Private dining rooms

Palo Alto is a city of board dinners, graduation celebrations and rehearsal dinners. Its restaurants have built rooms to match. Many publish their private spaces with guest counts, which makes it possible to shortlist rooms before you send a single inquiry. This guide gathers those published capacities in one place. Every figure below comes from the restaurant's own site or events materials, as summarized on its page in our business directory.

Capacities are maximums. A room listed for 40 seated will feel more comfortable at 30, especially with a presentation or a long table. For big tables in a regular dining room rather than a separate room, see our guide to group dining.

Published rooms and capacities

Small rooms for 10 to 20

Board dinners, investor meetings and family milestones often need a room for a dozen people. These spaces suit that size.

• Protégé, 250 California Avenue. The Private Dining Room seats up to 10 guests for a five-course tasting menu. A full buyout covers up to 40. Groups of five or more go through its private dining inquiry, since regular tables top out at four. See our fine dining guide for the restaurant's booking rules.
• Fuki Sushi, 4119 El Camino Real. Private tatami rooms with sliding doors seat 4 to 20. Each has a well under the table, so guests sit comfortably without kneeling. A call button summons the server. The restaurant suggests them for business meetings. They are limited, so ask when you book.
• Rara, 201 California Avenue. A Nepalese restaurant with a private party space for up to 20, aimed at birthdays, corporate events and family gatherings.
• Sundance the Steakhouse, 1921 El Camino Real. Three semi-private rooms named for wine regions: the Stag's Leap Room for 8 to 12, the Silverado Trail Room for 13 to 16 and the Alexander Valley Room for 17 to 28. The restaurant says the rooms are strictly for dining, with no screens, podiums or A/V.

Rooms for 20 to 40

This is the usual size for rehearsal dinners and team celebrations. Downtown and Cal Ave have plenty of choice.

Downtown

• Zola, 585 Bryant Street. The September 2026 events package lists The Gallery for 20 seated or 30 standing, the semi-private Library for 20 standing, the full dining room for 40 seated or 50 standing and a covered, heated patio for 20 seated or 30 standing. Requests go to the events email on its website.
• Meyhouse, 640 Emerson Street. The Istanbul Room, which doubles as the restaurant's jazz room, seats up to 38. It has its own bar, audio visual equipment and a cellar setting.
• Tacolicious, 632 Emerson Street. A high-ceilinged private room with artwork by Paul Madonna seats 30 to 40 or holds 45 standing. Menus for seated dinners and cocktail receptions are in its private dining packet. Its posted hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., so plan a lunch or early evening event rather than a late dinner.
• Tai Pan, 560 Waverley Street. The VIP room seats 14 to 36 for private or corporate events, with banquet menus. Together with the main room, the restaurant can seat 150 at once. Its website has not been updated recently, so call ahead to confirm the room is still taking bookings.
• Saint Michael's Alley, 140 Homer Avenue. Lists a small dining room for up to 20, a large dining room for up to 26, the full dining room for up to 45, a bar room for up to 30 and a covered patio for up to 36. Events are priced by a food and beverage minimum with tax and a service fee added. A full buyout is also offered.

California Avenue

• Italico, 341 South California Avenue. The Marble Room, fully private with a TV, seats up to 26. The smaller Fire Room sits next to it and the two combine for up to 40. A patio holds 26 and full buyouts are offered. Lunch is available for private events.
• Sekoya, 417 South California Avenue. The Pacific Room seats 18 at one table or 24 at three tables and has fixed A/V for business meetings. The enclosed Sekoya Terrace holds 30 seated or standing, with heaters for cooler months.

Large events and buyouts

For a wedding reception, a company party or a graduation celebration with extended family, you need more than a single room.

• Evvia, 420 Emerson Street. A chef's table for up to 18 in front of the open kitchen, a covered patio for up to 40 and buyouts of the whole restaurant for up to 130.
• Reposado, 236 Hamilton Avenue. A bar-height chef's table for 12 to 16, a private mezzanine with its own full bar for up to 50, the main dining room for up to 120 and a full buyout for up to 250.
• Tamarine, 546 University Avenue. Private and semi-private dining for groups of 6 to 120. Its prix-fixe event menus can be adapted for gluten-free, pescatarian, vegan, vegetarian and lactose-intolerant guests.
• Caffe Riace, 200 Sheridan Avenue. The restaurant spells its name with two f's. It lists three private dining rooms for up to 40 and a patio that can host events of up to 200, such as weddings and graduations. That makes it one of the few Palo Alto restaurants that can host a large reception on site.

How to book a private room

1. Shortlist by capacity. Use the table above, then allow some breathing room below the maximum.
2. Send one clear inquiry. Include the date, a backup date, the head count, seated or standing and any A/V needs.
3. Ask for the minimum. Most rooms are priced by a food and beverage minimum that changes by day and season. Fees and tax are added on top.
4. Fix the menu early. Set menus are common for private rooms. Send dietary needs with the final count.
5. Read the cancellation terms. Deposits are usual and late changes can forfeit them.

Busy seasons

Stanford shapes the calendar. Commencement weekend in June books private rooms months ahead, as covered in our commencement guide. Home football weekends in the fall and parents' weekends also fill rooms. December brings company holiday parties. Check the events calendar before you settle on a date.

Planning for out-of-town guests

Rehearsal dinners and graduation parties often bring guests from far away. Book hotel rooms close to the restaurant, since many of these dining rooms are within walking distance of the downtown hotels covered in our downtown hotels guide. Guests with a free afternoon can browse Bay Area food tours before the main event.

Frequently asked questions