Ethel's Fancy

4.9

507 Reviews

$50 and over

Californian

Ethel's Fancy

4.9

$50 and over

Californian

Palo Alto

Make a reservation

2 people

Dec 12, 2024

7:00 PM

Booked 11 times today

Innovative
Good for special occasions
Great for creative cocktails

A hip and fun restaurant with chef's counter dining, serving thoughtful American cuisine, with an emphasis on local seasonal products.

Ethel's Fancy is open at 5 PM Tuesday - Saturday.

We have a small dining room with a limited amount of reservable tables. We do keep our Bar seats and a table in the restaurant open for people to walk-ins. Walk-ins are on a first come basis.

Please do not make multiple reservations with the intention of combining reservations to increase party size.

All guests must be present before your party will be seated.

To help provide a seamless experience for all our guests, we have allocated 2-hours for your group of 2 to 4 people.

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Price
$50 and over
Cuisines
Californian, Japanese, Contemporary French / American
Hours of operation
Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:30 pm
Phone number
(650) 561-4860
Website
http://www.ethelsfancypa.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Business Casual
Executive chef
Scott Nishiyama

Location
550 Waverley St, Palo Alto, CA 94301-1720
Neighborhood
Palo Alto
Cross street
University Avenue & Waverley Street<br />Hamilton Avenue & Waverley
Parking details
Public Lot
Additional
Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 507 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.9

4.9 based on recent ratings

4.8Food
4.8Service
4.8Ambience
4.5Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

San Francisco Bay Area
Californian
Peninsula
Best Overall
Peninsula
Innovative
Peninsula
Hot spot
Peninsula
Californian

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Ethel's Fancy offers an extraordinary dining experience with "fantastic food" and "wonderful service." The menu is creative, featuring unique and flavorful dishes like the "to die for" pork belly and sesame pancakes. The ambiance is vibrant, with attentive staff ensuring a memorable visit. Perfect for foodies, it's a must-try gem.

507 Reviews

W
Wayne
Los Angeles
1 review
vip
5.0
1 review
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Food was amazing and the waiter (LeAndre) was outstanding.
Is this helpful?
R
Rohit
San Francisco
3 reviews
vip
5.0
3 reviews
Dined 4 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The food and our drinks were inventive and excellent! Our server was attentive, and helpful. Overall, it was a great experience and I look forward to being back soon.
Is this helpful?
B
Brianna
New York City
11 reviews
vip
3.0
11 reviews
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Service was excellent! Everyone we interacted with were wonderful and on top of it. Food was mixed - the two octopus and crudo share ales were fantastic and I would come back and order those again in a heartbeat. Swordfish was also good, though I admit I didn’t fully read the description and didn’t realize it was breaded. That is fully on me though. Pork belly was well cooked and seasoned but not as fatty as I expected/wanted, which was a bit disappointing. Two cucumber and persimmon apps were fine, but not memorable. The most disappointing were the cocktails - which were just mid - we tried 3 of them. However, our server/bartender offered an off menu option for the 4th that was far & away better than the other three. We told him they should add it to the menu.
Is this helpful?
G
Grace
San Francisco
7 reviews
5.0
7 reviews
Dined on November 30, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
It was a lovely dinner at our favorite restaurant last night, everything was delicious. Sesame Soft serve was a high note in the end. Thank you Chef and all the supporting staffs.
Is this helpful?
a
anne
San Antonio
31 reviews
vip
5.0
31 reviews
Dined on November 30, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Loved every bite. Interesting and innovative food. I like how you can order a variety of dishes. Especially enjoyed sitting at the bar watching the very skilled staff do their thing. The halibut was the best I’ve ever eaten! Thank you, Chef!
Is this helpful?
L
Leo
San Francisco
25 reviews
vip
5.0
25 reviews
Dined on November 24, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Fabulous food. Fabulous service. This place should get a Michelin recommendation!
Is this helpful?
K
Kathy
Seattle
9 reviews
5.0
9 reviews
Dined on November 24, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
This is our favorite restaurant in Palo Alto. Incredibly delicious and unique food. Incredible service!
Is this helpful?
E
Eve
Mobile
7 reviews
5.0
7 reviews
Dined on November 23, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
delicious and inventive good and attentive service
Is this helpful?
T
Ted
San Francisco
65 reviews
vip
5.0
65 reviews
Dined on November 23, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
I try to go to Ethel's Fancy every month or two. Always wonderful interesting food and very good service.
Is this helpful?
R
Rebecca
San Francisco
2 reviews
vip
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 23, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent food, great service and wonderful ambience. Chef Scott has created a restaurant that is top of its class.
Is this helpful?

FAQs

Ethel's Fancy is rated 4.9 stars by 507 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Ethel's Fancy

4.9

$50 and over

Californian

Palo Alto

Make a reservation

2 people

Dec 12, 2024

7:00 PM

Booked 11 times today

550 Waverley St, Palo Alto, CA 94301-1720

Dining areas

Additional information

Cross street
University Avenue & Waverley Street<br />Hamilton Avenue & Waverley
Neighborhood
Palo Alto
Hours of operation
Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:30 pm
Price
$50 and over
Cuisines
Californian, Japanese, Contemporary French / American
Dining style
Casual Elegant
Dress code
Business Casual
Parking details
Public Lot
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Scott Nishiyama
Additional
Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.ethelsfancypa.com/
Phone number
(650) 561-4860

Ethel's Fancy

Ethel's Fancy

Make a reservation

Dining areas

Additional information

Menu

What 507 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

How is Ethel's Fancy restaurant rated?

Is Ethel's Fancy currently accepting reservations?

Ethel's Fancy

Make a reservation

Dining areas

Additional information