My coworkers and I ordered pickup for lunch last week and it was fantastic!! We called in ahead of time and our food was ready by the time we picked it up about 20 minutes later. Items ordered: 1 pc halibut & shrimp with chips- delicious and seasoned and cooked perfectly! Batter was not too thick and it was crispy. I usually prefer my chips on the crispier side and they came that way without asking. My coworker's scallops were wonderful and perfectly seasoned! They were not battered so I will try that next time for something lighter. My other coworker got a louie salad and it was excellent! Fresh and loaded with plenty of protein! read more

Cook's Seafood - Seafood Near Me - Menlo Park, California

So many great items on their menu - lobster roll, shrimp tacos. Fish and chips ((the cod is so moist inside and crispy outside), Shrimp Alfredo pasta, crab Louie salad, crab cakes and of course the clam chowder! Friendly servers and convenient parking! read more

The smell of fresh seafood hits you right when you walk in, which definitely sets the tone. We started off with the clam chowder was solid but could've been creamier. The fish and chips are very reasonably priced and taste super fresh, though the fish itself could be a bit more tender; it was on the denser side. The batter is nice and mild, letting the seafood shine instead of overpowering it. Prawns were plump and satisfying. We ordered the shrimp tacos as well and the flavors were good, but the tortilla felt a bit undercooked and took away from the experience. There's plenty of seating, which makes it an easy, casual spot to drop by. read more

Cook's Seafood - Fish and Prawns N' Chips, shrimp tacos - Seafood Near Me - Menlo Park, California

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I stopped by on a Saturday for lunch. Daily special was grilled king salmon with rice. That was also my favorite item. Salmon had rich flavors. It was cut to small pieces. Local halibut and chips was excellent as well. Clam chowder was ok. I also shopped for some fresh fish. Salmon prices were slightly higher than the one in grocery store. But quality was good, and it was local. I went for some halibut roe as well. read more

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I go and sometime better that other days. Not sure how you can't stay consistent when you have the same cooks for years. Been going SJ ce it's been here and just disputed once again. I live maybe about 10min away and my food was cold, not like cooled down but sitting a long time cold!!!! It almost feels I got someone's return!!!! Terrible! Wish we had other fish n chips places. I mean Alhambra house as a legit huge fist filet. Try it!! Anyway cooks do better! Been here long enough quality and quantity control!!!! read more

Cook's Seafood - Very Cold cod and cold fries!! And skimped on fries!! Do better! - Seafood Near Me - Menlo Park, California

The food is amazing! I've never had a bad experience with this place. I highly recommended five out of five. The service is great. The food is brought out fast. The vibe is chill. read more

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I love fish and chips. I've heard lots of good things about Cook's Seafood, but I didn't have the chance to try it until recently (I was trying to avoid having too much fried food). Most of their menu option is fried. I did see some salad and a few options for rice as add on. I ordered the catfish fish and chips. The outside layer was soooo crispy and thin, it melted in my mouth. No scraping at all. I saw the cod version, and that one was thickkkkk. It made my catfish portion look tiny. No regrets about my choice, but I'll definitely be back to try the others. Service was also pretty good. They gave us water immediately after hearing that we've chose to dine-in (as opposed to us asking for one). read more

Cook's Seafood - Catfish and chips - Seafood Near Me - Menlo Park, California

I love eating at this place when me and my wife visit for her procedures at Stanford hospital. This is one of the better spots in Menlo Park/Palo Alto if you want fresh seafood and delicious every time!! I come here quite often, almost every time I v read more

Cook's Seafood - 2 pc Cod and chips - Seafood Near Me - Menlo Park, California

I decided to try out this time old eatery after being near it many times but never stopping by. Came with my fiance. There's a nice parking lot! No issues parking. The store has 2 halves: seafood raw and cooked. The raw part is a fish market and I did not partake. We dined in at the food. There's a decent amount of tables, similar to a fast food place. Not to different from something like a KFC or mcdonalds inside the store. You place an order then wait. The plates are all paper so disposable. We ordered the beer batter cod. Wow this fish, the beer batter was ultra crispy. Way better than my expectations. More importantly, the meat is HUGE. Giant cod fillet logs. Never seen more value at fish and chips. The chips part was ok. Comes with tartar sauce. I'll be coming again for these smashing fish and chips! read more

Cook's Seafood - Beer batter Cod - Seafood Near Me - Menlo Park, California

Small nostalgic eatery packed with faithful patrons. I was looking forward to their fish & chips and clam chowder. Good quality fish but the batter was weak and not crispy. I love steak fries but these were a mix of soggy and crispy. Clam chowder was so salty and watery. Service was excellent. read more

A neighborhood and relaxing restaurant to serve fresh fried seafood and chips. Fried cod were thick but slightly dry. Chips were OK. Crab salad were fresh and good. Maybe... the paper plate and plastic cutlery made the food less tasty... read more

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Remarkable five-star quality CIOPPINO. Abundant seafood, richly spiced Italian style. For takeout, available cold to heat at home (Don't boil, to avoid toughening the seafood). Refrigerates well overnight. Amiable and informative telephone ordering for takeout. read more

We have been here a few times, it's usually busy and the last time we went it was not as they had just opened, by the time we sat down it was busy! It's been here a long time and I see why! Staff is friendly food is delicious! I always forget my photo! read more

5/15/2025 Cook's Seafood 751 El Camino Real Menlo Park, CA 94025 I went there with an old buddy for a late lunch on a Thursday afternoon. The place is on ECR close to Stanford. The ambiance is contemporary fast food, both exterior and interior. There is ample parking around the building. There is an order counter in the center of the building with an order board. With a fish market on the right and the dining area on the left. My buddy ordered the halibut and I had the Calamari and Chips with a 6 oz. Cioppino. Our food was brought to our table shortly. My Cioppino was loaded with seafood in a tasty tomatoey broth. My Calamari breading was nicely crunchy and very tender. The fries were okay but a little soggy. The halibut consisted of two thick fillets with a crunchy golden brown batter. I asked for cocktail sauce for my Calamari, this had a strong unpleasant clove taste. Great fast casual seafood value. Big menu selections, definitely repeatable. read more

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the service was pretty cool. the fish is crunchy crispy but there's no flavor there lol. i don't really recommend if you want to satisfy your fried fish cravings. and the lady made an upset face when i asked for more lemons? she looked filipino or asian not sure but she seemed bothered to give me more than 3 lemons. other than that the other bilingual lady seems nice. read more

We love Cooks !! Always an amazing meal! You will not find a better fish&chips ! I alway get the Halibut and the prawns !! Yummy steak fries!! Super friendly staff! Always winning when you eat here! Their fish is top quality, crispy crispy crispy! Flaky fish! Never disappoints read more

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6/27/2026 Excellent deep fried oysters for me, accompanied by some very thick fries. Not as thick as steak fries, but had a nice seasoned flavor. I wanted tacos, but the duchess had the bit in her mouth for fish and chips, so here we are. She ordered the 1 piece cod w/ fries, and we were going to share a Cole slaw. Not to be, as the slaw was bland, and the Duchess packed it up, to doctor it at home. They appear to have a large variety of drinks to accompany your meal. I settled for a coke in the can (I prefer glass or stainless steel), she had a water (yeah, boring). And yes, she finished off my coke! You order at the counter and take your drinks with you, and they deliver the food to your table. Not much ambiance to the place, but parking was easy. There is a market attached if your looking to purchase seafood for cooking at your home. FYI-As we were leaving, I saw a sign, which read Crab, live or cooked. Outdoor seating is available. Will definitely return. read more

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In my original review I had the fish and chips. Maybe it was an off day but they weren't very good. However, I've been back many times and I LOVE the shrimp tacos. My go to shrimp taco place in Menlo Park / Palo Alto area for sure. read more

Cook's Seafood - Fish and chips - Seafood Near Me - Menlo Park, California

Quality fish and chips as well as fish tacos. The place smells funny but that is not unusual for a seafood shop/market. The food can take some time but the quality is worth it. Nice crunchy cod is what we like. read more

Decent though not outstanding food. Friendly staff. Dungeness crab Louis salad was good. Fries with the scallops and chips not so much.

It's been literally years since I last tried Cook's. I decided to try it again as many of my previous go-to seafood restaurants have either gone down or have become too expensive. I'm glad I came back. The fish and chips (cod) are pretty good for the pricing and the cioppino is heartily filled with seafood. The pricing is now very reasonable for the area. Not pretentious, just a very local joint. Will go back to try more items off their extensive menu. read more

Old time Cook's is a distant memory. The halibut and chips was little one-inch squares of haiibut $15 so overcooked it was like pieces of chewy leather. The crabcakes $25 were tiny. We were still hungry and had to order soup to fill up in the end. Nothing like the Cook's of yore. The fresh seafood very expensive. But there are few places to buy fresh seafood so in Menlo Park people will pay the price. Californians have to fight to preserve local salmon and open up traditional salmon rivers. read more

Located in Menlo Park along El Camino, parking is plentiful but vacant spots may be limited. Do note the smell outside of the restaurant was pretty pungent. Fish (cod) and chips (4.5/5): the fish was absolutely spectacular. It was so crispy. The inside was a good balance of texture. The fries were alright. I wish they were more crispy though. Tap to pay is accepted. Overall, Cook's Seafood has some great seafood entrees. The food is delicious. read more

Cook's Seafood - Fish (cod) and chips - Seafood Near Me - Menlo Park, California

I've driven past this place a bunch of times and finally decided to stop in and I'm glad I did. I ordered the fish and chips, and everything tasted freshly fried, not like it had been sitting under a heat lamp. The fish was flaky and cooked well, and the fries were crispy and satisfying. If I had one small critique, it's that both the fish and fries could've used a bit more seasoning. read more

I visit this place for F&C infrequently, perhaps twice a year. It's good. I'd visit more if I could convince myself that eating fried fish and french fries was 'healthy'. Two different fish offerings, I much prefer the halibut. I wish a side of cole slaw was included on the plate; need to order that separately. read more

I enjoyed going to Cook's Seafood while in town for 2 weeks and the customer service each time was exceptional. Also the seafood was top quality and the fish prices were much cheaper than LA !! The hours on Yelp is incorrect. They are open at 9 am. read more

Cook's Seafood - Seafood Near Me - Menlo Park, California

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I frequent this restaurant many times and this is the first time i've had any issues. We had a disappointing experience with my son and it was meant to be a special lunch. We both order fish and chips. I ordered the two piece halibut. My son ordered the three-piece helmet. After pain and sitting down, our meals were brought out with only the fish and no fries. The portion also did not reflect the value of a $20 me. Why would you go to a fish and chips restaurant and not have fries? When I asked a server about the missing fry, she explained that they were out due to a late delivery. This was never mentioned when we placed our order. Had we known we would've had chosen something else as fries or keep part of the dish After I question, why didn't you mention something before we paid? I then asked can you offer anything else as she said she can offer alternative such as a salad clam chowder, onion rings, and potato salad. We ended up selecting onion rings and soup, but this does not make up for the initial lack of communication. A lady spoke to Maggie, the manager on Wednesday unfortunately the conversation did not resolve the issue and no refund or immediate solution was offered I was told I would receive a follow up call by Friday which did not happen. When I called the girl on Saturday, I was offered a six dollar credit towards a future visit. I found this resolution, disappointing, especially as a frequent customer. From a customer service standpoint, I believe the situation could have been handled differently, starting with clear communication at the time of ordering and a more appropriate resolution afterward. Just very disappointing when it was supposed to be a special lunch I wish I took a photo but when I was looking at the plate of just three pieces, it was shocking read more

A few times a year I will have a craving for fish and chips. Where do I go? Cooks seafood. I have been going here for many years and my experience is always consistently good. After you order they give you a number to put on your table and they bring the food to you. The steak fries are done right, and the fish is always crunchy on the outside. Usually I get the clam chowder to go with it and it's consistently good too. Highly recommend. read more

Cook's Seafood - Clam Chowder - Seafood Near Me - Menlo Park, California

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3.5 stars overall So this place is interesting; I had super high hopes because I love seafood; and I absolutely love some fish and chips; but this was okay, nothing magical; but nothing terrible The interior smells a bit fishy hence I deducted a star; it's fairly clean; easy to order; but the fish itself also smelled fishy (and you know the rule of thumb, fresh fish shouldn't smell like fish, and if it does it's old). We'll that was a bit disappointing but again not horrible They have pretty good selection of items and plenty of parking out front; pretty easy to order at the counter and wait for goods; we took it to go. Overall, I felt it was fairly decent experience so if you are in town wanting some seafood, check out this spot and judge for yourself Their customer service is fantastic; and if you do order fish and chips ask for some malt vinegar! read more

Short and sweet visit on a Saturday. Came here after stopping by my favorite spice shop, Penzeys spices, in Menlo Park. Walked into this simple unpretentious half seafood restaurant and half Seafood market. Staff greeted while looking at menu and ready to eat items in the glass cooler. TBH I didnt look at the menu up above as I saw exactly what I wanted. I've always ordered the fish n chips many times since my last review almost 14 years ago. I have been there many many many times. This visit turned into a 5 star. Everything was in line with: + Nice friendly greeters and staff. + Simple basic furnishings that was clean and uncluttered. + Clean, not sticky tables (good wipe down). + Easy ordering bc staff was helpful. + Ice machine is my favorite ice (nugget) + Shrimp Louie salad was fresh $6.99 (small) + 3 pc fish and chips ($16.99) was served hot and filet was thick and moist. + Crinkle fries served with fish plate was warm, fluffy and pillow soft. + The tarter was not over pickled or too much vinegar. + Tarter sauce was creamy and reminded me of McDonald's tarter sauce. + Clean lobby and clean uncluttered dining areas, even outdoor seating, + Uses thick paper plates for fish n chips and if I recall foil, if you want to cover plates. + Self serve water and nugget ice dispensers. Nugget ice is my fav. + Drinks are offered in another glass cooler. I have no reason to not stop by. Just fyi, they are closed on Sundays. read more

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The quality seems to have gone down, FishnChips - Fish batter was over fired and hard, It was potato wedges (not fires) and that was also meh. The King Salmon fillet was no good. Not worth the price read more

Hadn't had Cooks in a really long time and since we were in the area we stopped in. It's a little bit different than I remember, but the quality and taste is as stupendous as ever. We love the service and familiar simplicity of this restaurant. I have fond memories of coming here with my Mom as a kid and it's really nice to be able to come here and experience the same good food and atmosphere all these years later. The best fish n chips in town! read more

Amazing Fried fish and steak fries!! Would highly recommend! Fresh and tasty, reasonable too

Large pieces of fish (I had the halibut), sort of dry on the inside but with a really crispy outside. Fries were hot and crispy. Cole slaw was good. Tartar sauce was delicious. Nice staff, clean but old establishment. read more

Cook's Seafood - Halibut, 2 pieces - Seafood Near Me - Menlo Park, California

A weekly must for us being originally from England Delicious fish and chips and wonderful pleasant service from the gals The place is always so very clean Yes we love Cook's and so do our friends ! read more

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We love Cook's Seafood. It's such a favorite, has been for many years, and now we can shop on Sunday! Our favorite is the Cioppino - loaded with seafood and has a tasty tomato flavored broth. One of the best we have in the Bay Area without the astonishingly high prices. We also like the fish and chips with the crispy batter and two large pieces of fish - it's a great value and the batter is crisp and delicious. We also think the fresh fish market on the other side of the restaurant is excellent value. The fish is always fresh and delicious. We're so happy they are now open Sundays so we can pick up our fish in the morning for dinner! We also love the staff - many have been there for years and know us by name. We're so happy to have the feel of a village fish store in our urban area! Try them, you won't be disappointed. read more

Wow.. I wish I knew this place better Cod dish and chips: 5/5: fish was very thick! Batter was just enough! Fries were good too. Clam chowder: 4/5. Not a must have, but if you are craving for it, it wouldn't disappoint. Plenty of parking! Will be back! read more

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How far they've fallen. These guys are selling Tilapia and trying to pass it off as Halibut. Never again!!!

I can't believe I've never been here given my intense love of all things fish market. What a treat! At such reasonable prices! Cook's is both a casual order at the counter restaurant and a fish market. Kind of like a brunch place that also sells donuts, but more sea-oriented, if you will. Their menu is pretty strictly seafood (no burgers or chicken/pork entrees like some other fish and chip joints) so be aware if you come with anyone who's not a big fish person. The fish and chips were standard but excellent. The chips were hot and full of potato. For the fish, they offer both halibut and cod, and you can choose the number of pieces you pay for (which I love - customize it based on how hungry you are!) The staff is friendly and fast. I will come back to try their lobster pasta and fish tacos, but who are we kidding here? I'm just going to eat more fish and chips next time :) read more

They nail all the food. Busy as all get out. Their cod fish and chips are fantastic. My wife like the sand dabs, my mom loves the cioppino cold. read more