Eating in a barn? Hardly!

The Patio at the California Cafe

I made plans to meet three girlfriends for lunch at the California Cafe in the Stanford Barn. Hearing the word "barn" set off all sorts of concerns about the meal and themes, but upon first service at the restaurant, my fears were put to rest.

The food was sophisticated and was presented beautifully on the plate. I was very impressed by the service, and the food we ordered was very good. The food was on the more expensive scale, but the restaurant delivered in all areas. I wasn't at all scoping the restaurant for event spaces, so my revisit to the space was from a new perspective —  and I liked what I saw!

California Cafe has two semi-private rooms and two private rooms that would work for many different types of events. My favorite spaces at this location were the outside areas. The restaurant has a covered patio and a courtyard right off of the main dining room. The walls that surround the outdoor spaces are brick with green ivy growing up. I found it to be a naturally beautiful backdrop for an event.

The Courtyard sits to the right of the Patio

You could host a delicious sit down dinner with cocktail reception in the courtyard or a wedding reception with indoor and outdoor portions. I was surprised because this restaurant turned out to be a beautiful events location with a very flexible layout. Everyone I dealt with from the hostess to the events coordinator were all really nice and extremely professional, which does make a difference when wanting to impress your guests.

Business meetings would also be well-served in this spot. They have a ton of fun promotions (all of which I wish I could attend!), and they have a sick Happy Hour deal on Fridays, so you must pop over and check it out. If you haven't been by in a while, peek around at their event spaces and let your imagination take off!

Visit EventCounselor for more ideas on fresh locations to have your next event in Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Redwood City.