Forest on First

Had a ratatouille sandwich open face on butter lettuce. Very good!

Not surprised is this place is now out of business. It was always a ghost town whenever we went here. The menu is quite limited, though m kids liked the grilled cheese sandwiches. Servings were quite small and the food completely overpriced in my opinion, but it had a well decorated interior.

A mommy friend recommended this place! She said that the food is not that great but if you want to have some alone time and the kid/​s to have a great time then this is the place to go!
So for my husband’s bday this year I chose this place and invited friends to join us!
Verdict — Loved the place.
Why:
1. They have a tree house IN the restaurant.
2. They have Books for kids
3. We didnt have our kiddo interrupting our meal or conversation the whole two hours we were there
4. Service super friendly and accommodating (I had baked a cake for the hubs and they kept it in the fridge till we were ready)
I wouldn’t say its the best food I have had (That’s the only reason I removed a star) and its not a very big place but really who cares as long as you can eat in peace, enjoy the company of your friends and watch your kid as happy as ever playing in his own world!

This place is great for parents who have kids. They built a tree house inside the café. watching those kids climbing up and down gives me so much memories. We came here for an afternoon tea on saturday afternoon. Not too crowded. They serve four barrel coffee which was a bonus. The price of their food is kind of expensive tho.

This is a really cute café that has a sort of tree house INSIDE, which makes it an ideal place for parents to meet up while also having their children entertained. The food was pretty good, with their chips being my favorite part. It’s kind of pricey, but if you come here as a parent and think of part of the price as an «admission» fee for your children, it makes it much more tolerable. The servers were really nice and helpful, which gave this place a nice, relaxed feel on a weekday. I’d imagine it might be busier on a weekend.

Yes, it’s nice!
If you have young kids and want everyone to have a good time, then go. We went for father’s day, kids had a blast in the tree house, food was very good, service pleasant and helpful. There is nothing not to like there (only other people’s kids ;-) ah aha…).
I can’t imagine anyone with young children not liking the place. Yes, it is a little expensive, but it’s Los Altos! If you want cheap and crowded with plastic stuff everywhere, go to Redwood City’s Chucky Cheese.

I don’t even like kids, and I looooove this place! I love the super friendly and accommodating service; I love the organic and locally sourced meals made from scratch; I even love the wooden jungle gym and sparkling clean interior. Forest on First puts me in such a good mood, that I don’t even mind the kids, haha.
Drinks. Amazing drinks. The fruit drinks are pricey compared with Jamba Juice downtown, but they’re blended to perfection and taste so many times fresher.
And the coffees! Their mocha’s just passable, but definitely get their Gibraltar. What’s weird is that drip coffee isn’t bottomless, apparently? That’s a bummer…
Service is a little slow, but that’s because they expect you to mill around. I mean, there’s a playground on premises and all that goodness, so what do you expect? This isn’t really the type of place you jet off from unless you’re getting an order to go (in which case, they hop to it). I like that they let everyone just take it easy.
Their marshmallows are BOMB. I’ve had some pretty disappointing homemade mallows in the past (grainy or shallow tasting). But these are perfection! And so cheap too! Being that I don’t find many organic marshmallow offerings, it’s tempting to want to stock up, haha.
FOF doesn’t have a microwave, so some of their baked treats on display are a bit disappointing, since they don’t come to you warm. I’m all for sticky buns when they are steamy and soaked in honey, but the sticky buns here are just sort of sad. Don’t get those. Get a berry tart or a hazelnut muffin or something else instead.
Breakfast! They serve breakfast until a little before 11. And I’m a breakfast fiend. So happy to have found a cute little place to enjoy brunch in my neighborhood. I’d stick with any of their daily specials and of course of course, their corned beef hash. Oh my gosh, that meat is insanity. And the root vegetables it’s paired with are just the perfect complement. It’s still a heavy dish, so consider sharing if you don’t like stuffing your face.
And soooouuuuup! Another one of my weaknesses! Selection varies on a whim but I have no complaints. Haven’t been disappointed yet. If you’ve been looking for a hearty and healthy soup selection, this is the place.
I’m gonna have to stop all this raving now, because it’s giving me cravings… I cannot wait to be back up north now, satisfying my taste buds with some drinks and sweets. Nomnom.

As a new resident in the mountain view/​los altos area, I’ve been looking for a place to get high quality coffee beverages and food that’s comfortable to hang out at, and I’ve found it with forest.
I’ve been to the other shops in the area and this is my new favorite. It’s the ONLY place that has cold brew coffee, and It is impossible not to get the pistachio muffin once you’ve tried it.
The food is pricey, but only matches the standard prices of other shops in the area, yet here you are paying for the highest quality ingredients and a cool place to bring your kids or friends.
It’s got a few kinks to work out, but it’s a new business id like to support and see flourish.

Perfect for kids 4 – 6. Horror for everyone else.
First, the mediocre food. $ 14 for tiny cold eggs benedict. Yes, they tried to make it fancy by adding asparagus. Gutsy but no cigar. Salad was too much bland toppings on wilted lettuce. Corned beef hash has dry and looked like gravel. French toast was generously portioned, but on the soggy side. Scone was good though.
Even had to wait 10 minutes for coffee. Turned out ordering drip coffee meant you had to get americano, and your order got queued in the long line of orders at the espresso machine. Coffee wasn’t bad, but i hated waiting for a simple cup of joe.
Inside was loud! Kids were running rampant. Seemed like the battle lines were mostly boys vs girls the day we went, and the chaos and name calling that goes along. Not a good place for saturday mornings. Maybe its better for moms with toddlers during the week, when its more quiet.
Oh, and it was $ 5 per kid for tree house privileges. They make it easier though – discount card for 1 free after a million paid visits. Sheesh!
If you like overpriced upscale kid friendly places, try bumble a couple doors down. The food is slightly better and the kids are slightly quieter there.

For the genius that thought you were going to get a cheap meal for your family at a place that has a treehouse inside and leather chairs… what is wrong with you?!
The lady upset about the noise… what the hell? It’s a giant playground… I can’t stand crazy noise but I also got my items to-​go!

If you are one of those ass hole parents who let their kids run wild in public you will love this place. If you hate ass hole parents who let their terrorist children run rampant this is not the place for you. Overpriced, mediocre food with a side of kids gone wild.
Everything on the menu is limited and gag worthy to begin with but throw in ass hole children bumping your table and screaming nonstop, no thanks.

So unimpressed with this café.
First of all, lunch for my two children and myself was $ 52. The prices are absolutely ABSURD for a place where you order at a counter and have to collect your own silverware and then try to find a table not being camped out at by a group of moms in yoga gear.
I ordered the steak salad, and the steak smelled and tasted off; sort of sour and completely unappetizing. I brought this to the attention of the manager, who just sort of stared at me and then said it’s the marinade they used. Ok, well your marinade makes your steak taste like it’s gone bad. Way to go!
15 minutes later, as we were leaving, the manager wanders out with a new piece of steak on a plate. Um… we were leaving, and I didn’t ask for you to remake it. Besides, if it’s the marinade that made it taste bad, why would I want another steak prepared with the same seasonings? I would have much preferred a partial refund, or even a few free cookies for my kids.
I’ve had better lunches for faaaaar less elsewhere.

This restaurant is expensive, but for good quality food and ambience it is worth it. Forest does not have a good ambience what so ever.
The inside sitting area is always crowded unless you get there after 2:30pm.
The outside is nice, but with the construction across the street it’s not pleasant to sit outside and also depends on if the weather is nice.
I will NOT be returning here until the management chooses to control the seating arrangement (host/​hostess). They also need to monitor the children in the playhouse or require the parents to do so.
When I visited, there were families taking their time at the table (3 hours). One couple sat at a table for hours on their computers or working while their son played. They finally left when their son fell and got hurt.

I like this place for 2 reasons. They are right across the street from my pilates studio (Evolve!) and their food is good.
I don’t have any kids, but I appreciate the appeal with the treehouse built in and the forest-​themed everything from the chairs (tree stumps), to plants on the tables and numbered table signs.
I’ve only been here for breakfast and enjoy the rustic feel of all the offerings. The muffins are FANTASTIC. For $ 3 each, they are pricey for being such small treats, but they are seriously some of the most delicious muffins I’ve ever had. I love the berry ones and the pistachio olive oil ones are also amazing. They go very well with my Four Barrel Mocha with Almond Milk.
I am also a fan of the breakfast sandwich. The english muffin is just hearty enough without being too buttery and fatty, the eggs are fresh, and the meat isn’t fatty. Comes with chips that are crispy and just the right amount of saltiness for a breakfast meal. As long as I have my morning pilates sessions, I’ll be back.

Like one of the last reviewers, I want more places like this — many, many more. I love Bumble and was excited to try this new play café. Unfortunately within 10 minutes of getting there both my 2 and 5 year olds wanted to leave. My 5 year old proclaimed the play structure boring and my 2 year old was so overwhelmed by the crowd that she was too scared to leave the table.
We met another family of 4 for lunch here. Lunch for them (with 2 children under age 5) was $ 90. For us it was $ 80. This includes the $ 5 play cost per child which I wouldn’t have minded if the play area was more interesting and less crowded.
The food was good enough but not as good as Bumble (oddly). My husband liked it better than I did. The baked goods are very good.
The problem we had was with the lack of crowd control. Keep in mind we are totally comfortable in a crowded Pump it Up or trampoline park so we’re good with crowds. The problem was that this place was out of control crowded to the point it felt unsafe. People were crushing by our table and someone even dropped food on our children. The structure was also too crowded with adults and kids of mixed ages knocking into each other. We won’t return and we definitely won’t recommend it to anyone until they find a way to manage/​limit the crowd. That being said, the crowd indicates the extreme demand there is in Silicon Valley for play cafés and centers.
To support the other reviews about the staff, they appear largely indifferent and move sooooo slowly. Not the friendly staff you would expect at a play café.
I wish all good things for this restaurant and will return if they find a way to manage the crowd — which could include prepaid reservations or strict capacity management.

This place was fun but we had to pay $ 5 per kid to play on the structure. Personally, it should be free after you make a $ 50 purchase for lunch. The lemonade was amazing and I enjoyed my onion panini.
They seem to run out of a lot of menu items so we were forced to order my daughter a Mac and cheese instead of the peanut butter which was upset about. The Mac and cheese was delicious but not exactly kid friendly. My daughter wasn’t sure how to eat as they were fried in squares.
Great lunch but be prepared to bring sunblock as there is no cover in outside seating.

Forest on First is the latest family-​friendly downtown Los Altos destination from the H&H Company (also behind nearby Bumble and Play!). Supposedly, Sergey Brin of Google may be involved in some of these ventures, but the bottom line is that the Peninsula benefits from more family destinations and eateries.
Forest on First’s theme is obviously a rustic one and it’s apparent from the new and open space featuring a literal treehouse play area that spans the entire side and upper front ceiling. Chairs and high chairs are wood as well and wooden jarred plants decorate all the tables.
Opening hours are 7 am to 5 pm and Forest on First is meant as a café focusing on breakfast, brunch, and lunch. Ingredients and food focuses on organic and farm to table items as do the other H&H establishments.
Compared to Bumble, Forest on First is probably better for an older age group (The Treehouse recommends 3 and above) but also allowing parents to munch and drink (healthy stuff like smoothies and fresh-​pressed juices). Our order:
Mighty Moose Smoothie — $ 8. A glass of greenish liquid arrived about 5 minutes after ordering. Cool, but not cold, I drank it quickly. The menu didn’t state the ingredients but I’m sure it’s healthy things like kale and quinoa that I never eat. At least I hope so, because it’s not particularly good tasting or sweet like a Jamba Juice smoothie that everyone knows isn’t exactly healthy.
Bunny Juice — $ 8/​$ 10. The small size is very tiny for this fresh pressed carrot and ginger juice concoction. Kids and adults liked it but pricey.
Burrata Cheese — $ 12. Fistful of Burrata cheese served with toast and dirty ketchup. Actually quite tasty and as a daily special a nice appetizer. Portion size isn’t large but that’s the theme here.
Overall, Forest on First is a welcome addition to downtown Los Altos and continues the trend of offering more to the families that increasingly make up the Peninsula population. It’s a lovely play space and the food is farm-​to-​table. Disappointments would be the prices compared to portion size (especially the tiny juice glasses) as well as the $ 5 entry fee to the Treehouse that surprised many parents we saw (they ended up comping some for a first visit).
If you’re going to charge these prices and market as a friendly family destination, perhaps include the Treehouse for people that order over $ 20 of food and drink. It’d be equivalent to the sandbox at Bumble. Now if you’re providing supervision (like at Bumble), then by all means. But a $ 5/​child entry for a play structure can’t be popular especially if I was dropping by for a coffee and a pastry.
Forest on First accepts credit cards including American Express.

Ok, I really hate giving this place two stars. I know it is new and family/​kid oriented, but I heard the food was really tasty and organic and decided to try it for myself. Unfortunately, I experienced some basic critical errors that cannot be ignored. For starters, the food was actually quite tasty. However, the service and experience were unpleasant.
When we first drove by, the outdoor patio looked pretty open (like we could easily find a table). However, when we walked up to the small gate, we realized they had totally cheaped out on the number of outdoor tables. So even though it looked like there was plenty of room from the street, all of the ten or so tables were occupied (most of the people had finished eating). This was extremely frustrating, and many customers were lingering around looking for seats.
Ordering takes place at the counter with large menu boards on the back wall. I found these to be very deceiving, as they had no description of what came with the items. One person in my group ordered the «Pork and Beef Sandwich» off of the specials board, and it actually came out as a Meatball Sandwich with marinara sauce. They should definitely work on clarifying the descriptions and ingredients.
Next, the cashier was SO SLOW! If you are going to make your customers stand in line to order, at least move the line quickly! At the rate she was processing the orders, it seemed like every party was signing mortgage paperwork. When we finally got up to the front, we ordered our three items and said them pretty clearly. She seemed confused and touched some buttons on the computer for 5 minutes and then asked for the last two items again. We repeated them a couple more times and she asked yet again (?!?) for the last item. Seriously?!
Most of the employees seemed confused, disoriented, and not motivated. The chefs were moving quickly, but everyone else was acting like the place was half full even though customers were lined up out the door.
The two stars are for the food. The Rotisserie Chicken Sandwich was very tasty (good flavor combinations) and the «Meatball» Sandwich was pretty tasty. The Brussel Sprout Salad with Grilled Chicken was also pleasant, especially with the sliced, fresh Organic Chicken.
My whole experience totally sucked, but I will probably give them one more try because the food was tasty and something new for Downtown Los Altos.

We were looking very much forward to try a new breakfast place in Los Altos. This place disappoints.
Staff: we had to repeat our order at the register three times until it was correct. The server that brought our food did not bring cutlery and napkins and there was no sugar for our coffee. We had to go back inside and get everything ourselves. Then looking for something to stir my coffee all I found were giant soup spoons. I hope that in a few weeks when the staff is more experienced the service quality improves.
Food: we had the Dutch pancakes, frittata, breakfast sandwich, and the French toast. Latte, OJ, and sparkling lemonade.
The latte tasted ok but was almost cold when it came out to the table and the milk foam was not even up to Starbucks level. For a price of 4.75 I would expect more.
OJ and sparking lemonade were fresh and the kids liked them.
The frittata had only basic ingredients like egg and potatoes fitting in with the restaurants concept of simple food from good ingredients. What was missing were some spices even as simple as salt and pepper.
The French toast was a single slice of toast with a nice fruit compote topping and maple sirup. Nothing fancy. The portion was tiny and appropriate for a kids menu. I appreciate when a restaurant does not supersize their portions but adding a second slice of French toast would have been appropriate.
The Dutch pancake was good — not the thick fluffy American style pancake. My daughter liked it and the adult portion was just the right size for a 6 year old’s breakfast.
The breakfast sandwich was ok. Scrambled eggs and ham with some chips on the side. Just like with the frittata the dish could have benefitted from some seasoning. And it would have been nice to get the food to the table while not was still hot.
Lastly the bacon: a side of bacon gets you four slices and the bacon was very crisp. Nice. Just don’t call it ‘thick cut’, it was as thin as any standard bacon in other places.
I would love to see Forrest on First address the serving quality issues and upgrade the tastiness and portions of the food menu. At the price point and with the current quality issues, not worth coming back.

Great new café/​eats place that’s very friendly to all walks of life in the community. Dropped in for the preview opening before they open to the public. The exterior and interior is designed to evoke being in the woods and they have a great «treehouse» climbing area for kids to romp around while parents can get breakfast/​lunch/​drinks. Before heading into the office i got a ham/​egg/​cheese breakfast sandwich and the Bunny Juice which has carrot apple and ginger fresh squeezed. What I was most excited about is that they have Four Barrel coffee which im sure will now be a weekend stable for me. The offerings were limited for the time being but as they grand open, Ill definitely be back to try many more things. And Coffee of course!