This is truly a neighborhood gem. You haven't lived if you haven't tasted their Shortribs over wide noodle pasta or their Beef Bourganine over fettucino pasta. To the person who went upstairs to complain about the street view .. ... did you not realize that this restaurant is located along El Camino .... hellllllllo ! Focusing on Tiramisu .... good grief JJG .. get a life. The waiter/waitress staff is very nice, especially the OWNER who frequently comes to check to see if you are satisfied. read more

We came here because we had a google deal. First we noticed when we went in that there were only old folks (everyone had white hair) here. We are in our 30's so that was a bit disconcerting though it was a Sunday evening. The waitress asked us where we would like to be seated in the front where all the patrons were or the back. We choose the back. There was no one there. The atmosphere seemed very dated. We had booths in the back area. But the place mats were nice and showed a map of Italy and the various areas and their specialties. We ordered the calamari appetizer and it was okay. It wasn't as crispy as I would like but it wasn't oily so that's a plus. We ordered: Chicken Risotto and Scallop fettuccine. We also had some zinfindel to share. First, my meal was the Scallop Fettuccine and honestly it was too salty and mushroom tasting. It was okay for me but not something I would pay $22 for. My husband got the Chicken Risotto and he thought it was okay. All in all, the service was good, though we had to ask our waiter to take our order, the waiter did refilled my water 3x and was relatively attentive/ but the place was pretty dead. But we would not go out of our way for this food. The bill was $95 pre-coupon deal for the 3 of us: 1 appetizer, 2 wines, 3 entrees. So it's pricey and the food just okay. read more

I want to say thank you to Trellis Restaurant for everything you've done to make my 40th birthday party such a success. I'm so glad I had my party at your beautiful patio. Thank you for accommodating all of my wishes from having a slideshow, a DJ, decorating the place with balloons and setting up the centerpieces. My guests really enjoyed all of the food (especially Susan's downfall) and the appetizers. Your waiters were very helpful and were always there for my guests. Your bartender was amazing as well. Thanks for keeping the inside room available for us so that we can have all our things in there and my family to stay in so the younger guests can have somewhere to go to relax or sleep. Thank you for being patient with me. I know I was quite nervous and very particular. I'm very happy with the turnout - I loved the fact we got to play relaxing and dancing music at your venue. The projector was so perfectly situated that people who were dancing could also see themselves on the slide show. People are emailing me how great the venue was and how fun the whole party was. I am so happy that we found your venue to have our party. Your outdoor venue just brought out casualness and elegance at the same time. Thanks again! Maricar read more

2 stars for the tranquil atmosphere and above average service. The food is where this place falls painfully short. I ordered a caesar salad and fettuccine carbonara. The greens in the salad were not very fresh. Giant chunks of romaine stalk were part of the mix. Powdered parmesan, uneven dressing distribution, and store-bought croutons - not a winning combo. On to the carbonara. Very sad to say this was truly the worst carbonara I've ever had in my life. It was completely flavorless. Sauce was thin and non-descript, pancetta was barely there, peas were peas, and the fettuccine was unbelievably bland. More powdered parmesan and black pepper couldn't save it. TL;DR: The food here is not good. It's also expensive. Sadly I won't be back, because I wanted to like this place. Update - 5 hours later I heat up what I took home. Turns out I wasn't hallucinating, the carbonara is still flavorless. It's like they ran out of salt, olive oil, basil, red pepper, basically anything that would give this pasta flavor. Sad. read more

We choose The Trellis for special dinners like Birthday's and New Year but discussed eating here more often. The food is wonderful as is the service. The Trellis never disappoints read more

We have been going to Trellis regularly for more than three years, and have never been disappointed. I used to review restaurants for a daily newspaper, and we dine at quality restaurants all the time, in all parts of the country. Trellis is one of our favorites, mainly because of its consistency and value. It's unpretentious but also high-quality. The food, though not avant-garde, can be quite creative, especially in the nightly specials. We have some favorites on the menu (especially the veal scaloppini, salmon, duck, pork tenderloin and prawns), but often have one or both of the nightly specials. The wine list, though brief, is well-chosen and the prices are lower than in many other restaurants. Kurt, the owner, is always warm and gracious, and the staff is efficient and friendly. The atmosphere is simple but pleasant. We prefer the front dining room for its subdued buzz and windows onto the street, but there are other venues for more intimate (or outdoor) dining. We find Trellis a reliable spot for consistently good food, relaxed surroundings and the occasional surprise creativity in the kitchen. We never hesitate to return, or to recommend it. For what you get for the price, it's great value. read more

We have a monthly lunch get together at Trellis to discuss financial planning and investment issues and I can't think of any reason to change the venue. Food is good. Service is friendly and unobtrusive. Upstairs patio is great. Inside is quiet so works for a group where everyone needs to be able to hear. I like the Grilled, marinated, chicken filets salad - which, while sounding weird, is really yummy. read more

Came here with some old friends over the weekend, the oxtail spaghetti special was very good. Cute place with character. A taste of pre-VC Menlo Park. Refreshing, with real characters. Give Trellis a shot (unless you're a Ken or Barbie -- then this place will seem - well -- weird - no Prada, no Stanford sweatshirts).... PS: We had no Groupon, so they treated us great :-) read more

For me this location was a bit hidden. But I am glad I found it. On a nice warm day go upstairs and sit out side, it's a cute little garden terrace . Food is good, lots of great options, server does a great job with recommendations. I will be sure to return! read more

We went to dinner with a friend who knew the owner. The space was nice with a front room and back room as well as an upstairs area with a patio that was recently done. The food was good and so was the service - I left feeling overly full. The front area was full and it didn't noise level seemed appropriate - not too loud, not uncomfortably quiet. We started with the polenta with portabello mushrooms which was very tasty and cooked perfectly. The ceasar salad had a bit too much dressing. I had the fettuccine with scallops - the scallops were huge. I didn't finish my plate to leave room for dessert. Others had the spaghetti, rigatoni, chicken and pork tenderloin - shoot I forgot I wanted to try the tenderloin. I tried the creme caramel - which was basically a caramel flan and it was ok so I probably wouldn't get that again. The birthday boy had the chocolate torte which was basically a giant truffle - very yummy, but very rich. Kurt also sent over some Chilled Zabiglione-cream with fresh berries - this was yummy - not too heavy. It's a good quaint local place. If you are in the area you should try it. I'll probably come by for a business lunch as it's fairly close to the office and it's good to try new places. It's on El Camino so best bet is to park in the lot behind it between Santa Cruz and Menlo. read more

We like Trellis so much we have never tried a different Italian Restaurant in MP. Most of the cooking we do at home is Italian, so we usually say "Let's go to Trellis" rather than "Let's get Italian". Everything we have ever had there has been tasty. We've only sat on the patio up top once - but it was gorgeous. If there weather is decent, try to sit up there! Some of the food is pretty "authentic", but some of it is less authentic and very delicious. More of their menu/specials seem to be French lately. Oh well. We've been happy with the drinks and appetizers we have had there too, but we usually try to keep it more affordable. One of us will order a primo and the other will get a segundo and we will share. read more

The food here isn't spectacular, but for the price you won't suffer too greatly. Of course, the real draw is not the food at all. The real reason to come here is for a warm night (or even a cool one, they have heat lamps) and sit upstairs outside to dine. It's not so bad up there, dining al fresco. read more

This place is cute. It's a small little Italian restaurant that serves very standard Italian cuisine. But, the outdoor patio upstairs is a plus. I've been here for a brunch banquet: the bread is amazing because it always comes out warm, the shrimp salad was pretty good because the flavor of the dressing wasn't too strong or tangy, just right for my taste. The house-made tiramisu which is said to be amazing isn't really my cup of tea. Came back for dinner and was very satisfied with the manila clam and baby clam linguine in white-wine lemon sauce. It came out hot and with the cheese and freshly ground black pepper, I was very very happy. Tried my friend's spicy sausage which was great too but definitely preferred what I had ordered. read more

Went here with my mom the other night and the food was delicious!! The waiter was Italian and a little hard to understand but he was super sweet and made sure we got everything we wanted. I still want to sit in the outdoor roof area - looks super cute! read more

Great find in Menlo Park! I liked the reviews on Yelp, so I decided to make a reservation. There were five adults and one child in our group. We were seated right away, even though our entire party had not arrived yet. Everyone there was very welcoming. The service was very friendly and attentive with attention to detail. We were seated in a booth in the back next to the chefs. It was very cozy. We all liked the variety the menu offered. We really enjoyed the polenta we shared. Our entrees were very tasty with good portions. We also shared a nice bottle of Prosecco. At the end, we decided to have desserts. They were all great! Their home made vanilla bean ice cream was the best! They even sent over a couple other flavors of ice cream for my friends daughter, on the house. The food and service were well planned out that night. The staff was very efficient and not intrusive. The night seemed to just fly by, as we realized three hours later at the end of our visit. The value was one of the best I've experienced. Here's the break down, for five entrees, with appetizer, sparkling water, a bottle of Prosecco. 3 desserts: 186 bucks! We have paid just as much if not more with less people and did not receive such good service or food. We were all very pleased. I would realistically and justifiably say that Trellis deserves 4.5-5 stars. I highly recommend checking out Trellis. read more

So maybe 3 and 1/2 stars for this place... The price is right.. The ambiance is ok.. The food is pretty good.. I would go back,.... read more

Susan's Downfall?! What the? Yeah, that's the name of a dish on the menu. Let me say it will be YOUR downfall if you don't try it at least once... Delicious ravs in a gorgonzola/cream/toasted almond goodness. It's rich and you must eat it slowly, but definitely yumm. The polenta and mushroom appetizer is fantastic too. The only bummer was when we got the tirimisu as the birthday treat, it tasted a little like freezer, but other than that things were good! read more

This place is nice, especially the upstairs patio. Very nicely laid out and they grow real grapes around the perimeter of it. I went there with my friend as we had a Living Social deal (we both bought one, so we ended up going there twice so far!) I have had the polenta with portabella mushrooms and tomatoes, the cesar salad, the Gnocchi with basil and tomato sauce (VERY GOOD!) and a taste of the ravioli's they're famous for. OMG - ok, so the Susan's Downfall Ravs are amazing. My best friend described it as good as "a leprechaun giving a Unicorn a happy ending" ... yeah, it's that good... Get it, you won't be disappointed. It was featured in Bon Appétit Magazine... again, yeah, it's that good. The dessert menu is wonderful, if you remember to save room. THe apple torte is made from roasted apples (you can taste the smoke!) and is just heavenly. the icecream had to be handmade - it was just too good! The menu itself if reasonably priced and has a lot to offer. The only hard part is deciding what to order! Wine is over priced for what it is (they double it like anywhere... but you can bring your own for a $15 corkage fee - not bad. Spend $45 on a $35 bottle they'd charge you $70 for... ) So far, we saw at least 6 people brining in their own wine. I think I'll stop at Beltramo's first (approx 1 mile down on el Camino) and just pay the $15. this is where they lose a star for me - double the price, really? The waitstaff is friendly and courteous. The manger is pretty awesome, too! He greeted us both times we dined and did remember us. he even stopped off to chat a bit and make sure our dinner was perfect. read more

This is my favorite restaurant on the Peninsula! Consistent top-level menu, fresh-fresh-fresh fish, vegetables, pasta, and meat dishes. You can actually have a conversation! Rooftop spacious dining with ample plants, sunscreens and heaters (as needed). Well trained staff and genuinely welcoming to all! read more

Decent, not great. Was here with five friends for dinner. The best part of the experience was sitting on the roof deck on what was a very pleasant, warm evening. A real treat and the ambiance there alone is almost worth a visit. Had we sat inside I probably would have given only two stars. Food was acceptable. I ordered the rigatoni and asked for chicken instead of sausage. When it came, there was no chicken or sausage. It then took them 15 minutes to bring what was a pretty tasteless plate of grilled chicken strips and my pasta was cold by then anyway. Others were fine with their meal but no one was blown away. I may come back for a relaxing meal on the roof deck but won't otherwise. read more

I will start this off by saying that I drive for both DoorDash, and Grubhub, and have been for two years. This was the first time I have ever had the owner of the restaurant explicitly say "fuck you" and include other similar exclamations as well. If you are wanting Italian food delivered. Do. Not. Order from here. The reason that he got so hostile with me was that when being helped, I asked how long it was going to be before the order was ready (Standard procedure) and he responded by letting me know that "They do not start making your order until the delivery driver arrives at the restaurant." Upon hearing this, I did not say anything rude, but was wondering why this was a custom they followed and politely asked why it was. In response the owner (talking with his mouth full of food) started to get really angry and started to use cuss words and telling me to leave. I promptly un-assigned from the order and left. If you order delivery from here, do not expect to get your food in any sort of timely manner as they waste the time of dashers, and treat them picking like trash. read more

I like the Trellis as a Family restaurant with good food at moderate prices. Never had a bad meal there. Friendly service is also great!

We have been frequenting Trellis for more than 15 years, it is one of our favorite restaurants of all time, both for the excellent food and the wonderful people. We ordered takeout by phone from them tonight, it arrived early and was as delicious as ever! Our favorite dessert is the Zabaglione, it's absolutely amazing. read more

We had a LivingSocial Deal. The service was not the best. Our server was an old grumpy man but it was pretty crowded on a Sat night so they had a lot to do. The food was yummy. The Beef Bourguignon was very delicious. Like pot roast. And the grilled chicken breast with lemon-shallot sauce with grilled polenta (yum!) was very good too. It was raining so we couldn't sit on the patio which looked really great! read more

We had a luncheon at this fine restaurant after a memorial service for an old friend. We were served buffet-style in the roof-top area. It was a hot day, but the ample umberellas and screens were adequate to keep us cool and comfortable. We were served a nice mixed green salad, a lemon chicken dish, beef bourguignon, gnocci and fried calamari strips. All very good and very fresh. Iced tea and lemonade were served with wine, soft drinks and bar service also available. This is a place we will return to when we're in the Menlo Park area again. It's right downtown with easy free parking lots nearby and a wonderful jumping-off point for many very nice specialty shops. read more

We have been eating at Trellis for quite a few years. We found the service are always good. There are many selections in the menu. We have never had a bad meal there. The owner of the restaurant Kurt always greets us. He is very friendly and the place is well run. This is one of the many places that we like to dine on the weekend. We have brought friends to the restaurant and they also enjoy eating there. read more

Processed calamari, any of the dishes has no flavor , bread was cold we're asked them to warmed up they put in microwave and I asked fish of the day it was frozen fish. We tell them how horrible was everything and very rude, aggressive owner come out yelled to us to leave . we fully paid our bill and we still hungry had to go to another restaurant for better food and fresh calamari. Highly not recommend!!! read more

I went here for dinner with my parents tonight after reading about it on Yelp. The restaurant was not crowded at all, even on Friday night. The decor could be better. I don't know what it was, but there didn't seem to be much atmosphere. The bread was nice and soft, for those who like it that way (my mom said it should be crunchier). I ordered the grilled salmon which was very good. It was well cooked and not too dry and the sauce was light. My mom ordered the fettucini with prawns which was good as well. Nice light lemony sauce. My dad ordered one of the specials which was duck breast in a Dijonnaise-green pepper sauce and polenta. The duck was way overcooked and kind of gray in color - not pink in the middle at all. The sauce was just okay. I'd consider going here again, but I probably won't. I enjoyed my meal, but if I was looking for this type of Italian food, I'd rather go to Spalti instead. read more

If I could give it zero stars I would. We arranged for a birthday dinner for my daughters and came here expecting a decent meal. Unexpectedly, my sister-in-law brought her small dogs with her (registered as service animals), which didn't seem like a good idea for the small front room where we had been seated, well-behaved though they are. At the eminently reasonable request of the staff we moved up to the large second floor patio, where we were the only party. As we were ordering, the owner / manager came up and insisted repeatedly in a nasty and aggressive manner that we leave, because we were disrespecting him by having animals on the grounds. It seemed wholly unnecessary to do that, especially in the way that he did it, and I am a bit mystified as to what triggered such a violent reaction on his part. To their credit, his staff seemed surprised as well and apologized as we left. Anyway, suffice it to say we will never go there again, and would advise that you stay away as well. read more

We have been here many times over the course of many years, the owner and everyone else who works here are always very happy to see us. Food is always delicious and deserts are also amazing, we especially love the zabaglione and the chocolate mousse. read more

What a great place for our salon to have our Christmas dinner! There was 23 of us. Kurt, the owner, was so friendly and over-extended himself in helping me plan our company dinner. The day that I came to give our payment , Kurt treated me to a delicious lunch. I had chosen Trellis due to recommndations from other businesses and had not been able to try the food before this. We had the upstairs to ourselves overlooking El Camino Real, restrooms near and just for us, our own bar, inside and outside dining, and we were given personal attention from the owner who even served us. This is a restaurant with great food, great wine list, and great service. I love the whole menu! All the food is made with the highest quality and freshest ingredients Many people that come to the restaurant have been coming a long time. This is a place I will definitely be back to. read more

Great polenta and mushroom appetizer. A meal in itself! Such comfort food on a chilly day. read more

Everything my wife and I have tried here is excellent. The owner is very friendly and hospitable, and the service is always good. Some of the negative reviews... I don't know. I can understand thinking a dish is too rich or something, but I'd rather see a menu that takes some risks than one that plays it safe. I'm truly shocked that anyone ever had a meal he or she didn't like here. In particular, the duck is great, and the "Susan's Downfall" (ravioli in a creamy toasted almond gorgonzola sauce) are awesome. The scallops are good but not a huge portion. The risotto is the best thing we have tried so far- you can really taste the homemade chicken stock. The carpaccio has an enjoyable simplicity and authenticity. Overall, a very good experience. Ask to eat upstairs on roof deck if the weather is nice. read more

We are visiting Stamford University for a tournament and we took our entite Water Polo team and the parents to this restaurant on three hours notice --- AND we arrived early with starving 14 y.o. boys. They handled things very well. We had a private room, and ate family style. The Bolognese pasta was excellent, and the boneless chicken breast with polenta was delicious - the adults all loved it. The boys consumed large quantities of food. 25 of us showed up and we were fortunate to be served big plates of calamari, pasta, chicken, and vegetables. One of our dads questioned the owner, and earned the wrath of a fiery Italian from Tuscany. In the end it was all handled in a gentlemanly manner, but I'd suggest you need to be respectful and calm if you have a complaint. However the food is delicious, and the owner is there to make sure things are right. This is a good solid restaurant with a really good chef. We recommend it. read more

This is updated review. I left 2 star review after visiting this restaurant. Their food was worst Italian food. I never thought Italian could be this horrible. After few months later, I received a message from the management. And he said "I personaly will ask you to visit Treliis as our guest for to try our food again, our chef will be happy to do that unless you are one of those who works for a company who send their people to dine and give them a bad reviev for to get their business (it's very popular these days), for to erase and respond to their critics and that will be a shame, looking forward to hearing from you kindest regards" I just want to let you know that I'm a real customer who wanted to enjoy nice Saturday with family at a restaurant. I don't know how anyone could like their food. I went to soooo many Italian restaurants but never left restaurant feeling hungry. I couldn't finish this horrible food. read more

Cute restaurant. Good food, great service and a lovely time. The pasta dishes were tasty and filling.

Do not support this man. What a jerk. I cannot believe the experience I just had there! Great food,nice old waiter, but when we went to go pay with my groupon, the owner accused me of lying and already using my groupon. I was sitting with my boyfriend, 4 year old and baby. I thought, Really? Do I LOOK like I'm trying to scam you buddy?! I'm a teacher and a mom...a pretty honest woman here. I was dumbfounded. He would not honor my groupon (although I had the print out in front of me and my iPhone app to show I had not used it yet.) He whipped out his groupon list and said to me "SEE it's crossed out, by me only, so it has to be correct." I tried to explain that maybe he made a mistake because I hadn't been in there for over a year. He replied "NO, I hear this 5 times a day about groupons. I marked it off the list, you must of used it." Whenever I would try to talk, he would cut me off and give me his blah blah blah about how he has been in the business for all these years and he deals with people." OK, my family is also in the restaurant business , but we would NEVER treat a paying customer this way. He should accept fault or at least honor the groupon, that is good customer service. The groupon was designed to bring people IN to your restaurant who want to come back. I will never go back and will write this negative review. I hope that when he goes through his papers, he will see HE made a mistake and should apologize to me :) It was totally uncalled for and humiliating. I was just hoping to have a nice, quiet Italian dinner with my little family. ...My 4 year old was baffled...WTH?! read more

I'm absolutely baffled by the positive reviews of this restaurant. I had to double check to make sure I was even reading the right restaurant's page. Went here a couple of weeks ago for the first and last time. We ordered the calamari and should have left after that. It was obviously prepackaged, frozen and reheated in the oven. It was the worst calamari I've ever had. In this area, there is NO excuse for serving frozen seafood. Ever. The sauce it came with tasked like it came out of a tin can. The entrees were so bad that while we were picking at them, we noticed some people outside trying to decide if they should come in for a meal--we caught their attention and shook our heads to try to warn them off. They listened and hopefully they had a nice meal elsewhere. I made the mistake of ordering Susan's Downfall (trademarked, for some damn reason, as if anyone would want to copy it). It was inedible. Burnt cheese and oily sauce over frozen ravioli; I had one bite and that was all I could manage. I then had some of my boyfriend's gnocchi, which was rubbery mediocrity, but edible. The waiter was a bit strange, but with food like that, he was the best thing about the whole experience. He offered to get me something else, but I elected to cut my loses. He didn't, however, offer to remove Susan's Terrible Accident from Hell from the bill, but I didn't want to argue about it--just wanted to get out of there. Please, please, please--do yourself a favor and steer clear! read more

Although the food here was good, I will not go back: We made a reservation with Open Table however we had a Groupon for $40 towards our meal. We were at in the upstairs patio which was very pleasant. After 25 minutes we were asking the staff to get our waiter. Unfortunately this made the owner very upset. I was very hungry at this point but did not want bread. The owner showed up, disputed loudly why I turned the bread away & then told us why our waiter has not returned. I don't think we asked for any of that and certainly didn't want to get yelled at. The busboy took our order & our food came within 15 minutes along with our bill. We were told that if we "don't want to pay, we can just leave". We finished our meal & were absolutely amazed by the rude behavior. I've been here before a couple other times and this is sad... read more

Went there for the first time on April 26, 2017. Met Kurt who started the restaurant. While I was waiting for the rest of the party to show up, he gave me a tour of the upstairs patio with the grapevines. Both he and the waiter who would be serving our table, asked if I wanted something to drink. We started the meal with an appetizer of sauteed prawns. They were delicious. The homemade bread was good for sopping up the sauce. I had the special of the day, saffron risotto with scallops. Gabriel, the chef, and his crew, did a good job on the scallops. They were not overcooked. I finished off the meal with the homemade tiramisu with almond sauce. My mind wanted seconds; my body said no. If you are looking for more traditional setting and food, give Trellis a try. read more