Arya Steakhouse — Restaurant in Palo Alto

So where do I begin? I’m visiting from Montreal, Canada, and Arya Steakhouse seemed like the perfect upscale spot to enjoy a proper halal steak during my short time in the Bay Area. From the outside, it looks classy and professional—exactly the kind of place you'd expect to deliver solid service and a smooth experience. But what happened once we were seated made that “professional” vibe feel purely surface-level.

They initially tried to seat us in a cramped corner, but we asked to move to the window and they agreed. From there, we ordered two steaks and an appetizer. Then we waited. And waited. Forty minutes passed—no food, no updates. Eventually, the hostess noticed and flagged someone. A different waiter came over and told us our original server had a family emergency and left—without submitting our order to the kitchen.

Look, emergencies happen. But how does a place charging $60+ per steak not have a basic hand-off process? No manager check-in, no reassigned server—just silence. Forty minutes of being completely forgotten. That’s not just poor service—it’s a complete breakdown in communication and leadership.

The frustrating part is, when the food finally arrived, it was actually really good. The steaks were cooked properly and looked great. But by then, the experience was already soured.

To “make it up to us,” the manager offered some free samosas or dessert, which felt like a low-effort fix—especially when we had an excursion to get to right after and didn’t have time for extras. Eventually, she offered 20% off, which honestly still felt cheap. After what happened, that should’ve been at least 30% off or even a comped steak.

To top it off, there’s a 4% “Living Wage Fee” added to the bill—basically passing the responsibility of fair pay to the customer. If that’s the case, use it to properly train the staff, because the lack of communication and accountability made that fee feel like a joke.

Bottom line: The food is good, but the service and management ruined the experience. If you're paying this kind of money, you expect more than just nice plating. I wouldn’t go back—and I’d think twice before recommending it to anyone...

Thank you Arya for such an amazing experience.

We did not expect the hospitality & service to be so above and beyond. We have gone to so many Steakhouse & Restaurants in the Bay Area & have always watched the way the waiters and waitresses and workers of any restaurant work together & consider that into our complete rating of a restaurant.

From the moment we walked in we were greeted warmly by a wonderful woman who made us feel comfortable as soon as we stepped in.

We were seated a little early because our reservation was 715 hut we arrived 650pm.

Our server/waitress was very sweet and recommended some of the best selections.

We ordered the Oysters, Bone Marrow for appetizers and my wife got the Ribeye steak with potatos. I got the Crab Gnocchi. Our sides were Garlic MashedPotatos & Mac&Cheese. I also had 3 orders of your delicious Mint Mojito! My wife ordered a lemonade and we enjoyed the water bottle service as well.

Our food was easy 100000/10 the flavors, the texture the quality and presentation of each plate. Everyone who served us were patient, kind and very enthusiastic. They made us want to order more because they just gave us good vibes and energy during our visit.

It was the perfect place to celebrate our 3 year wedding anniversary. Our table had a beautiful single rose , a candle lit and a card that said “Happy Anniversary” the attention to detail was nothing less of perfection. Although people were around us, we felt in tune with our own little table of love and felt as if we were the only ones there. It was worth every cent we paid!

We cannot wait to come again but this time with family&friends!

To the wonderful Staff of Arya, the amazing Chef & kitchen crew and our bartender who made my lovely drinks, THANK YOU!

Much...

This place is amazing just the look and feel of it as you walk in has such an elegance to it and the work they put into entertaining their guest on Fridays and Saturdays it goes above and beyond they actually have belly dancing for you while you eat it is a real nice atmosphere to be in to just have a good time with the family while dining on fantastic exotic meals that are of amazing quality and taste the only problem i had with it was i couldn't decide which meal i wanted to order they all looked too good to pass up so i just had to taste everyone's at my table which we all ended up doing lol since we all wanted to be able to experience their various meal choices. The food even has such a classy look to it and you can tell it is prepared with such time, care, and pride. I feel like this cuisine really takes pride in providing quality customer service and satisfaction i really can not wait to go back but may have to wait a while since it can be it a bit pricey for a big family but well worth it for the amazing atmosphere, the entertainment they provide (if you decide to go eat their on a Friday or Saturday of course because i do not think they have the belly dancing on other days of the week), and the food that is just so delicious it is explainable it is something you must try for your self to be able to understand how good it is. I love how the meals are so exotic because i love to experience new taste and foods and this place gives me that new experience i want to have and it definitely is a mix up to my normal everyday meals that i can really appreciate. If you want an exotic, different, and delicious meal experience then do not look further you will be impressed with this...