Not a restaurant with its own P&L, but more like a cafe attached to the Google shop next door with food and decor subsidized by the search engine.
Long story short, good ingredients, comfy cafe, nice decor, free outside art.
First, check out the list of suppliers to the cafe. Wouldn’t be out of place at any of those fancy Californian places. Got Acme, Midwife and Panorama for bread and pastries. Cowgirl and Cypress Grove for cheese. Cream Co for meats. The only food categories not covered is probably the vegetables. I guess we get the same veggies as the Google employees.
Tomato soup: a bit sour. Not the season for tomatoes. Which is the reason I pointed out the suppliers.
Butternut squash soup had a lot of sweetness coming through from the squash. Nice soup.
The porchetta sandwich was nice. Good salad and well-seasoned porchetta with a bit of crunch. The meat was a bit on the tough side.
I liked the marinated artichoke & piquillo pepper sandwich. The artichoke added a bit of tanginess balanced by the sweetness from the piquillo pepper.
The kid finished all the butter noodle. I didn’t get a taste.
Croissants from Midwife on the other side of 101 at Independence Ave. Prices seem to be comparable.
Order at the counter, grab a number and find an empty table inside or outside.
Looks more like an airport outside than a restaurant.
Plenty of outdoor seating:
I was told that the bathroom closer to the bathroom hallway entrance on the right has a Toto bidet for those who care.
Art installation outside:
Penny the bear? Note the whole bear is made of pennies.
Overall, if you don’t mind the relatively longer walk from the parking lot, then you can get an affordable, well made meal with good ingredients in a space that you can lounge and relax and grab a bite. I quite like the cafe.
Go play with Android phones at the store next door. Google probably runs the cafe to complement the store and to entice tourists to visit them (which there are plenty) so the Apple Spaceship isn’t the only game in town.
