Eating & Nightlife

Palo Alto is home to some of the best restaurants in the Bay Area, in many cases rivaling the best restaurants in San Francisco. It is a favorite dinner spot for locals living throughout Silicon Valley and visiting tourists and business people from around the world.

Most of the best restaurants are relatively small and independent, and without reservations you can expect to wait up to an hour or longer, especially on weekends.

Visitors looking for familiar but quality food will find lots to choose from. Chains including The Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza Kitchen, P.F. Chang's, Max's Opera Cafe, Il Fornaio, Gordon Biersch and Buca di Beppo all have Palo Alto locations.

Restaurants are the focal point for nightlife in Palo Alto, and it's not uncommon for them to still be seating customers at 10 or 11 o'clock on weekends. A popular bar scene consisting of mostly non-local young professionals and some Stanford students keeps downtown Palo Alto going until after 1 a.m. A few restaurants and bars feature live music or DJs.

For live theater, check out TheatreWorks, a nationally-acclaimed group that draws from throughout the Peninsula and Silicon Valley. Palo Alto Players, a popular community theater group that was the Peninsula's first theater group when formed in 1931, offers a regular schedule of plays at the Lucie Stern Community Center in Palo Alto. The much-loved Palo Alto Children's Theatre has it's own dedicated stage at the community center and has ignited the acting passion of many local children. Check the calendar for other theater, music and dance offerings in Palo Alto and at Stanford.

View a PDF of a [https://www.paloaltoonline.com/special_pubs/paloalto/249/section1.pdf useful listing of restaurants published in our printed Visitors Guide.

Looking for a good place for a weekend brunch? These restaurants offer special brunch menus.

Want to limit your search to the places our readers selected as "The Best?" These restaurants, cafes and eateries were the winners in our most recent "Best of Palo Alto" contest.

Restaurant Search

Su Hong Best of Winner - Best Chinese: With its bilingual menu full of authentic Chinese dishes served in generous portions, Su Hong is a great stop for a casual lunch or dinn


Location

4256 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
(650) 493-3836

Featured

Sundance The Steakhouse Best of Winner - Best Steak and Best Martini, Palo Alto Weekly, 2008

Sundance Steakhouse serves excellent seafood, chicken and pasta in addition to its signature steaks. Salmon and chicken marsala are excellent and every steak on the menu worthwhile. Decadent desserts, excellent wine list. Sophisticated decor.


Location

1921 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
(650) 321-6798

Tamarine Restaurant Best of Winner - 2015

Tamarine is a sophisticated Vietnamese restaurant set in chic surroundings. The ever-evolving menu features delicious caramelized onion prawns, kumquat chicken, clay pot cod and sweet potato fritters. Desserts are heavenly. Outstanding but pricy wine list. Full bar.


Location

546 University Ave., Palo Alto
(650) 325-8500

Terún Best of Winner - Best Italian restaurant: Terùn is really climbing the ranks. In 2014, the California Avenue Italian restaurant/pizzeria made it into a New York Times


Location

448 S. California Ave., Palo Alto
(650) 600-8310

Thaiphoon Best of Winner - 2015


Location

543 Emerson St., Palo Alto
(650) 323-7700

Three Seasons Restaurant Best of Winner - Best Vietnamese Restaurant, Palo Alto Weekly, 2008


Location

518 Bryant St., Palo Alto
(650) 838-0353

Zola Best of Winner - 2015


Location

565 Bryant St., Palo Alto
(650) 521-0651

Applewood Inn Best of Winner - Best Pizza, Palo Alto Weekly, 2008; Best Pizza, Almanac Readers Choice, 2011

Creative gourmet pizzas (toppings include sun-dried tomatoes, caviar, exotic cheeses), salads, soups, sandwiches and pastas available at lunch. Take-out available.


Location

1001 El Camino Real, Menlo Park
(650) 324-3486

Cafe Borrone Best of Winner - Best solo dining Cafe Borrone continues to be one of the most popular gathering spots in the area ? as any visitor to the plaza in front of the cafe

Bustling European-style cafe with indoor and outdoor seating. Salads, quiches, sandwiches, soups, desserts and coffee.


Location

1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park
(650) 327-0830

Cafe Del Sol Restaurant Best of Winner - Best Mexican restaurant Cafe Del Sol won Readers' Choice laurels again in the Mexican restaurant category. It's a popular dining spot for locals seek

Specialty dishes include poblano relleno, mole poblano, seafood, snapper, shrimp, filet mignon, ribs ranchera.


Location

1010 Doyle St., Menlo Park
(650) 326-2501

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