My fiancé and I had our wedding here in June. All of the staff we encountered before and during our wedding were so helpful, nice, accommodating, and professional. They truly went out of their way to make us feel special. Tiana the event planner, was so great, flexible, very responsive and on top of everything. She truly tried to make our wedding process as seamless and easy as possible which we truly appreciated. The grounds and buildings at the Arts Guild alone are so beautiful, it made the ambiance even more special. The food overall was good and their lamb chop appetizer is outstanding. We got so many compliments on the signature drinks we picked - Paloma and Gin Hugo Spritz. Gustavo the bartender made them so good! I'd also highly recommend using their preferred DJ company called Big Fun DJ. Woody was our DJ, and he did a great job with the music and was very personable and easy to work with. This place is truly a hidden gem, and would highly recommend if you are considering this place for your wedding venue. read more

This is a nice place to come and walk around for about 15 minutes. I love gardens and they had a walkway adorned with roses and roses in a courtyard with a fountain. There is a restaurant but it's kinda pricey. I think this place is more for special events but they have a couple of artist stores there. I even saw a cat roaming around, maybe he lives there. For a garden I wouldn't come out of my way for it but it's worth stopping by if going to the nearby Stanford shopping center read more

See all

Such a beautiful spot... great venue with wonderful staff The food was amazing we had a celebration of life there and couldn't be happier with the service read more

3.5 stars. Cute little garden and art/handicrafts collective to walk around and kill some time. Nice if you're in the area and need to kill some time. I bought some jewelry and soap. I'd probably go back to try the cafe, but I wouldn't go out of my way for the garden again unless I was in the area showing tourists around. read more

A serene place in the heart of Menlo Park which benefits Lucille Packard Children's Hospital...grounds and gardens which hosts a variety of artisan cottages selling, teaching and creating. A must visit oasis to stroll, enjoy and support. A charming environment! read more

This is the BEST place for a delicious lunch in a lovely garden setting under blue umbrellas sitting by a garden fountain and pool. Close by is the Artisan Shop full of unique gifts. Proceeds benefit the Lucille Packard Children's Hospital. A win win read more

Wow this place is a beautiful place for families (or couples) to visit. if you go mid week it's not too crowded. The people here are very friendly and they are kind to my kids which I appreciate. Tip: They have a little library with plenty of kids books if you go here bring a couple of books to trade. read more

Amazing arts, teas/special events, and gardens! I've enjoyed visiting many times over the years with both family and friends. A hidden jewel in the valley. read more

Great shops. beautiful flower garden, a restaurant... easy parking.. nice place to walk around .

It's a cute place in Menlo Park. A nice break from the busyness. However, there's not a lot of shops to go to. They close early too. I really do like the ambience. read more

See all

It is an experience to walk through the gardens it's lovely beautiful and historic in a Menlo Park residential neighborhood that ended up growing around the property of Alide arts. I'm considering having my wedding held here. read more

What an adorable event space! I officiated a wedding here and was so charmed by the layout and beauty. The flowers were in full bloom, and the architecture was quaint and romantic. There are shops onsite that I was able to check out before the ceremony began. We bought little gifts at the cute pottery shop that has a resident shop cat who is very feisty. I was impressed by the diversity in gift shops. I would like to come back and check out the cafe that is also onsite. I'm also considering hosting my next event here! If you're in the area, you have to stop by to check out this sweet little venue. read more

See all

Food was delicious, service was excellent, location was beautiful with a garden/park like setting.

This place is absolutely exquisite! Amazing place for a picnic, a romantic dinner, a lovely wedding ceremony or of course my favorite a PHOTOSHOOT This place is absolutely breathtaking If you are going to go mid week is a great time to find easy parking and for a quiet stroll that's not too busy read more

See all

A TRUE GEM IN THE BAY AREA - 10/10 THE MOST PERFECT PLACE TO GET MARRIED!!! It's true what they say, "finding the perfect wedding venue is like finding a great partner". We reviewed and visited SO MANY places to have our wedding and stumbled upon a rare gem in the Bay Area - The Allied Arts Guild. We discovered them on Here Comes The Guide (online wedding platform) and it looked promising! Independently, one of our really good friends also mentioned that AAG would be perfect for us so we finally decided to check it out. The second we walked onto the premises into the garden, we knew it was our place. The feeling it gave us, the wonderful weather, the local cats moseying through the rosebushes, the stunning wisteria covered trellises - everything about it was perfect. We met the venue coordinator, Tiana, that first day and we were pretty much sold. Working with Tiana has been such a wonderful experience while planning our wedding. She is massively accommodating, flexible, kind, welcoming and a true pleasure to work with. From the get-go, we let Tiana know that we wanted to have an unconventional wedding with unique aspects that were authentic to me and my partner and Tiana was so supportive of all our ideas. She helped us figure out cool ways to use the entire space of the Allied Arts Guild, let us explore unique seating arrangements, dream up a magical cocktail hour experience, fold in an live acoustic performance and dished up the most AMAZING food + cocktails for the evening. I just have to reiterate the food comment again - QUITE LITERALLY THE BEST WEDDING FOOD I'VE EVER HAD. The passed appetizers included mini beef wellingtons, lamb riblets and shrimp tostadas and our mains consisted of an incredible beef short rib & grilled salmon dishes that we could literally hear our guests raving about. As a bride, the biggest advice I kept getting was "make sure you remember to eat during your wedding". I mean, I already knew how good the food was from Cafe Wisteria (the restaurant at AAG who catered for our wedding) and when I say I cleaned my plate during our wedding dinner, I'm not exaggerating. It was DELICIOUS!!! Tiana and whole Allied Arts Guild team went above and beyond to bring our our wedding dreams a reality and we had the most magical day of our lives. We have so much gratitude for everyone there, especially Tiana - it was more than we could have every imagined. So professional, welcoming and wonderful to work with. Working with Tiana has been such a positive experience for us and not only did we have the most wonderful wedding, we also gained a wonderful friendship with Tiana through the process. Thank you to the entire AAG team for hosting our wedding. We had the time of our lives and can't thank you all enough for everything!!! xo Monica & Eli read more

See all

The environment and ambiance is really above average. It's outside, and also has indoor seating in a beautiful historical building. I had a subpar experience with both the staff and the food. The food was highly priced, but was not the highest quality. It was just decent enough, but not as good as other food I've had. I had crab eggs Benedict for over $20 that was lacking some flavor. Also, I was friendly to our waiter. I then noticed another waiter him repeatedly, when they would pass our table. It was unprofessional. read more

It's spring!!! Head over to the Allied Arts Guild for some healing time. The flowers are in full bloom so it's perfect for pictures and a short walk around the gardens. There was a memorial service happening when I went and it was lovely. There's also a little restaurant there where people were dining. I can't wait for the wisterias to come into bloom. read more

Cute little area with lots of art stores and photo opportunities! Stores include galleries, gift shops, art workshop spaces (jewelry making, mandala art, etc), and plant shops. The Spanish architecture and the surrounding greenery and flowers make it a great place for photo opportunities! Parking available with several entrances. Great date/family bonding area! read more

See all

You know the phrase, "save the best for last"? This was it for us. After months of inquiring with venues all over the country (from Hawaii, Napa, SoCal, etc.) we landed at AAG as our last venue stop after feeling something was missing with all the prior ones. We literally found out about this venue Googling "hidden gem venues in California" and found it on a list. We live only 15 minutes away from this venue and thought, why not just look at it, it's so close. Well- looks like the venue will not stay too hidden for too much longer as more and more friends are recommending this venue to others. From the moment we stepped on campus, we were whisked to what felt like another part of the world with all the Spanish architecture (definitely did not feel like the Bay anymore). Our guests were equally pleasantly surprised and everyone raved about how beautiful the venue was. We loved the intimate, secret garden vibe of the place and a bonus is that the venue is a nonprofit that supports LPCH and Stanford Children's Health. My husband not only worked at Stanford Hospital when we booked this venue, but also went there for undergrad so we felt an extra connection to the venue. Working with Tiana was one of the best parts of booking this venue. We didn't realize how important it was to have such a good venue coordinator- she allowed so many things we wanted: fire pits, sparklers, rose toss, and even made our fruit punch for us the day of! She was SO flexible and easy to work with and could not recommend her more. Her kitchen/cafe is also equally amazing- we had guests saying this was the best wedding food they had ever had and we also were never hungry day of--- Tiana gave us so much food to make sure! Due to the close proximity, I was able to get ready in the comfort of my own home which was one of the greatest perks and able drop things off the day before even (no one had booked it the day before). It made everything such a breeze. We now plan to go back every year for our anniversary and eat at the cute cafe. I HIGHLY recommend AAG. It was the happiest, most magical day of our lives and a huge part of that is thanks to our incredible venue and venue coordinator. read more

We had our wedding at Allied Arts Guild, and all of our friends and family were impressed by the venue. Tiana was a dream to work with and was so kind about accommodating everything ranging from dietary restrictions to heat lamps! The location also was easy for our guests to get to and there was ample parking. We are forever grateful to have Allied Arts Guild as the place where we marked our special milestone. read more

We had our wedding at Allied Arts Guild, a picturesque, romantic garden with artisan shops, nestled in Menlo Park. The grounds are very well kept and lush with greenery and flowers, perfect for outdoor weddings. There are so many nooks & crannies and parts of the venue that make for beautiful photos. Proceeds go to the Stanford Children's Hospital. There is a small, cute vintage-looking bridal room with a private bathroom for the bride and bridesmaids to use. A caution here would be that the small changing room in the back has a huge window without blinds (not sure why), and you probably should not change there like I did before realizing that. *cries on the inside* The venue has a grassy area, surrounded by trees, with a fountain, that's beautiful for the ceremony. It reminds me of a secret garden. You probably don't need epic florals or decorations because the venue is already so lovely. The one caveat is that amplified sound outdoors isn't allowed due to the city's strict sound ordinance. So you would need to hire live musicians to have music during ceremony and cocktail hour. If you need a microphone when speaking, it needs to be under a venue-controlled volume as to not disturb the neighbors. There's an area for dancing inside (the Sunset Room), a nice outdoor area with a pool (the Blue Garden) for cocktail hour, which costs extra, and an outdoor area with string lights and heat lamps for the reception dinner. There are 120 parking spots. We started communicating with the venue coordinator and event director, Tiana, since 2020 to 2022. She was a joy to work with and accommodated us every step of the way. Despite all the changes that came with the pandemic, Tiana stayed on top of things and responsive to our messages and calls. She was so friendly and cheery whenever we corresponded. We felt right at home. The wedding day went extremely smoothly because of Tiana and our coordinator. Not to mention, the food (at Cafe Wisteria, the cafe inside the venue) was excellent. Guests complimented the appetizers and dinner choices even past the wedding, but I'll leave a more in-depth review about the food on Cafe Wisteria's page. Overall, Tiana made great recommendations, thoroughly answered our questions, and was always welcoming throughout the stresses of wedding planning. We were really lucky and grateful for her. read more

Allied Arts Guild - courtyard (credit: our wedding photographer, chymo & more) - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Menlo Park, California

See all

I have been there several times for lunch and loved it. The place is beautiful and has boutique shops with adorable gift ideas. It's still one of my favorite place after so many years. read more

Had my wedding here just recently. Tiana, the event director, is amazing. She's extremely accommodating, and is very willing to make sure your special day is as perfect as possible. If you don't know what to do, like me, Tiana is more than willing to give you advice and help you through your wedding. I felt very blessed that Tiana was there for us! The venue is also a feast for all the senses. Beautiful greenery and architecture to see. A nice scent of flowers wafting around. Delicious food that guests would definitely love. The sound of leaves and the running water of the fountains. Last, but not least with the outdoor venue (and the support of the amazing staff) everyone will always be at a perfect temperature. I definitely recommend this place for events, or just stop by for lunch. Cafe Wisteria is open and serving amazing food! read more

Had a wonderful lunch there with my parents for my mother's birthday. The food and ambience were very nice.

We had our wedding at Allied Arts in late April and we are so glad we chose this venue. Everything was in bloom and it was beautiful. We had our ceremony on the Merner Green, cocktail hour was in the Blue Garden, dinner was in the Dinning Room, and dancing and desert was in the Sunset Room. We also had an outside bar and games on the Sunset Patio. Our wedding rehearsal at Allied Arts wasn't great. I booked the Merner Green for our rehearsal the night before the wedding but people set up lawn games where the rehearsal was taking place before we arrived. I was very confused because I booked the garden months in advanced. Also the other people looked mad and upset that we moved their games. Even though, I booked that garden for the rehearsal because that's where we were getting married the next day. Luckily I had a wedding coordinator (Marian from Joshua Charles Catering Company. I highly recommend her and the catering company) who sorted things out and handled everything. Overall I recommend Allied Arts Guild for a wedding venue. read more

Allied Arts Guild - Ceremony on the Merner Green - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Menlo Park, California

See all

We just got married here (6/2/2023) and it was an absolute dream. The space is beautiful, the food (catered by Cafe Wisteria) was excellent, and the whole team was wonderful to work with, especially Tiana. We had an unforgettable experience and would recommend Allied Arts Guild to any couples looking for a gorgeous space for a mostly outdoor wedding. read more

My girlfriends and I met here for lunch on a sunny Saturday. What a lovely place! The garden is beautiful and the food is amazing! We had crab cakes, chicken salad, pasta, and the raspberry and chocolate dessert. My favorite was the crab cake. It was so good I had seconds. Solid 5 stars. I usually don't like Rose but we had 2 bottles of Rose here and it was delicious. I'll definitely be back. Food- 5 stars Service - 5 stars Location - 5 stars This place is so beautiful I might renew my marriage vows here.... read more

On Saturday, May 22 we held my sister's bridal shower for 26 guests at Allied Arts--and what a fabulous day it was! We worked closely with Tiana to plan the event and she was extremely helpful and attentive throughout the entire process. We also worked with Angel for the day of set up and she was most helpful in executing the event (prep, set up, and helped us with our AV needs). The staff also helped us take everything to our car after the event. We couldn't more happy with how the day turned out and can't thank them enough for everything. read more

We had our wedding at Allied Arts Guild and it was incredible! Tiana is extremely easy to work with. She is very organized, efficient, responsive, and knows just what to do to make sure everything runs smoothly day-of. We also found Tiana to be really flexible and willing to work with whatever vision you have for your wedding--she is not going to be asking you about x, y, or z thing that you did not want to include in your wedding. Working with Tiana definitely reduced the amount of stress that we felt on the day of the wedding and made it so we could thoroughly enjoy ourselves. Allied Arts Guild as a venue is also great. There is plenty of parking, the gardens are beautiful, and the enclosed space made it feel like just the right size for our medium-sized (~100 person) wedding. Many of our guests complimented us on how nice the venue was. The food was great too! We are very glad we chose Allied Arts Guild for many reasons and highly recommend it for your wedding. read more

The Bay Area's most beautiful outdoor dining venue for lunch ---good food even though it is a bit expensive

Wonderful serene and quaint space with flower gardens, filled with artists studios and shops, representing early California folk art of the Spanish flare. This is an oasis of greenery and shrubbery in the lush Menlo Park residential neighborhood across the San Francisquito Creek from the Vi at Palo Alto, Stanford hospitals and shopping. There's a Blue Garden Cafe on the property, tacked away in the green foliage, where you can relax for lunch or host a special event. Allied Arts Guild is operated by a non-profit organization that raises funds for the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. This property is part of once a vast 35,250 acres land, dating back to the late 1700s. It is thought to be a grant from the king of Spain Charles IV, ceded to a commander of the Presidio of San Francisco, Don Jose Arguello. It was called Rancho de las Pulgas. Wealthy art lovers Delight and Garfield Merner bought 3.5 acres of it in the late 1920s, and created the arts guild as a workplace for artists. There are iron and wood shops that were needed in the construction of the rest of the complex, thus they were the first in operation. There is an original barn and sheds, a farmhouse, and other Spanish Colonial design buildings. All decorations were brought from Spain, Tunis and Morocco, such as the tiles and objects of art. The stones from the San Francisquito Creek were used to pave the paths in the gardens. I suppose the AAG is mostly marketed as a wedding venue nowadays, but it is so much more than that. With names like Garden of Delight and Court of Abundance, it's sure to inspire today's working artists as well. AAG hosts holiday events, seminars, and various fund raising events for children's hospital. read more

See all

Date: 10/19/2016 Time: 10:05 AM 57° Partly sunny It has been a while since my husband and I boarded a tour bus from the Mastick Senior Center for the once a month excursion. Today's visit is to the Allied Arts Guild, which includes a lunch. Thereafter, it is a visit to the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos. Allied Arts Guild is located on Arbor Road, across from the corner of Cambridge Avenue & Arbor Road. It is a beautiful hidden gem of a garden in a residential community. The original buildings and the new constructed ones are of Spanish colonial architecture. Alongside one of the pathways are 17 to 20 different types of rose bushes. The ambiance of this outdoor garden is not only breathtaking but also peaceful and tranquil. It is a great place for relaxation, especially when the weather is warm. The lush green garden has fountains and patio areas - Garden of Delight, Court of Abundance and Cervantes Court. The Sunset Room is for either celebratory or private events (wedding receptions, parties, luncheons). The art and gallery studios are filled with unique paintings of the garden and floral variety. Right now the Artisan Shop has holiday theme items (snow globes, ornaments, Christmas crafts), jewelry, cards, books, plush animals, baby items, etc. They also accept donations of antique and collectible items for resale. The donated gifts help the Allied Arts Guild to raise funds for the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. I see a hardbound cookbook on sale for $18 (regularly $30), but I have no cash or checkbook on me. The shop does not accept credit card. The box lunches are from Blue Garden Cafe. The turkey club with BLT, onion and spicy whole grain mustard on toasted pan levain could have been better. The sandwich is dry and it is lacking in mayonnaise. However, the fruit cup and chocolate chip cookie are slightly better. The docent tour guide is very helpful and informative. She shares the history of how Allied Arts Guild started and that Ansel Adams, California's renowned landscape photographer, was once "the Guild's photographer of record". (Quoted passage is from their brochure.) The ironwork on the buildings is handcrafted, the tiles on the floor are hand-carved, interior has high beamed ceilings and fine artwork mounted on the walls. The Albro Room reminds me of a historical museum with its colorful art murals and mosaic tiles. Finally, I don't know when and if I will visit the Allied Arts Guild again. I believe it would have to be on an excursion on a tour bus because I don't drive a vehicle anymore. read more

See all

Based on online pictures, I was really excited about potentially having my wedding at the allied arts guild. However, I was disappointed after touring person for the following reasons: 1. The grounds did not look super well kept. The ground was brown with dirt and flowers/shrubs were growing all directions into the walkway. By comparison, the nearby gamble garden in Palo Alto was in pristine condition. 2. Venue was smaller than expected. They say capacity is 140, but it looked like it would be a tight fit. Given no amplified sound allowed outdoors, it would be hard to hear from the back of merner green. 3. The coordinator did not give me confidence about her reliability. On first contact, she sent me copy pasted venue info and did not answer my question on venue availability. She then mixed up the appointment date even though it was confirmed in the email chain. She also said she would send me a proposal by the end of day after the tour, but I never received said proposal. Overall, it seems she's very busy and not the most organized on details. Overall, it was still a pretty nice venue, but not the perfect place that I had in mind. read more

Alright, this isn't for everyone, but if you've got Mom or Grandma in town this is the place to take them for lunch. You can drag them to Sunset Magazine's gardens afterwards to make a full afternoon of it. The place is impossible to find if you don't get directions (hidden in a residential neighborhood in Menlo Park off El Camino). The Allied Arts Guild Restaurant is part of a larger complex of artist studios and gardens. All proceeds go to a worthwhile cause - the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. The place is staffed by volunteers and is only open for lunch Mon-Sat from Noon to 2pm. If you've got Mom or Grandma plan on getting reservations since sometimes large groups of old ladies can fill the place up. The menu is always changing and many of the dishes are local family recipes. Very different and cool experience. read more

Allied Arts Guild - Allied Arts Guild Restaurant - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Menlo Park, California

This is an incredible space. It's pretty much the garden you would have if you were a billionaire, but it's open to the public to stroll through and just enjoy its delicate beauty. The flowers are simply amazing. I had to photograph every single one. Lovely! They also host weddings and events here and I would love, love, love to be able to photograph a wedding here. The setting is so serene and wonderful. We also ate at the restaurant and the food was delicious (albeit a little on the pricier side). read more

See all

This place is nestled in the Menlo Park residential neighborhood and what a delightful hidden gem! This is open to the public and open for weddings. I went with my friend to check this place out for her wedding ceremony. This place sits max 160 people. The blue room is the rental space for the ceremony. We met lovely gardener Kathleen and her dog Brody (black Labrador). She devotes a lot of love to the gardens here. She layers the different blooms of the flower. In the August, it will be sprouting with Hydrangeas. Cafe Primavera was closed when we got there at 4pm (independent and separate ownership from the the AAG). Rental is $2500/4 hours. $1000 more if you want food. Bridal room - It was locked, we could not get in. There are many workshops (pottery, gardening, jewelery, quilt) rooms within the AAG. read more

A friend and I were taking a walk in Menlo Park and after a few random turns, we somehow found ourselves at the entrance to the Allied Arts Guild, and since it seemed so out of place in a completely residential area (not exaggerating), we decided that we had to check it out. It's seriously like an oasis! (Not that the surrounding area isn't gorgeous as well.) This place was so charming and picturesque. It made me feel like I was in a secret garden. I can totally see myself coming here during some down time to take a stroll, have lunch or coffee at the cafe, or just sit and chat with friends. Everything-- from the architecture to the layout to the flowers and shops-- was very elegant and inviting. We stopped in at some of the stores and had a chat with Davide Bigazzi, who makes some of the most unique jewelry I have ever seen. He and his wife are both very charming and unassuming, which completely fits in with the vibe here. tl;dr: Our adventure here at the Allied Arts Guild was definitely a bright spot on the terrible week my friend and I had been having, and I am definitely looking forward to my next stop here! read more

See all

Beautiful! A secret garden venue that we have completely fallen in love with! We decorated an outdoor Indian Wedding with a Mandap and then provide decor for an Outdoor Lunch & The weather was perfect! We did hear from the bride & groom of the day that this venue does not allow amplified sound as it is near a residential area! That was one obstacle the couple did have to overcome, but this venue is gorgeous, words cannot describe how charming this area is! Perfect for an intimate outdoor event! read more

Gorgeous grounds. Came for a quick bite to eat. Looking forward to returning and spending time walking around the gardens and seeing the artists. read more

I can't believe how lucky my now-husband and I were to find this venue for our wedding on November 7th. Though the reaction of our guests was something we definitely didn't think much about amongst all of the other things that occupied our attention as we planned our day, it was great to hear that everyone was super into the space. Not only is there an amazing lawn to have your ceremony (if you choose) and an awesome patio to have an outdoor reception, but there are lots of little shops you can duck into and a few great spots to just sit down and enjoy the scenery. Most definitely a place I would go again to just relax! On a side note, Tiana - the on-site event coordinator - is really on top of things and is quick to put clients at ease as she gets everything together for their events; it was a great experience working with her. read more

Allied Arts Guild - Photo taken by Stephanie Haller of Ahava Studios on November 7th, 2015. - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Menlo Park, California

See all