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St. Michael's Alley, Palo Alto, CA

St. Michael's Alley

4.6
4.6
808 Reviews
$31 to $50
American

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 20 times today
  • Good for special occasions
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Charming
Established in 1959, owners Jenny Youll and Mike Sabina expanded the once small coffeehouse of St. Michaels Alley into this intimate dining establishment in 2009. The restaurant provides three comfortable spaces for a dinner out with friends, date night, or a complete private event. The main dining room is wood paneled and intimate. The front room / bar area is more casual and social, yet still offers tables with linens and the full menu. The solid wood bar is a favorite dining spot for many of the regulars and locals. A beautiful outdoor patio is most enjoyable on warm summer days and nights as it open to the sky. Enjoy a cocktail at the full bar before venturing into one of the upscale and relaxed dining spaces of St. Michael's Alley.

The restaurant is currently offering the Autumn Menu on the Patio as well as takeout, Tuesday through Sunday starting at 5pm.

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    American, Californian, Comfort Food
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Tue–Sun 17:00–20:45
  • Phone number
    (650) 326-2530
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Catering
    At this time, catering is on a Pick-up only arrangement. Please call 650-906-8060
  • Private party facilities
    We can accommodate private and semi-private groups. For a full buyout, the dining room seats up to 50 people. The bar seats an additional 20 people, but is separate from the dining room. Price for the entire restaurant for the entire night ranges from $7,000 - $10,000. Two semi-private spaces are available and separated with a heavy curtain. The smaller space seats up to 20 people ($2000-$2400), and the larger space up to 26 people ($2400-$2800). Please call us at 650-326-2530 for more information.
  • Area
    Palo Alto
  • Cross Street
    High St.
  • Parking details
    Street Parking and Public Lot Under Building (800 High St.)
  • Public transit
    Caltrain - Palo Alto, University Avenue
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeaway, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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What 808 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.3Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Peninsula

    American

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
St. Michael's Alley is a Palo Alto gem offering "amazing food" and "superb service" in a "lovely ambiance." Its diverse menu features standout dishes like rack of lamb and halibut. Diners appreciate its "great atmosphere" and "attentive staff." While occasional service issues arise, the overall dining experience remains "outstanding."

808 Reviews
  1. Anne

    Central Coast

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great dining opportunity from appetizers to dessert, especially the profiteroles. A great & reasonably priced wine list. All in all, a definite destination!

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  2. David

    VIP

    San Francisco

    14 reviews

    3.0

    14 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    This is our 3rd experience here in 6 months. The other two were fabulous. We sat outside and the service was great. The Piot by the glass was limited to two big domestic pinot's. It would be great to have a lighter choice and maybe French. The mushroom cake was divine. The frisee salad was small and could hardly taste the truffle vinnigrette dressing, and replace the macadamia nuts with something more astringent, like walnuts. The chicken pot pastry was fabulous but the filling needed more salt and tarragon otherwise it was kinda bland. The rack of lamb really needed to have the ends of the chops wrapped. Ours were not and they were charcoal, which then spread all over the table when seperating the chops. The choolate mousse was delicious but the orange creme anglesse didnt smash it. I would've done a vanilla creme anglesse or a raspberry. Overall, we like St Mikes but they didn't crush it last night

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  3. Optimistic

    San Francisco

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 5
    How would you rate an experience if your waiter was cranky and didn't pay any attention to you? We showed up on time. Our waiter spent a long time talking to friends at another table while we sat there and watched. We had no water or bread. The water was finally provided by a nice young man. After awhile longer the waiter finally came over. We ordered but he was clearly not happy. Our salad came but our wine was still missing. I asked the waiter for our wine and he told us he was busy serving others. The beet salad was terrible with almost no dressing. We finally received our wine after the salad and received our entrees. My life had salmon that was very good and I had braised beef that was all fat. Not good. We want to believe in this restaurant -- we have been to it before and it was very good. I hope this was just a bad night and they were short of staff, but it is an expensive restaurant and that was a bad experience.

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  4. Susan

    VIP

    San Francisco

    20 reviews

    4.0

    20 reviews

    Dined on 9 February 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    The food was good overall, but not great. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are very limited.

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  5. Ben

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 3 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We always have a wonderful experience at St Michaels' Alley. Thank yo.

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  6. James

    VIP

    San Francisco

    20 reviews

    5.0

    20 reviews

    Dined on 29 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Yet another great evening at St. Michael’s Alley; it never disappoints!

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  7. Alice

    VIP

    San Francisco

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on 29 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Always love the delicious food and great service at St Michaels’s Alley.

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  8. Ted

    VIP

    San Francisco

    66 reviews

    3.0

    66 reviews

    Dined on 25 January 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    I have been going to St Michael's Alley for close to 50 years and last night was the first disappointing dinner. The food was all good, but I was not served what I ordered.

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  9. Steven

    VIP

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 19 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Dinner at St. Michael's Alley was amazing! The atmosphere, service, menu, and wine list were all outstanding. We enjoyed the evening and will come back soon.

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  10. John

    San Antonio

    39 reviews

    4.0

    39 reviews

    Dined on 5 January 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent service by Abby. Really tasty food. Very good value for downtown PA. Lovely setting.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

St. Michael's Alley offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (650) 326-2530.

St. Michael's Alley is rated 4.6 stars by 808 OpenTable diners.

St. Michael's Alley does offer gift cards which you can purchase here.

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

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 20 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for St. Michael's Alley

140 Homer Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    High St.
  • Area
    Palo Alto
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Tue–Sun 17:00–20:45
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    American, Californian, Comfort Food
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Street Parking and Public Lot Under Building (800 High St.)
  • Public transit
    Caltrain - Palo Alto, University Avenue
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeaway, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (650) 326-2530
  • Catering
    At this time, catering is on a Pick-up only arrangement. Please call 650-906-8060
  • Private party facilities
    We can accommodate private and semi-private groups. For a full buyout, the dining room seats up to 50 people. The bar seats an additional 20 people, but is separate from the dining room. Price for the entire restaurant for the entire night ranges from $7,000 - $10,000. Two semi-private spaces are available and separated with a heavy curtain. The smaller space seats up to 20 people ($2000-$2400), and the larger space up to 26 people ($2400-$2800). Please call us at 650-326-2530 for more information.
Gift card

Gift card

Send gift cards instantly by email or print to present in person.

Send a gift card
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