You want a Saturday night that actually feels like one. The Peninsula quietly punches above its weight — between Menlo Park, Palo Alto, and Woodside, you have Michelin stars, eight-seat omakase counters, and tasting menus built on farm produce grown a few miles from the table. Here’s where to book.
1. Protégé (Palo Alto). Master Sommelier Dennis Kelly and Chef Anthony Secviar — both French Laundry alumni — have held one Michelin star here since 2018, and kept it at the June 2025 California ceremony.
The 7-course dining-room tasting is $225 with an automatic 20% gratuity, prepaid via Tock. Reservations drop at midnight, 30 days out. Skip the lounge. Book the tasting room.
2. The Village Pub (Woodside). One Michelin star for 12+ consecutive years, and about 80% of the produce comes from Bacchus Management Group’s 17-acre SMIP Ranch in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The tasting menu runs around $130. Worth the drive up Woodside Road alone…