Palo Alto Creamery Downtown
Categories: Diners, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt [Edit]
566 Emerson StPalo Alto, CA 94301 (650) 323-3131
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 12:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Sun 8:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Breakfast
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
26 reviews
San Mateo, CA
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132 Reviews for Palo Alto Creamery Downtown
This place has a small-town diner feel to it, with some expensive Palo Alto prices to boot. With that said, excellent milkshakes and fabulous burgers.
Nothing beats enjoying a burger and old school shake inside a 1950s diner. It's all about what you order though:
- The burgers are great with lots of topping choices and fries on the side.
- The shakes are wonderful; many flavor choices and they're ultra customizable and come with a generous quantity of ice cream so you can refill your cup. I wish they came in a tall glass though rather than the tiny cup.
It's not cheap, but nothing in Palo Alto is and you won't find a comparable diner in the area.
Ok, now don't deviate from the formula I just described. All of the other food I've had here has been really disappointing. The pies are decent, but nothing special. And how do you screw up an egg? Or toast?
For the basics though, a burger and fries, Creamery is your place.
I love this place. I've spent many many late mornings and late afternoons here! the breakfast menu is great - I love the scrambled eggs with sausage and the pancakes. the sandwiches and steak are also great.
awesome milkshakes! I haven't been disappointed by the food here.
the waiters and owners are really friendly - I've always felt welcome. the 'retro' look and feel is nice not cheesy.
go here!
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I loooooooooove the grilled cheese here. That is what my 5 stars is based on. The fries aren't bad, and the milkshakes are pretty tasty, but nothing special. Service is friendly and quick. Fun diner decor.
"My milkshake, is better than yours, gee whiz, it's better than yours!"
5 stars for the best milkshake around! Order it extra thick. Try the pink peppermint. Or the oreo... or mix a couple flavors. If you like malt and bananas, go fo' it!
Ooo, and while you're there, definitely sit in one of the 2 seater booths and bounce up and down on it... slyly eyeing the person sitting next to you to see how p'o'd they're getting at your immaturity. awesome.
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Despite the fact that it is always packed on a Sunday morning, I love this place, always good hardy good, always friendly service from everyone working there, great for hangovers, and not expensive at all. Nice and relaxed."
This place is pretty good. I love the venue and the old school diner look and feel. Decent in price with good diner dish selections....just avoid peak lunch hours. it gets pretty packed....
This place has the most A-mazing milkshakes EVER!
it comes in the hugest silver cup you will ever find!
IT IS GINORMOUS. I'm not even kidding OHMYGEE its big.
but SO good. I thought I wasnt going to be able to finish it but dangg
it was gone in a few minutes. I was supposed to be studying for a test. but the milkshake distracted me. :[ I got this peppermint chocolatey milkshake thing. SO GOOD. My cousin got Mango, which was pretty good too. The other two got some kind of vanilla with something mixed in. Not a good idea. ex. heath icecream. Its vanilla and pieces of heath. You blend it. the heath is chopped into puny pieces, and you don't taste it anymore. They have pretty good breakfast food too! You pay at this counter. and don't get tempted to buy the spicy candy. It is SOO spicy. It like practically burned a hole into the side of my mouth. The skin felt raw! I ended up spitting it out since it was WAYY to hott. My older cousin at the whole thing though. and my other cousin was all lets endure the pain. We both tossed it out after a few minutes. One more thing. The tables are really squished with the chairs. My long giraffe like legs barely fit. But its still the best place for shakes.
We ate here on a Thursday around 8pm and there was about a 10 minute wait for a table. We opted to eat at the counter where there were plenty of seats open.
I had the Caribbean French Toast, which was made with Brioche toast and coconut with caramelized sliced bananas on top. It was good but I think it should come with hash browns or something to give you a break from the sweetness. The bf ordered a chocolate milkshake which was the best I have ever had.
The service was excellent. Very personable, but not intrusive. I saw a waiter pass by with the California burger, which looked yummy. They do run out of certain menu items here as well as specials. We sat next to a gentleman who left because they didn't have what he wanted (one item was from the regular menu and one was from the specials board). That was kind of disappointing to witness.
One thing that would make me hesitate to come here is the parking situation. Brutal. Just park in first spot you see even if it is 3 or 4 streets away. You might not find another spot for another hour.
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When you are on a diet it is very hard to find a place to get food, especially to-go that is healthy and tasty, but when I found the Palo Alto Creamery and the fact that you could get a spinach all white omelet I was in heaven! I ate this probably every Sunday while I worked in Palo Alto. Definitely a healthy and great tasting choice.
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Nice old fashioned style restaurant. I went for breakfast and while my sausage and eggs were fine it's a little overpriced. The service was good and I liked that they had marmalade but considering the price/value ratio I would come back but only after exploring other options in the area.
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I've been going there off and on for breakfast or lunch for several years. I was there this morning and was reminded by how great this diner is as a basic, hearty breakfast and lunch place...done in the 50's diner style. I've really liked the omelets and potatoes for breakfast. I had lunch today and enjoyed the juicy California burger with a good sized slice of avocado. I also man-upped and had a vanilla milkshake...ahhh...so good. Ooop...time to go work out!
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This place for breakfast is awesome. The Caribbean French Toast is dieters worst nightmare. It was caramalized sliced bananas, and coconut. So good. And they have giant omelletes and scrambles, it just good reminiscent diner style cooking, which makes it all the more fun. The service is always nice, and the bill usually isn't a wallet-killer. It's a good place, and it's so convenient on the corner of Emerson St. Parking can be pain, but there's a public garage close by, and within walking distance of University Ave.
This place sucked. I paid over $10 for a single (small) sloppy joe, a pickle, and a drink. I thought it was some cruel joke. I am giving it an extra star because our waiter was friendly, and I had friends who worked here.
Great place to grab the good ole Western breakfast--big and hearty.
The diner definitely has the old school feel (based on watching TV movies from the 60s haha). Very busy place but the service is still top notch.
We ordered the pancakes, and I highly recommend getting the fruit. You get three big pancakes and--with that fruit option--you get generous pile.
I ordered the scramble and it was a generous portion.
Too bad I went there really for breakfast--otherwise I would order the shake. I've been out of the area for a few years but I still remember those awesome shakes........well, next time!
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The quintessential diner experience.
Love the ambiance, good pancakes, burgers, still have to try the milkshakes. They are flexible with substituions and any other quirks you may have. And the people there, there's just nice. The place is always busy.
Decent, good food all-around. I've been in Palo Alto about a month and this place is already a regular.
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2/24/08: Wife and I went there for burgers and found a small curly hair in her side of mayo!!! Yuck.... Manager said "Let me remove that for you" which is the worst actual response I've ever even heard of (sounds like a joke). He then offered to replace it but appetite was gone. I had to ask that I not be charged for it, but I wasn't.
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This place rules for breakfast. Any out-of-town guest I've ever hosted always requests to come back to the Creamery for breakfast as a condition for coming to stay with me again! I recommend the hash brown pie.
Their milkshakes are thick and creamy, very fantastic. Burgers are great too. If you are looking to eat something outside the typical diner fare, they have salads, entrees, etc. but I think their strength really is in their core diner menu.
Service is generally good and friendly.
Thanks Yelpers for the great recommendation!!!
On our way over to Ikea this past weekend we made a little side trip and had breakfast here. What a great place... the inside felt warm and friendly and we were seated right away, the server was nice but not exceptional.
On the menu for us:
for me: Cajun scramble.... lot's of flavor, spices great sausage.
for hubby and the little cheese(my three year old son): Tropical french toast, I think what it was called.... wow the bread was so soft and yummy I had to steal some from hubbies plate.
We loved the food... took a Cherry crumb pie home and ate it up in 3 days.... I'm afraid to go back to return the pie plate because I know I will buy more and my hips will not appreciate that.
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This may just be a case of Travis over analyzing the situation here, but i view Palo Alto Creamery as a really good restaurant that is wearing the costume of an old diner. I feel like whoever is behind this wonderful place mimics the excess of 50's american diner culture with tongue firmly planted in cheek. I may be completely wrong, but i think im onto something here.
Have you seen the apple pies in the back? They're like 6 inches tall. With a scoop of icecream that apple pie is incredible but does anyone make apple pie like that with a straight face? I sure don't. But then again there's not much that i do with a straight face.
I've only been here for breakfast and dessert, but i've noticed that the food is classic diner fare, but tweaked a little bit, refined even. Thats what leads me to believe there is someone behind this place that knows full well what they're doing.
The cajun sausage for example. Its incredible, especially with a hint of maple syrup. Sausage is diner fare, but the flavor of this sausage is too complex, too refined, too good to be made by some overweight, lonely, pimple faced guy whose solution to everything is to fry or saute with butter.
Next example: the home fries. They aren't just cubed potatoes like every other place, they are cooked with onions and peppers to give the flavor some depth. Add a little ketchup and some tabasco and im in heaven.
The french toast is done too perfectly to be cooked by someone who doesn't know what they're doing. Its crisp on the outside, but soft and fluffy (rather than dense) on the inside.
Im sure this is the case with other dishes, but this is the only food i've had. Yes, its more expensive than other diner style places, but its also much better. Someone who knows what they're doing is behind this place and i like it.
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Mmmmmmm...breakfust! Between the shakes, the fried egg sammich and the specials...not to mention the atmosphere (hasn't changed since I was a kid!)...you just can't beat it! I had the yummiest Cream of Cauliflower soup one day...haven't seen it again, but damn it was good.
Good luck parking though...as with anything else good in the area everyone knows about it. But, you work up a great appetite walking and there is a ton of window shopping and people watching to do!
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I love this place and I go there about once a week. Great burgers and other things ... my favorite is the Fountain Burger. High quality ingredients, reasonable prices, friendly service. The only thing I would want them to change is to cook the grilled onions more, and the burgers tend to be under done, but other than that this place is great!
Like others have said, this place can be a little overpriced, but they do have good breakfasts, MILKSHAKES, and their chicken salad melt is to die for..
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I was quite surprised at how good breakfast was. I had corned-beef hash. At most places it tastes slightly metallic (I guess from the can the beef came from). This didn't. It tasted like something from the a good deli. My gf had the special, which was a croissant cooked like frenchtoast with sliced apples and carmel. It sounds extremely sweet, but it wasn't. In fact it was also very tasty. The coffee is just ok.
I took off one star because the staff was a bit disorganized: we had to wait a long time for the waiter to come by and ask if we wanted coffee. Also, the ambiance is still very much like a greasy spoon. For couples, they put a little divider thingy on a four-person table so you're sitting right next to others.
The food is good - especially the shakes and desserts. Try the chocolate bread pudding. The prices are a tad expensive for diner food, but it's worth it.
The breakfUst is indeed delectable! I go for their yoghurt parfait or waffles (or both sometimes :)) Used to be a regular on Thursdays of the month back when I used to work in Menlo Park.
It's really funny to sit on the common seating to find the people on the other side get a slight bump every time someone takes a seat on the other side. You will know what I'm talking about when you see it :) It's really hard to not break into a laugh..
I've only been here once, but the experience was excellent.
Perhaps because it was the night of the football playoffs, there was no wait at the Creamery, but we had to sit in the booth closest to the door and in the "jetstream" of cold air everytime someone opened the door.
Everyone seemed very friendly and the restaurant had a very good atmosphere.
I ordered the California burger (bacon, avocado, grilled onions with lettuce, tomato and pickles on the side) which was excellent! The grilled onions were cold but that didn't detract from the overall yumminess of the burger. I selected the salad instead of fries so that I could have dessert later and the salad was a nice spring mix. They gave the salad dressing on the side - I thought that was smart!
I didn't have the milkshake which seems to be what they are famous for. Instead, we chose to split an apple pie a la mode which wasn't heated enough, but was tasty.
Bathrooms were clean which is a plus!
Three negatives: (1) I could smell the kitchen floors while sitting in the booth (due to the airflow). Luckily, when the food came, I could only smell the food. (2) Service was a little too quick with removing our plates. He seemed to grab the plate before asking if you were done. (3) Floors seemed really slippery greasy. I had to walk very carefully after almost falling down!
One more thing: I asked the guy behind the register about the name and why the sign said Peninsula Creamery while everything else on the shirts, receipt, etc referred to Palo Alto Creamery. He told me it was a legal lawsuit thing because the owner had signed a contract saying he would have only one restaurant named the Peninsula Creamery. When the other location opened, he had to change one name.
Overall, a great diner. When you're looking for that type of food, this is the place to go!
Pie, Pie...oh my! This place has wonderful homemaade pies. We have ordered our holiday pies here the last few years to RAVE reviews from family.
Pumpkin is a winner of course, but the sleeper award goes to BLUEBERRY! I never even thought about ordering a blueberry pie before! This thing was divine, and was GONE on the first round of dessert eating...it didn't even make it to seconds. Two years in a row.
I puffy heart their fluted glass pie plates that the pies come in. They are expensive, something like $30 each including the glass container. But next time you come in, bring the pie plate and turn them in and get $5 cash back towards your meal. We just turned in 4 and got $20. Score.
Besides their pies, they do a fab breakkie and lunch. Breakfast all day. My kinda place. The ambiance is cute, it looks like a real retro diner inside with the reddish and white decor and it's huge inside even though it seems small since it is always packed.
They serve up true diner food like grilled cheese sandwiches, tuna melts, fresh milkshakes, turkey pot pies, mac and cheese, greasy yummy fries. Their breakfast is not gourmet, but it is hearty and satisfying. We have not left this place disappointed in how anything tastes in the numerous times we have been there.
On the weekends the wait can be insane, not fun...but if you go a little later or earlier you might not have to wait too long. I have always wanted to try their milkshakes, but seriously never have room. It's depressing especially given the fun sounding ice cream flavors. Peanut butter cup ice cream? Oreo mint? I told my husband next time we're coming in JUST for a hot fudge sundae.
Oh and random note, but this place is on the corner of Emerson and one of the other downtown streets. I accidentally have called the Peninsula Creamery which is NOT affiliated with this place (Though I guess they used to be, super confusing)...and asked to order a pie, they said we don't have pies! DOH. So make a note. THIS is the place with the fab pies.
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The only way I can fault this place is the pricing... Food, service and atmosphere is great! Definitely a place to go for a nice breakfast, lunch or dinner. Especially after a movie at the Stanford Theater.
I really like breakfast food and small diners. I can get fresh cooked breakfast food all day and a milk shake to go with it. I have yet to have the wallet or the insanity to order the bubbly burger, but the last time I had a regular burger here it was ok. Nothing special. I am more for the omlettes and hashbrowns. 3 egg omlette with cream cheeze, avocado and bacon, yum. There service is ok. And parking around the area is also decent. This is my usual stop before an outing with friends.
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Mmmm milkshakes. Get in my tummy. That being said, nothing else here is really worth getting. The food in general is decent, but way overpriced.
Nice old-fashioned diner like place that serves good breakfast, burgers, and shakes. Been here in downtown Palo Alto as long as I have known. Very popular on weekends with the long-time neighborhood ppl and families.
I shouldn't have strayed - was deciding between their standard signature breakfast items when I fell for the waiter's pitch about the Spanish friittata daily special. What I got was this huge souffle-like egg pie with everything baked in. It tasted decent and the sauce was good but I really hated eating my eggs in a baked fluffy texture. (I didn't know what the hell a frittata is - he described it as an open-faced omelette - yeah right)
I also asked whether they had fresh-brewed ice tea and it was obvious that it was that nasty-tasting fountain stuff. Yuck.
Bottom line: Palo Alto Fountain/Creamery is a cool place but the frittata was definitely not for me. And the ice tea is not fresh brewed - the guy lied. I'm going back to standard breakfast fare, burgers and shakes next time.
I've got this odd personality where I'm simultaneously quite simple and very complex. While at work I love to tackle complex issues of social theory and design, when I'm not working I'm probably just sitting around playing guitar, driving fast, drawing or shooting guns.
Even though I'm sitting in Silicon Valley and work for a super-trendy, awesome tech company, spending my day toiling away in Adobe Creative Suite and writing PHP, part of me always feels as if I was transplanted out of the late fifties. After all, I've got a love for fast, gas-guzzling cars, firearms, friends, a patriotic streak and a shocking love of both Modernism and Populuxe.
Palo Alto's elite places grate on me after a while, and that's probably why I think this place is the BEST DAMN PLACE IN THIS CITY. You will end up finding me here at least once a week. I love the hamburgers and think they've got the Diet Coke perfect. If it wasn't fairly bad for my health, I'd probably eat here every day and never get tired of it. This is also the only place downtown aside from Pizza My Heart that's open until midnight or so on Fridays and Saturdays.
Right now they've got the Christmas decor in full swing, and the multicoloured lights / foil garland just fits the place awesomely, adding to the atmosphere.
It doesn't get much more simple than this, and the Americana is just cute. We'll just keep things simple: sure, Evvia, Zibibbo et cetera are fantastic places. iTapas seems to be the cool date spot. You know what? I'd rather go on a date to this place. Screw wine bars and fancy food. Although a lot of people don't want to admit it, sometimes the classic stuff is better anyway.
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I call it the The Creamery and it's damn good diner food and decor. If you go in November they offer seasonal pumpkin shakes it's like drinking homemade pumpkin pie! There are almost always seats at the counter otherwise there may be a short wait for a table. The turkey bacon club is my personal favorite though the tuna melt is good too. .
Great breakfast place (coffee cake muffins!) and dinner too, especially when your football team dismantles Stanford. Timberrrrrrr!
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This is my neighborhood restaurant. The prices are a little lofty and parking is a real b**ch, but nobody can dispute the quality of their food. At $7-9 a piece, the burgers are better than those at The Counter on California Street.
The milkshakes are to die for--where else will you find more than 20 flavors of shakes to choose from? Don't forget the pies and cookies, which I will try for sure next time, well, if there's still room in my stomach.
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This place is darling! I felt like I steped into a time warp - or even, Disneyland! All day my hangover had me craving a burger so when the boyfriend and I strolled by this place we took note and decided to stop in before we headed back north.
The neat diner is so classic looking with cute little booths. Just being there makes you wanna sing shooby doobie and do the twist. And the fact that this little old school fountain is a creamery means they have fantastic milk shakes. With at least two dozen ice creams to choose from, there is something for everyone. I had the Oreo cookie mint. yummers.
Overall, it was a good dining experience the high school aged server was a little slow but the satisfying California burgers hit the spot and the 50s diner decor made up for any time we spent waiting for our food.
Hip place for a simple date or dinner with the family. Good for all ages.
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I've lived in the Bay Area for many, many years and I never tried this joint until today. But only for a milkshake. A strawberry milkshake that was phenomenal and easily enough for two. This place definitely beats Fenton's in my view.
My next visit I need to try a slice of homemade blueberry pie and turkey pot pie and not necessarily in that order. I love places that serve comfort food...
One of two confusingly named Creamerys in Palo Alto, this is the nearer to downtown and University Avenue.
It's like going into a Wayback Machine and landing in a place/time like how it used to be (or we imagined how it used to be) with old time favorites like meatloaf and fantastic burgers and thick fries (nearly 1/2" on each side")
Look up and you'll see a pressed tin ceiling...
Friendly prompt service and a terrific old fashioned menu, this place had only one miss: the potato salad. Made with the same potatoes that make the fries so fantastic, when placed in a delicious potato salad dressing mix, these potatoes are mealy and just not right for the dish.
We had a wonderful Rubin a California burger and a 1/2 sandwich + soup (Butternut Chipotle MMMMmm) and it was a solid 4 overall for about $11 per person.
Our favorite diner style place here.
Super cute place with a lot of vintage flavor. But you'll have to try their pie! I ordered Blueberry Pie a la mode and it was delicious!
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Overpriced burgers/sandwhiches/entrees. Only thing worthwhile getting are the milkshakes... Otherwise, it's a skip. There are far too many better restaurants in downtown PA where you could get something better to eat.
Skip for the food... Hit for the milkshakes!
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