Small but excellent selection. Somehow I've always gotten the special.
I've never been disappointed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kerry
We love Bistro Elan! For this visit - we sat outside at the parklet and had a lovely, quiet dinner. The service, led by waiter Ed, was fabulous. Ed provided excellent suggestions, was kind and attentive, and super enthusiastic about the food and restaurant. The menu is small, as is the restaurant and the food was fabulous! My scallops were cooked to perfection and the blackberry ice cream hit the spot. We will definitely be back! Thank yoU!
Barry
Great tomatoe salad . Unexpectedly got saronated by the wait staff. The swallows were fantastic as always.
Harry
This small team delivers delicious food consistently. We really like the smoked salmon appetizer served on a waffle, as well as the Asian pears with prosciutto and feta. The Scandinavian meat balls are a standard there and are great. Last night we had a pork tenderloin which was the special for the week, served on a bed of cauliflower puree. Wonderful sauce on each. The wine list is very nice with a range from moderate (for Palo Alto) of about $50/bottle to several hundred dollars a bottle. There are a few wines available by the glass as well. We enjoyed the Violin pinot noir. As it is available by the glass, we could have a small taste before committing to buying the whole bottle. Staff is friendly and helpful, without being obtrusive. One of our favorite restaurants in our town.
Jeff
Superb mussels. They put quite a lot of taragon in the sauce but it was balanced by a bit more citrus and salt. Very flavorful and delicious. I started with a special mushroom appetizer. It was also very good, though honestly it was a LOT of mushrooms for one person. It might have been better folded into a pastry or something. Their bread was delicious as always, and their affordable half-bottle of sancerre was excellent for the price.
Shripad
Excellent food, Seasonal dish of chanterelles, delicious sauteed with just a little butter sauce. Lingcod, fresh, and duck confit leg on a bed of spinach. And a great wine list from which we chose a bottle of Laventereaux chablis. So nice to find truly good wines at mostly reasonable prices. And they did a nice job of birthday celebs for one of us with a candle on dessert, and a song.
Jeff Shiu
Fair price point. Excellent service. The main waiter and the assistant were very helpful.
Food was mediocre. The Ling cod I ordered had no taste. Quite disappointing. The duck looked good.
100 plus per person.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Laurel Regibeau
Nice small restaurant serving excellent food. Well worth the price! The wait staff were also very welcoming and friendly. I'll be going again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Uyen Tran Parsons
I haven't had good food like this in years. Friendly staff, delicious seafood, and yummy desserts. Reservations recommended.
Charles Ferring
I had genuinely looked forward to dining at this restaurant. However, the experience left much to be desired, especially considering the hefty $900 bill for 7 people. The food quality was quite mixed. While the Caesar salad was truly great, the steak was mediocre at best, and the dessert was disappointingly below average. Our kids were still hungry after the meal, which is never a good sign. Adding to the mixed experience, the service was also inconsistent. While J. tried his best to smooth out issues, E. was a condescending waiter. A significant point of frustration was the unseen $48 corkage fee, especially given their own overpriced and mediocre wine list. This felt like a complete rip-off. Ultimately, for the same price, we would definitely prefer to go to other Palo Alto establishments, like Ethel's Fancy, where we feel we get much better value and a more satisfying experience.
We don't know what happened to bistro Élan. In our memory it was always excellent. yesterday, everything was bland. The cucumber dill soup was boring and missing some dill and seasoning. The swordfish and meatballs were tasteless and overcooked. The almond cookies were stodgy and undercooked. Everything was off. I am not sure we will risk it again.
Jill
High quality food with excellent creative choices. We have been going there for lunch and dinner for over 20 years and the quality is consistently great.
DV
Fantastic meal made with care and attention to detail. Fresh ingredients from the farmer's market. Desserts made in the restaurant (normally not done because restaurants otherwise lose money on desserts), even the ice cream. The restaurant is small so they can keep track of everyone and not run their kitchen as an assembly line. The customers are mostly regulars.
lesley
Bistro elan is by far the best restaurant on the Peninsula! Food can't be beat - fresh, quality ingredients and a fantastic menu. Fairly priced - especially considering the terrible food you pay $$$ for in downtown Palo Alto and elsewhere.
Livia
Bistro Elan is a member of that most elusive club of always sought after seldom found neighborhood gems where the food is exquisite, the service excellent, the dining room tiny — though there are a few more tables outside— and the clientele quiet well dressed locals who have eaten there for years, never having been disappointed. The menu that changes with the seasons is always surprising but never overdone. The food is interesting but above all delicious and the portions are generous. Reservations very much recommended.
Small but excellent selection. Somehow I've always gotten the special.
I've never been disappointed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We love Bistro Elan! For this visit - we sat outside at the parklet and had a lovely, quiet dinner. The service, led by waiter Ed, was fabulous. Ed provided excellent suggestions, was kind and attentive, and super enthusiastic about the food and restaurant. The menu is small, as is the restaurant and the food was fabulous! My scallops were cooked to perfection and the blackberry ice cream hit the spot. We will definitely be back! Thank yoU!
Great tomatoe salad . Unexpectedly got saronated by the wait staff. The swallows were fantastic as always.
This small team delivers delicious food consistently. We really like the smoked salmon appetizer served on a waffle, as well as the Asian pears with prosciutto and feta. The Scandinavian meat balls are a standard there and are great. Last night we had a pork tenderloin which was the special for the week, served on a bed of cauliflower puree. Wonderful sauce on each. The wine list is very nice with a range from moderate (for Palo Alto) of about $50/bottle to several hundred dollars a bottle. There are a few wines available by the glass as well. We enjoyed the Violin pinot noir. As it is available by the glass, we could have a small taste before committing to buying the whole bottle. Staff is friendly and helpful, without being obtrusive. One of our favorite restaurants in our town.
Superb mussels. They put quite a lot of taragon in the sauce but it was balanced by a bit more citrus and salt. Very flavorful and delicious. I started with a special mushroom appetizer. It was also very good, though honestly it was a LOT of mushrooms for one person. It might have been better folded into a pastry or something. Their bread was delicious as always, and their affordable half-bottle of sancerre was excellent for the price.
Excellent food, Seasonal dish of chanterelles, delicious sauteed with just a little butter sauce. Lingcod, fresh, and duck confit leg on a bed of spinach. And a great wine list from which we chose a bottle of Laventereaux chablis. So nice to find truly good wines at mostly reasonable prices. And they did a nice job of birthday celebs for one of us with a candle on dessert, and a song.
Fair price point. Excellent service. The main waiter and the assistant were very helpful.
Food was mediocre. The Ling cod I ordered had no taste. Quite disappointing. The duck looked good.
100 plus per person.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Nice small restaurant serving excellent food. Well worth the price! The wait staff were also very welcoming and friendly. I'll be going again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I haven't had good food like this in years. Friendly staff, delicious seafood, and yummy desserts. Reservations recommended.
I had genuinely looked forward to dining at this restaurant. However, the experience left much to be desired, especially considering the hefty $900 bill for 7 people.
The food quality was quite mixed. While the Caesar salad was truly great, the steak was mediocre at best, and the dessert was disappointingly below average. Our kids were still hungry after the meal, which is never a good sign.
Adding to the mixed experience, the service was also inconsistent. While J. tried his best to smooth out issues, E. was a condescending waiter.
A significant point of frustration was the unseen $48 corkage fee, especially given their own overpriced and mediocre wine list. This felt like a complete rip-off.
Ultimately, for the same price, we would definitely prefer to go to other Palo Alto establishments, like Ethel's Fancy, where we feel we get much better value and a more satisfying experience.
Restaurantji Recommends
We don't know what happened to bistro Élan. In our memory it was always excellent. yesterday, everything was bland. The cucumber dill soup was boring and missing some dill and seasoning. The swordfish and meatballs were tasteless and overcooked. The almond cookies were stodgy and undercooked. Everything was off. I am not sure we will risk it again.
High quality food with excellent creative choices. We have been going there for lunch and dinner for over 20 years and the quality is consistently great.
Fantastic meal made with care and attention to detail. Fresh ingredients from the farmer's market. Desserts made in the restaurant (normally not done because restaurants otherwise lose money on desserts), even the ice cream. The restaurant is small so they can keep track of everyone and not run their kitchen as an assembly line. The customers are mostly regulars.
Bistro elan is by far the best restaurant on the Peninsula! Food can't be beat - fresh, quality ingredients and a fantastic menu. Fairly priced - especially considering the terrible food you pay $$$ for in downtown Palo Alto and elsewhere.
Bistro Elan is a member of that most elusive club of always sought after seldom found neighborhood gems where the food is exquisite, the service excellent, the dining room tiny — though there are a few more tables outside— and the clientele quiet well dressed locals who have eaten there for years, never having been disappointed. The menu that changes with the seasons is always surprising but never overdone. The food is interesting but above all delicious and the portions are generous. Reservations very much recommended.
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