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An ambitious project celebrating the diversity of Asian cuisine is opening Tuesday at Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara.
Referred to as the “Asian Eataly,” by founder, CEO and executive chef George Chen, Asia Live is a two-story food emporium featuring a full-service restaurant with five open-kitchen stations, three bars, a grab-and-go counter and a marketplace. A seasonally rotating menu encompasses contemporary Chinese, Southeast Asian, Indian, Korean and Japanese dishes, while the bar program focuses on Asian spirits, sake, whiskey and tea. Asia Live replaces iChina, which closed in 2025.
Chen is no stranger to offering multiple cuisines in one restaurant space – his first restaurant, Betelnut, served Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Singaporean and Indonesian dishes during its 20 years in San Francisco before its closure in 2015. Chen is also the creator of China Live, a 30,000-square-foot Chinese food emporium in San Francisco since 2017. Asia Live is Chen’s 17th restaurant and “a very personal project,” he said, drawing parallels between his first restaurant and his latest.
“When you love to do something, you keep doing it,” he said.
The restaurant’s menu is expansive, with more than 70 items to choose from. About half of the menu features items from China Live, such as sheng jian bao (pan-fried pork dumplings), Sichuan blistered green beans with Yunnan fermented olives and salted plum, and kumquat-glazed Peking duck in sesame pockets ($19-$29). Fans of Betelnut may recognize the minced chicken lettuce cup, which Chen revived for Asia Live ($25).
In addition to Chinese food, expect Singaporean options such as kaya shrimp toast; Korean favorites, including kimchi mandu potstickers; Indian options like tandoori butter chicken nuggets with chutney; Thai-inspired dishes such as tamarind basil glazed baby pork riblets; Japanese sweet and sour pork tenderloin tonkatsu; and Vietnamese classics, including various flavors of banh mi ($19-$38).
For dessert, find sesame soft serve with mango shaved ice; matcha lava cake with matcha ice cream; and mandarin chocolate brownie with lychee ice cream ($11-$13.50).
The open kitchen concept allows diners to watch the food being prepared while seated in the dining room. Open kitchen stations include woks and grills; noodle making and dumplings; charcuterie, barbecue and tandoori; sushi and yakiniku; and shaved ice and Asian bakery. A blue-and-white mural depicting the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco hangs above the open kitchen, and the dining room seats 350 guests.
Near the dining room is a grab-and-go counter called Asia Live on the Go, which will offer dim sum, shaved ice, soft serve and other small bites.
A bar is located between the dining room and retail marketplace, which features artisanal and sustainable products curated by Cindy Wong-Chen, Chen’s wife and business partner. Expect edible items, such as housemade chili bean sauce, chili crisp and Peking duck fat popcorn, as well as artisanal cookware, unique gifts and children’s toys.
“It is a passion of mine to search for beautiful things from all around the world, and it brings me so much joy to be able to share those special items with our customers,” Wong-Chen said in a press release.
Also on the second floor is a separate bar called Bar Lucy, named after the idiom loosey-goosey. The space features multiple couches, floor-to-ceiling windows and custom-designed black tiles behind the bar.
The cocktail list includes Sometimes Old Fashioned, with Peking duck fat-washed whiskey, black pepper and mushroom plus Angostura and lemon bitters; Silk Degrees, made with coconut-washed whiskey, pineapple and coconut; and The Sailer’s Mead, made with rum, rosemary honey and Angostura and chocolate bitters ($20-$22). For those looking to splurge, a $68 cocktail called F.O.G. is made from Johnnie Walker Blue, turmeric shrub, Angostura bitters and soda.
Attached to Bar Lucy is a private dining space with high ceilings, plush red velvet banquette seating and a golden chandelier. A rooftop terrace is expected to open next year.
While Bar Lucy will only be open in the evening, the Terrace Bar, located on the first floor, offers a more relaxed daytime atmosphere with bar and outdoor seating options. Attached is a wine room that will have weekly wine tastings.
Asia Live is one of many Asian food spots coming soon to Westfield Valley Fair. Chinese tea brands HeyTea and Chagee are both planning to open in the mall, as well as Michelin-recommend ramen shop Kajiken, revolving sushi spot Izumi Sushi and char-grilled wagyu restaurant Chubby Tan.
Asia Live, 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd. #1891, Santa Clara; 408-889-7774; Instagram: @asialivesv. Beginning June 16, Asia Live restaurant open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Bar Lucy open Sunday to Thursday from 5-11 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to midnight; retail open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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