Spago - CLOSED
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Mon-Thu 5:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
Fri 11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 5:30 p.m.-11:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
89 reviews
Mountain View, CA
"I love this place! I have know Praveen and Mahmet for years, and have always enjoyed coming here with friends and family! Their drink menu…" read more »
33 Reviews for Spago
I went to the website today to figure out the INSPIRATION for the loud decor. The bf summed it up as "Picasso on acid."
Directly from the site:
The bold design was created by the renowned Adam Tihany in1997 and features contemporary art including a superb piece by Robert Rauschenberg.
Spago is in serious need of a facelift.
Service was professional and warm.
Freebies: Ginger soup, me and the bf HATE ginger, but this worked. At the end of the meal complimentary truffles.
Steak tartare $16
I like my steak tartare RED. This looked like semi-cooked ground beef. Asked Luke, our server about it, and he said it was raw and he proceeded to mix the meat, quail egg and micro green mixture. There was some dill flavoring, I hate dill, but I did like the egg and micro greens. Also, most places don't give enough toast to match the tartare, but at Spago it's a good ratio.
Halibut $31
Nicely pan fried, it was still crispy on both sides, very good. The flavors were buttery and the flesh was tender. The loved the fingerling potatoes, miniature asparagus spears and chanterelles.
NY steak $44
Huge slab of meat. Presented nicely, and modern on a square platter along with three different dipping sauces: bearnaise, green peppercorn and chimichurri. I liked the grilled veggies on the side: brussel sprouts, squash and potatoes, all with a hint of garlic and tangy mustard.
We arrived for the last dinner reservation 10 minutes late. We were never rushed. Would have gotten an extra star, if the ambiance and location were better. Food was alright, but wouldn't request a return visit anytime soon.
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CLOSED?? For both lunch and dinner, we used to frequent Spago...not for the food (we were never inspired by it), but for the fun and lively outside setting. I don't miss it as much as some other fine restaurants in downtown PA - like Evvia, Zibibbo and Bistro Elan!! - but regardless it's sad to see it go. Bye bye, Spago, good luck at Postrio!
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Wow, talk about underwhelming.
Yeah, everyone's right. The decor feels very 70's style needs a remodel hotel. But I can always overlook that.
Our server was abysmal. Kept walking away when we thought we might order. Didn't bring drinks we ordered.
I don't like it, but again, I can overlook it.
But food? Food not up to par? Well....
Some of it was. The spring onion soup amuse bouche was good. My escarole salad was swimming in dressing. And the fava bean crostini was smack you in your face garlicky/cuminy something.
And then it hits me. Loud decor, food overcompensating for something. This place lacks subtlety. And it should be much much better.
Oh well. Must explain why it was so empty prime time on a Friday night.
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As you might assume this is a retroactive review. It's really funny how this space has been the curse of the powerful celeb chef. Anyone remember Jeremiah Tower's Stars Restaurant? Kaput. Same for Wolfgang Puck. I had only been here once and I remember it was a random weeknight that happened to have Wolfgang himself in the kitchen. I remember being a fan of the soft shell crab and smoked salmon. Of course the food was good but what was better was the people watching. Silicon Valley power meal at it's finest. Which was also the reason why I only dined here once. Anyways, on to new a better things hopefully and I await to see who decides to come along and buck the curse here.
Its closed. Spago's in PA is closed and the space is empty - No further info is/was available
Visit the Spago in Vegas. Or the Chinois in that same Vegas mall @Ceasars. I am sooo hungry right now for the lob-a-ster that the mexican's cook at a french fusion restaurant Chinese style
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I went to Spago last Valentine's day. They obviously took advantage of the holidy to make money at the expense of service. They had packed twice as many tables as usual into the restaurant (I'm serious), and the waiters were flying around like cats in a rain storm. Though we had a reservation, our table wasn't ready on time. Fine. We headed to the woefully understaffed bar. I ordered a Martini. No problem, except that they were out of martini glasses. And this is a top rate restaurant?? The food was good, but not spectacular, in spite of the spectacular price. There are MUCH better restaurants out there; I really don't understand why this place hasn't sunk into the ground except for its name. Honestly, the experience was so disapointing an apology from the owners for turning what should have been a special evening into a sense of being processed meat should be forthcoming.
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I have been dining at spago many times; usually business meeting. I've always enjoyed the service. I enjoyed my meals; whether it was a ceasar salad or a nice salmon entree, it was always delicious. What I appreciate about this restaurant is the service. The servers were friendly and attentive.
I think Spago is a great place for good food and friendly service.
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I remember when a trip to Spago was a treat- like your parents were in town for parents weekend.
It's really laughable now. To get it out of the way, the food is actually pretty good. Most recently, I had their "roasted" chicken. I am convinced it was actually rubbed in garlic salt and then deep fried because the skin was so incredibly crispy and tasty. Then they shaved truffles all over it adn the truffles just melted on to the skin. It was $27 for a half chicken and I don't feel bad about that.
HOWEVER- This place is also the height of ludicrousity. Their decor? It's like a nice Marriot restaurant. It screams early 90s. The service is brusque and hasn't gotten over itself. They go through the motions. They come over and ask if everything is ok and then leave before we've even opened our mouths.
When we entered, we saw the hostess tell the head server that "Mr. Carlson's son was coming." So when we were seated we waited to see if we could spot Mr. Carlson's son. And we really did. It was lterally like a movie. A short, tubby man rolled up in a sports car and tossed his keys to the valet. His date was a woman with a towering, hairsprayed fuschia hairdo and too tight clothing. They brought their own bottle of wine. The waiters fussed over them. The bread arrived. The pellegrino arrived. And then Mr. Carlson's son and his date got pissed off because service wasn't up to par and grabbed their wine and stomped out, not paying for the pellegrino. Then the waiters and hostess basically got into a huge argument in front of all of the patrons.
Entertaining. But, I'll probably just get the truffled roast chicken to go next time.
Oh, and the last time Wolfgang Puck ever stepped in this restaurant was probably to cut the ribbon on the place.
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My clients are the very BEST clients on the planet, I must say. Yesterday, I was treated to a very nice early dinner at the Palo Alto version of the L.A. institution that is Spago.
You have to love the atmosphere--the interior is warm and inviting without feeling stuffy (aided enormously by the expansive windows that line the front of the restaurant). Nice art, nice linens, nice interior design, and the open-view kitchen is always a welcome touch, as I really enjoy being able to watch the chefs at work.
We started the meal with salads--a very generous mixed green, roquefort and candied walnut salad for Agnes, and David (my client) and I both ordered the tomato-mozzerela concoction.
The presentation of the tomato appetizer was lovely (the very tasty mozzerella was sandwiched between two thick slices of tomato and then drizzled with balsamic and a hearty olive-oil based dressing) but sadly, the tomatos themselves were a bit of a dissapointment. Maybe it's too late in the season, maybe the only tomatos worth eating on the west coast are Heirlooms, but these were underwhelming in both flavor and consistency. (And of course, I had to wax rhapsodic about the joys of a perfect Jersey tomato, probably boring my poor companions to tears in the bargain.)
Entrees were the duck, and two specials--the Szechuan beef and the halibut (my choice). I debated long on whether to order the spicy beef goulash, and all things considered, I wish I had, but the halibut was nicely done--moist, perfectly cooked, and presented on a bed of warm pickled cabbage, carmelized onion, and--oddly--shreds of very tasty beef.
Both the duck and the Szechuan beef looked delicious as well.
For dessert, we ordered creme brule, some amazing-looking little chocolate cake thing, and an apple-caramel tart (mine). Since it was a business dinner, I couldn't bring myself to lunge across the table with my fork at the ready, but oh, how I longed to try that chocolate thingie.
Service was excellent--attentive without being intrusive. Even the valets were great.
In a word, if you've got bank, or are dining on the company account, don't pass this one up.
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I will never come back here ever again because of their crap service. When we went in (party of four) there was nobody in the restaurant. However, it took them about 1hr to bring out our food, and our waiter was horrible! He poured water into my purse (it was on the floor) and never even apologized for it. The food was mediocre, I had a salmon dish, but my gosh, if I'm paying $100 at a restaurant, show me some courtesy!! Oh yea, it's pricey, too. We stayed almost two hours for crap service, ok food, and were almost late for our Les Mis show in SF. We should've just eaten in the city. Damn you.
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I think I had distinctly different experience than my fellow Yelpers when it comes to this place.
The service here was HORRIBLE, even though we were the only people in the restaurant. The waiter even dumped water all over my girlfriend's dress, shoes and purse, and didn't even offer so much as an apology for it. He just sort of sneered and went off on his way. Added to this crap was the fact that it took almost 3 hours for our entree to come out.
Both entrees we had came out ice cold, and had little flavor to speak of. My lamb was REALLY gamey, and tough to boot.
Really, I fail to see what's special about this place. But maybe I was just here on a bad night.
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Surprised in the reviews. I've had nothing but great service and good food. Try the curried cauliflower soup with lobster salad.
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So who goes to the world famous Spago for a hamburger?? ME! They have one of the best hamburgers I've ever had. Ground kobe beef with aged cheese and fries in a cute little napkin-bowl. The other food is good, but not spectacular for a restaurant of its stature, however it's the best hamburger you'll ever have!
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I had the wienerschnitzel. It was yummy. But I didn't like my sides. WAYYYYYY too overpriced for what it was. The duck was really gamey...I couldn't eat the piece my boyfriend gave me and I normally don't mind a bit. The desserts weren't even tempting to me after all that, so we just left. The atmosphere was really difficult to deal with. There were open tables set romantically outside, but they seated us indoors in the large olive gardeny type room. It was very very loud and I felt like I was yelling to talk to my boy. Probably not worth it to go back. At least not for dinner.
I Loved this spot, I was very sad to see it leave. A bit pricey but worth the the price, especially there pasta dishes. There pasta & risotto dishes my favorite, I can not find the same quality pasta since I last eat there. with my connections in the industry i have heard rumors that they may be opening a new Wolfgang Puck branch in the Four Seasons Palo Alto
We have been to Spago 2 or 3 times, and based on the overall experience, we think this restaurant is quite overrated. This Wolfgang Puck establishment does have admirable service and ambience going for it, but for all its hype, it only delivers "good" food, when one expects greatness. The bar area is quite nice to meet friends for drinks, but in a nutshell, I recommend passing over Spago for some of the other delicious options downtown.
It's unfortunate, but there is just nothing really distinctive about Spago, when there should be.
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For my money, Bistro Elan is a much better eating establishment. Looks like this place has relied a little too much on Wolfgang's good name.
Decent, but not what you'd expect.
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This place is a joke! It must only be good in LA. I had a date here, we were only served only 1 water and it took 30 minutes to get tuna carpacio at lunch. When the food finally arrived, it was really good. The waiter was totally clueless that we were done and ready for the check. Next time I guess I will lick my plate to clue them in.
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Granted, my meal was served during a large business function, but it wasn't that great. My steak was bloody as hell, and not all that flavorful. The staff was understandably busy, but that's still no excuse not to keep my wine glass full at all times when there's an open bar. I don't really see a reason to go back.
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Very pricey
review of our "to go" experience
never can find a "healthy" entree that I like
but got the steak with 3 sauces to go and it was great
husband got risotto with scallops and tomatoes, smelled very fishy
they put the bread basket to go. very good
salad was fig with prosciutto, candied pecans and greens - great!
dessert - not that many options. cobbler, choc cake, sorbet and cookies.
reliable but not phenomenal
The food, decor and celebrity watching are good, so it's the sort of place worth visiting once for an occasion. The staff and atmosphere are pretty pretentious, however... and at this high price point you've got lots of options.
This place is so overrated. Food was just alright. Nothing to get excited about. For a chi chi place like this the service was good even though I didn't order wine or a drink. On the pricey side but glad I went to experience this place.
Again, not too many options for this vegetarian..
i decided to try spago because rumor has it that they will be closing at the end of the month... so off to spago...
service was okay. i saw other tables that had better service than ours, but it's okay. it was probably just the luck of the draw... i wished service was better based on the upscale-type crowd they draw in.
food was good. my platonic dinner companion and i shared the mussels as a starter... they were probably the best thing we had all night. the NY steak was tender and good... the other things were not so great. i wish i ordered the steak because i wasn't really thrilled about what i ordered.
overall, it was good but i probably wouldn't drive all the way to spago to eat dinner again.
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Spa-go. I really want to go to the one in LA after hearing that this one was "not all the good." The ahi tuna salad was fab, and the service was good- the waiter kept refilling the water unlike at cheesecake factory just down the street where you feel like you are in a desert desperately searching for an oasis before they give you a refill on water. I wonder what all these other people mean when they say pretentious... isn't that what the valley is all about?
Make reservations in advance if you want to dine there, but in my opinion, it is overrated. I had to try it because of its reputation, but was disappointed. The food was good (I particularly liked the scallop appetizer), but at their prices, you can get a better meal elsewhere. Also, the bright, eclectic dcor gave me a headache.
This place is seriously overrated. I expected better tasting food and service for the price. I've had the carpaccio, burgers, and steaks that were just okay. The only thing I remember being good was trying the goat cheese ravioli at a company function. Otherwise, everything is just so-so. Not worth the price! Oh yah, the waiter we had one night was just REALLY creepy.
I was disappointed with my dining experience . The staff had the Mac Cosmetics girls' attitude. The food was OK not great, ain't going back there again.
Wow, sounds like the place has really changed since the last time I was here. I've been to Spago a few times but the last time was way back in 2003, over 3 years ago.
Every time I've gone, the service and food have been really wonderful. Not out-of-this-world, but certainly a 4-star experience. After reading all the reviews, I think we were either lucky or more likely they've undergone serious management/staff changes.
I remember the last time I went, I was particularly impressed because both the waiter and manager knew the wine we had brought - it was a very high-end Burgundy from the Gevrey-Chambertin region (if they had it on their menu, the thing would have been over $200 - I sometimes like to go the corkage route, what can I say). The waiter told me a little story about the owners of the particular winery the wine had come from, which blew me away - he knew more about the wine than I did! And the manager made sure to bring us Burgundy glasses, and was also warm and complimentary.
After reading these reviews, I don't think I'll head back though.
Spago's is definitely overrated. Although the food and environment were aesthetically appealing, the food itself was nothing spectacular (especially for the price) and the service was average.
decor in the main room IS a bit dated, but i actually really enjoyed the secondary bar/banquet room area where i attended an event - big murals and yellow walls with total skylight ceiling made me very happy. the food was hit or miss - some dishes were great (baby greens salad, salmon with coconut curry, apple galette with ice cream), some a little disappointing (a very uninspired mushroom and pasta course). waiters paid good attention to keeping my wine glass full. i'm glad i went, but i'm also glad i got to do so without actually paying for it myself.
So ive heard a lot of hypes about spago...u know it being one of wolfgang puck's chain restaurant and all that...bottom line: its supposed to be AWESOME! Unfortunately, it wasn't the case for me at all.
Their service was okay, i had no problem with it. Their food...not so much. I mean it was descent, but it shouldnt get voted the best fine-dining restaurant in the bay area. I spent around $65 total for the whole dinner, and seriously i felt like the food wasn't worth the price at all. I still remember having the duck dish which was mediocre really...there wasnt anything special or good about it. And i forgot what my friend got then, but it was pretty crappy.
I didnt remember what we got for appetizers and desserts...it wasnt a memorable experience at all. I wont come back here again!
I might, however, try their beverly hill's restaurant. I heard it's a lot better than the one in palo alto. So we'll see if the one in beverly hills is as overrated as this one!
My expectation of this restaurant was mixed as I eagerly waited for my day to try this place. I read descriptions ranging from "good" to "overrated" and my taste buds were eager to devour this reputed placed known as "Spago."
My boyfriend and I went on Monday night and it so happened that they had a prix-fixe menu. For the first course I chose the corn soup with cream and cilantro, the halibut provencal for the second, and the chocolate souffle for dessert.
One of the coolest things about this place is the "bread basket" that they bring to your table after you've ordered. It's not just bread but toasted breads, crackers... all with some kind of distinct flavoring and seasoning. It's a carb-lover's dream.
Corn Soup:
I ordered this soup expecting it to be piping-hot, reminding me of the comfort foods that I love. Thankfully, the waiter came to me moments before the soup arrived and told me that it would be a chilled soup-- and I am grateful to him for telling me. He asked me if I wanted a salad instead (in case I wanted a hot soup), but I decided to forage ahead into this corn soup.
First of all, it's lukewarm so it wasn't a huge shock to my palate.
As for the flavors, it was mild, smooth, creamy, and oh-so rich. It was a beautiful pale yellow color with a contrasting green swirl that lay on the top (the cilantro).
It was so smooth that it just ran down my throat. It wasn't salty but instead had a mild savory, sweet taste. I let it linger on my tongue for a couple of seconds to really get a sense of the flavors put into this soup. But it was so rich that I didn't finish it... I couldn't, without thinking about my arteries toiling in my chest... but my taste buds merrily dancing in a circle like some fertility ritual.
Halibut Provencal:
This is an awesome halibut dish. It was lightly seasoned and grilled to perfection. It was moist inside with a bit of a brown crust on the outside. I would have enjoyed this halibut plain, with just pepper and lemon.
My only issue with this dish was the contrasting flavors-- the use of kalamata olives (strong flavors), roasted fennel, onions, and the saffron potatoes... seemed to sometimes overpower the poor halibut instead of complimenting it. After the first bite I made a concerted effort to mix equal parts fish and equal parts aromatics onto my fork for a bite. I think if they toned it town just a bit, it would mingle beautifully with the fish that is so delicate and light.
Chocolate Souffle:
Okay... after the first bite of this dessert, I wished that I could make out with it. No, seriously. It was a dark chocolate molten souffle with creme fraiche on top... and served on the side was a lightly sweetened vanilla ice cream. I put my spoon carefully into the souffle, trying to stagger the warm oozing chocolate goodness from the plate. But alas... my effort was futile. This decadent and rich dessert compelled your palate to embrace it because of its dark chocolate structure, contrasted by the creme fraiche that cut through the thick chocolate to provide some refreshment in your mouth.
Overall, this was my favorite part of my dining experience at Spago.
I would have given this place 3.5 stars but Yelp doesn't provide that capability. In all honesty, the food was good... but it wasn't spectacular. I sometimes watch Wolfgang Puck's cooking show on the Food Network and somehow I expected that zeal and love for flavors to show through the cuisine.
Don't get me wrong-- I wasn't disappointed. But it didn't exceed my expectations either. Overall, a good dining experience with great service.
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ok this is definately the shit yeah my friend works there and he loves it it is owned by the famous wolfgang puck who makes good food which is what u get at spagos
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