Service was amazing! Garrett was so attentive and would bring everything we needed before we could even think of asking. Service like that is what makes the experience truly memorable. The atmosphere is good too—not too loud and beautiful decor. Ingredients were delicious, but I was not a fan of some dishes (could be personal preference). The cucumber salad seemed too acidic and the pork belly with burrata pairing didn’t go well in my opinion. But again, the quality was great and the rest is personal preference. Would be an injustice if I didn’t mention that trout was absolutely delectable! Might be the best one I’ve ever had. Also, the vanilla soft serve with cardamom crumble was a hit!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Charlene Wang
I come here every week, and my favorite dishes are milk bread, pork belly, one of the salad, cotton cheesecake, and their old pasta dish. The new one is too stuffy. Can you please bring it back?I also love that there’s something new everything I come, and I’m surprised that the price is pretty reasonable. I’ve brought all my best friends here too.
Love the variety in the menu! Each dish has so many different flavors and always in a good way. The service here is impeccable, constant, but not intrusive, and the staff is ready with recommendations!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Milk Bread from the Hearth
RobertJ
This has quickly become one of my favorite restaurants. The dishes are creative, packed with flavor, and are expertly and consistently prepared. I enjoy sitting at the Chef's Counter to watch these professionals at work. The service is quick and consistent (in my experience); they have a lot of staff and they know what they are doing. The dishes are small and the bill mounts up in a hurry. That works well for me; I like the variety and I do not need large quantities. But be prepared for that. The charred sugar snap peas are the perfect starter. Go from there!
BarbaraB
Great staff from the maitre d' to the multiple servers bringing us food and drink. The food was so fresh and delicious and innovative. This is going to the top of our list of restaurants to return to again and again!
SteveR
Relaxed Palo Alto vibe. Strange menu— sort of a tasting menu, but then some “shareable” items are much more entree-sized. Just hard to know, even after asking, what to order for a group of five. Kitchen really blew it and we waited more than an hour for our final ribeye “shareable”—/they said that they had overcooked it and needed to refire. Still took almost 45 minutes. Chef sent more food (we weee already full and ready to leave). Would have been nice to comp part of the $550 bill.
Mike
We had no idea what we were getting into when we walked into Ethyl's Fancy. A little later the best snap peas I could ever have imagined arrived. We were ‘sold'. That first dish was followed by little gem salad with potato chips, oysters, pork belly and octopus. Every dish was fresh and inventive. The restaurant's vibe was friendly and enthusiastic. The service was truly superior. We can't wait to go back.
Jesus Alex
Very good
Paul Hahn
Perhaps THE best restaurant in the Palo Alto area, and rivals high end restaurants in NYC or Chicago. Dishes that you simply*must* try: the miso cucumber appetizer, the Trout main dish and the bread dish is absolutely divine!!! We shared about a dozen plates of various sizes among six of us, including three desserts. The service (Madison!) is on par with the chef's excellence. Only one complaint...the benches were a bit hard to sit on for too long.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Milk Bread, Cucumber Salad
Valentine
Simply mind blowing food. I am very picky and can't think of a better restaurant in Palo Alto! Every single item on the menu is fantastic. Sesame pancakes, beans, milk bread, trout, pork belly.... the list goes on. Have been there couple of times already and will be back soon for sure!
Amazing, unique variety of dishes to choose from. What the chef and kitchen staff are doing here is really quite different and remarkable from other fine dining establishments in the area. Staff is very attentive and keeps the food coming. Have been twice and intend to visit again! Thank you!
ljhatgisdotnet
We had oysters, sugar snap peas, sesame pancakes, grilled skewers, cauliflower, gem lettuce salad, Kam-a hi crudo, and pork belly. We also indulged in every dessert. The Meyer lemon ponzu was amazing with the oysters, the nutty sauce under the snap peas made the dish one of our favorites for the night. In stiff competition, the warm sesame pancakes with house smoked trout belly, avocado and chili crisp earned top marks from most of the party. Another favorite dish, the kampachi crudo served on a house made cracker with judicious notes of citrus from mandarin chunks and an expertly balanced sauce, along with herbaceous purple shiso. Our pork belly lover thinks maybe the crispy pork belly with miso caramel may be his favorite rendition of his often ordered favorite. For me, the heirloom cauliflower with sour kiwi, cashew and medjool vinaigrette tickled all the fancies of this veggie lover. I was surprised that the delicata squash was raw in the salad and spent the rest of the dish adjusting to that trying to determine if I liked it or I didn't. I still don't know. The lettuce was crisp as were the chips and the dressing was perfectly balanced. I was underwhelmed by the portion size of the bean dish.... There couldn't have been more than 18 beans, which seems to be such a small amount for a shared dish, it was one of my most anticipated dishes and just didn't stand out as I had hoped, but to be honest, how can every dish be the best of everything you ever had? When the waiter says their favorite is the Tahitian vanilla soft serve on sour apple granita....trust them. That's casting no aspersions on the other two, although the cotton cheesecake is a novel texture. There's something about creamy sweet vanilla met with the frosty tartness of the granita that sings. Our second favorite dessert was the chocolate caramel tart where the grapes and figs cut the decadence of a very balanced tart, and the toasty sesame lent grounding notes to the dish.
GabriellaV
We had a wonderful experience at Ethel's. We sat at the bar and had awesome drinks. I don't drink much anymore but they were great. Also awesome non-alcoholic selection. I will get next time! The service is impeccable. You can tell the staff really cares and is working hard. I loved it for our date night.
SusanB
I'm reluctant to give this best kept secret away for fear I'll never get a reservation again! In a city that has so many choices for dining out, Ethel's Fancy stands out for the food and service. I can think of anything to complain about other than the tables were a little close together, but if that what it takes to get a seat at the table I'm ok with that!
Mara
Food was excellent, service was mediocre, ambiance was a bit spartan. I really liked the food and will return. However, my waiter needed more assistance and the restaurant might improve the comfort of the chairs. Good restaurant.
Service was amazing! Garrett was so attentive and would bring everything we needed before we could even think of asking. Service like that is what makes the experience truly memorable. The atmosphere is good too—not too loud and beautiful decor. Ingredients were delicious, but I was not a fan of some dishes (could be personal preference). The cucumber salad seemed too acidic and the pork belly with burrata pairing didn’t go well in my opinion. But again, the quality was great and the rest is personal preference. Would be an injustice if I didn’t mention that trout was absolutely delectable! Might be the best one I’ve ever had. Also, the vanilla soft serve with cardamom crumble was a hit!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
I come here every week, and my favorite dishes are milk bread, pork belly, one of the salad, cotton cheesecake, and their old pasta dish. The new one is too stuffy. Can you please bring it back?I also love that there’s something new everything I come, and I’m surprised that the price is pretty reasonable. I’ve brought all my best friends here too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hiramasa Tartare, Crispy Pork Belly
Love the variety in the menu! Each dish has so many different flavors and always in a good way. The service here is impeccable, constant, but not intrusive, and the staff is ready with recommendations!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Milk Bread from the Hearth
This has quickly become one of my favorite restaurants. The dishes are creative, packed with flavor, and are expertly and consistently prepared. I enjoy sitting at the Chef's Counter to watch these professionals at work. The service is quick and consistent (in my experience); they have a lot of staff and they know what they are doing. The dishes are small and the bill mounts up in a hurry. That works well for me; I like the variety and I do not need large quantities. But be prepared for that. The charred sugar snap peas are the perfect starter. Go from there!
Great staff from the maitre d' to the multiple servers bringing us food and drink. The food was so fresh and delicious and innovative. This is going to the top of our list of restaurants to return to again and again!
Relaxed Palo Alto vibe. Strange menu— sort of a tasting menu, but then some “shareable” items are much more entree-sized. Just hard to know, even after asking, what to order for a group of five. Kitchen really blew it and we waited more than an hour for our final ribeye “shareable”—/they said that they had overcooked it and needed to refire. Still took almost 45 minutes. Chef sent more food (we weee already full and ready to leave). Would have been nice to comp part of the $550 bill.
We had no idea what we were getting into when we walked into Ethyl's Fancy. A little later the best snap peas I could ever have imagined arrived. We were ‘sold'. That first dish was followed by little gem salad with potato chips, oysters, pork belly and octopus. Every dish was fresh and inventive. The restaurant's vibe was friendly and enthusiastic. The service was truly superior. We can't wait to go back.
Very good
Perhaps THE best restaurant in the Palo Alto area, and rivals high end restaurants in NYC or Chicago. Dishes that you simply*must* try: the miso cucumber appetizer, the Trout main dish and the bread dish is absolutely divine!!! We shared about a dozen plates of various sizes among six of us, including three desserts. The service (Madison!) is on par with the chef's excellence. Only one complaint...the benches were a bit hard to sit on for too long.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Milk Bread, Cucumber Salad
Simply mind blowing food. I am very picky and can't think of a better restaurant in Palo Alto! Every single item on the menu is fantastic. Sesame pancakes, beans, milk bread, trout, pork belly.... the list goes on. Have been there couple of times already and will be back soon for sure!
Restaurantji Recommends
Amazing, unique variety of dishes to choose from. What the chef and kitchen staff are doing here is really quite different and remarkable from other fine dining establishments in the area. Staff is very attentive and keeps the food coming. Have been twice and intend to visit again! Thank you!
We had oysters, sugar snap peas, sesame pancakes, grilled skewers, cauliflower, gem lettuce salad, Kam-a hi crudo, and pork belly. We also indulged in every dessert. The Meyer lemon ponzu was amazing with the oysters, the nutty sauce under the snap peas made the dish one of our favorites for the night. In stiff competition, the warm sesame pancakes with house smoked trout belly, avocado and chili crisp earned top marks from most of the party. Another favorite dish, the kampachi crudo served on a house made cracker with judicious notes of citrus from mandarin chunks and an expertly balanced sauce, along with herbaceous purple shiso. Our pork belly lover thinks maybe the crispy pork belly with miso caramel may be his favorite rendition of his often ordered favorite. For me, the heirloom cauliflower with sour kiwi, cashew and medjool vinaigrette tickled all the fancies of this veggie lover. I was surprised that the delicata squash was raw in the salad and spent the rest of the dish adjusting to that trying to determine if I liked it or I didn't. I still don't know. The lettuce was crisp as were the chips and the dressing was perfectly balanced. I was underwhelmed by the portion size of the bean dish.... There couldn't have been more than 18 beans, which seems to be such a small amount for a shared dish, it was one of my most anticipated dishes and just didn't stand out as I had hoped, but to be honest, how can every dish be the best of everything you ever had? When the waiter says their favorite is the Tahitian vanilla soft serve on sour apple granita....trust them. That's casting no aspersions on the other two, although the cotton cheesecake is a novel texture. There's something about creamy sweet vanilla met with the frosty tartness of the granita that sings. Our second favorite dessert was the chocolate caramel tart where the grapes and figs cut the decadence of a very balanced tart, and the toasty sesame lent grounding notes to the dish.
We had a wonderful experience at Ethel's. We sat at the bar and had awesome drinks. I don't drink much anymore but they were great. Also awesome non-alcoholic selection. I will get next time! The service is impeccable. You can tell the staff really cares and is working hard. I loved it for our date night.
I'm reluctant to give this best kept secret away for fear I'll never get a reservation again! In a city that has so many choices for dining out, Ethel's Fancy stands out for the food and service. I can think of anything to complain about other than the tables were a little close together, but if that what it takes to get a seat at the table I'm ok with that!
Food was excellent, service was mediocre, ambiance was a bit spartan. I really liked the food and will return. However, my waiter needed more assistance and the restaurant might improve the comfort of the chairs. Good restaurant.