Where to eat near the Junior Museum and Zoo

The Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo is one of the best mornings out for young children on the Peninsula. Its rebuilt home beside Rinconada Park has a netted zoo, a tree house walk and hands-on science rooms. What it does not have is a cafe. Food and drinks other than water are not allowed inside the museum, zoo or courtyard. Rinconada Park next door has lawns and picnic tables but no food stand.

That means a little planning. This guide covers where to pick up picnic supplies, where to take children for a sit-down lunch and how to time it around the JMZ's ticket windows. Every business linked below has a page in our business directory, with hours as each place published them in October 2026. For tickets, exhibits and the museum's history, see our Junior Museum and Zoo guide.

The food rules at the JMZ

The rule is simple. Only water comes inside. If your children get hungry mid-visit, step out to Rinconada Park or the front of the building to eat, then get a hand stamp to go back in. Your timed ticket lets you stay as long as you like once you are in, so a picnic break does not cost you the visit.

The JMZ is open Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Mondays. It says it closes at 4:30 p.m. starting November 1, 2026. Timed entry windows start at 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Parking is free in the JMZ lot and on nearby streets.

How far the food is

The JMZ sits on Middlefield Road at Embarcadero Road, in a quiet residential part of the city. The nearest restaurants are about a mile away in three directions. Distances below are straight-line estimates from the museum. On foot, allow about 20 minutes per mile, longer with small children.

With children in tow, most families drive. Every option below has its own parking or a city lot nearby.

Picnic in Rinconada Park

A picnic is the easiest way to feed a family on a JMZ day. Rinconada Park is a 19-acre park that opened in 1922, the city's second oldest. It has a renovated playground, a picnic area and open lawns. Our Rinconada Park guide maps it.

• Whole Foods Market at 774 Emerson Street is the closest full grocery, about 0.9 mile west. It lists a coffee bar, a Genji Sushi counter and prepared foods, open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
• Trader Joe's at Town & Country Village is about the same distance southwest, with easy parking.
• Mademoiselle Colette on Lytton Avenue is a French pastry shop and cafe with croissants and a light lunch menu, open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday.

Group picnic sites at Rinconada can be reserved through the city, but only by residents and up to six months ahead. Our picnic spots guide covers the rules and other parks.

Downtown: diners and milkshakes

Downtown Palo Alto's south and east edges are the closest restaurants to the JMZ. Head west toward downtown and you reach them in a few minutes by car.

• Palo Alto Creamery: a diner dating to 1923 with breakfast all day, burgers, milkshakes and pies made from scratch. It opens at 8 a.m. daily and is the most kid-proof sit-down meal downtown.
• Peninsula Creamery: a family-run breakfast, lunch and milkshake counter at High Street and Channing Avenue, the last outpost of a Palo Alto dairy founded in 1923. It closes at 4 p.m. on weekdays and 3 p.m. on Saturdays and is closed Sundays.
• Taverna: a Greek restaurant on an Emerson Street corner, open daily with weekend hours from 10:30 a.m. and a veranda.
• Peet's Coffee on Homer Avenue: coffee and warm breakfast from 5 a.m. on weekdays, for parents who need fuel before a 10 a.m. entry.

Town & Country Village: everything in one lot

Town & Country Village is about 0.9 mile down Embarcadero Road at El Camino Real. It is the easiest family lunch after the JMZ because everything shares one parking lot. Gott's Roadside has burgers and a covered patio. Boichik Bagels and Manresa Bread cover the morning. The Penny Ice Creamery and Kara's Cupcakes handle dessert. Our Town & Country food guide lists every counter and its hours.

Midtown and Edgewood Plaza

Two smaller clusters sit about a mile away. Midtown, south on Middlefield Road, has Kirk's Steakburgers, a family burger grill that started in Palo Alto in 1948 and still cooks over charcoal. Baskin-Robbins and Teaspoon boba are a few doors away. Our Midtown food guide has the full list.

East on Embarcadero Road, Edgewood Plaza has Chef Zhao Kitchen, a Shanghainese restaurant known for soup dumplings and pan-fried pork buns. It closes between lunch and dinner and is closed on Mondays, the same day the JMZ is closed.

Timing lunch around your ticket

The JMZ's entry windows shape the day. Here is how families usually fit food in:

1. 10 a.m. entry. Eat breakfast first, visit for about two hours, then picnic in Rinconada Park or drive to lunch around noon.
2. 12:30 p.m. entry. Have an early lunch downtown or at Town & Country, then arrive with full stomachs.
3. 2:30 p.m. entry. Lunch first. From November 1 the museum closes at 4:30 p.m., so this window gives you about two hours inside.

Most of the downtown diners and Town & Country counters serve continuously through the afternoon. Peninsula Creamery and Mademoiselle Colette close by 4 p.m. on weekdays, so go earlier for those.

Rainy days and cold mornings

Rinconada Park is less inviting for a picnic in the wet months, roughly November through March. On those days, plan a sit-down lunch instead. Palo Alto Creamery and the Town & Country counters have indoor seating. Gott's covered and heated patio is a good middle ground for families who want to stay outside without getting soaked. Pack snacks for the car, since children often get hungry on the short drive between the museum and lunch. A thermos of something warm is worth the space in the bag on a cold morning in the park.

Other things on the block

The JMZ shares its corner with Rinconada Pool, which is open year-round, the Rinconada Library and the Lucie Stern Community Center, home of the Palo Alto Children's Theatre. The Palo Alto Art Center is a short walk away. On a full family day it is easy to string several together, with a picnic in the middle.

Visiting with children from out of town

The JMZ is a top pick for families visiting grandparents or cousins in Palo Alto. If you need a base, hotels on El Camino Real near Town & Country and downtown are a short drive from Rinconada Park. You can compare family-friendly hotels in Palo Alto and look for ones with free parking and a pool.

Frequently asked questions