This review is based on the Madera bar! I'm frequent here. They've changed a lot as far as the menu goes. I have to say, I do miss their old menu. Sunday fun day, My sister and I ordered their dozen oysters, a bottle of their wine, 2 of their crab croquettes, and 3 of their burger as my fiancee joined us around closing time We also had 2 more glasses of wine later that evening. It all came up to almost 600, including tip! We left extremely disappointed. Bc none of us liked their burger. It was extremely sloppy. It came on a kaiser roll with grilled onions and some kind of white sauce for the price tag we were expecting a lot more. I love hamburgers, but I got to tell you that was so, so unappetizing. I was so hungry that I was picking on it and left the rest behind as the kitchen had already closed. We left very disappointed! Our server was a nice guy his tip was well deserved, but the food was not so much. It's unfortunate bc they don't have too many options to choose from. I will say their selection of wines and Cocktails are very good. I wish they had better food to pair it with. They also have great atmosphere, especially sitting by the fireplace. That's our usual spot or outside facing the beautiful Santa Cruz mountains. read more

Madera - New American Near Me - Menlo Park, California

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Overpriced on the whole. Portions too small. Average presentation. Dated aesthetics. Good service.

Gorgeous restaurant. Expensive but food was excellent, service was impeccable. The staff could not have been more accommodating. read more

Madera - New American Near Me - Menlo Park, California

We've been here a few times before for brunch and have always had a great experience, but today we decided to come for a nice dinner. We got seated by the fireplace which felt really cozy and warm. The waiters were very friendly and service was excellent. We ordered a bunch of dishes to share together. The food was all so delicious, unique, and rich! Great to share with family and the atmosphere was so relaxing and nice. This was a great experience and can't wait to try again! read more

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Amazing food! Michelin well earned... The truffle risotto was mind blowing - literally no other way to put it. Delicate, like you're eating air, but so much flavor in every bite! I also highly recommend the lemon black cod, with caviar sauce. Again cooked to perfection, the fish melts in your mouth immediately. The sauce was mildly creamy and tangy. Great combination. Last item worth highlighting was the chocolate cake. Oof. It took everything to not lick my plate. Hazelnut was caramelized, loved the texture amidst the choco lava. Burrata, Pasta, Brussel sprouts and Bread pudding were delicious. Great wine collection as well. Overall just amazing experience. But as any Michelin restaurant, very expensive. You will stack up $300 easily. Dress up and take your special date here! You will not regret it... read more

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Excellent fine dining in a beautiful setting. I came with my family for Christmas Eve dinner and we were definitely satisfied! We had a 3 course menu. I personally got the pork loin and it was delicious and filling. It had a reduction sauce and was paired with a Granny Smith apple + beets side. The service was wonderful and I love how they explained each dish as they presented it. This restaurant is located within a 5 star hotel in the hills of Menlo Park/ Woodside. Parking is easy on the property. Vaccine / Covid test not required. read more

Madera - Pork Loin - New American Near Me - Menlo Park, California

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Review for Madera Bar. Kitchen closes at around 9:45 pm so get your orders for food in by then. I've always loved the classy atmosphere here and the quality drinks. They do skew toward the high end so be prepared to shell out the big bucks here. Alcoholic cocktails cost double the amount you'd find at other places ($23), only 1 nonalcoholic drink exists on the menu ($13) and is the price you'd expect for a regular cocktail, not a mocktail. Beer will cost $14 a bottle. The menu is funny for listing the most expensive item, caviar, at the top at $115. I got the fries which was a giant bowl enough for 2 people at $12. Fries were a bit stale when they came out and getting cold towards the end of the night. So what's the good? Ambiance is extraodinary here. It's a great place to spend a chilly evening by the fireplace and the living room area is spectacular. My server was attentive and nice and the drinks were still delicious. I know I will be back because of the ambiance alone and would like to see if I truly just had bad luck with the fries. read more

Insanely overpriced for the food and service, which was completely substandard for a Michelin star restaurant. Having lived in NYC for 10 years I am have been to more than a few Michelin starred restaurants, and I am shocked anyone gave this place 1 star. It's insulting to restaurants that actually deserve that designation. Even very basic wine is extravagantly overpriced by the glass. Our group of 3 ended up getting a bottle despite not wanting to drink much simply because the math made more sense. We told the sommelier the price range we were looking for and every single bottle he recommended was well over that range. He also did not ask what food we were eating before making random and absurd recommendations. Service was lousy. We ordered a few small plates to share such as the carrot hummus and autumn salad. They brought these out with no utensils, and the server disappeared for 10 minutes. Was I supposed to just jam my pita into the small cup of carrot hummus? And then I suppose all 3 of us were supposed to stab into the salad from across the table with our individual dinner forks? Is this a fine dining establishment or a freaking pub? We finally had to ask the sommelier to get us serving utensils so we could put some of the appetizers onto our individual plates. Food wise - carrot hummus was odd, pita tasted good. The salad was average. The chicken was tasteless and rubbery, though the skin was crispy. Lamb chops, which were 85 dollars, were extremely mediocre both in taste and texture. We literally made better lamb chops at home on the grill the next day. I would have ended the meal then but we were here for a birthday so we ended up ordering a pumpkin tart. They brought this out with a candle for the birthday girl, which was nice. Flavor wise, this was good. It was light and delicate. Be aware there is an automatic 5% living wage tip added on. We spent nearly 600 dollars on this meal and I felt like I could have spent $100-200 total at many other restaurants and gotten substantially better food. Avoid like the plague. read more

Great breakfast food, beautiful views, warm service, and a pet-friendly patio and menu: there is a whole lot to love about eating in the morning at Madera. It was very easy to get a reservation for Sunday morning breakfast (their last breakfast seating is at 10AM). There were plenty of tables both inside and outside when we arrived. There were three of us with a small dog, and we were immediately accommodated on the patio, which has beautiful views over the swimming pool of the hotel and the hills. The stoneware plates, farm-style linens, and yellow umbrellas felt very upscale but relaxed at the same time - this was the overall vibe of our dining experience, too. We were pleased to see numerous vegetarian options on the menu. Everything we ordered was delicious: the banana pecan pancakes were hearty and full of banana flavor, the chilaquiles were crispy, rich, and topped with plenty of eggs, and the carrot muffin in the continental breakfast had a perfect crispy top. The chia pudding was okay for those who like a lighter breakfast, but I do think this item could have been a bit more flavorful. All of the staff who waited on us were very friendly, and the staff were also very welcoming to our dog, immediately bringing her a bowl of water and offering two choices on a dog menu (our dog very much enjoyed her chicken, rice, and carrot bowl). I would definitely recommend Madera's breakfast for celebrating a special occasion or just as a little splurge to treat yourself, especially if you have a pet. The quality of the food is excellent, the environment is relaxing and not at all crowded (a rarity for good breakfast places), and the staff made us feel very much at home. read more

Madera - Great patio setting for breakfast. - New American Near Me - Menlo Park, California

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This has long been one of our favorite Go-To restaurants for excellent fresh food, well prepared in a nice location. The backdrop is one of the best you'll find in Menlo--the dining room and bar offer a really gorgeous view of the Santa Cruz mountains in the background. And you can walk the ground afterwards that are located below the high-perched restaurant. For Mother's Day brunch in May-2022, they offered a Prix Fixe meal (not cheap at $150 per adult) but it was a 5 course meal. Kids under 10 are much cheaper as they'll get to pick from their own kids menu. Service is always very good as well--but not Ritz Carlton good. By comparison, the Ritz Half Moon Bay probably has the best Mother's Day Brunch buffet in the state, but it is a slightly pricier $200 per adult, and they routinely book out every year well before Mother's Day... Service however at any Ritz is also top shelf as well--one big difference is that every single employee will always politely greet you no matter where you are on the hotel grounds. Unfortunately this Rosewood doesn't come close to that level of service (front desk and valet staff seem to ignore you, like at a Holiday Inn...) But that is why the Ritz is top shelf (along with Four Seasons and Waldorf), and everyone else is a distant second place....here's to hoping that Rosewood steps up their service! The food at Madera however is excellent. read more

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The service here is really great! Two friends and I met here for dinner on Thursday night. The menu was not a la carte (or I did not see an a la caret menu) but we chose 3 options out of a pre-selected prix fixe menu. I chose: - Lobster appetizer: too salty and too many tomatoes, not enough lobster - Chicken: I shared this with a friend, and this was the highlight of the meal. Most restaurants do not do chicken well, but this chicken was moist and perfect. Better than NoMad chicken in NYC - Cheesecake: it's basically cheese with a crust...a lot more cheese than cake Overall a good restaurant with great service and ambiance. Our meal came out to ~$170 per person, so not cheap by any means, but we each did have a cocktail. (I had paloma spritz - loved it!) read more

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Very happy to have had the opportunity to eat at Madera, even more so because that almost didn't even happen at all... On my way over, I was caught in one of the worst rainstorms in my recent memory, and almost got in a horrific accident when my car hydroplaned on the freeway. Thankfully, I made it here in one piece, and was treated to a great experience. A little shaken up by the near-miss, I was glad to be so warmly received by the hostess, who got me seated right away. Understandably, the restaurant wasn't very crowded that night, but still had the cozy-yet-classy feel that I had heard about. To open things up, I decided to order the American Wagyu Beef Tartare appetizer ($25; garlic, chives horseradish, egg yolk, and succulents). For my main, I went with the Pan-Seared Dayboat Scallops ($37; caviar, kohlrabi, lovage, and buttermilk). Having heard so many good things about the food here, I was very excited to see if the food measured up. The verdict? Pretty solid! The Beef Tartare was good and fatty as expected, if not particularly spectacular -- if I'm being picky, it did seem to be missing a little bit more of a defining flavor "punch" from the accompaniments. The Scallops, however, were excellent; the exterior was seared expertly, leaving the inside perfectly cooked, so each bite melted almost like butter. Was $62 a bit much for three scallops and a tiny circle of beef? Perhaps, but the quality of the food nearly made up for the hefty price tag. This is an institution of Michelin pedigree, after all -- fair or not, you can expect to shell out a few bucks. After finishing up with my entrée, I was handed the dessert menu, and decided on the Poached Market Pear ($14; chevre cheesecake, walnut croquant, vanilla ice cream). This may have been the best part of the whole meal. The poached pear had a great crispness and a beautifully tempered amount of sweetness, and the chevre "cheesecake" component added the trademark creaminess and tanginess of goat cheese; both these flavors played extremely well off of one another, especially when combined with the crunch of the caramelized walnut brittle. Great stuff. In terms of overall experience, I can say that I was truly pleased by my time here. Not only was the food satisfying, but service was prompt, attentive, and friendly the entire night; I only wish that I could remember my server's name to give him the appreciation he deserves. If you're looking for an upscale, yet comfortable place to have dinner, definitely make it a point to stop by! (Hopefully on a night without a torrential downpour) read more

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My boyfriend made a reservation here about a week in advance. There were still plenty of reservations available so there wasn't much to worry about. Staff here were very attentive! Our server was super sweet and made our experience enjoyable. The only downside was that there was a fly in the sauce for my kanpachi. I noticed it immediately as the waiter was pouring the sauce into my dish. I kept flagging it to him but he kept saying it was part of the dish (wtf???). As soon as he left I flagged down another waiter. She apologized and got me a fresh dish. Everything else we had tasted great, although a fly in my food did throw off the meal. Other than that, dishes were great and the restaurant is also beautiful. read more

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Lovey and I came here for dinner last Saturday and was not WOW'd. Let me tell you why: 1) Flavors of the food we ordered did not amazingly blow my socks off. Thinking this was a Michelin Star resto, I had really HIGH expectations. Too bad, I left the place feeling unsatisfied. For $$$ money, it wasn't worth it. I know you don't get Michelin Star for only good, but consistency, service and many more. Service was great. Don't get me wrong. The food was just MEHHHHH. My only favorite dish was the scallop crudo and the octopus. The rest-New York steak, sea bass, chicory salad and beef tartare was MEHHHHH, I have had better. Trust!!!! read more

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Madera is a 2018 and 2019 one Michelin star restaurant located in Menlo Park. The ambiance of Madera is amazing, with the terrace overlooking the trees and green hills surrounding the 5-star Rosewood Sand Hill Hotel. The day was warm and we were seated outside, luckily they had an awning that made the terrace a wonderful place to dine in. FOOD: We went for brunch and for the appetizer, we tried the Kampachi. We were served 4 fairy thick slices of Kampachi fish that was dressed with chopped strawberries, radish, cucumber, sprouts, ginger lime emulsion, and furikake. It was delicious, light, and refreshing! The ginger lime emulsion really helped liven up the fish. I would HIGHLY suggest trying the Kampachi appetizer! As for the main brunch dish: I was excited to try the Dungeness Crab Benedict as it seemed to be popular here on Yelp, but sadly they had ran out of crab! Instead, we got the Smoked Salmon Benedict which did not amaze me but it was quite good. The poached egg was cooked perfectly and the smoked salmon was not too salty, which I appreciated. The Smoked Salmon Benedict was paired with a broccolini salad that was lightly dressed with some sort of oil and sea salt which was tasty! SERVICE: The service was pretty fair! Our waiter was very attentive and warm to us which is what I expect from a Michelin star restaurant. We did order the appetizer but apparently they forgot to write it down, so we got our main entree first before the appetizer, which is no big deal to me but of course I have to mention it since this is a Michelin star restaurant and you expect the best service. Overall, I will give Madera a 3/5 star. I was expecting a lot more from a Michelin star restaurant. The appetizer was delicious but I am bummed that I was not able to try their Dungeness Crab Benedict as it seemed to be popular here on Yelp. The service was fair, not good nor bad, but not amazing as what you'd expect. read more

Madera - Kampachi - New American Near Me - Menlo Park, California

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Best food, service, and ambiance in the area! The negative reviews seem to be from snobs who see it as a status symbol to give a great restaurant bad reviews. They deserve their Michelin star! read more

SERVICE was average at best. Server had no personality and not engaging. HOWEVER, everything else was excellent. Great ambiance. Beautiful property. Our party of four shared three appetizers and each had an entree. We also shared three desserts and everyone enjoyed their meal. Would love to go back and hopefully find ourselves with a better server because everything else was on point! read more

Pretentious, bad food and service. Several of us at the table said we make better brussel sprouts than we got here. No good options for vegetarians. Heaters for patio seating were broken and staff made excuses about umbrellas being in the way. They could have folded the umbrella in a few seconds. Drink order required reminders several times and staff said it is someone else's job and that they will relay the message View from patio was good and was the saving grace read more

This was probably one of the most disappointing brunch experiences. The sandwiches were something that anyone could easily make at home, from the quality of the bread to the content of the sandwich. They were served on a plate, not the tower, they were large rectangular plain sandwiches. Same bread type was used for all four types. Cucumber sandwich was primarily cream cheese, the others were dry, like they were sitting out for a while. I am not sure if the reason for a port experience was the late sitting, the weekday or chef's day off, but definitely was very disappointing, considering the price tag for the whole experience. read more

Hovering around 3.5. 5/5 for atmosphere and view. Definitely recommend sitting outside and coming on a nice day Amuse Bouche: pork rinds + creme freche + caviar (probably the best bite of the night) Grilled octopus: nice flavors, but wish it was more charred and a little softer Ricotta Agnolotti: served with lamb ragout. Ok flavors Panseared Dayboat Scallops: nicely seared, but rawer than I usually prefer. Liberty Farms Duck Breast: well cooked and enjoyed the sweet jus All in all, I would say that the main draw is the ambience. Food is good, but not memorable especially for the $$. read more

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I LOVE Madera SO MUCH! The food is SO DELICIOUS ALL THE TIME! I have yet to have any food disappointments eating at the restaurant or in the nearby bar/lounge. Outstanding service a Madera, they welcome you and even greet you by your name. I highly recommend Madera, it's an incredible experience to dine here and a sommelier there in event you have any wine questions or need recommendations. Love love this place! read more

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Took my friend to celebrate her 50th birthday for Afternoon Tea on a Sunday at Mader inside Rosewood Hotel in Menlo Park. For such a swanky hotel and restaurant, I had much higher expectations. Food: Finger Sandwiches- the bread was way too thick Scones- nothing to write home about; wasn't all that spectacular Champagne- average slender glass of champagne for $30 This set of tea lacked in quantity, variety, and quality. Overall thumbs down. For Ambience: it was also very average. My friend sat on some nasty looking stained cushions on the couches. Those need to be replaced. They need to update their overall look. Overall, not impressed, wouldn't go back, extremely underwhelming. I had tea at another Rosewood Hotel and that exceeded expectations. I understand that for $65 tea, which is on the cheaper side, you're not going to get the best. But this was way below average. I could have made better tasty sandwiches. There was nothing unique or delicate about the entire set of tea. read more

The heritage pork chop was out of this world. I thought about the tomahawk but the server Jordan (I would request him by name) made the recommendation and he was spot on. The server Jordan was friendly knowledgeable and had great recommendations with food and wine pairings. If would recommend this if you are celebrating a special occasion. Side note Jordan was able to help us get a table at the bar after our meal which was kind of him. read more

Been here numerous times now for dinners and decided to come on Sunday for brunch Got my delicious hamburger and a burrito bowl for our entrees. Their hamburger here is amazing! Super juicy and tender with avocado inside! It also comes with garlic aioli fries The burrito bowl taste extremely healthy yet filling. For dessert we got their cheesecake with house made huckleberry. I honestly loved their huckleberry way more than the cheesecake. Get the coffee here! It's one of the best coffee you will ever have. Service is always sweet and attentive. I love their ideas about the cute small condiments. read more

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Madera had sent out an email saying that they were going to reopen during quarantine on 6/18/20. I booked a reservation for that day when I saw the email. Only the outside patio is currently open, but they do fill all the tables, which are not quite 6 feet apart. The staff are all wearing masks, but none of the other restaurant patrons were when I was there that Thursday evening. I'm trying to think of what other precautions they noticeably took to social distance/be cognizant of COVID-19, but I can't think of any right now. It was really lovely to have an evening out at a nice restaurant. The view is wonderful, and the weather was perfect. I think the menu was more limited, and I'm not sure if that is because I went the first day they reopened, or if they are planning to have a limited menu until the pandemic blows over. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of it, so I don't remember exactly what the dishes we ordered were called. We got a cold soup that was good. I ordered the chicken entree, and it was only okay. I was suckered into ordering it because it came with morels, and oh my god, I love morels. My boyfriend ordered the steak dish, and the steak was much better. Cooked very well; it was delicious. I was disappointed that the dessert beignets weren't available. Overall, I think the food was okay. Good, but not mind-blowing. The atmosphere was really nice though. read more

Tsk, Tsk, John (the maitre d'), for getting our evening off to a very bad start!! We had reservations for 5:45pm on Friday, and I purposely arrived 15 minutes earlier to ask for a specific table. Husband and I were hosting an important business meeting for his clients visiting from Taiwan and Belgium, and since we have been there many many times, we feel more comfortable at particular tables. No problem, cordially said Zaire, the hostess. So, I went and had a quick drink at the bar. Lo and behold, when we came back at 5:40pm, John had given our table away!!! What?!?!? I was just there 15minutes ago, and had I known he was going to do this, I would've just sat at the table, rather than spending more money at their bar! The ENTIRE restaurant was still empty, EXCEPT for the one table I asked for, which he gave away. On top of that, the other people he gave the table away to was a party of 2, and we were a party of 4! Couldn't he have offered them ANY other seat in the entire EMPTY restaurant, other than the one I had came in just 15 minutes ago to hold, and was easily promised we could have? Does John understand customer service? His rebuttal was that they don't reserve tables. Well, I came in just 15 minutes beforehand, and was told it was fine, and the restaurant was totally EMPTY! It wasn't as if I phoned in days before to reserve a certain table. John proudly gave me his name and made it clear that he was the one who "overrode" the hostess. He said he gave away our table, and that it wasn't the fault of the hostess. No apology. If it were just the two of us, we would've just gone somewhere else, but being that clients were driving 40 minutes just to meet us here, we had no choice but to stay. On the upside, the restaurant is truly a beautiful dining venue, as it is a mainstay among the v.c. circles on Sandhill Road and Silicon Valley. The views of the hills are especially nice, which is something you won't get at any restaurant in downtown Palo Alto. The food is quite good, but have noticed that the portions have been getting notably smaller and smaller. - The seared scallops were a total ripoff! $39.00 for 3 scallops!!! That equates to $13.00 PER scallop!! See my photo. No sides and half the plate was literally empty. I know, they're scallops from Hokkaido, but come on! - The squid ink tagliatelle appetizer was good, but again, fairly small in portion size, given it was $22.00. - I would definitely not recommend the gnocchi, if you enjoy authentic Italian food, as the gnocchi were oddly pan-fried. They were also fairly tasteless and though the Castelmagno cheese that accompanied it was creamy, it was bland. Tastless gnocchi with bland cheese. Not worth $32.00. - The fish was nicely prepared, but this was another one of those dishes that exemplified their recent shrinking portions over time. - You should pass on the desserts. On previous visits, we would always order the beignets, but looks like they've been removed from the menu. As an alternative, we ordered the cream puffs. Not good at all, as they puff was dry. We also got the mille feuille, which is supposed to be a very flaky pastry. It was flaky, but the layers were slightly brown, hence overcooked. To top it off, everyone else had their dessert, and they brought mine out separately, about 15 minutes later. Why? Don't know. At the end, we were surprisingly presented with port. I'm assuming this was to make up for the table fiasco John caused. However, John didn't even come over to our table to apologize or offer it personally as a token for his total screw up. To add insult to injury, 2 people at our table don't even drink alcohol, and didn't order any at all during dinner, so they couldn't partake in the port. If John was customer-centric, he would've noticed this and handled the situation completely differently. We've always highly recommended Madera to friends, as well as the Rosewood Hotel, for the positives I've mentioned. We've also always been fine with paying significantly more than the food is even worth, in exchange for the ambiance. However, $455.00 later after being wronged by John, left an especially bad taste in our mouths, largely due to our experience with John. We'll pay for overpriced food, in exchange for a beautiful setting, but not to be treated like that! read more

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Worst customer service I've ever encountered from what I think is a "manager," yet she has zero people skills. After waiting at the host stand for a minute or two asking for a table or spot to grab a drink for 3 with tons of room to be seated, the 2 people at the host stand let us know they could seat us in the library area. We did notice some interesting whispering going on but we're happy they could get us seated. Not 2 seconds later, Ballisca, the woman with no people skills and an attitude, does not even look at us and tells the hostess we cannot be seated in a mean whispering tone after they told us we could be seated in the library. If she attempted to sincerely apologize or explain the situation, this review could've been avoided. No need to respond though now as I will never go back. It was one of the worst hospitality experiences I've ever had and I was in the business for over 10 years. read more

came here as a group of 4 foodies and we shared everything. ambience was nice, waitress was attentive and kind. we left full! and we clearly knew we were at a high end restaurant and everything tasted as so! but nothing stood out to me personally. probably would not come back but im glad we gave it a try. dinner was on my friend's boss so i cant say anything regarding value to what we actually got. we came here on a Tuesday night after work so i was pleased. but i imagine i would feel underwhelmed if i came with my husband for an anniversary dinner my friend mentioned that RH's fancy avocado costs twice as much almost and comes with only one half avocado. madera's is both halves of the avocado for less! lol read more

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What a great meal The fresh bread was fantastic The heirloom tomato and watermelon salad what a great surprise and refreshing The crispy skin salmon was fantastic. Crispy skin and super moist inside. To die for. read more

Excellent experience. Great food and great service. We sat in the outside patio and so the views were very calming.

My husband surprised me with a reservation to Madera for our anniversary on a Monday. Our reservation was at 5:30 pm but they suggested getting there about 15 minutes early, so we got there around 5:15 pm and was seated right away. They have an open kitchen close to the entrance and lovely dining room with vaulted ceilings as well as outdoor patio spaces as well. I requested to sit inside but closer to the windows for the beautiful green scenery in the background. The menu is nice and small which was great because I am typically overwhelmed when the menu is endless. We ordered the smoked deviled eggs, grill octopus, Ora king salmon, liberty farms dry aged duck breast. The smoked deviled eggs were really good and topped with trout roe so it was a great combination. The grilled octopus was perfectly cooked and have a nice Smokey taste to it as well. The star of the night were the large dishes, Ora king salmon and livery farms dry aged duck breast. The Ora king salmon was hands down the best salmon I've tried. The skin was very nice and crispy, while the salmon was perfectly cooked. The salmon quality itself was the best I've had. I wasn't served a belly piece but it sure feels like it with all of the omega oozing out of it. This was perfect paired with small cuts of citrus and a type of herb sauce. The duck breast was also perfectly cooked and amazingly flavored. The duck skin itself was very nice and crispy while the duck breast meat was still juicy. My husband and I both would come back just for the salmon and duck breast. And of course we had to celebrate our anniversary with dessert! We were so full that we ended up getting just 1 dessert to share. I unfortunately don't remember the name of the dessert but it was a cheesecake made out of sheep's milk. The cheesecake wasn't a traditional cheesecake. It was just soft cheesecake with no breading served on some type of glazed with strawberries and topped with pistachios crumbles. I didn't think I'll like sheep milk but this cheesecake was amazing and out of this world. For two people that were too full to look at the dessert menu, we ended up scrapping the plate clean! Service was amazing here as well! Our server, Andrea was very kind, patient and attentive. She made the experience way better with her recommendations of the menu, drinks, and constantly coming back to check in on us. read more

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Not sure where to start. The service was not great. I had to ask the waiter twice for recommendations on what to order. He was not helpful or friendly. For the price I expected better service. When it came time for dessert he just brought the menu slapped it on the table and walked away. Barely spoke to us the whole evening. Never asked us how the food is. Really disappointing as for the food: Halibut cheeks: dry and lacked flavor 1/5 Watermelon and heirloom tomato salad: 4/5. Simple dish but yet a few flavors shined that made it vibrant. Enjoyed this dish. Risotto: very yummy. 4/5 Olive oil cake: 2/5. Very dense. Olive oil flavor was just not there. Overall, probably would not return. Especially because of the cost and lack of service. For a Michelin star restaurant this was a pretty big disappointment. read more

It was our anniversary and this restaurant is beautiful, nice view of the mountains if seated out door on their patio. King salmon was very tender, service was nice, but short rib pasta was lack of flavor, overall it was a nice experience. read more

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On Sand Hill Road. One Michelin star. The menu isn't particularly innovative. They're not taking any risks - truly ironic for a restaurant on Sand Hill Road. A very traditional omelette with no esoteric ingredients, yuzu, microgreens, or herbs whatsoever. I was bored as soon as I saw the brunch menu. I got the California omelette and it was just like any other omelette anywhere. It was kind of watery - it needed to be cooked more to make it well done. The menu said that it had kale in it but mine came with spinach, which is fine. It typically has three eggs in it... that's way too many eggs for me. I try to go easy on the animal products and the portion sizes, so I requested a two-egg omelette instead of three. I was hoping that it would have lots of veggies in it but nope - it was mostly eggs and just a few vegetables. A marginal breakfast at best. I far prefer Blue Stone Cafe in Los Altos - lots of veggies, nuts, and quinoa topped with one egg is the way I like my breakfast. You're paying for the location and the great views. The service was good, however the cleanliness left a lot to be desired (stains on the water glass and food stuck on the check). My fourteenth star. Slowly making my way up to my target star goal. It's going to take at least a decade but I'm pacing myself, so that I meet my annual Michelin star goal for 2021. I don't want to have to go to dozens of Michelin star restaurants at the very last minute in 2030. read more

Madera - New American Near Me - Menlo Park, California

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Boyfriend and I came here for our 2nd year anniversary. He was the one who picked this place after I gave him a long list of contenders I compiled from Yelp, and said it was because of the reviews, the portions of the food from the photos we saw on Yelp, and the overall vibe of the place. I booked us a reservation about 3 weeks in advance on OpenTable. When we arrived after about a 40-minute drive, our expectations were met, and also much more than that as well! We were 15 minutes late from our original reservation of 6:15, and on the drive to Madera, I gave them a call, and they quickly modified my reservation to 6:30, no questions asked, no hassle at all! Once we arrived, and gave them my name, they instantly seated us. The waitstaff was incredibly gracious with seating us, offering to take our coats, bringing us our menu, bringing us our water, etc. We were impressed that even on the menu, "Happy Anniversary" was printed for us. What a kind gesture! We started off with a glass of wine for each of us. Boyfriend had Terrebrune Rose, and I had the Poppy Pinot Noir. Everything on the menu looked excellent. For starter, we picked the Squid Ink Tagliatelle, which included Kohlrabi, Dungeness Crab, Trout Roe, and Uni Butter. It looked like the most appetizing item on the menu, as neither of us like foie gras, and I currently can't eat red meat, so sadly, no wagyu for us. The tagliatelle was delicious, and reminded me of kelp noodles. Along with complimentary bread and butter, we also received small little cups of what seemed to be beef broth with cilantro. We experimented with dipping our bread into the broth, and it tasted wonderful with the bread, much preferable over the butter. It reminded us of pho beef broth, especially with the strong cilantro taste. The mains were AMAZING. Liberty Farms Duck Breast and King Salmon were the two that caught our eye, and they were so worth it. The duck came with a leg confit, sun chokes, pearl onions, and elderberry. The salmon came with smoked shoyu sabayon, bonito, wild onion, and turnips. The duck was juicy with crispy skin, and wasn't greasy as all. I will judge a restaurant by the quality of their duck because growing up eating Peking Duck on special occasions with the family, duck quality will be scrutinized. Madera did a very impressive job with the duck, and I savored every bite of it. The salmon was heavenly and buttery! It melted in our mouths, it was incredibly tender, and the skin had a tasty, satisfying crunch to it. The turnips, wild onions, bonito, and the mustard-like sauce that went with it enhanced the flavor and taste perfectly. We saw the couple next to us order desserts, and we knew that we wanted to look at the dessert menu right after our main course. The waitstaff brought it out right away. We chose the Citrus Cheese Cake and the Chocolate Earl Grey. Even the desserts were not to be missed. The Citrus Cheesecake, which also had orange jam, grapefruit jelly, and oro blanco sorbet, are the best-tasting cake pops I've ever had. The Chocolate Earl Grey looked like a work of art. It was absolutely beautiful to look at, especially with the burnt sugar that looked like lace adorning the dessert. It came with blackberry curd, gianduja cremeux, and puffed rice crunch. The rice crunch was my favorite part of the dessert, especially since I could really taste the rich earl grey flavor when I bit into it. We even received a complimentary strawberry and white chocolate cake with a white chocolate oval enscribed with "Happy Anniversary." What a sweet complimentary treat! We were even surprised that after we signed our checks, they brought us two more little square cakes that looked like small cheesecake cubes. Not sure what these were for, since we already received the complimentary anniversary cake, but this was very kind of them to bring us as well. In addition to the food, everything else about Madera was impressive. Our water cups were constantly refilled, which is so appreciated, especially since we both wanted to stay hydrated and sober while drinking wine. Every time we went to the restroom, the waiters would also fold our napkins for us and place it back onto the table. When I first returned to my table from the restroom (which is right outside the entrance of the restaurant and to the right), the kind hostesses at the front desk showered me with compliments on my dress, which was very flattering. It was also a very cold evening, as it had been raining and hailing on and off all day. But inside, the restaurant was very warm, complete with a beautiful fireplace, which we thankfully sat close to. For a total of $170.74 on the bill (not including tip, we tipped them 20% for the fantastic service and experience), this really was worth every penny! My boyfriend said this was the best anniversary date he has been on! Thank you for the fantastic and memorable anniversary celebration, Madera! We will certainly be back for another occasion. read more

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I was very excited to visit a Michelin star restaurant! Do you have a Michelin star you must be perfect 100%. We had a reservation for lunch and the woman acknowledged us at the front desk and said to us please follow the lady to your table but the lady turned around to the hostess and said oh it's not ready yet. Do you have a Michelin star you must be perfect 100%. We had a reservation for lunch and the woman acknowledged us at the front desk and said to us please follow the lady to your table but the lady turned around to the hostess and said oh it's not ready yet. Fail When we got to our table and sat down the lady only gave us two menus but they were three of us. She said oh sorry I have to bring another menu. Fail Ordered an Arnold Palmer which has ice tea on the top and lemonade on the bottom. Had no spoon to stir tea. Had to ask for an iced teaspoon to stir the two flavors together. I had no utensils at the time or I would've used even a knife but the ice teaspoon was missing. Fail Ordered the Petrale Sole. It was so tiny and the dollop of sauce on the side tasted very odd. Luckily my hostess for lunch was happy to trade her Cobb salad which was lovely for my overpriced minuscule Petrale Sole. ($36.00) The poached pear dessert with the chevre cheesecake was very small but perfect. ($15.00) The assorted bonbons were very cleverly presented. You have to see it to believe it... see pic of ruler/clipboard and paper. ! Our server was remarkable and had been there for 10 years. He was very professional and yet very friendly not snobby. Way way overpriced. You get the same wonderful service and large portions at Selby's in Redwood City. A very elegant new restaurant. If I'm paying $36 for a piece of fish, I expect at least 8 to 10 ounces. read more

Madera - The six bonbons are on the left. Presented on a ruler with a clipboard with each bonbon representing a meal during the day - New American Near Me - Menlo Park, California

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I made an online reservation to meet friends for lunch. So I take my car and arrived at Madera restaurant at the Rosewood Hotel Menlo Park and the valet instructs me to park my car in a parking space right in front of the restaurant, which I was thankful for his help. A friend arrived and was also instructed to park his car next to me. After lunch. As we were leaving from the restaurant. Saying our goodbyes. We decided to take advantage of the opportunity that these two beautiful cars were parked together. So we decided to take pictures. A minute into taking pictures another valet named John approached us very rudely without saying hello, no introduction and visibly upset said "Stop taking pictures immediately and shut your car doors!" Confused because we were still parked in the space provided and yes the doors were opened but since the doors swing up in the open position it was out of the way of any oncoming traffic. We informed him that we were the owners and it is ok to take pictures of our own cars. His response was "I'm only relaying the message from management."We then went to the front desk and talked to the manager of the Rosewood Hotel and she said "You need approval from the sales department before taking pictures on hotel property." I see a bunch of photos here on Yelp and other sites from customers visiting the Rosewood Hotel, eating at Madera restaurant, photos of exotic cars in the parking lot, etc. Did they all get approval from the sales department before taking pictures? Do you need approval to take pictures of yourself, friends and of your car at a restaurant or hotel parking lot? Do you need permission to open/close your car doors? read more

Madera - New American Near Me - Menlo Park, California

I can never get tired to the sunset here! The food is always delicious. My favorite is the grilled octopus and their filets are always so soft and melts in your mouth. If you are at Madera for brunch, i would recommend the Lobster benedict because it is fully loaded with goodness! read more

I had been going to Madera Bar for years, since Covid things changed drastically, it was by reservations only and hard to get a spot in 2020/2021. I got a spot in 2022 and had a great seat by the outdoor fireplace. The venue was divine, calm and relaxing. Food was double the price of what it should be and didn't taste fresh or good. The cocktails are perfect, decided to go again last night to give it another shot, 4 apps and 3 cocktails later with my friend... food quality was crappy but cocktails were delish. Service was good, our bill was $250. Won't be going back read more

Madera - New American Near Me - Menlo Park, California

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Took my in-laws here last night and we were all blown away by the food and service. The octopus was so tender, the peach salad was amazing, the deviled eggs were great, the halibut was incredible and I almost asked for a spoon to drink up the broth. Others at eh table had the pork chop and said it was tender and so full of flavor. The peaches and cream along with the strawberries and gelato finished off a great night. Oh, and the cocktails were perfectly balanced. read more