Steam Palo Alto
Located in the heart of Palo Alto, Steam Palo Alto at 209 University Ave is a vibrant spot offering a modern dining experience with a variety of flavorful dishes. Known for its relaxed ambiance, this restaurant delivers a combination of affordability, quality, and excellent service, making it a standout choice for both casual diners and those looking to enjoy a more refined meal.
Steam Palo Alto is particularly recognized for its delicious and well-priced Chinese food, with dishes that cater to a variety of tastes. Their wings, served with flavorful sauces, have earned frequent praise as a must-try item. The beef soup is another popular dish, noted for its richness and taste. Additionally, the cumin lamb has been highlighted as a flavorful choice, though slightly on the salty side, offering a savory depth typical of this dish.
For those in the mood for dim sum, Steam Palo Alto is an excellent option in the area, even though the prices may reflect the higher cost of dining in Palo Alto. The restaurant also offers hearty portions, such as their beef chow fun, which is appreciated for its quality beef but might benefit from a little more flavor balance.
The interior of Steam Palo Alto feels modern and welcoming, with a clean, contemporary design that makes for a pleasant dining atmosphere. The spacious and well-maintained bathrooms also reflect the restaurant’s attention to detail, making the entire experience more comfortable. Though the service can sometimes be a bit slow, it has generally been described as friendly and polite, with staff dedicated to ensuring a positive dining experience.
Parking is not an issue at Steam Palo Alto, as there are plenty of nearby parking garages, making access easy for those driving to the restaurant. Whether you're craving savory Chinese dishes or looking to explore new flavors in a comfortable setting, Steam Palo Alto is a solid choice for your next meal in the heart of the city.
Steam Palo Alto Reviews
Solid place to get Chinese food that's a little cheaper than Taste down the street. They're also a good place to get dim sum in Palo Alto (although in my opinion the dim sum prices are still pricey, but that's Palo Alto for you). This time we got the cumin lamb and sautéed broccoli with some white rice. The cumin lamb was very good. It was a bit salty, but this dish usually is. The service was a little slow this time. The cumin lamb was served before the rice so we had to wait a little to get our rice to eat with the dish. But I've gone before and haven't had that problem with the service before so it could just be that time. The inside's really new and clean. It feels modern and warm. Also the bathroom's surprisingly large and nice. It definitely feels like an expensive restaurant bathroom. Parking: There are many parking garages in Palo Alto so it's not too hard for us to find parking
Had 2 things: beef chow fun = decent portion size and quality of the beef was great, however lacking a bit in flavor and a bit oily. Garlic green beans, bit overdone and over salted with lots garlic. Service was fine. Would come back to for the chow fun again and perhaps another dish or 2.
I had a great dinner at Steam with a friend and was so happy to see their gluten free options! I was able to have steam buns (ask for gluten free) and one of the rice noodle dishes safely as someone with celiac, and they have gluten free soy sauce available. Some items are marked gluten free on the menu, but others are available on request. It was a bit confusing when we got there because no one was at the greeting stand, but we ended up following another group and just walking right in to the bar area to ask to be seated.
STEAM has a great location in downtown Palo Alto on one of the main streets. Great outdoor seating for air and sun. Inside gets a lot of light as well. Lots of street parking around the restaurant location available. The food is very tasty and savory. I ate the following, -beef basil dish: it was tender and flavorful. I liked that you can really taste the basil & it comes with veggies. It balances out the saltiness of the meat seasoning. -Brown rice on the side was good to balance out the savory flavors of the beef. -Hong Kong noodles with chicken and shrimp: it was filling and there was a good amount of shrimp and chicken spread throughout the dish along with veggies. -I also ordered the shrimp ball appetizer: each one was quite large. It had maybe 2-3 shrimps in each ball with the crispy cover around it and dipping sauce. It had a subtle shrimp flavor, very tasty. The dipping sauce was a little vinegary for me, but I liked the ball with soy sauce. Portions are substantial & reasonably priced (for Palo Alto prices. Compared to other areas with more Asian cuisine available, it would be considered expensive) It's a good amount of food for sharing. I took my leftovers to-go. I got about 3 portions out of my beef order. Service was excellent; my friend and I were seated right away and given a choice between inside and outside. I wanted to sit outside, since the weather was amazing. I would definitely recommend Steam, and return!
Omg! Omg! Omg! That's pretty much all I gatta say! Amazing food! 1st time here and I don't regret it at all. Super affordable and the service here is so good. Everyone is so polite. The ambiance is really chill and the food is so good. I would totally go for the wings!!! The wings with sauce. The beef soup YUM!!!