The Axe and Palm

Every year, I take my high school volleyball girls out for a team bonding to Stanford and watch the women’s volleyball match. We usually go back to San Jose for dinner afterward, but I wanted to change it up and stay in the area for dinner and I found this place. I called and spoke with Mark and he was really accommodating, we had a party of nearly 40 people. He had an area reserved for us with signs and everything, and I only called the day before to let him know. The food was delicious, the prices were great. The milkshakes… wow. So so good! Mark wasn’t there when we arrived, but he left two of his staff to take care of us and they were just great… so respectful, polite, patient, and great customer service. The girls had a lot of fun with the pool table there. The Axe and Palm is definitely going to be our «go to» place after we watch the volleyball match. It’s historic!

Not bad for late-​night eats. Milkshakes are sinfully creamy (yet somehow not overwhelmingly so – just right) and the waffle fries, if done correctly, are the perfect balance of crisp and warmth. (If they’re cold, they’re chewier and don’t have that signature toast.) The cheesecake is outrageously priced ($ 4.25) for such a mediocre slice, although I guess it’s still a bigger slice than the $ 5 sugar paste sorry excuse of «cake» from Decadence. Jesus Christ.
UPDATE: I had the buffalo chicken sandwich. It was extremely salty and took a while to make, but it had very well-​melted cheese (out of the commercials) and quite flavorful buffalo sauce on breaded chicken. Not terrible…
Soundbites from friends:
–Chicken tenders «at least as good as McDonald’s»…” This is too much, this is, like, bad”
–Primal Scream Brownie «this is huge»; «it’s good»
–Burgers «savory» «meat is done»
In addition to the hot options, there are refrigerated pre-​prepared goods. They aren’t anything special but certainly would satisfy hunger pangs. A friend commented on the probiotic sparkling water, unique (but almost $ 5 for a bottle?!)
In terms of atmosphere, can be a quiet enough place to study. Busiest after midnight. One of the only places on campus that really possesses that authentic 80s diner vibe, so I’m appreciative of that. Good atmosphere & the food is… food.
tl;dr — Good enough!

Waffle fries and sweet potato tater tots are great. Haven’t tried the burgers yet!

This place makes me shudder, in an I-want-to-but-I-shouldn’t kind of way. In college, we used to come here for waffle fries, chicken tenders, milk shakes… you name it. Comfort-​food galore. As one of my friends put it, «you should only be here if you are drunk and it’s past midnight.» But hey, I like the food. I also go here if I’m on campus for lunch and want a chicken burger. The chicken is tender, fresh, and you can ask for a whole wheat bun. It just feels unhealthy because it smells like fried chicken in there and the person next to you is eating waffle fries. The place itself is neither clean nor well taken care of, but the cardinal/​Stanford-​themed room that feels like a constant tailgate brings back good memories.

Frankly, I was surprised by the other negative reviews! It’s not all that bad; the food is of decent quality, especially considering the overpriced burgers elsewhere in Palo Alto. It’s also open very late. The chicken sandwich with cajun fries was much better than what you can get for a comparable price nearby.

Was looking for someplace to eat, drink and visit with the daughter in Palo Alto around 11 on a Tues. First drove down to University but nothing was open. Daughter suggested we go back to campus and the Axe and Palm. My first time there.
Walking in, it’s well lit and clean. Lots of places to sit. There’s tables, booths, even some couches and some conference/​homework rooms. Looked like a typical college campus student union kind of place. Menu has lots of items — burgers, desserts, Starbucks coffee, etc.
We had the waffle fries, popcorn chicken and a bread pudding. Waffle fries OK although a little salty (3*). Popcorn chicken barely OK (2*). Bread pudding the best of the bunch (4*) For slim late night pickings its passable. Coffee was OK, unlimited soft drinks (3.5*). Servers were nice.
If it was a restaurant off campus where we have other choices would probably choose somewhere else. But as the only late night option and a clean well lit place to visit with the daughter, I’m sure we’ll be back often, which is fine.

The food is really not that great here. I only recommend it if you can’t get to a dining hall.

It is a good value but they refuse to not serve overcooked burgers. They blame Stanford rules. If you like really well done burgers, this place is for you. Otherwise, avoid the burgers.

I got the Pac-​12 combo with avocado instead of bacon– cheese was melted, but the burger was cold and meh. The waffle fries were delicious though! I’ve also tried their garlic fries and sweet potato fries– you can’t go wrong! My friends told me the chicken tenders are pretty good, so I think I’ll try that next time.
As for service, the servers are nice; however, they are kinda slow and they messed up my order both times I’ve been there. I asked for half sweet potato fries, half waffle fries, but only got waffle fries. Last time, I ended up without avocado on my burger. They are quick to fix your order if it’s wrong though.

I’ve been here more times than I can justify, and what I have learned in my extensive research is:
Pros:
Open late
Foosball table
Cons:
Food, in particular the quesadilla

HOW I’m asking you HOW is this place still in business??? The salads are not fresh and the boba drinks are horrible!!!

Delish! I had the bison burger with provolone and avocado, with sweet potato fries! The only thing that erks me a bit is the charge for cheese, wut. However the .75 I paid for that avocado was worth it, I think they out a whole half of one on there, two thumbs up for that! Also they have free refills on drinks, and for $ 12 you can’t really go wrong.
The décor was true Stanford Football Fanatic fashion, exploding with pictures of Andrew Luck, boastable Stanford Athletics facts, and of course a countdown to the next big game!
All in all I would come here again, they have options that I would like to try; the salmon and chicken burger looked divine as well, oh did I mention that they have smoothies AND BOBA?!
I may come here tomorrow just for the boba tea lol.

Food is mediocre and staff is not helpful. As a student at Stanford for 5 years, I have eaten here countless times. Sometimes the food is hot and fresh, sometimes it’s obvious it was sitting in the back for a while (your order is ready immediately and the food is cold).
Last time I went here, I ordered a burger, waited 15 minutes, asked how long until the food was ready. They said it’s almost done. 15 minutes later, I ask again. Same response. Another 15 minutes, same response. At this point I tell them I’ve been waiting almost an hour and I would like my food. 5 minutes later I finally get it, and I ask to speak to the manager. I explain what happened and all he does is look at me, shrug, and say «I’m sorry.» That’s it? I asked if he could give me a free drink and he agreed.
The point of all this is that the management is extremely stingy. Every year prices go up and portions go down. Nowadays you pay $ 9 for 4 small chicken strips and a few french fries. Bad value, bad service. Would not recommend eating here.

Oh man, the Axe and Palm and I go way back. I mean, I went a couple times when it first opened, but after it changed management and I started going off my meal plan, I would go here all the time. Not to mention late at night since it is open until 2 am.
I will be real. TAP is a work in progress, has been since it opened. It honestly has only improved since it opened (with one exception: they got rid of the breakfast sandwich when they changed management — probably the one good thing on the menu at the time). Anyway, they give you buzzers for when your food is ready, the call over a loudspeaker to remind you your food is ready, they have booths and tables, cups for water, they have sports games on so you can always watch. There is a pool table. It’s in Old Union so you can go study. It’s a pretty good location and tries to be convenient for you.
Generally, I get the chicken tenders with waffle fries. Love it. Usually the right crispiness and softness combo. Sometimes I get garlic fries, which are good as well, or the regular fries. All deliciously greasy and yummy. The chocolate shake is pretty good as well, and so is the mac and cheese. If you’re looking to be healthy, they have a salad bar as well as some soup options.
Give it a try. It may surprise you.
They need a breakfast menu.

The Axe and Palm has the following virtues:
1, it is open for dinner,
2, near my office,
3, it serves burgers made of bison, turkey, or lamb, all of which I would rather have than beef
4, it has a toppings bar with pico de gallo and jalapenos.
Unfortunately, the burgers just aren’t very good, and it’s hard for me to think of the circumstances in which I’d rather eat here than get a burrito bowl at Treehouse or a sandwich or salad at the CoHo.

As far as late night dining at Stanford goes, this is my favorite.
Quesadillas and chicken fingers are much better quality than Arillaga. The bbq chicken wrap is also really tasty.
The brownie sundae was kind of disappointing.
The chili is pretty good.
They have a bar of sides that includes things like saurkraut, pico de gallo, jalapenos and buffalo sauce. I enjoy the extras.
They also have some healthier options like salads, sushi and yogurt if you are trying to be healthy.
It is a great late night option for Stanford students, but if you don’t have meal plan dollars, then there are better options out there.

Look, it’s best Garlic Fries I’ve had. Period
Here is a list of Garlic Fries places that I’ve remembered eating at (listed from best to worse)
1) Axe and Palm — Garlic pieces galore mixed with a good amount of oil
2) Angel Island Café — first time I ever had garlic fries (8 years ago), it was fantastic
3) Homestead Lanes (recipe from 4 years) — I had found my go to place, until they changed the recipe
4) SF Giants (Gilroy Garlic Fries) — pretty good
5) Gordon Bierch — too dry
6) Outside the Blue and Gold Fleet ticket office — wasn’t good
I know that there are at least a few more places I’ve had them at.
My point is: I’m a garlic fries connoisseur, and you need to eat these fries right now. Leave work, class, and go eat these fries.

You know, this place has really improved over the past few years.
They have at least 3 types of fries (regular, waffle, sweet potato) now and they’re all pretty good. I’m a big fan of the waffle fries.
The burgers are pretty reliable in my opinion. I’ve had the bison burger and the chicken breast sandwich. I really recommend the chicken with some swiss, it was very tasty. You can also get exotic burgers like lamb! Comes with lettuce, tomato– you can get pickles and onions at the little condiment bar in between the place you order and the place you pick up food.
They also have:
nice salsa
various salad dressing
two types of relish (regular and jamaican)
jalapenos and pepperoncini
And for condiments:
Ketchup, mustard, mayo, honey mustard, bbq
…all of which I shamelessly pile onto my burger. Well, not at once, but in various combinations.
They also have, randomly, the best grab-​and-​go selection of sushi of any place on campus.
The facility is nice and clean and well lit. Their service has gotten speedier over the past few years. Still not lightening fast, but not as bad as Coho. Still kinda pricey, but decent for the price. They’re frequently open when other places aren’t.
If I were a Stanford student, this would probably be one of my go-​to burger joints.

When I heard Stanford finally had a late night dining restaurant, I jumped for joy. Turns out, nothing to be excited about. They sell primarily burgers with a token salad on the menu. The burgers were good, but not great. The fries were a pleasant surprise, though. Their menu is replete with other late night delights such as milk shakes, chicken fingers, and ice cream sundaes.
On the plus side, the prices are great and the hours are a welcome relief to late-​night students. It’s also great to finally break the monopoly of Treehouse-CoHo-Ray’s, all owned by the same company.
Overall, I’d avoid Axe and the Palm unless it’s after midnight, in which case, you don’t have any other options.

This place is good because the location is very close to my work and the options are very straight forward. Even though I miss the yummy crêpe smell from before they renovated, I like the way they redecorated and streamlined the menu. Plus they’re open until 2 am.
Prices are pretty high for burgers when you have to add fries and drink. However, you can get a big container of chili ($ 2.50) and fries ($ 2.50) and be full. They also have a large selection of to-​go items (sandwiches, sushi, etc) in the refrigerated cases if you don’t have time to wait.