Lavanda Restaurant & Wine Bar
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Phone: (650) 321-3514
- Price:
- $$
- Cross Street:
- High Street
- Hours:
- Tue-Thu 11:30am-3pm, 5pm-10pm, Fri 11:30am-3pm, 4pm-11pm, Sat 11:30am-4pm, 5pm-11pm, Sun 5pm-9:30pm
Message from Lavanda Restaurant & Wine Bar
Mediterranean cuisine and award-winning wines in downtown Palo Alto
- Wine Tasting
- Traditional Regional Recipes
- Jazz on Sunday's
Paid advertisement by Lavanda Restaurant & Wine Bar.
Editorial Review for Lavanda Restaurant & Wine Bar – by Jim Harrington
The Scene
With a glass chandelier in the rotunda and muted earthy colors, this restaurant sets a casually romantic mood, appropriate for anything from a second date to a big-time anniversary. A very hip reservation on the Peninsula, Lavanda features a sizable wine-tasting bar in addition to the dining room area.
The Food
A modern fusion of Italian and New American cuisines. Begin with roasted artichokes in pepper-flecked, oil-and-vinegar marinade, or roasted eggplant puree and marinated mushrooms. The pastas are the least pricey main courses and, luckily, they're also some of the best, especially rich ricotta gnocchi blanketed in brown butter-sage sauce. Roasted chicken breast is another winner, stuffed with Gorgonzola and chard and covered in a blend of white wine and tomato sauce. Desserts are excellent, such as a warm chocolate cake with caramel sauce and caramelized pear crostata with vanilla gelato and brandy sauce.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
Save TimeThe 200-bottle wine list can be daunting, but knowledgeable servers will make recommendations to pair with meals.
Save MoneyIn addition to the full-size appetizer list, the restaurant also offers assorted small tastes. Pick three small tastes for $12.
User Reviews for Lavanda Restaurant & Wine Bar
06/22/2008 Posted by chipoverstreet
The food is pretty good, despite the somewhat small portions. Just be prepared for a smug, indignent wait staff. Truly unbelievable. We eat out every Saturday night, and this is the second time we've encountered such poor service at Lavanda (and we've only eaten there twice). I've never berated a restaurant before in a review, but this one is deserving. If you're going out in Palo Alto, pick one of the dozens of restaurants where they value your business...it isn't this one.
02/23/2008 Posted by majoreaterouter
Went for a nice night out and picked Lavanda. Was extremely relieved to find valet parking (which became an issue, but save that for later). Had 7 pm reservations, got there around 6:45 pm, was immediately seated at the bar and was offered a view at a very variant wine list - great selections and the bartender was a very generous fellow who offered some good tastings and had some great suggestions. Bought a nice Cab, got seated around 7:15 pm and then things mostly went downhill. Service was very substandard, food apart from the small salads was disappointing to say the least. Upon our departure, we could not find the valet and after we did find him our car took about 20 minutes to come back (as the valet was busy talking on his cellphone). Even though the owner, a great guy named Bruce, was super apologetic and apathetic, I would go back for another go at their wines not at their service or food.
