Palo Alto’s most decorated room, the Michelin-starred Protégé from chef Anthony Secviar and Master Sommelier Dennis Kelly, opens Tuesday through Saturday and closes Sunday and Monday. So do several of the newer chef-driven spots. That leaves Sunday to the rooms that have anchored University and Emerson for years, the two big steakhouses on El Camino, and the Stanford Shopping Center rooftop.
Every restaurant below is confirmed for Sunday service as of June 2026, with its exact window. Most of these names appear in the Michelin Guide’s California listings even without a star, which is a reasonable proxy for the upper tier in a town this size. We lead with the downtown classics, then the steakhouses, then the rooftop for a daytime Sunday.
Evvia Estiatorio
Greek · Downtown · around $60–110
Sunday hours: Lunch 11:30am–2:30pm; dinner 5:00pm–9:45pm.
Evvia has been the Bay Area’s benchmark Greek room since 1995, a wood-beamed dining room at 420 Emerson Street with a fireplace and a grill that runs all night. The whole grilled fish, the lamb chops and the spreads are the order, and the wine list reaches deep into Greece. Sunday keeps both lunch and dinner, which makes it the most complete upscale Sunday in downtown Palo Alto. Book the room near the fire and let the kitchen send the day’s catch whole.
Tamarine
Modern Vietnamese · University Avenue · around $50–90
Sunday hours: Dinner 5:00pm–9:00pm.
Tamarine has run modern Vietnamese on University Avenue since 2001, an art-lined room at number 546 that draws Stanford families and venture tables in equal measure. The shaking beef, the clay-pot dishes and the family-style spreads are built to share, and the cocktail list is stronger than most places this polished. Sunday runs dinner from five, with a bar happy hour to open the evening. This is the Sunday booking for a group that wants to pass plates. Order family-style and start at the bar.
Ettan
Cal-Indian · Downtown · around $55–95
Sunday hours: Lunch 11:00am–1:30pm; dinner 5:00pm–9:00pm.
Ettan brought a confident Cal-Indian kitchen to 518 Bryant Street, pairing the Indian spice cabinet with California produce in a bright, design-led room. The tandoor dishes, the chaats and the larger plates read modern rather than traditional, and the bar leans into the same crossover. Sunday covers both a midday and an evening service, so it works for lunch or dinner. Reservations are wise most nights. Sit in the main room and order across the small plates.
The Sea by Alexander's Steakhouse
Seafood and steak · El Camino · around $90–180
Sunday hours: 5:00pm–8:30pm.
The Sea is the seafood-forward sibling to Alexander’s Steakhouse, a polished room at 4269 El Camino Real built around Japanese-accented fish and prime beef. The black cod, the Maine lobster and the wagyu flights are the orders, and the cellar and sake list both run long. Sunday keeps a full dinner service from five. This is the special-occasion Sunday at the high end of town. Request a banquette and let the sommelier work the cellar.
Sundance the Steakhouse
Steakhouse · El Camino · around $70–130
Sunday hours: Dinner 4:30pm–9:00pm.
Sundance has been Palo Alto’s classic American steakhouse since 1974, a clubby room at 1921 El Camino Real that the Stanford and downtown crowd has kept for fifty years. The aged steaks, the prime rib and the old-school sides are the point, and the service runs the way it always has. Sunday opens a touch earlier at 4:30 and runs to nine. This is the dependable, no-surprises Sunday steak. Book a booth and order the bone-in cut.
RH Rooftop
California · Stanford Shopping Center · around $40–70
Sunday hours: 10:00am–7:00pm.
RH Rooftop sits on the third floor of the RH Palo Alto gallery at the Stanford Shopping Center, a glass-and-garden room above the design showroom at 180 El Camino Real. The menu is a tight California list of salads, a burger and a roast chicken, built for a long daytime stop rather than a marquee dinner. Sunday runs 10 to 7, which makes it the best upscale Sunday lunch in a shopping-day mood. Sit under the skylights and treat it as a midday booking, not a night out.
How Palo Alto dines on Sunday
Palo Alto dines early and the Sunday rooms reflect it. The Sea and Sundance open in the late afternoon, RH Rooftop is a daytime room that closes at seven, and even the downtown classics wind down by ten. If you want a genuinely late Sunday meal, this is not the town for it; plan an early table and you will eat well.
Reservations matter on Stanford weekends, around graduation and reunions, and whenever a conference fills the Dish trail of hotels along El Camino. Evvia and The Sea are the rooms most worth booking ahead; the rest take same-week Sunday tables more easily. Tip the standard 20 percent. Dress is smart-casual, with the two steakhouses being the rooms where a jacket reads right.
The most Palo Alto Sunday is a daytime one: brunch-adjacent at RH Rooftop or a long Evvia lunch, a walk through the Stanford campus, then an early steak at Sundance or The Sea. Keep Protégé for a weeknight; its Sunday closure is the reason this list leans on the stalwarts.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Michelin-starred restaurant open on Sunday in Palo Alto?
Where can I get Sunday lunch in an upscale Palo Alto restaurant?
What time do Palo Alto restaurants close on Sunday?
Are Palo Alto steakhouses open on Sunday?
Do I need a reservation for Sunday dinner in Palo Alto?
Hours change. We confirm every restaurant’s Sunday service before publishing and re-check quarterly, but call ahead for holidays and private events. Some reservation links are affiliate links; they never affect which rooms we list or how we rank them.