Menlo Grill Bistro & Bar

Stayed at the hotel for umpteenth time prior to appointments at Stanford Cancer Center. Typically we have had a lovely room and great service in the bar — tonight was way off. Went down to the bar to grab dinner. No available tables — a rowdy family with little kids had taken up an entire bank of tables, other tables were «reserved» (who has ever heard of reserved tables in the bar??) — we were seated at a table in the hallway, handed menus then completely ignored for 20 minutes. Finally a manager came by, took our drink order, 20 minutes later a surly waiter drops off our drinks, doesn’t take our dinner order and mumbles «sorry about the wait» and huffs off. We finally gave up and went to our room and ordered room service after sitting in the hall for nearly an hour — during which time no one took our food order, no one brought us silverware or napkins, no one brought us chex mix — and no one showed up at the «reserved» tables. Not really the way I wanted to be treated the night before treatment for cancer at Stanford. Guess we will have to try a different hotel for my next round of treatment. Extremely disappointing after years of patronage. Fail at every level.

Excellent option for a late hangout with snacks and drinks on a weeknight (they’re open ’til midnight), especially if you’re in the area and in the mood for a place that’s quieter than Oasis and has comfy chairs. There are lots of cozy seating options, service is attentive, and the snacks are great. We had crispy fries and an excellent mushroom flatbread with arugula. Despite the somewhat ~swanky feel of the hotel the vibe is pretty laid back and casual which is great. Definitely a great place to kick back with friends, have some good nibbles, and relax.

I thought this place was pretty awesome. There is no corkage fee so I came with a bottle of wine and invited a friend to meet me. While I was waiting for her, someone brought out some delicious bruschetta on the house. I ordered the mushroom flatbread and the bistro burger for us to share and it was plenty filling and delicious. They also brought out coconut macaroons on the house after the meal. I loved it here! The staff was super friendly. I’ll be back.

Disclaimer: 3.5 for food rounded up to 4 for service — they were slow to begin with but very comprehensive overall
We randomly picked this place for dinner with friends since it was close to work for all of us — started with the charcuterie plate and it was a pretty good size. Their bread/​butter was so-​so since the butter was not salted and the bread didn’t taste as fresh as it should.
I got the miso-​glazed sea bass with broccolini, mushroom, & mushroom broth… thought the portion size was a little small but maybe I was just really hungry for some reason? (it’s rare for me to notice since it takes very little to fill me up) The NY center cut that my husband got was SUPER tender — yum!
For dessert, we got the home-​made goat cheesecake with graham cracker crust — I thought it was okay since I’m not a big fan of goat cheese… but we all really loved the beignets!
This place is pretty pricey though — not sure if I’m completely convinced to return again unless it’s for a special occasion!

I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting much from a restaurant in the lobby of a hotel. Typically, these restaurants are subpar chains, with frou-​frou menus and overpriced items.
The menu here is pretty genuine, for lack of a better word. It seemed honest, with an understanding that simple ingredients, paired well, will be satisfying.
I ordered the salmon, which I was expecting to have what was listed on the menu online. Unfortunately, they changed the ingredients to some I much less preferred.
Luckily, everything ended up tasting great. The peas, nuts, pomegranate seeds, kale, and sauce, paired with the salmon, which had deliciously crunchy skin, was a match made in heaaaaven!
I ate everything on my plate! My boyfriend enjoyed the bistro burger he got. He said the meat was cooked very well.
Expensive, and probably wouldn’t come back unless we wanted to eat before 6pm, but it was fairly decent and we definitely enjoyed our dining experience. Would recommend!
Only real issue was with the waiting time. I couldn’t tell if they were understaffed or just busy, but every step of the dinner took longer than average.

Had a burger and a glass of chardonnay. Very satisfying! Possibly a little short staffed, but it’s nice to not be asked every 5 minutes if everything is ok!
Will come back.

Great restaurant inside the stanford hotel. Had brunch here twice and both times were consistently good. The back patio is great for enjoying a meal when the weather is nice. Highly recommend the crispy chicken sandwich for brunch. Tender chicken, flavorful, perfectly crispy. The fries are nice and crispy. Service is good. We also had the bistro burger, but that wasn’t as good.

Great place for quiet dinner. Hosting mostly hotel guests and few people from the street. Food was great. Must try brunch next time.
Suits for children.

Super slow service and there were barely any people in the restaurant.
Ordered Crispy Calamari and Black Mission Fig flatbread. Finished off with Chocolate Raspberry Bombe for dessert.
Calamari — definitely better than the flatbread. Wasn’t overly battered, which is liked and a good portion size to share between two people. The dipping sauce complimented it well.
Flatbread — did not like this dish at all. The Bleu cheese was very strong and the fig did not compliment the dish at all. Didn’t even finish this one it was not good.
Dessert — pretty good for the price. Not overly sweet but still delicious.
The service was so overwhelmingly poor that I would never go back. Lunch ended up being almost 1.5 hours and we spent about an hour just waiting for the waiter to bring us menu, then our food, then the check. We ended up going to the front and paying at the bar cuz we couldn’t wait any longer.

Had dinner here and was thoroughly impressed. The food was wonderful and our server was top notch. This was a pricey meal but worth it. Enjoyed a nice cup of coffee in the bar/​lounge area after as well.

–Stayed at the Stanford Hotel with my family for a weekend. Usually we dine out but opted to eat in instead. I mean why not take advantage of a restaurant that is a walking distance from your room?
— The hours of operation is one of my favorite things about this restaurant. I mean 6:30 AM to Midnight? Yes please! This allowed us to do whatever we needed around town and eat when ever we were ready. With this being said my review is for dinner.
–We went for dinner and they couldn’t seat us outside so we were seated inside on their bigger table. The décor is pretty but a little dim. It was also confusing because we didn’t know who to ask to be seated. It was quite an awkward opening. There isn’t a set host table inside the hotel, so we stood there like deers wondering if we just seat ourselves or what?
–I ordered the Rocky Junior Chicken, at a little under $ 20 I found it quite fairly priced for the portion I received. I honestly really enjoyed my meal. It was delicious, juicy, and not at all dry. I was quite chuffed with myself and my decision to get chicken. I also had a side of mashed potatoes and those were good too!
–My brother and sister ordered the burger ($ 14-​$ 15), they both weren’t ecstatic or anything but they did eat all of it. My sister said it was kind of dry but my brother said his was fine. I’m thinking maybe because he got his a little less cooked than hers. It also came with a side of fries. I did try a bite and I wasn’t impressed either. I’ve had better at In and Out (…am I allowed to say that? Lol)
In conclusion I would say if you are going to a place like this, order one of their other special items. Like prime rib on Sunday’s or my Rocky Junior Chicken (sooo satisfying and delicious!) Not a burger. I honestly would go back and try another dish!

Love music on the patio, delicious treats, and lovely service we sure had a wonderful time for my partner’s 24^th birthday! Our waiter brough us extra bread and was always close by asking if we needed anything. Weekdays after six is live music,
Tonight was a talented electric guitarist. we can’t wait to come back this time for dessert since we were way too full

The food and ambience here are both above the par. The fried calamari is especially more tastier than other places in the area. Their cocktails are al well made and have that «artisan» feel to it. The atmosphere is mellow with relaxing lighting.
However, our dinner out in the courtyard was interrupted by a fire drill and we were kept away from our food for at least half an hour. My steak was exposed to the elements and had turned cold. The waiter did not bother to reheat it or offer something else when he let us returned to the table. It’s like he expected all the diners would just carry on with their half-​eaten, cold meals. It was odd to see that (low) level of service from an old-​school hotel.

Sometimes, you just have to spontaneously visit places to find hidden gems. Having found almost every breakfast closed (and University Ave was packed due to an event), we found ourselves wandering to Menlo Grill Bistro, wondering if we had found ourselves at a great place or an overrated bistro.
We were wrong. This place is indeed great for breakfast.
Tucked away in The Stanford Park Hotel, you would think breakfast here is for celebrities, but it definitely isn’t! I’m no superstar, but the food was definitely on par! I had the California omelette with sourdough toast that made the morning so much better! My mom and sister got the Crab Benedict to share, and boy was that delicious as well!
Oh man… the taste of cheese, bacon, eggs and avocado… on breaded together with a buttered toast… GOOD LORD. And it only averaged us $ 15 per person, if you don’t ask for coffee. I got the coffee anyways. Hehe. It’s $ 3.5 per person for coffee, so I knew I had to down at least 2 – 3 cups to get my money’s worth. Of course, I had to rush to the bathroom right afterwards…
And the environment is very relaxed and well though out, with linen tablecloth, some fancy silverware, and pretty great service. It’s not your Denny’s and IHOP, that’s for sure. It doesn’t hurt to have a bit of fanciness in your breakfast, does it now? In a sense, this hidden gem serves up some underrated breakfast that families and friends can all enjoy! Keep it up Menlo Grill Bistro! I’ll be back!

Cute place with plenty outdoor seating, including umbrella tables for brunch and cushioned benches alongside fire pits for dinner.
20% off Unilocal deal before 6 PM.

We wandered upon this amazing restaurant while looking for American food. Its located inside a nice hotel. Nice low key place to grab a drink too.
The food here blew my mind. Both the crispy skin cod and Chilean Sea bass were really delicious. Moist and cooked to perfection. Had 2 glasses of wine with my meal.
The service from our waiter was very attentive and pleasant. Maybe a bit too much, but if we needed something he was always there.
Needless to say I will be coming back soon!

We came here for our 6-​year anniversary. The food was amazing and the service was top-​notch! Andy was one of the best waiters we have encountered. The seabass was super good and it came with fantastic mushroom broth. We enjoyed it so much! The endive salad was very clean and the restaurant split it into two plates for us without us asking them at all. The hotel itself is extremely nice too. The dinner came with small mushroom amuse bouche and chocolate pretzel at the end as well.

Oh boy I love me some Menlo Park! Especially when there is something going on, like the Giants playing in the world series! That brings out the crowds for sure and the atmosphere was electric. We managed to slide into the bar area for dinner and it was pretty nice. Our server Edwin was on point with his recommendations. We told him a little bit about our likes and dislikes and he was very attentive. He suggested the beet salad, which was really good. I almost never order the same thing as others at the table, but we went against the grain and both ordered the Miso glazed Sea Bass. Yet another stellar recommendation from Edwin and so glad we listened. He told us to come back on Sunday’s to checkout the house smoked prime rib, which definitely caught my attention.
I don’t drink anymore, but I never let that get in the way of others getting their drink on. Edwin suggested an excellent glass of white wine for my friend and he really enjoyed it. I gave him a pretty good earful for ordering white wine cause, you know, he’s a guy and all but hey, whatever floats your boat I guess. Edwin brought over the VIP cocktail list and I was like, damn! He must know I’m a Unilocal Elite with a shiny gold badge. Apparently it’s offered up to folks with and without the Elite badge, but make sure you ask about it.
Overall we had a 4 star experience and our boy Edwin was definitely in line for a nice cash tip, but a solid Unilocal review lasts longer than $ 25 ever could. Check it out and feel free to ask to sit in his section and if you must, you can tell him I sent you. Not sure that’s gonna get you too far, but it’s worth a name drop.

I’ve been a fan of Menlo Grill ever since the misers at Los Altos Grill nixed free corkage. Enter Menlo Grill, who fully understands that four people who bring four bottles of wine to dinner mean business!
Over and above that, what won me over and warrants the five stars is that the bar serves great mixed drinks. Ask for the Railroad Spike and Global Warming; they may no longer be on the menu, but you’ll get one if you ask nicely and know the secret handshake.
A couple of other pluses:
– food is consistent, tasty, and the menu changes frequently
– the restaurant and lounge are comfortable, nicely appointed, and classy

My boyfriend and I arrived around 10 p.m. and while the dining room was closed, we were happy to sit in the lounge fitted with comfortable chairs, a fireplace, and a great ambience. Our waiter was very kind and gave some good recommendations. We got the guacamole as an appetizer. It’s made in-​house and came out almost immediately. The chips were more like pita than tortilla and very fresh.
For dinner, I ordered the grilled and shrimp salad; it must be new because the waiter had a very confused look on his face when I asked for it. The salad was good, but not something I’d order again. The shrimp were not very flavorful, but the octopus was perfectly seasoned. My boyfriend ordered the bistro burger and practically licked the plate clean.
My favorite part of the meal, by far, were the dessert doughnuts. They were heavenly. Skip the dipping sauces that come with them though. The doughnuts on their own were perfect– I found the dips distracting. Definitely indulgent, but SO WORTH IT.
If I go back, I’d sit in the lounge again, get two appetizers, skip entrées, and get the doughnuts.