Rustic House Oyster Bar & Grill - Los Altos — Restaurant in Los Altos

Atmosphere: Outside, the vibe was fantastic, thanks to the First Friday concert happening in Los Altos. It was lively and inviting. However, stepping inside, the restaurant felt surprisingly empty and lacked any real energy.

🍻 Drinks & Service: We ordered a beer along with our clam chowder. The beer took an unexpectedly long time to arrive, especially considering how few patrons were inside. When it finally did come, it was noticeably flat, almost entirely devoid of fizz. Our server also appeared quite frustrated, and I even overheard comments about another group's use of Apple Pay, which created a somewhat tense atmosphere.

🍲 Food (Clam Chowder): We only had the clam chowder, which was just okay. It didn't stand out positively or negatively.

🤔 Overall Experience: The stark contrast between the lively outdoor event and the flat, slow, and seemingly frustrated experience inside Rustic House Oyster Bar and Grill was quite jarring. The poor quality of the beer and the visible frustration from the staff were significant drawbacks. This was not a pleasant experience, and I will not...

Really disappointed by this oyster bar in Los Altos. Tried the fried calamari, which was okay but not justified for the price. It tasted like it had been fried from frozen and wasn’t very fresh. For the entree, I tried the salmon with spinach and tortellini. Horrible presentation, the plate was way too big for the amount of food and the meal overall looked very incoherent. The tasteless “sauce” looked like they just put a slab of butter on the plate before chucking it in the microwave and calling it a day. The salmon itself was okay, but dry around the edges and nothing special at all. And for a seafood/oyster bar restaurant it was really sub par. The cheese tortellini: I’m pretty sure I’ve bought the same kind from Safeway before. And the spinach was worst of all: overcooked spinach lying in a soggy mound, topped with too much raw garlic that left my breath smelling the rest of the evening. And for a $150 bill between my girlfriend and I, for a meal I could have made myself from frozen, I would absolutely not recommend this...

We came because of the free 12 oysters deal on Facebook, which they honored without hesitation. The oysters were fresh, tasty, and came with a somewhat special set of sauces in addition to the standard fare. I got the sesame-crusted yellowfin tuna, which was probably the best rendition of the dish I've ever had but still was overall nothing mind blowing. I think this is simply due to the nature of the lean cut of tuna, primarily relying on the seasoning rather than natural flavor. The rice was also fine, and I'll refrain from judging the restaurant according to my rather stringent, idiosyncratic preferences. My partner got the lobster roll which they reported was pretty rich without being overwhelming, although they recommend a side of salad as the fries were too much at once. The atmosphere was nice, the service very fast and servers friendly and knowledgeable. Overall a good experience, but given pricing and distance from where I live I will likely not return unless there is another deal like the one they offered at the...