True Food Kitchen - Palo Alto

Review summary

1. W

   William

   San Francisco

   105 reviews

   vip
   4.0

   105 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   We chose this restaurant because it was convenient for us following an afternoon event, and because it offered a lot of vegetarian/pescatarian options, important to one of our guests. The restaurant is a chain, aiming to provide healthy food in a casual setting. It is large, and quite popular. We were there on a Sunday evening and the restaurant was full. The menu was very creative with some excellent whole grain "bowls" with vegetables and greens, and grilled tofu. We were sorry that the restaurant had no poke fish, which was listed on the menu for one of the items. A salmon entree was clearly ordered "medium rare" and came out of the kitchen overcooked and dry. We sent it back to be redone, and the request was handled pleasantly and efficiently. However, when we received the bill, we were charged for two salmon entrees, and had to have the bill corrected. The overall service was very pleasant, but food was slow coming out of the kitchen, and it seemed that the restaurant was understaffed. Our server was very skilled and congenial, but seemed to be really working hard to service a large number of tables. The restaurant noise level is quite lively. We were fortunate to have asked for, and obtained a relatively quiet table, but other areas were quite loud. We'd like to give this restaurant another try. Our experience was certainly satisfactory, but fell a bit short of our expectations this time.
   

   True Food Kitchen - Palo AltoResponded 1 day ago

   Thank you for your detailed feedback, William. We're glad you appreciated our menu options and service, and we apologize for the issues with the salmon and billing; we'll address these concerns to improve your experience next time.
   

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2. M

   Megan

   San Francisco

   4 reviews

   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   TrueFood it always amazing! They are unbelievably accommodating to large groups, families and food allergies! Great for kids. the restaurant is often loud fyi.
   

   True Food Kitchen - Palo AltoResponded 5 days ago

   Thank you for your wonderful review, Megan! We're glad to hear you appreciate our accommodations for large groups, families, and food allergies, and we look forward to welcoming you and your family back soon!
   

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3. D

   Donna

   San Francisco

   5 reviews

   5.0

   5 reviews

   Dined on December 2, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Our favorite restaurant. Great food with wonderful options for gluten free and dairy free and vegan choices as well. A restaurant with healthy ingredients!!
   

   True Food Kitchen - Palo AltoResponded on December 3, 2024

   Thank you for your wonderful review, Donna! We're delighted to be your favorite restaurant and glad you appreciate our gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan options.
   

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4. M

   Marsha

   San Francisco

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on December 1, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   It's a great place that cares about the food it serves its customers. We come here because True Food does not use seed oils in their food which is great, and the food is fresh not processed. They have changed up their menu which is nice. Our go to dishes are the grass-fed burger with the kale salad. The burger has the best umami flavor and if you don't like kale, their kale salad will change your mind. We love it so much we ordered a double portion of the salad, and I ate it all! We also started with the guacamole and chips which is always perfectly delicious. Other items that we love to order is the Korean true crisp chicken sandwich, salmon, gluten free pepperoni pizza, ancient grain bowl w/ chicken, and the grass-fed steak. Easy to get a reservation on Open Table, and reservations are a must so that you don't have to wait. Lastly, the staff was awesome that night. Our waiter was friendly, happy, engaging and professional. I noticed that another waiter nearby attended to us to when the other was not around. You do see that all the staff try to help each other in ensuring the customer's needs are met. Once you order, it does not take long to get the food. Will be coming back as this is our usual spot. Some music would be nice, but the noise level is so lively you might not hear it, but having live music might be nice on a Friday:)
   

   True Food Kitchen - Palo AltoResponded on December 3, 2024

   Thank you for your detailed and positive review, Marsha! We're thrilled to hear you enjoy our fresh, seed oil-free dishes and attentive service. We appreciate your feedback on the menu and atmosphere, and we look forward to welcoming you back to your usual spot soon!
   

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5. A

   Ashley

   Orange County

   3 reviews

   2.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on November 30, 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 2

   It was a rough night at true food. They ran out of food. My sandwich had little to no meat on it and it took an hour to get the food. Apparently the kitchen was struggling. The waiter was very nice.
   

   True Food Kitchen - Palo AltoResponded on November 30, 2024

   I apologize for the issues you experienced with your meal and the wait time, Ashley. We appreciate your feedback and will work on improving our kitchen efficiency.
   

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6. J

   Jackie

   San Francisco

   19 reviews

   5.0

   19 reviews

   Dined on November 25, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Seated immediately. Great service. Love the ancient grains bowl. It’s always a little noisey.
   

   True Food Kitchen - Palo AltoResponded on November 26, 2024

   Thank you for your wonderful review, Jackie! We're happy to hear you enjoyed the service and ancient grains bowl, and appreciate your feedback about the noise.
   

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7. S

   Susana

   San Francisco

   15 reviews

   vip
   4.0

   15 reviews

   Dined on November 24, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   As usual True Food is a great place but it seems that they are short of help, the service was slow, food took too much time to come.
   

   True Food Kitchen - Palo AltoResponded on November 30, 2024

   Thank you for your feedback, Susana. We apologize for the slow service and appreciate your patience; we're working on improving this aspect to enhance your experience.
   

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8. M

   Maricela

   San Francisco

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined on November 23, 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 2

   Drinks arrived after the meal was served. The soup was served cold and it arrived with the main entree. The noise level is really high. Service was slow. Had to flag down server several times about the meal.
   

   True Food Kitchen - Palo AltoResponded 5 days ago

   I'm sorry to hear about the delays with your drinks and the cold soup, Maricela. We appreciate your feedback and will work on improving our service and timing to enhance your dining experience.
   

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9. c

   catherine

   London

   22 reviews

   vip
   1.0

   22 reviews

   Dined on November 22, 2024

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   Horrible …this restaurant eliminated the cook to order steak, croutons for salad , waitress said side veggies steamed they weren’t , grilled chicken rubbery and then she never brought my glass of wine..
   

   True Food Kitchen - Palo AltoResponded on November 23, 2024

   I apologize for the disappointing experience with your meal and service. We appreciate your feedback and will address these issues to improve our offerings and service.
   

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10. S

    Sara

    San Francisco

    16 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    16 reviews

    Dined on November 22, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3

    I had the same dish I have had many times. Broccoli was undercooked. Portion was smaller. We had to ask several times for sauces.
    

    True Food Kitchen - Palo AltoResponded on November 23, 2024

    I'm sorry to hear about the issues with your dish and the service, Sara. Thank you for your feedback; we'll work on improving these aspects for a better experience next time.
    

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