Menlo Circus Club

My husband and I were fortunate to work with Lizette Merlino and have her be our catering director for our wedding day, November 7^th, 2015. From the beginning, correspondence with Lizette was great. She was always smiling, available and helpful when I had those bride freak out moments — even now (a couple days later!) Lizette is still answering questions I have and assisting me with whatever I need. Customer service at the Menlo Circus Club is fantastic!
The day of the wedding, Lizette was professional and creative, while getting all of the crucial details together. She has these positive and easing vibes about her that just make you feel comfortable and relieved instantly. My bridesmaids and wedding planner even said the same thing! She is so sweet and easy to work with it was really fun and magical the entire time! Thank you all at the club and especially Lizette for being a part of our wedding, and executing our big day with such excellent talent and customer service!

Great venue for a party — spacious and spread out through a half dozen rooms. Subtract one star for food which was ok but nothing special.

Member only club.
quite fancy when it comes to all events like Christmas, horse show (around Aug, opened to public), Independent Days
each day each wedding has different theme
Friday, Thursday are bistro night unless it’s booked for special event.
Chef Garry Goldman’s dishes always rock!
perfect to match w each wines

Meh. I wasn’t impressed by anything. I have never had a challenging match either. I think everyone sits around and talks about polo and never really plays. Food was mediocre too.

I was inquiring some information about possibly having a wedding there. Lizette was a great help in answering most of my questions. As I am trying to find some answers quick in case it gets book, her assist responds two weeks later that they do not do ceremony only but both or just the reception. I was hoping to hear back quick instead of just waiting hopelessly. Its frustrating because researching for wedding stuff can be overwhelming and to find a response much later makes me think twice about having my wedding there.

Historically, the Menlo Circus Club has been the scene of outstanding horse shows, polo matches, swimming events, tennis tournaments and gala parties. I attended The Menlo Charity Horse Show this week at the MCC. It’s a wonderful event that supports numerous charities including Planned Parenthood, Amigos De Las Americas, and Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. There were equestrian competitions taking place attracting many of the most accomplished riders from the United States, Canada and Mexico. The venue is classy and beautiful! There were two areas set up for Jumper and Hunter competitions. A huge tent with tables for lunches and dinners was in the middle. They also brought in sponsor and booths that sold merchandise to visitors and participants. I’d recommend the MCC for anyone who would be interested in attending a horse show and wanting to experience a bit of the English culture.

Circus Club is the venue for the annual week-​long Menlo Charity Horse Show supporting Vista Center for the Blind. It is a week full of equestrian competition and social events. The club is open for lunch to attendees of the show, admission is only $ 10 per day and offers a great opportunity to experience this beautiful private club and suppport a good cause at the same time.

Came here for the Humane Society Fur Ball 2014. What a GREAT location. Facilities are beautiful and ppl working here are pleasant and not stuck up.
Hard to come by in the Silicon Valley.

went here for a polo game, staff was very kind and attentive. beautiful and well taken care of.

The horsey set lays out a serious buffet. I ate for two hours straight. Gorgeous main building, pretty grounds.

I was invited here by an organizer of the annual Menlo Charity Horse Show and based on other reviews, decided to take this chance to check out the club. The club was beautiful and the buffet was delicious. There was a huge spread of salads, hot foods like perfectly cooked beef, dim sum, chicken fish, and a large table of desserts with fruits cookies and an array of cakes! The club dinning area has large glass windows so you can sit inside and watch out at the pool/​rings/​tennis courts or just sit on the patio terrace area and enjoy the view. We were able to watch two of teh three jumping rings from out seats which was nice. The third jumping ring was for the young kids (youngest to compete was 14 months old!). There were also vendor tents set up at the entrance of the club which offered unique jewelry and other wares. It added a festive touch to everything.
Definitely follow the other reviewers advice and check out this club if you ever get the chance. You can also pay $ 10 to enter during Horse Show week and enjoy the different activities too.

Quick Tip: You can only book/​host an event here if you are sponsored by a club member.

I’ve only been here only for large events and parties. and it’s incredibly impeccable and beautiful. The location is naturally elegant and makes a great backdrop for any event. The staff are courteous and friendly… and parking is ample (valet available too). If I was seeking a location for a grand event, I’ll definitely keep them at top of mind.

I had my wedding here in June and we couldn’t have been more happy! The venue was beautiful. But most importantly, we were very happy with the catering director Barbara Brooks who made the wedding planning stress free and very personalized to our wedding. We credit Barbara for pulling everything together and making sure that everything during the day-​of went well. She coordinated with the vendors, created a day-​of schedule for the wedding, was there during the wedding to make sure everything was on time, and met with my mom and I many times before the wedding to finalize details. She is also very personable and punctual, so the meetings with her were very enjoyable. I would highly recommend Barbara for any event you may have at the Circus Club.

This place is super beautiful. The club is a bit snooty but if you can overlook that you will have a lovely time. The grounds area beautiful and the staff was friendly. I have been to two events here in my life — one was a high school formal and the other was when my friend had her wedding here and everything was lovely. It was a great place for a wedding reception with many beautiful backdrops for picture taking. The pool and kids’ play area is top notch. The food was quite good and the bartender was WONDERFUL. He was friendly and kind while keeping the drinks coming and never missing a beat.

AMAZING!
So, we are not members but we did just have our wedding here (June 2011). We were sponsored by a member in order to have our wedding at the location. Even though we were not members you would never know. The people who work and are members there are so nice, so classy, and honestly wonderful people! They are so easy to work with! So accommodating! I wish we were members! Every time we were there I never wanted to leave!

Best club east of Sharon Heights ;)

I got married at the Menlo Circus Club this past July and it could not have been a more amazing experience. The Catering Director, Barbara Brooks, was absolutely a dream to work with and the event wouldn’t have been half as successful as it was without her participation in the planning.
The grounds are gorgeous, the food is SO delicious (we still get compliments) and the staff was very friendly and accommodating. If you are looking for a great venue for any event (not just weddings), I 100% recommend the Menlo Circus Club!

What a lucky opportunity to get invited to an event here. Somehow I got on a list for a special educational presentation about a stadium’s civil engineering in the Bay Area. The service is excellent, the food is exquisite, and the grounds are worth perusing. They also have a clay tennis court!
The bathrooms are extraordinary with sepia pictures of polo players. There are outdoor fireplaces, swimming pools, gazebo-​looking workout rooms, and huge fields. In fact, one tennis court in Atherton probably has a value of $ 4M. Pretty amazing when you think about it.
Don’t EVER turn down an offer to check this place out. It’s the best anything can get.

Do not turn down an opportunity to attend a holiday buffet at the Circus Club — the food is delicious and plentiful. My father’s GF, a Palo Alto resident, is a member of the Circus Club so we had Thanksgiving dinner there yesterday with her family. It was a great experience.
I have no idea how much it cost, but the buffet was the best I’ve ever had. The wait staff was very nice and the dining rooms were very lovely.
There was an appetizer table filled with great things like Blue Point oysters on the half shell, fresh cracked crab, fresh boiled prawns, 2 kinds of smoked salmon, various cheeses, dips, crackers and pates. Yummy.
The entrée and desert hall had great items as well. There was a salad table and vegetable table with at least 5 kinds of gourmet salads, many different kinds of vegetables including roasted artichokes and asparagus with aioli and roasted butternut squash soup. There were 3 kinds of turkey stuffings and which deterred me away from their mashed potatoes. They also served roast beef, turkey and ham. The food was well prepared and delicious.
They also had a table of deserts and an ice cream sundae bar. The stand out desert was the pecan pie. I was in heaven all day. It was nice to be fed such great food and not have to cook or clean up, which is usually a huge production in my family. This year since my sister’s family was abroad, my father and I were left to fend for ourselves and it turned out great.