Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Arbuckle Café

    3.6 (46 reviews)
    InexpensiveAmerican
    Closed Closed

    Arbuckle Café Photos

    Business Info

    ARBUCKLE CAFÉ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

    You might also consider

    More like Arbuckle Café

    Recommended Reviews - Arbuckle Café

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    An example of one of a HUGE variety of plates they serve

    Arbuckle is one of the best cafeterias on Stanford campus (it's located at the GSB), and with it's wide variety of quality food options, I can always find food that I enjoy (or I can customize for what I'm feeling that day)! See pictures for examples of a HUGE variety of plates they serve. Also, it goes without saying that the environment at Arbuckle (and the GSB in general) is beautiful, so it's a great place to dine. Staff are also always very friendly :)

    a group of people sitting outside
    Alex G.

    Arbuckle a very high quality cafeteria, and the best place to eat on Stanford campus. It's located on the business school campus, and has funny tacky names for each food station ("Foreign Exchange", "Market Mix", "Liquid Assets" is the drinks station lol). The menu at the ~5 stations changes every day, so there are always new delicious options to try. There's also great gourmet pizza and some self-serve salad and sandwich stations. They have great outdoor seating to chill with friends or have a quick meeting. One con: It's sort of stingy for the price that refills from the self-serve soda fountain aren't free, like they are at pretty much every other restaurant I've ever been to.

    Scarlet C.

    My main complaint is the portion size given the price... They have two sizes, large and medium (or regular and small ... depending on how you prefer to call it), the large being $9.75 and the medium $6.75, but even the large is not enough to feed one person... for example this is a "large" that I just got - it's literally three scoops of rice ... I also think they discriminate depending on *your* size - there are so many times when they give a large male in front of me in the line twice as much as what they give me because I'm a skinny short female ... :( And also the food is not that good - it's usually either raw or over-cooked or both: the outside burnt (which can give you cancer) and the inside raw (which can give you stomachache) and I'm not talking about stuff like steak that is supposed to be like that but stuff like chicken which is not supposed to be eaten raw ...

    long and chaotic lines (per usual)
    Ian S.

    The prices are outrageous. There are no nutritional values listed. Portions are small and skimp on protein. The salad bar is constantly running out of things -- they're pretty much always out of chicken. The seating area is always messy, with garbage left sitting on the tables for long periods of time. Condiments, utensils, water fountains, tray pickups, tray drop offs, etc. are all laid out in very inconvenient ways. Lines are extremely long during peak hours. They don't seem to have appropriate staffing, preparation, and processes to deal with these very predictable customer patterns, which is amazing given that this cafe is run by a business school. Some food items require complicated order forms which are thrown into messy piles and handled at random. They give out annoying punch/discount cards which earn you a $10 discount after ~20 meal purchase. It's very frustrating to have to carry this flimsy paper card around and pull it out, over and over, and it slows down the long lines. This discount system is essentially a tax on everyone but the most devoted deal-seekers / card carriers among us. There is a coffee shop located in the rear of the cafe. Good luck finding someone who mans it. It is almost always empty. You usually have to call someone from another place to tend to the station. The whole ordeal takes several minutes. I've pretty much given up, and so have most other Arbuckle patrons. On Thursdays, they have outdoor barbecues. Strangely, you have to go inside, wait in line once to obtain a paper voucher, then go outside, and wait in once more to obtain your food. Surely, in Silicon Valley, at Stanford, there are some mobile technologies that can better handle this. On the positive side, I will say that the look-and-feel of the place is very nice. Arbuckle is spacious with high ceilings and abundant indoor and outdoor seating. The location is fantastic.

    Local farmers are here
    Marina L.

    A variety of food stations - farm to fork - to choose. Fresh local food features a quality nutritious menu that brings awareness to local food production and sustainability. Also, includes lots of grab and go for quick pre-lecture bites. The line at the grill can get too long. I'm a fan of grilled cheese. Can't go wrong with a classic. The wine offerings are a blessing. This is a popular space on campus.

    Madhur B.

    Okay there's no way this place warrants a 3-star average. Now that we are sans-Ike's, this is the best quality food on campus, hands down. Relative to your other options, this isn't expensive and they have a variety of stations inside producing a unique variety of options every day. The seating area has a great ambience, and is an ideal spot to catch up on work. I recommend checking out the online menu beforehand and choosing your perfect day to visit.

    See all

    Photo of suzi b.
    42
    36
    15

    5 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Leee D.
    0
    84
    488

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ian S.
    600
    100
    11

    15 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Bradley N.
    1897
    1206
    3031

    16 years ago

    Helpful 13
    Thanks 0
    Love this 16
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kaori M.
    269
    1740
    1484

    10 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 1

    17 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of T M.
    1
    38
    3

    13 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Pier P.
    62
    26
    2

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of W H.
    155
    1045
    268

    13 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    18 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    17 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    17 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jason H.
    351
    419
    7

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Eri S.
    47
    19
    0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Arbuckle Café

    Review Highlights - Arbuckle Café

    Located in the GSB, Arbuckle has great breakfast, lunch, and dinner options that cater to a number of diets e.

    Mentioned in 6 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for American 23,242 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Horsefeather

    Horsefeather

    4.1
    (229 reviews)
    0.8 mi

    Food was amazing! Great unique flavor, excellent presentation and reasonable prices. Sounds like a…read morewin, win win! Nice work! Service was nice. Checked on us a few times. No mistakes made. Well done! Ambiance, really pretty! Very cleaned and organized. I was really impressed with the women's bathroom. The tiles were gorgeous. Made me want to stay longer, which I never say or feel about bathrooms lol

    This was my third visit to this restaurant, and unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience…read more We made a reservation, arrived on time, and were seated. At that point, there were only two other small parties in the restaurant. We were initially seated directly next to a group that was clearly enjoying themselves and being somewhat lively. Since most of the restaurant was empty, we politely asked if we could sit elsewhere. We were moved to another small table, and then asked if we could have one of the empty booths instead. The server said he would check with the manager, but the manager declined, even though approximately 90% of the restaurant was empty. We then placed our order. My wife ordered the salmon, and I ordered the mussels, along with the beet and strawberry salad. When the salad arrived, my wife noticed there were no beets in it. We pointed this out to the server, who said he would speak with the manager. The manager eventually brought out a corrected salad. Shortly afterward, however, the server informed me that they were out of mussels. This was especially frustrating because the mussels were the main reason we chose this restaurant--we had enjoyed them on a previous visit and specifically came back for them. To make matters worse, about ten minutes later, two families with children were seated directly next to us, despite the restaurant still being largely empty. Given the abundance of available seating, it felt unnecessary and made the dining experience less enjoyable. Overall, the combination of the seating situation, ordering issues, and lack of accommodation left us disappointed with what had previously been a restaurant we enjoyed visiting.

    Photos
    Dining area
    Dining area
    Deviled Eggs
    Deviled Eggs
    Umami Fries

    See all

    Umami Fries
    Sweet Maple

    Sweet Maple

    4.2
    (1.4k reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    Always love coming here! Great vibes and staff! Food is…read morealways phenomenal and flavorful. And looks great! Clean fun brunch vibes. It is a bit noisy so if you're looking for a calm vibe. Maybe not but if you're looking for a fun/ lively vibe, this is your place!

    We added ourselves to the Yelp waitlist from outside and were called up within minutes, even on a…read morebusy Saturday late morning. Great start! The host received us warmly, but things slipped from there. Our table was missing cutlery and we had to flag our server down to get it sorted. We asked for a minute to look over the menu since it was our first visit. He did not come back for five minutes, and only because we flagged him down again. When we ordered, he took our request without making eye contact, attention clearly elsewhere in the restaurant. One dish came out. The second did not. Our server never circled back to check on us, and seemingly did not notice that one of us had no food in front of her. After nearly ten minutes, we flagged him down again. He called over from across the restaurant, not walking to us, with a "what?" We had to gesture that my guest still had no food. He came over briefly, confirmed our order, said it was coming soon, and left. No apology. No acknowledgment of the wait. No offer to make it right while one plate sat getting cold. The food eventually came, again with no apology. It was good. But by then, honestly, the experience had overshadowed it. We asked for a manager. Cathy came over, listened, and immediately apologized. She agreed the service fell short, gave us a break on the bill, and handled the situation with real grace. She is the reason this review has any stars at all! For reference, our server's name on the receipt read Mui F. I hope Cathy's conversation with him makes a difference, because Sweet Maple clearly has the food to back up its reputation. The service just needs to match it!

    Photos
    Brunch with friends!
    Brunch with friends!
    Egg Soufflé
    Egg Soufflé
    Egg soufflé with fruits

    See all

    Egg soufflé with fruits
    Fambrini's Cafe

    Fambrini's Cafe

    4.4
    (1.6k reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$

    This place is awesome! There was quite a line when we arrived around 10:30am on Saturday, but it…read moremoved decently fast (~15-20 mins) and then the food arrived pretty quickly after we sat down at a table as well. There's a beautiful outdoor area in the back with tons of tables. Even though it was super busy, we still had our choice of a few tables, and the foliage/patio umbrellas make it nice and shady. Our food was also delicious! We got: Prosciutto and egg sandwich - eggs were super light and fluffy, and the sandwich was well balanced and cheesy too! Fat and fluffy French toast - such a generous portion and the berries and whipped cream were so yummy! The toast itself had crispy edges and was super fluffy! They have such a large menu too and I'll definitely be back to try more!

    We had the most AMAZING breakfast here at Fambrini's. We were in town after staying in town for a…read moreconcert and stopped in for breakfast before hitting the road back home. Mid week brunch meant a quieter atmosphere and open seating. After perusing the menu we ordered at the counter before sitting at a table after picking up utensils and water. We ordered Fambrini's Breakfast, Brie & Mushroom Omelette, Crab Omelette, and shares the Lotus Biscoff Pancakes. Everyone loved their egg platters. The eggs were perfectly light and fluffy. I generally avoid omelettes getting scrambles instead because restaurants tend to overcook the eggs. Our dishes were prepared with quality and flavor in mind. I personally had the crab omelette and left no crumbs behind. The potatoes were well seasoned and wish I had enough room in my tummy to finish them off! The drip coffee was bold and delicious not watered down at all! Finally, we shared the 2 stack biscoff pancakes for a sweet finish. The pancakes were bouncy with biscoff sauce and a mound of whipped cream. This was mouth wateringly delicious. I don't have much of a sweet tooth but this was so yummy. This isn't a traditional sit down service but counter staff were friendly and efficient. There is a small parking lot off to the side and there is indoor and patio seating. Come by for a meal and you won't be disappointed! I wish I lived closer so I could taste the rest of their meal. Kudos and thanks for an awesome meal!

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Lotus Biscoff Pancakes/STACK OF 2
    Lotus Biscoff Pancakes/STACK OF 2
    Matcha Latte

    See all

    Matcha Latte
    Ethel's Fancy

    Ethel's Fancy

    4.5
    (404 reviews)
    1.3 mi
    $$$

    Finally made it to Ethel's Fancy and it was every bit as good as people say!…read more Service was excellent from start to finish. Everyone was friendly, knowledgeable and genuinely seemed to care that we were having a great experience. Food was the star of the night. My favorites were the toasted coconut fritters, the yellowfin tuna on koshihikari rice and the lightly cured kampachi. The tuna and kampachi were incredibly fresh, beautifully presented and packed with flavor. The fritters were something I wouldn't normally order but I'm glad we did. They were absolutely delicious. Cocktails were also a pleasant surprise. Creative without being gimmicky and each one was well balanced and thoughtfully put together. What I appreciated most was the attention to detail. Every dish looked beautiful but more importantly everything tasted as good as it looked. You can tell there's real care behind the ingredients, preparation and presentation. Palo Alto has no shortage of great restaurants but Ethel's Fancy stands out. We'll definitely be back.

    The quality of our experiences have gone down over the last few visits…read more On our most recent one, my table thought our server was high because she seemed so out of it. When we asked for recommendations, she didn't really give us any. When our friend asked for vegetarian options, she was pretty condescending. Another server dropped utensils on my partners shoulders twice. They also sent food out to the wrong table. We have celebrated many special occasions here and love the food so we will probably be back. We would love to see better training of staff.

    Photos
    Open kitchen view from the bar seating
    Open kitchen view from the bar seating
    Kampachi Crudo ($26)
    Kampachi Crudo ($26)
    Warm sesame pancake

    See all

    Warm sesame pancake
    Arya Steakhouse

    Arya Steakhouse

    4.4
    (1.8k reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    Service/Food: Everyone specially Avi our host was seriously exceptional! From the start, he treated…read moreis us specially well. When we ordered 2 cowboy rib eye, 1 NY steak, 1 porterhouse- he asked us if we were sharing and of course we were - he offered to bring it in on a big tray which was excellent! The steaks were perfectly done! The sides were had cesar salad, the twice baked baked potato, the mixed vegetables were all excellent! The appetizers- bread basket, mushrooms and octopus were also 10/10.. Our dessert-the Pistachio Cheesecake is the best! We are so happy to be at this place! Everyone was checking on us, making sure our drinks were poured, that we were okay and if we needed anything else! Better than the highly rated steak houses..This will always be our go to Steak house on our special family occasions.. By the way our drinks were also the best! The cucumber spritzer, the watermelon, the soju and the mixed Crown Royal with Canadian whiskey.. Thank you for taking care of us so well..

    Food in this place is delicious. We ordered lots of things and it was all tasty. Unfortunately our…read more90 minutes drive was for the tomahawk, even though they have tomahawk but they can't cook it as a whole, they can cook it cut in pieces. I understand people may be ok with that, but not for me. They said they can cook it but will be 35 to 40 minutes and we said that is perfectly fine and understood. But 20 minutes in, the Chef came in gracefully to share that he can't cook it, and he will bring it now, and if we slice it and don't like it, he can then cook the slices. Me and my son thought that we should be able to eat it, even if it was a bit on the rare side, and we did. It wasn't the perfect situation for us, which is the 3 stars, but it wasn't bad. Moral of the story, if you like your tomahawk cooked in one piece, this is not the place for you. For me if it is slices, then it is no longer tomahawk but rather sliced steaks and that's not why I am here. Will we go there again? Most probably, but 100% not for tomahawk.

    Photos
    Arya Steakhouse
    Crab Cake Appetizer
    Crab Cake Appetizer
    Arya Steakhouse

    See all

    Sun of Wolf

    Sun of Wolf

    4.4
    (482 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$

    My friend and I visited Sun of Wolf for lunch for the first time, and we had an amazing experience…read morethanks to Angelica. She was incredibly patient in explaining the menu and took the time to describe each dish and its unique features, which was extremely helpful for first-time visitors like us. My friend was interested in a dinner item, and Angelica went above and beyond by kindly checking with the kitchen to see if it could be prepared for us during lunch. The food was great, but Angelica's outstanding service made the experience truly memorable. Her friendliness, knowledge, and willingness to help made us feel very welcome. We will definitely be coming back and recommending Sun of Wolf to our friends and family.

    Every time I have come to Sun of Wolf, I always get top notch service, everyone is so friendly…read more I also like the menu selection and the vibes of the restaurant. On this occasion, we came here on a Friday evening, we had made reservations for 6 of us. I personally ordered the agua fresca-pineapple and the lasagna. We ordered 2 chips and salsa for the table and the others ordered, arugula salad, tacos de carnitas, mahi mahi tacos, hamachi tostadas and drinks such as the spicy tamarindo, mocktail and margarita. Everyone loved their selections. One of my friends ordered the chocolate tart and the chocolate was too rich for my liking but the mousse that accompanied it was soo good, very tart and tropical. This restaurant is on California Ave., no restaurant parking but there is street parking nearby, although not on this street since its closed off to vehicle traffic. There is also a parking lot and a parking garage nearby. Once you eat, you can take a nice stroll down the Ave. Check online for details but once a month, on Thursdays, the city helps to sponsor a Thursday Live events with music, giveaways and games. Even without the Thursday Live events...this restaurant is a must if you are in the area.

    Photos
    Sun of Wolf
    Chips and salsa
    Chips and salsa
    Breakfast Burrito

    See all

    Breakfast Burrito
    NOLA Restaurant & Bar

    NOLA Restaurant & Bar

    3.7
    (3.5k reviews)
    1.2 mi
    $$

    I've always wanted to try this place after seeing it on social media. We also love coming to Palo…read moreAlto, as the offer so many different dining options. My husband took me here for Mother's Day. The menu is quite overwhelming so we decided to stick with the Creole dishes. We got the etouffee, crawfish and shrimp gumbo, bbq pulled pork po boy and beignets. My son got the sliders. The food came out super quick after we'd ordered, so that was good. I'm also glad that we can order via the QR code so we don't have to flag the server down. We ate at the covered portion outside so the sun wouldn't be beaming on us. I enjoyed the decor and the NOLA feel to the place with the beads everywhere. Back to the food: Etouffee: 4/5 pretty good but not the best I've had. The flavors were there. Gumbo 4/5: I couldn't tell the difference between the gumbo and étouffée, but this was also good. Pulled pork po boy 3/5: Just OK. Maybe the shrimp would've been better. Beignets: 4/5 I loved that they came with the different sauces and tasted great after the meal, but we were too stuffed to finish them. Overall, great experience and good eats. It is unique to the area to have this kind of restaurant, so that gives this place a little extra appeal.

    Came here for dinner on a Sunday night, and was seated right away. They accommodated our request of…read moresitting near a TV to watch a game that day, which we appreciated. For appetizers, we ordered the Ceviche Molina and Dungeness Crab Garlic Bread. The ceviche was okay and lacked juice, but the garlic bread stole the show. Every bite was delicious, I would've ordered another round! For entrees, we all just shared the Firecracker Cajun Pasta because we weren't as hungry. The pasta was alright as well, wasn't too impressed and it lacked more flavor than it looks. For dessert, we ordered the beignets, but sadly I have had better. It was too dry and more dough-y compared to other ones I have tried. For drinks, I tried the Milk Money and Nola Hurricane. The Milk Money was a bit spirit-forward and Nola Hurricane was a bit sour, but I preferred the Hurricane more between the two. The atmosphere was great though, I really felt immersed as if I was visiting New Orleans.

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Fried Chicken & Waffles
    Fried Chicken & Waffles
    Mojito

    See all

    Mojito

    Arbuckle Café - tradamerican - Updated June 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...