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Restaurants & Fun Things To Do
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Local Favorites: Dining & Discovery

Welcome to the Farm! Whether you are here for Admit Weekend, New Student Orientation, Family Weekend, or just visiting your student, we’ve curated a list of our favorite local spots to help you make the most of your time. From quick bites near campus to classic Palo Alto dining and nearby sightseeing, this guide is filled with recommendations from seasoned Stanford parents.

Restaurant Suggestions

(Sorted by price range and grouped by location within each price range)

  • Fleming's Prime Steakhouse, Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, 650-329-8457, Steaks and seafood, $$$$

  • The Sea by Alexander's Steakhouse, 4269 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, 650-213-1111, Sustainably sourced seafood (some good steak options too), $$$$

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  • Evvia Estiatorio, 420 Emerson Street, Palo Alto, 650-326-0983, Fantastic Greek cuisine, $$$

  • Italico, 341 S. California Ave, Palo Alto, 650-473-9616, upscale Italian cuisine, $$$

  • Limon Redwood City, 885 Middlefield Rd, Redwood City, 650-502-8800, Peruvian cuisine, $$$

  • Reposado, 236 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto, CA, 650-833-3151, High-end Mexican fare, $$$

  • Saint Michael’s Alley, 140 Homer Ave, Palo Alto, 650-326-2530, Modern Californian fare, $$$

  • Sundance The Steakhouse, 1921 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, 650- 321-6798, steaks, seafood, $$$

  • Tamarine, 546 University Ave, Palo Alto, 650-325-8500, Modern Vietnamese cuisine, $$$

  • Teleferic Barcelona, 856 El Camino Real #130, Palo Alto, 775-477-4911, Spanish cuisine, $$$

  • Vina Enoteca, 700 Welch Rd #110, Palo Alto, Italian cuisine, 650-646-3477, $$$

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  • Local Union, 271 University Ave, Palo Alto, 650-322-7509, Sandwiches, seafood and more, $$

  • Mendocino Farms, 167 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto, 650-543-8135, sandwiches, soups & salads, $$

  • Nola, 535 Ramona Street, Palo Alto, 650-328-2722, Cajun/Creole, $$

  • Oren's Hummus Shop, 261 University Ave, Palo Alto, 650-752-6492, authentic Middle Eastern, $$

  • Taste, 423 University Ave, Palo Alto, 650-323-6488, Authentic Chinese, $$

  • Thaiphoon, 543 Emerson Street, Palo Alto, 650-323-7700, Thai food, $$

  • Yayoi, 403 University Ave, Palo Alto, 650-494-4437, Home-style Japanese cuisine, $$

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  • Pacific Catch, 711 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, 650-384-6430, Seafood, $$

  • Taro San Japanese Noodle Bar, 717 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, 650-815-2700, $$

  • Tender Greens, Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, 650-285-2702, salads, casual, $$

  • True Food Kitchen, Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, 650-272-5157, Healthy, casual, $$

  • World Wrapps, 180 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, 650-384-6302, wraps and salads, $$

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  • Joanie's Cafe, 405 S. California Ave, Palo Alto, 650-326-6505, Breakfast and brunch, $$

  • La Boheme, 415 S. California Ave, Palo Alto, 650-561-3577, French bistro, $$

  • Pastis, 447 S. California Ave, Palo Alto, 650-324-1355, French bistro, $$

  • Terun, 448 S. California Ave, Palo Alto, 650-600-8310, Pizza, pasta, salad, $$ 

  • Zareen’s, 365 S. California Ave, Palo Alto, 650-562-8700, Pakistani / Indian fare, $$

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  • Wildseed, South, 855 El Camino Real Building 4, Palo Alto, 650-781-0112, Health-focused, $$

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  • Kunjip Tofu, 1962 El Camino Real, Mountain View, 650-282-5195, Korean, $$

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  • Rossotti’s Alpine Inn (affectionately known as ‘Zotts’), 3915 Alpine Rd, Portola Valley, 650-854-4004, Rustic, roadside spot with outdoor picnic area, sandwiches and burgers, $$

Fun Things To Do

ON CAMPUS

  • Art Museums: The Anderson Collection, Cantor Center for the Arts, and Rodin Sculpture Garden

  • Hoover Tower Observation Platform: Panoramic view 285 feet above campus. 

  • Memorial Church: The University's architectural crown jewel, one of the most prominent interdenominational churches in the West.

  • Bing Concert Hall: This breath-taking space has 842 seats, arranged in a "vineyard" format, surrounding the stage. All the seats are within 75 feet of the conductor.

  • Frost Amphitheater: Recently renovated and reopened, this open-air venue holds about 8,000 people for concerts, movies, and other cultural events.

  • The Stanford Dish: Walk, bike or run-on miles of scenic paths to explore Stanford foothills.

  • David Rumsey Historical Map Collection: Contains over 150,000 maps, starting in 1550.

  • Tresidder Memorial Union: Lively campus hub. Quick bite dining. Stanford Student store.

SHOPPING/FOOD CLOSE TO CAMPUS

  • Stanford Shopping Center: Premier open-air mall with upscale shopping and dining.

  • Town and Country Village: Specialty stores and eateries off of Embarcadero.

  • University Avenue, Palo Alto: 7-block long strip is one of the busiest & best shopping & restaurant streets. An excellent place for a sunny day stroll, coffee or food at a wide variety of shops.

  • California Ave., Palo Alto: 6-block historic business/shopping district. Cute restaurants. Excellent Farmers’ Market Sundays, 9 am-1 pm.

OFF CAMPUS

  • Wine Tasting in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Over 80 wineries are located in the Santa Cruz Mountains, 20 minutes south of Stanford. Some Club favorites: Ridge (great wine and views), Testarossa (on former grounds of monastery complete with wine caves), Thomas Fogarty (beautiful views); Cooper-Garrod (on a 100-year-old horse ranch).

  • The Computer History Museum (Mountain View) is just a few exits south off Highway 101. See what the first computer looked like. Or visit the Hiller Aviation Museum (San Carlos) includes flight simulators or the Moffett Field Historical Museum (Mountain View).

  • Historic Missions. Check out Mission Santa Clara at Santa Clara University (20 minutes south of Stanford). Mission San Juan Bautista (80 minutes south of Stanford) is worth the drive. The central square, cemetery, and buildings of the old Spanish town are preserved with period pieces in the hotel, saddlery, blacksmith's shop, etc. The funky town is full of antique shops. Los Jardines de San Juan has Mexican food and a lovely outdoor dining area. Mission Dolores (in San Francisco, 45 min. north of Stanford) was founded in 1776. The tiny church has restored gardens and original cemetery.

  • Scenic Towns. Half Moon Bay is a quaint town on the Pacific Ocean filled with unique shops and restaurants, panoramic ocean views, golf, deep sea fishing, horseback riding on the beach, fields of flowers, pumpkins and Christmas trees. Or head to Los Gatos, 30 minutes south of Stanford. This charming town has a beautiful town square; perfect for shopping, strolling and outdoor dining.

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