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.
