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
334 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 »
82 Reviews for Palo Alto Creamery Fountain & Grill
A review in the newspaper sang praises of its pies so I HAD to try it, of course. It was horrible. I had key lime pie and the filling tasted like it was made with sweetened condensed milk rather than custard. Even worse than Mary Callender's. The beef chilli was ok but rather greasy. Oh this was at the Stanford Shopping Center location. I might eat here again if I were shopping and hungry but I'll definitely avoid the pies like the plague. What a disappointment.
I brought my dog here this morning to have breakfast with a friend. Other dogs where there. Unfortunately, my dog was a little loud and I knew it would be better to leave to not annoy the other customers.
Unfortunately, the male greeter was very rude in telling me to leave after having been seated for 5 minutes. He kept on HINTING that I should leave without telling me to leave. Why couldn't he just tell me rather then hinting at it while being behind my shoulder the whole time?
As for another time I went there (though I won't be going back), I found the booths interesting. I sat with a friend at a booth which was separated by a divider. There was another couple on the other side of the booth. When a person on the other side of the divider sat down, you could definitely feel it. This was in the evening, and the place wasn't crowded at all. I don't understand the need to sit people so closely at non-busy hours.
Went here today (Sunday) for lunch around 1PM. The inside was full, but the outside wasn't. I didn't want to sit outside because I saw birds flying around close to their patio and I hate birds, so I opted to sit at the bar/counter thing inside.
Milkshake was good, and I really liked the consistency of it. It came in a pretty big cup, but still a bit pricey. It was $5.95, and they charged an extra 75 to 95 cents for some things like whipped cream, bananas, or an extra thick shake. I love chocolate banana shakes, so I couldn't resist paying the 95 cents for the bananas.
Food was bleh. I had a meatball sandwich & fries with ranch on the side. I think it was in the $8-$10 area. I was expecting at least the fries to be good, but they weren't. Even the ranch dressing was weird tasting.
Only 3 stars given because the shake was the only thing really yummy.
My advice: Get a shake, skip the food.
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Okay, the name of this establishment has the word Creamery in it.. While visiting Stanford shopping center today, I saw the word and in an instant wanted huge vanilla malt milkshake, of the caliber you could expect at say Fenton's. So, I ordered just that, a vanilla malt shake. BTW, the shake is $5.95 and the malt flavoring is another$0.95...so we're pushing $7 here before tax...I thought it was a bit pricey, but I had big expectations of what everyone would expect from a "CREAMERY". You know, the big tall milkshake glass sitting on a circular napkin, on a plate, with the big long spoon; what I'm describing is not unusual and actually is the image most people come up with at a creamery selling a $7 milkshake.
Here's what came.... a small 8 oz milk glass that was filled only 1/2 full with my vanilla malt, a regular length teaspoon sitting in the glass, and the tin milkshake blending cup with the rest of the shake in it.
If you go to a creamery, you expect a them to serve a top notch milkshake... not only was the presentation poor, but their wasn't much in the blender cup...not a very big shake. And when I got to the bottom of the glass, I found a large caked chunk of malt that was not properly blended. I buy my own malt (yes I make my own so I know what I'm talking about) and the powder is just that...powder. But when it gets old, it gets hard and caked. Gee, these guys are serving old crusty malt too...not good.
So, I politely shared my misgivings with the hostess...and she begrudgingly agreed with me on the presentation and confessed that all their shakes are served like this. How sad. Embarrassed by the malt-clod in my glass (it was huge and disgusting looking), she offered me another shake. She was very professional and tried to make it right, she's a great person.
In closing, when I go to a steak-house, I'm looking for a great steak. And at a creamery, is it too much to ask for a properly made, sized, and presented milkshake?
Get it together guys, either remove the word creamery from your name or start serving up some higher quality instead of milkshakes in little milk glasses.
Want a real milkshake?? Next time you're in Oakland, visit Fentons Creamery....milkshakes that set the standard, pricey too and well worth it...they're HUGE and perfect. www.fentonscreamery.com
So maybe I feel a little ripped off and I'm venting. I don't mind paying a high price; but I want to be treated to the the real thing when paying for it.
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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If you're trying to decide what's the difference between this Creamery and the one on Emerson downtown, there's not difference. Well, that's not exactly true. There's outdoor seating at this one in the shopping center AND for some odd reason, they don't have Brownie a la mode milkshakes and the one downtown does. That's the ONLY reason I favor the one downtown even when it's busy. Also, if you're looking to buy the fresh bread that the Creamery downtown has, then don't come here. Go to the other as the shopping center location does not have a bakery (they do have pies and cookies though).
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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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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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.
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.
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.
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.
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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When I came here yesterday morning with my girlfriend, the first impression was that this diner did not belong in this shopping center. Sure it had the Don Perignon displayed on the wall and the wide variety of homemade desserts, but as far as American Style breakfast is concerned, I have had better. I ordered the New York Steak (medium) and eggs (scrambled) and although the steak was nicely marinated, it was a bit too dry for being medium. My girlfriend ordered the Cajun scramble which is an open omelette with some peppers, sausage and cheese. All in all both were very plain. The waitstaff as ghetto as they seem conjugated near the edge of the booth talking, were very nice, but not very attentive. It took me quite a while to catch their eye to refill my water glass. For Diner type foods, I would rather go to The Country Way in Fremont or Country Waffles in Hayward. The meal came out to be 35 with tax and tip.
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 =)
More down-scale than the other restaurants at the mall. I have never once eaten inside, only outside. Good food. Sandwiches.
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 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
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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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! =)
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??!?
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
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.
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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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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Homemade Vanilla Shake w/ Whipped Cream = Solid Goodness. Their burgers are damn good too.
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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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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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
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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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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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.
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