Palo Alto Restaurant Favorites

It is common knowledge that some of the greatest dining in the Bay Area can be found in downtown Palo Alto within blocks of The Cardinal hotel. "And the quality of its cuisine is as impressive as its variety: no fewer than three Palo Alto eating spots have been ranked in the Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants by the San Francisco Chronicle, a lofty honor rarely bestowed this far south." (Explore the Peninsula 2003/2004 Edition) With diverse cuisines and environments, Palo Alto’s 70 restaurants can please any palate.

The Cardinal Hotel is conveniently located one block south of University Ave. on the corner of Hamilton and Ramona, across from City Hall. This central location puts you right in the middle of Palo Alto's many fine eateries and restaurants.

Nearby Palo Alto Restaurants

• Bistro Maxine. Enjoy dining at Bistro Maxine, a creperie/café located 2 doors down from the hotel on Ramona. A big front window, high ceilings and yellow creamy walls create a pleasant ambiance in a small space and they have a couple of tables and chairs outside too. Continental breakfast - “Le Petit Dejeuner” - consists of a cappuccino, fresh squeezed orange juice and choice of croissant, brioche or baguette served with butter and jam. The lunch and dinner menu encompasses salads and savory dessert crepes with liquor. Bistro Maxine also offers coffee drinks, beer, wine, and cider. Their coffee and espresso beans are from Barefoot Coffee Roasters, artisan roasters of organic, shade grown and fair trade coffees in the heart of Silicon Valley. Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 8am-10pm and Sunday 9am - 4pm. URL: http://www.bistromaxine.com.


• Evvia Estiatorio. 420 Emerson Street; PH: 650.326.0983 - Within two blocks of the Cardinal Hotel, Evvia is a Palo Alto restaurant that draws you in from the street. This highly regarded and popular eatery offers upscale Greek fare and an inviting ambiance. Executive Chef Jean Alberti and Chef Stavros Pappas prepare fresh, savory Aegean Greek food presented in a California style. The restaurant is filled with the warmth of the crackling open flame grill and the energy of professors, students, and Palo Altoans.


• Osteria. 247 Hamilton Avenue - The Cardinal Hotel shares the corner of Hamilton Avenue and Ramona Street in downtown Palo Alto with Osteria, cucina Toscana. A Tuscan treasure of culinary delights, Osteria stands out for its pasta-perfect blend of Italian classics. A spin-off of the La Pergola in San Francisco, this Palo Alto restaurant - opened more than 13 years ago - is a delicious dish of authentic, yet innovative, Italian cooking by skilled chefs from Italy.


• Peninsula Fountain and Grill. 566 Emerson St. at Hamilton Ave. -With pressed tin ceiling tiles, ceiling fans, colorful floor tiles, fountain seats and a nostalgic jukebox, Peninsula Fountain captures the feel of 1923. While it looks like a diner transported from another era, this is no greasy spoon. Niman Ranch supplies the meat - freshly ground beef, pork, hotdogs and turkey. All bread, including hamburger buns, pastries, cakes and pies are made here daily. Thick, homemade ice-cream-based milkshakes ($4.50) are made with real ingredients by real soda jerks. And there's penny candy at the cash register and huge pies, cakes and cookies in a glass case.