Diners' Choice: Neighborhood gem restaurants in Peninsula

OpenTable

Updated July 05, 2025

Looking for the best restaurants that are the best neighborhood gems in Peninsula? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Vaso Azzurro

4.9

4.9 (670)

$31 to $50

Italian

Mountain View

About the restaurant

We are known for our authentic and fresh Northern Italian fare made daily with only the finest ingredients. With a variety of satisfying and unique dishes, we have something for every type of taste preferences. Our "feel at home" staff and intimate atmosphere filled with upscale Mediterranean decor makes us a great place to take a date or the whole family.

Top review

DennisVIP

Dined 6 days ago

Food quality was excellent. Eggplant appetizer and Linguini with seafood were outstanding. Whole wheat linguini option was appreciated.

Delizie

4.9

4.9 (677)

$31 to $50

Italian

San Carlos

About the restaurant

"Delizie" meaning delicious, is an enthusiastic endeavor to preserve sacred family traditions & bring delight to peoples’ plates far beyond Italy's borders. Hailing from Calabria, the infamous "toe" of the Italian peninsula where the mountains meet a breathtaking coastline, owner Francesco Ruggiero brings to life the richness of this southern region's culinary heritage, introducing & reacquainting others with an irresistible array of savory flavors & vibrant aromas. Using a combination of carefully selected imports & fresh, locally grown ingredients, you can indulge to your heart's desire in a variety of homemade pastas & traditional dishes. To render the meal complete pair your food with an appealing wine from a list featuring Italian & Californian wines that best suit your palate. The restaurant itself maintains a cozy, relaxed, yet elegant feel that invites others to join in the ambience that comes to life when the simplest things are brought to the table: good food, wine & people.

Top review

LisaVIP

Dined on Jun 21, 2025

The ambience was great. I really enjoyed the live music. The focaccia and olive tapenade were delicious. I came for the Spaghetti alle Vongole and it was delicious. I would definitely recommend and also return, if I were visiting the area again.

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Popular dish

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Popular dish

Gnocchi di Mare

Cetrella

4.9

4.9 (868)

$31 to $50

Mediterranean

Los Altos

About the restaurant

Inspired by Capri, Cetrella's Mediterranean-Rim, California Coastal cuisine appears in Gourmet, MODERN LUXURY Silicon Valley and Sunset Magazines. The dining room has a coastal-forest palette, opens to a spacious Spanish tiled Paseo for outdoor dining under an umbrella sky, adjacent teaching kitchen, and underground speakeasy. The premises are designed by award-winning Gensler Architects.

Cetrella Executive Chef Amol Thanky brings 16 years experience at fine restaurants attending Austin's Le Cordon Bleu while preparing Italian dishes at Siena Ristorante Toscana, casual to fine dining at Scottsdale's 5-star Desert Ridge, and globally-inspired French cuisine at San Francisco's Gary Danko. Dishes accommodate guest dietary preferences with seasonal vegetarian, fish and meat starters, artisan pasta, and sustainably sourced premium branzino, salmon, chicken, lamb, short rib, steaks, signature desserts, full bar serving wine, beer, cocktails and mocktails.--

M'hamed Bahet | Managing Partner

Top review

KimberlyVIP

Dined 3 days ago

Welcoming, upscale environment. Exquisite food and service! Menu is delightful and changes to maintain intrigue.

Sushi Shin - Redwood City

4.9

4.9 (37)

$50 and over

Sushi

Redwood City

About the restaurant

Sushi Shin is an Authentic Japanese Fine dining. Featuring an Omakase menu, which is chef's choice for the most fresh, top quality of fish and seafood. Mostly imported from Tokyo fish market. Other best ingredients from all around the world. Serving Japanese Sakes and bottle Japanese beers. You can experience authentic Edomae-style sushi.

Top review

joweiVIP

Dined on Jun 26, 2025

4th time here and always amazing. Not the most traditional omakase as Chef puts in his own creative touch which I think all tastes amazing.

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Experience

Sushi Shin Omakase

Vino Locale - Palo Alto

4.9

4.9 (113)

$31 to $50

Wine Bar

Palo Alto

About the restaurant

Welcome to Vino Locale serving downtown Palo Alto since 2005!
The only Wine Garden & Kitchen in downtown Palo Alto with Nightly Live Music in the back garden!

Check music schedule on our website www.vinolocale.org
Join us for Dinner, Wine and live music in the Vino Garden!
Dog Friendly Patio

Happy Hour (Tue-Sat) 3:00-5:30
Great wines from California and around the world
Wine flights with cheese pairings
Craft beers on tap & beer flights
Nuts and olive flights
Cheese & Charcuterie boards
Extensive Tapas Menu
Dinner Menu

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined on Jun 22, 2025

Vino locale is always a good option for a date with lovely music, great wine and good food.

La Stanza Cucina Italiana

4.8

4.8 (618)

$30 and under

Italian

Menlo Park

About the restaurant

2020 We newly remodeled a warm and cozy Italian Sicilian restaurant we have two chefs owners in our kitchen preparing house made pasta and bread everyday please come and join us and taste our house made dishes. Angelo Cucco is from a small twon in Sicily and Miguel have ran a few kitchens in the peninsula come and let us make you feel a home

Top review

PamVIP

Dined on Jun 26, 2025

Always the best place intown to get authentic Italian food. Try the branzino, the lamb pasta and the eggplant!

Parkside Grille

4.7

4.7 (1896)

$31 to $50

Californian

Portola Valley

About the restaurant

Discover the rustic charm of our cozy, California restaurant, tucked among the towering redwoods of Portola Valley! Where every dish and drink tells a story, and every gathering is a celebration. Reserve your table now for an unforgettable dining experience filled with warmth and flavor!

We proudly use only the highest-quality, organic produce from our local farms to serve you. For a taste of some of our most popular dishes, we recommend our Wood-Oven Baked Goat Cheese and our Asian Angus Skirt Steak.

Family-owned & operated since 2000.

Top review

FredVIP

Dined 2 days ago

Another great meal at Parkside Grille. As always, seared tuna is both my favorite and the best anywhere.

Jin Sho

4.7

4.7 (74)

$31 to $50

Japanese

Palo Alto

About the restaurant

Feast on artfully prepared Japanese cuisine at Jin Sho. Its contemporary setting features an open kitchen and sushi bar for guests to watch the skillful chefs prepare their meals. Jin Sho owners and Executive Chefs Ichiro Takahashi and Noriomi Kaneko bring a fusion of flavor to creative dishes using fresh, quality ingredients.

Guests can start their dining experience with a Yellowtail Jalapeño or Miso Black Cod Appetizer marinated for 3 days. They can then enjoy an entrée of an array of seasonal fish or enjoy a higher quality of common nigiri such as Blue Fin Tuna from Japan. We are excited to serve you many different kinds of fish beyond what you may find at other establishments. The chefs work tirelessly with distributors to bring the best and most unique fish & sake.

Established in 2007, Jin Sho has reviews in San Francisco Magazine and San Jose Mercury News. Prior to opening JIN SHO, the chefs mastered their craft at Nobu NY.

Top review

RaminVIP

Dined on Jun 8, 2025

The food was outstanding in quality & taste. We had sushi as well a grilled entree. The service was excellent. There are comfortable tables outdoors with the heaters and also indoors.

Pompeii Ristorante

4.7

4.7 (32)

$30 and under

Italian

Los Altos

About the restaurant

Delicious Italian food and chef inspired dishes in beautiful Downtown Los Altos

Top review

SheilaVIP

Dined on May 26, 2025

We had a delightful time with our grandkids. Food was yummy. Service was awesome. Server was very accommodating with the little ones.

Nomadic Kitchen

4.7

4.7 (8)

$30 and under

Turkish

Redwood City

About the restaurant

Nomadic Kitchen is the newest addition to the downtown Redwood City dining scene. Chef Hasan has over 30 years experience in the food and hospitality industry. The restaurant has a strong focus on providing truly authentic Turkish cuisine. Everything is prepared from scratch down to the pita bread which is cooked to order. Some unique ingredients include sumac, isot (late harvet pepper, pomegranate molasses, Maras Aleppe pepper and dried eggplant. These ingredients along with traditional recipesa low Nomadic Kitchen to provide a truly unique dining experience. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Top review

RobinVIP

Dined on May 17, 2025

We LOVE Nomadic kitchen! What a great addition to Redwood City. The mezze platter is a must - their tzatziki is the best anywhere! We finally had a large enough group Friday night we were able to get the largest sampler platter. And the bread - OMG what a dream! Turks live for their bread, and their is amazing. We've never been dissapointed in anything we've tried here, it's all fabulous, just like the welcoming staff! Don't skip dessert - they are homemade and worth every calorie!

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