind of mentality to want to put out the same beautifully plated dish over and over,” he once said. Matulich joked that his iconic menu items like linguini with prawns, mushrooms and crab in garlic lemon butter sauce, put his two kids through college.
(Courtesy of Steamer’s)
The Matulich family grew up near Salinas. “My mother was Italian, right off the boat,” Matulich said. “She may have been born on the boat! My father was Croatian and a butcher, so he taught us all about meat, and we were surrounded by agriculture. We grew up cooking all our lives. We got to know all the produce farmers, Foxy Lettuce, all those guys. We all went to Palma High.”
In the early days of Steamer’s Café, he says that his family was involved in liquor distribution. “The year we opened, one of the Mondavis came by and said, ‘You should do a wine bar! It’s a new concept that’s BIG. Open a bunch of Italian wines and people will buy wine by the glass.’ At the time, people were still drinking things like Mateus and Lancers, and we were very successful with imports. In fact, we became the number one seller of Soave Bolla in California!”
The restaurant met with great success, in part because of its cocktails. They even had custom glassware blown in Mexico.
Pasta was a big part of tradition at Steamer’s and Matulich still has the same pasta machine from Italy he bought in 1982. He even went to San Francisco’s North Beach to take classes from Tony Gemignani of Tony’s Pizza Napoletana.
It’s time to get one last pie and order of seafood linguini, or whatever floated your boat at this cornerstone of Los Gatos.
While the town has changed over the years, the Matulich family has expressed that the sense of community and connection they felt never wavered. I know they are deeply honored to have been a part of it.
In a press release, sent out Sunday to their diners, they stated: “We want to thank you for your smiles, and your support. To our incredible staff, past and present—thank you for your dedication, passion, and for making Steamer’s the warm and welcoming place it has always been.
“While this chapter is coming to a close, the memories we’ve shared will live on in our hearts forever. We are so proud to have been part of this community’s history, and we thank you for allowing us to serve you for 45 wonderful years. As we prepare to say goodbye, we invite you to join us in these final weeks to celebrate the legacy of Steamer’s. Together, let’s raise a toast to the memories, the milestones, and the incredible journey we’ve shared.”
Sad as it is, all good things do have to come to an end. Might as well grab one last margarita.
Steamer’s Grillhouse will be open Wednesday through Sundays, until Christmas Eve, when the final meal will be served.
Lunch 11:30am-2:00pm
Dinner 4:30pm Until Last Reservation (8pm)
Call (408) 395-2722 to secure your seat for the final act.
