Cafe Wisteria

Such a beautiful and lightly fragrant treat to enjoy the shaded California sunshine under the Wisteria!

We had the steak salad, seafood paella, and tortilla soup. Everything was served elegantly and deliciously tasty.

Service was prompt and friendly.

A hidden gem and not to be missed culinary experience situated in the most gorgeous garden nestled among an historically significant cluster of shops and artist studios. I spent several hours with girlfriends of more than 35 years today, basking in the glow of our shared memories and the Fall sunshine. Our lunch was amazing, ambiance was superb and service was spectacular. Two of the four of us travelled pretty far for this experience and the two of us who were local and had been here before were delighted by the fact that they kept declaring how worth the trip the experience was. We were enchanted by how the grounds resembled our high school in Monterey, which was situated on the grounds of what was once a Hacienda style ranch.

I had the pumpkin soup and paella with tropical iced tea to drink. Of course I was delighted with the pumpkin soup, a favorite of mine, but this was a hearty, tummy warming version, enhanced by the crunchy pepitas and crostini. My paella was perfect, the bomba rice studded with saffron and toothsome. Huge scallops and succulent prawns were the stars of the dish and mild- ish chorizo gave a meaty accent. Since I was pretty full from my soup, I only could eat about half of my main dish. Two of my friends raved about their crab Benedict and one of them had the beef tacos. We opened and closed the place down, lingering as they were setting up for a wedding. Afterwards we visited the florist, looked at some of the exhibits and reminisced about high school.

Food : 6/10
I think it's pretty good except for the price (but it's understandable)
Service: 1/10
Worst service ever! I asked a waitress for the dressing , then she forgot it on purpose, she passed by me and looked at me a lot of time but yes she didnt give it to me at all (or maybe because we are Viet? I feel like we were discriminated)
Ambiance:9/10
It's the reason we came here so I have no comment. Nice and beautiful , anh that's it
Note: They will charge 20% of service automatically

I found this site when I looked in Yelp for places close to Stanford, where my sister and I drove our stepsister for cancer treatment a few weeks ago. We did not have a reservation (for a weekday at lunchtime), but fortunately they accommodated us with an outdoor table underneath a beautiful patio covered with, you guessed it, Wisteria! Service was friendly, but not pushy (we were spending so much time catching up on old times, we took a little while to look at the menu). I thoroughly enjoyed a grilled Gruyère cheese sandwich, accompanied by tomato bisque. Talk about childhood comfort food! My sandwich felt decadently cheesy and the soup was perfectly seasoned. I would have this dish again and again. My stepsister really enjoyed her crab eggs Benedict. My sister said her salmon was a little dry, but otherwise liked her meal. All of our dishes were visually very appealing. I recommend sitting outside, in what is an amazing garden-like setting. It seemed like reservations (even on a weekday) may be necessary in order to better guarantee an outside table. If I lived in the area, I would definitely come back here repeatedly. One caution though, once we parked in the lot our GPS navigated us to, we were a little confused about where to walk to fine the restaurant. It is part of a larger complex that appears to be a venue, so you may just have to walk around a bit to find the cafe---but totally worth it!

I loved the ambiance of this place just nestled into the gardens . A delightful little lunch place to catch up with friends and relax. Pictured is the carbonara and pot pie ‍‍‍ the tea was delicious as well

Tried this cafe for brunch, and it was a delightful experience! The decor inside is so detailed and pretty, and the outside gardens are expansive and perfect to walk in after your meal. On this day, there were two baby showers going on within the restaurant, but the service was still so fast and we didn't feel neglected in any way. We ordered French Onion Soups, along with Mushroom Empanadas and Short Rib Rigatoni.

French Onion Soup: Rich and flavorful, with two pieces of bread and lots of cheese inside. This was quite filling despite being an appetizer, but I would definitely order again!

Mushroom Empanadas: The pastry exterior was buttery and flaky, and the mushroom filling was a savory paste. I loved this combination, and the empanadas were a decent size!

Short Rib Rigatoni: Really yummy- the sauce has a strong tomato flavor and the short rib was perfectly cooked. My only complaint is that the pasta was a little too soft for my taste, but this was otherwise a wonderful dish!

Wonderful spot for a weekend lunch- definitely coming back :)

Great ambiance, great food and service. Came here to celebrate my birthday with my mom and sister. Truly enjoyed our experience.

Short Rib Rigatoni [4/5]
The pasta was beautifully plated and the tomato-like meat & sauce tasted elevated but filling. I didn't enjoy that so much of the dish was pasta (as opposed to short rib), but it was understandable.

Cafe Wisteria is a beautiful place in a quiet neighborhood. The surrounding artisan shops are so beautiful and filled with hidden artistic treasures. We sat on the outside patio and it was perfectly shaded, and the tables were spaced far enough apart that we could make good conversation with each other. The service was really great, our waitress was very friendly and checked in on us multiple times.

Would definitely recommend this place for a beautiful brunch with your friends! Just a little pricey (but it's Palo Alto).

My boyfriend actually surprised me and took me here for valentines and we were both in awe with the scenery. You would never know this place existed because it's tucked behind a little forest, but once you enter it's like you're transported to a disney movie! The cafe was extremely homey and the food was so comforting especially on a colder day, highly recommend!

short rib rigatoni (10/10)
chicken pot pie (10/10)
creamy iced coffee (9/10)

IG: @girlseatbayarea

If you're looking for a beautiful location for lunch with the fam or for a venue to host your wedding, look no further.

This little gem is surrounded by beautiful rose gardens (love that they have signs identifying the breed of flowers) and is tucked away from the hustle of the city. Definitely gives you southern vibes in the best way possible.

Cafe Wisteria is a women-owned restaurant which serves American/Italian fare. I got their Smokey chicken carbonara for lunch and really enjoyed the sauce and the pasta. The chicken was overcooked, which wasn't great, but the flavors and setting made up for it.

I will be back.