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About Peninsula Creamery
Peninsula Creamery Dairy Store & Grill is a small breakfast, lunch and milkshake counter at 900 High Street, on the corner of High Street and Channing Avenue a few blocks south of University Avenue. It is the living piece of one of Palo Alto's oldest family businesses. The store's own website calls it the Pen, a nickname worth knowing if you ask for directions.
The company was founded in 1923 by John Santana II and J.B. Howell. The Santana family has owned it alone since 1936, when John Santana III bought it outright. According to the business, John Santana stays involved and his son James runs day-to-day operations. In September 2024 the Redwood City Pulse confirmed that the original family still runs the store at 900 High Street.
A dairy with deep local roots
For decades the Peninsula Creamery was a working dairy. Its history page says most local families bought their milk, ice cream and other dairy products from the company, which also ran home delivery with nearly 60 trucks at its peak. It was for many years the sole supplier of dairy and ice cream to Stanford University and to local high schools, along with many businesses and restaurants.
The dairy plant on Alma Street closed in 1987, according to a 2023 profile in the Nob Hill Gazette marking the company's 100th year. The family had opened the High Street dairy store in 1970. That store carries the business today. The company also ran a 1950s-style soda fountain and grill at the corner of Emerson Street and Hamilton Avenue for many years. That space is now the Palo Alto Creamery, run by a different operator. The Santana family still owns the land. The business says the lease requires the tenant to remain a 1950s-style fountain that mixes shakes in metal cans.
For more on how the town grew around businesses like this one, see our Palo Alto history page.
What is on the menu
The menu is straightforward diner-counter food. Breakfast plates include the All American with two eggs, toast, hash browns and a choice of ham, bacon or sausage, plus a breakfast sandwich, a veggie scramble and a chorizo scramble. House specialties carry staff names, such as Stevo's Hashbrown Pie, Jaime's Scramble with chopped corn tortillas and salsa plus Gus' Scramble with jalapeño, bacon and avocado. Sides cover donuts, muffins, French toast and pancakes.
Lunch is mostly sandwiches. The list runs from roast beef, meatloaf, tuna melts and French dips to pastrami, bologna and a Louisiana hot link. Named house sandwiches include the Nifty with turkey, bacon, avocado and jack cheese, the K&P and the Clogger with pastrami and bacon on a French roll. Milkshakes are the other draw. It fits a business that started out bottling milk and making ice cream for the whole town.
The online menu dates from a few years ago, so expect some changes at the counter.
The store
The business describes the High Street location as a dairy store and grill rather than a full restaurant. Its website says it serves breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday. It invites visitors to stop by the Pen and take a journey back into history. The corner building has housed the family's store since 1970, so a visit doubles as a small piece of local history.
Who it suits
The Pen suits an early breakfast, a quick sandwich at lunch or a milkshake after school. It is a casual counter, not a place for a long meal. It also closes in the afternoon. Anyone curious about old Palo Alto will enjoy stopping at a business that has stayed in one family for about 90 years.
Tips for visiting
Check the hours before you go. The store opens at 7:30 a.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. on Saturday, closes at 4 p.m. on weekdays and 3 p.m. on Saturday and is closed Sunday. The store is about a 10-minute walk from the Palo Alto Caltrain station. Our downtown Palo Alto guide covers parking and nearby blocks. For more early meals, see our breakfast guide. For frozen treats around town, try our ice cream guide.
Location and getting there
Peninsula Creamery Dairy Store & Grill is at 900 High Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301, in the Town & Country Village area of Palo Alto. Our Town & Country Village guide covers what else is around.
The nearest train stop is the Palo Alto Caltrain station, about 0.4 miles away. That is roughly a 10 minute walk.
Parking: the center's own free surface lots.
Hours
| Monday to Friday | 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
|---|---|
| Saturday | 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours from the business's own website, checked October 30, 2026.
What is nearby
- Hassett ACE Hardware, store, under 0.1 mi
- Illuminate Plastic Surgery, practice, under 0.1 mi
- Saint Michael's Alley, restaurant, under 0.1 mi
- Lively X Studio, studio or gym, under 0.1 mi
- Taverna, restaurant, 0.1 mi
- Palo Alto History Museum, 0.2 mi
- Heritage Park, 0.2 mi
- Town & Country Village, 0.2 mi
Other quick bites and takeout nearby: Roost & Roast (0.1 mi); Palmetto Superfoods (0.1 mi); Oren's Hummus Express (0.1 mi); Jamba Town & Country Village (0.2 mi). Browse the full quick bites and takeout list.
Before you go
- Ordering ahead online or by phone saves time at lunch, when downtown and Cal Ave spots get busy.
- Delivery apps cover most of Palo Alto, but prices and menus there can differ from ordering in person.
- Check the posted hours before a late-night visit, since closing times vary by day.
About this listing
Checked October 30, 2026 against Peninsula Creamery official website; Location and hours; History; Menu; Redwood City Pulse, September 2024. How our listings work. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Peninsula Creamery Dairy Store & Grill in Palo Alto?
Peninsula Creamery Dairy Store & Grill is at 900 High Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301, in the Town & Country Village area. The nearest Caltrain stop is the Palo Alto Caltrain station, about 0.4 miles away.
Is Peninsula Creamery the same as Palo Alto Creamery?
No. Peninsula Creamery Dairy Store & Grill at 900 High Street is run by the Santana family, who founded the dairy business. The fountain on Emerson Street that the company once ran is now the separately operated Palo Alto Creamery, on land the Santana family still owns.
When is Peninsula Creamery open?
The website lists 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. It serves breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday and is closed Sunday.
How old is Peninsula Creamery?
The business was founded in 1923 by John Santana II and J.B. Howell. The Santana family has owned it alone since 1936. The Redwood City Pulse reported in 2024 that the original family still runs the High Street store.
What are Peninsula Creamery Dairy Store & Grill's hours?
Monday to Friday: 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sunday: Closed.