Ethel's Fancy

4.9

551 Reviews

$50 and over

Californian

Make a reservation

2 people

Feb 24, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 19 times today

Good for special occasions
Innovative
Lively

A hip and fun restaurant with chef's counter dining, serving thoughtful American cuisine, with an emphasis on local seasonal products.

Ethel's Fancy is open at 5 PM Tuesday - Saturday.

We have a small dining room with a limited amount of reservable tables. We do keep our Bar seats and a table in the restaurant open for people to walk-ins. Walk-ins are on a first come basis.

Please do not make multiple reservations with the intention of combining reservations to increase party size.

All guests must be present before your party will be seated.

To help provide a seamless experience for all our guests, we have allocated 2-hours for your group of 2 to 4 people.

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Price
$50 and over
Cuisines
Californian, Japanese, Contemporary French / American
Hours of operation
Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:30 pm
Phone number
(650) 561-4860
Website
http://www.ethelsfancypa.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Business Casual
Executive chef
Scott Nishiyama

Location
550 Waverley St, Palo Alto, CA 94301-1720
Neighborhood
Palo Alto
Cross street
University Avenue & Waverley Street<br />Hamilton Avenue & Waverley
Parking details
Public Lot
Additional
Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 551 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.9

4.9 based on recent ratings

4.9Food
4.8Service
4.7Ambience
4.5Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

San Francisco Bay Area
Californian
Peninsula
Best Overall
Peninsula
Best Food
Peninsula
Innovative
Peninsula
Hot spot
Peninsula
Californian

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Ethel's Fancy in Palo Alto captivates diners with its inventive and "unique" California cuisine, crafted by Chef Scott. The ambiance is described as "modern, energetic, and vibrant," making it perfect for special occasions. Guests rave about the "superb service" and "incredible" flavors, especially the "delicious" rigatoni and "phenomenal" sesame soft serve.

551 Reviews

D
Diana
VIP
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Amazing food. Macdaddy waiter. Was cold by the door though.
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r
rashmi
VIP
San Francisco
38 reviews
5.0
38 reviews
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
We had an amazing experience, food, service and overall experience was exceptional
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T
Teri
VIP
New York City
6 reviews
5.0
6 reviews
Dined 3 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent experience. We had a late reservation which worked for us but the kitchen ran out of some dishes which inhibited our ordering. Hopefully the waitstaff communicates to management what diners would have liked to order so the kitchen can have adequate quantities of ingredients.
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B
Brian
Los Angeles
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Best meal I have had in a while. They clearly have built a team that is in sync from chef Scott Nishiyama all the way to the person greeting you at the door. Everyone excited to work there. And for good reason. Let's start with the chef and the food: when the morning after you are still thinking about arrowhead cabbage, snap peas and milk bread…. What? The kitchen is sourcing and executing on an extremely high level. Combinations that are thoughtful, surprising - and that resist the temptation to add too many elements. Scallop stuffed tempura maitake mushrooms, and panko battered swordfish. It made me fall in love with those 2 foods in a totally new way. Service was extra-ordinary. Madison had energy and attentiveness even at the very end of the night. Everyone cares. Wine list is approachable if you want something tasty and modest, and expansive if you want something special. We just relocated to the Bay Area and will be back as often as we can justify.
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B
Bob
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
This is a great place to eat. The staff is friendly and fun and the food is both interesting and outstanding.
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R
Ruby
VIP
Los Angeles
6 reviews
5.0
6 reviews
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
All the dishes we ordered were tasty and eye-pleasing. Our favorite was the swordfish and pork belly. Broke Da Mout cocktail was yummy, not too sweet.
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A
Andrew
Hawaii
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We sat at the counter and got to see all of the dishes being prepared which made for an educational and fun night. Service was great. Food was even better. The dishes were colorful and thoughtful and tasted great. Will be back!
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A
Alonso
San Francisco
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on February 16, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Sat at the bar and Stephen was awesome. The food was flavorful and interesting while being very down to earth and approachable. We came on Valentine’s Day so it was a set menu but the stand outs were scallop stuffed mushrooms, salt and pepper octopus, milk bread and wagyu sirloin. Can’t wait to come back.
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M
Marianna
Hawaii
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on February 16, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
The food was very good. Prefixed menu was well presented. Services was excellent. Will come again
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J
Joyce
VIP
San Francisco
8 reviews
5.0
8 reviews
Dined on February 14, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
The milk bread was the star! The steak was perfect as was the little gem salad.
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FAQs

Ethel's Fancy is rated 4.9 stars by 551 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people

Feb 24, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 19 times today

550 Waverley St, Palo Alto, CA 94301-1720

Additional information

Cross street
University Avenue & Waverley Street<br />Hamilton Avenue & Waverley
Neighborhood
Palo Alto
Hours of operation
Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:30 pm
Price
$50 and over
Cuisines
Californian, Japanese, Contemporary French / American
Dining style
Casual Elegant
Dress code
Business Casual
Parking details
Public Lot
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Scott Nishiyama
Additional
Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.ethelsfancypa.com/
Phone number
(650) 561-4860

Ethel's Fancy

Make a reservation

Additional information

Menu

What 551 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

How is Ethel's Fancy restaurant rated?

Is Ethel's Fancy currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information