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  • Tamarine

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Tamarine
Tamarine

Tamarine Details

  • Dining Style: Casual Elegant
  • Website: http://www.tamarinerestaurant.com
  • Email: info@tamarinerestaurant.com
  • Phone: (650) 325-8500
  • Hours of Operation: Lunch: Monday - Friday: 11:30am - 2:30pm; Dinner: Sunday - Thursday: 5:30pm - 9:00pm, Friday & Saturday: 5:30pm - 10:00pm
  • Payment Options: AMEX, MasterCard, Visa
  • Cuisine: Vietnamese, Asian
  • Executive Chef: Tammy Huynh
  • Dress Code: Business Casual
  • Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
  • Additional Details: Banquet/Private Rooms, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Menu, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Personal wines welcome (corkage fee applies), Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Private Party Facilities: To experience Tamarine in a private setting, the restaurant is pleased to offer three elegant private dining options that can seat from 10 to 155 guests.
  • Private Party Contact: Charles Chen (650) 325-8500 x104

Getting there

  • Cross Street: Tasso & Webster
  • Parking: Street Parking
  • Parking Details: public free parking directly behind building at the Cowper/Webster garage.
A word from Tamarine
Tamarine is a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant that features the light but flavor-intensive culinary delicacies of Vietnam. The restaurant offers a menu based on small plates, promoting the Vietnamese tradition of the 'shared' meal in which food is shared and enjoyed with those close. Tamarine's… small plate entrees are enjoyed with the pairing of a variety of aromatic, flavor infused rice, designed to be mixed and matched to create a truly unique flavor experience. Along with culinary delicacies of Vietnam, the restaurant showcases the works of emerging artists from Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries. Semi-annual exhibits will close with a cocktail event to auction the art. Proceeds will be donated to La Maison Chance, an orphanage in Saigon, Vietnam.Continued
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Diner Reviews
  • "In some cases, notion of "small amount of food - slow service-dimmed light - table candle - high price - suggestive gratitude" may seem to represent a high end restaurant. Sometimes it would be a misnomer. Quality of food which counts most to satisfaction, is expected to encompass delicious taste to tongue, warm color to eyes, aromatic smell to nose, neatness of plate and nicely presented to the table."
    Dined on 3/6/2014
  • "I go there often for business lunches. The food is fantastic. My only issue is that the tables are very closed together which makes business conversations difficult, considering that this is downtown Palo Alto where you can expect a lot of people with similar discussions."
    Dined on 3/3/2014
  • "The food was all excellent. Also the margaritas which is a must for my good review."
    Dined on 3/2/2014
  • "Always dependable for a great lunch. A bit noisy for conversation at times. Some of the best Vietnamese cuisine in the area."
    Dined on 2/21/2014
  • "Good place for a nice dinner out. The waiter was extremely good, knew the menu and the drinks. It has a decent selection for vegetarians. The Tamarine appetizer combo was very good. They make a vegetarian version too."
    Dined on 2/15/2014
  • "This was our first visit to Tamarine. My wife is vegetarian and as it was Valentine's day the meal had a little more significance than usual. The restaurant is very well appointed and the staff are friendly. We had a reservation and were seated immediately. Although the restaurant filled up while we were there the noise level was tolerable and the service remained excellent. I don't remember the main dish my wife got but it looked like a giant egg roll that had a tofu rapper and she also got the taro egg rolls as an appetizer. Both of the dishes were very good with excellent flavoring and obviously fresh ingredients. I had a spicy shrimp dish that was outstanding even if it was a tad light on quantity. We will definitely be going back."
    Dined on 2/14/2014
  • "We've been to Tamarine a number of times. The food is always good. This time was a prix fixe menu for Valentines day. It was a bit pricey but good selections well executed. We got seated in back which was quiet and we appreciated. There was more happening out front; and also noisier. Be sure to ask if you have a preference in seating."
    Dined on 2/14/2014
  • "Great experience. Every dish that we had was great, from the appetizers to dessert!"
    Dined on 2/14/2014
  • "We are 93 and 76. Tamerine is our favorite restaurant on the peninsula. We can't afford to go there often. But we LOV3 it for special occasions."
    Dined on 2/12/2014
  • "We frequently go to Tamarine, mostly for dinner. I am starting to get disappointed with the quality of the lunch dishes, even though the dinner and lunch menu are the same, I believe (with the exception of their lunch special). I'm assuming the chefs at lunch are not as experienced/trained as the evening staff? The pili pili prawns were a complete disappointment, and way too pricey. Even the service is very different between lunch and dinner. The place was not crowded, our reservations were at 12:15, group of 4, but we had to wait a long time for our main dishes after appetizers were long finished."
    Dined on 2/12/2014
  • "The food is absolutely fantastic. Everything from the appetizers to the main entrees were very well performed."
    Dined on 2/7/2014
  • "I went to Tamarine with my boyfriend and we had a wonderful night! I can definitely recommend the Shaking Beef! Unbelievably delicious & soft meat! Make a reservation - the place is always packed!"
    Dined on 2/2/2014
  • "We had reserved a table for 3 and then ended up with 6 people for dinner. They were busy but graciously moved us to a bigger booth and then gave us great service even though the place was very busy. Terrific all around. Everyone loved it."
    Dined on 2/6/2014
  • "Everything was superb. In particular the calamari appetizer was incredible. It bore no resemblance to what goes as fried calamari everywhere else - here is was light, smoky, tender, and beyond compare. Service is good without being overbearing. No, "Hi, I'm John and I'll be your server" kind of boilerplate. Just solid and respectful service."
    Dined on 2/3/2014
  • "We chose Tamarine for a group dinner. Food and service were amazing, but the place is not the best for a large groups (8+) that wants to talk."
    Dined on 2/2/2014
  • "I was there many times but nitice they changed the seating arrangement: All the Asian guests has being seated in the back room behind the curtains. It made me very uncomfortable and I addressed my observation to the host. 2) dishes became much saltier 3) waiter was keeping asking us "are you finishing?" Maybe it is q popular spot in Palo Alto but Don't care to revisit there any more"
    Dined on 2/2/2014
  • "Good food and service, but loud (Is "energetic" the word for that?)"
    Dined on 2/1/2014
  • "- menu is huge - ordering can be intimidating - make sure you've got a few items picked out and ready to go if you're grabbing a business lunch or it can run long."
    Dined on 1/22/2014
  • "The food is not as good as previous times. The service was poor. The waiter never came back after the food was delivered and we did not get water refilled until I had to ask for someone. I invited a guest especially to enjoy a nice lunch here, but was very disappointed in the quality of the food ."
    Dined on 6/28/2013
  • "Great for talking business. Great food. Lunch specials good value."
    Dined on 1/21/2014
  • "I and my wife are vegetarians and we picked this restaurant for its vegetarian menu. We tried the Banh Mi Roti, Papaya Salad, Curried Beans and Basil tofu. The food was prepared and presented well. The Basi Tofu is excellent and so is the Banh Mi Roti. The papaya salad was decent. The curried beans was our least favorite as it had too much ginger. The wine list is decent as well. We ended up drinking a Riesling as my wife prefers sweet wine. Overall the ambiance is good although the tables are spaced too close to each other. If you are on University Ave in Palo Alto and are looking for good Asian Vegetarian this is a good bet."
    Dined on 1/26/2014
  • "We really enjoyed Tamarine - the food, service and ambiance were all wonderful. Really liked the shrimp cupcakes, cod and shaking beef. Enjoyed the banana beignet (fritters) for dessert. Our only issue is the prices of the entrees - over priced for the portion."
    Dined on 1/25/2014
  • "Our waiter was rude. We were in a rush and when he came to greet us and take our drink order, I told him we are ready to order, and he said you'll have to wait a few minutes. Then we asked for water with lemon and he never brought the lemon. Upon ordering, my friend ordered the Tamarine prawns, and he rudely corrected her and said those are not prawns, they are shrimp, prawns are larger. We've been to this restaurant numerous times and have always had excellent service, but this was not the case this time. It was dissapointing."
    Dined on 1/22/2014
  • "I've eaten here several times and it's consistent but pricey if anything. I prefer the other restaurants which the same owners have in San Jose and Fremont/Newark - same food for quite a bit less."
    Dined on 7/24/2013
  • "Very good food. Good variety of dishes across Asia (even though its technically burmese). Good overall value for money."
    Dined on 11/10/2013
  • "We arrived late due to unforeseen traffic delays, but were seated anyway (thank you!). Food was amazing. There is no shortage of Asian restaurants in Silicon Valley, but this was noteworthy, from our perspective. Not cheap, by any means, but worth a date night."
    Dined on 1/18/2014
  • "Four of us ordered three starters and four entrees -- all were excellent."
    Dined on 1/17/2014
  • "To start with the bartender makes amazing drinks. They use fresh squeezed lemons versus lemon juice, and he seems to take time to make the drink right. The food is terrific. We had the calamari, satay chicken and spring roll appetizers. Everything was tasty and that was the right amount of food for four. We did the main courses family style, and ordered garlic noodles, shaking beef, tamarine prawns, and fried rice. Again the food was terrific. The only thing to consider is the portions are relatively small, so we had to order a second plate of shaking beef. Definitely not a cheap place so don't expect low prices. Location is ideal for downtown Palo Alto. Parking is generally easier to find that far east on University."
    Dined on 1/10/2014
  • "Our group of four came hungry but distracted, which left us little time to study the menu. When the waiter arrived, we just asked him to "put something together for us for dinner". He carefully checked if we had any food issues or allergies (none), and then said he'd consult with the chef to put together a dinner for us. Everything was *very* tasty. Service was prompt but unobtrusive. The waiter was careful to check in with us about our level of appetite, and then brought us food appropriately. A great dinner for sure."
    Dined on 1/9/2014
  • "Not a balloon, nothing let us know it was New Year's eve, only the fixed price menu"
    Dined on 12/31/2013
  • "The food was pretty average. The shrimp cupcakes/cups were flavorless. Piri piri prawns were good. No need to go here again."
    Dined on 1/5/2014
  • "We had a wonderful meal at Tamarine. The crab dumpling soup, as always, was terrific and the carmelized cod was amazing. We also had the lava cake and the meyer lemon tart for dessert, which were excellent. The service was attentive. Overall, a great experience."
    Dined on 1/5/2014
  • "Great upscale Vietnamese food. Pleasant dining area and great service. Prices are reasonable for this type of restaurant."
    Dined on 1/2/2014
  • "Loved that Tamarine has a special business lunch menu with items (including dessert) that can be ordered in special lunch sizes and enjoyed in under an hour. My companion and I had completely different types of items -- she from the regular menu and I from the lunch menu. We both enjoyed our meals. Tamarine also offers a choice of rice: white (jasmine), coconut or brown rice. Very pleasant servers. A lovely spot for lunch, I'd have to say."
    Dined on 1/2/2014
  • "We have dined at Tamarine many times in the past and it was always extraordinary. Tonight, it was mediocre. The flavor in all the dishes we ordered was good, but not worth the high prices and nothing to rave about. I had two different drinks from the bar, both were very poorly mixed and with little (if ANY) alcohol. I am not sure what has changed (new chef maybe? new bartender?) but I am hoping it changes back. If not, I can see no reason to continue to dine at Tamarine and pay high end prices for mediocre food."
    Dined on 1/2/2014
  • "The food quality was very good, but the service was mediocre. The bartenders were slow and not very attentive. I ordered a glass of wine, intending to drink it during dinner, but it arrived when I was almost finished. The hostess was arrogant, which isn't called for even if the restaurant was great, which Tamarine is not."
    Dined on 12/31/2013
  • "Went there with the family for New Year's Eve, prix fixe menu, and as expected the food and service was outstanding. This is one of our favorite Palo Alto restaurants and have never been disappointed. Happy New Year to all!"
    Dined on 12/31/2013
  • "Great food and ambiance. Unpleasant waiter made the whole dining experience (nye $80/ person preset menu) very unfulfilling."
    Dined on 12/31/2013
  • "My wife and I went there for the New Year's eve special. The ambiance provided a quiet and very low key experience, specially for a New Years eve, and we were both hoping for something a little bit more upbeat and fun. The size of the appetizers and entrees was very small when you consider the price tag and the food was not overwhelmingly good. It was tasty and certainly not terrible but it did not blow us away and for the considerable cost it was not worth it. We had the persimmon salad, the filtet mignon with veggies mix and the lava cake dessert all of which were decent but not earth shattering. I wouldn't recommend this place because the experience and taste isn't enough to warrant the price."
    Dined on 12/31/2013
  • "Dinner was wonderful. A good friend recommended Tamarine. It was very, very expensive despite being good. An example is the baked cod. It must have been about 3-4oz for $25. The same with their shaking beef with a little arugula/watercress and three cherry tomatoes, about the same amount of filet mignon at $27. We will unlikely eat here again. We'll probably go to Vung Tau, their sister restaurant, probably half the cost. I can appreciate that the rent must be very high on University thus the higher price. I think they are gouging."
    Dined on 12/29/2013
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