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Ethel's Fancy, Palo Alto, CA

Ethel's Fancy

4.9
4.9
511 Reviews
$50 and over
Californian

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 15 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Innovative
  • Good for special occasions
  • Lively
A hip and fun restaurant with chef's counter dining, serving thoughtful American cuisine, with an emphasis on local seasonal products.

Ethel's Fancy is open at 5 PM Tuesday - Saturday.

We have a small dining room with a limited amount of reservable tables. We do keep our Bar seats and a table in the restaurant open for people to walk-ins. Walk-ins are on a first come basis.

Please do not make multiple reservations with the intention of combining reservations to increase party size.

All guests must be present before your party will be seated.

To help provide a seamless experience for all our guests, we have allocated 2-hours for your group of 2 to 4 people.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Japanese, Contemporary French / American
  • Hours of Operation
    Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:30 pm
  • Phone number
    (650) 561-4860
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Executive Chef
    Scott Nishiyama
  • Neighbourhood
    Palo Alto
  • Cross Street
    University Avenue & Waverley Street<br />Hamilton Avenue & Waverley
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Additional
    Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • New Year's Eve at Ethel's Fancy

    US$195.00 per person

    Dec 31, 2024 only
    Ring in the New Year at Ethel's Fancy! Celebrate New Year's Eve with a specially curated menu by Chef Scott and our team, featuring seasonal delights like fresh Alba white truffles and dry-aged duck, among other signature favorites. In true Ethel's Fancy style, the evening begins with a glass of Champagne and unfolds with four courses designed for sharing and savoring with your group. $195 per person, optional Wine Pairing is $45 per person; excluding Sales Tax and Gratuity. Please note: Space is limited for larger parties, so for parties of >4guests email: events@ethelsfancypa.com We look forward to welcoming 2025 with you!

What 511 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.9
4.9 based on recent ratings
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.8Ambience
  • 4.5Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • San Francisco Bay Area

    Californian

  • Peninsula

    Best Overall

  • Peninsula

    Innovative

  • Peninsula

    Hot spot

  • Peninsula

    Californian

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Ethel's Fancy offers an extraordinary dining experience with "fantastic food" and "wonderful service." The menu is creative, featuring unique and flavorful dishes like the "to die for" pork belly and sesame pancakes. The ambiance is vibrant, with attentive staff ensuring a memorable visit. Perfect for foodies, it's a must-try gem.

511 Reviews
  1. sara

    VIP

    San Francisco

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined today

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great and creative food, nice ambience. The sesame seeds pancakes are must haves!

    Is this helpful?

  2. Mahesh

    VIP

    San Francisco

    56 reviews

    5.0

    56 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent food and service. Thanks to the chef, Micky and our waiter Leandro. Everything was superb. Probably top restaurants here in Palo Alto

    Is this helpful?

  3. Wayne

    VIP

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 11, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was amazing and the waiter (LeAndre) was outstanding.

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  4. Ted

    San Francisco

    13 reviews

    5.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on December 11, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Great, creative food, great service, love the smaller portion options.

    Is this helpful?

  5. Rohit

    VIP

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on December 8, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food and our drinks were inventive and excellent! Our server was attentive, and helpful. Overall, it was a great experience and I look forward to being back soon.

    Is this helpful?

  6. Gina

    VIP

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on December 8, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It was great. I love the appetizers and the soft serve ice cream.

    Is this helpful?

  7. Brianna

    VIP

    New York City

    11 reviews

    3.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on December 7, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Service was excellent! Everyone we interacted with were wonderful and on top of it. Food was mixed - the two octopus and crudo share ales were fantastic and I would come back and order those again in a heartbeat. Swordfish was also good, though I admit I didn’t fully read the description and didn’t realize it was breaded. That is fully on me though. Pork belly was well cooked and seasoned but not as fatty as I expected/wanted, which was a bit disappointing. Two cucumber and persimmon apps were fine, but not memorable. The most disappointing were the cocktails - which were just mid - we tried 3 of them. However, our server/bartender offered an off menu option for the 4th that was far & away better than the other three. We told him they should add it to the menu.

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  8. Grace

    San Francisco

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on November 30, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It was a lovely dinner at our favorite restaurant last night, everything was delicious. Sesame Soft serve was a high note in the end. Thank you Chef and all the supporting staffs.

    Is this helpful?

  9. anne

    VIP

    San Antonio

    31 reviews

    5.0

    31 reviews

    Dined on November 30, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Loved every bite. Interesting and innovative food. I like how you can order a variety of dishes. Especially enjoyed sitting at the bar watching the very skilled staff do their thing. The halibut was the best I’ve ever eaten! Thank you, Chef!

    Is this helpful?

  10. Leo

    VIP

    San Francisco

    25 reviews

    5.0

    25 reviews

    Dined on November 24, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Fabulous food. Fabulous service. This place should get a Michelin recommendation!

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Ethel's Fancy is rated 4.9 stars by 511 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 15 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Ethel's Fancy

550 Waverley St, Palo Alto, CA 94301-1720

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    University Avenue & Waverley Street<br />Hamilton Avenue & Waverley
  • Neighbourhood
    Palo Alto
  • Hours of Operation
    Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:30 pm
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Japanese, Contemporary French / American
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Scott Nishiyama
  • Additional
    Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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