Where to eat in Menlo Park

Menlo Park eats a lot like Palo Alto, just on a smaller scale. The downtown strip along Santa Cruz Avenue has cafes, a French bakery, a pizza place, a tavern with a rooftop and a Korean restaurant that made the MICHELIN Guide. A few blocks south on El Camino Real you find a fish market that has been selling fish since 1928. Out west on Sand Hill Road, the Rosewood resort's dining room is the classic setting for investor meals.

Every place on this page confirmed its Menlo Park address on its own website in October 2026. This is not a ranked list and it is not a set of reviews. It is a guide to where to look, sorted by the kind of meal you want. For the town itself, start with our Menlo Park guide. For the street where most of these places sit, see our page on Santa Cruz Avenue.

At a glance

Cafes and bakeries

Cafe Borrone

Cafe Borrone shares the Menlo Center plaza at 1010 El Camino Real with Kepler's Books. It describes itself as family owned and operated since 1979, with everything from pastries to pastas made in its own kitchen from local ingredients. Seating spills onto the plaza outside, a natural stop for coffee with a book from next door. The cafe also hosts art shows and events, listed on its website. Our bookstores guide covers Kepler's.

Mademoiselle Colette

Mademoiselle Colette is a French bakery at 816 Santa Cruz Avenue, with a second shop at 499 Lytton Avenue in downtown Palo Alto. It is an easy stop on a walk down the avenue or before a Sunday at the farmers market. For more pastry around Palo Alto, see our bakeries and desserts guide.

Dinner on Santa Cruz Avenue

Yeobo, Darling

Yeobo, Darling is the downtown restaurant with the most outside attention. It is a contemporary Korean restaurant from the husband and wife team Michael and Meichih Kim, who previously cooked at Maum, a Michelin-starred restaurant. It is listed in the MICHELIN Guide. Reservations are taken through its website.

British Bankers Club

The British Bankers Club, known locally as the BBC, sits at 555 Santa Cruz Avenue near El Camino Real. Its website calls it a contemporary tavern. It opens daily in the late afternoon, runs a daily happy hour and has a plaza patio, a main bar and a rooftop. It is one of the few downtown places built around drinks rather than dinner.

Amici's East Coast Pizzeria

Amici's is a Bay Area chain that makes New York style thin-crust pizza. Its Menlo Park location is at 880 Santa Cruz Avenue and offers dine in, takeout, delivery and catering. It is one of the easier downtown choices for families. For more pizza, see our Italian food and pizza guide.

A note on Cook's Seafood

For 98 years Cook's Seafood on El Camino Real sold fresh fish in Menlo Park, with a market and a casual restaurant side by side. The Almanac reported on October 29, 2026 that it had abruptly closed both of its locations. Older guides and maps may still list it. For fish and chips, sushi or a seafood dinner nearby, our seafood guide lists places in Palo Alto that were open in October 2026.

Sand Hill Road and Madera

Madera is the restaurant at Rosewood Sand Hill, the resort at the top of the venture capital corridor. It serves breakfast and dinner. It is a classic choice for a celebration or a business meal where the setting matters. Our Rosewood Sand Hill page covers the resort, its bar and spa. Rosewood guests can also check rates at Rosewood and other Menlo Park hotels.

Sharon Heights, the neighborhood just below Sand Hill Road near Interstate 280, has a neighborhood shopping center with a supermarket and coffee. Our Sharon Heights guide covers it.

Lunch in a garden at Allied Arts

Café Wisteria is the cafe at Allied Arts Guild, the 1929 Spanish Colonial arts complex at 75 Arbor Road near the Palo Alto line. Its tables overlook the blue-tiled fountain in the Garden of Delight. The guild lists the cafe as open Tuesday to Saturday for lunch, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. It recommends reservations by text or email. It is a lovely spot for a quiet lunch with a parent or a friend. Afterward you can walk the gardens and the shops. Our Allied Arts Guild guide has the history.

Markets and picnic supplies

• Draeger's Market has a Menlo Park store just off Santa Cruz Avenue downtown. It is an upscale grocery with a bakery, deli and catering. It is a good place to put together a picnic.
• The Menlo Park farmers market runs every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Santa Cruz and Menlo avenues, according to the city. It runs year-round, rain or shine.

Our groceries and specialty food guide covers the Palo Alto side of the creek.

Tips for eating in Menlo Park

1. Take the train. The Menlo Park Caltrain station is a block from Santa Cruz Avenue and one stop from Palo Alto. Check the timetable, since not every train stops there.
2. Park in a plaza. The city runs eight free public parking plazas behind the downtown storefronts. Most have free three-hour limits, enforced on weekdays.
3. Book ahead for dinner. Yeobo, Darling and Madera are the two places where walking in is a gamble.
4. Eat outside. Menlo Park's Streetary program lets restaurants set up outdoor seating along Santa Cruz Avenue. Bring a layer, since evenings cool off quickly.
5. Mind Sunday mornings. The farmers market fills the Chestnut Street lot, so park a block or two away.

Picking by occasion

• A quick coffee and a book: Cafe Borrone, then Kepler's next door.
• Sunday morning: the farmers market, then a pastry at Mademoiselle Colette a few doors away.
• Lunch with kids: Amici's for pizza.
• A quiet lunch in a garden: Café Wisteria at Allied Arts Guild, Tuesday to Saturday.
• Drinks after work: the British Bankers Club and its rooftop.
• A special dinner: Yeobo, Darling downtown or Madera on Sand Hill Road.

Most of these sit within a ten minute walk of each other, so it is easy to split a day between them. Allied Arts and Madera are the exceptions. Each is a short drive from downtown.

How it compares with Palo Alto

Menlo Park has fewer restaurants than Palo Alto and fewer late-night options. On the other hand, it is quieter, parking is free and the walk from the train is shorter. For a big night out with many choices, downtown Palo Alto still wins. For a relaxed lunch, a pastry and a bookstore, Menlo Park is hard to beat. Our fine dining guide compares the special-occasion rooms on both sides of the creek. If you are heading east instead, our guide to eating in East Palo Alto covers taquerias and Pacific Islander food a few miles away.

Frequently asked questions