Elegant Vietnamese in Palo Alto. Tamarine is a popular Vietnamese contemporary restaurant in downtown Palo Alto on busy University Avenue. They focus on small plates and serve food family style. Tamarine features light, but flavor-intensive culinary delicacies of Vietnam. This place is similar to Slanted Door. We find the food pretty accessible with many items for mainstream palates. The owners family runs the more traditional Vietnamese restaurant Vung Tau in San Jose and a more casual spot Tam Tam in Palo Alto. Our last visit was in late fall 2024, when they added seating outside. Tamarine along with Protoge are top restaurants in Palo Alto. Decor, Vibe – Very nice decor, lots of beautiful art from Vietnam. The place had lots of couples, small parties, people from a variety of age and ethnic groups. Clearly lots of high tech workers and VC types frequent Tamarine. Tamarine gets packed at night.  Reserve ahead of time. They have a bar and communal table for times when you can’t get a reservation. These fill up around 6pm. Tamarine Menu Tamarine’s Menu has a variety of starters, noodles, and entrees. Dessert menu is weak. Menu changes every once in a while, but the signature […]

This post originally from Tamarine Restaurant Review, Palo Alto

Why did we dine here? – Gao Viet Kitchen is a Vietnamese restaurant in downtown San Mateo. The same folks run several, casual Ben Tre restaurants in San Mateo and Millbrae. (Which we like for casual fare.) We dined here a couple years back right after it opened and didn’t find it very compelling. They have improved the menu, added items, and have garnered some Instagram press for there PhoZila $79 noodle dish. We ate in the summer of 2021 during the pandemic, and were seated in their outdoor Parklet which has good spacing. Inside there isn’t as much spacing. Gao was so good, we have returned. They do not take reservations, so there are a long wait here. Come earlier or during lunch. Insider Tip – Line up early Cuisine – Vietnamese Location – San Mateo Downtown Opened – 2018 Service – The service is fair, they are just too busy, so the food takes a long time to arrive. Cocktails arrive in the middle of entrée time. Pandemic excuse bad service time! Verdict – Gao Viet Kitchen is a step up from your local Pho place and not chi-chi like Tamarine in Palo Alto. Authentic food with quality […]

This post originally from Gao Viet Kitchen, San Mateo