Palo Alto’s credentials as a college town may be questionable, but Stanford students have always found places to eat, drink and congregate off campus. A few favored hangouts, both naughty and nice, have survived to become part of the Stanford experience.
The granddaddy of them all is the Alpine Inn, better known as Zott’s, on Alpine Road in Portola Valley, about five miles from campus. Opened in 1852 as the Wunder, it gained such an unsavory reputation by the early 1900s that Stanford President David Starr Jordan lobbied San Mateo County officials to shut it down. Wrote Jordan: “The Wunder is unusually vile, even for a roadhouse, a great injury to the University and a disgrace to San Mateo County.” A Stanford alumni magazine in the early 20th century called it “a miserable, low-class saloon of the San Francisco waterfront type.”
Naturally, students flocked there.
In the 1940s, the saloon was purchased by Enrico Rossotti and renamed Rossotti’s, later shortened to Zott’s. In 1969, it was sold to the current owners and became the Alpine Inn, but Zott’s stuck, helped considerably by generations of Stanford students.
Now a state and national historic landmark, the tavern is cleaner than some alums may remember, but still happily relaxed. Hundreds of beer bottles line the walls; there’s linoleum on the floor and a rustic picnic area out back.
It’s likely to outlive several more Stanford eras.
A brief guide to some other off-campus favorites:
The Dutch Goose—Alameda de las Pulgas, Menlo Park
Why students like it: inexpensive food and friendly atmosphere
Worth squawking about: the deviled eggs
Antonio’s Nut House—California Avenue, Palo Alto
Why students like it: a throwback bar with a blue-collar ambience
That stuff under your feet: the dust of generations of peanut shells
Kirk’s—California Avenue, Palo Alto
Why students like it: pure, unadorned, gut-busting burgers
Thinking about going jogging? Not after eating a Big Kirk.
The Oasis—El Camino Real, Menlo Park
Why students like it: a little dark, a little disheveled and part of the quintessential Stanford experience
Can we call it an institution yet? It’s a favorite among alumni.
Miyake—University Avenue, Palo Alto
Why students like it: inexpensive sushi served in a bright and boisterous setting
The hook: healthy fast food
Gelato Classico—Emerson Street, Palo Alto
Why students like it: grab-and-go dessert with a European flavor
The cool factor: you’re not really on a street corner in Venice, but you can pretend
Left at Albuquerque—Emerson Street, Palo Alto
Why students like it: an affordable, hip date restaurant
Among the enchantments: 60 kinds of tequila
Blue Chalk Café—Ramona Street, Palo Alto
Why students like it: another date restaurant, and a fireplace
Head for the sticks: there are plenty of pool tables
