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About Bar Underdog
Bar Underdog is a cocktail bar on California Avenue, run by the people behind Protégé, the restaurant that holds Palo Alto's only Michelin star. Protégé founders Dennis Kelly and Anthony Secviar opened it on September 18, 2025, in the space that used to be Calave. The team describes it as a dive bar without the grit. In practice that means a casual room and no reservations, with drinks built using the kind of technique you would expect from a fine dining kitchen.
Kelly told the Almanac at opening that the street needed a place to go before or after dinner after Antonio's Nut House and Calave closed. The name comes from the owners' own backgrounds. Kelly grew up in East Cleveland and Secviar in Hammond, Indiana. They see themselves as underdogs.
The drinks
The cocktail program was developed over about a year by Dani Heinonen, a longtime member of the Protégé team. The bar makes its own mixers. It produces four house cordials, lemon-lime, ginger beer, cola and tonic, with a highball dispenser that filters and strongly carbonates water. Some cocktails are clarified in a culinary centrifuge.
The October 2026 menu splits drinks into house cocktails, traditionals, highballs, spirit-free drinks, sake and beer. House cocktails lean on Asian ingredients and unusual pairings. Examples include Floating, with calamansi, mugi shochu and umeboshi; the XXX, a take on a porn star martini with Champagne pearls; Pickle Juice, with mezcal, lacto-fermented cucumber and nasturtium; and the C.P.R., a Sazerac-style drink. Highballs come with Japanese whisky, shochu or tequila. Spirit-free options include a guava, jasmine green tea and soda drink and a fermented tea. The list changes, so treat these as examples.
Snacks
Secviar wrote a short snack menu with East Asian flavors. The current menu lists a crab dip with Old Bay chips, spiced nuts with gochugaru and candied bacon, a burdock and carrot dip with sesame toast, twice cooked potato wedges with Japanese curry mayo, a cold soba salad with peanut-tofu dressing, yellowtail tataki, a spicy pork skewer with mapo glaze, a mushroom dish with Oaxacan cheese and mochiko chicken. For dessert there is a warm butter mochi with huckleberry. The menu notes the kitchen is open until 10 p.m. nightly. It is bar food rather than dinner, so plan a meal elsewhere on the street if you are hungry.
The room
Regulars of Calave will recognize the bones of the space. According to the Almanac, the bar and structure stayed the same, but charred Japanese cypress and new lighting make the room darker and moodier. The inside seats about 40, including 14 at the bar. A gallery wall of framed underdogs, from Rocky to Charlie Bucket to the Jamaican bobsled team, nods to the clutter of a classic dive bar. Outdoor seating was planned at opening, so ask if it has been added.
Who it suits
Bar Underdog works best for a drink before or after dinner on California Avenue, or for a small group that wants creative cocktails without the formality of a tasting menu. The spirit-free list means friends who are not drinking alcohol still get something more interesting than soda. Sake is sold by the glass or the bottle. The beer list includes a red ale from Kyoto. Because the bar takes no reservations and seats about 40, it is not a good fit for a large party that needs to sit together on a weekend night.
Tips for visiting
There are no reservations, so arrive early on Friday and Saturday or come during happy hour, which runs weekdays from 4 to 5:30 p.m. The bar is closed Sunday and Monday under its current hours. Hours have changed since opening, so check the website or Instagram (@barunderdogpa) before you go. Gift cards are sold online through the bar's website. Its mailing list announces collaborations and events.
The bar is a short walk from the California Avenue Caltrain station, which makes it easy to reach without a car. Pair it with dinner at one of the street's restaurants. Our California Avenue guide covers the street. Our bars, wine and beer guide lists other places for a drink. For a fuller evening plan, see our nightlife page.
Location and getting there
Bar Underdog is at 299 California Avenue, Suite 110, Palo Alto, CA 94306, in the California Avenue area of Palo Alto. Our California Avenue guide covers what else is around.
The California Avenue Caltrain station is less than a quarter mile away, a walk of a few minutes.
Parking: street spaces and city garages with posted limits (see parking in Palo Alto).
Hours
| Tuesday to Thursday | 4 to 11 p.m. |
|---|---|
| Friday and Saturday | 4 p.m. to midnight |
| Sunday and Monday | Closed |
Hours from the business's own website, checked October 30, 2026.
What is nearby
- Silicon Valley Fit, studio or gym, under 0.1 mi
- The Coder School, school or studio, under 0.1 mi
- Pure Barre, studio or gym, under 0.1 mi
- Cafe Pro Bono, restaurant, under 0.1 mi
- Gamelandia, shop, under 0.1 mi
- Bowden Park, 0.2 mi
- Peers Park, 0.3 mi
- College Terrace Library, 0.4 mi
Other bars and pubs nearby: The Rose & Crown (1.5 mi); The Wine Room (1.6 mi). Browse the full bars and pubs list.
Before you go
- Bring a valid photo ID. California bars check identification for anyone who looks under 30 or so.
- Last call in California is 2 a.m. at the latest, though many Palo Alto bars close earlier.
- Caltrain and rideshare are the easy ways home. Check the last train times on caltrain.com before you go out.
About this listing
Checked October 30, 2026 against Bar Underdog official website; Bar Underdog menu, October 2026; The Almanac, September 2025. How our listings work. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Bar Underdog in Palo Alto?
Bar Underdog is at 299 California Avenue, Suite 110, Palo Alto, CA 94306, in the California Avenue area. The nearest Caltrain stop is the California Avenue Caltrain station, about 0.1 miles away.
Does Bar Underdog take reservations?
No. Bar Underdog's website says it takes no reservations and seats guests first come first served. The Almanac reported at opening that the room seats about 40, including 14 at the bar.
Who owns Bar Underdog?
Bar Underdog comes from Dennis Kelly and Anthony Secviar, the founders of Protégé, the Michelin-starred restaurant on California Avenue. It opened on September 18, 2025, in the space that once held Calave.
Does Bar Underdog serve food?
Yes. The bar serves a short menu of snacks with East Asian flavors, such as twice cooked potato wedges with Japanese curry mayo, mochiko chicken and a warm butter mochi. The menu says the kitchen is open until 10 p.m. nightly.
What are Bar Underdog's hours?
Tuesday to Thursday: 4 to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday: 4 p.m. to midnight; Sunday and Monday: Closed.