Cook's Seafood — Restaurant in Menlo Park

If you love your fried potatoes and seafood, this is the place to go. Overall, this is a good casual food place. Nothing fancy, just plain old good fish and chips. Yes, GOOD FRIED AWESOME FOOD!

The place is full but not crazy packed on a Friday evening. Serving was quick and the cashier who took our order was nice and accommodating. You have to fall in line to place your order, get your number, and find your seat. Pretty much a find your own seat or have company save one for you while someone places their order.

We got the halibut and chips (fries) and the oyster and chips. There is nothing much to say about battered and fried seafood except that they are super satisfying. Dip them in ketchup or their tartar sauce and your all set.They have a considerable selection of beverages. You can chug your food with beer, old fashioned root beer, IPAs, fruit juices or soda.

Although a minor thing for me, just note that this shares the same space with a fresh seafood/wine/sauces shop. So expect a very faint fish smell to waft once in a while. It did not bother me much though but I just thought this observation is worth mentioning. On the brighter side, you could do some seafood shopping after dinner.

We will...

Solid! We like to come periodically; have been visiting for a few years now. Appreciate the friendly, efficient service. Lately my spouse has been getting the fried shrimp tacos - thumbs up! I've been getting the crab fettuccine special recently - it's in a very rich Alfredo sauce with broccoli and chunks of fresh crab. I like to add more pasta to my leftovers as they're very generous with the sauce. My go-to is the fried sand dabs but they don't always have it. My kid usually gets the fried calamari with chips. The salmon patty burger is pretty tasty too. If you get the fried oysters they use a light breading with a little corn meal in it - very nice! Thumbs up on the clam chowder and the coleslaw. Sometimes the kitchen is a little inconsistent but usually they're good hence the 4 stars on food - probably deserves a 4.5. When they're on par the chips (thick french fries) are excellent - crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy inside.

We often get takeout but dining in is relaxed too - you order and pay at the counter first.

I like to get a whole cooked dungeness crab from the market sometimes; I have them crack it for me but leave...

I used to dine at Cooks more than two decades ago. It's changed a lot since then. The staff are courteous and parking is easy. This restaurant is also very clean. It has a dining area and also a seafood take-out counter for people wishing to cook at home. The seafood in the counter appears to be fresh and of good quality. I think it's a good place to buy your take-home seafood.

The restaurant is less than impressive. My partner ordered fried prawns and fries, and I had scallops and chips (fries). We were unimpressed with the food as it was greasy and reminded me of a place like Long John Silver's. It wasn't at all quality like their food of years ago. I also had a salad which appeared to be pre-made, but it was really cold and didn't look or taste fresh.

I don't like to write anything negative about any business, especially one that isn't part of a chain or larger corporation, but to do otherwise would be dishonest to potential customers. I hope the management takes a look at their food quality and make a few minor adjustments to improve taste, appearance and overall customer satisfaction. The Cook's of old was really good. It can...