MacArthur Park

Russell Clark

Had a really nice Thanksgiving dinner there with my family. Although they were packed, the service was spot on and they kept the buffet dishes filled. Really enjoyable atmosphere. Parking was a little hard to find though. Here's a Tip: there is a company parking lot a couple of block behind MacPrk that used to be a post office in a 50's style building with a flagpole in front. After 5 it's ok to park there. They had a great dessert bar and the pic is of a couple of the ones we enjoyed.

Stephen Hwang

This is a fantastic restaurant with friendly staff, great selection and tasty food.

Hadn’t been to the restaurant in over 30 years. We used to frequently dine there when we lived in the area. It was exceptional. I had the rosemary chicken and my husband had the ribs and chicken. My favorite turtle pie was as delicious as I remembered. Enrique our waiter was very knowledgeable and provided excellent customer service. We look forward to the next time when we are in Palo Alto and visit the restaurant.

Went here for a wedding reception. Food was great. Staff was great.

Absolutely the best steak I’ve ever had—nothing else comes close. The service was excellent, and the staff couldn’t have been friendlier. Honestly, the negative reviews seem questionable; the wording is so similar it feels like they may have come from the same source. On top of that, the happy hour prices are unbelievably good. Cannot beat a $6 glass of amazing wine.

Karla Lippincott

Hadn’t been to the restaurant in over 30 years. We used to frequently dine there when we lived in the area. It was exceptional. I had the rosemary chicken and my husband had the ribs and chicken. My favorite turtle pie was as delicious as I remembered. Enrique our waiter was very knowledgeable and provided excellent customer service. We look forward to the next time when we are in Palo Alto and visit the restaurant.

May West

Absolutely the best steak I’ve ever had—nothing else comes close. The service was excellent, and the staff couldn’t have been friendlier. Honestly, the negative reviews seem questionable; the wording is so similar it feels like they may have come from the same source. On top of that, the happy hour prices are unbelievably good. Cannot beat a $6 glass of amazing wine.

The food was good but lacked flavor and needed spicing. The ribs were very good, as was the pecan pie. The shrimp were good, and the sauce for the shrimp was excellent. Parking was terrible. The streets to get to the restraunt were a pain. The first room we were seated in was very cold!! The next room was warmer but was very isolated.

Lovely spot for a happy hour or a low-key dinner. The cocktails could use a bit of an oomph but overall a good spot.Service is A+ ❤️Buttermilk chicken -super moist and tasty

"Awesome place. Always has been and it has hosted several of our families milestones. Host stand hospitality has gone down the tubes and the innovation behind the kitchen seems to be a bit lacking. Wish they would elevate the holiday brunch menu by serving some different items year after year. Still a great pick as always for the special occasion brunch."

Kelly Drake

The food was good but lacked flavor and needed spicing. The ribs were very good, as was the pecan pie. The shrimp were good, and the sauce for the shrimp was excellent. Parking was terrible. The streets to get to the restraunt were a pain. The first room we were seated in was very cold!! The next room was warmer but was very isolated.

AJ F

Lovely spot for a happy hour or a low-key dinner. The cocktails could use a bit of an oomph but overall a good spot.Service is A+ ❤️Buttermilk chicken -super moist and tasty

keiichiro Yoshida

"Awesome place. Always has been and it has hosted several of our families milestones. Host stand hospitality has gone down the tubes and the innovation behind the kitchen seems to be a bit lacking. Wish they would elevate the holiday brunch menu by serving some different items year after year. Still a great pick as always for the special occasion brunch."

I’ve been coming to this restaurant for over 25 years. I’ve come for holiday buffets, celebrated special occasions, and had casual meals at the bar. MacArthur Park is always warm and cozy. The quality of the food isn’t as good as it used to be, but is still tasty. I also miss the valet parking.

The food was tasty. The wait staff was appropriately attentive to our table. The building is full of charm. It is big and spacious. On this particular cool night it got chilly by the end of the dinner.

Carlos Castellanos

The food was tasty. The wait staff was appropriately attentive to our table. The building is full of charm. It is big and spacious. On this particular cool night it got chilly by the end of the dinner.

Reese Shulman

I’ve been coming to this restaurant for over 25 years. I’ve come for holiday buffets, celebrated special occasions, and had casual meals at the bar. MacArthur Park is always warm and cozy. The quality of the food isn’t as good as it used to be, but is still tasty. I also miss the valet parking.

Wasn't overly impressed, the food was good but the service and ambiance wasn't up to par. Based on the price of the food, I was expecting more. Didn't see our server very much, it took a while to get our order, I asked for a dipping sauce for our appetizer which arrived long after the appetizer was finished, also she never checked on us after we were served. The bar was not in great shape, had allot of clutter and the bar tender seemed to be stretched thin and struggling to keep up with service.

First off, this is a beautiful space. The vibe and layout is open and welcoming, perfect for small or large parties looking to share a variety of BBQ items but also filet mignon and whole rotisserie chicken. Unfortunately, my experience was lackluster. The potato skins (which is not the traditional split in half with cheese, sour cream, etc) its small bits of chopped rind and potato. The onion strings were ok, nothing special, and the artichoke was served cold versus warm from the grill which was odd. In terms of the ribs, they were not fall off the bone - a bit tough and chewy which was surprising because the rest of the taste/flavor was quite good. Mac & cheese was good but again, just ok, nothing spectacular. The desserts were a bit better. Wine choices are mediocre but a few selections that could round out a variety of food choices. So I don't want to paint the wrong picture - the staff was very pleasant, and no rush or anything like that, but sorry, not the best BBQ as the claim is.

Jeff Hong

Wasn't overly impressed, the food was good but the service and ambiance wasn't up to par. Based on the price of the food, I was expecting more. Didn't see our server very much, it took a while to get our order, I asked for a dipping sauce for our appetizer which arrived long after the appetizer was finished, also she never checked on us after we were served. The bar was not in great shape, had allot of clutter and the bar tender seemed to be stretched thin and struggling to keep up with service.

Tony Deblauwe

First off, this is a beautiful space. The vibe and layout is open and welcoming, perfect for small or large parties looking to share a variety of BBQ items but also filet mignon and whole rotisserie chicken. Unfortunately, my experience was lackluster. The potato skins (which is not the traditional split in half with cheese, sour cream, etc) its small bits of chopped rind and potato. The onion strings were ok, nothing special, and the artichoke was served cold versus warm from the grill which was odd. In terms of the ribs, they were not fall off the bone - a bit tough and chewy which was surprising because the rest of the taste/flavor was quite good. Mac & cheese was good but again, just ok, nothing spectacular. The desserts were a bit better. Wine choices are mediocre but a few selections that could round out a variety of food choices. So I don't want to paint the wrong picture - the staff was very pleasant, and no rush or anything like that, but sorry, not the best BBQ as the claim is.

I used to come here as a kid and it was 10/10. Over the last few years the wheels fell off. It has not been kept up and overall quality has taken a steep dive. So much potential here if good ownership took over.

David Conway

I used to come here as a kid and it was 10/10. Over the last few years the wheels fell off. It has not been kept up and overall quality has taken a steep dive. So much potential here if good ownership took over.

Totally unsatisfactory dining experience. It was disorganized, terrible experience I had. We paid $192.00 each for the following: 1， The hostess did not note our reservation correctly. She went ahead and seated us, but our waiter called the hostess over to the table to prove we had paid. Ened up I had two wriskband. 2，A party of people unknown to us was seated at our table by the host. 3，When we requested hot water, we were told to get it ourselves. We were also told that there would be no hot water after 11:00 p.m. 4，There was few lipstick mark on the "clean" coffee cup. 5，Buffet $80 (official website) COVID or not, we expect a lot more consideration for close to $400.00.

I am sorry to report that this place is simply a NOT RECOMMENDED. It has so much potential. The first sign was the ability to get a table on a Saturday night without the need for a reservation in Palo Alto. I mean that is unheard of. Anyway, we arrived to only a few cars in the parking lot. We were a party of six including two children and asked for a table on the patio. It was a warm afternoon and the patio was cool and refreshing. Though as mentioned, there were only two other tables with customers in a patio of at least 20 tables. Our waiter explained the menu which was helpful. Everything seemed to be “highly recommended”. We settled for a Napa cab in lieu of pre-dinner drinks, table bread, calamari & artichokes as an appetizer. I have to say the calamari was delicious though the artichoke hearts were somewhat bland, perhaps not fresh. Two of us ordered the “highly recommended” filet mignon with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed veggies. We waited 45 minutes for our meals which signals to me the waiter wanted to sell us another bottle of wine. Almost no customers, yet the cook couldn’t grill two steaks to rare and medium rare within an acceptable 20 minutes. In fact the waiter came back without the dinners to ask if we “needed” a second bottle of wine. We were at that point all upset the meals had yet to be served. The mood had been ruined. Finally, the filet mignon plates were delivered. One supposedly rare, the other supposedly medium rare. NOPE! The rare was thoroughly cooked well done and the MR cooked medium well. We refused them. Perhaps if the dishes had been served in a reasonable time, they would not had needed to keep reheating it and then serving. It’s either that or the chef/cook is untrained in determining when a steak is ready. Either way, we all got up and left, paying for what some of us had been served, but all of us very unhappy with the service and overall experience. It could have been so much better. Not recommended. I have 3.6M reviews, this is one of the worst I’ve ever written. No restaurant response needed. I’ve read through other 1 rated comments, our experience unfortunately is common.

Vivian Kaun

Totally unsatisfactory dining experience. It was disorganized, terrible experience I had. We paid $192.00 each for the following: 1， The hostess did not note our reservation correctly. She went ahead and seated us, but our waiter called the hostess over to the table to prove we had paid. Ened up I had two wriskband. 2，A party of people unknown to us was seated at our table by the host. 3，When we requested hot water, we were told to get it ourselves. We were also told that there would be no hot water after 11:00 p.m. 4，There was few lipstick mark on the "clean" coffee cup. 5，Buffet $80 (official website) COVID or not, we expect a lot more consideration for close to $400.00.

Dave Rogers

I am sorry to report that this place is simply a NOT RECOMMENDED. It has so much potential. The first sign was the ability to get a table on a Saturday night without the need for a reservation in Palo Alto. I mean that is unheard of. Anyway, we arrived to only a few cars in the parking lot. We were a party of six including two children and asked for a table on the patio. It was a warm afternoon and the patio was cool and refreshing. Though as mentioned, there were only two other tables with customers in a patio of at least 20 tables. Our waiter explained the menu which was helpful. Everything seemed to be “highly recommended”. We settled for a Napa cab in lieu of pre-dinner drinks, table bread, calamari & artichokes as an appetizer. I have to say the calamari was delicious though the artichoke hearts were somewhat bland, perhaps not fresh. Two of us ordered the “highly recommended” filet mignon with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed veggies. We waited 45 minutes for our meals which signals to me the waiter wanted to sell us another bottle of wine. Almost no customers, yet the cook couldn’t grill two steaks to rare and medium rare within an acceptable 20 minutes. In fact the waiter came back without the dinners to ask if we “needed” a second bottle of wine. We were at that point all upset the meals had yet to be served. The mood had been ruined. Finally, the filet mignon plates were delivered. One supposedly rare, the other supposedly medium rare. NOPE! The rare was thoroughly cooked well done and the MR cooked medium well. We refused them. Perhaps if the dishes had been served in a reasonable time, they would not had needed to keep reheating it and then serving. It’s either that or the chef/cook is untrained in determining when a steak is ready. Either way, we all got up and left, paying for what some of us had been served, but all of us very unhappy with the service and overall experience. It could have been so much better. Not recommended. I have 3.6M reviews, this is one of the worst I’ve ever written. No restaurant response needed. I’ve read through other 1 rated comments, our experience unfortunately is common.

Hosted a private dinner here for 20 doctors and they never notified me that they were in the middle of renovations. It was so embarrassing for all of my guests. We had to tell them to stop drilling so we could hear ourselves. I suggested they offer a $25 gift certificate to each guest but was refused. The entire experience was awful and totally avoidable if they had AT ANY POINT contacted us to let us know of the inconvenience. Poor management! And the food was subpar.

Sinclaire Hicks

Hosted a private dinner here for 20 doctors and they never notified me that they were in the middle of renovations. It was so embarrassing for all of my guests. We had to tell them to stop drilling so we could hear ourselves. I suggested they offer a $25 gift certificate to each guest but was refused. The entire experience was awful and totally avoidable if they had AT ANY POINT contacted us to let us know of the inconvenience. Poor management! And the food was subpar.

Talbot Morris-Downing

This was a bizarre experience. We had reservations for Valentine’s Day, there was supposed to be a special 5 course meal. Nobody talked to us for 20 minutes after we sat down. Eventually we ordered. Soup took another 20 minutes to show up. We asked for water multiple times, it took an hour to arrive. After the soup, we sat around with nothing to do for 30 minutes. Our entrees were brought out (my steak was pretty good actually, and so were my wife’s ribs), but this skipped two of the five courses. They would never arrive. By this time we had been there for an hour and a half. We mentioned to the staff that we hadn’t gotten parts of our meal multiple times. It wasn’t just us either, I think this experience was true for everyone there. I saw other tables get served the dessert before their mains, people just sitting around without food, lots of people didn’t get parts of their meal. The place was obviously very short staffed, I think there were only 4-5 people working. The restaurant was not full either, probably 1/2 or 2/3 capacity. Ultimately, we were there for 2.5 hours, got 3/5 of our food, and they asked us to pay full price. We did not. I honestly felt bad for the folks working there, they were obviously stressed.