Ethel's Fancy

Review summary

1. A

   Amir VIP

   San Francisco72 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   I'm a fan of this restaurant. Food is always consistently excellent. The cocktails are great and they can make a special one for you if you describe your likes. Very good wine list, too. Service is always solid, very friendly and they work as a team to ensure a good experience. We enjoy everything on the menu. Our top favorites: sesame pancakes w/ smoked fish, charred snap peas, charred cabbage, sashimi over rice, fish katsu, and the steak. And of course, dessert, we love the caramel choc. tart. Menu changes seasonally, the main ingredient may continue on the menu but the sauces and sides will be different, pending what's in season. We look forward to returning soon.
   

   Is this helpful?

2. SB

   SusanB

   San Francisco10 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   I’m never disappointed dining at Ethel’s Fancy, from the minute you walk in the door you are greeted warmly and made to feel like a valued guest. The wait staff is friendly and knowledgeable and I have to say I’ve never had a dish that I didn’t love. It’s my go to for special occasions as well as my number one recommendation (but only to people I really like)!
   

   Is this helpful?

3. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   New York City1 review

   5.0

   Dined on March 2, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 3

   An absolute gem. Only complaint is the 80’s rock music that plays moderately loud.
   

   Is this helpful?

4. S

   Satish VIP

   New York City34 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on February 27, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Eclectic menu with 6-star service and attention. Food done well and as tasteful as it gets. More importantly it won’t break your bank for that kind of service and tasteful, good food.
   

   Is this helpful?

5. a

   art VIP

   San Francisco18 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on February 27, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 3

   The food was outstanding. The service was excellent. The chocolate of the chocolate Carmel tart was terrific, so thick and rich, it stuck to the roof of your mouth, but the coffee rosemary cream was too dainty. In my opinion, it needed a vanilla, even coffee, ice cream scoop. The acoustics had the same problem as the predecessor restaurant in this space: difficult to have a conversation with your dinner partner without shouting half the time. There are plenty of wall absorbing sound solutions.
   

   Is this helpful?

6. M

   Mary

   San Francisco3 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on February 26, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Chef Scott creates elegant, fresh, and tasty dishes. Each dish has distinct and unique flavors, he has mastered the ability to highlight the fresh ingredients and spices in the dish without being overly ‘fussy’. The wait staff and general manager were attentive even during a very busy night. Kudos to Ethel’s Fancy for being an unpretentious culinary gem in Palo Alto.
   

   Is this helpful?

7. OT

   OpenTable Diner VIP

   San Francisco1 review

   1.0

   Dined on February 23, 2025

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   The only thing colder than the steak was the outdoor patio.
   

   Is this helpful?

8. D

   Diana

   San Francisco1 review

   5.0

   Dined on February 23, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Amazing food. Macdaddy waiter. Was cold by the door though.
   

   Is this helpful?

9. r

   rashmi VIP

   San Francisco39 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on February 23, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 3

   We had an amazing experience, food, service and overall experience was exceptional
   

   Is this helpful?

10. T

    Teri VIP

    New York City6 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 21, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    Excellent experience. We had a late reservation which worked for us but the kitchen ran out of some dishes which inhibited our ordering. Hopefully the waitstaff communicates to management what diners would have liked to order so the kitchen can have adequate quantities of ingredients.
    

    Is this helpful?