4/8/2026 was my first time returning to the Guild as a concert venue, I've only ever been to it as…read morea movie theater in the 1990's-2000's. We saw Gary Numan with Tremours as the opening band. Tickets were very expensive, and General Admission/standing areas were sort of confusing and severely limited. There were very few places to stand in order to get a good view of the bands and it was pretty uncomfortable to stand in a tiny spot for hours. Luckily, the staff here is amazing. They were personably, approachable, helpful, polite, and friendly, unlike snobby & distant staff at most concert venues in SF, Oakland, Berkeley, and San Jose. Even the security team was pretty nice, which goes a long way to making a concert experience pleasant. Bartenders were nice too, along with the ushers & box office people. We arrived early and a few of the ushers helped advise us on where we were allowed to stand as G/A to give us the best views. Downstairs is a mess of packed human bodies, limited space, and poor views, so we tried our luck and found a decent space upstairs to camp out at. We had a good view of the stage and weren't smothered by a bunch of Gen X'ers & Boomers. The theater is beautiful and nicely updated from what I remember. It is clean, and the floors, tables, bathrooms, foyer, seats, and stairs are very new, and made to look vintage. Nice touch. Capacity is around 500 people, and this show was nearly sold out. It got very hot, humid, and uncomfortable about 1/2 way through the concert, I think they need to update the HVAC system here, or at least have some fans or A/C. The fire alarm went off probably due to the heat, fog, and humidity of the sweaty crowd. But, it was turned off, and the show went on. Sound system was not the best. Music & vocals were not crystal clear and everything sound slightly muffled. Lighting was good, powerful, and bright, to the point that I became a bit photosensitive along the way, and had to put on my sunglasses to keep from becoming dizzy. Volume was good, not too loud, but I elected to wear earplugs anyways to preserve my hearing. Drink prices are on par with most live entertainment venues, which means incredibly high. $20 for 20oz beers & $20 for cocktails. Adding to the high cost of entry/tickets to the show, this venue became almost unaffordable. It's probably not a big deal to people from Atherton, Woodside, Los Altos, Saratoga, and Portola Valley, but I can't afford these prices. I still had a great time here. I just wish they had better G/A standing area options with better views for those who can't afford the $$$ reserved/VIP seating. Space is limited and oddly configured, hard to get a comfortable place to stand & get a good view, and ticket prices along with drink prices are for the richer crowd. But, the space is beautiful, clean, and intimate, and a great place to see a show. Don't wear too much clothing to come to a show here. It gets very hot & humid, and you will be packed in with a lot of sweaty people. And the sound system should be improved for more clarity & better quality. But, the Guild is a great local venue to see live music. It is clean, staff are wonderful, and location is very convenient for those of us living on the Peninsula. Easy to get to whether taking the train or driving, and there are a lot of restaurants nearby in the downtown area. Prices are not affordable for everyone though, maybe just the rich(er) techies & finance crowd. I'd love to see the Guild evolve a bit on the accessibility & affordability aspect to become a Bay Area destination to all for good, live music. They do line up a lot of 80's bands here, so if you are a fan of that era, make sure to check out the Guild Theater in Menlo Park, CA. We will already be back later this month to see Flock of Seagulls. Now thst I know how this place operates, I will have a better plan to find a good place to be inside to enjoy the show. I will definitely leave my jacket at home, and bring my sunglasses & earplugs again, and I hope to have an even better experience next time!

When I first started going here I would have rated 4 - 5 stars. The problem is they have jacked…read moretheir prices way up and what was once a good deal is no longer. Also the fact that after paying all that $$$ to get in and absolutely no seats unless you want to pay top dollar is ridiculous. Not sure why the owners of this place got so greedy but they have ruined it. You used to pay one price for GA which was anywhere on the main floor. Now that they have made the lower level "GOLD CIRCLE" and jacked the prices up screw these guys. Just another venue trying to take advantage of the money people will waste in this valley. So long Guild.

This Saturday I had a great experience with the door security team (of Charlie and T…read more I lost my ticket and the event organizer initially told me that I couldn't leave and renter the venue. Instead of simply deferring, T. helped resolve the situation so I could briefly hang out with the friends and band members. Instead of leaving frustrated, I ended up having a wonderful experience. I wish more security professionals approached their job the way T. (and Charlie) do.

A gem of a little venue with a no-frills bar setup. They pour a stiff drink and the bartender was…read morefriendly. No food is available beyond tiny bags of chips, but there are lots of food options just around the corner. With limited seating, it's best to get there early if you require a table. The music was good and the crowd joyful.

Nice theater organized, and safe ambience is really nice with going with friends. Lots of fun.read more

Parking is a nightmare! No proper front lobby for event booth display, opens straight on to the…read morestreet. Expensive But i must say , beautiful entry decor

Free live concert+free parking. Has some benches and picnic tables under a semi-shaded area…read more Everting is paved so no worries about dirt. Also has some grassy areas. Good to bring your own chairs if you don't get there early to grab one of the available benches. also Porto potties. Right on the water so it can get windy (bring hat/sweatshirt/sunscreen) and ear plugs as it can get loud. Very festive atmosphere with most dancing! They have food trucks, however you can bring your own food and alcohol.

Attending Rock the Dock is like taking a glimpse into what retirement is like. Looking at all these…read morehappy seniors dancing, drinking, socializing. Oh how I crave that all the time! Being there allowed us to enjoy those things. We took advice and got there early. Brought snacks, water bottle, hat, sunglasses, layers, chair and a positive attitude. If you happen to be sensitive to sound, you should sit to the sides of the stage away from the speakers. If you station yourself in front of the stage and speakers, it's LOUD! There are two food trucks, a beer truck and a fried food truck. Bathroom situation was not that bad. There is an actual bathroom close to the piers, but it has only two stalls, creating a slow turnaround. Then there are the port-a-potties near the concert of about 5-6, they move a lot faster. Music was kind of funky, I was looking for more cover songs. We went with the flow and soaked in the vibes. It does get windy, so bring a hat that won't blow off. Have fun shak'in a leg at Rock the Dock.

We attended a show last summer, and I wanted to write a review because I was looking for more info…read morewhen I was looking online for live folk music and found Dala's. What a delightful place! A charming garden in Palo Alto. The hosts were warm and welcoming. A unique experience how the hosts organize an opportunity for artists to perform and for people to enjoy an afternoon listening to them. Felt like a community to be in someone's back yard with a group of like-minded people who were there to enjoy music. Check out the video of the hummingbird! Generous table of snacks and drinks. We enjoyed the performance and are excited to attend other performances when they open again in the spring/summer. This is a gem! Special what they're doing.

Dala's Nest is a wonderful microvenue, specializing in acoustic music generally based in the Bay…read moreArea. It's an intimate, comfortable space for listening to music. Being close to the musicians makes the experience more like a conversation rather than a monologue. Kudos to the host Aimee Campbell, whose hospitality makes the concert goers feel at home.

I hosted an event there last Friday. Went super smooth. Great venue and atmosphere. Easy parking in…read morethe back. Definitely plan on coming back soon! I had a big party of 50+ people and everyone was well taken care of by our bartender and staff. Highly recommended!

This place earns an A+ for its friendly staff and involvement in local community events. Seems like…read morethere is always something happening here! With all the posh shops cropping up around RWC, this gem retains all the qualities of a dive bar: brutally slow service, warm glasses of semi-flat beer, poor lighting and a cramped upstairs event space with awkward seating arrangements throughout. In a new business this would earn it 2 stars. However, the Hub is something of a pillar of the local community. A perfect no-frills first date spot or a safe place to make friends at their weekly board game nights. The menu is nothing to write home about - but if you're craving a bite, the personal pizzas are very tasty.

A great nightclub if you like dancing and good music/atmosphere, Jodie the bartender is always…read moresuper nice and makes awesome drinks! I'd check it out with a few friends if the genre of music that night is your vibe

Had a reggae concert here for the artist Fiona. The venue set up is when you walk there's a bar…read morefollowed by the dance floor, then the stage. The men's restroom is located on the first floor while the women's restroom is located on the 2nd floor. There's a small green room area located by the women's restroom. The downside is that there's really no privacy in the green room area. The best way to describe it is like an open loft. It's a cool place for concerts, but the women's restroom on the 2nd floor is a no no. There's needs to be security by the green room area because anyone can walk there.

We came here to celebrate an early Mother's Day brunch, and it was such a fantastic experience! The…read moremimosas were amazing, with a great selection of juices and the food was absolutely outstanding. Khin was our server she mentioned she was fairly new, but you wouldn't have known it. She was incredibly sweet, attentive, and took great care of our entire party. Thank you, Khin! We had a large group, and I really appreciated that they accommodated us inside since it was a bit chilly that day. They seated us in the front area, which we loved. Everything we ordered from the appetizers, to the main dishes was packed with flavor. Nothing missed the mark. Truly one of the best brunch experiences in town! I had the chilaquiles along with a champagne drink that came with different juice options and fresh fruit such an adorable and fun presentation. My family couldn't stop raving about how delicious everything was, including the dessert. We'll definitely be back for future family gatherings and next time, we're excited to try the outdoor patio seating!

We had brunch here with no reservation on a busy weekend!…read more Ambiance: 5/5 Beautifully designed and spacious restaurant that offers outdoor seatings with heaters. Pet friendly too! Service: 4/5 Our waitress was friendly and efficient. Food: 4/5 Guava pancakes are highly recommended. Fluffy and not so dense with delicious guava sauce that wasn't sweet at all. Veggies omelette - Tasty and loved the potatoes that came with it. Tuna salad - HUGE pieces of THICK tuna; well worth the money! Salad was incredibly fresh and tasty. *Free refills on coffee* I'd highly recommend this place and will be back.

Great place. The owner is Deadicated! Thank you for such a…read morewarm experience. Julius

I went to Bar Loretta in Menlo Park for a night out with friends. I was excited because the…read morebuilding was one of the first places the Grateful Dead played in and I assumed the establishment therein would inherit or be somewhat true to the deadhead vibe. I was the Designated Driver so I ordered an Iced Tea while others in the group ordered expensive double whiskeys and top shelf cocktails, The owner of the bar comes up to me and says, and I quote, " I paid 1.5 million dollars for this bar, you can't come in here and order iced tea, It's not a coffee shop, you need to order something more expensive" Despite a lifetime of experience of ordering food and drink, apparently I ,the customer, ordered wrong. Not having Iced Tea at a bar is like not having vanilla at Baskin Robbins. There are non-alcoholic drinks here which I was well aware of, but mocktails are usually full of sugar or zero-proof alcohols which often taste like salted donkey anus, So that's not happening with me. After taking a second to process, I put 2 & 2 together and thought this was a money issue, So I said "I don't care, charge me whatever, but I would like an iced tea" and the response from the owner was " I don't care, GO FUCK YOURSELF, GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY BAR" as he pulled all of the entire groups drinks back over the bar and started gesticulating wildly. At which point further "Pleasantries" were exchanged across the bar and at the end of it all no additions to police records were incurred and we parted ways. This gatekeeping and aggressively inappropriate behavior seemed wildly incongruent with the mantra of "What would Jerry do" ( Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead ). Regardless, I am never going there again, nor their sister restaurant Bistro Vida. This pretentious, overpriced, clown show of a venue can collapse in on itself as far as I care. The bars decor of cosplaying as a secretive 1920's speakeasy burnishes the venue's lack of differentiation which is in direct conflict with the bars new money aspirations of being elite or exclusive. The ridiculous idea that the owner spent X dollars necessitates you ,the customer, spending Y dollars breaks all social conventions that I have known throughout my entire life. There is no reason for a host/owner to behave like a foul mouthed spoiled child when asked for the basest of requests. The kicker is that this is not new behaviour from the owner and has been a long running aspect of the business https://yelp.to/rVUTLHQ53y ( review from 9 months from my encounter ) I refuse to support businesses that don't respect their customers. GFY

Ambiance: 5 stars Food: 2 stars…read moreService: 2 stars Wine selection: 3 stars The outdoor patio and live music are truly the highlights here. The setting is charming and relaxed, and the live music creates a calm, enjoyable atmosphere that makes it easy to unwind and focus on the company you're with. From a purely ambiance standpoint, it's a beautiful spot. Beyond a fairly simple cheese plate, the dishes felt underwhelming and not particularly well prepared. Like many other reviews, staff are slow and not particularly attentive or warm. The wine list was fair and the bottle we enjoyed was pleasant. This feels like the kind of place you go for the atmosphere only. Where you go to sit outside, enjoy live music, and spend one-on-one time with someone you care about. If you come primarily for that and keep expectations low around food and service, you'll likely have a lovely time.

Such a fun and charming spot in Palo Alto -- it's a house turned into a wine bar, which makes it…read morefeel extra special. There's adorable seating out front, beautiful indoor seating by the piano along with bar seating, and they even open up the back patio at 5:30 (with heaters). They offer happy hour from 4:30-5:30 (even on Saturdays) which is great. The whole place has a cozy, homey feel with a strong wine list and food that pairs really well. I tried the chipotle samosa, which was a fun twist on the classic Indian appetizer -- the chipotle sauce was surprisingly delicious with it. The cheese plate was also excellent with a red wine; there's nothing better than a sip of wine right after a bite of cheese. Their Gewürztraminer white wine also really stood out to me. It was a crowd favorite. Great staff and incredible ambiance -- I'd definitely come back for a group get-together or a date night.