Top Asian Fusion Restaurant in Palo Alto
INDO Restaurant & Lounge
3295 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94306, United States
Good Asian fusion food. Great place for celebrating, as the location is nice and I do puts so much effort into presenting the dishes - all super pretty. The taste is good if you are open to new experiences, for some looking for authentic Thai or Malay flavors you might not want to go to a fusion restaurant. ? Service is great, the food comes our relatively quickly.
Asian Box
855 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
Great restaurant for a quick clean meal. Asian fusion, tasty and tangy. Service was high quality overall great experience.
Rangoon Ruby Burmese Cuisine
445 Emerson St, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
This was a second visit after a very pleasant first experience, both times on a Thursday evening. The staff is friendly and attentive, the venue has been recently upgraded and has an urban feel. The highlight are the blown-glass chandeliers. Outside seating is also available. The tables inside are very close to each other and overhearing the neighbors conversation is unavoidable. From the appetizers tried the Samosas, Egg rolls and Palatas: the Palatas come with a side of chicken curry and the Samosas with a tasty spicy red sauce. All were tasty, but the Samosas were extremely hot, we burned our mouths. In contrary, the water for the tea was not warm enough to brew a tea and even more disappointing was that the water had a very strong smell, ruined the otherwise excellent and fragrant Mighty leaf Green tea Tropical, at $4.50 for a small pot. The brown rice was nicely presented, but again, not warm enough, undercooked and completely tasteless. On the opposite, the chicken curry was so oversalted, it was not possible to eat without the rice, although the meat itself was tender and cooked well. The pieces of chicken were quite large to serve with the spoon and hard to eat without a knife, but strangely, the utensils include only a fork. The highly recommended pork noodles were tasty, but very oily. I mostly enjoyed the eggplant with garlic, but that was very oily too. Overall, for the price expected much higher quality of the food and service.
True Food Kitchen
180 El Camino Real Ste 1140, Palo Alto, CA 94304, United States
I pass by this place often and see the patio seating but I never knew it was so nice on the inside until one of my relatives decided to do a New Years gathering here. It has a full bar as well.Lots of things are overly seasoned and salty. We shared two appetizers, the roasted brussels and the cauliflower. The brussels tasted like they were doused in lime but the mushrooms were amazing. The cauliflower had a lot going on with the medjool dates, mints, etc etc but all you can taste is the dill. The entree I ordered for the table, the pesto pasta, was also overwhelmingly sour, but it didnt bother me as much because my taste buds arent what they used to be. However, most people in my group thought it couldve included some sort of bread ? to soak up the sourness.The pizzas were my favorite savory dish. We got the squash pizza with the cranberries on the side and the buffalo sausage pizza. The squash one definitely had enough lemon almond ricotta dollops to smear.The one thing that made this place a standout was the desserts. I ordered the apple crumble cake and the squash pie because they sounded the most interesting, although carrot cake+ice cream combo is also rare but it only came with vanilla ice cream. The apple crumble cake came with the Cosmic Bliss ice cream and the walnuts embedded in it were a nice touch. The squash pie wasnt mushy and the filling had a more solid outer layer. The crust was good and substantial, more like a tart, which I liked. Im glad I tried the desserts here, very unique. I was originally going to get Sprinkles cupcakes after (also in this shopping center) because the dots on the walls that I was facing while dining looked exactly like the Sprinkles decor.I got the matcha horchata as my beverage and it was pretty average. There was no matcha flavor.Our waiter was chill but not the best. He wished us Happy 2024 and was pretty friendly in the beginning but something was a little off as we ordered and things went on. I thought maybe it was just me but the others also thought he seemed high.Overall, definitely recommend. There are many other locations, mostly in swanky shopping centers just the same. The Newport Beach one has a nice garden and the Austin one is grand too and both locations are larger than the one here. I loved the ambience of all of them.The person, an intellectual type, who booked the reservation for us had read some books of the founder, Dr. Andrew Weil and is really into his publications on health so their mission with the restaurants is rather purposeful.
Onigilly Japanese Kitchen - Palo Alto
164 University Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
In one word: terrible.I admire what Onigilly is trying to do but, at best, this is a gross misrepresentation of what onigiri should be.1. They use brown rice, which is distracting on the taste buds and all sorts of wrong for texture. For a dish that is primarily a celebration of rice, this is inappropriate. While Ive seen some brown rice used in onigiri in Japan, this is absolutely atypical, and only accounts for one or two items on an entire menu.2. Their onigiri is two triangles of rice around some filling. Its a triangle rice sandwich, really; not a filled rice ball. The employees dont even form the rices shape.3. The fillings are mediocre at best. Some were so sauce-heavy that they were overpowering / mask the main ingredient (e.g. protein).4. This was outlandishly expensive; it cost us $40 for two people. Even very nice onigiri shops in Japan come in at a quarter of that. Theres no reason for it to be this expensive in terms of ingredient cost - especially considering how little work goes into it.5. The pickled radish is sliced so thinly that customers are robbed of the crisp bite they should be getting.Ultimately, Onigilly comes off as a very expensive fast food chain with a mass-produced feel. Its clearly aimed at maximizing profit, which might be good for business, but I can make much better onigiri at home with $4 worth of ingredients.Theres nothing that would bring me back in when its so easy to DIY. If you love onigiri, youre better off sticking with mass-produced Japanese market onigiri and save yourself the disappointment here.
Roost & Roast
855 El Camino Real #161, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
If you are in the neighborhood looking for to-go, and like chicken karaage, dont mind some grease, you might like this place. Or check out the rice dishes or Thai iced tea machine.The quality of chicken is no worse than most places around here, and since Bonchon chain has gone down the drain, this may be the slightly better option (at R&R you dont get soy garlic or gochujang, you get toasted rice nori? Or sweet chili sauce on the side).Several years ago, this place used to be a chicken place with a different name (Tony?we dont recall). Now its got a spiffy looking sign and clean cut look.We didnt want rice, so we ordered the chicken a la carte option with a mix of wing, thighs, drumsticks, which tasted like bone-in chicken karaage and also tried the popcorn chicken, which was exactly like the taiwanese fried chicken at those bubble tea places, right down to the two skewers.The bone in fried chicken smelled like your typical fresh fried chicken, overall tasted fresh, but was very greasy, oily. They do give you fresh lime wedges that cut the grease a bit.The fat, particularly in the chicken wings is 80% rendered, which given that NO place around here we have tried has yet to render properly (why?why?) we either fry ourselves and smell the lingering chickeny odor for days in our rental apartment while working from home, or just settle for mostly rendered, and spit out pieces of rendered fat. (Yes, truly we have sunk to a new low)The popcorn chicken was less greasy, but like other taiwanese fried chicken places, pieces were rather rubbery, fatty, and mostly fried batter pieces (Some people love this). We got a mixed batch, some were pale, powdery, some were dark brown/black in color.They package your chicken in vented eco-friendly containers. Not closing the lids keeps chicken crispy. The plastic bag accumulate lots of moisture, but guessing paper bags might leave grease spots in your car.They are generous with the deep fried Thai basil, but maybe its the season? There was no aroma or taste (normally you can smell the sharp herbal note of Thai basil).Service is friendly, but store procedure could be improved. Once you place your order on one of the two kiosks, an estimated wait time/txt msg when order is ready would be nice.As it was, we waited outside, (there isnt really a waiting area or seating inside) hovering at the entryway, making sure we didnt miss our name being called from inside the store, while not blocking potential customers from entering.Good to know: if you order a rice dish, they do carry the worst quality splintery chopsticks that a lot of silicon valley restaurants use (i am on a mission to eliminate these splintery cheapo chopsticks from restaurants everywhere! Saving one tender mouth at a time!)
Sushi Tomo
4131 El Camino Way, Palo Alto, CA 94306, United States
My experience was very good. While on a business trip, I decided to give Sushi Tomo a try. The hostess immediately greeted me as soon as I walked in the door. She was full of smiles and asked me if I wanted a booth or to sit at the sushi bar. I chose the sushi bar since it was only me. Eric, the sushi chef, rather young, knew how to prepare sushi very well. He was very in tune with not only prepping sushi for other patrons, he engaged in a lengthy conversation with me and was actually paying attention to the conversation. The sushi he prepared was fabulous. The price point is very reasonable especially for the location. I look forward to visiting this establishment next time I'm in town! Thank you @sushitomo for making this experience a pleasurable one!
Sushirrito
448 University Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
I never write reviews, but this restaurant nearly took me to the hospital so I had to write this to warn others!!! Tltr. Ordered here today, and got FOOD POISONING. DONT EAT HERE¡¡I decided to order from sushirrto for dinner today (1/23/22) because my lunch was just some home fried vegetables + rice. I ordered the Sumo Crunch and only ate half of it for dinner (my boyfriend ate the other half). I remember thinking the wrap was a bit soggy and didn't taste very fresh. But it wasn't so bad to the point I couldn't finish, so I still finished the half. I didn't eat anything else for dinner and only drank water after that.And around 4am, I woke up from an intense stomach pain, resulting in me vomiting 4 times, and a bad diarrhea. The vomit was the remaining wrap I ate around 7:30pm. The pain continued for 3 hours and I almost went to the emergency room!!! My boyfriend was not having a stomach pain but was feeling gassy and a bit bloated (he probably has a stronger stomach). After comparing notes, we are sure the fish/shrimp in the wrap was the reason we had the reaction. They were definitely the symptoms of food poisoning!!! DONT EAT HERE¡¡
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Ramen Nagi
541 Bryant St, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
Dropped in for a quick dinner five minutes after they opened. Can see why they always have long lines.Looking fwd to going again soon, and trying more things. Service was great, very helpful. When finding it was our first time, a staff member did a run through of the menu and gave us some recs, including telling us about their chicken karaage which isnt listed on the menu.My husband had the original with normal thin noodles, and would try a softer texture next time. I like spicy, and gave their spicy one a try, with firm thin noodles. It delivered on spice and al dente.As a staff member promised, the smoothest pork broth, no unpleasant odors or aftertaste whatsoever.It is very customizable. As someone who usually fishes out all the meat and fishcakes in ramen, I loved that you can just get a plain bowl with green onion (next time will also ask for no mushrooms).We ordered the chicken karaage, which was fried crisp crunchy with lots of nooks and crannies. The toasted sesame oil drizzled on top was aromatic, one piece looked like it got dunked in it, but other pieces had a nice drizzle. The dipping sauce was mayo with chopped hard boiled egg, and some cherry tomatoes on the side were a nice touch.Water pitcher and box of tissues at every table ensures you will not run out of either one.If you need anything else though, rest assured service is attentive, and they check on you to make sure you are doing well. They come by with your check at some point during your meal, and you pay at the entrance on your way out.Update with good to know:as with anywhere, mistakes can be made with ramen order, so for example if you absolutely dont want salt or oil, make sure to double check. One time, despite checking boxes for none, my regular ramen had oil and salt added and I just ate it anyway, it was edible, but I was bloated and chugging water all night.Veggie ramen broth has dairy listed in details, something you might not expect.Also, veggie ramen comes with spinach and mushroom, and because of this, they charge you extra $1.50 for selecting green onion/cabbage as it counts as extra. This is not the case for other ramens so we greatly appreciate the server letting us know (with other non veggie ramens we ordered, unless you check extra, selecting the regular box of green onion/cabbage does not lead to an extra $1.50)We think fried foods could be better.Chicken karaage and gyoza both fill that need for something crispy but chicken can be overwhelmingly oily drenched in toasted sesame oil and mixing with pool of olive oil. We would try to remember to ask for zero added oils next time.Gyoza is super tiny (not the circumference as a whole, but the individual gyoza is tinier than a small Korean mulmandu), the tiniest we have ever seen in any Japanese ramen place, and always burnt black on one side of the circle and white underdone on the other. Wish they would master even golden browning. Also very very greasy, sitting in pools of oil from fryer.The two deep fried potato hash browns that came with veggie ramen tasted stale, like they had been fried much earlier and too long, and were sitting there for awhile. So plenty of greasy crunch, but no hash brown texture or potato flavor. If you like crunchy potato stick potato chips, this could be your jam.
Wood Oven Pizza
532 Ramona St, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
In a world that emphasizes variety, Wood Oven Pizza is a monument to the value of specialty. Where restaurants devote resources to countless appetizers and entrees, Wood Oven Pizza puts everything into perfecting their stand-alone product. And that product, that flawless piece of art that they craft every day, that product…is the greatest pizza I have ever had and could ever hope to have in my life.I do not overstate this. I have been all over the country and I have traveled the world, including Italy, and I swear on everything that I hold true that THIS is the greatest pizza I have ever had. I suspect it is the greatest I will ever have.So, no, they do not dilute their menu with fusions of cuisines from far flung lands or a myriad of appetizers, because they dont have to. They know better. They understand that their product alone is sufficient to satisfy. And boy does it.Now do not mishear me, I am not saying they make one type of pizza. They have variety. But that variety is in the countless ways they can enhance their already perfect product; toppings and ingredients.Now they don't just deliver in the way of taste. Somehow this food just makes you feel good. Have you ever eaten a pizza and felt like you could run a marathon right after? Well I have. With most pizza places (well really all instead of this place) the sheer amount of carbs, cheese, and grease leave you exhausted and looking for the closest soft surface to ride out your food coma. Not here. I don't know where they get their ingredients or what spell they cast over their pizza but, honestly, I can (and have) workout within 20 minutes of eating AN ENTIRE PIZZA from here. HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE? How can I be full and satisfied but also feeling good enough to go for a run? It is truly mind blowing.In sum, I write this article as a plea to you, the general public, to take a leap of faith on this place. Yes, the menu is limited, but that is by design. TRUST THAT DESIGN. This is not an, “if it ain't broke don't fix it” situation…characterizing the artwork that they produce as “ain't broke” would be a gross injustice. This is artisanship, this is care and dedication to your craft this is, in a word, flawless… and in more, the way food ought to be.Please, walk inside Wood Oven Pizza, sit down and be greeted by the kindest and hardest working family. Treat yourself to an unforgettable pizza that will leave you begging for more. I promise it will. And I know you won't regret it.10/10