Kosher food in Palo Alto

Palo Alto has a sizable Jewish community, a Jewish community campus on Fabian Way and a university with an active Hillel, yet only a handful of places in the city state kosher certification. That is typical for the Peninsula. Most kosher eating here happens at home, at synagogues and through caterers, with a short list of certified eateries for meals out.

The good news is that the short list covers more ground than you might expect: a kosher bagel bakery on California Avenue, a kosher sushi restaurant on Alma Street and a Yemenite counter on El Camino Real. This guide lists only places that state kosher certification, based on the published listings of Sunrise Kosher (the Vaad of Northern California) and the businesses' own websites as of October 2026. Certification can change at any time, so look for a current certificate on site.

Kosher options at a glance

Certified kosher eateries in Palo Alto

Izzy's Brooklyn Bagels, California Avenue

Izzy's Brooklyn Bagels is a kosher bagel bakery at 477 South California Avenue under the supervision of the Vaad Hakashrus of Northern California, the agency that now operates as Sunrise Kosher. It bakes more than 30 kinds of bagels and serves lox sandwiches, bourekas and knishes, with indoor and outdoor seating. Sunrise lists it as both a restaurant and a caterer, so it can supply bagel platters for a family gathering or an office breakfast. It opens early and closes in the afternoon. Our bagels and delis guide covers it in more detail.

Holy Sushi, Alma Street

Holy Sushi at 3441 Alma Street, Suite 100, in south Palo Alto serves kosher sushi and Japanese food and now runs as a full-service restaurant with indoor dining. According to J. The Jewish News of Northern California, it began in 2013 as a project of Meira Academy, an Orthodox girls' high school. It opened its own restaurant space in March 2024. The website lists lunch and dinner Sunday to Thursday, a Friday service that ends in the afternoon and no Saturday hours. It also takes online orders for pickup and delivery. See our sushi guide for the rest of the city's sushi.

The Ma'lawah Bar, El Camino Real

The Ma'lawah Bar, listed by Sunrise Kosher as The Malawah Bar, is at 4131 El Camino Real, Suite 100. Chef Doreet Jehassi started it in 2019 as a delivery service from her home in Santa Clara, according to J., before opening the Palo Alto counter in 2024. The food is Yemenite and Middle Eastern. J. listed falafel, shakshuka, vegan pizza, sabich, salads and shakes and reported that the menu is vegan unless a dish includes a hard-boiled egg. In 2024 the counter closed early on Friday and did not open on Saturday, so check current hours before you go.

Kosher meat and groceries

Sunrise Kosher lists the kosher meat department at Mollie Stone's on California Avenue, with daily kosher meat and fish cutting at this store only. It is the most practical place in Palo Alto to buy kosher chicken, beef and fish for Shabbat or a holiday meal. The supermarket also stocks packaged kosher foods.

For a full kosher market, the nearest that Sunrise lists is Pars Kosher Market at 3978 Bascom Avenue in San Jose. It carries meats, breads and packaged goods and has added a deli restaurant with hot meals to go. Our San Jose guide covers the rest of the city. Farther away, Oakland Kosher on Lakeshore Avenue runs a butcher shop, deli and cafe and keeps a large kosher wine cellar.

Most Palo Alto supermarkets carry packaged foods with kosher symbols on the label. Look for a recognized hechsher rather than a plain letter K, which on its own does not tell you who supervised the product.

Kosher food at Stanford

Sunrise Kosher lists Stanford Kosher Dining, a kosher station at the Florence Moore dining hall on Mayfield Avenue, as part of the university's meal program. Stanford says its residential dining halls are not open for general public dining, so this option is for students and others on a Stanford meal plan. Sunrise also lists the kosher kitchen at Stanford Hillel on Mayfield Avenue as a supervised venue, which matters if you are planning an event there.

Visitors on campus should plan to eat in town or check our guide to where visitors can eat on campus for packaged options. Our page on religious life at Stanford covers Hillel and other campus communities.

Kosher caterers

For a wedding, bar or bat mitzvah, shiva or office event, a kosher caterer is often the easiest route. Sunrise Kosher lists these caterers on the Peninsula and in the South Bay:

• Yes Catering, Palo Alto. A full-service glatt kosher caterer for weddings, galas and b'nai mitzvah, with custom menus.
• Izzy's Brooklyn Bagels, Palo Alto. Bagel and deli platters.
• Kosher Catering by Fred Zaghi, Sunnyvale. A South Bay kosher caterer.
• Pars Kosher Market, San Jose. Catering from its market and deli.

Sunrise also lists Grand Bakery in Oakland for kosher baked goods and challah and Dina's Catering in San Francisco for large events. Our catering guide covers non-kosher caterers in town.

Community resources

Local Jewish organizations are the most reliable source for what is kosher this month, since small eateries open and close and certification changes.

• Sunrise Kosher. The Vaad of Northern California publishes current lists of supervised restaurants, markets, caterers and venues, plus kosher alerts.
• Chabad at Stanford. Its visitors page covers Shabbat, a daily minyan, kosher food, hotels and the Palo Alto eruv.
• Stanford Hillel. The campus Hillel has a supervised kosher kitchen. Contact it about Shabbat and holiday programs.
• Congregation Emek Beracha. An Orthodox synagogue in Palo Alto, less than a mile from Holy Sushi and The Ma'lawah Bar according to J.

Tips for kosher travelers

1. Check the certificate. Ask to see a current certificate if it is not posted.
2. Plan for Shabbat. Holy Sushi and The Ma'lawah Bar close on Friday afternoon and do not open on Saturday. Arrange Friday night and Saturday meals in advance through Chabad, Hillel or a synagogue.
3. Stay within walking distance. If you observe Shabbat, ask about the eruv and pick a hotel near your synagogue. Our where to stay guide lists hotels by area.
4. Bring supplies. For a longer stay, buy kosher meat at Mollie Stone's or Pars and cook in a furnished rental.
5. Use vegetarian restaurants carefully. A vegan or vegetarian menu is not the same as kosher supervision. See our vegetarian and vegan guide if you eat out on a stricter dairy-free or meat-free basis.

Frequently asked questions