12 Best Italian Restaurants in Palo Alto

“Good food and great customer service. Do recommend“

“I had an amazing experience at Italico Restaurant! The food was fresh and flavorful, especially the truffle pasta and wood-fired pizza. The service was top-notch, and the atmosphere was cozy yet modern. I’ll definitely be back to enjoy more of their delicious dishes. Highly recommend!“

“In truth, I recommend Jessica --the front desk-- who makes sure that I receive extra marinara as well as extra sauce Anglaise... for takeout. Until, we talked, I stopped ordering from Terun on principle. I was a frequent client. Takeout customers must be honored for requests that are gladly honored when in the dining room. Takeout customers should be thanked for not causing dirty tablecloths and dishes -- and LOYALTY. Jessica reinstated that loyalty. I truly hope that the owners appreciate her. Without extra sauces the food is too dry. With it, delicious. The prices honor extra sauces and more!“

“Most delicious desert ever!“

“Fantastic service and Delicious food. Our server ( didn’t catch her name ) was awesome. I do remember she had a beautiful accent. I believe when asked she said she was originally from Kenya! Kudos to her for taking such good care of us! We live in San Joaquin Valley but we will definitely make the trip back for dinner!“

“Amazing Sicilian food, cozy patio and dining experience. Wait staff are welcoming❤️“

“Elan is a quaint, small, tightly knit French bistro. The food is decent but way overpriced for what they serve. I appreciate the family-style, Parisian feel with small tables, tightly packed with one another, and truly having a less than 15 tables or so. You feel like you're in a small town bistro, somewhere in France. The set up is good.

But here is where it goes all wrong. The entire menu and set up feels like they are trying to dime and nickel every dollar out of you. First, they don't give you free bread automatically, only upon request. 20% of gratuity is added to each table no matter what you order. And .... $45 for a plate of decent linguine vongole. Now, if the linguine was special, I would understand. The pasta itself was well made. But the flavor was watery and bland. Plenty of garlic. I can see the effort. But I can't justify the $45 price.

Bistro Elan is living off of those folks yearning to get a French bistro feel in a small cozy setting. But once you experience it, it is certainly not worth the second time. Food is decent. Quite good food. But at the price point, I would say you can certainly do better.

I really wanted Elan to be good. And I think if I squint my eyes, I can sort of make sense of it. But again, you're eyes will pop open wide as you see the bill, as clearly what you ate will not compute to what you owe. Probably won't return for a long long time.“

“So glad I stumbled across this gem today! William (cashier) was extremely patient, accommodating, and helpful. We ordered a porchetta sandwich, side of fries, double espresso, burger, and scone. Everything we had was delicious - the porchetta was one of the best sandwiches I’ve had. There isn’t a dedicated kids menu from what I saw, but they provided a high chair and most kids survive off fries, so we were fine. Parking is in a private lot and an easy walk from LPCH or Stanford shopping center. The weather was perfect for their patio dining, and staff were prompt to bring our food and clear tables.“

“I wish you would open another location outside downtown Palo Alto. Your food is fabulous but too hard for parking!“

“Excellent pizza and service is great!“

“Love the pizza there, we ordered white pie and red pie. Both are great taste“