Flea Street

Went here for dinner on a rainy Sunday in late March 2016. I arrived early so I sat at the bar and ordered a glass of Fallia Pinot Noir. The bartender recommended the wine and it delivered. Great recommendation!!!
Dinner started out with an amuse bouche consisting of carrots and asparagus. That was excellent. We ordered oysters which were also excellent. But the star of the show for me was the organic vegetarian tasting menu. Anybody that knows me understands that I would never order this prior to last year. I was just not somebody that could have an all-​vegetable dish as my main entrée. My old self would have still enjoyed this «tasting menu» as it was full of flavor and satisfying. My tastes have changed over the past year. And my new self says bring me more! This was one of the most memorable vegetarian dishes that I have had.

Great top notch service here, paired with delicious food! Try the snap pea beverage, clever and tasty! The gnocchi was also the best I’ve had, including in Italy!

I’ve been going to Flea Street for over 8 years, and it will likely remain one of my all time favorite restaurants. I love the atmosphere, and their view towards organic, and farm to table meals (which while common now, did not use to be as common).
I will say I always get the short ribs, but have tried the other dishes that my family has gotten over the years. The short ribs are amazing, and the sides do change with it every time we go (due to the season), but it is always a great dish. I will say though that the pricing of the meal has gone up over the years.
The biscuits that come with the meal are amazing, and I always recommend starting with one of their appetizers. I think my favorite over the years is the salad with strawberries, avocado, and those cheese croutons.
Flea Street is also incredibly accommodating– one year on my birthday they ran out of candles, and ran to the gas station to make sure I had candles on my tart. I will likely keep going to Flea Street for years to come.

This place is FABULOUS! Flea St is my new favorite restaurant. It’s very vegetarian-​friendly, and the veggie dishes are creative and delicious — not just afterthoughts. I loved everything we ordered!
Lavender Lemon Drop — Highly recommended. This is the best cocktail I’ve ever had.
Little Gems & Avocado Salad — We loved this incredible salad. So flavorful, fresh and crispy. All the flavors go together very nicely.
Ricotta & Chives Gnocchi — Soft and rich with great complementary flavors of the tomato relish and pesto.
Spring Organic Vegetarian Tasting — I cannot recommend this dish highly enough. It was an absolute delight. Such diverse textures, flavors, and colors all on one plate. So delicious — we loved it!
Chocolate Caramel Tart — Sweet, salty, chewy, and yummy. Not as amazing as the previous savory courses, but good nonetheless. My husband liked this dessert better than the Strawberry Trifle.
Strawberry Trifle — Fruity, light and tasty. I liked this dessert better than the Chocolate Caramel Tart. :)
All in all, what a wonderful dinner experience. The dining room is quaint and charming, and service excellent as well. I highly recommend this restaurant — it is pricey, but worth it for a special occasion!

I was so excited to try Flea Street and was so disappointed. I took a great friend for her birthday dinner. I had indicated on our reservation that it was her birthday… After we were seated and sat for 5 – 10 minutes ungreeted the hostess unceremoniously came over to say «birthday here? Right?» … Way to spoil my surprise. Our server was extremely awkward– never really even said hello to us, missed a chance to tell us anything about the restaurant, the menu, and generally barely muttered all night.
We started with small plates expecting to order more but were never given the chance. The smoked trout was completely underseasoned– either the trout or the chips needed major salt. The burrata and asparagus was OK. The ricotta chive gnocchi was bursting with flavor.
At the end, they plopped down the dessert in front of me instead. I had to push it across the table.
Completely underwhelming experience — we were new to the restaurant and would have loved an orientation to the menu, but at the very least some attention from our server and some better seasoned food. Meh meh meh! Sad!

What an amazing meal! My first time ever at this cute establishment, which I’ve driven by many times. So happy we tried it! The food and service was great!
They had a great deal on a nice bottle of Flowers Chardonnay, so we accepted! Not a bad start to our delicious meal!
We ordered the little gems and avocado salad and ricotta & chives gnocchi to start. It was the perfect serving to start and we enjoyed all the flavors in the salad and in the gnocchi.
Then for our main course we ordered the skirt steak and short ribs. I guess we were in the mood for some meat! Well, we were not disappointed. The steak had a nice smokey flavor and the short ribs had a nice sweet and savory flavor which was so tender. So yummy!
We were so full that we couldn’t think of eating anything else, but when we saw that there was Pavlova on the dessert menu, we had to order it! It was everything a pavlova should be… the crispy meringue on the outside to the sweet, soft center. The flavors were delicious especially with the strawberry rhubarb compote.
Definitely will add this to one of our favorite restaurants!

2 stars for serving raw chicken to a pregnant woman. You would think at this price point they would know how to prepare roast chicken. Overall, service was decent, but nothing to rave about. Décor was old and hasn’t changed in years. Probably won’t remember to come back here for another 10 years.

I was sad that we didnt get to try «what came first» but we really enjoyed our dinner! It was fantastic :)
We got the soup of the day which was english pea soup. Very flavorful and delicious
The homemade bread and biscuit were served warm. The butter was just ok but the bread was pretty good.
We then got the trout which was smoked and very aromatic. The baby beets salad were also very flavorful and very well presented! So many elements and all of them were perfect and went well together
For entrée, i was hoping to try the «which came first» but they didnt have it so we got the halibut cheek instead and it was very delicious. The cheek came with accompanying salad which was just fine but the cheek itself was very firm and well prepared.
We were too full for the dessert but we were very happy with our meal. Food was delicious and service was great. The server actually offered to split every dish/​course into two smaller ones so we can share between us two which was very considerate of him! The food might take a while to come out but it meant that it was cooked fresh but the dishes were cleared pretty fast after we were done with each course.
Might be a bit pricey but you are paying for aquality and tasty meal!

One of my new favorites for a nice intimate dinner in the bay! One of the things I love about this place is that it has a nice classy, intimate feel without being pretentious; the restaurant is pretty much a house turned into a restaurant and it’s really cute and cozy.
The food here is amazing. I can’t stop thinking about the biscuits. At first when I saw the menu printed on the very bottom about buying some biscuits by the dozen to bring home to cook in your own oven, I thought it was strange. But after the bread basket came out and I devoured that first (of many many biscuits I would have that night) it took all my self control not to ask for a dozen dozens to take home to bake fresh myself. The biscuits are incredibly soft, literally melt in your mouth and very fluffy and buttery. They serve this with a small dish of butter and flavored salt which I liked.
My boyfriend and I each ordered a second and third course and this was a lot of food but we were both able to finish everything on top of more biscuits than I’d like to admit because we were starving at a late dinner after a long day at work. For the average hunger this would probably be too much.
For second courses I got the gnocchi and my boyfriend got the linguini. Both were very good and the gnocchi was very soft and fresh. The flavor of this dish was a bit on the oily side but it was cut nicely with some citrus, broccolini and artichokes. The pillowy texture of the gnocchi is what really made this dish though. The linguini was also very good and the sauce was very flavorful.
What really hit a home run for me here was the miso-​marinated black cod. Miso black cod is probably one of my favorite dishes ever (I love it at Nobu and Iroriya) and this was by far the best version of this dish I’ve had. The cod was *incredibly* soft and tender and literally melted in my mouth. But on top of this, the purée underneath and the flavor of the vegetables around it were what really made the dish. The flavors here are amazing!
For my drink I got the lavendar lemon drop which was refreshing and not too sweet, which I like. It comes with a sidecar on ice which I appreciate because I like my drinks nice and cold. The sidecar is pretty generous too so this was like 2.5−3 glasses (small glasses).
Service is great and the dishes came out very fast. Meal was well paced and we were never waiting very long for anything.
The menu here is seasonal and always changing. I can’t wait to come back to try more!

Fancy, expensive, delicious, and intimate. If you’re looking for a high end dining experience which will leave you happy and satisfied (if not slightly poorer), this is your place.
We had:
Starters:
Half dozen oysters: they were good oysters. Nothing too much else to say.
Squash with burrata: if you are fans of squash and, well, burrata, you will love this. As a table of burrata lovers, we devoured this within minutes.
Second course:
Goat ragu: a little heavy, a little light on goat, overall not bad but not the strongest part of the meal
Trout salad: definitely a stand out. Put a little salad, some trout, and a bit of cream on a chip = one bite of perfection
Gnocchi: amazing. I’m not always the fan of gnocchi because it’s so difficult to make it well, but their gnocchi was flavorful without being too heavy.
Third course:
Short ribs: well marinated, very tender, but pretty standard.
Cod: so tender and juicy. Definitely recommend!
Dessert:
Apple crostada: with apple, light fluffy pastry, and coffee ice cream. Very very good!
Toffee cake: with ginger and poached pear, definitely different. Not bad.
Drink:
Jalisco flower: elderflower, grapefruit, and sparkling wine. Easy to drink and not too strong.
Bread is also fluffy and served warm, and the chef gave us a complimentary (small) sampling of some of their fresh vegetables. Overall, an absolutely wonderful experience, and the above was definitely enough to fill up four deceptively small girls without being completely overly stuffed (though we got pretty close). For a special date night or celebration, this place is an excellent choice.

Flea Street had stellar reviews, which prompted us to bookmark it and make reservations. When our reservation finally rolled around, we found that it fell a tad short of our expectations. Nonetheless, we had a decent dinner service here and we are happy we tried it.
There are opportunities for improvement in the service and the value.
We did the prefix menu with wine pairing, and the total came out to around $ 600. The menu was very ambitious, and I appreciated the focus on organic ingredients. Good? Yes. Worth it /​would I do it again? Most likely not when the competition is certainly stiff on the Peninsula. For example: my filet was incredibly overdone even when ordered at a mid-​rare. At the current price tag, you’re venturing in James Beard /​Michelin territory and the execution has to be ironclad. I would actually venture to say I enjoyed the vegetable dishes far more than the protein dishes.
Now, in terms of service and opportunities for improvement. There was a decent wait for our table even though we had reservations. Our wine pairings were completely neglected for one course, which prompted a profuse apology. However, upon returning with the actual pairing, one of the glasses was filled with water… which then prompted a second profuse apology. Third try was a charm. Again, at the current price tag, you’d expect a ton more consistency in the level of service.

Very satisfied!
Had a delicious spicy bourbon drink!
Black cod was perfect!
Smoked trout was spectacular!
Great service!
Great ambience!
I want to go back ASAP!

I was quite disappointed in my meal last week. I ordered the miso-​black cod, and it was so fishy I could hardly eat it. I love this restaurant, and was so pleased to have a chance to have dinner there, but was very surprised at the lack of quality of my food.

This place was a dream! The décor inside is tres chic and the ambiance is smooth! I was pleasantly surprised, especially since the restaurant’s name has «Flea» in it, but judge it not! My date and I ordered the oysters to share, which were so delicious! My petite syrah wine was a very complementing drink choice too. I had the chicken, which blew me away. No lie, I was expecting your basic chicken with a side of veggies, but this was a masterpiece and it tasted like one too. I wish I would have taken a picture! Alas, I was so into my food, that I forgot about about my phone or any social media. We ordered the blood orange tart to share and it was good… not too tangy, but just enough punch for your taste buds. I didn’t really care for the side scoop of ice cream, but my date loved it. I will be back soon!

I think I’ve found my new favorite restaurant in the Bay Area! I came here with my family on a Saturday night and we all left feeling very satisfied (emotionally and physically) — a strange occurrence, actually, because we all have different tastes/​standards of measurement.
We had a reservation for 5:30pm (opening time, I believe) and were promptly seated at that time and given menus. First off, I’d like to comment how much I loved the menu — it was very elegant, and although it ws simple and small, all the choices sounded so appealing that I still found it immensely difficult to decide what to get. After much deliberation, I ended up going for the Farmers’ Lettuce & Greens (first course), Braised Rabbit Tortellini (second course), and the Miso-​marinated California Black Cod (third course).
Right after ordering, our waiter brought out a basket of bread. Normally I try not to have much bread before a meal because I want to save room for the food I actually ordered. But in this case, I couldn’t resist — the two types of bread were so incredibly delicious that both my pieces were gone before I knew it. We were also brought a small plate of broccoli and radish (?) which were also tasty. My salad came out soon after that, and it was incredible. That might sound silly because — really — how good can salad get? But I’m totally serious when I say that it might have just been the best salad I’ve had in my life — it was extraordinary in taste despite its simplicity, which I think was mostly due to the freshness of the ingredients and how cleanly they mixed, along with the dressing, to give the overall taste. Next came the rabbit tortellini, which was — again — incredible. The taste of the rabbit definitely came through and was enhanced by the flavors of the other ingredients in the dish. And finally… the cod. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed a main course quite so much before. The cod was SO soft, with each bite basically melting in my mouth. The yam base tasted great, too, and so did the kale and mushroom. Definitely a winner in my experience of main courses. I unfortunately didn’t have room for dessert (the menu looked fantastic, though), so I skipped on that this time. Our waiter still brought us a plate of four truffles, which were amazing (by now, is that such a surprise?).
Overall, as you can probably already tell, I LOVED this place. The service and ambience were wonderful, and the food was exquisite. Will I be back? Most definitely, yes.

Had dinner here with the family over the holidays and was pretty impressed overall. The only thing was that I found their special entrée of the night, duck two ways, a bit overdone. Other than that, all of the flavors of all of the dishes were great. I started with their poached pear & prosciutto salad, which was really tasty — all of the varied ingredients worked well. I also had the braised rabbit tortellini, which was quite tasty, although the appetizer-​style portion was really tiny! And finally, as mentioned before, they had a duck special, but it was pretty overcooked. I would come back to give them another try — it probably depends what you order and a bit of luck of the draw. They also had Blanton’s, which I appreciated, and served it with one big ice cube, which I also appreciated. My brother liked their old-​fashioned but it looked a bit too muddled up to me. Dessert, the apple crostata, was just okay.

We have been coming to the flea street café since the mid 1980s and they have always played a high game. We were there recently and had an unpleasant surprise. They have implemented a policy where the party can’t be seated until all members are present. We had one of our party of four that couldn’t join us until 6 for our 5:30 reservation. Fortunately there was room at their small bar as they were completely inflexible about this. The policy is clearly for the convenience of their staff and is supremely irritating. I doubt I will return. The food was good as usual, but has become overpriced.

Wonderful, delicious dishes to overcome your vegetable-​phobia.

Adorable little restaurant with a killer menu.
We started with the endive salad and gnocchi. Both tasty and unique in their own right. Vegetarian platter and short ribs were ah-​maze-​ing. For dessert we had the chocolate cake and the Apple crostini. Both worth it for sure.
The ambiance is cute. It’s definitely a good special occasion place. The service was good although I did expect more knowledge of wine.

Based on the reviews and menu I really wanted to like this place.
Came here for a birthday dinner and shared our dishes family style.
I think the best thing we had were the biscuits that came in the bread basket.
Everything else we ordered seemed to be a miss. Apps were not seasoned enough. Short ribs were salty. The gnocchi with shrimp had a great sauce but the shrimp was over cooked. Then the panna cotta was beautifully plated but it had too much Rosemary.
Our sever was this Asian gal who seemed odd the whole night. She couldn’t really recommend wine or dishes and didn’t have much eye contact or personality; it was almost like talking to a doorknob. It felt strange that a restaurant of this caliber would staff someone like that on a Saturday night.
In the end it was just an okay experience, not what I was expecting from the reviews.

Favorites: Menlo Samba; Short Ribs; Rosemary Panna Cotta
We ended up ordering two of both a second course and third course, which is a lot of food by the way. The experience here was great. The waiter noticed my liking for the biscuits and brought some extra out after we finished our first set; also, I even got some to go. What I really liked about this place that after each dish, your stomach still feels light and refreshed. By the way, the menu changes often, so expect slight variations.
Menlo Samba — decided to go w/​this once I saw the strawberry and basil. It has a lot of body to it, but still perky. My girlfriend got the lavender lemon drop, which came a lot extra in the sidecar.
Fried Green Tomatoes — the relish and bacon added a nice touch. The batter around the tomatoes was pretty thin and didn’t cling to the tomatoes well. The tomatoes were rather juicy and fresh.
Fettuccine — lots of sauce, which strangely didn’t detract away from it for me.
Short Ribs — so tender that the meat just pulls apart with a gentle tug of the fork. After eating half, it was time for dessert!
Rosemary Panna Cotta w/​Figs — light and fluffy. Accented well with blueberry (don’t remember… could have been strawberries) and fig reductions and caramel sauces. The sauces and the graham cracker crumbs worked really well.

Hidden little gem. Start with a lavender lemon drop. The menu changes seasonally. I had a wonderful beet salad followed by fried green tomatoes — the first I’ve had that were better than my Daddy’s, and I’m from Georgia. For the third course, I had the chicken which was quite good, and finally a trio of ice cream for dessert.
The restaurant is quaint and quiet, good for a date. The owner Jesse routinely walks around and chats with the guests, learning what’s working and what’s not. A very smart move.
Will definitely be back.

I went here for dinner with my boyfriend last Thursday. We each ordered a second and third course, which ended up being wayyyy too much food for the two of us. Everything was delicious, so I’m glad we were able to try many of the dishes. All of the ingredients were nice and fresh, which added to the enjoyment of the dishes. Service was amazing the entire night, and our waiter packed us some of the biscuits at the end of the night =).
Lavender Lemon Drop (⁴⁄₅) — Great drink with a little bit of a bite. It comes with a sidecar, so the portion was pretty healthy (about 3 glasses).
Menlo Samba (⁵⁄₅) — Light and refreshing.
Fried Green Tomatoes (4.5÷5) — The breading on the tomatoes was a bit slippery, but regardless this dish was great. Even though the tomatoes were the main part of the dish, the corn/​avocado/​bacon part was my favorite.
Fettuccine (3.5÷5) — The salmon in this dish was a bit one-​note for me, but it was still enjoyable. The stuffed squash blossom on top was tasty!
Halibut (⁴⁄₅) — Well cooked fish, with a nice mix of herbs on top. The mushrooms on the side were great.
Short Ribs (⁵⁄₅) — Perfectly fatty and tender.
Rosemary Panna Cotta (⁵⁄₅) — I was a bit worried when I ordered this dish because of the rosemary, but after trying this dish, my worries went away. The panna cotta was nice and creamy, with just a hint of the rosemary flavor.

Nothing short of stunned by the sheer plated elegance and delighted by the perfected execution unveiled by every bite. Chef Carlos Canada has controlled creativity nailed. I wish I lived closer, as I would make this a weekly regular pleasure.

Mooooooo Moooooo. This is cow for «I’m organic, eat me».
What a freaking insanely awesome restaurant Flea Street is. Not only are they serving some of San Mateo’s most creative California cuisine, eating here makes me feel like I am on vacation.
First off, there is vodka here. Ok, I am breathing really hard now.
Second off, biscuits. You must try the buscuits! I just gained 12 pounds thinking about those little fuckers.
Short ribs, so deep, rich and sinful I cannot get enough.
Romantic, very!
Moooo Moooo MOOOOOOOO!!!

Because it took me halfway through dinner to realize this, I’m going to give a hint to those of you who are confused about the name of this place: What does Alameda de Las Pulgas (the name of the street) mean in Spanish?
Great, now that we have that out of the way… on to the review!
I came by for a celebratory dinner with family (the high prices mean most people here are probably celebrating something) and enjoyed a much, much fancier meal than we normally go for at much, much more expense. The inside looks and feels like a nice house converted into a restaurant: dim lighting, fancy silverware, fancy paintings, and mirrors all over the place. The atmosphere is classy and most people seemed at least a little dressed up.
Service is very friendly, attentive, and polite, as expected for a fancy place. And this place passed my «fancy food test» when a waiter came by with a crumber after we were finished with our entrées: If they use a crumber, it’s a nice place in my book! (This is how you know I don’t do fine dining very often…)
The theme of the food is: deliciously fresh and «melty.» Yes, «melty,» as in everything literally melts in your mouth (and probably contains a stick of butter in order to achieve this consistency, but let’s not think about that. Edit: Apparently they achieve this consistency without using a ton of butter… impressive!). Everything we consumed was amazingly «melty:» soft salmon, tender ribs, flaky pie crust… and the biscuits! The biscuits are quite possibly the best biscuits I have ever had: doughy, melty, flaky, and savory with just a tinge of sweetness. Finish the bowl of biscuits they give you so that you can have another!
Everything I ate was fantastic: fresh and flavorful. You can tell that they put a lot of effort and care into each dish. A few dishes in particular that I really enjoyed (aside from the biscuits): Fig and Radish Gnocchi (second course), Salmon Sturgeon (third course), and the Peach Tart (dessert).
The food is amazing, but be warned: this place is pricy. If you’re looking for a good gauge for portions and pricing: my family of four shared 1 first course and 1 second course, each ordered our own third courses, and split 2 desserts. This came out to about $ 230 before tip (and we didn’t order any alcohol!). Is it worth the expense? Yes, but only for a special occasion when you want to enjoy a particularly «melty» meal.

Food was close to 5 stars but service and ambiance were. .. strange.
Let’s start with the food — we shared several starters (salad, gnocchi, etc) and they were all delicious. I definitely recommend the gnocchi. But the soup of the day, some kind of artichoke and faro, was bland and had no flavor. Miss.
The oysters were also only OK. But the entrees were outstanding — shortribs and the filet mignon special, loved them.
Also worth mentioning that the drinks are wonderful and STRONG (always a plus!)
Weird awkward service. Our waiter only took drink orders from 2 people even though I was ready, willing and able to order my drink.. . so my friends had drinks while the I just sad there sadly. Awkward.
Then our waiter was placing utensils on our table while talking to us and all of a sudden he started handing my utensils to me instead of placing them on the table. Awkward.
Finally, while we shared our first courses (3 starters for 3 of us), the servers placed the entrees on the table and then asked us if we wanted share plates. Hm. As opposed to what, using the table instead of plates? Come on. Don’t be stingy with the plates. You can wash and re-​use them.
But overall, a very nice experience. I would come back, especially for the gnocchi and COCKTAILS.

This was my first visit here in about 10 years. I always mean to go back, but it never seems to make it to the top of the list when I’m picking just the right spot. We were taking my newly married niece and her husband out to celebrate. When we checked in, they asked us if we were celebrating anything special. I was taken aback; do they ask this of everyone? Maybe they assume since their prices are about 20% higher than market for what they’re serving, people mostly go when there’s a special reason.
A lovely, complimentary, surprise flute (short pour) of champagne came out soon after we sat down. Nice touch!
Here’s what we had:
Lobster Bisque with fried shrimp garnish: 4 stars
This was silken, and flavorful, without being overly rich. My shrimp was sadly not crisp
Cornmeal crusted scallops with mushrooms, marble potatoes and a kind of onion soubise: 4 stars
There were just three scallops, but they were a good size. The sauce was delicate, even though total onion-​y.
Miso marinated black cod with a teriyaki glaze: 3 stars
This was my husband’s entrée. He enjoyed it, especially the accompanying farm fresh carrots and peas, but we all agreed that with the miso and the teriyaki, it was a little salty
Braised short ribs: 4 stars (I’m guessing here; we didn’t really discuss it and my new nephew-​in-​law didn’t share tastes)
It looked wonderfully mahogany, and I can only assume by how fast he downed it that it tasted good.
We shared the blood orange panna cotta. I see this at so many restos now! It was good, but could have had more flavor saturation. The newly weds got the better desert, chocolate marshmallow (on the top) cake with cherry compote. I don’t even like marshmallows and I liked it.
So, yes, I might go back for a special occasion, but with no entrée offered for less than $ 30, starters in the $ 12 – 20 range, and desserts $ 11 and up, plus a big mark up on wine, the prices are set for the Menlo/​Atherton set.
Food: ³⁴⁄₄₀
Service: ¹⁷⁄₂₀
Atm/​Intang: ¹⁷⁄₂₀
Value: ¹⁴⁄₂₀
Overall: ⁸²⁄₁₀₀

We came here again as our birthday Tradition, this time is also the treat for the upcoming military departure.
Emailed the owner Jesse asking for Bday writings on the desert, although they couldn’t make it, but Jesse is was friendly and helpful! Appreciated it!
Seated right after we arrived. Server Haley was super attentive and considerate! Thumb up to Haley!:-)
Shrimp bisque is smooth, nice balance on salt. I enjoy wiping my bowl with their famous biscuit!
Poached pear salad has barley in it, adds lots of texture to the dish! Barrata is always good with fruits!
Short rib with truffle crêpe was absolutely delicious! We order ribs last year as well, but didn’t come with truffle crêpe!
Daily special is truffle chicken. Here comes the problem. My chicken breast was raw, they pre-​sliced, so I spotted the blood in the middle of the breast right away. A male server attempted to explain by saying the chicken is not raw, the blood is from the bone. I really don’t buy it. Guess himself was not convinced as well. So he brought it back to kitchen. And couple of minutes later chicken came back! It was apparently properly brined! Meat was extremely tender and moist, and was not overly salted. I like the kale salad with pine nuts and raisins as well! However I just didn’t taste any truffle, was the truffle sliced on top of the chicken? (didn’t see) or was it part of the seasoning from the brine? (any explanations?)
For dessert we had blood orange panna cotta! It came with fennel shortbread cookies! Loved it!:-)
This place is always on my 5 star list, though i noticed there are couple of lower reviews recently. However I have to rate 4 star this time because of the raw chicken and the absence of promised truffle flavor.

I’ve been debating to give this place a 3 star or 4 star but for this sake. I’ll do 3 stars.
Came here about two weeks ago for dinner with my girl friend for some catch ups. She was running late so I went inside to grab our table as she was stuck in traffic so I waited for a good 15 minutes before she arrived. The hostess asked me if my friend was still coming because… I don’t even remember her reason but it was somewhere along the lines of. her Manager was wondering and since I’ve been waiting for about 15 minutes and haven’t ordered anything then maybe my girl friend and I should reschedule dinner? I don’t know. I don’t remember. It might be their table rule. I respect that but I felt a bit offended. Anyways… girl friend arrived so we went on with our dinner.
Food:
Red Wine Poached Pear Salad (³⁄₅): I felt like there was too much things going on in this salad… I mean, there’s about 6 things going on in one dish… I somewhat liked it but maybe I should’ve gotten the Seasonal Mushroom Soup over this.
Seasonal Soup — Mushroom Soup (⁴⁄₅): I’m not really a fan of mushroom soups but this one was probably one of the better one’s that I’ve tasted.
Pan Roasted Miso-​Marinated California Black Cod (⁴⁄₅): I’ve actually enjoyed eating this dish… it had overall a decent balance of ingredients — spinach, wild rice, baby carrots, hedgehog mushrooms, blood oranges and hoisin.
Marin Sun Farms Braised Grass-​fed Short Ribs (⁴⁄₅): my girl friend liked the flavor of this one. I had a piece of it and the beef was incredibly tender. It came with a light horseradish sauce, leek and truffle stuffed crepes, and baby beets. Good flavors overall.
Dessert:
Trio of Seasonally Inspired Ice Cream (⁵⁄₅): GAME CHARGER. MAKE UP SEXY TIME IN MY MOUTH. It’s dessert, duh! So we had three flavors which consisted of Chocolate, Pistachio and Vanilla. All three were organic-​made and they were as close to a gelato type of texture… I can’t get enough of that Pistachio flavor… what can I say… nuts in my mouth ;) my favorite part.
Service: decent.
Parking: small lot and street parking but there are plenty around the area.
Ambiance: quoting a fellow Unilocaler, Helen D. «You know when you’re little and you and one of your other pig-​tailed girl friends hold one another’s hands and spin around in a circle really really fast… and everything is a blur except the other person? The ambiance at Flea Street embodied that experience for me. The lighting at each table illuminates solely your companion, and everything and everyone else fades away into the hum of the restaurant.» Yup that’s how I felt dining here.
Overall: definitely a splurge… was it worth it? kinda. Come and taste yourself.

My almost husband wanted to celebrate our last Valentine’s Day as an engaged couple at a special place. Flea Street definitely delivered.
There was a special Valentine’s Day menu so I won’t go into much detail since it may not be available for you to try. I will say that if you are not a vegetable person, this place will make you one. Every bite of your dish is packed full of flavor and different textures that will delight your tastebuds.
They gave each table a mini rose plant to take home. I can’t wait to come back over the years to show them how much the plant has grown, just like our love for each other and for the food here at Flea Street. What a gem!

Flea Street Café is the only one of its kind: a restaurant that brings the farm directly to your table. It succeeds where many have failed miserably, with all ingredients being fresh, local, and organic!
OpenTable is just cruel sometimes, but I was lucky enough to snag a rezzie for patio seating via a very friendly receptionist. When we arrived, we were given the option of both indoor and outdoor seating. I chose indoor, figuring we would get blown away by the wind before the main course, so we sat at one of the tables near the front.
My favorites were the heirloom tomato salad, fried green tomatoes (which I would have eaten 5 orders of), short ribs, chicken (which came with zucchini smothered in the most delicious sauce that makes zucchini taste like crack, and a poached egg!), and their biscuits (which I had maybe 5 of.)! Truth be told, I think I may have eaten more vegetables in that one meal than I have in my entire life, and Flea Street made it feel so good! The truffle made for the perfect gooey cherry on top!
Every worker we came in contact with was very prompt, friendly, and had a great sense of humor. Our waiter, Victor, was not only hospitable, but took excellent care of us! He was always there to make sure we had all we needed, coming and going with a smile.
One thing I always wonder when people complain about pricing is whether anyone has the slightest idea of how much it costs to run a business (no, not into the ground). Flea Street Café offers top quality ingredients, not the questionable scraps of entrails you usually find in your hole-​in-​the-​walls. You also have to account for the fact that Menlo Park/​Palo Alto has the highest rent rates in the Bay Area. Cooks, servers, bartenders, host (esses), and cleaning crews certainly do not work for free, and they have to hire them to ensure a quick and steady service… And I don’t know, might business owners have families to feed after accounting for all this?
Debbie Downer dose of reality: This isn’t Burning Man where everything comes for free! Expenses are very real.
The resto itself is very cozy and feels like the inside of someone’s home. On the way out, we noticed that the patio actually looks pretty darn awesome (especially with the heater lamps). Certainly a must-​return!

Was es für Plätze gibt auf der Erde. dieses Restaurant ist strickt Organic wie die Amis sagen, und Amis meinen das dann auch. Aber, das Essen ist dann wirklich wirklich klasse, ich könnte fast einen Stern beantragen. Wirklich gut, außergewöhnliche Karte, was will man mehr?
Dazu haben wir dann draußen gesessen, also eigentlich fast auf der Strasse, aber gut gemacht. Empfehlenswert!