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If the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach, then we have the love potion for you. We asked 10 local restaurateurs and chefs which Peninsula restaurants they’d take their loved ones to for Valentine’s Day and which dishes they’d be sure to order.
While some of these restaurants still have reservations available, many are filling up quickly and may not have availability.
Anthony Tam’s recommendation: Son & Garden
Ricotta pancakes with vanilla pastry cream, house jam and fresh fruit at Son & Garden in Menlo Park. 
Anthony Tam, chef-owner of Anton SV Pâtisserie, said the pancakes at Son & Garden in Menlo Park are “the best in the Bay Area.” Courtesy Son & Garden. 
Matcha mochi pancakes with green tea sauce at Son & Garden in Menlo Park. Courtesy Son & Garden.
The founder of Peninsula crepe cake business Anton SV Pâtisserie raves about Son & Garden’s pancakes, calling them “the best in the Bay Area.” The Menlo Park brunch restaurant’s ambiance is “always perfect for special occasions, making it a great spot to celebrate,” Tam wrote in an email. Created by the chef-owner of Farmhouse Kitchen, Kasem Saengsawang, Son & Garden also features the lush floral decor Farmhouse Kitchen is known for.
Anton SV Patisserie is collaborating with The Caviar Co. for a limited-edition Valentine’s Day caviar crepe cake and partnering with The Traveling Stem to offer dessert and flower-in-cup arrangements. The crepe cakery opened its first brick-and-mortar shop in San Mateo in October and will soon open a second location at Stanford Shopping Center.
Son & Garden, 1195 Merrill St., Menlo Park; 650-665-7963, Instagram: @sonandgarden. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Ayesha Thapar and David Nayfeld’s recommendation: Robin
A personalized omakase experience at Menlo Park’s Robin would be the Valentine’s dinner of choice for both Thapar – co-owner of Palo Alto’s Ettan, Menlo Park’s Eylan and Los Altos’ Little Blue Door – and Nayfeld, chef-owner of Che Fico. Originally established in San Francisco, Robin opened at the Springline development in 2023, offering contemporary chef’s choice experiences for $109-$209 a person.
“I always look forward to the cold sesame noodles with truffle, which are served towards the end of the omakase experience,” Thapar wrote in an email. “The sleek interior provides the perfect ambiance, and the warm lighting is just right for a romantic evening.”
Nayfeld said Robin’s sushi is “the best in class in the region,” and he especially enjoys the Kobe beef with sea urchin on a nori crisp. “It is fatty, briny and crispy. This dish is a great expression of how textures and flavors can be contrasting while also complementing,” Nayfeld wrote in an email.
Ettan is offering a $140 five-course Cal-Indian tasting menu for Valentine’s Day (available in vegetarian and non-vegetarian), with the option of a curated wine pairing or a nonalcoholic beverage pairing for an added cost.
Che Fico Parco Menlo has a $195 four-course family-style Italian tasting menu for Valentine’s Day, with the option of a $85 wine pairing.
Robin, 1300 El Camino Real, Suite C, Menlo Park; 650-204-1437, Instagram: @robinmenlopark. Open Tuesday and Wednesday 5-9 p.m, Thursday to Saturday 5-9:30 p.m.
Donato Scotti’s recommendation: Meyhouse
Meyhouse will offer a $130 prix fixe menu with an optional $60 wine pairing for Valentine’s Day. Photo by Annette Chew. 
Meyhouse Palo Alto will offer a live jazz performance on Valentine’s Day. Photo by Annette Chew. 
Donato Scotti, chef-owner of Donato Enoteca, recommends ordering a selection of mezze and grilled dishes and asking for an interesting wine pairing at Meyhouse. Photo by Joseph Weaver.
The chef-owner of Redwood City’s Donato Enoteca and CRU Wine Bar & Shop recommends Meyhouse, an upscale Turkish restaurant with locations in Palo Alto and Sunnyvale. Order a selection of mezze and grilled dishes and ask for an interesting wine pairing, Scotti suggests.
“Meyhouse feels sophisticated but it has a high energy that makes it a fun night out,” Scotti wrote in an email. “The food is beautifully plated and is just unusual enough to feel special.”
Meyhouse will offer a $130 prix fixe menu with an optional $60 wine pairing at both its Palo Alto and Sunnyvale restaurants. At its Palo Alto restaurant, enjoy a live jazz performance with the prix fix menu for a total price of $200.
Donato Enoteca is offering a three-course ($74) or four-course ($98) Italian prix fixe menu for Valentine’s Day.
Meyhouse, Instagram: @meyhouserestaurant. 640 Emerson St., Palo Alto; 650-521-0935. Open Sunday to Thursday from 11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-10 p.m. 187 S. Murphy Ave., Sunnyvale; 408-685-2255. Open Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday from 11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-10 p.m.
Kasem Saengsawang’s recommendation: Ettan
Chicken biryani, black pepper cauliflower and cocktails are must orders at Ettan, according to Saengsawang, the chef-owner of Menlo Park’s Farmhouse Kitchen and Son & Garden. Established in downtown Palo Alto in 2020 by Thapar and chef partner Srijith Gopinathan, Ettan offers Indian flavors with California farm-to-table ingredients.
“The modern twist on Indian cuisine is exciting, the atmosphere is warm and romantic, and I appreciate the variety of dishes and creative cocktails they offer, all of which combine for a vibey experience,” Saengsawang wrote via Instagram direct message.
Ettan, 518 Bryant St., Palo Alto; 650-752-6281, Instagram: @ettanrestaurant. Open Monday to Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m., Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-10 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5-10 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5-9 p.m.
Manish Tyagi’s recommendations: Pausa and Red Hot Chilli Pepper
Manish Tyagi, chef-owner of Aurum, recommends trying Pausa’s flatbreads, cheeses and house-cured meats. Photo by Adrienne Mitchel. 
Duck leg confit ($42) with chestnut puree, sunchokes, braised leeks and pomegranate gastrique at Pausa in San Mateo. Photo by Adrienne Mitchel. 
Zuppa ingelese ($16) with cheesecake gelato, lychee foam, sour cherry compote, chocolate sauce and graham cracker crumble at Pausa in San Mateo. Photo by Adrienne Mitchel
The chef-owner of Aurum, a Michelin-recommended Indian restaurant in Los Altos, suggests two restaurants at different price points for Valentine’s Day. For an upscale Italian dinner, celebrate at San Mateo’s Pausa, which holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and try their cheeses, flatbreads, house-cured meats and housemade pasta.
“In my view, Pausa is by far the most authentic and creative Italian restaurant,” Tyagi wrote in an email.
If you’re looking for something more casual, try San Carlos’ Red Hot Chilli Pepper, which offers Indo-Chinese cuisine. Tyagi recommends ordering the chili chicken, momos, Manchurian cauliflower, Szechwan eggplant and fried rice.
Aurum will offer a special Valentine’s Day four-course dinner with complimentary Champagne for $98.22 each.
Pausa Bar & Cookery, 223 E. 4th Ave., San Mateo; 650-375-0818, Instagram: @pausasanmateo. Open Monday to Thursday 4:30-9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 4:30-9:30 p.m. and Sunday 4-8:30 p.m.
Red Hot Chilli Pepper, 1125 San Carlos Ave., San Carlos; 650-453-3055, Instagram: @redhotchillipeppersancarlos. Open Monday to Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-9:15 p.m., Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5:30-10:15 p.m., Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5:30-10:15 p.m., Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5:30-9:15 p.m.
Michael Ekwall’s recommendation: Protégé
Soft poached hen egg with porcini, braised bacon, parmesan foudue and freshly grated black truffle at Protégé in Palo Alto. Photo by Natalia Nazarova. 
From left, Protégé’s house cocktails: Smoke Screen with mezcal, amaro, chili pepper and lime; old-fashioned with bourbon, vanilla demerara and angostura bitters; Pomelo Daisy Flower with tequila blanco, pamplemousse and guava. Photo by Natalia Nazarova. 
The bar at Protégé in Palo Alto. Photo by Natalia Nazarova.
Michelin-starred Protégé is the Valentine’s pick for the owner of Palo Alto’s La Bodeguita del Medio.
“From top to bottom, Anthony (Secviar) and Dennis (Kelly) have it dialed in,” Ekwall wrote in an email. “I say this not because they are our neighbors and they are nice people; but the experience, the quality of the food, the quality of the service, and just being welcoming and well thought out, any guest feels that as soon as they walk in…everything is top notch!”
Ekwall and his wife Lara Ekwall recommend the crab and caviar snack made of Dungeness crab, yuzu sabayon and golden Ossetra caviar inside an eggshell atop a small sculpture. “It is a work of art,” Michael Ekwall wrote.
He recommends pairing the dish with a glass of Champagne, specifically the Veuve Fourny Rose, and notes that his wife “might rather have a glass of pinot noir or perhaps a red Burgundy.”
Protégé is offering a special $305 five-course tasting menu Feb. 13-15.
Protégé, 250 California Ave., Palo Alto; Instagram: @protegepaloalto. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 5-9:30 p.m.
Omer Artun’s recommendation: Chez TJ
Broken Arrow Ranch quail with honeynut squash and red cabbage at Chez TJ in Mountain View. Courtesy Chez TJ. 
Stanley Michalski, the executive chef at Chez TJ, prepares a quail at the contemporary French Michelin-starred restaurant. Photo by Adrienne Mitchel. 
The interior of Chez TJ in Mountain View. Photo by Adrienne Mitchel.
The executive chef and co-founder of Meyhouse suggests Michelin-starred Chez TJ for Valentine’s Day. Located in a historic Victorian home since 1982, Chez TJ serves contemporary French cuisine using ingredients from its own garden located on the property. While the menu changes at the discretion of executive chef Stanley Michalski, Artun notes that the Hokkaido scallops were phenomenal.
“The food is always phenomenal, and the service is just as great,” Artun wrote in an email. “It’s an intimate spot with a special touch, perfect for a romantic night out.”
From Feb. 14-15, Chez TJ will offer a special $350 eight-course menu, with vegetarian options available.
Chez TJ, 938 Villa St., Mountain View; 650-964-7466, Instagram: @chez.tj. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 5-10 p.m.
Saif Makableh’s recommendation: La Stanza
Makableh, chef-owner of Mazra and a James Beard Award semifinalist, would take his wife and 2-year-old daughter to La Stanza Cucina Italiana in Meno Park. He recommends ordering the fiocchetti aurora, pasta pockets stuffed with pear and Asiago cheese in a creamy tomato sauce.
“It’s the perfect blend of sweet and savory, and that pear brings in a huge layer of flavor that I never knew I needed in pasta,” he wrote in an email. “The space is pretty cozy yet elegant and makes for a great romantic dinner while still being family-friendly enough to bring our little one along.”
La Stanza Cucina Italiana, 651 Oak Grove Ave., Suite H, Menlo Park; 650-326-1314, Instagram: @lastanzacucina. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 4-8:30 p.m.
Sunny Noah’s recommendation: Drunken Monk and Ethel’s Fancy
Drunken Monk, a cozy Menlo Park izakaya which opened in 2023, “has many surprising high end ingredients to offer,” according to Noah, co-owner of Palo Alto’s Iki Omakase and Redwood City’s Nagai Edomae Sushi. Must-try dishes include corn kakiage, A5 Hokkaido or American wagyu sukiyaki, kaizen don and sushi, which are “executed with precision and finesse,” he wrote in an email.
Created by former Michelin-starred Chez TJ executive chef Scott Nishiyama, Ethel’s Fancy offers California cuisine with an Asian twist. Noah recommends the milk bread, snap peas, grilled pork chop, charcoal-grilled octopus and crispy pork belly, but said “you can’t go wrong with any selection.”
Ethel’s Fancy will offer a $170 four-course prix fixe menu from Feb. 14-15, with multiple shareable dishes in every course.
Drunken Monk, 1438 El Camino Real, Menlo Park; 650-384-6668, Instagram: @drunkenmonk_official. Open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5-9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday from noon to 2:30 p.m. and 5-10 p.m., Sunday from noon to 2:30 p.m. and 5-9:30 p.m.
Ethel’s Fancy, 550 Waverley St., Palo Alto; 650-561-4860, Instagram: @ethelsfancy. Open Tuesday to Thursday from 5-9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5-9:30 p.m.
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Correction: A previous version of this article misspelled David Nayfeld’s name. The Almanac regrets this error.
Menlo Park Mayor Betsy Nash won’t seek reelection after eight years on City CouncilMarch 24, 2026 10:41 am