Mike’s Cafe Restaurant Review, Portola Valley

Mike’s Cafe is an American Restaurant with three location on the San Francisco Peninsula, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, and Portola Valley. We went to the Portola Valley location, which opened in 2007. This is a good place to hit after an afternoon of hiking or biking nearby. The Palo Alto location opened back in 1995 and is a neighborhood place that is pretty popular. Mike Wallau was born and raised in Palo Alto, California, just down the street from where he opened the first Mike’s Café.

Decor, Vibe – High loft like ceiling with a large landscape mural and skylights. Bar on one side of the room, booths and tables, and outdoor seating. Locals mostly of older age range were eating lunch when we went. The place was pretty full at lunch time.

Menu (Click to zoom into any picture)

Lunch Menu has everything from salads to sandwiches to pasta to classic American entrees. With a wide ranging menu, we worried it would be a jack of all, master of none place.

Website Mike’s Cafe Menu

Picks:

Chipolte Chicken Grilled Sandwich ($10) Grilled free range chicken, avocado, leaf lettuce, vine ripe tomato, jack, chipolte spiced aioli, toasted ciabatta roll came with fresh fruit. Good sized sandwich with lots of fresh ingredients and nicely done chicken. A solid sandwich which hit the spot.

Crab Panini ($12) house made crab salad, watercress, Monterey Jack, ciabatta roll came with french fries. This reminded us of Fenton’s classic version, but at a more reasonable price. Lite mayo, lots of fresh crab, and freshly fried steak fries made it another solid lunch sandwich.

OK:

Cream of Spinach Soup ($4, cup) was very creamy and had little spinach flavor. Most kids would even drink this stuff.

Pans:
None

Mike’s Cafe had decent service with fast ordering, food delivery, and refills. The server did not really help pin down standout items. Bread here is pretty forgettable. Prices are typical for this upper mid range food category and mainstream food breath makes it a popular place. We have no problems recommending this place for a simple classic lunch, yet this is not a foodie’s paradise. The more expensive dinner entree would cause this place to compete with much finer places.
Short Wine list, with glasses from $6, bottles from $24.

Also at:
2680 Middlefield Road
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 473-6453

150 Middlefield Road
Menlo Park, CA 94025
(650) 327-6453

Overall Rating: (Good)

Come Back?

Food Rating:	(Good)
Service Rating:	(Good)
Atmosphere Rating:	(Good)
Value Rating:	(Good)

Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Fair/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary

Alcohol:	Beer, Wine
Attire:	Casual
Hours:	Mon - Fri 11:30am - 2pm, 5-9pm, Sat-Sun 8am-3pm,5-9pm
Parking:	Free Lot
Reservations:	Yes
Prices:	$10 - $20 (Lunch), $12 - $27 (Dinner)

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