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.
Dutch Goose Best of Winner - Best sports bar The award for top sports bar goes to The Dutch Goose, a meeting place for Menlo Park, Palo Alto and Stanford communities for decades.
The menu at this classic sports bar and restaurant specializes in your basic burgers, fries, pizza and sandwiches.
Flea St. Cafe Best of Winner - Best American restaurant Best place for a date "Farm to table" was Jesse Cool's mantra long before it became a cliche in the food industry. Owner of
Fresh organic cuisine in a country-cozy atmosphere. Fish, poultry, pasta, home-made bread, biscuits and desserts. One of the first West Coast purveyors of organic produce. Reservations recommended.
Jeffrey's Hamburgers Best of Winner - Best place to dine with kids Jeffrey's Hamburgers, winner of the Readers' Choice award in the Dine with Kids category, offers menu choices that will
Jeffrey's Hamburgers serves plump, juicy beef and turkey burgers in a retro diner atmosphere. The burgers and fries are good, and the milk shakes excellent. Other sandwiches and salad combos are available and all are amply portioned. Off-street parking. Beer and wine.
Left Bank Brasserie Best of Winner - Best French restaurant Left Bank French brasserie, in downtown Menlo Park, is even more popular with local diners since it expanded its outdoor sidew
Left Bank features California-French cuisine in a stylish brasserie setting in Menlo Park, with continuous service all day. Appetizers are interesting and toothsome especially the thin-crusted tartes flambees, pates and salad Lyonnaise. Steak frites is excellent as are seafood dishes and pastas. Desserts are a treat. Appealing wine list with wallet-friendly prices. Full bar. Excellent for families.
LuLu's on the Alameda Best of Winner - Best Mexican Restaurant, Almanac Readers Choice, 2011
Every neighborhood needs a taqueria. The food is quick, cheap and basic, and while it's not haute cuisine it rarely disappoints. The expansive menu includes chicken mole, tamale, enchilada and fajita plates as well as tacos, burritos, chips and salsa, salads and kids' meals.
Menlo Grill Bistro & Bar Best of Winner - Best New Restaurant, Almanac Readers Choice, 2011
Naomi Sushi Best of Winner - Best Japanese Restaurant, Almanac Readers Choice, 2011
Stacks Best of Winner - Best Breakfast, Almanac Readers Choice, 2011
While the restaurant's pancakes and waffles were quite good (especially the plain Belgian waffle), the egg-and-vegetable dishes managed to be both under- and overcooked. Another big hit on the breakfast table was the bowl of fresh fruit. Burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads are available for lunch -- or at breakfast, for that matter.
Su Hong Restaurant Best of Winner - Best Take Out, Palo Alto Weekly, 2008 Best Chinese Restaurant, Takeout, Almanac Readers Choice, 2011
Mandarin and Szechwan dishes, with take-out available. It's almost always busy, so reservations are recommended.
Amarin Thai Cuisine Best of Winner - Best Thai restaurant: With its opulent gold wall decor and vibrant orchid bouquets, Amarin Thai aims to create "the most authentic Thai experience, wi
Amici's East Coast Pizzeria Best of Winner - Best Pizza, Mountain View Voice, 2011
This incarnation of an East Coast pizza joint may ring true with some or as an imposter with others. Signature-style brick oven charred crust is paper thin, crisp and somewhat dry. Good place for groups.
Cafe Baklava Best of Winner - Best Mediterranean Restaurant, Mountain View Voice, 2011
Cafe Baklava offers well-prepared classic Middle Eastern food on Mountain View's main street. A particularly interesting offering is evizli peynir, a thick dip of ground toasted walnuts and sharp goat cheese with a terrific tang. Dessert is a mixed bag.
Cascal Best of Winner - Best Mediterranean and best happy hour: Readers continue to share the love for Cascal, which won in two categories this year, for best Mediterranean r
Cascal's "pan-Latin" cuisine features Spanish and South American dishes. Excellent tapas -- small dishes meant to be shared -- include lamb meatballs, veal tagine and calimari in red wine sauce The interior exudes casual warmth, with warm colors, deeply hued fabrics, beautiful wood floors, and faux-Moorish archways and pillars. The restaurant excels with service, ambience and pizzazz.
Chez TJ Best of Winner - 2015
Crepevine Best of Winner - 2015
Erik's DeliCafe Best of Winner - Best Deli, Mountain View Voice, 2011
Offers a variety of sandwiches, soups, and salads served up cafeteria style at this chain restaurant.
Frankie, Johnnie and Luigi Too Best of Winner - Best Italian Restaurant, Mountain View Voice, 2011
Excellent New York-style pizza, good pasta, tasty veal and chicken dishes. Weeknight specials are particularly good values. Service is friendly and competent in this family-oriented restaurant. Avoid the desserts, though.
Garden Fresh Best of Winner - 2015
Inspired by Buddhist teachings, Garden Fresh is a vegan Chinese restaurant featuring vegetable, tofu and wheat-gluten dishes. Brown rice comes with almost everything, and the bulk of the menu is dedicated to tofu dishes. Appetizers, soups and dessert (soy-based ice cream).
Hobee's Mountain View Best of Winner - Best Breakfast, Mountain View Voice, 2011, 2013
Country-style restaurant with healthy California influence. Long lines for weekend breakfast.
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