Cabana Cove Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Palo Alto

Late review, but worth noting...

Mother’s Day is meant to be special, and when you’re paying a premium for a celebratory meal, you expect the experience to reflect that.

Unfortunately, our visit to Cabana Cove fell short in several ways.

From the moment we arrived, things felt disorganized. The check-in process was a mess, there were clear issues with the system, and the hostess seemed flustered, while her manager stood behind her offering little support. It seemed like they might have been in the middle of training, which would explain the confusion, but on a busy holiday, that's not the time to figure things out.

Once we were seated, we were greeted by a hostess who didn’t introduce herself and immediately asked what we wanted to drink, without sharing what was available. When we asked for options, she vaguely said “water and juice,” which gave us no real insight, so we just settled for water. It wasn’t until we overheard another table later that we learned they were being offered a full list of drinks, coffee, tea, sodas, and even orange juice. When we asked a different server about the orange juice, it was provided, but our original server had disappeared by then.

We were told we could start getting food, but the buffet selection was incredibly underwhelming for the high price we paid. The one standout item, the seafood tower, was nearly always empty. I had to ask multiple times for it to be refilled, and even then, it felt like a waiting game. Meanwhile, the other food items lacked variety and flavor, nothing memorable, and certainly not worth the cost.

To make matters worse, gratuity was already included, over $100 for a table of five, yet the service didn’t reflect that value. We were the ones constantly flagging down staff for basic needs like drink refills or questions. No one checked in with us or made an effort to elevate the experience. Even the “live music” that had been advertised felt like an afterthought, distant and barely noticeable.

The whole experience left us disappointed. We’d hoped for something special and well-curated, but instead it felt like a poorly organized event with minimal attention to detail. I’ve heard there's a similar experience offered in Foster City, so we may try that next time in hopes of...

We only tried their breakfast, since their hours are reduced. Chilaquiles are the best! Yogurt parfait was pretty good too, the granola was crisp and satisfying, even though I felt there was too much of it for my liking (but, hey, it's better to have too much of something than too little, right?!). Pancakes and french toast were good, but nothing special. I felt like the menu could benefit from adding some oatmeal to it, and in general the menu could be a bit expended for longer staying guests, but I also understand that the current situation is informed by the past few years of the pandemic, so I don't count it against them.

There's also a breakfast buffet that we didn't get a chance to try.

It's a hotel, so there's plenty of parking, but you might need a proof of stay or some form of validation from...

This place definitely does not align with the photos. It is a low-end hotel restaurant bar at best. They were out of both the halibut and the steak. Our table got the cacio y pepe (large portion, probably the best option), a burger, and 2 club sandwiches. The cheese was American, the sandwich meat was lukewarm, low end deli. The burger was ok, large portion of unsalted fries. Our waiter/bartender was very kind, but seemed flustered....