Wonderful dinner. I was shocked by the amount of detail and care given to each thing we ordered. We all got tapas, salads and entrees and the portions were significant considering how lovely the food was. The mussels were absolutely perfect. Salmon was as well. Attentive service and the chef stopped by the table. Would love to return. read more

We had a great Bday/ retirement celebration with 8 people and would recommend having your next dinner here! Lots of us ordered the salmon and it was delicious. The staff is attentive and we loved the owner/chef coming out and celebrating Bday toasts with us. The apple tart/ galette dessert with pudding on the side was so thin and yummy! I'll be back! read more

We found this gem on our first night in Palo Alto. Walking up and down streets of Palo Alto we came across Chef Winston's restaurant. Service was great! Scallop appetizer, rack of lamb and risotto all delicious, finished off with goat cheese plate. Nice to chat with Chef and his brother and find out they spent time in Minnesota! Next time we are in town, we will be back! Thank you Winston. read more

Had the opportunity to enjoy a great dinner at Thyme with friends. My wife had bangers and mash. I had the salmon which was cooked perfectly! If you want to enjoy a quiet evening, great food, and stay off the beaten path this is the place! read more

Thyme - The salmon is delicious! - Gastropubs Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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Great food and service by Cat, a fun and friendly wait person, at a restaurant that touts its simple good food. Menu isn't extensive, and there's no liquor aside from wine and beer, but everything (crab cakes, steak, salmon, wine and champagne) was delicious and perfectly done. They even had an issue with the stove not working, but still pulled off serving us a fabulous dinner. read more

My husband and I had dinner at Thyme for our 1-month-since-our-wedding celebration. It is such a charming place with THE best hospitality I've ever experienced at a restaurant. First off, we arrived at 4:40pm for a dinner reservation at 6:30pm. We had a 3:45pm appointment at Santa Theresa DMV and drove to Palo Alto from there, so we had allotted a lot of time in between just in case for traffic. Interestingly, we did not have much traffic! Thus, we arrived early, reached for the door before realizing the restaurant opened at 5pm. Rather embarrassed, since there are floor to ceiling windows, we backed away from the restaurant to look for shops to hang out in. The nice server lady (forgot her name! Darn!) opened the door and we immediately told them we apologize and that we're super early. We told them we'd go hang out at some shops and before we could finish our 'whoops!' spiel, the server and the chef/owner? laughed with us. "No problem! Come in! Come in! We'll feed ya!" And that's how we were seated in the restaurant, 20 minutes early, speaking with the chef and listening to him tell us about his 32 years of marriage and that these days should be celebrated. It was wonderful! The meal that followed was delicious, definitely tasting like there's individual attention with each dish instead of being tossed together quickly. Throughout it all, our waters were kept refilled, the nice server/waitress would always ask if we needed anything and the chef would come out to ask us how our food was, etc. Good food, good service, good hospitality! It was a great experience! read more

Food is fresh and tasty, and only around $10 a plate. Lunch only. Had a delicious BLT with a good little side salad. They seem to be (intentionally?) a hidden gem for now but worth trying! Comfortable and cozy place. read more

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Called Thyme three days before Father's Day not knowing they are closed Sundays. The chef/owner Winston picked up and said he would open up for dinner for our party. What? Seriously? It was clear to me that he has a passion for cooking on the phone. When we arrived for dinner he personally came to our table and told us he had prepared a pork belly appetizer. It was delicious as was the rest of the meal. We had scallops, pasta and rack of lamb at the table and everyone enjoyed the food and the ambience. You won't find ice cream or sorbet here. Mainly because there is no freezer --- on purpose -- so that only fresh ingredients are used. There also is no microwave. They are purists with passion and I sincerely hope our local folks will visit him often. Food was stellar and the staff and chef even more so. Thanks, Winston! read more

Pleasantly surprised by the tasty yet healthy food and cozy ambience. Went for lunch on a Saturday with only a couple other diners so was seated easily. Waiter was very attentive and food came quickly. Got to try a few items: 1) Chicken & corn soup - Very flavorful with tender pieces of chicken and corn kernels. 5/5 2) Linguini w parsley pesto & green beans - Simple yet with a nice twist to the usual basil/pine nut pesto. Lots of green beans that were well cooked. Portion size on the smaller side but overall satisfying. 4/5 3) Steak sandwich - Delicious meat and enjoyed the choice of bread. I'm not a fan of huge philly cheesesteaks so liked this healthier version of a classic. Salad came with a mustard dressing and tasted good when added to the sandwich. 5/5 Overall a fantastic experience and looking forward to more opportunities to eat here when it opens for dinner! Definitely best of its type in the area, much better food than Local Union. read more

Loved the freshness of all food. I enjoyed warm beet salad with feta cheese while my husband loved scallops with red bell peppers and caviar. Then I had risotto which was served with sautéed mushrooms and crunchy fresh asparagus with shavings of Parmesan. I paired this with the De Norco Cab which was full bodied and smooth. My husband enjoyed best seasoned steak ever. The open faced sandwich was served with sautéed mushrooms. Service was perfect for our date night. Chef very friendly as well as his wife of 35 years who is owner. If you want to enjoy a quiet restaurant where you can hear each other talk and be served tasty, fresh food, we highly recommend Thyme! read more

BEST RISOTTO EVER!!! The food was spectacular! As good as you'll get. LOVED our waitress Cat! We will be back! read more

Thyme is a small little cosy place in Palo Alto. Very simple decor, very simple food, but absolutely delicious. The server was very friendly, so as the chef. We were a party of 6, that might why it took a long time, 45 min, for the food to be served. This is why it was 4 instead of 5 stars. I had a pan fried cod on lentils. I had something like this before in other American restaurants, but lentils were always overcooked. My lentils were perfectly cooked, the cod was perfectly seared and moist. Our friend had racks of lamb, which I had a taste of. It was succulent, and the lamb tasted 'organic', fresh. The lamb was most expensive, but might be the most satisfying dish (quantity and $). Dessert was nice. We had apple tart with custard. It felt homemade like something your mother made at home, not too sweet, not pretentious at all. read more

Service and ambience were good but vegetarians can give this place a miss. The menu is very small.

I've come here several times, both for regular dinners and for a recent event. Winston is amazing and his food is even better. Eating at Thyme is like eating food prepared by the best cook in your family. It's really about reasonable portions of delicious ingredients cooked to perfection. The service is good enough: it won't make you feel like royalty, it's about making you feel like family. I've never had an issue getting food or drinks in time, and have been thoroughly spoiled many times. As for the food, it's always been delicious, and we've had everything on the menu: curries, salads, seafood, chicken, pork. He finds ingredients that are flavorful and accents them with touches of different seasonings to make a tasty dish. You won't find food arbitrarily slathered in heavy sauces here. It earns 4 stars just for the delicious food and ambience and an easy 5th star for Winston and team. I can definitely recommend dropping by if you want a good meal, as well as organizing events here, where Winston will personally make sure everything goes well. read more

I would never go here again. I'm not sure how they have 4 stars. We ordered our food and waited over 45 minutes for seared scallops, which were bland. We waited another 30 minutes for our entrees. The restaurant is very small, and everyone was waiting over an hour for their entrees. The staff said there was a problem with their computer system, so they didn't know who ordered what. I only knew this because I overheard the waitress tell the couple next to us when they asked for an update on their order. It was apparent they didn't know who ordered what because twice they brought tables the wrong food. Even if the system wasn't working the restaurant is so small they could have gone around and taken everyone's order again with pen and paper (our waiter did write our order down on paper in the first place, so not sure why they couldn't use that). I would also expect more of an apology or complimentary dessert or something for how long we waited for food. I had the crab cakes, which were not good. They were fishy and had a lot of filler with chopped vegetables and breading. The side was a salad of arugula and halved cherry tomatoes with dressing. I expect more for a $30 entree. The service is terrible and the food is overpriced. read more

My spouse wrote this review, but had trouble posting it: ----- A beautiful dinner tonight from one of the very best restaurants in Palo Alto. Warm roasted beet salad with asparagus and feta [which was enough for two, so we split it], then for me a tender ribeye sandwich, for my partner rack of lamb. Warm intimate setting. Yes! ----- Excellent food and ambience. read more

Sadly, not a fan. The service we had at lunch was dismal - even getting water was a chore and my friend did not get her main dish until long after I received mine. I had the vegetable risotto, which might have been tasty had it not been absolutely dripping in butter. Every vegetable was actually slimy due to the amount of butter - the grains couldn't soak it all in. My friend's soup was tasty, and she enjoyed the roast chicken. Lovely ambiance and cozy feel - I had hoped to love it, but not so much. read more

Lovely little restaurant on Hamilton. They kindly sat us down even though we arrived as the place was about to close. We had a perfect Asparagus tart, lovely linguine with pesto and green beans and a very nice bouillabaisse. Portions are not huge but just right. Menu changes daily. Feels a bit like local restaurants in Europe. Highly recommended!! read more

Small, quiet, super-friendly restaurant with consistently delicious food. Owner/chef Winston is a delight. Twice we have eaten here on a chilly evening and he has agreed to magically whip up a soup with remarkable depth and flare. Last night it was a corn and chicken soup with a slice of an ear of corn, lots of chicken in a stock that must have been brewing for days. We shared a beet and asparagus salad that had beautifully balanced flavorings. The salmon entree was perfectly prepared with a delicious, crispy skin. read more

I just visited this restaurant not long ago and must say that I enjoyed the food and the service. Thinking about visiting again in the future and I will probably will. They have some nice dishes that I would like to try. read more

Really wonderful place to have dinner. Carol and Winston are such lovely people. I loved the chicken soup. And it paired wonderfully with the grilled salmon, served with greens and lentils. I spooned some soup on top of the salmon which tasted wonderful as well. They buy local and source fresh ingredients. They make the food there, not just reheating, so plan on cooking time. I.e. Enjoy eating. Their menu changes daily. read more

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This was a restaurant we found on yelp because we were in the area. Never heard of it. Small cozy place with excellent food. Chef Winston was really nice to come out and ask us how everything was. Small menu but something for everyone sort of menu. We sampled many different apps and entrees (4 of us). Succulent lamb, great crab cakes, very fresh salmon and prawns as well. Sauces, flavors all around outstanding. My beet salad was sooo good. Perfect amount of dressing. Beautiful presentation. Prices match the high quality and fresh ingredients. Very good service, unobtrusive yet server seemed to be aware the moment we needed something. Also quite casual which we like. We are there for the food and not the hoity- toity behavior. So we could relax (especially after a long work week). I recommend reservations. read more

What a cute little restaurant! The place is small and intimate, and you can tell they take a lot of care with the preparation of their food. It's a great place for a date, girl's night or a small group. They have a number of wines to choose from and the waiter was great at recommending wines that would pair well with the meal. Strongly recommend the Jamón Serrano and scallops as a starter. The scallops were cooked to perfection. I'll definitely be going back. read more

I hate to write a review and tell the world how good this place is because it is small and ill never get in again. It is small and maybe ten tables Two of the early tables were repeat people. I got the impression they walked to it, so they must live nearby. I never get appetizers but they were so good we all three got them and tasted. So good. The tiger shrimp had a sauce to die for. The beet and asparagus salad was too yummy the scallops were like butter. The crab cakes were made to order without gluten and what a treat. I wanted to tell the chef, but by then it was so busy and getting crowded and we had a ballet to attend . The salmon was great. We all cleaned our plates. The wine list was so good many french wines. read more

Everyone has different experiences. Our was perfect. The food is always delicious. Also interesting wines that you don't over pay for. The owner, Winston is delightful and our server, Marisio was attentive and fun. I never knew I liked scallops until I dined at Thyme. Casual. Not hurried and quality food. Thank you Winston. read more

Magnificent. Family restaurant serving great food in an intimate place. The salmon and rissotto mains were superb, delightfully fragrant and so morish. The apple tart and custard desserts were sublime. I had to lick the plate clean. read more

Thyme is a small place but comfortable. We started with the asparagus/beet salad, very good. Lots of flavor and texture. We ordered the lamb chops and the red cabbage and sausage dish. Both were well prepared. The sausage and cabbage was excellent, full of flavor. The wine list is small but was also quite good. I would recommend Thyme and will be going back. read more

I've waited for more than an hour, but we just got some bread. It's definitely NOT RECOMMEND because it's TOOOOOO SLOW! I'll put it in my blacklist! And after a 90-min wait, we finally got our tiny food. We searched on yelp for another of food right after we finish it. read more

Four of us had dinner there on Saturday evening May 12th. Overall I am sorry to report that our experience was below average. Mostly this was due to the server, the only one for all of the tables, there was not even a helper. To all of our requests he reacted as if they were a serious inconvenience to him. When we did not order appetizers, he was offended. The wine list was very poor, very few choices and most of the bottles or glasses were French. Almost no CA wines? Very limited menu although the food was good, but nothing special. I did wonder when I made the reservation on Wednesday why I had no trouble getting an 8:00. The restaurant which was only about 15 tables was only half full on a Saturday night. Now I understand why. read more

Delicious food, and the best service I have ever experienced. I plan to go back as often as possible and recommend it to friends. Loved this place. read more

We came here for Valentines Day dinner and here's our experience: Pros: Prix fix Menu. Food was excellent and loved all courses. Champagne and oyster was fantastic. Cons: Major issues with service. The moment we walked in, the atmosphere was tense and everyone around us seemed agitated and annoyed but most showed patience and were very understanding. Having said that, it was Valentines Day and I expected impeccable service, given the $125/person price tag. Not sure if it was a kitchen issue but we were there for 2+ hours. Maybe this is ok in Europe but definitely not ok here. Please address the kitchen staff and waiters. Utensils were missing throughout courses and we saw staff chatting and not addressing the issue. Music seemed to be playing off a small speaker. We thought the pinot gris and noir were very underwhelming Overall, I'd really love to return but the service must be addressed. Unfortunately for now, this restaurant gets one star. read more

Zero stars!!!! Don't go here!!!! Don't spend your hard earned $$$$ to go to this rubbish phony joke restaurant!!! Our starters didn't come until after we'd nearly finished with dinner. Our server didn't even remember we ordered starters and when our mains came out and we reminded her. Then it took another 30 mins for the starters to come out at which time we were nearly done with our mains. We sent the starters back since we were already done with dinner and certainly didn't want to stay for dessert at this point. The mains were just bland dinner you could cook at home. The server didn't bother to apologize or comp for our RUINED dinner. This is a FAKE upscale restaurant in Palo Alto. Don't waste your money here. read more

Winston does an amazing job. Mixes and matches spices and brings a lot of unique flavor to Palo Alto. Be prepared to check your hurried life at the door. Sit back, have a nice glass of wine, and relax. This is a great place to bring your family, friends and anyone else you want to spend some quality time with while enjoying a fantastic meal. read more

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Waiter was helpful, charming, and extremely solicitous. When my friend asked for her meat without pink he took it back and had it sautéed a bit more. Her shrimp appetizer had not been cleaned well but she felt the sauce was delicious. My crab cakes were fine and the Pinot noir was reasonably priced. For a Saturday night the place was pretty empty but we were not rushed. Price was a bit high for what we received but it is Palo Alto. I don't think I will return or recommend it to others. read more

Great neighborhood restaurant. Limited food options but they do a good job with items offered. Personable staff. Fair prices

The question here is classic- is it worth it for the price? Short answer is, maybe. Thyme (which took over for a thai restaurant last year) features a very pleasant, small and intimate atmosphere (and I do mean small and intimate- there are about 6 tables total, accommodating about 20 ppl total at any time) in a quiet corner of Hamilton in downtown- meaning its not on the noisy side of the University Ave. downtown drag. That's a real plus to close the deal for 1st date dinners or for small gathering groups. On the neg side, is is extremely pricey for what you get in both selection choices and quantity- it kind of almost feels like a French tasting menu with under 6 entrees offered, with almost no options for veggie diners. So, big big yes on location and feel; big no on value and range. read more

Great restaurant. At first we thought that lady wasn't very nice but she recovered quickly and had a nice conversations. I would definitely go back. read more

My family come to Thyme for every celebration. Chef owner Winston is a delight. His food looks simple but always have special flavor. Service is full of genuine warmth. Not a run of the mill. More relaxed pace. Sit back, relax and savor. read more

Had a great meal! Mushroom bread appetizer was fantastic!! Lamb was also wonderful! The waitress was extremely attentive and the chef is fantastic! They are a one chef kitchen so entrees may take (slightly) longer to come out, but it was worth the wait. Appetizers came out very quick, though! We will definitely go back! read more

This is everything you could want in an excellent Italian restaurant. Lovely atmosphere, fresh and flavorful food, great wine. The owner is also super nice. Overall a beautiful experience. read more