Local Lunch Spots

Local Lunch Spots – on & off Stanford campus

$ = $5-10
$$ = $10-20

Near Arrillaga Alumni Center

  • Alumni Café, Frances Arrillaga Alumni Center – Galvez Street:  Good salads and sandwiches.  Run by Stanford Dining.  $
  • Arbuckle Café, Graduate School of Business:  Salads, sandwiches, wraps, and sushi in the newly opened Knight Management Center (marked “under construction” on the map, but it’s not).  $$
  • Sports Café, Arrillaga Family Sports Center – Campus Drive:  Deli and grill.  Good sandwiches and burgers.  Many athletes and coaches eat here.  $
  • (Wed.-Sun. only) Cool Café, Cantor Arts Center – Lomita Drive:  Salads, sandwiches, and fresh squeezed juices.  All organic.  Great setting in the Rodin Garden. $$
  • Jordan Hall Café, Main Quad, Building 420:  Thai food served out of the basement of the Psychology Dept.  Great noodle salads and curries.  $ (Glen’s favorite!)
  • Coupa Café, Green Library and Y2E2 (two locations).  Venezuelan and international specialties: arepas, panini, salads; outstanding coffee. $

Tressider Union (in and around)

  • CoHo (Stanford Coffee House): Gourmet sandwiches, salads, coffee, beer, wine; open late.  $ (Matt’s favorite!)
  • Treehouse, Student Union at Tresidder:  Burritos, nachos, burgers, and teriyaki bowls.  Strange mix, but good. $
  • Union Square, Student Union at Tresidder:  Good salads, pizza, Subway, and other miscellaneous.  Run by Stanford Dining.  $
  • Stanford Bookstore Café.  Panini, desserts, coffee. $
  • Russo Café, Munger Graduate Residence: Exceptional organic pizzas, deli sandwiches, salads and soups. $ (Melanie’s favorite!)

Close off-campus: Town & Country Village (Galvez St. & El Camino Real)

  • Lulu, Town & Country Village.  Great burritos.  During the academic year, gets crowded with smelly high schoolers, but still one of my favorites.  No indoor seating so go on a nice day or plan to get take out  $
  • Howie’s Gourmet Pizza, Town & Country Village.  Truly amazing pizza!  $$
  • Village Cheese House, Town & Country Village.  The best sandwiches around.  They’re huge.  $
  • Douce France, Town & Country Village.  Good crepes and coffee.  Pastries too.  Mmm  $$

Close off-campus: Stanford Shopping Center

  • Nordstrom Café, Stanford Shopping Center.   Great salads.  Lots of strollers.  $$
  • Andronico’s, Stanford Shopping Center.  Wonderful market, so a good place to grocery shop and get lunch at the same time.  Good deli and made to order salads.  Sushi and other prepared grab-and-go items.  $$
  • Palo Alto Creamery, Stanford Shopping Center.  Diner-style comfort food.  Burgers and the best grilled cheese sandwiches ever.  Wheat and white breads are homemade, so forget about sourdough when you’re here.  Great shakes too.  $$
  • Max’s Opera Café, Stanford Shopping Center.  Good sandwiches, salads, and a little bit of everything else.  Huge portions.  $$

Further afield

  • JJ&F Market, 520 College Ave. (near Stanford Terrace Inn):  Great deli and market if you need to grab any groceries.  $
  • Mollie Stone’s, 164 South California Ave.  Great market.  Best salad bar around.  Great deli too.  $
  • Palo Alto Sol, 408 S. California Ave.  Great Mexican food.  $$
  • Nola, 535 Ramona St.  Great Cajun food.  Fun atmosphere.  $$
  • Gordon Biersch Brewery, 640 Emerson St.  Good salads and fun menu.  Great beer too.  $$
  • Applewood Pizza, 1001 El Camino.  Great pizza.  $$
  • Oasis, 241 El Camino Real.  Great burgers and a fun place to get away with a group.  $
  • Stanford Golf Course, Links Rd. off of Junipero Serra:  Great sandwiches and salads.  Good nearby escape.  $$

Serious (evening) dining

Two neighborhoods close to campus offer an especially remarkable variety of outstanding restaurants:

  • University Avenue corridor (downtown Palo Alto)
  • California Avenue  corridor (south downtown)

Both are served by Marguerite shuttle lines X, Y or V (or are a longish walk away), but they’re probably too far for the lunch break.

See our list of Palo Alto Restaurants for some specific names and addresses.

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