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Palo Alto · Open Monday · 2026 Edition

Best Restaurants Open Monday in Palo Alto 2026

Photo: Google Places. Hero: the dining room at Evvia Estiatorio, Emerson Street, downtown Palo Alto.

Palo Alto runs on the venture week, and Monday is a working night here in a way it is not in most American towns. The one Michelin-starred kitchen, Protege, rests Sunday and Monday, so the Monday field belongs to the established downtown rooms that have fed Sand Hill Road for years. Six confirmed Monday tables follow, ranked by what each is for, with exact hours and US dollar prices a head before wine.

Why a Monday list matters in Palo Alto

The marquee reservation in town, Anthony Secviar's Michelin-starred Protege on California Avenue, serves Tuesday to Saturday and goes dark Sunday and Monday, the standard rhythm for a tasting-menu room. That leaves a real gap for the Monday-night dinner that follows a board meeting or a campus visit, and a list that has actually checked the day beats the seven-day assumption. The good news in Palo Alto is that the strongest non-tasting rooms keep a full Monday, lunch and dinner, because the weekday business crowd never really lets up.

The order below leads with the long-running downtown rooms that anchor a serious Monday, then the steakhouse and the meze house that round out the week. A note on the local rhythm: Palo Alto dines early, with dinner running 6 to 9 and kitchens closing earlier than San Francisco; book the first sitting if you want a quiet table. Hours are checked against each restaurant's published schedule. Every name links to its full review with the score and booking mechanics. For the rest of the week, start with the Palo Alto dining guide.

The Monday list

1

Evvia Estiatorio

Greek · Downtown, Palo Alto · $60–110 per head

Monday hours: Monday, 11:30–14:30 lunch and 17:00–22:00 dinner

Evvia is the power-lunch and deal-dinner room of the Peninsula, a warm taverna with a wood-burning hearth at 420 Emerson Street and a Michelin Guide listing it has held for years. The whole grilled lavraki carved tableside, the moussaka and the charcoal lamb chops are the order, with a meal around $60 to $110 a head. It serves a full Monday, lunch and dinner both. It is the Monday booking for a table that needs to impress a partner or a recruit without leaving downtown, the most reliable serious seat in town when Protege is dark.

2

Ettan

Cal-Indian · Downtown, Palo Alto · $55–95 per head

Monday hours: Monday, 11:30–14:00 lunch and 17:00–21:00 dinner

Ettan is the modern Indian room downtown at 518 Bryant Street, where chef Srijith Gopinathan, who held two Michelin stars at Campton Place in San Francisco, cooks a California-inflected menu in a plant-filled courtyard space. The Bombay frankie, the lamb chops and the seasonal thalis are the markers, with a dinner around $55 to $95 a head. The kitchen runs a full Monday, lunch and dinner. It is the Monday pick for a table that wants refinement and spice rather than steak, and one of the few Michelin Guide kitchens in town serving the day.

3

Tamarine

Modern Vietnamese · Downtown, Palo Alto · $45–85 per head

Monday hours: Monday, 11:30–14:30 lunch and 17:00–21:00 dinner

Tamarine has been the venture set's Vietnamese dining room since 2002, a dark, art-lined space at 546 University Avenue that still runs one of the busiest weeknight floors downtown. The shaking beef, the caramelized prawns and the clay-pot dishes built for sharing are the order, with a meal around $45 to $85 a head. It serves a full Monday, lunch and dinner. It is the Monday booking for a group that wants a lively shared table rather than a hushed tasting room, and a long-running safe bet for a deal dinner that should feel relaxed.

4

Zola

French · Downtown, Palo Alto · $70–120 per head

Monday hours: Monday, 16:00–22:30 dinner

Zola is the neighbourhood French room at 585 Bryant Street, where chef Guillaume Bienaime cooks a seasonal Cal-French menu that has carried a Michelin Guide listing, with the casual BarZola wine bar attached next door. The duck, the seasonal tartines and the deep by-the-glass list are the draw, with a dinner around $70 to $120 a head. The room serves Monday from four, dinner only. It is the Monday pick for a quieter date than the big group rooms, a candlelit French table for two that opens early enough for a weeknight.

5

Sundance the Steakhouse

Steakhouse · El Camino Real, Palo Alto · $70–130 per head

Monday hours: Monday, 11:30–14:00 lunch and 16:30–21:00 dinner

Sundance has run a classic American chophouse at 1921 El Camino Real since 1974, the rare Peninsula steak room with leather booths, a tableside cart feel and a deep California cellar rather than a hotel-group menu. The dry-aged steaks, the prime rib and the creamed spinach are the order, with a dinner around $70 to $130 a head. It serves a full Monday, lunch and dinner. It is the Monday booking for a steak night that wants an old-school independent room, the antidote to the downtown small plates a few miles north.

6

Meyhouse

Turkish & Mediterranean · Downtown, Palo Alto · $45–80 per head

Monday hours: Monday, 11:45–14:00 lunch and 17:00–21:30 dinner

Meyhouse brings a meyhane format to 640 Emerson Street, a generous Turkish and eastern-Mediterranean room built around hot and cold meze and a charcoal grill. The spread of meze, the manti dumplings and the grilled kebabs made for the middle of the table are the order, with a dinner around $45 to $80 a head. It serves a full Monday, lunch and dinner, and runs the latest dinner of the downtown group at half past nine. It is the Monday pick for value and for a sprawling sharing meal, the most forgiving room on this list for a last-minute table.

How to book a Monday table in Palo Alto

On a Monday in Palo Alto the established downtown rooms are the safe seats, since Protege is dark, so start with Evvia Estiatorio and Ettan, both running a full lunch and dinner and both on OpenTable. For a larger, livelier group, Tamarine holds the busiest shared table on University Avenue. For a quieter two-top, Zola is the French date room, and a natural pick for the best French restaurants worldwide guide; for a steak night, Sundance belongs on any shortlist of the best steakhouses worldwide. Greek-minded? Evvia is the Peninsula entry in the best Greek restaurants worldwide guide. Dining solo on a Monday? The bar at Evvia or the counter at Meyhouse are the easiest seats and a strong solo-dining move. Most of these rooms book on OpenTable or Tock.

Frequently asked questions

Which fine-dining restaurants are open on Monday in Palo Alto?

Six upscale Palo Alto rooms keep a confirmed Monday service: Evvia Estiatorio for Greek on Emerson Street, the Cal-Indian Ettan on Bryant, Tamarine for modern Vietnamese on University Avenue, the French room Zola on Bryant, Sundance the Steakhouse on El Camino Real, and the Turkish meze house Meyhouse on Emerson. Protege, the only Michelin-starred kitchen in town, closes Monday and Sunday, so a confirmed Monday list saves a wasted drive down University Avenue.

Is Protege open on Monday in Palo Alto?

No. Protege, the Michelin-starred New American room from Anthony Secviar at 250 South California Avenue, serves only Tuesday to Saturday and closes Sunday and Monday. For a Monday in Palo Alto the strongest seats are the established downtown rooms instead, led by Evvia Estiatorio for Greek and Ettan for Cal-Indian, both of which run a full lunch and dinner at the start of the week.

Where can I get a good Monday dinner in downtown Palo Alto?

Stay around University and Bryant, where most of the serious rooms cluster within a few blocks. Evvia Estiatorio on Emerson serves Greek to ten, Ettan on Bryant runs Cal-Indian to nine, and Tamarine on University covers modern Vietnamese to nine. All three take Monday bookings on OpenTable and Tock and are an easy walk from the downtown hotels and the Caltrain station.

What is the best steakhouse open on Monday in Palo Alto?

Sundance the Steakhouse at 1921 El Camino Real is the Monday steak pick. It has run a classic American chophouse since 1974, with dry-aged steaks, prime rib and a deep California wine list, around 70 to 130 dollars a head. It serves Monday for lunch from 11:30 and dinner from 16:30 to 21:00, which makes it one of the few proper steak rooms in town with a full Monday service.

Do I need a reservation for Monday dinner in Palo Alto?

For Evvia, Ettan and Tamarine, yes, even on a Monday, since all three fill on weeknights with a venture-and-university crowd and hold only limited bar space for walk-ins. Sundance, Zola and Meyhouse keep more last-minute room, but a booking through OpenTable or Tock is still the safe move for any party larger than two. For the rest of the week, start with the Palo Alto dining guide.

Keep reading

Plan the rest of the week with the full Palo Alto dining guide, or by cuisine with the best Greek restaurants worldwide, the best steakhouses worldwide and the best French restaurants worldwide. Staying in the Bay Area? Compare with San Francisco restaurants open Monday and Berkeley restaurants open Monday. For the global view, read our guide to where to eat well on a Sunday or Monday and why so many Michelin restaurants close on Mondays.

Hours verified against each restaurant's published schedule as of June 2026; confirm directly before travelling. Restaurants for Kings is editorial, not sponsored. Some reservation links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a ranking or a score.