Late-night food in Palo Alto

Palo Alto is not a late-night town. It helps to know that before you are hungry at 11 p.m. Most restaurant kitchens close by 9 or 10 p.m., even downtown on a Saturday. University Avenue quiets down quickly after the last film lets out. The city has no all-night diner and no late-night food street.

There are still options if you know where to look. A handful of pizza places, a halal Pakistani kitchen, a Greek street food counter and a few chain drive-thrus publish hours well past 10 p.m. This guide lists them by closing time. We used only the hours each business publishes on its own website or ordering page, as recorded on its verified page in our business directory in October 2026. Late hours are the first thing to change when business is slow, so check before you set out.

What to know before you go

• Ten o'clock is the real cutoff. After 10 p.m. the choice shrinks to pizza, a few counters and drive-thrus.
• Last orders come early. Many kitchens stop taking orders before the posted closing time.
• Dining rooms close before drive-thrus. Taco Bell's dining room closes at 10 p.m. while its drive-thru runs later.
• Weekends run later. Several places on this list add one to four hours on Friday and Saturday.
• Delivery fills the gap. After midnight, delivery from pizza chains is the main hot food option in town.

Where late food is

Late food sits in three pockets. Downtown, the 200 and 300 blocks of University Avenue have Curry Pizza House, Nick the Greek and Pizza My Heart within a short walk of each other and of the bars on Emerson and Ramona streets. The downtown guide maps the area. California Avenue has Zareen's and a Domino's around the corner on Cambridge Avenue; see the California Avenue guide. The rest is spread along El Camino Real and Middlefield Road in the south of the city, where the drive-thrus and delivery stores are.

Latest published hours

After midnight

Jack in the Box, 2280 El Camino Real

Jack in the Box lists both its drive-thru and its lobby as open around the clock, with breakfast served all day. It is the only 24-hour food we found in Palo Alto. It sits on El Camino Real near California Avenue.

Papa Johns, 3898 El Camino Real

Papa Johns is a delivery and carryout store in south Palo Alto. Its listed hours run to 2:20 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 3:20 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, the latest delivery hours we found in the city.

Curry Pizza House, 320 University Avenue

Curry Pizza House is a branch of an Indian fusion pizza chain. It is open until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and until 10 p.m. the rest of the week. It is the latest sit-down option downtown and a short walk from the bars.

Mountain Mike's, 3918 Middlefield Road

Mountain Mike's is a family pizza parlor with dine-in, carryout and delivery. Its listed hours run to 2 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday and 10 p.m. on Monday, which makes it the late option in south Palo Alto.

Taco Bell and Domino's

The Taco Bell on East Charleston Road keeps its drive-thru open until 1 a.m., or 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Its dining room closes at 10 p.m. Domino's on Cambridge Avenue delivers and sells carryout until midnight, or 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Until about midnight

Pizza My Heart, 220 University Avenue

Pizza My Heart is a family-owned Bay Area slice shop that started in Capitola. It sells pizza by the slice or whole until midnight every day of the week.

Nick the Greek, 322 University Avenue

Nick the Greek serves gyros, souvlaki, pitas and bowls. It opens at 10 a.m. daily and stays open until midnight on Friday and Saturday.

Zareen's, 365 South California Avenue

Zareen's is chef Zareen Khan's halal Pakistani and Indian restaurant. It lists hours until 11:59 p.m. every day, with takeout only after 11 p.m. Kababs, biryani and paratha rolls are on the menu until close. Our Indian food guide has more on the menu.

Until 11 p.m.

Salt & Straw scoops ice cream until 11 p.m. daily on University Avenue. The Chipotle on El Camino Real near Page Mill Road is open until 11 p.m. every day. P.F. Chang's at Stanford Shopping Center is the one full-service restaurant on this list, open until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 10 p.m. the rest of the week. For more dessert after dark, see our ice cream guide.

Dietary and ordering notes

• Halal. Zareen's is a halal restaurant, which makes it the clear late choice for diners who keep halal.
• Vegetarian. Curry Pizza House, Pizza My Heart and Zareen's all have meatless choices. Chipotle builds vegetarian bowls.
• Ordering ahead. Most places on this list take online orders. Ordering 20 minutes before closing is safer than walking in at the last minute.
• Delivery radius. Delivery stores serve set zones. Check that your address is covered, especially near Stanford or the Baylands.

Drinks, music and getting home

Bars stay open later than kitchens. A cluster of pubs and cocktail bars on Emerson and Ramona streets stays open until about midnight on weeknights and 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. California law ends alcohol sales at 2 a.m. Our nightlife guide covers the bars, concerts at Bing and Frost and the last trains of the night.

Getting home takes some planning. On the late October 2026 timetable, the last northbound Caltrain left Palo Alto just before midnight. The last southbound train from San Francisco arrived a little before 1 a.m. The Caltrain guide explains stations and fares. After that, rideshare and robotaxis are the main options; see robotaxis, rideshare and taxis.

If your night out is in San Francisco instead, you can browse San Francisco food tours and check each tour's stops and times before you book.

Frequently asked questions