Came here on a Saturday afternoon. The place was busy, but we were seated immediately. Unfortunately, the service was extremely slow throughout the meal. It took a long time for someone to come to our table, take our order, and bring out the food. We were told the kitchen was backed up, but the host continued seating guests continuously, which likely didn't help the situation. We ordered the Edamame Dumplings, Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, Seasonal Market Salad, and a POM Spritz mocktail. The Edamame Dumplings were disappointing--bland, lacking flavor, and served cold. The Seasonal Market Salad and Buffalo Chicken Sandwich tasted good overall, but the sandwich had a surprisingly small portion of chicken (basically one tender), which felt underwhelming for the price. The fries on the side were also nothing special. The biggest letdown was the POM Spritz mocktail. It had almost no pomegranate flavor and tasted more like plain soda water. Overall, the food was hit or miss, and the slow service made the experience less enjoyable. I'm not sure I'll be returning anytime soon. read more

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Food wasn't bad. I do like the fact that they have healthier options of preparing it. I had ordered the air fried chicken tenders w/ fries. Although, it is overpriced... but of course location!! Server was nice & friendly. Ambiance was very spacious, & clean. read more

There was no halloumi in the halloumi salad. The jambalaya pasta is extremely spicy! The shrimps in the pasta were fresh and tasty. read more

True Food Kitchen - New American Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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I now remember why I hadn't come back here for 8 years -- overpriced, poor service (at least upon arrival and for getting seated -- our waiter was very nice), and food is ok. Food wise they have a variety of options and the edamame hummus and dumplings are good apps, I do enjoy the ancient grains bowl with protein, and the kids menu has a few basic options including pizza, pasta and air fried chicken. I would say the food is ok but not worth the price, especially with smaller portion sizes. Maybe the pizza is a fairly safe option. If you come for convenience, use the inkind app to save 25%. Happy Hour is 5-6pm and save $2 off a few options and grab a $5 beer or wine. read more

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Wow! What an amazing experience I had today! It's my second time coming here and I like how this health food restaurant look modern. Just a lot of people coming in on Sunday. Basically, I wanted to sit on one of the tables instead of the bar, which I have to wait 10-15 minutes. However, it's been over 15 minutes already, but the good news is that they were almost ready when I asked them about my wait time. It's strange how the number of customers didn't hit max capacity and yet it's a bit longer to get my table than expected. I guess that the staff is overwhelmed with how they have to prepare food and take care of customers. Anyways, I got to my table and wanted to try one of their burgers, which is Grass-Fed Burger. Usually, I would put the fries with the burger, but I decided to get Kale Salad to kinda be healthy. Also, want to try their iced latte. About the food, the iced latte is sweet. Kinda makes me wonder which syrups or sweeteners they added to it. The burger tastes really juicy and delicious. Kale salad tastes good too. They didn't add too much sauce on it. Not sure if they actually added any, but either way, it tastes fresh. Overall, the food I had on this visit is really good here compared to my previous one. Also, my friend asked me about it online if we can dine here and I told her yes! Definitely give this place a try and you'll like it! read more

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Love the healthy, delicious, and sustainable food. The service was fine, but the atmosphere could benefit from some minor upgrades (see details below). I appreciated the duo dinner deal (however, five dumplings in an appetizer dish meant for sharing between two is an odd number). Bummer that you have to pay extra to add tofu, chicken, or shrimp to the noodle bowl; every entree should include a protein, in my humble opinion. The dessert was delish. Although the restaurant is large in terms of square footage, there is no space to talk to the host or wait to get seated. Despite us being there during a unbusy time, we had to wait in line in the doorway while staff went in and out of the same door to serve the people sitting outside--they could at least make better use of the second door that leads outside. The seating indoors is arranged in a manner where half your party will be sitting in a comfortable booth seat while the other is in an uncomfortable chair with no place to put a bag but the dirty floor with food all over. The space could certainly benefit from more thoughtfulness and at the very least more regular sweeping. read more

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This True Food Kitchen is located in the Stanford Shopping complex. We absolutely loved the vibe and the food. Our server was very attentive and funny. It was an open seating with huge capacity. On a Saturday night, with the Niners playing it wasn't that packed. Orders were taken promptly and food was served quickly. We had cappuccino, Seasonal Spinach & Mushroom Sourdough Pizza, True Cris'd Air-Fried French Fries with peri peri ketchup, Colorado IPA, All-American Burger and a Margherita Pizza. We left very satisfied overall. Bonus was we got to meet the legendary Steve Young and he was very gracious enough to indulge my husband with a photo op. February 2026 read more

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Food that isn't meant to taste good but good for you. Keep that in mind when eating it. Everything is very healthy. ALOT of indoor and outdoor seating. Restrooms were very clean Charred cauliflower: 3/5, tastes exactly what it sounds like Edamame dumpling: 4.5/5 Chicken parmasan: 2/5, never had chicken parm so dry and bland. read more

True Food Kitchen - New American Near Me - Palo Alto, California

I am loathe to ding a restaurant based off its ambiance, but I visited TFK on a rainy winter's evening, and the cavernous ceilings and sparse timber tables and metal outdoor chairs made it impossible to feel cozy indoors. Now, it is entirely possible that the interior was engineered to deliver warmth and sunshine on the median Californian day, but I can only report on my own experience. I do think some curtains and better chairs would make for a large improvement. The roasted Brussel sprouts were amazing as an appetizer. I then dined happily on a plate of black rice served with vegetables and prawns, after discovering that the jambalaya was not available. The portion size was acceptable, and the flavours were delicately balanced. The menu does seem unfocused with its combination of "bowls" and burgers and pizza alongside proper mains, but I suppose it makes everyone happy. read more

True Food Kitchen - Shrimp and black rice - New American Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Tried this over the week for dinner with some friends. We were seated in a few minutes and the restaurant was not super busy. Loved how spaced the tables were and the ambience was perfect for a casual dinner. We got the edamame dumplings, charred cauliflower and fries to start with. The food did take a long time to come but was super delicious and well made. We also got the teriyaki quinoa bowl, seasonal broccoli sourdough pizza and Korean noodle bowl. All of these were so good! Perfect portions, filling and tastes great. The drinks menu is quite unique and we did try the prickly pear tisane and hangover rx. Both were great. Overall, definitely going back to try the rest of the vegetarian menu. Great food, service and perfect for a quick wholesome meal. read more

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This restaurant has a good mix of healthy and delicious food options. I like that it's open the whole day and you can come at an odd hr. It's huge and can accommodate all group sizes. My favorite is the edamame dumpling. It's very unique and this is the only place I can get it at! Broth can be a lil too salty so if recommend moderating that a bit. That said, still 5 stars for me. The rest of the food is probably more 4 stars but overall I think this is a wonderful restaurant with lovely staff. And can't beat the location. If you're friends are running late, just go shopping Oh oh and we ordered a dessert for a birthday and they comped us! What a nice touch. Thanks for a great experience! read more

Ancient grain is so good i love the pesto. The prickly pear tisane was also recommended by the server and i really enjoy the drink.

This spot is awesome for having gluten, vegan, and vegetarian options! As well as dairy free, I order a burger with kale salad and both were good, although I wish the server told the mushroom had onion. It states it comes with caramelized onion and asked with none and was not advised about the mushroom having onion. Ambiance is nice and service was alright. read more

True Food Kitchen - New American Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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Wonderful eatery with lots of vegetarian and vegan options. House wine was fabulous with a nice little price tag. Dinner for two special was excellent. Service was friendly. Thanks! read more

True Food Kitchen - Guacamole Platter, VEG - New American Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Dined here again after a long time. We ordered the hummus appetizer, the vegan burger and the veggie scramble. It all tasted absolutely amazing. The hummus was served with crisp flatbread (seemed like rustic bakery ones) and almost tasted like falafel. It was a bit grainy and had this yum sweetish sauce in it. It was really good. Didn't taste the scramble but husband said it was very good and they catered to his ask of keeping the veggies seperate from the eggs. My plant based burger came with a side and I chose the kale salad which was pretty basic. But the burger was charred and crisp and oh so good. Service was also very friendly and adequate. Will definitely go back soon! read more

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My family and I came in today and we were helped by Leonardo. Great energy and very helpful! Food was great as well! read more

The acoustics and "family-friendly" atmosphere detract from the culinary experience. It's a bit like a healthier-version of Chili's or some other "upsale" food chain. The service was iffy; we waited about an hour for food. The veggie burger was surprisinly good and thankfully not a Beyond or Impossible burger. I'd love to see a version in my local grocery freezer. read more

The chicken Parmesan was very healthful, and tasted just the same as traditional gluttony chicken parm my old love haha. The espresso martini was good and strong and thick and dark, just like my soul. What's more to love! read more

True Food Kitchen - Espresso martini - New American Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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Came here with a big party and good memories from prior visits. Wtf happened to this place? Food: - Good: all the sourdough pizza, charred cauliflower, spaghetti squash casserole - Unsure: Edamame dumplings that we emphasized while ordering and never got - Skip: a. Lasagna el Pesto, the one dish the party barely touched and nobody wanted to take home b. Chicken parmesan c. HangoverRX and Bright Eyes, signature non-alcoholics drinks that the server touted was all fresh-squeezed at the bar, both tasted like watered down bad cocktails... better rename to HangoverCause and Crossed Eyes Service: Seems like the staff either hate each other and/or hate the diners - Host randomly made a point calling out how tips for our waitress is already included and there was no need to pay for extra gratuity, before he sat us down. Confirmed with server later it wasn't true. What is the beef? - Waitress seems very new to restaurant service, asked her explicitly for guidance on portions to order for our family style dinner, outcome includes one small bowl of cauliflower appetizer to share for one long table... I guess we could cut each cauliflower in quarters to share. - Barely got much service and attention otherwise for the entire evening, server blatantly ignored us trying to flag down his attention for the bill multiple times, as if he just goes blind every time passing through our table. - Same server was also oddly reluctant to move when I stood next to him trying to sit down, since he was blocking the only tiny space to my seat. Gave me an annoyed look after I waited for him to take the cue before finally asking excuse me if he could let me through. Posted a standard brief instagram story about recommended dishes and quick experience rating after, True Food rep reached out through their IG saying "We're sorry to see we only got a 2/5 for service and would love to know more about your experience so we can do better moving forward." - Responded to the private message with a detailed account of our table's dining experience - Left on read. - Checked in 2x more about their follow up a few days later. - Left on read again Unfortunately one of the most unpleasant dining experience I've had in recent years. Instagram: TianTianEats read more

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Wow this was one of the most mediocre dining experiences I've had in a long time. We arrived for dinner at 7:30PM and the restaurant was maybe 20% full. Perhaps I should've taken that as a warning of the experience to come. But we sat down outside nonetheless. While our waters were brought out after about 10 mins, it took another 10-15 minutes for the server to come take our order. The food came out incredibly slow. The first to come out were the fries. And while we didn't have to wait long, the soggy and bland fries looked like they were left overs that were haphazardly tossed onto the plate. Mind you, I recognize that it's a bit of an oxymoron to order french fries at a healthy restaurant. But there's really no excuse for serving cold soft french fries. It took another 10-15 mins for our second appetizer to arrive which is just not an ideal eating situation. Finally after another unreasonable wait, our four dishes arrived. My pepperoni pizza was barely warm. The fresh mozzarella had already coagulated and the crust had cooled to the consistency of cardboard. I joked to my family that the theme of tonight's dinner was "leftovers." After the meal, we were ready to pay. So again, we were subjected to an unnecessary wait. What was most frustrating was waiting for the waiter to pick up my credit card. Here's a tip: it's just not a smart move to make the customer wait to pay while you socialize with the hostess. Annoyed, we commented to the table next to us about the slow service and they too agreed. In fact, they said their pizza arrived cold also. If you value your time and money, I suggest looking elsewhere. read more

Came in here for a late lunch. We waited to be seated, waited to get water, waited to order, then waited and waited some more. After about an hour of waiting, we had merely managed to receive our water and had ordered. We had an appointment so asked to have our food to go. The most annoying part was that the tables next to us who were seated after us got their orders in and had their drinks and food brought out before us. One of our water cups was also dirty. The restrooms were clean but the first stall was disgusting. Here's a picture of my poke bowl we asked to make to go once we realised we didn't have time to eat after all the waiting. The serving portion is quite small for the cost. Someone in our party also had the curry and has felt sick all day since. He said the curry was cold and gross. read more

True Food Kitchen - Poke bowl - New American Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Love true food! I normally opt for their grass fed burger but wanted to try something different so I ordered the spaghetti squash casserole and ate every last bite. it was so good! My husband got the steak and also enjoyed it. We brought our family of 5 and were seated right away. Service was great and we got our food very quickly. Very kid friendly! Love how there were a variety of options for everyone to choose from. I personally thought the dishes are pretty large but came in really hungry so I ended up eating everything read more

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I've typically enjoyed visiting True Food Kitchen, almost exclusively for business lunches. This time I went for myself. Ambiance is ok, though the lighting is odd. The interior is low-key, meaning dark walls, bright lights, but overall dark effect. The front of the store is glaringly bright because of the big windows. While I love natural lighting, the combination gave it kind of a weird feel. Food was so-so at best. I tried the tofu scramble from the brunch menu and found it surprisingly lacking in flavor, like what a tofu scramble in the US would have been 30+ years ago. There's no excuse for it now. Even a little salt would have helped. Service was reasonably good. It's what kept this review at 3 stars instead of 2. I accidentally overtipped by a lot, but wasn't worried about it. Hopefully that was a nice surprise for the server. read more

How many times have I seen this place, glanced, walked by, always intrigued but never walked in!! How many? Oh probably at least a dozen times! Well today was the day. Stopped in, sat down, non upidity down to earth what I would say is more of like a natural cafeteria, with really great wholesome food and options. In this day and age with so much junk food, its nice to know that you can still get good food for the soul. I ordered their Grass Fed Burger Verde Farms organic 100% grass-fed beef, roasted wild mushrooms, caramelized onions, organic arugula, parmesan, umami sauce..only like 660 calories, then I had the kale salad on the side...it was outstanding!! Not a super fancy vibe, but I dont need that. Prices fairly on par with other establishment in the center. Will I be back? You betcha!! Service was good and people were polite and atmosphere was chill..so what are you waiting for? read more

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If only I could give it minus stars. We went here on a Tuesday night very excited and it wasn't busy, which was great for us. We had to wait a while to have the host come out. We asked for a high chair and a kid's menu; host said they didn't have any available and needed to print more. We got seated in the back where 3 tables were occupied around us. There was a server that was helping those tables but they were all about to be finished. The server never greeted us, no water, and no high chair. We sat there for a good 10 minutes with nobody acknowledging us. Another table across from us got seated and that same server got them water right away. At that point we knew it wasn't worth it for us to stay. We will never be back and we will let our friends and family know to never bother either. read more

Tagged along with someone who's been and liked it. Not sure if it's the asian mentality of maximizing space and filling all the tables, came in and had to wait 20 mins for table of two, when there were multiple tables open. I do understand to keep a ratio so the wait staff aren't drowning. Ordered two apps and two mains, and one of their refresher drink. Prickly pear refresher was meh. Good presentation. Then there was a pretty long wait for the food to come afterwards, didn't time it but just felt long. Butternut soup was delicious. Banana foster chia seed pudding was good too. Avocado toast came with side of salad and jammy egg. Thought the avocado to toast ratio could've been better. Pretty thick slice of toast. Ranchers hash, was not expecting what I go. Jammy egg was good, veg's good, lots of sweet potatoes, and meat was quite well done. I guess I was expecting more diner style corn beef and hash. Server was great I'm the beginning, coming back to check up on us, but after we finished was hard to find him. Maybe close to holiday and we're fully staffed that he had a bigger area to cover. Took quite a bit to get his attention for the check. Overall, I don't really see the appeal of this place. Guess not my style/preference. Good to try read more

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I have been a longtime fan of True Food. Truly! Every time I am at Stanford Shopping Center, I make it a point to stop here for lunch. Upon visiting a couple of weeks ago, my food unfortunately was served on the colder side. The server did apologize and they brought back the dish warmed. I think it was just the time we were there for lunch was on the busier side. Overall, our server was super friendly and definitely tried to be present, which I appreciate. read more

I have to say, My experience here has been hit and miss. Some days th food hits the spot. Breakfast particularly is done well. We just ate dinner here and I am sad to report that my lasagna was still cold in the middle. The sauce was bland and th fries we ordered for my son were over air fried. Service was and continues to be hit and miss. Staff seem untrained or stressed out. Incomplete orders and beverages. Just a weird dinner experience. I like this place. The ambience is great. The concept is great. The execution is just off the mark. read more

True Food Kitchen - New American Near Me - Palo Alto, California

TLDR: Come here if you're looking for a macro friendly place, but expect below mediocre food and service Came here at around 12pm on a Tuesday, and it seemed that there was a slight lunch rush, but we were seated right away. I got the grass fed burger lettuce wrapped and upgraded my salad to fries, and my boyfriend got the chicken parmesan. The burger was just okay. I asked for it to be cooked medium, but I'd say it leaned more towards medium well/well done. The lettuce they used to wrap it wasn't the best for burger consumption, so I ate it like a salad which I had no issue with. I did like all the fixings that came with it, and most importantly it fit my macro goals. I got the fries with the tuscan dust, and they were really flavorful, but were barely warm. If you told me they were sitting out for 15 minutes I'd believe you. Would definitely be a lot better if they were warm and crisp The chicken parmesan was not bad. Decent portion of chicken and will definitely fill you up, but nothing special at all. The service here was a bit slow, and for some reason kinda felt awkward? Hard to explain, but I just got a strange feeling from our service from the beginning. Good spot if you're looking for healthier options, but keep your expectations low read more

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TLDR food's alright (ingredients taste natural, though) but the wait right now does not make it worth it. Imma just walk through my experience here (brunch/lunch on a sunny Sunday): I was getting lunch with my mom, a little Asian lady. She was sat at the back. My mom is quiet and doesn't like to complain much - to other people who aren't me. She doesn't like to be sat in the back. The host who sat us down ended up frantically taking our order, as our waiter was too busy?? I don't know. They seemed understaffed and sitting more people down than they could handle. The food took forever; I'm talking an hour +. I had work coming up and almost had to leave my mom. The food itself: My All-American Burger was 720 calories, and I could see why. It's on the smaller side. I was satisfied from it, but didn't feel super full from it, which was ok. My mom had the Rancher's Hash, which had beef so hard she couldn't chew and a latte that was too milky. They should really step it up here, and I saw the manager working with his staff, seemed nice! I'm sure the service can get better - and I'll be back once I hear it does. read more

Great service and great food! I really liked the new Peri Peri Chicken. Will definitely be back!

My experience at True Food Kitchen was amazing from start to finish! The food was incredibly fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. Everything tasted high quality, and you can really tell they use fresh ingredients. Our server, Lili, made the experience even better. She was so friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu. Her recommendations were spot on, and she helped us choose dishes that ended up being some of our favorites. She checked in at just the right times and made us feel genuinely welcome. The restaurant was clean, modern, and relaxing with a warm atmosphere that made it easy to enjoy our meal. Overall, it was a fantastic dining experience, and I highly recommend True Food Kitchen. If you have the chance, ask for Lili, she provides outstanding service! read more

Waited an hour for our food only to find out that our waiter forgot to put our order in. We found out after an hour. Our drinks and a appetizer were comped off but it doesn't make up for that. I had 2 kids with me. So if you are hungry and you wanna feel it to the bones, definitely give this place a try. The drinks were super weak. We had a margarita and a old fashioned. Needless to say will not be visiting this place again. The fries looks like life was sucked outta them. read more

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