Ethel's Fancy

4.9

544 Reviews

$50 and over

Californian

Make a reservation

2 people

Feb 17, 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 544 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.

544 Reviews

A
Alonso
VIP
San Francisco
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined 1 day ago
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 1 day ago
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 3 days ago
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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V
Vincent
VIP
San Francisco
6 reviews
5.0
6 reviews
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Food is unique and delicious. But what standout is their service
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M
Michael
VIP
San Francisco
37 reviews
5.0
37 reviews
Dined on February 9, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We'll absolutely be back! Ethel's Fancy completely exceeded our expectations!! We went there to celebrate our 21st anniversary. We chose Ethel's as the menu looked very innovative and it had great reviews (Thank you OpenTable patrons!). It did not disappoint. The food was incredible, service impeccable, and experience memorable. It was everything we wanted and more!
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S
Sudeep
San Francisco
12 reviews
5.0
12 reviews
Dined on February 9, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We loved every aspect of our dinner there- the service, the food, the ambiance. Everything we tasted was perfect and we can’t wait to go back!
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N
Naomi
VIP
San Francisco
33 reviews
5.0
33 reviews
Dined on February 8, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Such a unique menu! I love to drop in and see how regular items like their delicious milk bread and their pork belly have been refreshed seasonally. The live fire cooking makes everything pop.
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W
Wendy
VIP
San Francisco
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on February 8, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Food was outstanding. Service even better. We dined in the back room so it was quiet. We’ll be back.
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M
Michael
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on February 6, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
They were running slightly late on reservation time but the front of the house manager made sure to check in with us and offered drinks while we waited. Definitely not needed but both my wife and I appreciated the gesture and that set the overall experience for the rest of our night!
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M
Minjun
Phoenix
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on February 6, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
Short menu, easily out of items. I would suggest order once and order all.
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FAQs

Ethel's Fancy is rated 4.9 stars by 544 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 17, 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 544 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