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"BURGERS!!!!! (in all capitals and lots exclamation points!!!!!) Best Burger Joint Evaaarrr! The thing I like about the counter the most is…" read more »
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The best/most authentic Mexican food in the area, especially considering the name isn't even in Spanish.
This place is what a college hangout should be-- loud, kind of dirty, lots of TV's, and booths for students to hide in.
All the food is generously portioned, unhealthy, and oh so delicious! Even if you're broke you can buy a taco for like $2
My husband and friends really like this place, but it tastes like cheap cheap cheap student food. To be fair, I'm vegetarian so my options are limited, but I'm used to that.
Everything is a little greasy and is pretty much just slapped on a plate. There no table service and the spot to stand and wait is tiny, right next to the condiment cart and in the way of people getting in and out of the cafe, so you're squished in and constantly dodging through-traffic. They rarely call the numbers, so you have to go hunting.
The staff are unfriendly and the last time I went there I ordered a veggie burger and it took them 15 minutes to tell me they were out of patties. My husband had to just go ahead and eat his while it was warm, then wait for me to finally get mine.
The veggie burrito is overpriced and no good for what it is. I'm not a big fan of zucchini and squash, and feel like they have no place in a burrito. You're much better off going to Tacos el Grullense E&E in Barron Park, Palo Alto, where they do one of the best veggie burritos I've had for $5.50.
It's one of the better places on campus, but unless you get dragged here by college kids on tight budget just skip it.
Be sure to come bearing Stanford Directory coupons! What can you get as a freebie? 1 drink, 1 slice of pizza, 1 taco, & something else. Note that you can only use one coupon for visit, though. That just means to use the CoHo coupons (right next door) to make a meal.
I've been to the Treehouse on multiple occasions. For the most part, I'm pretty happy with the free taco they serve because it comes with fresh nachos and a variety of salsas to choose from (I like the spicy red sauce best). I was mostly disappointed with the pizza. I mean, it's great for a quick meal or something to munch on the go, but both times I went the cheese was a little too rubbery and crust a little too tough for my taste. They heat up the slice before giving it to you, though, that's a plus.
In general, it's a cool place to go with friends to grab a late dinner or watch a game. They have tv's blasting and pitchers of beer for sale. They've also got booth seating to make you feel chummy with your pals, but beware, it can get crowded especially during the lunch hour! Luckily for you, if you take my advice, you'll end up getting a FREE meal.
Burritos are terrible by bay area standards. Pizza isn't great (it's a bit better now that they've started oven-warming the slices when you buy them), but you can get a free slice whenever you want with stanford directory coupons.
I signed up for a yelp account just because I couldn't stand hearing Bailiwick M. call it "the best/most authentic Mexican food in the area". It's conveniently located for students, but that's the only redeeming quality.
Had a chicken burrito at the Treehouse this evening. While it's nothing to write home about, it brings back some late night, old school memories. At least they're consistent -- it tastes pretty much the same as it did 10 years ago. In fact, I'd say the salsa this decade is a bit better ;)
Had a burger. Pretty good, but it was a standard burger. Gallito still holds the crown in awesomeness.
YUMMERS!!
I actually like their gallito burrito better than Chipoltle's! It's delicious chicken…
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Meh. What do you expect from a place that serves egg rolls AND pizza AND burritos AND burgers--perfection??
The food is greasy and so-so. There's decent inside seating and terrific outside seating. And they're open late. All in all, it's a fine campus eatery. But if you have the chance to eat off-campus instead, I suggest you do so.
(In my opinion, they do Mexican food the best. Try the new pupusas and sopes--not bad!)
It's a little bit depressing for a Cal alum to go here and grab dinner at a college eatery but it is convenient, fast, and cheap.
All around me I see these poor college souls burdened by the weight of their $40K tuition and their red clothing with the "S"-word across the chest. They're thinking studying for midterms are so stressful and end up ordering 10 square slices of pizza and a greasy burrito to compensate. I wish I could just tell them to just drop the books grab a pitcher and go get loose with the goose. But no, I can't live vicariously through Stanford students and I resort to thinking about my 10 burritos and a fish taco that I ordered.
Treehouse is definitely legit for a campus eatery. Tons of choices of burritos, tacos, entrees, burgers, tortas, rice bowls, salads (just a boat load of food on the menu). Quality definitely lacks a little but for about $6 an item, you can't complain and you can only binge.
The food here ain't great, but when it's late in the evening, it's either this or CoHo. Burgers are ok, mexican food is hit-and-miss, pizza is decent if it's fresh (but more often than not it's not). Meh.
Good for when I want to gain a pound in one sitting.
The tostada salad is good, as long as you don't fool yourself into thinking it's a real salad. Quesadillas are fine, but shout-out for their veggie burrito. As a former vegetarian, I always appreciate a restaurant that doesn't simply throw some rice and beans together and call it a day.
Wow, my first time grabbing lunch from here and I've worked on campus for a collective total of nearly 6 years (4 years at my present position)--did I ever have a treat! I ordered the cajun rock shrimp burrito and a horchata. As with many Mexican eateries, my order came with chips and choice of salsa. The shrimp were not overcooked, bursting with flavor; great variety of ingredients used in the burrito. One of the salsas I really didn't care for, a variety appearing to be the cooked version; the fresher salsa of the two available seemed to be based on the sour tang of tomatillos. A wonderful version of horchata, with a wholly unapologetic kick of cinnamon.
Not cheap eats on campus, but some great stuff--I'll be back!
Cheap, yes, greasy? Oh HELLS YES.
I have had many an item here that makes my stomach churn. My quesadilla literally left a pool of oil that filled the entire bottom of my to-go box to about 1/4 inch. My teriyaki rice bowl has a 5/5 chance of making me feel sick before I can finish it (why does it taste like butter?) and usually makes the styrofoam container so soggy that it breaks. The burritos have enough juice running out of the bottom to make it come apart unless you are holding it together with foil, and this is regardless if you get beans, rice and cheese or if you get meat or vegetables in it.
Best of all, one time the cooks refused to give me my food and claimed that I already grabbed it. The last time I was here, I took a group of 20 summer camp kids, and I stood next to the window just to make sure that all the kids got their food. They missed 2 quesadillas--mine and one of the campers. I let one of the cooks know and he put up a fight about it, saying that our groups' food was all picked up and accused me of trying to get more than I paid for. I politely suggested maybe someone grabbed the items that was not part of our group. He said no, and then walked away and continued to prepare food about 10 feet away from the window in order to not talk to me.
He was going to make me stand in line and buy the food again. I couldn't believe it. I went outside to drop the kid (still waiting to eat) off at the picnic tables where the rest of the group was, then I went back and stood in front of the window for a good 10 minutes, again stating that we did not receive 2 of our quesadillas, and finally I was given the food we ordered. It's bad enough I have to fight for my food, but when I drop a good $200 per week here on camper meals (in previous years, we had them cater for us and spent about $800 per week on burritos alone), you would think that they wouldn't argue with you over 2 quesadillas.
The Treehouse is a special place on campus. It's the only place open late besides the thoughtfully-named "Late Nite." It's also one of the only places on Campus that serves Beer. Their tap selection isn't great, but who really cares? It's centrally located and with cheap-enough pitchers, it's a great place to catch up with old friends.
There's also a pretty wide range of edible food. The teriyaki bowls are very filling, and the burgers (i recommend the cardinal or BBQ chicken) are real tasty (though the literal mountain of fries it comes with is a bit overkill, and really only worth eating with a slightly smaller mountain of condiments). Burritos are decent, and the nachos are a favorite of many but not recommended if you're looking for a satisfying meal. The asian chicken salad is a fine option if you're looking to eat healthy (try not to use too much of the sauce).
Plus you can order ahead online and pick it up when you get there.
It's hard to imagine my Stanford career without The Treehouse.
I've been here over a bajillion times and, as a vegetarian, can vouch for its great vegetarian Mexican food. Their breakfast burritos are my favorite hangover cure. Their Vegetarian Plate is also good. The veggie burgers tend to fall apart on me, but I'm a perpetually messy eater. Treehouse Nachos are perfect if you like sharing, though those perfectly fried chips come with almost every order. I love their guacamole and their green sauce with tomatillos, but lately they haven't been putting in as many tomatillos as they did a couple years ago when I was a frosh. But still a great place for dinner-- just don't come during the height of lunch or dinner or you'll be waiting for a while!
Mon-Fri: 10am-1am, Sat-Sun: 10am-12am
Serves Mexican food, grill food, and sushi. Indoor and outdoor dining areas. Gourmet pizzas delivered to dorms nightly from 6pm-3am. In-house pizza slices served after 9pm.
Ate here tonight prior to seeing the 3rd and final staged reading of David Henry Hwang's new play, Yellowface, for the 2nd time (that's how much I liked it!). Anyways, I had the tiger taco (Steak), 1.25, the chicken taco, 1.25, and the Baja taco (fish), 1.75, $4.60 total. My order came with chips, and I liked the fiery red salsa and the salsa verde available. The place started out as El Pollo Rey in 1998, but that place sucked, and in 2000 became The Treehouse. Sometimes you'll find high school students here (there are only so many cheap places in Shallow Alto), and the rush is about 6:30 to 6:45PM on a Friday night, apparently.
The Treehouse is a great hangout spot after a long day of classes. The beer is cheap, the place is loud, and the food isn't too bad. The only thing they're missing here is a bar counter!
My favorite dish here is their steak fajitas. The service is a bit slow during lunch and dinner because of its prime location at Tressider. Another drawback is the lack of indoor seating during these busy times...but if it's nice and sunny outside why sit inside!
Mon-Fri: 10am-1am, Sat-Sun: 10am-12am
Cheap food, taste good, open late. What more could you ask for?
The steak burrito is prob my fav, but I also like their chinese chicken salad...
A fun place!! My colleagues took me here for lunch when I started at Stanford and I've gone back several times since. The food is delicious and plentiful. You really get a lot for your money! I recommend their burritos --- I've had the vegetable model --- as well as their fish tostada.
Centrally located in the Tressider Student Union, its a great place to meet friends. I love the high wood booths. Come here to watch a game or the news and enjoy a beer with your pals.
I'm not a Stanford student, but the Treehouse kinda' makes me wish I had been one (nevermind things like academics, and whatnot).
A couple years ago, I worked at the Stanford Bookstore as a summer job (decent place to work), and I'd often go to the treehouse for lunch. Initially, I usually just stuck to their burgers, which are very good. The beef was quite tasty and you can oddly enough get a bacon burger for the same price as a plain burger or cheeseburger (though, combining them costs more, sensibly). Eventually, I branched out and tried their Mexican food too, which is also very good. I was a fan of their Quesadillas. The teriyaki bowls are worth trying too.
The only thing I ever had here that I didn't like was a chicken burrito, and that's just because the riced had been heavily cilantro-ed (yes, I'm one of THOSE people that can't stand cilantro).
And every single item I ever had here filled me to the point where I thought I was gonna explode.
I just wish we had had a place like this at USC (where I went).
Hidden gems amidst cheap greasy college grub.
The chicken teriyaki bowl with broccoli at Treehouse is one of my favorite things to eat at Stanford. I've been here dozens upon dozens of times, and have strayed from the chicken teriyaki maybe two or three times. The other food is good too (I had a really delicious Thai chicken burrito once) but I always end up ordering the same thing because it's just too damn tasty. The chicken is tender and the sauce is thick and a little sweet. With a healthy spritzing of rooster sauce, it's really a perfect meal.
every time my old roomie and bff comes into town, she insists on treehouse nachos (better known by the now ancient moniker of "hippie nachos") and pitchers of beer. this place is cheap, open late, and the quality of the ingredients is superb.
freshman year, the only heavily bearded guy in my dorm would come here and speak in bombastic spanish with the guy behind the counter and buy the rest of us pitchers because he looked 45. he was also the dorm's pot and ex dealer and one time had to chuck his $250 bong and weed out of his window when the administration was supposedly coming to bust him. the next day, he was on his hands and knees scrounging around for his weed in the bushes outside his window.
now, that tangent is not to say that the treehouse is lax on carding. i still get carded when i go there now. but i am saying that if you're stocky, have a big ol beard, and speak in ludicrously melodramatic spanish (like the radio announcers), you might just be able to slip by them.
Great burgers, and specialty burritos. Great food all around. Super busy. Food pick up can be stolen/ lost/ forgotten/ dropped/etc...sooo man your post by the window and grap your food when it's called out. Wished they had salsa with tomatoes out for the customers. Ohhh. the pizza is the best for the $. Work force is overworked in a cramped space. "Don't sweat on my taco sir! "
Ray, your the best. How about some Chirros in a glass case, all hot and ready to go at the the counter?
Great for a bite to eat while strolling through campus at Stanford (yes, my mortal enemy's campus).
I recommend the tostada salad. This thing is huge plus has a healthy portion of sliced steak on top. The dressing is a bit oily so I usually just grab some salsa verde and throw that on top to add some spice and tanginess.
It will fill you up and not drain your wallet!
Also very tasty is the turkey burger (which I alternated between the beef entrees to "try" and stay healthy). The burger is very tasty and you can toss some jalapenos on to give it some zing.
The food is good for a campus joint and the prices are not too bad.
Cozy seating with abundant wood, TVs, and tons of people will make it a good place to hang out with friends.
Watch out for long lines when the tons of students are there for lunch though....
This is a great place for the young and cool. The treehouse has always been a local favorite among Stanford students. But even graduates like to hang out there once in a while. The food is great, and it is a great hangout because the food is cheap and good. The burgers are exquisite. The burritos are sizeable. And the teriyaki bowls are excellent. The staff is not the most polite, but it is what you would expect for a place like the treehouse. The place is still packed on Fridays and weekends because it is open very late, so it is a great place to get midnight feeds.
Second another reviewer on the awesome (big, greasy, hard-to-finish) breakfast burritos. Service is sloww during peaks, and slow with just one w at other times. That is okay though. "The Axe" was my standby during school.
This only gets all 5 stars because they have BEST breakfast (egg, rice, beans) burritos in the entire world. And trust me, I've tried a lot of breakfast burritos in my time. This is my favorite, and I will miss it immensely when I eventually leave Stanford!!!
Gotta love treehouse. Cheap burgers and burritos. I love their chipotle potatoe burrito--it comes with mushrooms, zuchini, carrots, artchichoke and wonderful pepperjack cheese. I'm also a fan of their chicken burger--a fresh chicken breast grilled to perfection. When I was at Stanford, I went here at least twice a week. I went back last weekend and they have PIZZA now. Only 2.50 for a fresh slice!
No frills Mexican food. Just this term they've switched from thick fries to the generic frozen shoe string type. Their prices have also gone up a little.
I think I'm gonna try the newly opened Axe and Palm in Old Union which serves pancakes night and day! (And a sushi chef til 2am on Wednesdays!)
The corn tortilla quesadillas are so good! The salsa and guacamole are fresh and delicious. If you're on campus for lunch this is a tasty and affordable choice. They have a huge selection on their menu. When I worked on campus I would have gone here everyday if my coworkers had let me.
Great tex mex (yes, texans will probably question my use of that name). Portions are great for the price and all their burritos/tacos are so flavorful. Now they even serve pizza which they have a separate line for. Sometimes if I come in and there's a line out the door for burritos, I break queue and head for the pizza which is quickly served. For students, it's also great on the weekends when this is the only place open late.
Their food overall is good. They are now serving pizza which I really like. The best thing on their menu though is the tortilla soup! If you like it spicy, this is your kind of soup! It's fantastic and homemade!
Went here to eat once with my husband, who is a grad student at Stanford. The food was good and you get a lot for the price. It had me going back to my days an undergrad with the decor and booths. If we lived on campus, I'd weigh at least 10 pounds more because of their burritos!
Had I known you could get decent Mexican, Burgers and pizza at very LOW prices, all in one place on campus, I would have gone to Stanford.
It's a little sad to realize that this is the only spot on Stanford campus that stays open after 6pm or so... I'm not a huge fan of Mexican food in general, but given the scarcity of good and cheap lunch options on campus, the Treehouse is not a bad deal. Their menu is pretty extensive: burgers, salads, burritos, tacos, enchiladas and more... and the prices are reasonable (although they have been increasing over the years): $5-$7 range for most items. The quality isn't exactly the best, but it's not too bad either. Among my favorite items are the veggie burger, the thai burrito (which has pineapple and a spicy sauce... yum), and the chinese chicken salad (a little pricey but big and tasty). Lines can be daunting around lunch time.
Your heaping stack of nachos saves you. Ok, your burgers are good too. I don't like your salads, and sometimes you get my order wrong, but you are the only thing open on campus late at night.
Great mexican place right in the back corner of Tressider--has good cheap ($2.50) beer (hefeweizen, Sierra Nevada IPA), good food, chips included, and an always-bustling interior where you can relax for a second in between study sessions.
Personally I feel four Tiger Tacos here is the best deal for lunch/dinner anywhere on campus. (It's $5 if you have the 10% off coupon, available in Stanford directories). It coems with free chips (at least in the evening, when I usually order) and the salsa here is quite fresh and actually good. Filling and satisfying. This is most definitely the best place to eat on Stanford campus in the evening, when basically all the competition is closed.
It's all about quality at the Treehouse, and it better be. The greatest minds deserve the greatest food! I've met the owner, and he takes great pride in the quality of the food he serves. He's done some extensive research on how to prepare fast, delicious food, and he's mastered the skill.
Cheap, good. Tacos come with chips even if you only get one. Pizza's pretty tasty/filling for 2.50. Burgers are good too. Probably the best overall place to eat on campus...
Stanford, CA
Category: Food Stands
Palo Alto, CA
Category: Mexican
Stanford, CA
Category: Delis
Stanford, CA
Category: Coffee & Tea
Palo Alto, CA
Category: Mexican
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