Cafe Fino

I am saddened to see the bad reviews for Cafe Fino in Palo Alto as all my experiences there have been wonderful! Fred Maddalena is the owner and it is clear to see why he remains in business still after 30 years. Fred pays attention to everyone who walks through his door ensuring they are seated and taken care of...very rare these days! I personally have had no issues with food or service. The biggest draw for me is the art deco decor and the live music. It takes you back to another place and time. It is also so nice to sit at a bar and hold a conversation without having to shout over earsplitting music which is so common among many of the new minimalist restaurants popping up. As far as I am concerned, if you want a pleasant, relaxing evening out in a unique setting, check out Cafe Fino. Pros: Ambience, Music, Decor more

I had the worst Palo Alto dining experience at Cafe Fino last night. It started off strong with an excellent yet small cup of French Onion soup, but it went downhill from there. I waited 30 minutes between getting the soup and the next item, my lasagna. When the lasagna came, it looked terrible. I didn't resemble lasagna, just a mass of tomato sauce and meat. And it didn't taste that great either -- I think they bought it from Costco and microwaved it. After I was thoroughly displeased with my entree, I just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. However, it took another 10 minutes between asking for the check and actually getting it -- even though there were plenty of wait staff and very few customers. There are a lot of bad things about this restaurant -- incompetent staff, slow kitchen, terrible food. I would never go to this place again. Pros: incompetent staff, slow kitchen, terrible food Cons: live music was ok more

Incredibly rude, unprofessional owners/staff. Food was alright, but never going back. Pros: atmosphere Cons: service more

I have eaten at Cafe Fino twice now. The pros -- great ambience, good service, not too crowded. The cons -- wayyy too expensive for food that wasn't bad, but wasn't great either. I really didn't see anything on my and my friend's plates that justified the prices they were charging. This is probably a place to sit down for a drink while listening to some music, but I would seriously reconsider returning for dinner. Pros: Ambience, Service Cons: Too expensive, Food is average more