Classics at North Fair Oaks

I am sorry to see Lion and Compass closing. We were part of a group, everyone enjoyed their meal. The drinks were good. The wait staff was very attentive, knowledgeable and friendly, meeting our needs without being intrusive.

This Silicon Valley icon will be closing their doors soon. So we wanted to try it. They have good food and great cocktails and a decent wine by the glass list. Our kale ravioli appetizer would have been much better with a drizzle of...something, as it was dry. My husbands steak was tender and cooked just as he ordered. My entree of seafood in a lightly spicy Thai lemongrass was very good. Our salads were large portions. No room for dessert. Service was very friendly though a bit slow given it was not crowded. So all in all a nice dinner but nothing really stands out.

A Silicon Valley classic from the 80s with much history. The menu includes a variety of selections, all delicious. Excellent service too. Sad that it will be closing, but so glad we had one last wonderful experience there. Fun to reminisce of lunches with Andy Grove or Jerry Sanders, who had his special corner table.

Excellent food and service. My macadamia crusted sea bass was delicious and very fresh. All four of us enjoyed our meal. Very sad this restaurant is closing just before Christmas. I've been a customer for over 30 years and have always enjoyed dining here. Happy to see they are keeping up the quality and service until the end.

This place has really gone down hill. I've been going here for over a decade. Both the quality of the food and the service has gone way-down. The tuna that my wife had was poor; quality was bad and it had no seasoning. I had a lunch that came with French fries. It took 10 minutes to get ketchup for the fries. In general, our waitress was AWOL. She came back to pick up her tip, otherwise, she was nowhere to be found. The other wait staff were much better, but overall, I probably won't be going back again, ever.

We had a business dinner for 12. We were treated very well. We were seated in the private room which is very cozy and has a den-like feel. The food and drinks were fantastic. Tonya sp? did a great job of getting our order right and keeping our drinks full. It is on our list to return.

My favorite find of long recent. Excellent, diverse, creative, yet solid menu. There is certainly some beneath-the-surface history to the place. Think Narnia meets the masons, but whimsical. Loved it. Not cheap, but worth every penny.

First time and there will not be a return. Super slow service (we were at nearly hour 2 before entrees showed up; when they did for our table of 12, 1 person did not get a plate-for another 10-15 minutes. Another steak was completely overcooked and had to be returned. It was a business dinner - the noise was fine but 3 hours for mediocre food was well below expectations.

I had not been to this restaurant before and reserved an evening for our CIO Staff of twelve. I was pretty disappointed at the run down décor right away. Shutters in the middle of the room and a picture frame over a mirrored wall were odd amongst other things - not the ambiance for "fine dining". The appetizers (calamari and chili prawns) were fine. Our waiter, Michael, kindly separated a salad into two plates as two of us were going to share it. I ordered the Filet Mignon which came with mashed potatoes and asparagus. I asked for the Filet to be medium well and to exchange the asparagus for green beans. However, I was plated with asparagus, green beans and no mashed potatoes and my filet was very well done. As Michael did not come back to check on our meals, I went forward with eating my overcooked filet. Eventually we saw Michael again and I informed him of the mishaps of my meal. I would expect the waiter to catch this, especially for a "fine dining" restaurant. 18% tip was automatically included. I did tip an extra $20 to make it 20%. Maybe that was because Michael kept pouring the wine! I don't see a reason why I would go back here.

Lion and Compass is a great place to have a casual business lunch or lunch with good friends. This place is a landmark in the valley. Food offering very good, very fresh and great service. Highly recommend Lion and Compass.

Four of us had dinner on a Thursday night. The restaurant was not busy at all which is puzzling. I had two of the appetizer salads and they were wonderful. It was refreshing to be able to have a nice conversation and positive dining experience.

The food and service were very good, the restaurant was kind of empty and I remembered it being a jumping restaurant. It wasn't easy to find because the signage out front is older and the ivy is overgrown and hard to see the building. Would definitely recommend though

Ironically, I was promoting this restaurant to an out of town consultant. I told the story and built enthusiasm. The staff were rude and dismissive. One of them even asked us to leave a room I was just showing to hype the restaurant before we sat for lunch. Even my guest said he never wants to return to that place. Maybe the staff can take lessons in class, service and basic manners.

Have been to Lion and Compass many times and this is the first time it was below average. Signature Chinese chicken salad was disappointing- very watery peanut sauce, unappetizing chicken pieces that looked and tasted like they had just been defrosted, all presented very poorly. Dining room nearly empty which was surprising - maybe this valley institution has finally had its day.

I think our server was Tania, she was excellent, very attentive without being interuptive. The lunch menu is always fresh and delicious. The Chinese chicken salad as usual was splendid.