Muracci’s 2

My family and I are really upset this restaurant has closed. We ate here on average once a week. The food was always delicious and we each had a couple of favorites we would each cycle through.
The service staff were always lovely and friendly and most nights and lunchtimes there was a queue out the door waiting to get a table. The food was delicious and the price very reasonable.
I hope the family find another restaurant location in the future here in town. It is a real shame that they were not offered the chance to renew their lease. Yet another Los Altos location that will sit empty for a year or more waiting to cash in on the supposed local commercial real estate boom…

It’s too bad they lost their lease!

I regret not visiting here more often, as Muracci’s 2 is now closed indefinitely. Their curry (which takes 2 days to prepare) is hearty and complex, with a myriad of spices. Although their menu offers more, diners often stick to the gargantuan tonkatsu curry rice plates. The tonkatsu is lightly breaded and fried, and compliments the creamy texture of the japanese-​style curry.
Customization in the form of brown vs. white rice, mild vs. spicy curry, chicken katsu vs. pork katsu is welcoming for those who like choice. For the accompanying salad, there is a choice of wasabi vs. miso dressing. The small dishes of pickled vegetables are tangy and a welcome addition to the thick curry dish.
For the noodle dishes, there is an option of udon vs. egg ramen noodles. The beef and vegetable curry ramen (with chewy egg noodles) was a perfect rainy night meal.
I will miss this local standby, especially as we move into colder weather.

Sigh. I don’t get it.
Two of my friends LOVE this place and I 100% do not get it. I think the food is terrible but you know… that is why people have different taste… right?
I’ve had the «Chicken Curry,» ($ 8.45) and I think that it doesn’t have much of a flavor. I think the curry tastes to smokey. It’s almost got a burnt taste to it.
The «Chicken Katsu Curry,» ($ 9.95) was soggy the two times I had it. I think I must have bad luck here because everyone talks about how crispy and delicious it is but I always get this soggy mess.
I’ve basically decided that when I am there, because I can’t talk my friends out of it, I have the hot green tea ($ 0.75), Edamame ($ 2.50), white rice ($ 2.75) and miso soup ($ 2.00). Everything else just doesn’t suit my palate.

So sad that they’re closing soon. Now I’ll have to go to SF, Berkeley or settle with Curry House
Atmosphere is really quiet and small, I always feel the need to whisper when I’m here.
I get the chicken katsu and range from medium to hot for the curry depending on how ballsy/​dumb I feel that day. I love how the spice slowly sneaks up on you, and halfway through your meal, you can’t seem to continue.
Side of potatoes and egg when it’s available.
It also comes with a salad (wasabi or miso dressing, both are superb).
The portions are decent, but the price is a bit hefty for what it is especially if you’re adding sides.

They’re closing Dec. 24 =(I love all of the curry noodle soups on cold, rainy days. Beef veggie with udon might be my favorite. or spicy noodle… So good!
Fingers crossed they find a new location in downtown LA.

Noelle’s Unilocal Notebook 2014
After early start to our day Christmas shopping at Stanford Mall we decided to head to Muracci’s #2 for lunch with my family. We scored parking (which can be difficult on a weekend) and were able to beat the lunch rush. The dining room of Muracci’s #2 is small and the tables are close to each other.
Upon entering one will note the clip board on the right hand side of the restaurant where you can place your name and how many in your party. We were able to score a table for four and they were accommodating with our Orbit Baby Stroller. Menus were placed and we were asked what we would like to drink. We had two hot teas and one green Ito En iced tea for me.
We started with the agedashi appetizer — this was one of the best agedashi starters I’ve had in a long time, the tofu was cooked to perfection and the broth was so tasty and comforting. For a side order we had two Japanese potato salads, the Japanese Potato salad was tasty and it had pieces of broccoli, corn and cucumber. My mom had the pork Katsu with medium spicy curry, my hubs had the chicken with hot spicy curry, I had the pork Katsu with medium spice curry on the side in a separate dish. All three of us were given our own dish of 3 different types of pickled veggies. For dessert we shared a sweet red bean pancake with cream cheese– this was delicious.
Delicious food and excellent customer service by Leo and the other members of the Muracci’s #2 staff make this a favorite in my Unilocal Notebook. Seriously, can’t wait to come back and dine here!
Noelle’s Notes
A Noelle Favorite!
Mauracci’s 2 serves the most amazing pork katsu I’ve ever tasted in my life.

I’m sad to have to downgrade this place because I believe that the food itself is still good but execution has gown downhill. The service was okay, a little slow, and our salads were completely drenched in dressing. I like the miso dressing but not when the salad leaves are soaked. One of the servers was not friendly at all. The curry itself still tasted pretty good, but I was really turned off by the service in general.

The food was good and has a good volume.
I placed the shrimps curry with brown rice.
Eve I ordered mild, it was a bit spicy.
There are not many seats in the restaurant.
I would recommend to go early or later the busy time.

When one spends three days in a hospital, the saltless tofu veggie soup in the cafeteria, over-​salted bag of smokehouse almonds and mehh inpatient room service begin to traumatize a foodie/caretaker’s stomach.
So after a few days of quasi-​nourishment and uneventful eats, I got an idea…
Find the most indulgent, stomach-​satisfying meal I could and bring it back to the hospital room.
Located in the town of Los Altos, a short city drive from Stanford Hospital, sits one of the only true Japanese Curry Houses in the Silicone Valley, Muracci’s 2 Japanese Curry & Grill.
This quaint little eatery puts out a SOLID japanese curry. Not too thick, not too thin… it’s consistency was of a light gravy laced with flavor, upon flavor. Sometimes, I wonder whether or not a restaurant’s curry is made in house or comes from «the box», but here, there is no such doubt. The curry @ Muracci’s is house made and worth it’s somewhat inflated price tag.
For takeout, I got a full order of pork tonkatsu with extra curry sauce and extra tonkatsu. This was enough for the two of us and then some.
I would venture to say that this was one of the best curry dishes I have tried, yet, the palo alto price tag added a little too much sour to my taste buds. I know, I know… High rent = high prices. It was, however, a welcomed break from the hospital and junk food doldrums I was in.

I was raised on Japanese curry, so when our friends brought us to this place, I thought to myself, «Bring it».
***KAKI FRY — Deep Fried Breaded Oysters served with Sauce
Extremely firm crunchy exterior with no noticeable flavor, while the interior was cloyingly fishy. The sauce was quite thick, sweet & tangy, but there was nothing about the flavor that stood out. Served with shredded cabbage and a few lemon slices. As this (and the following 3 items) were strongly recommended by our server, I began to doubt his judgement.
***KATSU CURRY — Pork Cutlet served with Curry Sauce
There is a certain psychological effect that results from reading statements like the one found on Muracci’s menu: «Muracci’s curry sauce takes 2 days to prepare. The homemade soup stock, along with vegetables, herbs and spices, are simmered for 20 hours, resulting in a thick creamy curry base.» Somehow the fact that it takes 2 whole days to make must mean that 1. It’s worth the time investment, and 2. It’s unbelievably refined and delicious. However, in this writer’s humble opinion, this curry was nothing more than a glorified version of Golden Curry mix. There was nothing unique or life-​changing about this simple sauce that accompanied some rather mediocre breaded pork cutlets. But then again, it’s not like schnitzel is a delicacy for many either. With the brown rice we selected, this became one veritably standard home-​cooked meal – the kind you wouldn’t make when you have guests over.
***CHICKEN CURRY DORIA — Special Curry Sauce with Cheese in a Skillet
The same curry from the above, but mixed into the rice rather than served beside it and topped with a light Béchamel sauce and perhaps some light cheese. The chicken was decently tender thigh meat; there were also broccoli florets. The Béchamel was a better match than I was expecting, but there still wasn’t enough magic to call this dish a winner. As the sauce was mostly mixed into the rice, the heat of the skillet removed a bit of its moisture, causing this dish to feel slightly dry.
Two side salads, one miso dressing & the other wasabi dressing. Other than that, identical presentation of white stems of iceberg lettuce, one firm tomato slice, one broccoli floret, and a few kernels of corn. It would be difficult to purposefully create something so boring. The wasabi dressing was superior because, well, it had some wasabi.
***JAPANESE STYLE HAMBURGER — Hamburger served with Grated Radish and Ponzu Sauce
Easily the best dish. The meat was remarkably well-​flavored & tangy, perfectly medium rare, and topped with grated radish. It was served directly on the plate as opposed to on a bun, accompanied by a sunny-​side-​up egg (meh), a small dish of Ponzu, a mediocre potato salad, a few slices of cucumber & tomato, and shredded cabbage.
ALL IN ALL:
It isn’t that this restaurant wasn’t authentically Japanese – it was. It’s just that curry is on the lower echelon of Japanese cuisine – for me it will always be inferior to its Indian, Sri Lankan, Pakistani, Burmese, Thai, & Malaysian counterparts. What we experienced here was a typical home-​cooked meal, the kind that you have every Wednesday, nothing to make a big fuss about.

What a ridiculously overpriced and overrated restaurant. Just because you waste two days to make your very unimpressive tasting curry does not mean you should charge me $ 15 a plate. Maybe it’s for the rent they charge in this charming little area.
Arguably I ordered the Chicken and Vegetables Curry Udon, but I can tell you the soup was not delicious enough for me to remotely want to drink it once I finished the noodles. The chicken was was slightly dry and a tad pink too. The variety of vegetables though was about the only remarkable part.
Curry House (haven’t tried the one in NorCal yet, but the one I eat at near home is fine) and Miyabitei are much better. I should’ve satisfied my craving for curry udon by making it myself! Would’ve been 10x better.
Again, I’m disappointed to say that people eating and rating around here don’t know what 4 or 5 stars restaurants are. Hate that Unilocal steered me wrong again.
Service was fine, but forgettable. Parking was surprisingly not hard for a Friday night.
Definitely a 2 — Meh. I’ve experienced better.

There aren’t many Japanese curry places around, and this place definitely does a solid job. I’ve been here twice, and have tried chicken-​katsu curry, pork-​katsu curry, and Japanese-​style Hamburg steak.
On curry:
The curry sauce has incredibly deep flavors, very distinctly different from what you make at home using some Japanese curry blocks.
On Chicken-​katsu curry:
I felt a little iffy about my chicken-​katsu because it was cooked until it was almost stiff and also it was a little pink on the inside. I wasn’t sure if it was undercooked or overcooked with a touch of color. To be honest, I don’t think I’ll get chicken-​katsu here again.
On Pork-​katsu curry:
This on the other hand was very good. The batter is not too thick and of course the meat itself is not too thick to ensure that the meat doesn’t overcook and is juicy. I didn’t think there was any special seasoning on the batter though (probably our old friend panko).
On Hamburg steak:
This comes with a tofu salad, and I was unimpressed by it. Maybe I imagined it’d be like the amazing tofu salad at Ootoya in NYC, which obviously wasn’t going to happen on an appetizer in a set menu. It was a slob of tofu in soy sauce+ponzu sauce, very simply.
The steak (by which I mean, the patty) is cooked nicely, with a slush of daikon on top. The sauce is wasabi-​infused ponzu-​like sauce. The chef told me not to put too much at once, because the sauce is «strong» (tsuyoi, in Japanese), and after tasting the wasabi in it, I totally got what she meant! The wasabi sauce is a nice twist, but I might have preferred a little more savory sauce, something closer to Teriyaki (but not quite as thick). It’s definitely worth trying though, and some people might even like their version.

This time, I also tried their grapefruit green tea, and mmm so yummy! The hot sake was not terrible (especially given their price) and incredibly cheap. We (a party of three) got a $ 5.75 medium size and each got two shots.

I’d definitely come back for more curry, but I will stay away from chicken-​katsu curry.

This cozy restaurant located in Downtown Los Altos offers a variety of lunch and dinner sets, but they are most known for their Japanese curry dishes. They take pride in their curry-​making process. Homemade soup stock, along with vegetables, herbs, and spices are simmered for 20 hours to create a thick, creamy curry base. Curry spiciness can be made mild, medium, or hot. Extra toppings are also available for an added cost. These include: boiled egg, vegetables, spinach, potato, cheese, or extra curry/​rice/​meat.
Food:
— Ebi Fry Curry Rice — Comes with white or brown rice and a side salad (lettuce, tomato, and corn) with House Dressing. They give three pieces of fried breaded prawns and a sliver of a hard-​boiled egg. Curry is tasty, and it’s a pretty generous portion, so there is plenty to eat with the shrimp and rice.
— Katsu Curry Rice with added spinach — Comes with white or brown rice and a side salad with House Dressing. Breaded pork cutlet was tender and delicious.
Overall, a little pricey for what you get, but it was still a satisfying meal.

For some reason, it’s very «Japanese» to eat spicy curry in the summer. Something about hot food suiting hot weather. Muracchi’s 2 for a humid midsummer’s lunch was no exception. The waiting line was huge, and we had limited time and rabid appetites, so we grabbed some takeout. Protip: There are a few cafés within walking distance (e.g., Peet’s, Starbucks) where there is plentiful seating for you to enjoy your fresh takeout.
We grabbed the chicken katsu curry and vegetarian curry. The vegetarian curry had tofu, mushrooms, bell pepper slices, carrots, and broccoli. While most of these aren’t typically «authentic» curry vegetables*, they were well stewed and went great with the curry. The chicken katsu was crunchy, had a lot of meat, and tender. I like how there’s no extra charge for brown rice. BTW, an egg topping comes with one whole, sliced hardboiled egg… don’t expect a sunny side up or poached egg.
The rice came topped with red beni shoga ginger pickles and pickled cabbage. Additionally, the vegetarian curry rice came with crunchy fried shallots.
Super authentic, flavorful curry. Nice texture, smooth, not watery at all, about as thick as coffee creamer. We ordered the spiciest level and, while it had a bit of kick, we would have liked spicier curry. Heat seekers, be warned! If you eat in, there are spices on the table you can use to kick up the heat.
Generous portion sizes, especially considering the prices (for lunchtime, at least). I recommend takeout because the wait for lunch can take a while – a testament to the goodness of the curry!
*Typical Japanese curry vegetables include carrots, potatoes, onions, green beans, eggplant, and spinach. Source: Coco Ichibanya curry house chain restaurants.

A BYGONE ERA!
Gone of the days when all Japanese establishments served tsukemono (pickled vegetables) with a hot cup of tea with every meal. Japanese tsukemono is synonymous with Mexican chips and salsa, Korean banchan, Indian naan and the good ‘ol American burger and fries.
I was reliving the past when I was pleasantly surprised to see a threesome of picked delights: Napa cabbage, Daikon (Japanese radish) seasoned with Shiso (beefsteak leaves) & Kyuri Asazuke (salted cucumbers). Comforting thoughts began flooding my mind!
Now, on to, for what they’re known… CURRY!
I ordered my favorite, Pork Katsu Curry with a sunny side egg (an add on). You have a choice of white or brown rice. I’ve always eaten curry with the sticky, short-​grain white rice, so I was a little hesitant to order the brown rice. I wanted to give it a try, so brown rice it was. I loved it! The sauce is amazingly creamy. It’s no wonder that it takes them 2 days to make this delicious, flavorful mix! Hmmm… I was trying to discover their secret ingredients, and I’ve found one to be ginger, as evidenced by some subtle ginger strands. What makes this dish perfect is their Pork Katsu. Straddling the rice and curry lay cuts of juicy pork, battered and deep fried to a golden crispy crunch. Absolutely perfect!
For a sweet finish, we tried the homemade Dorachi. It is made of two small, round pancakes filled with red beans and cream cheese. Typically, these pancake type sweets are served warm or room temperature, so I was a bit taken aback when it came to our table chilled. I realized that because of the cream cheese, they had to keep this dessert refrigerated until served. I suppose, as with Sushi, cream cheese has made its appearance here as well. Nonetheless, it was good.
I love spicy curry in all ethnic dishes and am happy to have found Muracci’s for my Japanese curry fix!

Lots of positive reviews for Muracci’s, and it’s fairly close to work. That, and I’ve been craving Japanese-​style curry lately. So I finally decided to check it out.
My first visit was on a hot and sunny day, and I was surprised at how dead the place was at noon; just one other patron besides myself. Unfortunately, the air conditioning was set to «arctic blizzard». It was so cold I actually asked the staff if they could turn it down. Twice. They smiled and nodded and pretended not to understand. So I ordered my food right away, in order to escape the freezer all that much sooner:
– Chicken katsu curry: ($ 10.45). I ordered medium spicy. The curry was certainly tasty, but the sauce did not blow me away. The last few pieces of chicken were very tough and dry. Something to be expected of cheap street-​side curry, but not for an $ 11 plate. 3 stars.
I always like to visit a local business at least twice before writing a review, so I returned to Muracci’s on a much colder, windy day, about a month later. The place was packed with large groups. (I guess it just goes to show that curry is more popular when it’s cold out). Since I was dining solo, I was able to snag a tiny table near the front. This time I opted for the:
– Beef curry: ($ 9.75) plus ($ 1.25) for a single veggie topping. The beef quality was terrible, and the overall portion was slightly small. The single veggie serving consisted of three small brocolli florets and a few slices of carrots. Meager indeed. 2 stars.
I’m not a Japanese curry expert by any stretch, but I expected better meat quality at these prices (and in this zip code). Maybe it’s supposed to be more «authentic». If that’s the case, I’ll take something less authentic and more delicious.
2.5 stars, but rounding down for my chilly introductory visit.

Hands down, best Japanese curry in the area. This is an extension of their widely popular location but transformed into a full-​service restaurant in quiet downtown Los Altos. Most people stopped by to have lunch rather than getting boxes to-​go.
Arrived at 12:30 and restaurant was already packed. We added ourselves to the waitlist and after 20 minutes, we finally had seats! I went with Katsu Curry (medium spicy) with white rice and additional boiled egg. Delicious sauce, not too spicy yet the kick still exists. The katsu itself was definitely one of the better slices of pork I’ve had in a long time. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside.
Service was attentive and the kitchen was fast. It is indeed expensive for a simple lunch (curry and rice), but it’s well worth the price. Other than the wait and small amount of seats, we enjoyed a delicious meal and I can’t wait to be back again!
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PHOTO:

One experience at Muracci’s will probably make you hate every other curry places that you’ve been to.
Came here yesterday with March S. and So C. to grab some din din.
Ordered the Chicken Katsu Curry with brown rice and the addition of spinach. It also comes with a small side salad with either miso or wasabi dressing. Try the miso dressing! :)
The chicken katsu curry here is A-​M-​A-​Z-​I-​N-​G! The chicken is so tender and juicy that you don’t even need a knife to cut it. The panko crust was crispy as hell and the curry… oh gosh, the curry was delicious! You can taste every spice that went into the curry and it was just the best when you eat it with the chicken. *drools*
This place is definitely worth the drive if you live in the South Bay. You won’t regret it. :)

I came here towards the end of lunch, so our wait was about 5 minutes. Walking in, most of the tables were full! Wow! The only rough part about dining in downtown (includes Palo Alto and Mountain View too) is the parking situation.
I got the Chicken Katsu Curry, yummy! My dining partner said that he saw they said it takes them 2 days to make the curry on the menu, wow. You can’t go wrong with fried food and Japanese curry. I loved it! I was really full towards the end. I didn’t want to waste any of the curry, but I just couldn’t finish off the rest of the rice. The food came out hot and the service was great!
+/​-​Limited number of tables — expect to wait during dining rush hours
+Delicious Japanese curry!
+Good portions for what you pay for
–Parking is limited… but if you nab a spot, I think this place is worth it

My coworker introduced us to this place for lunch, and I must say, the Japanese curry was very delicious. The restaurant was rather small, and we had a fairly large group, so they had to combine several tables to seat all of us.
The food was served at different times, and while some of us had finished eating, others had not been served with their food. I tried both the chicken katsu and pork katsu… I personally like the pork one a little better since it was more tender. The chicken one tasted a little dry. The curry though, was pretty tasty, and I’d definitely come back again for that :)