Mike's Diner Bar Palo Alto

Let me tell you something, and I'm not one to mince words. Picture this: you walk into a joint, right? You're expecting a good time, maybe even a little culinary delight. You've got your old man with you, someone you don't get to spend nearly enough time with anymore. It's supposed to be unique, you know? A moment. And what do they serve you? A tragedy between two pieces of bread. First, the burger bun wasn't just burned but annihilated. I'm talking about the scorched earth policy. Have you ever seen something so charred it looks like it survived a house fire? That's what they had the nerve to set in front of me. You see that, you start questioning things. You start wondering about the decisions these so-called chefs are making back there. Like, who in their right mind thinks it's okay to serve this burnt-to-hell piece of garbage? They took a blowtorch to it and said, "Yeah, that's good enough for these idiots." So, my old man and I are sitting there, staring at this abomination. But we're hungry. We didn't come here to admire the décor, no matter how nice it is. We came to eat. So we take a bite. Big mistake. Huge. It wasn't just the bun, oh no. The burger itself, that was another level of disappointment. Dry, overcooked, tasteless. I've had better meat in a gas station sandwich, and that's no joke. But here's where it really gets ugly. That night, both I and my grandad were sick as dogs. I'm talking about full-blown food poisoning. You ever been that sick? It's not just unpleasant. It's a betrayal. Your body's turning against you because of something you trusted someone else to make. My dad's not a young guy, and seeing him like that, it pissed me off. It wasn't just some bad meal; it was dangerous. Now, I'm a reasonable man. I know sometimes things go wrong. But this wasn't a mistake; it was negligence. It was a complete disregard for the customer. And that's what gets me the most. It's like they don't even care. They have this great location and atmosphere and phone it about the food. How can you get it so wrong? You can have the best service in the world, the most hospitable waitstaff, the prettiest décor, but if your food is garbage, it doesn't mean anything. And it's not just me saying this. I've heard the whispers and seen the reviews. It's a pattern. These people have a reputation, and it's not a good one. And yet, they keep getting away with it. What really blows my mind is the audacity of it all. They're charging premium prices for this subpar garbage. You walk in, and you're paying for an experience, sure. But part of that experience is the food. You need to be aware of what you're walking into. Don't let the fancy façade fool you. Don't let the smiling faces and the pleasant ambiance distract you from the real issue here. The food is a disaster. A train wreck. And it's not worth your time or your money. I'm done with this place. They had their chance, and they blew it. They blew it big time. And I'm not just talking about one lousy burger. This was a wake-up call. A reminder that you can't just rely on appearances. You've got to dig deeper. You've got to demand better. Because if you don't, you're just setting yourself up for disappointment. So, take this as a warning. A heads-up from someone who's been there, done that, and paid the price. There are better places out there that actually care about what they're serving you. Don't settle for less. Don't let these jokers get away with it. Demand quality. Demand respect. And for God's sake, don't eat the burnt bun. It's not just about the food poisoning, though that's bad enough. It's about the principle. It's about going into a place with certain expectations and having those expectations shattered. It's about trust, really. When you go to a restaurant, you're putting yo

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Mike it is an amazing. Food was great, drinks were good, Mike is an amazing host!

Come here you never regret it !!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We are sad that this neighborhood gem is closing. It has been so wonderful to be able to have a high quality meal without the fuss of traffic, parking and waiting. The staff has been delightful.

I wanted to have a nice lunch with my mom, son and my grandchildren (two toddlers). I made a reservation so we had a guaranteed table and would be able to feed the grandkids fairly quickly. A larger party came in before us and the restaurant was short staffed. We waited for over an hour for our food to be served. We had to ask for our drinks several times, they didn’t have the ingredients for one of the dishes and then the table next to ours was served before us even though they came after us AND ordered probably 20-25 minutes after we did. Then the food came and it was not great and certainly not worth the wait. The waitress did take some items off the check , but in the end we paid $75 for terrible food and service.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 1

We came here for brunch on a Saturday.

Service was incredibly slow. When we walked in, a lady behind the bar told us to wait. She spent a few minutes putting clean wine glasses away before she seated us. Then she disappeared. Someone came to ask if we wanted water - we asked to order, but apparently he didn't take orders. Overall, it took 20 minutes between entering the restaurant and having our order taken.

The food was pretty good.

It took a while to get the bill too. When we saw it, there was a mandatory service fee that we weren't informed about. With the bad service, we decided to deduct it from the tip. I saw later on my credit card bill that they had changed the tip amount! But I didn't keep the receipt so I couldn't dispute it :(

So yeah, the food was pretty good. But between being ignored and the credit card fraud, I can't recommend it.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 3

Service: 1

I wanted to have a nice lunch with my mom, son /DIL and my grandchildren (two toddlers). I made a reservation so we had a guaranteed table and would be able to feed the grandkids fairly quickly. A larger party came in before us and the restaurant was short staffed. We waited for over an hour for our food to be served. We had to ask for our drinks several times, they didn’t have the ingredients for one of the dishes and then the table next to ours was served before us even though they came after us AND ordered probably 20-25 minutes after we did. Then the food came and it was not great and certainly not worth the wait. The waitress did take some items off the check , but in the end we paid $75 for terrible food and service.

My husband and I arrived a few minutes before our 5:30 reservation and were the first ones seated in the front room. Then we waited for over an hour for our salads!!! They didn't come to apologize even after 30 minutes! Something about the order printed on the wrong side so they didn't see it? They could have been truthful and let it be known they had a Bar Mitzvah party of 50+ and our order would take awhile since kitchen was backed up, giving us a chance to say, ok or choose to come back another time. They said nothing until I finally got up to find out why we hadn't received our meals which, by the way, were nothing but bagged cabbages, carrots minus the tomatoes listed in the description. Have to say the skirt steak was excellent so thank you for that!! Most restaurants would've sent their manager over and offer to take even one drink off the bill or send over a dessert. Instead, they left the poor, young waitress to apologize. Glad they made it through the pandemic since Mike's has been in PA forever. I hope they take this review to heart and represent Mike's in a more professional manner.

This place makes homemade pasta. Choose it because it is better. Those of us in our party who chose pasta were very pleased. Those who chose the specials were less impressed. As I got spaghetti, I loved the place! Very nice and well trained servers and bussers; kind of casual hostess.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 5

Love the staff. Great breakfasts and there's cocktails too.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 5

Mike's is an old classic Palo Alto dig that never stops bringing new flavors to the menu.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Baja Fish Tacos

We met up with friends. When asked what was good we said everything We each thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Thai beef salad, tacos, pastas. The restaurant was quite busy. We were not rushed and we enoour time there. The noise level was a bit higher than usual including some pounding in the kitchen.

Back to a neighborhood restaurant. Lots of families with kids of all ages, adult couples and senior citizens. Reasonably priced food with a good selection for all ages. Definitely recommend it if you want a casual dinner.

Great local restaurant for a casual family brunch or dinner. Located right in the heart of Palo Alto midtown, Mike’s cafe (original) was been locals favorite for a long time. Now with alcohol license added and a new color scheme (red) Mike’s diner is becoming a great bar to grab a drink with old friends!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Been here a couple of times with my Parkrun group after our event on a Saturday morning - all is OK with food and service, pleasant and simple!

Nice neighborhood place in warm weather, in winter it's poorly heated ..has lots of single pane glass.