Best Neighborhood Gem Restaurants in Portola Valley

Village bakery is as close to perfect as can be every time we visit. Love it!

Amazing food! Loved the Yellowtail Jalapeño Sashini. Miso Cod- delicious. Still craving it! Wagyu - so good. I got two ounces - wish I had ordered 3!! The spicy tuna roll- shocking good for a seemingly simple dish. Gracious service. Will definitely go back.

With a name like The Village Pub you might envision a loud, local, low-dining experience but that couldn’t be further from the truth. With a great menu, helpful staff, and beautiful but intimate dining room, The Village Pub is a high-end dining experience without the bougie baggage of haute establishments. The cocktails are fun and balanced and the menu has some real knockouts: The plating and flavor on the Sunchoke Veloutê was very appealing. The Seared Hokkaido Scallops might have been the best scallop dish I’ve ever had. My wife loved the Crab Risotto. What made the experience special is connecting with staff, talking about dishes and recommendations, and having the kitchen send out some samples of things to try. Thanks Village Pub for a great night out!

Visited on V-day 2025 one day ahead. Semi-regular guest but pouring rain so expected more no-shows. Not at Sundance. Overall service was impeccable and especially our table service by Jeff. He's a veteran there and extremely knowledgable of the menu and wines including how dishes are cooked and his recommendations, after thoughtful discussion, were perfect. have experienced similar table service in the past. Bone-in rib eye was absolutely phenomenal and just slightly more so than the prime rib. We split the caesar salad which was a perfect size. Good choices for accompaniments including baked potato, mushies, etc. We don't remember the enjoyable special cocktails and wines by the glass but they all matched well! Oh, yes, before I forget, the Chocolate Sundae dessert was a must have and perfect finish. Thank you Galen, Tanner and Jeff.

Evvia is one of my favorite all time restaurants. The food is consistently excellent and the service impeccable. Favorite dishes include the spreads, the Evvia salad, Greek salad, avgolemono soup, anything with lamb and the whole fish. The pasta never disappoints and if you want a hearty dish their moussaka is the very best outside Greece.