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Well I hit the curb on the way in from Arastradero Road, then I slammed my elbow on the table, and then my nephew spilled his Orangegina all over my leg. BUT it was my birthday lunch and I couldn't have asked for anything better.
My dad suggested this place as a fun little dive with a beer garden. EXACTLY my kind of digs. I ordered a fatty, greasy grilled cheese, large fries and a beer and shared my birthday lunch in the sun outside in the beer garden. It was great for just hanging out, lounging and being lazy. I could see this place poppin' with all kinds of characters on the weekend. I will for sure venture back for a Saturday afternoon or a Sunday Funday.
I don't eat meat, but my sisters ordered a burger and a polish sausage, both of which looked divine. I would have smothered both of them in onions. My dad, of course, got the burger, but brought his own hot peppers straight from his shirt pocket. Ha.
Old school hole in the wall Zott's. A Stanford hangout. I only had two items off the menu, so this review is just limited to those items.
3 stars for the fries, my goodness, the most crispy fries i have ever had, they must have been fried in lard. very good.
double cheese burger with grilled onions - i think the bun is just too big to handle two small over grilled patties. i'm not a fan of fully cooked beef so it was definitely on the dry side for me. didn't taste a lot of flavor in the beef, the cheese was over melted and the bun just overpowered any flavor of the acutal meat. too bad cuz i bet if cooked correctly, it would have been a great sandwich (can't call it a burger when it's served on a hoagie bun).
definitely going back for those fries tho, yummers.
oh, service is also non-exsistent.
A lot of Silicon Valley/Sand Hill bigwigs have and still do stop by here. This place is really cool if you just want to get away from it all, kick back and relax. The food is simple: burgers and beers. It has been around forever. No frills and no fuss.
It is quiet with simple tables inside, picnic benches outside and plenty of trees around:
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Portola Valley yes my old stomping ground Rossetti's (Apline Inn) is where we went after local Baseball & Soccer games a joint to grab a yummy burger,sandwich or sausage whatever floats ur boat.....I can review a lot better since I'm older burgers are good but very greasy the way they should be & its nice to enjoy a $4 22oz of St.Pauli Girl in the Beer Garden while enjoying a drag from ur favorite cigg...Zott's is very inviting has quite the ambiance a stream runs along side & u might see ur old Baseball or AYSo Soccer pic on the wall funny.Usually good Fri-Saturday night they close around 5 on Sundays.Not my most interesting review because I've been a local there the majority of my life....Check it out please but watch out for those dawn yellow jackets in back area.......
I have never been to a place like this. You have to drive up a windy hill to get to it and it looks like a saloon from the outside. I thought a drunken cowboy was going to be thrown through the window like you see in the spaghetti westerns. It's very old school. I think it's family owned because service is quite good. Food is a-ok but I love their grease because I was so hungover at the time. I got the steak sandwich with grilled onions which settled in my stomach perfectly.
In all honesty, I have never even heard of this place until my friend took me here. Let it be known, that it's actually a really chill place to just go to and just hang out. With a basket of fries and a couple of beers. Decent beer selection, and the food isn't half bad. Then again, I like any where that has decent outdoor seating, where you can star gaze and veg out.
I love this place only for the location and the patio area. Basically it has huge, wide open scubby lawn area out back with a bunch of picknick tables, right along side a creek. They often have bands playing and the beer is reasonably priced by the pitcher. A great place to do a semi-challenging bike ride and stop for a few beers, knowing that the way back home is all downhill from there.
My friend Jimmy recommended this place after a bike ride. We have been here for a bite after the last two rides
Both times, I had the chicken sandwich. First time, the sandwich was prepared with butter where everything was ultra tasty. The sandwich bun was soft and crispy. Second time, I decided the simple ride did not justify the high butterage and opted without - the sandwich wasn't as tasty as the first one, but then again, I also didn't feel as guilty.
Both times, we had the french fries - which looked like the fries that Carl's Jr used to serve in the early days. The second time, the fries were exceptionally good.
This is now become the regular after-ride stop. No complaints here.
It makes me so happy this place is still here in all its glory after all these years. Wasps, yes. Dried up creek bed, yes. Picnic tables & dirt, yes. Burgers, yes. Fries, YES! Beer, yes. Perfection, YES!!!
Ok. It is hard to find nice beer graden in the Palo Alto area, so that is a plus (maybe even worth two stars). But they food is greasy. And I mean REALLY greasy, like 'we sizzle the hamburger buns in butter until they turn see-thru' greasy. And the service is quite rude. And they only take cash.
But then, did I say there are few beer gardens in Palo Alto? So we go here and we will go here again.
This is a good starting point for many cycling rides, or a good place to grab some food after a ride. The Alpine Inn, formerly known as Rosatti's features a rustic decor with a full bar. For food you place your order off to the side of the bar and your name is called when it's ready. I found the burgers to be mediocre, but still appetizing after a long ride. The big heap of fries adds to the allure.
There can be a eclectic bunch, ranging from bikers to VC types enjoying the alcohol, food and atmosphere. There is a nice eating area out back with tables and shade trees.
Zots is the best!! Great burgers.
On a sunny Sunday afternoon I enjoyed Zots. In the outside picnic area there were Harley bikers, a kids rugby team, families, friends, bicyclists and hikers. My double cheeseburger was prepared from a stack of rectangular beef patties separated by paper stacked next to the grill. Small chunks of sweet grilled onion and American Cheese melted together on top of the patties. They sat on a crunchy roll that had been toasted. Fresh lettuce and tomato finished of the combo. It was a fabulous mess that satisfied my hunger after riding my bike the six miles to the restaurant. The crinkle fries were just so-so. But it was the special ambiance of the place that made it fun.
Hoosier Burger Boy
If you're looking for a place to stop for a tofu wrap and some carrot juice as you cycle by on your $5K bicycle, then keep on riding. But, if you're looking for a little piece of Peninsula history, a decent cheeseburger, great krinkle fries and a cold beer to enjoy in the sunshine out in the back forty, then pull into the gravel parking lot and get your grub on at the Alpine Inn.
I have been going to the Alpine Inn for over 30 years and happened to take my son there today for lunch. I LOVE how it hasn't changed a bit!...Except for the prices, which is to be expected, but they're still reasonable by comparison. The rectangle cheeseburger wasn't fancy by any standards, but it was tasty, the fries were perfectly cooked, and the beer was cold. The staff was very friendly towards me and my 2 year old son. I hope this place never shuts its doors...it would truly be saddening to see this Peninsula icon disappear.
When you take an institution and just create a crappy experience, you get Alpine Inn.
$4.75 for ONE small sausage in one LARGE bun.
$6.00 for a Boat of Fries
Now, that is what I call a RIP OFF (this applies to the Portuguese Sausage + the boat only). I don't care if you are in woodside or close to woodside or you are in the most expensive place on earth. This SHIT ain't worth it.
When I saw my burger/wiener bun soaked in butter and somewhere in the middle sat the smallest sausage, I was SHOCKED.
WHAT THE HELL? I thought Portuguese Sausage was bigger than that?
35 cents for one slice of tomato
35 cents for Jalapeno
extra for grilled onions.
This is ridiculous.
Soda is $1.25
There is a line for booze and there is a line for food.
If I went to Stanford and this was a must go to place, I would transfer out rather than go back here again.
Recommend: No
Will I go back: I rather spend $4 in gas and go to bucks in woodside.
Romantic: N/A
Vegan alert: They got nothing for you that needs grilling. They grill everything on the same grill.
I was expecting something that would wow me. I did get the WOW, only it was Wow, this place is way tooooooooooooooo over rated.
Sitting outside in the back was fun but the constant air raids by bees and other insects was way too much.
Note to owners: Either make the bun smaller to match the size of the sausage or make the sausage as big as the bun.
1 STAR for an ok tasting sausage.
No frills beer, no frills burgers, and no frills shaded picnic tables.
I, and my posse of Yelp DYKers, recently hit up the Alpine Inn after a Portola Redwood hike. It was my suggestion, but apparently would not have been the choices of two other DYKers (ahemmm... Gur E 6/16/08 and Amy R 6/16/08).
First off. Yes, these hamburgers belong in the class of American burgers that are borderline-disgustingly greasy. It's a class, it's American, live with it you SF foodies. (I and my damn folklore-foodways certificate say so.) You will feel ill afterwards, but you will feel the same way if you go to one of those damn Brazilian bbq places, too. Be one with your digestion.
- If you are California, -1 for messing with your hips
- If you are America, +1 for high fat-per-dollar ratio.
Second off. Yes, everything ala carte costs extra.
- If you are California, -2 for no avocado/sprouts/pomegranate options
- If you are America, +1 for keeping that extra stuff away from getting in my $5 burger's way.
Third Off. Yes, nature has buzzing flies
- If you are California, -1 for not having bug zap lamps and fumigating the premises
- If you are America, +1 for picnic-style adventures
I think this is where the locals go to pretend like they're slummin' it. This place is like a dive bar without the dive bar prices and clientele. I ordered a veggie burger and went outside for a while preferring to feign ignorance and not watch them cook my burger in a cow's worth of charred on meat juice. I paid $5 for what I'd consider a $2.50 quality burger...I paid extra for lettuce and tomato, extra for fried onions (which I also didn't watch them cook for fear that just watching would cause my arteries to explode), and extra for jalapenos that were not actually on the burger, but given to me whole in a little cup.
I really hate cash-only places...especially those that serve food!! I also didn't appreciate the excessive use of disposable dishes. The only reason it doesn't get 1 star is that it's nice to have some greasy food and a beer once in a while when you've been out hiking. I wouldn't refuse to go here if the group I was with wanted to...but I would encourage whoever suggested someplace else.
As a rule of thumb, I try to only eat at places where there are at least 6 Asians eating there as well.
This bodes well especially when eating in Cupertino.
It helps me avoid crap holes like that Wienerschnitzel at that UNDISCLOSED LOCATION.
Imagine my shock and horror when I rolled into the Alpine Inn??
Yikes. Zero.
That being said, throw me a 2 pound double cheeseburger, a beer, and a live band and somehow I forget about my little Asian rule.
Those goofy bastards are just about the best thing I've got going in this crazy world.
The burgers, not the Asians.
Momentum.
Great spot. Really rare to find somewhere like this in these parts. Really cool place, up in the hills, with an awesome garden. Food is good, and location is amazing. Only downside is its not dog-friendly, which considering its surrounded by hiking trails that are perfect for dogs, is a real shame.
I detest the greasy hamburgers and fries here. The only thing palatable is the chicken burger. The beer smells foul and the place is scruffy. Outside you get buzzed by insects.
However, if you want to take some executives to a beer garden that's not your usual corporate hotel it's old California and they'll probably enjoy it. It's a Stanford hangout and on a good cycle route.
Okay, ok, after my binge of burgers lately, I thought I had sworn them off for a while, but I ended up coming here for a colleague's farewell (excuses, excuses ;) ! )
We went here during a weekday lunch. It was nice to sit outside under the trees and chat...
The burgers here are good (I like their brioche-esque buns!), fries are so-so. The thing about this place that is not really my taste is the run-down bar atmosphere. Can't deal with it... I'm not an all-american gal... literally... so I should be forgiven.
I've never been to a place like this and never would have had my boss not taken us here for an office lunch. You pull up to this place and its like an oasis in a dessert...you think you're on a camel....or maybe its like a saloon in the wild west and you're on a horse....but yeah...it's Portola Valley and I'm in a BMW...lol....
This is the perfect place to go on a warm day when you want to BBQ but there ain't no time to go to the market and fire up your own grill. So you come here and order rectangular shaped burgers, fries, and a pitcher of beer to yourself...sit on a picnic table under a tree, next to a creek...and you chill....and then you will realize glitz and glamour cannot compare to the simple things in life.
I was frightened when my friend parked the car in the lot. A shack in the woods, do you seriously see me eating here?
One star for the cold beer, two stars for the food, and one more for the park-like setting and picnic tables. I just found my lunch time hide away on beautiful sunny days.
They have beers on tap, glass bottle, can, or if you're on a liquid diet, a 40 oz.
I had the cheese burger and fries. I don't think I'll get too adventurous with the rest of the menu. I generally stick to the most ordered item by regulars.
If you work on Sand Hill and feel stranded like I do sometimes, take a little trip to Alpine Inn for some fresh air.
I like The Counter. This place is the antithesis of The Counter, but I still love it. They don't care about too much grease, or carbs, or calories, or cholestrol, or trans fats, or anything else that food-serving establishments (especially in California) are supposed to care about. And, surprise surprise, the food tastes great.
Go here only if you're ready to leave Palo Alto and enter Narnia because that's what it feels like when you eat in the back picnic area with the lamp post. I'm always waiting for Mr. Tumnus to prance out of the woods of Portola Valley and steal my pitcher of Fat Tire, but I guess that's pretty unlikely now that I type that thought out and think about it a little more. Anyway, you should probably eat here... and drink beer too if you're into that kind of thing/want to meet Mr. Tumnus.
Alpine Inn is awesome. Good sized burgers for $5 and fries for a a little more. Friendly bar and counter people and quick service. Sitting outside in the backyard is peaceful and a great picnic-like experience.
A solid burger ($5) + fries ($3?) + pitcher of beer (~$10) = happy times for a reasonable price.
They also have a fine assortment of toppings for your burgers! Bonus!
OK, this is an institution. Whether you know it as Rosatti's or The Alpine Inn, this is THE place to relax and connect with your friends from the venture capital company to your Harley club buddies!
I began visiting after Palo Alto city softball games with the team. Yeah, we'd play down in the flats, then head up to Zott's for the rectangular burgers and beer afterwards.
Fast forward 20 years to meeting up with my cycling pals and departing for a 15-25 mile ride. We return, put the bikes away, and head inside for our dinner and post ride chat.
Sometimes there are office functions going on inside, or a crowd gathered to watch sports on TV. On any sunny day, you can bet there is a crowd outside in back, sitting under the trees at the many wooden picnic tables just enjoying the day. You may even need to bring your own folding chairs on bigger holidays.
It's great to people watch: tough guys and gals, preppies just out of or still in college, deal makers, and families.
Don't forget to check out the fabulous auto's in the parking lot!
(One star from perfect because, for me? More than one clean women's restroom is needed. But that's not likely to happen anytime soon...)
For ambience and casual atmosphere, this place epitomizes the "cool" factor of working/living in Silicon Valley. Ok, so the burgers and food are good, nothing fancy, but I doubt the cooks are aiming for any Zagat stars.
Nonetheless, a great place for some greasy food, fries, and beer. Weather permitting, eating outside on the graffiti-laden, older-than-dirt picnic tables really gets you in the "play hooky from work" mode.
I don't know how people can not like this place. The bar tender gave us attitude the moment we walked in the door because it was apparent we were Palo Alto boys that ought to have been somewhere else.
Anyway, this is a little mountain bar that has been increasingly encroached upon by the development wave that is Silicon Valley. When ever I tell someone that I went to the Alpine Inn they expect to hear a story of oompa bands and pretzel eating, but this place has no trace of Bavaria to it. Think early California gold miners. The Alpine Inn is the poster child for the intersection of old California and the new wave.
The food is not 5 stars, but what do you expect from a roadhouse? The tables are frickin' picnic tables that are carved to hell. They serve the beer in plastic cups. Fancy it aint.
All that being said, the burgers are good. The beer (Devil's Canyon) is amazing. They compliment each other very well.
Be on the lookout for grizzled locals wearing camouflage in some way or another. The other popular denizen in this dive-esque joint is the Silicon Valley tech head who heard about it from his friend who went there once and didn't like it. Mr. Valley was intrigued so he fired up the new Harley, put on those oiled leathers, told the wife he was taking a Sunday cruise and putted up to the door. This is where he feels he earns his street cred.
This place is gonna get ruined when/if they sell it.
Go soon
The Alpine Inn -- formerly known as Rossatti's (or is it Rosatti's?) -- is a Peninsula institution.
The tradition of drinking crappy American beer directly out of the quart bottles ($3.25 for a 32 oz. beer?!) is as old as the wooden picnic tables in the beer garden out back.
This place seamlessly integrates old-school bikers (motorcyclists and elaborately dressed bicyclists) and Stanford-type yupsters. Humans from all walks of life can bond over cold beer on a hot day, it seems.
The burgers are surprisingly good (stove-top fried) on buttery grilled buns. The fries are inexplicably good -- if greasy. But, seriously good.
This place is kid friendly with some games in the front, and even a creek to play in that meanders along the side of the beer garden.
Just had lunch here with a friend. Food is ok, I ordered a turkey sandwich, kind greasy, fries is ok. Overall food is on the pricey side. But I like the idea to sit outside and enjoy the view. I don't mind going back there, it's a great place to eat during lunch time when the weather isn't that hot or cold.
BTW - they don't accept credit card
This is definitely dress-down, as far as you can go. But for what it is, it's great.
I'm normally a burger guy, but here I prefer the chicken sandwich. Cheap pitchers of Fat Tire and their strangely flavored fries go very well together. When ordering food and sitting out in the back lot, it's best to give a highly distinguishable, easy to pronounce name, like "Elivs" or "Biff" becauses sometimes when they call over the PA system the orders that are ready, you see everyone at your table go "huh?"
I'm reluctant to review this establishment because as with every hidden treasure, you want it to stay relatively hidden. However, as a yelper I owe it to the good people of this site to fill them in on a very local and very unique gem on Alpine Road in Portola Valley.
Alpine Inn, also known as "Zott's" to those who know the rich history of this place, is set apart because of the relaxed atmosphere and because Zott's has the only genuine beer garden in the south bay (that I know of). If you're a vegetarian or a foodie, please don't go to Zott's or review it. However, if you're a person who enjoys an eclectic group of people, hot sun, and a selection of a few but great domestic and foreign beers, then you've made a great find. I bring my friends here to enjoy the soccer moms with a few more miles left in them, plastic pitchers, and greasy fries. Soooo good.
When I first walked into this place, I got all freaked out. Bunch of homeless-looking dudes sitting on picnic tables with empty forties strewn all around them. Um, I thought I drove all the way down from the city to escape this but whatev. The sun was out, there was a empty picnic table that was mine for the taking, and I had a pitcher of beer. Nothing was going to deter me from my Day Drinking.
A few hours later, I had:
1) A sunburned schnoz
2) Figured out that the bums did not sneak in their forties. The bar actually sells them! Awesome.
3) A nice little buzz going on
4) An empty pack of Parliaments
5) Some new friends who were not, in fact, bums, but retired Stanford professors
6) A Mr. Toad's Wild Ride-style drive home to look forward to
A successful afternoon of Day Drinking if you ask me.
Hmm.. this spot right here is one of those out of the way, hidden surrpises. It's a nice short drive into the hills off 280. My work hosts an annual offsite lunch for us here and I've made it there every year for their burgers and fries. This place has old skool character to it... you walk in and you know there's some history to it and the decor definitely lets you know it's been there for a good while. I usually get some type of burger and of course their fries... mmm they're fries are perfect!!! Crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle... and the portion is big enough to share. I definitely wouldn't be able to eat an order of fries on my own. I can't say much for their prices, cause it's always on my work when I've gone there.
The next time you're up for it, take a drive up here on a nice perfectly breezy sunny day and just have a nice kick back lunch. They have a big outdoor dining area so you can enjoy the day! Just don't expect something fancy just cause of the area it's in... and don't go in your fancy clothes cause you might kick up some dirt since it's not a paved parking lot or outdoor dining area.
OK. I seriously don't get this place. I had heard sooo much about it, so on a sunny day, my friends and I decide to head up for lunch. Well, I forced my friends to come with me.
The burgers are these weird, rectangular, thin patties. They don't really even look like beef. Like what you'd expect from a cafeteria lunch.
Whatever, I'm down with little hole-in-the-wall-shacky restaurants. Maybe it's good. So, we take our burgers and beers to the outside patio thing.
First, there were a trillion bees. Second, the burgers sucked. We all took one bite and then took off.
I mean, this might be a good place to come on a sunny day to have a beer outside. Oh, wait. I can do that at home. And it's significantly nicer.
This was a few years ago, and my friends still bring up how I dragged them there.
Zott's is a 5 star experience but the new customer base sadly has lowered the stars. No longer is it a crazy place to go and just have a blast with no worries about who is who or what. Now its dot commers trying to impress with their expensive bikes etc.
I got my first bee sting in the soccer fields next door back in the early 70s and I used to play in the creek behind the place...sometimes I wish this area hadn't boomed quite so much. It sure was an amazing place.
Alpine Inn - Rosattis - Zotts........different names for the same place. I wouldn't go here for a first date unless she's already been there and knows what to expect. The burgers are greasy and delicious and the beer is COLD. There is a dirt picnic area in the back where you can just hang out, drink, eat and enjoy the weather. You will find all different types at the Alpine Inn. In the parking lot you may see mountain bikes parked between Harley's and Ferrari's.
I great landmark with personality. Tasty burgers and crispy fries, wide selection of beer. Any place that will give you a 40 oz over the bar is OK in my book.
A fun after work spot, ample seating in the back yard.
Ok, I need to qualify my review on this. Zotts (aka Alpine Inn) is a WYSIWYG place. Will you get top notch service, a gourmet meal and a knowledgable sommellier...um, no.
BUT, you will get a casual, no-nonsense, get a beer and cheap eats experience, where you can hang out with buddies and throw a few back sitting at a picnic table in the beautiful California weather. I used to go here often after softball games, and it kind of reminded me of some of the places I use to visit when I lived in North Carolina (though missing the pulled pork bbq).
The place is sort of in the middle of nowhere, so it's not particularly accessible, but that's part of the charm..it's hidden.
SO, if you want cheap eats and cheap beer, this is highly rated (maybe 4-4.5 stars). If you are looking for a place to have a wedding reception dinner, then you probably should not read too much into the 4-5 star ratings.
Hope that helps y'all!
Stanford, CA
Category: Delis
Menlo Park, CA
Category: Pizza
Menlo Park, CA
Category: Pubs
Menlo Park, CA
Category: Beer, Wine & Spirits
Menlo Park, CA
Category: Sandwiches
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