If you’re black, I wouldn’t recommend going here. I went with a group of friends on Wednesday, March 11th around 8pm. The hostess said we could sit anywhere. We proceed to sit in the back near the mirror at the middle table and place our orders. The male waiter we had was friendly. All of a sudden, there’s a female waitress that comes up to us and asks if we can move to another table so she can sit a group of 8. I’m confused because they don’t take reservations so why would we need to move since we were already here but my friend says yes. The people end up leaving so she says nevermind. She then comes back to us a couple minutes later and says I’m actually going to need you guys to move now so I can sit a party of 12 here. We move. A group of about 10 black women come in after and I wait to see if the same waitress goes up to another group to ask them to move so this group can be seated. She does not. So the only black group that was already seated was told to move to seat another non-black party and the following group of black people that came in had to wait until seats were available. Disgusted and appalled at this place normalizing inhumane and discriminatory behavior. I’ve never been anywhere that doesn’t require reservations telling me i am required to move to sit another party. I will never go back to this place. Do not give them your money since they clearly don’t value it or you.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
XtA km4p
This is a strong, strong default. Get the chicken. The cocktail list is diverse enough to satisfy your entire party.
Food: 5
Anna Pauls
The place was cool, the drinks were great and the service was exceptional
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bradley Brown
Bar Underdog in Palo Alto impresses with creative, delicious food and cocktails. The vibe is stylish yet welcoming, and the attentive service makes it a spot you’ll want to visit again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eve Kosol
New cocktail spot by the Protege crew which is upscale yet fun and has a great HH weekdays. Great option for pre or post dinner when in the area.
Highlights: - Happy hour: 4-5:30 weekdays--including Fridays. Includes a set of $10 drinks which is a steal for the bay area. Includes one of my fave cocktails (vesper) so I was super excited about that. - Cocktails: quality and a choice between classic like the vesper or high balls and special ones like the XXX and a bunch of others. - Sodas: they make their own which I think is super cool - Vibe: energetic and classy--not stuffy. Nice staff. - Nuts: tasty warm snack while you enjoy your beverage. 4 stars - Raw fish tostada: complex but fresh mix of flavors and texture. 4 stars - Mochiko chicken: standard flavors and textures was fine. 3.5 stars - Cocktail option on California: not too many but more opening up lately. And open later than most places in the area (11pm on Wed/Thurs, 12am Fri/Sat) - No reservations needed - Trainable: only few blocks away from the California Caltrain station
Midlights: - A5 wagyu shu mai: was super excited at the sound of this but was just ok. 3 stars
Lowlights: - Unpredictable when it'll be busy. Came early on a Wednesday once and it was packed.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Nick White
Cozy place, friendly staff, amazing cocktails and snacks.
Stefanka Kitanovska
We got asked to vacate the table for only one couple waiting. We were there for 2.5 hrs but kept the tab going. For a bill of close to $500 for 4 people (and tip on top it it!), it was distasteful for the waitress to ask us to vacate a table that is first come first serve and non-reservable. I would understand if this was place with reservation, but it is not A place should take into account that once in a while a group will enjoy longer time at the table. Asking people to vacate the table is distasteful. We are not coming back again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 1
Angela Li
Great innovative sophisticated cocktails, with mocktails for designated drivers and Asian fusion bar bites.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Zain Aijaz
Look I gave 5 stars but ima keep it real about my experience. There was one employee in particular that made my experience 5 star worthy but I’m blanking on his name right now.
So when I walked in and sat down this girl working there that was dressed like an anime character pretty much ignored me for a good 5-10 mins. There was a couple that came and sat right next to me and she immediately greeted them and provided them with a menu but continued to completely ignore me. I’m not from Palo Alto so I was gonna crash out and grab a menu myself and make my frustration around my perceived injustice known but the gentleman noticed this and quickly engaged with me. Now I’ve grown a lot, so I reminded myself that I came to have a good time and tried to let my frustrations about what happened go. Once I let go, the experience became much better and I can see why people like this spot. The pickle cocktail was super unique and savory. The music was great and the set up of the bar was a good combo of spacious and cozy. I also think the bartender that saved the day comped one of my drinks. I feel like he was really attentive and noticed what happened and my frustration around it and without making it awkward, did his best to do damage control. I also took his cue and decided to chalk up anime girl ignoring me to a busy night and an oversight (hard to believe cuz I was right next to the people she greeted who came after me) and just wanted to keep the vibes up for the sake of the night. Anyway young g, thank you for saving the day. You’re really the cherry on top of a really enjoyable establishment
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Danny K (DSKO)
Underdog is a new cocktail bar from the owners of Protégé in Palo Alto. There is no sign on the outside and with the tinted windows so you can’t see how many people are inside.
The waitresses were attentive and seated us right away. There’s an assortment of booths and high tops along with the central bar. I was a bit surprised at how cheap and flimsy looking the backless stools at the bar were. There is a savory menu of appetizers and entrees. We ordered a tuna tartare with crisp onion chips and a burdock and carrot dip with sprouted lentils, togarashi and two pieces of buttered sesame toast.
For my first cocktail I tried a Suntory Toki Whisky Highball. I couldn’t see the actual Toki Highball tower machine because someone was sitting right in front of it. Normally highball machines provide carbonation with finer bubbles than you’d get from a conventional soda machine. It was nice and chilled with a clear Collins-style ice cube. The flavor was exactly how you’d expect a Toki Highball to taste.
For my second cocktail, I ordered a Fru-Ti Punch. It came in a highball glass and Collins ice cube wrapped in a thin ribbon of papaya leaf. I expected something a bit more colorful with papaya and lychee but it was completely clear. The first sip was unexpectedly earthy. Later, Chris the head bartender at Protégé told me that it was the Beerenauslese, a type of wine from Germany. This is a definition that I found online:
‘Beerenauslese (literally “individual berry selection”) is a wine made from hand-selected individual grapes that have been affected by botrytis cinerea or ‘noble rot’, a fungus that dehydrates the berries and adds a unique honeyed flavor to the wines. This rare condition in the vineyard allows for the extraction of very concentrated flavors and sugars in the tiny amount of dehydrated juice of the affected grapes. The resulting wine is extremely rich, dense and viscous with a unique profile.”
After the startling initial sip, I settled into the flavor and was able to finish the remainder. We ended up crossing the street to sit at the bar of Protégé’ where we ordered rosé oysters and milk bread. I was also glad to see one of my all-time favorite cocktails “Goose Got Me Loose” still on their cocktail menu.
I look forward to returning to Underdog to try some of the mezcal and tequila cocktails. It’s nice to have another creative cocktail bar on the Peninsula, joining the recently opened Horsefeather and Eylan.
Fantastically creative cocktails and superbly talented bartenders that are very kind and help you out if you are indecisive like I am (and when everything on the menu looks bonkers out of this world).
Ryan Hickman
We finally have a late night bar with unique food and drinks that's packed until closing in Palo Alto!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
T Y
Innovative cocktails with in house made ingredients. Perfectly designed food menu from Michelin star chef. Can't go wrong with whatever you order here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hakeem Jefferson
Just what Cal Ave needed. Fantastic staff, delicious and innovative drinks, a fun and vibrant atmosphere, and a complement to other great spots on the street. A new fav that I look forward to visiting with friends over and over again—as I already have since they opened.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tuna Tartare, Burdock and Carrot Dip
HS
The food is exceptional, staff is great, vibe is fun. The specialty drinks aren’t that interesting but they can make anything.
If you’re black, I wouldn’t recommend going here. I went with a group of friends on Wednesday, March 11th around 8pm. The hostess said we could sit anywhere. We proceed to sit in the back near the mirror at the middle table and place our orders. The male waiter we had was friendly. All of a sudden, there’s a female waitress that comes up to us and asks if we can move to another table so she can sit a group of 8. I’m confused because they don’t take reservations so why would we need to move since we were already here but my friend says yes. The people end up leaving so she says nevermind. She then comes back to us a couple minutes later and says I’m actually going to need you guys to move now so I can sit a party of 12 here. We move. A group of about 10 black women come in after and I wait to see if the same waitress goes up to another group to ask them to move so this group can be seated. She does not. So the only black group that was already seated was told to move to seat another non-black party and the following group of black people that came in had to wait until seats were available. Disgusted and appalled at this place normalizing inhumane and discriminatory behavior. I’ve never been anywhere that doesn’t require reservations telling me i am required to move to sit another party. I will never go back to this place. Do not give them your money since they clearly don’t value it or you.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
This is a strong, strong default. Get the chicken. The cocktail list is diverse enough to satisfy your entire party.
Food: 5
The place was cool, the drinks were great and the service was exceptional
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bar Underdog in Palo Alto impresses with creative, delicious food and cocktails. The vibe is stylish yet welcoming, and the attentive service makes it a spot you’ll want to visit again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
New cocktail spot by the Protege crew which is upscale yet fun and has a great HH weekdays. Great option for pre or post dinner when in the area.
Highlights:
- Happy hour: 4-5:30 weekdays--including Fridays. Includes a set of $10 drinks which is a steal for the bay area. Includes one of my fave cocktails (vesper) so I was super excited about that.
- Cocktails: quality and a choice between classic like the vesper or high balls and special ones like the XXX and a bunch of others.
- Sodas: they make their own which I think is super cool
- Vibe: energetic and classy--not stuffy. Nice staff.
- Nuts: tasty warm snack while you enjoy your beverage. 4 stars
- Raw fish tostada: complex but fresh mix of flavors and texture. 4 stars
- Mochiko chicken: standard flavors and textures was fine. 3.5 stars
- Cocktail option on California: not too many but more opening up lately. And open later than most places in the area (11pm on Wed/Thurs, 12am Fri/Sat)
- No reservations needed
- Trainable: only few blocks away from the California Caltrain station
Midlights:
- A5 wagyu shu mai: was super excited at the sound of this but was just ok. 3 stars
Lowlights:
- Unpredictable when it'll be busy. Came early on a Wednesday once and it was packed.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Cozy place, friendly staff, amazing cocktails and snacks.
We got asked to vacate the table for only one couple waiting. We were there for 2.5 hrs but kept the tab going. For a bill of close to $500 for 4 people (and tip on top it it!), it was distasteful for the waitress to ask us to vacate a table that is first come first serve and non-reservable. I would understand if this was place with reservation, but it is not A place should take into account that once in a while a group will enjoy longer time at the table. Asking people to vacate the table is distasteful. We are not coming back again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 1
Great innovative sophisticated cocktails, with mocktails for designated drivers and Asian fusion bar bites.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Look I gave 5 stars but ima keep it real about my experience. There was one employee in particular that made my experience 5 star worthy but I’m blanking on his name right now.
So when I walked in and sat down this girl working there that was dressed like an anime character pretty much ignored me for a good 5-10 mins. There was a couple that came and sat right next to me and she immediately greeted them and provided them with a menu but continued to completely ignore me. I’m not from Palo Alto so I was gonna crash out and grab a menu myself and make my frustration around my perceived injustice known but the gentleman noticed this and quickly engaged with me. Now I’ve grown a lot, so I reminded myself that I came to have a good time and tried to let my frustrations about what happened go. Once I let go, the experience became much better and I can see why people like this spot. The pickle cocktail was super unique and savory. The music was great and the set up of the bar was a good combo of spacious and cozy. I also think the bartender that saved the day comped one of my drinks. I feel like he was really attentive and noticed what happened and my frustration around it and without making it awkward, did his best to do damage control. I also took his cue and decided to chalk up anime girl ignoring me to a busy night and an oversight (hard to believe cuz I was right next to the people she greeted who came after me) and just wanted to keep the vibes up for the sake of the night. Anyway young g, thank you for saving the day. You’re really the cherry on top of a really enjoyable establishment
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Underdog is a new cocktail bar from the owners of Protégé in Palo Alto. There is no sign on the outside and with the tinted windows so you can’t see how many people are inside.
The waitresses were attentive and seated us right away. There’s an assortment of booths and high tops along with the central bar. I was a bit surprised at how cheap and flimsy looking the backless stools at the bar were. There is a savory menu of appetizers and entrees. We ordered a tuna tartare with crisp onion chips and a burdock and carrot dip with sprouted lentils, togarashi and two pieces of buttered sesame toast.
For my first cocktail I tried a Suntory Toki Whisky Highball. I couldn’t see the actual Toki Highball tower machine because someone was sitting right in front of it. Normally highball machines provide carbonation with finer bubbles than you’d get from a conventional soda machine. It was nice and chilled with a clear Collins-style ice cube. The flavor was exactly how you’d expect a Toki Highball to taste.
For my second cocktail, I ordered a Fru-Ti Punch. It came in a highball glass and Collins ice cube wrapped in a thin ribbon of papaya leaf. I expected something a bit more colorful with papaya and lychee but it was completely clear. The first sip was unexpectedly earthy. Later, Chris the head bartender at Protégé told me that it was the Beerenauslese, a type of wine from Germany. This is a definition that I found online:
‘Beerenauslese (literally “individual berry selection”) is a wine made from hand-selected individual grapes that have been affected by botrytis cinerea or ‘noble rot’, a fungus that dehydrates the berries and adds a unique honeyed flavor to the wines. This rare condition in the vineyard allows for the extraction of very concentrated flavors and sugars in the tiny amount of dehydrated juice of the affected grapes. The resulting wine is extremely rich, dense and viscous with a unique profile.”
After the startling initial sip, I settled into the flavor and was able to finish the remainder. We ended up crossing the street to sit at the bar of Protégé’ where we ordered rosé oysters and milk bread. I was also glad to see one of my all-time favorite cocktails “Goose Got Me Loose” still on their cocktail menu.
I look forward to returning to Underdog to try some of the mezcal and tequila cocktails. It’s nice to have another creative cocktail bar on the Peninsula, joining the recently opened Horsefeather and Eylan.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Fantastically creative cocktails and superbly talented bartenders that are very kind and help you out if you are indecisive like I am (and when everything on the menu looks bonkers out of this world).
We finally have a late night bar with unique food and drinks that's packed until closing in Palo Alto!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Innovative cocktails with in house made ingredients. Perfectly designed food menu from Michelin star chef. Can't go wrong with whatever you order here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Just what Cal Ave needed. Fantastic staff, delicious and innovative drinks, a fun and vibrant atmosphere, and a complement to other great spots on the street. A new fav that I look forward to visiting with friends over and over again—as I already have since they opened.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tuna Tartare, Burdock and Carrot Dip
The food is exceptional, staff is great, vibe is fun. The specialty drinks aren’t that interesting but they can make anything.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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