Palo Alto Creamery Fountain & Grill
Categories: Diners, Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt [Edit]
Stanford Shopping CenterPalo Alto, CA 94301 (650) 327-3141
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- 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: Yes
- Good for: Lunch
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
321 reviews
Palo Alto, CA
"This ain't yo typical burger joint! So for those of you seeking a grease laden burger, you best go somewhere else cuz you ain't getting one…" read more »
76 Reviews for Palo Alto Creamery Fountain & Grill
We had eaten a few times at the Downtown Palo Alto location (the first one they had) but today was the first time we ate at the one on the Stanford Shopping Center: had the best capuccino I can recall, a great Breakfast Quesadilla and the rest of the folks in our party had only great thing to say about their food and their shake. The gorgeous day helped and the service was impeccable.
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I've only been here a couple of times but really do love this place, the patio area is perfect for chilling out on a nice day and the people watching is top notch. The food is great and served fast, especially for the price. The staff are friendly and helpful.
On the other hand I just wouldn't eat at this place without the patio, inside it just seems noisy and depressing.
Everytime I have gone here it was for dinner so everything is based off what I had off of their dinner menu. The meatloaf dinner was really good. I loved the mashed potatoes and the veggies that came with the meatloaf and the meatloaf itself was brilliant. Before this I ordered their buffalo wings and I have to admint those were super delicious as well. I think they add just a tad bit of sugar in their wing sauce which makes the wings kick some major booty. I have also ordered their ribs which are brilliant as well. The oreo milkshake is also really good. In addition to the wonderful meals and the shakes the service was very good. I definitely will be going back for dinner some other night.
Ordered take out, it was ready within 5-10 minutes
Egg beaters omelette with tomatoes, bacon, spinich. (you pick any 3 items for 9.50, and .75 extra for eggbeaters) It was **DARN** good. My coworkers were annoyed with how often I kept commenting about it!
The hashbrowns were a little sad, and they forgot to include butter (or butter the bread)
But when I'm over here, I will definitely stop by here and get the same yummy thing!
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Ok food, standard to what you would expect from a grill.
But it's outside, got great people watching, is not super expensive, or uppity as other food places in this area, is next to Bloomingdale's and doesn't have the wait that you have to endure at PF Changs across the parking lot.
So for that, I'm good with the place.
To be honest with you, I wasn't impressed with the food or the service at this place. However, I might consider coming back to this place. Why, one might ask? Great question.
My friend and I came here for a late lunch. We walked through a busy patio and made our way to the door. A girl in a yellow t-shirt asked us sternly: "Can I help you?" Umm, honey, I am sure most people would automatically assume you're the hostess, but my friend and I didn't. You know what happens when you assume, right?
Anyway, thanks for showing us to the nice table in the far corner of the patio. The table was a bit dirty, but at least it was perfect for people watching, which is, perhaps, the only reason I would ever come back to this place. A 60-year-old white man in short shorts with a 35-year-old Filipino girlfriend walking into Bloomingdale's, a sharply dressed mid-40s couple getting out of their Maybach, teenagers with their parents' credit cards - you gotta love 'em.
As for the food . . . it was definitely NOT worth the price. My $13.50 steak sandwich featured chewy, overcooked steak which lacked flavor. My friend, who ordered a $10.50 California burger, said that he "had better burgers at Carl's Jr." My thick-cut fries were slightly undercooked for my taste.
The menu also featured a $195 Bubbly Burger (that's a burger with a bottle of Dom Perignon). My friend and I were discussing how many people actually order it. So, if you've had the burger and Dom combo before, send me a Yelp message, will ya?
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Went here after a hard day of shopping at the mall. Good people watching. Great service. Nice outdoor seating area.
Really mediocre food. Had the fries with parm and truffle oil and they tasted like they'd been sitting out for awhile. I ordered the Chinese Chicken Salad and it was light and tasty - just what I wanted. My man got the baked mac and cheese: really creamy but not very flavorful. Our friend ordered the Philly cheesesteak. His comment: "Never ask a native Californian if their Philly cheesesteak is any good. They will always lie to you."
I ordered their Southern Oven-Fried Chicken salad and was somewhat disappointed. I like that they mixed baby greens with some iceberg lettuce, but I wasn't too impressed with the chicken (bland) and canned corn (but at least they drained it!) I think the only thing that saved it was the "spicy" ranch dressing that it came with!
I'm giving it 2 stars for the salad and another star because service was great!
Oh...and just like everyone else here says...their milkshakes are worth having!
As I used to work at the Stanford Nordstrom, I often came to the Creamery at least once or twice a week on lunch break.
The burgers are great! - you can order as rare as you like, which is a requirement in my book in order to score 4 or higher star rating. And they will be rare, so be forewarned!
Root beer floats and shakes are so damn good...the ice cream is old fashioned homemade style. Breakfast is also quite yummy here, though the selection is more limited than the rest of their menu.
Typical diner selection. Service is spotchy, especially late in the day when things quiet down. Most of the serving crowd is young and they tend to do a lot of gossiping, especially if you're sitting at the counter. They're perfectly nice and friendly, just somewhat unprofessional and either tend to ignore you for long periods or rush you out the door.
Best part is the selection of classic candies when you check out. Always a crutch for me, I can't leave there without having a Pixy Stick or Candy Necklace to finish off the meal.
My all time favorite restaurant. BEST MILKSHAKES EVER. Great for families, friends or dates and perfect for a lunch break during a shopping day. I recommend the grilled cheese sandwich with cheddar on sourdough bread and an extra thick chocolate milkshake. Delicious =)
For the food - I'd give it 3-4 stars. They make great burgers and really good fries. But for some reason, my husband and I have both gotten sick here afterwards, so had to take the stars back off. Try with caution.
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I went there for lunch on 4th of July. I ordered a regular hamburger with fries and my g/f had the reuben with side salad
--we also heard about their great shakes so we decided to split a strawberry shake, which was very tasty
--the service overall was very fast..from the outside looking in, it looked packed..fortunately, it wasn't as crowded inside so our server was quick
--the water glasses were a bit on the small side and I had to ask the waiter to refill it once. that was the only knock on this place..overall, a good place to eat
They make great burgers, and the salads are decent-sized. Its very relaxing to sit outside under the umbrellas and chat with friends while eating good food. The service is pretty good and prompt and they have steak cut fries! =)
More down-scale than the other restaurants at the mall. I have never once eaten inside at this place. Good food.
yummy yummy in the tummy! this is the best place at the stanford shopping center to grab a superb sandwich! the take out is pretty quick too.
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This place surprisingly offers a lot of choices for having a cafe type feel. Great to bring your pets (outdoor seating), customized milkshakes, and good food for a decent comparable price (most of stanford shopping is pretty pricey ). Tried their California Burger (Avocado, Bacon, Chedder) which came with fries and got a milkshake afterwards. The Burger was kinda greasy but definitely tasty, fries were perfect - not too skinny nor too fat and not too salty either.
Their service was decent though and I agree that the inside was kinda ugly. Although their milkshakes were good, I've had better at other places but its a good desert choice if you're not planning on going anywhere else.
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Boring Mac & Cheese. The cheese was either super healthy/fat free or just plain flavorless. It had semi baked/burnt topped w/ bread crumbs. Whole Foods Market has better Mac & Cheese for cheaper and more. Portion was a small bowl.
Ribs did not come out like I expected. The fun part about eat ribs is tearing it off the bones w/ your teeth. The ribs came chopped & cut on a plate. Sauce wasn't zesty, savory, tangy or spicy...it was just brown colored sauce. It came w/ steamed veggies, that was the best part sadly.
Big cookie was extremely dry and hard to bite into, no chewiness factor.
Not very good "homecooked" food and a bit pricey to boot.
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Great place to get your burger and shake fix. Strong burger choices - quite a few delicious sounding ones that it was hard to decide. Went for the old mushroom and swiss standby and it was cooked medium perfectly and delicious with the fresh bun and all the condiments. They also have kick ass shakes - my Oreo chocolate chip mint was really tasty - only thing was that I didn't taste much mint flavor - but didn't matter, I sucked that whole thing down because it was so good.
Burgers are a bit expensive here but hey, it's hoity toity Stanford Shopping Center.
Service was surprisingly good by this nice lady who was very attentive and responsive.
Bottom line: One of my fave places for burgers and shakes. You don't get as much of the old-school feel as the downtown PA location but there's outdoor seating here and so much easier parking.
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Chocolate Malt Shake YUM! It's a bid spendy for a diner type place, but food is usually good and the people are friendly. I like their steak fries.
Lunchtime on Friday, and with 4 heads put together...we can't think of a good burger joint!!! The Counter, someone said, oh hell no says me. Then someone says, ain't there a diner in the Stanford Mall? Off we go.
Place was packed, since if was rainy and half their seats are outdoor. There was a high female to male ratio, so guys go check it out... well then again, i guess there are always more women than men at a mall.
Anyway, we sat at the counter and all the food coming out of the kitchen looked delicious. I never eat waffles, but wow, the waffle was perfect, and it had the prettiest palate of strawberries, kiwi, and bananas on it...but damn, I already ordered a Mushroom, Spinach, Avocado omelet with hash browns with a sprite. And damn my order came out nice and pretty and damn good....I need to especially mention, they DO NOT skimp on the avocado. I love avocado, but t here was so much inside the omelet I had to pick some out. I did not order any milkshakes which they are famous for, but dang...they have a fat list of different flavors.
Service was great. Server kept refilling our drinks which in these days are rare. Service was psychological made better since the manager here is a grump....lol...i hate grumpy managers.
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Somehow "diner" and the Stanford Mall don't seem to be the right mix. I get a feeling that this place is more born in the red conservative types putting on their Happy Day's vibe and seeing how the other half lives chowing down on $11.00 Corned Beef Hash and Eggs and $8.00 Meat Loaf Sandwiches, washing it down with the milk shake of your choice.
In the end, though, it's some pretty good Corned Beef Hash and Eggs and milkshakes (and I mean real corned beef, shredded, mixed with potatoes and onion...not the watery mash they sell at most people). People try hard, and it's truly a family place, one of the few around.
In the ends, nothing beats a beautiful Sunday afternoon sharing a chocolate milkshake with the family. The Kid can put it down.
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I came here a few weeks ago with a friend for lunch. I had a BLT which was good. I don't really know how you can mess up a BLT though...maybe by using turkey bacon. C'mon you need the thick greasy slabs of applewood bacon for BLT's. Not the bargain supermarket special bacon that they sell.
Docking 1 star based on price. Yeah it's Palo Alto but you're charging me how much for a BLT??!?
Definitely not the same as the original, but it's a competitor among the slim pickings of restaurants at the shopping center. Food has been pretty good all the times I've gone, though service is mediocre. I like their outdoor seating, but something is seriously wrong with the floor plan of the inside. It just feel really wrong and awkward.
It's good, but not as good as the downtown location. Good burgers, salads, shakes, but I wish they would have the downtown restaurant's chef teach these guys how to do it perfectly
This place is solid for American favorites like patty melts, huge burgers, stack o' onion rings (still kicking myself for not ordering this one!), and I think they even have comfort faves like meatloaf, mac & cheese, taters, etc. I settled for the patty melt with a small side salad ($9.75) and for dessert an oreo mint milkshake ($5.25).
The patty melt was cooked perfectly, had a generous amount of American cheese, and caramelized onions. I think the patty melt could've been a little bit beefier though, this version was kinda flat. As for the side salad instead of fries, well I was about to gourd on a milkshake so I had to cut some corners.
The milkshake was the saving grace here. The right thickness, sweetness, and had the perfect amount of oreo cookie and mint. It was served up diner style in the mixing tin which by today's standards is a standard.
If I ever do decide to torture myself again at Stanford Shopping Center, I'll be back.
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Traditional American diner food. We had just got off the plane so their fruit plate and turkey sandwich was perfect. Amazing fruit, so fresh but it is CA. Friend had the blueberry pancakes which he loved. Coffee was great. Service was a little slow and there weren't that many people so this was a little surprising. All in all good place and for sure will go back.
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Palo Alto Creamery Haiku
All American
Diner in the Stanford Mall
Kinda out of place
Greasy served with fries
Reliable comfort food
Really thick milkshakes
Wait staff was polite
but not a memorable place
Palo Alto price
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One of the biggest disappointments in restaurant eating ever!
Their service was not very friendly, and it was pretty loud inside.
But that's pretty bearable. However, if you are going in there for anything other than shakes, be prepared to be robbed.
My girlfriend ordered steak while I ordered baby back ribs. And Oh my Gosh. For $17, all I got was two measly pieces of meat! Furthermore, it was not rib meat - it was the much cheaper shoulder meat. My girlfriend got a really poor, cheap and small cut of beef which was too dry and definitely not medium rare. We're not heavy eaters but this $40 meal made us so hungry we had to eat another full meal else where just to be satisfied. Their vegetables was well cooked though.. but I'm not the type to spend that much for vegetables.
To top it off, the hostess did not even smile and practically ignored us as we left the restaurant.
No service, food preparation average, ripping you off with ridiculously small and inferior quality meats makes me give this restaurant a really generous one star... well, that's an excuse for not being allowed to give negative stars... =)
But I'm sure other orders may not be as terrible. If you want to try it, just avoid the two dishes I mentioned.
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Imagine going to Dennys and paying $37 for a meal for you and your SO. When someone said "pricey for diner food," they weren't joking! My SO got a steak sandwich because the cheapest, plainest burger on the menu was just under $9, so he figured that if was going to spend some change, he might as well get something decent. I ordered a half-sandwich (BLT) and cup of soup (Chili). We each got drinks (nothing special like a milkshake, just a soda and juice). The service was mediocre, the place was a little dirty, and the ambiance just wasn't anything to write home about. At these prices, I really expected better quality food and better service. The food wasn't terrible, but really... the dollar to experience ratio is probably the lowest I've experienced in a long time. I don't mind spending more for something special, but this is far from it and nothing like the original Peninsula Creamery.
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four stars for being able to take my furry babies here for breakfast. Nice outdoor seating & breakfast is pretty good here.
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I LOVE THIS PLACE. I used to live over here and went all the time but I live in the East Bay now, so coming here and getting their BLT with avocado is a special treat. Their bacon is perfect - thick and crispy (without me having to ask for it to be crispy). I think my #1 pet peeve is limp bacon at restaurants.
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Oh Jehovah, if you want a milk shake like Mrs. Cleaver made it then yes, oh god, yes this is the place to be. Any my bacon loving toddlers feel this is a treat every time even amidst the chaos.
Oh and the Latkes are ORGASMIC
Had dinner with the WB on Friday before our shopping adventure. I had the atomic burger and fries. It was good. Not spectacular and for a spicy burger not as good as the one at Park Avenue Grill. The fries were quite nice. The cherry milkshake was pink and unexceptional. The vanilla coke - Coca-Cola classic with vanilla syrup almost took me back to going to GD Ritzy's as a kid (or back in high school). Almost. I, too, regret not getting some onion rings to split with Steven. They looked amazing
The menu is full of wholesome American dishes and drinks. I love their see-through bakery refrigerator full of pies, cookies, and cakes. Their booths are strange, because they are separated by only a board on the table while the chairs are still connected to the other half of the booth. You can feel every movement your neighboring customer makes and vice versa. The chocolate malt is thick and creamy. It was the best I have had in a while. They serve breakfast items all day long and it was great when you are craving it for dinner. This place seems to be very popular with the locals and most of the customers seem to be very satisfied. The service was so-so. I think they are a bit on the snooty side. The restaurant is very casual and loud most of the times. It has a feeling of a classic American diner. It has a very nostalgic decor inside.
I got curious about this place when I passed by Stanford Shopping Center to go to the APPLE Store. People were in line at 9pm!!!
Anyway, I came back another time (I'm not lining up for dinner at that time) and was finally seated outside. Aside for the wind chill factor, I have no complaints concerning the Patio Area.
I had the Fountain Burger w/ Fries, Coconut Shrimp and a Cookie Dough Milkshake.
The milkshake was just perfect. It made me wish I ordered it with whipped cream and chocolate syrup... It probably had over 500 calories but it was worth it.
The Coconunt Shrimp was excellent. Crunchy and fresh with a very tangy sauce. My only beef about this was the stick they used to straighten the shrimp. It kinda interfered with my meal.
The Fountain Burger with fries was very juicy. The fries were cooked just right. The bruger was juicy and not too heavy.
I would definitely go back to this place.
The food was, in a word, gross. I came here for dinner. The food I had had nothing to redeem it. The onion rings were too greasy. The grilled cheese was made with American "cheese" (some people like this, I think American cheese is an abomination). I tried a couple bites, and considered spitting out the last mouthful because it turned my stomach. The chowder was a bit watery. The cole slaw was very watery. One of my friends ordered pastrami, which arrived with soggy rye bread.
Some of the other people with me had a slightly better experience. They said the milkshakes were very good. As were the potato pancakes.
The service wasn't great. After waiting a while, one of our friends inquired about our appetizer, and our server said, "Oh they've been sitting on the counter." To be fair, it was a busy Friday night, so they might've been overwhelmed.
It was very noisy and over-crowded. Constantly clanging silverware and dishes (there's a bussing station in the center of the room) accompanied our meal. One busser also swiped me in the back of the head with a plate.
I may return for a milkshake at a less busy time, but nothing else.
Find a leisurely day, with no agenda, and go here. The patio is where it's at, especially if you enjoy people-watching. Stay as long or little as you like.
Between bites of my burger, with nice thick slabs of bacon, I saw lots of pregnant women, baby strollers, nice cars, fancy bags, and everything in between. After the burger came a nice slice of apple pie a la mode. Mmm.
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This is the most badass milkshake I've ever had. It was $5.25.
This made us all invoke the $5 shake thing from Pulp Fiction, which always seemed cool and mysterious in the past, but now suddenly seems a lot more lame.
In-n-out shakes are almost as good for much cheaper, but they only have three flavors. This place has at least 25!
My boyfriend and I love to take lunch breaks away from work and come here for a good bite. We come around once a week (going back there tomorrow in fact!). This is a great place for diner eats. There is the typical diner fare like thick sandwiches, salads, breakfast/brunch items, and dinner items like spaghetti or meatloaf. The millkshakes here are thick but not overly thick where you can't drink it through a straw, comes in many flavors, and is delicious.
I always feel like I'm eating in an old school diner when I come here. The food is unassuming but it tastes great and there's always something for whatever craving I'm having that day. Personally, I love fried egg sandwiches, and I love that they have a fried egg and bacon sandwich here. I've ordered it multiple times and each time I feel like a little kid again, eating my slightly greasy and oh so satisfying sandwich. Yums!
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My friend and I came here to fuel up for the pride-swallowing, laceration-inducing battle that would be fighting the crowds at the Nordstrom semi-annual sale. I'd never been here before, and the two things I usually try first at sandwich or deli places are nachos or pastrami reuben.
I lovelovelove reubens, but you really need the right meat in it. Memories of Katz's deli in NYC still haunt my soul, and nothing in recent memory has compared to it. Until today. What other delis call a reuben is a joke. Erik's can suck it, Le Boulanger can bite me, learn something from this place. Thick crunchy pieces of rye bread toasted and encasing thick slices of corned beef pastrami, melted swiss cheese, and just enough Thousand Island dressing.
No sauerkraut on it though, but a real Reuben doesn't. I should have asked for some, but I didn't so no ding against them. The coleslaw side was passable.
My friend got a breakfast scramble and we split an oreo shake. Not as thick and creamy as Mel's, but it was good and one order served us both.
Most mall food is bilge, but then again, this is Stanford Shopping Mall. Yet another reason I have to hate the Cardinal (GO BEARS!), but that doesn't mean I can't jones for this reuben.
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