Delicious and authentic French food. The waiter was extremely friendly and courteous, and spoke excellent French! Good aperitif options, escargots, and a good selection of French food, including steak frites, moule frites and duck confit. Gluten free options including the escargots. COVID safe with outdoor seating under a canopy. Very popular so highly advise making a reservation.

Just the blueberry goat cheese on the cheese plate earns this place five stars. I mean it's that good. But everything else is excellent as well. The prime rib was tender and juicy. The mashed potatoes were fluffy. Our server was affable and took great care of us. The manager was present and added an extra emphasis on customer service. The decor is dark reds and wood finishes, romantic and chic.

Divine!!!! We were seated promptly with outdoor dining. They have indoor and outdoor dining available. We had a perfect view of the NBA playoffs while we ordered and waited for our meal. From the greeter to the servers, the service was fantastic! Drinks and appetizers and the Burrata Salad were out very fast! Then along came the entrees, I had the pleasure of eating the Boeuf Bourguignon, and let me tell you! The beef just melts in your mouth! The carrots and mashed potatoes perfectly paired the dish the hearty dish. We also enjoyed the New York Steak and Filet Mignon it was all excellent! We can't wait to come back and enjoy more of the delicious offerings here at Bistro Vida!

We came here on Thanksgiving. The food and service were great. The prime rib special was cooked perfectly. Oysters were fresh. The creme brulee and pecan pie were yummy. And it wasn't even crowded. What a nice way to spend the evening.

Fantastic place to have brunch, excellent service, and great staff. The food is lovely we eat the onion soup and the croquet madame, the sorted bread and fantastic coffee. If you are in the area, please visit you will not regret

Amazing - a must to go - place

Food

The food and ambiance are nice, but we ended up having a bad experience at dinner. Our waitress was dreadful, the one who looks like Sarah Huckabee Sanders. She slopped and spilled our wine and all but dropped our food onto the table, bringing the sides out more than 15 minutes before our other food came out, and gave attitude when we asked for the starters to be taken back to be brought with the mains, so they didn’t get cold. Who brings out sides before the salad? Anyways, food was lovely. Paid and sat another moment to enjoy the last bit of dessert and got a notice from AmEx. The waitress had charged our card for another table’s meal! And didn’t even come to apologize until we went to the manager to get the additional bill removed. Thank goodness for AmEx alerting us to an almost $400 bill on top of our dinner while we were still here! Sanders-look-alike then gave a lame “sorry about that” as she walked by, not even stopping to say it to our face. Good food, nice decor, just try to avoid the bad waitress.

There best restaurant in Menlo Park!

Always friendly, always well executed, great value

This place is the best brunch spot in Menlo Park. It’s got great decor, way better seating than cafe Borrone, the portions are larger than Borrone and just as good or better. Not as crowded, undiscovered. It’s the equal in cost to most other places. Compared to Anne’s it’s about a dollar more expensive per plate but 10x the quality. It’s a step above the Stacks greasy spoon/diner experience, but don’t be fooled by the red front decor, the place is totally affordable. Always a great experience dining here. I recommend the Salmon and cream cheese omelette (only $14).

Very good, authentic food with good sized and well plated presentations - the strengths are the appetizers and entrees, all traditional bistro fare. The mussels were large and fresh and swimming in a light, delicately flavored broth. My coworkers raved about the onion soup too. I had the poulet roti which was perfectly cooked - fall off the bone tender, accompanied by superior, thin cut pommes frites and fresh steamed mixed veggies. My posse all enjoyed their entrees, especially the beef bourgignon and salmon (FOTD). Desserts were good, not great - generally a bit too sweet for most, the exception and overwhelming favorite being the Tarte tatin (apple, with vanilla ice cream). Service was friendly and attentive and turnaround time on the orders just right. Prices seemed moderate and fair, and the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. I'd definitely like to hit this place up again for a relaxed dinner, avec du vin next time for sure.

I've been dining here nearly twenty years and brunch, lunch or dinner: the food is always outstanding, service is truly nice (the owner is charming and clearly really, really cares about his restaurant and his patrons), prices are reasonable (esp. for it's prime downtown Menlo Park location). Pro tip: parking in the city lot behind Bistro Vida is usually pretty easy, and there's a guest entrance from that lot into the restaurant. Also, get a seat on the outdoor patio on any lovely day.

Great authentic French food

This is our Dave date night restaurant!

Good French restaurant but they don't have many vegetarian options.

Delish French restaurant! ❤️

Great food and ambience. Perfect for the special occasion.

The french onion soup was too sweet and my burger was RAW. They didn't even ask how i wanted it done. Too many staff coming to the table and they don't coordinate well - part of our order was lost. The server was borderline rude (the bald guy).

Had Saturday brunch here and was fairly disappointed. The food wasn't bad but it was pretty pedestrian. We ordered the coq au vin and the special that day which was a crab Benedict. The egg white on the Benedict was overcooked a bit but overall was reasonable. The chicken in the coq au vin was just bland and definitely missed the mark from what I expected from such a classic French dish. Service was a bit slow but somewhat expected given the number of diners. Overall it was ok but not some place I'd particularly want to come back to again.

We've visited and dined here several times. Certain dishes are always excellent (try the cous cous with merguez). Others are sometimes hit-or-miss. Tonight's halibut special was overcooked, the lamb chops were perfect, and the gnocchi was terribly salty. Service is always outstanding. And the desserts, especially the lemon tart and the tarte tatin, are excellent. One of the most lovely outdoor conversions I'm Menlo Park.

Surprisingly easy to get a last minute reservation for lunch on Saturday. We had mussels and boeuf bourguignon and both were delicious. Would come again.

Underwhelming and disappointing. Pasta dish missed tomato sauce that we had asked. Filet mignon was so tough my guest had to send it back. And no one came to follow up on our complaint. Overall, we will not come back.

Bistro Vida used to be our go-to casual French restaurant for both lunch and dinner but the food has been declining and while I like the ambience, it's just not worth going to any longer. Last night my husband and I had dinner with two friends. I ordered the short ribs which were dry. The sauce was nice but the mashed potatoes were glue-like and lumpy. Our friend ordered the vida burger and it was plated like a Denny's burger and fries and didn't taste much better. I ordered a glass of wine with my meal and we had to remind a server to bring it after our meal was served. We love to support small, local businesses and we know that owner spent a lot of time and effort during Covid. As going out to eat is getting more and more expensive, we are expecting at least the same level of food and service we had before and we aren't getting it. Left Bank is next door and you'd do just as well or better there.

Had a lovely Christmas Eve dinner with family. Ali is such a wonderful host. We always enjoy our dinners here.

We visited this restaurant after reading reviews online. The day we went the place wasn't busy. First we ordered our drinks and our appetizer. The server asked if we wanted to order our entrees but hadn't decided yet so we requested for him to come back. He eventually did when our drinks and appetizers were all done which to me was strange. My husband ordered his steak medium but got more well done than he wanted. But my beef bourguignon was excellently cooked with lots of flavor. And the portion was great for the price. Overall a good place to have lunch.

To start we love salt on the table, a white tablecloth and generous absorbent napkins. We had a chicken which was a good, lamb chops which were a bit small but ended the meal with one of the most delicious chocolate mousses we ever had. Go. Enjoy.

Food is excellent! I must have tried almost all the food on the menu, and I have not once got disappointed. I come here a lot because I like the food, the service and ambiance!

Nice neighborhood French restaurant we stumbled upon in downtown Menlo. The bistro style food is solid and service nice. We enjoyed the brunch with well done steak frites. Prices are a little on the high end but in line with the area.

Fantastic food, charming atmosphere, great service. Tracy our sever to great care of us

Nice restaurant in French style. Food was delicious, staff nice. It was pretty loud though and I don't like to get the bill while I'm eating.

So so food, too expensive for what you get. Staff was friendly and attentive.

Fantastic Paris bistro atmosphere and good. Very good wines by the glass. Our go to place for excellent French comfort food, taken up a notch.

This place is fantastic and a gem of Menlo Park. Service is excellent and food is always delicious!

Had a delicious duck cassoulet from the server’s recommendation. Charming space. Prices bordering on exorbitant but I appreciated the range of the menu.

Dinner was good, but not great + Friendly servers + Good wine

Friendly service and good wine! Came for a birthday party. The steak frites was alright but I’d recommend the beef bourguignon.

I arrive at this superb restaurant from time to time because I love the special air that is part of this restaurant. The staff is awfuly welcoming and qualified. The service is exceptionally fast. Not to mention, the food they prepare is good. I came more than once and I was always happy. The price is reasobable. I highly recommend this place to to everybody.

Large French brunch spot with both indoor and covered outdoor seating. My Croque madame was not half bad, and the accompanying fries tasted crisp like they came straight out of the fryer. Service was a different sorry story altogether and could be described as inattentive at best, indifferent at worst.

Just ok. Food ok. Onion soup too sweet. Service not very prompt.

Loved the ambience and the food at this amazing french restaurant.

Service was great, food was awesome. And im not just saying that cause we been on locked down for 3 month's

Best French Toast & lovely outdoor seating!

We ordered lunch and took home. Tomatoes and Burrata was Great. All three entrees fantastic. We will be doing this more often.

Good food and good service

Great food

For a fancy lunch or dinner a goto venue

Amazing place to eat great French food with lots of delicious wines The staff is always super friendly and helpful!

Great atmosphere and the staff is very courteous and fast!

Very quality French restaurant

great place to eat staff is helpful and good the owner will take care of you

Great food, great service & wonderful atmosphere.

It's to standard. The onion soup was very good, lots of cheese mozzarella !

Like going over to a family friend's house for dinner. A true french Brasserie with well executed classic dishes and a few North African favorites. Ali, the owner, is from Egypt and France and welcomes everyone personally. Modest well curated wine list and a full bar. Cassoulet, beef bourguignon and Coq au Vin are always a hit along with couscous royale for good measure. Start off with a gin based French 75 for a festive evening.

Favorite French restaurant on Peninsula.

Pleasant ambiance and good food!

Duck confit and the service was great!

Best spot on peninsula. Better than neighbor left bank by far. Delicious. Friendly. Fun atmosphere. My go to place.

Better than last experience.

Fantastic French bistro food in a relaxed atmosphere. Staff is friendly. Comparable to any Parisian bistro. I highly recommend!