Pastis

I am going to start off this review by saying how disappointed I was with the wait. My husband and I went there for brunch on a Sunday which as expected if you go after 11:30 am you will run into a wait list. That’s fine, but what was not fine for us was the service from one of the staff members.
My husband signed us in on the wait list and we went outside to wait to be called. A few minutes later a woman and her daughter signed in on the wait list and proceeded to wait outside next to us. About 5 minutes later a hispanic waiter smiled and came up to her and her daughter and asked them if they would like a drink while they waited. They conversed amongst each other, he waited, they gave him their drink requests and he walked off.
He came back, gave them their drink and walked off again. Do you think there is something wrong with this scenario? If you don’t, let me share with you my gripe. NOT ONE TIME, DID HE SMILE AT US NOR DID HE TURN TO US AND ASK US IF WE WANTED A DRINK WHILE WE WAITED.
Now, I am not sure if it was an oversight on his part (even though we were standing within 2 feet of this mother daughter duo) or if (I hate to say it, but there’s a big part of me that felt it) race was a factor in this obvious RUDE oversight.
I was rather livid but also starving. I almost left, but I did not want react too soon based off of the behavior of one employee.
So when we were finally called to our table I can actually say our sweet French speaking waiter was super nice and great. He actually was a pure delight. I appreciated his French greeting and his interactions with us. It kind of slightly erased the bitterness I was holding due to feeling slighted while waiting for our table.
Now on to the food.
The food was season great but I must say the menu didn’t have a large selection for a breakfast person who prefers sausage or bacon with their breakfast food. I could get meat if I ordered steak and eggs but I didn’t want to go that heavy.
I ordered the prosciutto omelet which tasted great but had minimal portion of meat for my taste.
Overall, it’s a decent place. However, I am hoping the experience I had there was not about race but more of an oversight. It doesn’t feel good to be treated that way whether it’s an oversight or not…

Great service n delicious fresh food paired up with amazing wine collection.
Ended up getting grilled Saumon Aux Lentilles (Salmon on a bed of lentils) and Moules Mariniere (Mussels in a white wine, garlic and parsley sauce)

Delicious mimosas for brunch, as well as their options for food. I ordered the Omelette Fromage et Jambon — brie cheese & ham, definitely can’t go wrong. Their beignets are pretty good as well. Be careful of their door, it swings in both directions… so if you’re waiting for your table inside, don’t stand by the door ;)

Came here on a Saturday morning around noon with my friend to try out for the first time. There were a few groups of people standing outside waiting to get a table so we decided to put our name on the list. Entering the restaurant, I was overwhelmed by a smell which I described to my friend as «dirty kitchen sink sponges.» Not a pleasant aroma at all, so we opted to sit outside. It seemed very cramped and stuffy inside anyway. We were seated immediately and given water. After about 10 minutes our waitress came and took our order, and that was about the last we seen of her. I ordered the «Le Fraisier» ($ 13.95) which was basically a French toast stuffed with strawberries, and I requested the hazelnut spread on mine and extra powdered sugar. It came out after about 15 minutes. The French toast was decent — I’ve definitely had better, but at the same time you can’t really mess up a basic recipe such as French toast and strawberries, so it’s going to taste good regardless. The powdered sugar was minimal even though we asked for extra.
After our food was served, nobody came to check on us for the rest of the meal or refill our water. We actually had to go inside to ask for our bill, which I really don’t like having to do. Somebody brought it out to us after a bit, but when we gave them our card, they told us to write the tip and total already before they can take the card. Apparently you have to write your tip on the receipt BEFORE they swipe your card. I’ve never heard of any restaurant doing that before, which seemed a bit odd to me. I don’t understand why they would need to do that… just thought I’d point it out.
Overall, french toast was average, service was essentially nonexistent, and we left feeling disappointed. After seeing all the great reviews and getting recommended here, my expectations were higher. I would be interested in coming back to try dinner; hopefully I can write a more positive review next time.

French atmosphere with decent French food.
Was searching for a breakfast spot prior to our visit to Ikea and found this! Noticed they had empty seats/​tables outside the café, often the lack of a line or customers is a sign of bad food to come. To our surprise/​horror, we entered and saw a bunch of people waiting to be seated. Guess it was too cold to sit out by the sidewalk.
They had a wait list on the table, and it looks like it was going to be a long wait. Thankfully before I could scribble my name, the server approached us and had a table for 2 now! How awesome!
We were seated and served very promptly. They have a lot of special meal/​dishes that they prep, the server was rattling off a long list of specials for the day.
Ordered a special for the day — bread pudding cum French toast and a Benedict eggs. The food served promptly and smelled fantastic.
The eggs came with potatoes which were perfectly done. As for the special for the day, it came with fruits, overall this dish was so-​so.
Overall, a decent place to visit if you are around the block.

Pros:
— tons of brunch specials
— dishes have a special twist
— benedict has perfectly poached egg
Cons:
— poor service
I want to knock off a star just because of the poor service, but the food is so good that I can’t bring myself to give Pastis anything less than 5 stars. I came here for Sunday brunch around noon, and luckily there was an open table for two. It was on the bar side, and I only say that because that’s the only somewhat viable explanation as to why the service was so poor. We waited 10+ minutes for a waiter to drop off water and then leave without taking any order; I finally had to flag down a waiter to take our order. On the plus side, the waiter rattled off the day’s 7 or 8 specials, which was somewhat impressive.
I started off with a glass of champagne with pineapple juice, and it tasted just as amazing as it looked (see picture). Definitely put me in a better mood. The food came out rather quickly, and the salmon benedict was to die for. On a lightly toasted english muffin rested a flavorful, hearty salmon cake that tasted like the ocean. On top of that lay a perfectly poached egg that with a gentle cut revealed a custardy yolk that wasn’t too runny or too firm. Delicious.
I also had a bite of the omelette de la mer. The omelette was light and airy despite its thickness, and there was a great balance of egg, salmon, and shallots. The capers added a nice burst of flavor to keep things interesting. We also got an order of beignets, which were a little disappointing given the high quality of everything else. The powdered sugar on top was sweet but not overly so, but the beignets were deflated and lost some of the airiness that makes them so lovely.
Thoroughly pleased with the food, we waited for our bill to come. And waited… and waited. Eventually (15+ min) I flagged down the waiter to get our check. Then we waited and waited and waited eventually going up to the cashier and handling the bill personally.
Bottom Line: Wait may be long, service may be slow, but you will enjoy some of the best brunch food ever. And that’s what you want, right?

Came here for brunch and ordered the croque monsieur. It was good. Place is super crowded though, so try to get here early. We lucked out for a table for 4 at 11:30am. They also have fresh squeeze orange juice here, which I liked as well.

Middle ground for some friends of ours in San Jose and us, so this was the meet spot. Decent amount of free angled parking in front and near the restaurant. This venue is in the heart of the business district, and if you get a window seat, you can watch a lot of people walk by, either carrying coffee or a kid, or even both. We got there for 11:30am on a Saturday, and it was pretty busy, but luckily they were able to seat us right away while we waited for our friends. They do have a list in front to sign up on if there’s a wait. They had to push two tiny tables together to make one 4-​person one, so getting in and out was quite a chore (I totally gave the other table a full view of my derrière as I tried to suck it in and squeeze next to them, at least it didn’t land in their food). The menu is pretty action packed, with a lot of choices. I went with the Pastis Croissant, and tried a little of someone’s french toast with the strawberries. I wanted to order the latter initially, but after tasting, was glad I went with the former, as I got a good helping. I liked the potatoes a lot. The coffee (free refills, and often) was very good and strong too, giving me that added caffeine boost I needed to help with my previous 4 or 5 hour sleep. The fresh squeezed OJ is solid too. This is a great meeting place to catch up and brunch at, so I’ll be back if I’m meeting South Bay people. Plus: we were «that group» that paid and didn’t leave right away… but maybe we can get a mulligan, there was a lot to catch up on and we hadn’t seen each other in like a year.

This place was small, nice, and cozy. We ended eating family style, therefore, ordered a few items to try being that it’s our first time. Out of all the food, I would definitely order the Oyster sandwich. You just like oyster, but literally it just melts in my mouth. Flavor and texture were on point. I’m not a huge fan of Omelette, therefore, it was okay for me. The French toast was too sweet even without syrup, I’ll pass on that!!!
You can’t really go wrong with Salmon Benedict, it’s actually one of my favorite breakfast menu.
Oh loves that they had a few different mimosas, I asked for light on the juice. Yummy!!!

3.5 stars for the food, so I guess I’m gonna round down for this one. The ambience here is very fancy and very classy. The restaurant is very clean and the service is decent. I had Le Parisien, French toast with hazelnut spread and banana, and my friend had Le Benedict. I have to say the food here was pretty solid, but it wasn’t really anything special. Probably wouldn’t come back here except maybe to try out the bar.

Pastis is the best brunch spot in PA and maybe even in the entire bay area. This small indoor/​outdoor restaurant serves brunch and dinner. On a nice day, the outdoor seating is excellent. If you have a dog, he can join at your table outdoors as well.
The Omelette de Champagne is quite tasty, particularly with some goat cheese that I requested. They are extremely accommodating for special requests and even throw in a buttery scone or brioche if you order a savory plate. Although they don’t squeeze their own orange juice (per California laws requiring restaurants to have their own private room for this– how silly!) the one they provide tastes as close to freshly squeezed as possible. It’s certainly not from concentrate.
Le Parisien Pain Perdu is incredible. It’s like dessert for breakfast! The fresh fruit is quite varied and includes blueberries, melons, strawberries, etc. The whipped cream is delicious on their scone or on the toast. The Parisien is so yummy. You will find yourself daydreaming about it for days after. Seriously!
The servers are friendly, unpretentious and attentive. The space is cozy, but not cramped or cacophonous. Net-​net, Pastis is an amazing brunch spot!
Pro-​tip: Come here for Sunday brunch and shop for healthy veggies at the California Ave farmer’s market afterwards. If there is a long list for a table, shop while you wait!

It’s honestly kind of sad that I live on California Ave and I have barely tried any restaurants here. I finally got a chance to grab brunch with a few friends last Sunday and we decided to try Pastis.
So my experience here was just subpar. I saw pictures of the French Onion soup and I was missing Paris, so I figured I would try it. The baked cheese on top was amazing. Since it was raining outside, i thought it was fitting for the weather. However, the soup itself was disappointing, not flavorful other than super salty.
My friends had omelettes and they also didn’t rave about them. Given that there are so many other places, I would probably never come back.

I’ve been spoiled by another cute French restaurant in the Peninsula, so although the food at Pastis was mostly solid, I wasn’t super impressed. We came in for dinner on a Tuesday night, and I was able to make last minute reservations for a party of 6 at 6:30pm. We tried: —
–Complimentary Bread & Butter (Olive & Garlic Dip): Very good– we were all hungry so ate a lot of bread since the dip was good.
–Complimentary Chowder (
): This was also good, even though I’m not a soup lover. It was a great way to start the meal.
–Frisee Aux Lardons (Pancetta, Poached Egg, Shallot Dressing, $ 13,
): Yum– I really enjoyed this salad, and could have just eaten this as my main dish. I loved how crispy the pancetta bits were, and the ingredients worked well together in this salad– recommended!
–Bavette a L’echalotte? ($ 19.95,
): Disappointing. The steak was really thin and needed more seasoning, and the fries weren’t very good since they weren’t crispy enough– skip!
–Tarte Tatin (
): Just ok, but I’m not a huge fan of tarte tatin. I thought the apple was too goopy– skip!
–Chocolate Pot de Crème? (
): Very rich and chocolately– I enjoyed the ice cream more than the pot de crème, since the consistency was too thick for me. Skip!
Overall, I doubt I’ll be back since I didn’t love anything I tried other than the salad. Parking was ok since we came on a weekday night, but there isn’t a ton of parking available nearby.

I used to work only 5 minutes away from Pastis and this was my coworker’s choice for brunch.
A solid place to get brunch, but I did not think it was all that great. An order of Eggs Benedict with a side of bacon seem more typical American food to me than French. To be honest, I was not impressed at all with the food.
On another note, the service was lacking and very slow.
P. s. If you’re doing Sunday brunch, make sure to park a block away as they closed down the street for Farmer’s Market.

The 3 stars says it all: it was just alright, and nothing terribly special.
Service and Space:
One side of Pastis consists of high tables and chairs, as well as a bar, meant for small groups (read: duos) who want to grab a faster meal. The other side has tables lined against a wall that can hold large groups. The interior is cozy and welcoming, and looks like your typical brunch sit-​down restaurant.
I was impressed by the speed of service during busy times. Although I had to signal to the waiter to order, the food came at appropriate times and there wasn’t a lull in between deliveries for a group of 8 people. Our servers and waiters were polite and professional, but nothing else captured my attention.
Food:
The takeaway? Decent, but lackluster. I was neither offended nor pleased by the dishes I ordered, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.
— Omelette de Campagne: Filling, and they don’t slack on the fillings. I loved cutting into my omelette and finding layer after layer of spinach, tomatoes, and mushrooms with each bite. That being said, they still do use a considerable amount of egg, so you’ll definitely be filled up by this dish. Unfortunately, the excess of tomatoes and vegetables sometimes leads to a soggier egg plate, but other omelettes don’t necessarily have this problem.
Another note: The dish looked more like compacted scrambled eggs than an omelette, which has the clean fold-​over. Not the most pleasant looking meal, but the taste matters a little more.
— Croque Monsieur: I’m not the biggest fan of dishes that go heavy on bread, but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to splurge a bit. The portion size, cheese to bread ratio was great (they didn’t skimp on the gruyère). I didn’t really pick up on the sauce that was served with this. However, the bread could have been toasted more evenly – perhaps out of fear the bread would be too soft, the chef created a half toasted, half rock-​hard piece of starch.
— Complimentary items: Pastis’ brioche is great, and I’d recommend asking for that instead of the cracked and almost cornbread-​like scone they served me. A little tip: You can ask to substitute your potatoes or salad for fruit if you want a slightly sweeter breakfast!
I know people have had better experiences with the pain perdu, so next time I might go for the more decadent options. That is, if there is a next time.

A bit pricey, but this place and décor def bring me back to Paris. Although the service is not as attentive as I would like, it was nonetheless spectacular.
Parking on a Saturday morning wasn’t too difficult.
Ordered:
CROQUE MONSIEUR: 3.5÷5
LE PARISIEN (aka Nutella French toast): 3.5÷5
FYI: Pet friendly if you sit outside.
Overall, not bad and I would come back!

Their wine list has a Château Petrus (Bordeaux) for 5 Grand! A top gun Burgundy for $ 4K. An Haut Brion for a steal at an even $ 1000.
*screeeeetch!*
Only been for dinner and not brunch. Cute bistro outfit that can pack it in. Older crowd though, but like most French places, it is the standard mode of operation. A suitable fit for this part of Palo Alto. But being in their quaint dining area, nobody would assume they would offer wines of that magnitude. French Laundry… yes. Manressa… sure. But this quaint bistro… oh hecks no! My whole meal there, I just kept wondering if anybody went there.
The food is okay to good. They use good ingredients. The techniques are decent. But the wow factor is more elusive than it is common.
Moules au Pastis ($ 17) is friggin’ good. Maybe some of the best mussels I’ve ever had. The mussels themselves were the key. They were some of the plumpest, freshest ones I’ve ever had. There were no nickel sized ones. Most were the size of a fat thumb. And when cooked in a creamy-​licorice infused broth, just made the angels hum in harmony. With the decent French bread in a basket, no broth was left behind. Unfortunately the fries that came with the mussels didn’t knock my socks off. They tasted like a frozen fry from a casual burger joint. I could be wrong, but that was my impression.
Bavette a l’echallote ($ 24) was not bad. Nicely cooked flank steak, sliced thin and fanned out. The softened shallots were nice but was interfered by a good dose of chopped garlic. The flavors seemed kind of muddled, along with the presentation. Green Salad accompanied, and the light mustard dressing proved complementary with the beef. More frites off to the side, and you already know how I felt about their fries. Like I said earlier, good but not wow.
Tried a piece of the fish special (sea bass) and the fish itself was spot on wonderful. Fresh, firm and nicely cooked. Accompanying polenta cake a little strong on the parm or other similar cheese.
Tarte Tatin ($ 8) is a French apple pie. Nice carmelized apples on top of a buttery pastry crust. The difference between French and American, is that the French doesn’t spice their apples with cinnamon/​spices and there is no goopy, starchy sauce on the apples. The apples are simply softened and caramelized to perfection. Vanilla Ice Cream and peach pureee were a nice garnish. I’m used to just having this with soft whipped cream, but this was a nice twist.
I like how they have Sancerres and Chablis by the glass ($ 12ish), and their coffee has a dark roast that is really nice with desserts.
The service seems to fall under busy times (long waits) but decent place to have a slow meal and converse. Solid enough for a re-​visit for sure. And possibly delve into their top tier wine list… after I sell my car and possibly an arm and a leg.

A fun French style place. Food was nicely done. We had a Le Provençal which is poached eggs with baked tomato, pesto and hollandaise sauce. The entry came with roasted garlic potatoes. Flavors jelled nicely.
The La Parisien French toast stuffed wit chocolate, hazelnut and banana was a nice finishing touch.
If you want an experience in isolation this is your place. Service fell short of the food experience.
To start with the maìtre d didn’t have a clue how to find people outside waiting. He would stick his head out the front door and speak their name. If you were on the other side of their tables you wouldn’t here him so he moved on.
Once seated we waited another 30 minutes for the server who never apologized for not being their sooner. Unfortunately we never got a plate we ordered and the server never came by to ask about the meal. We tried to stop someone several times during the meal without success.
All in all, an experience in isolation where food was 5 stars and service was 1 star.

Came here for Brunch on a Sunday around 1:00pm. This location is nice because the street closes on Sunday’s for the farmers market giving you something more to do in addition to an great afternoon out with delicious food.
If you don’t mind waiting and want a leisurely meal (they are a bit slow when so busy) this is a delightfully place to sit and chat while accompanied by French inspired cuisine. It’s a small establishment – so don’t expect to get in quickly if it is a busy time – but I felt it was worth the wait.
I ordered a drip coffee and the chocolate-​hazelnut banana French toast (Pan Purdue) which satisfied my sweet tooth sufficiently. This was accompanied by a quality assortment of fresh fruit (strawberries, raspberries, pineapple, grapes, honeydew, and cantaloupe). The coffee is also strong and delicious.
Prices and serving sizes are reasonable. My meal, coffee, and tip came out to $ 20.

I always see this place packed for brunch. I was super excited when I came with some friends last weekend. While the flavors were largely on point, the execution and the service were underwhelming.
We started with beignets, an off the menu special. While small, the beignets had the characteristic flavors. However, I was disappointed they had been sitting out long before even served to us. You could tell because the powdered sugar had melted and came together as one sugary layer. You’d never see that fresh from a shop in New Orleans or even Disneyland.
I ordered a croque madame with an over easy egg (panicked and didn’t get fried). The flavors were there, but almost every key element for a great croque madame was a miss. You can see in my picture, the sandwich cut into triangles topped with a weirdly cut over easy egg — the egg clearly is an afterthought and didn’t feel like part of the sandwich at all. My friend ordered a poached egg and they left his in a separate cup! As for the cheese, the use of swiss was a bit mild — didn’t get any hints of Gruyère like the other reviews suggested, but the menu said Swiss so no surprise. And for a sandwich who’s first word is «crunchy», it was deceptively so — the outsides were grilled well but the rest of the bread became soggy in bechamel and what not. Enjoyed the flavors, not the texture.
Also service was subpar, but maybe they hated our table. Our waters got refilled by the same server at a lower level than both adjacent tables, who does that? And our table wasn’t served all at once — I was left empty for five minutes. I would have been okay with that, but I see my guy serve two other tables of two before me, with three out of four people getting croque madames. Really, guys that came 15 minutes later?
I was content with the flavors and an okay brunch bill by the end of it ($ 18 for me), but I definitely think it’s over-​hyped.

BOF…
C’est (tres) loin d’etre la qualite des moules des Vapeurs a Trouville… mais bon, le reste etait correct (salade, tatin, vin)