Had a really great time during a large event. The food was very good and the staff were amazing. They were easy to work with and the atmosphere was perfect for our event.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Nadav Gur
The salmon and rice were overcooked, the service was attentive but a little amateurish, and the ambience, well… we were sitting in this huge dining hall, almost alone. The bill however was 100% Palo Alto dinner restaurant.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
Laura Z.
I've been to MacArthur Park several times over the years and it had always been lovely, but something has happened. This was the worst restaurant experience EVER and it wasn't just our table. We went for Valentine's Day and we found out upon arrival that it was a prix fixe menu for $95 per person. It would have been great to have been given that information ahead of time like other restaurants on Valentine's Day. The front door continually slammed loudly throughout the dinner making me jump every few minutes. The restaurant seemed to have half the number of people working compared to what was needed. Our waitress was very kind but completely overwhelmed. We waited 30 minutes to get a glass of wine. After TWO HOURS, we hadn't even gotten our salads. We were so fed up that we asked for the entrees to go. This was not unique to us. Other people were going to get their drinks sitting in the bar, bussing their own dishes, and complaining about the long wait. Some people just got up and left. It didn't stop there. I watched as a waiter spilled several beers all over customers at another table, didn't say anything, and just walked away. Some of the other staff came over to help clean and move them to a new table. Then the host had to reprimand the waiter when he realized that 40 minutes later, the waiter never ordered them replacement beverages. This was typical of the whole evening. I'm sad to say that MacArthur Park has completely fallen apart. Stay away.
I don't even know where to begin. This was the worst restaurant experience EVER and it wasn't just us. We waited 30 minutes to get a glass of wine. After two hours, we hadn't even gotten our salads. We were so fed up that we asked for the entrees to go. This was not unique to us. Other people were going to get their own drinks that were sitting in the bar and complaining about the looong wait. Some people just got up and left. I had been to this place years ago and loved it. I'm sad to say it has completely fallen apart. Stay away.
N F
An eating hall in the middle of Palo Alto. Food is ok but nothing special. Went for a business dinner, which seems to be the theme for the other 4 tables in this huge place...
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
Brandon Bakhtiar
Staff are professional and classy. Stumbled in under dressed with my beautiful girlfriend (I think she is why we were seated by the fireplace)…classic piano playing. The calamari was so light and tasted like they just threw it in the fryer from a tank. Lucky us!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cobb Salad
SteveW
MacArthur Park is in a great old historic building that is a pleasure to dine in with its high ceilings, spacious seating and large brick fireplaces at each end. Julia Morgan did a great job designing this social hall and it's wonderful that it's still in use over a century later. I and friends come here every couple months to enjoy their happy hour with well- priced drinks and appetizers. The potato skins are best I've had and the prawns in a dried tomato cream sauce, while a little pricey, are outstanding. My wife & I celebrated New Year's Eve here recently. While service was a bit uneven (it took forever to get the champagne cocktails and we had to ask for spoons for the "amuse bouche" bisque) the food was well prepared and served hot and on pre-heated plates that kept it from cooling too quickly. The menu was limited because of the occasion but each of the 4 courses had enough selections that even a finicky eater would find something. We both ordered the filet mignon, which were each cooked perfectly as ordered. Our only complaint with the main course was that the potatoes au gratin were a little under-baked - the cheesy crust was golden brown but the potatoes themselves were still a bit crunchy. We both ordered the creme brulee for dessert, which came in two small demitasse cups - one vanilla, one chocolate. We both loved the chocolate but my wife thought the vanilla had a lemony note that she didn't appreciate. The wine list was adequate featuring mostly California wines but with a small selection of European bottles.
JudiM
This used to be a great restaurant. The food wasn't great, service was slow and inattentive. The bartender was very slow. The setting is still very pretty and the restaurant is comfortable, but the food is longer worth coming for.
ScottP
The busboy (really nice older guy) was the best part of the night. He would relay requests to the waitress, as she wasn't all that helpful. Also, it took 30 minutes to get the desert on the fixed price New Years Eve menu. Since there were only two options, you would assume that they would have all of them ready to go through the evening. Definitely not going back.
carla stoffel
Good food and service, but we did not like the 3-4% fee added to the bill for "living wage surcharge', or something similar. The wait staff I asked did not think they received this extra pay. If this restaurant needs more money to pay their workers a living wage, they should raise their prices.
We've had several holidays here over the past years, and MacArthur Park never fails to be consistent and welcoming every time. Thank you.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
MaryK
We come here every Christmas because it's the only American restaurant open on Christmas in our area. The quality of the food isn't as good as it once was, but it sure beats cooking. I was delighted to find that we had the same excellent waiter that we had last year. His name is Ignacio, and he is wonderful. He is just the nicest man. I told him we would see him again next year, God willing.
AnthonyF
The Christmas buffet was outstanding: a number of excellent entree choices including prime rib, bbq chicken, salmon, and prawns. The salad, side dishes, and dessert choices were also excellent. Service was also really good: attentive but not overly so.
Anon
We have gone to MacArthur Park many times on holidays for their buffet. It was a huge disappointment yesterday that its Christmas buffet was not a brunch, but rather just a buffet. There were no breakfast items, but the price remained the same. In short, the food's quality was not what we have come to expect from previous experiences. Also, the table service was quite slow. It just seemed like a totally different restaurant with disinterested staff. Nothing awful, just not as superb as we have seen in the past.
Slicey
We have been eating Christmas Day brunch here for a number of years. Many years the food has been left out too long and as a result is not fresh. This year the food was not left out too long and was fresh. They seemed to be re-filling the buffet regularly. We had a nice meal.
Had a really great time during a large event. The food was very good and the staff were amazing. They were easy to work with and the atmosphere was perfect for our event.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
The salmon and rice were overcooked, the service was attentive but a little amateurish, and the ambience, well… we were sitting in this huge dining hall, almost alone. The bill however was 100% Palo Alto dinner restaurant.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
I've been to MacArthur Park several times over the years and it had always been lovely, but something has happened. This was the worst restaurant experience EVER and it wasn't just our table. We went for Valentine's Day and we found out upon arrival that it was a prix fixe menu for $95 per person. It would have been great to have been given that information ahead of time like other restaurants on Valentine's Day. The front door continually slammed loudly throughout the dinner making me jump every few minutes. The restaurant seemed to have half the number of people working compared to what was needed. Our waitress was very kind but completely overwhelmed. We waited 30 minutes to get a glass of wine. After TWO HOURS, we hadn't even gotten our salads. We were so fed up that we asked for the entrees to go. This was not unique to us. Other people were going to get their drinks sitting in the bar, bussing their own dishes, and complaining about the long wait. Some people just got up and left. It didn't stop there. I watched as a waiter spilled several beers all over customers at another table, didn't say anything, and just walked away. Some of the other staff came over to help clean and move them to a new table. Then the host had to reprimand the waiter when he realized that 40 minutes later, the waiter never ordered them replacement beverages. This was typical of the whole evening. I'm sad to say that MacArthur Park has completely fallen apart. Stay away.
I don't even know where to begin. This was the worst restaurant experience EVER and it wasn't just us. We waited 30 minutes to get a glass of wine. After two hours, we hadn't even gotten our salads. We were so fed up that we asked for the entrees to go. This was not unique to us. Other people were going to get their own drinks that were sitting in the bar and complaining about the looong wait. Some people just got up and left. I had been to this place years ago and loved it. I'm sad to say it has completely fallen apart. Stay away.
An eating hall in the middle of Palo Alto. Food is ok but nothing special. Went for a business dinner, which seems to be the theme for the other 4 tables in this huge place...
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
Staff are professional and classy. Stumbled in under dressed with my beautiful girlfriend (I think she is why we were seated by the fireplace)…classic piano playing. The calamari was so light and tasted like they just threw it in the fryer from a tank. Lucky us!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cobb Salad
MacArthur Park is in a great old historic building that is a pleasure to dine in with its high ceilings, spacious seating and large brick fireplaces at each end. Julia Morgan did a great job designing this social hall and it's wonderful that it's still in use over a century later. I and friends come here every couple months to enjoy their happy hour with well- priced drinks and appetizers. The potato skins are best I've had and the prawns in a dried tomato cream sauce, while a little pricey, are outstanding. My wife & I celebrated New Year's Eve here recently. While service was a bit uneven (it took forever to get the champagne cocktails and we had to ask for spoons for the "amuse bouche" bisque) the food was well prepared and served hot and on pre-heated plates that kept it from cooling too quickly. The menu was limited because of the occasion but each of the 4 courses had enough selections that even a finicky eater would find something. We both ordered the filet mignon, which were each cooked perfectly as ordered. Our only complaint with the main course was that the potatoes au gratin were a little under-baked - the cheesy crust was golden brown but the potatoes themselves were still a bit crunchy. We both ordered the creme brulee for dessert, which came in two small demitasse cups - one vanilla, one chocolate. We both loved the chocolate but my wife thought the vanilla had a lemony note that she didn't appreciate. The wine list was adequate featuring mostly California wines but with a small selection of European bottles.
This used to be a great restaurant. The food wasn't great, service was slow and inattentive. The bartender was very slow. The setting is still very pretty and the restaurant is comfortable, but the food is longer worth coming for.
The busboy (really nice older guy) was the best part of the night. He would relay requests to the waitress, as she wasn't all that helpful. Also, it took 30 minutes to get the desert on the fixed price New Years Eve menu. Since there were only two options, you would assume that they would have all of them ready to go through the evening. Definitely not going back.
Good food and service, but we did not like the 3-4% fee added to the bill for "living wage surcharge', or something similar. The wait staff I asked did not think they received this extra pay. If this restaurant needs more money to pay their workers a living wage, they should raise their prices.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
We've had several holidays here over the past years, and MacArthur Park never fails to be consistent and welcoming every time. Thank you.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
We come here every Christmas because it's the only American restaurant open on Christmas in our area. The quality of the food isn't as good as it once was, but it sure beats cooking. I was delighted to find that we had the same excellent waiter that we had last year. His name is Ignacio, and he is wonderful. He is just the nicest man. I told him we would see him again next year, God willing.
The Christmas buffet was outstanding: a number of excellent entree choices including prime rib, bbq chicken, salmon, and prawns. The salad, side dishes, and dessert choices were also excellent. Service was also really good: attentive but not overly so.
We have gone to MacArthur Park many times on holidays for their buffet. It was a huge disappointment yesterday that its Christmas buffet was not a brunch, but rather just a buffet. There were no breakfast items, but the price remained the same. In short, the food's quality was not what we have come to expect from previous experiences. Also, the table service was quite slow. It just seemed like a totally different restaurant with disinterested staff. Nothing awful, just not as superb as we have seen in the past.
We have been eating Christmas Day brunch here for a number of years. Many years the food has been left out too long and as a result is not fresh. This year the food was not left out too long and was fresh. They seemed to be re-filling the buffet regularly. We had a nice meal.