Turn Bar and Grill

Nice place, great service, good food and wine!

I thought I would give this a second try today as we love to do Friday lunch. We went a little later to beat the crowds. We were seated at a little table next to wall which was not too bad, near the bar. The server came and said hi and then took another 7 minutes to serve us. He took the order and then came back a few minutes later to ask again what our order was as he had not written it down. The drinks came later and he spilled one and never brought even a drink napkin to clean it up. We ordered the spicy noodles which were bland, the Parmesan garlic truffle fries which were good (no cat-​sup was offered), Brussels sprouts which were under cooked and a tuna ahi poke which was supposed to come with wanton chips and did not. We saw people at the bar get served the same dish with the chips so were miffed. The server came to see if we needed more drinks and the second round came partially full and only had the sugar rim around half of the glass. The check came another 10 minutes later though our table was clear. Just not professional. There are other options in Los Altos for lunch and we will choose them after this second try.

I have been putting off this visit as I have so many restaurants in Los Altos that I love to visit and know their quality. First time here and likely my last as my main trepidation’s were sadly realized.
1. Service: First the hostess appears to be hung over and was not doing that good of a job hiding it (just my inclination, she may have been sick or just not interested in being there but it showed). She seats us in the corner next to a wall that is not super inviting. The banquette that I was seated on was definitely hosting too many tables and I worried for the eventuality of a neighbor who would come and ruin my meal with their normal conversation that’s how close the tables were. I was annoyed by the table that was 1 over from the one next to us! Thankfully the one couple that the dazed hostess tried to seat there found themselves another table before sitting and re-​seated themselves. This happened twice where the hostess just did not seem to be concerned with the comfort of all of the patrons. Initially I was hopeful that the service would be better than I had been warned of by friends who had eaten here as our waiter came over promptly and gave us water. Sadly, their concerns were valid. We were ready to order at that point but it was a fly by and then another 10 minutes before he came back to take even our drink order. We ordered everything at once as we were on a lunch hour and needed to return to work. Another 10 minutes elapses before the drinks arrive which I think is rather egregious since the bar did not seem to be slammed. Upon arrival of our drinks, for some reason our waiter decided to serve over the shoulder near the wall rather than the space between us and the next table and after serving my mom, he spilled a good half an ounce of my already short drink on the table. He had not brought any cocktail napkins to the table to serve our drinks on (for $ 13 and a half full glass I’d expect at least a damn napkin!) so we could not clean up his mess and then disappeared again. After some time, mom got up and grabbed some napkins herself. Food arrives in strange groupings and without components which we would have asked for but again our elusive waiter was nowhere to be seen. We were able to procure another round of drinks hoping that these would be an accurate pour when the last of our dishes was brought but it was bittersweet as we were happy to give the bar another shot but again disappointed when they were light and lost our server again.
2. Food: This is the real reason I will never be back as I have had better food in a college cafeteria for cheaper. Absolutely unacceptable for the price paid and shockingly incredibly bland! The Ahi Poke was unimaginative (if you want real flavor and diversity head to Pacific Catch), the «spicy» chicken noodle dish had absolutely no flavor, this is how it is described:
Spicy Noodle Salad: Ginger Grilled Chicken, Carrots, Onion, Shitake, Cilantro, Basil, Mint, Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette
Sounds amazing but when executed it tasted like a freeze dried packet of ramen without the seasoning. I tasted no basil, ginger, cilantro, mint (head over to Tour Eiffel for a more authentic interpretation of Asian noodle dishes). The Parmesan truffle fries tasted like they had that cheese that comes in the green can used rather than fresh parm, blaspheme! (for parm done so right head over to Pompeii). The Brussels were the closest to good but just missed the mark by being under cooked and seasoned (for great Brussles and other side dishes, head over to Paul Martin’s). My confidence shaken I powered through knowing that I did not have time or energy to make a fuss nor did it seem that I had a waiter to do so to anyway but it was far from satisfactory. We were never asked how our meal was which seems little but is one of those delightful things that you can expect from a great waiter.
Drinks were passable but as I mentioned short (head over to The Grill for a banging cocktail or glass of wine)
3. Ambiance: There is definitely a refinement and style to this location which is why I want to love it but with the food and service lacking, I can’t let that be enough (head down the street to Cetrella for a price comparable meal with food that will knock your socks off)
All and all $ 100 before tip for an appetizer, an entrée, a side and 2 rounds is a little astronomical for what we received. With the variety and quality surrounding this restaurant, I have only named a few of the many I enjoy regularly, it is tough to afford a second chance when there are so many misses. d ob so many levels.

I highly recommend sitting at the bar! I’ve only been here for lunch several times and the service from Albert is top notch!!! The Kale salad with shrimp is my favorite !!! I also recommend the French dip and mushroom grilled cheese paired with tomato soup! Bön Appetite!

This place was just alright.
For starters, our server was a little bit off. He was slow to take our order and did not bring water for some time. Additionally, he got the orders confused and brought us the wrong plates at one time — I think he may have been new (was asking questions to another waiter) and looked a little confused, so I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt and assume he may have been new to the job. No stars deducted at all for this.
As for the food, we ordered:
— Bone marrow appetizer: always a must-​get when I see this item on the menu. This version came with green olive tapenade, berry sriracha jam, and stone fruit compote. The bone marrow and accompaniments was delicious! We got a good amount of it, so that as very appreciated. However, there was not enough pita on the plate for the amount of marrow and compote. At the end, there was extra marrow and compote with nothing to soak it up onto.
— Prosciutto pizza: This was the least favorite item we ordered. The prosciutto was a little too dry and chewy for my liking, and the rest of the pizza lacked in flavor.
— Mac & cheese: This dish was very yummy. However, with all the cheeses and the thick macaroni used, the whole dish felt a little bit too heavy and too rich. Most of the time when I order mac & cheese, I expect this, but this one felt even richer than normal. After eating about ¹⁄₃ of it, I was ready to call it quits.
Would still be open to trying more dishes in the future, but I probably wouldn’t re-​order the pizza or mac & cheese.

An unusual name for a restaurant; Turn. Could it mean turn here at this corner and you’ll find us? Could it mean turn the tables? Could it mean turn your ass around and get in here to enjoy a meal? Maybe it’s the owner’s name, I don’t know; but, the food, beverages and service are pretty darn good and it’s my turn to write a review.
On a rainy afternoon searching for something tasty and a good conversation with my friend Bob, our weekly lunch — my to turn buy, Unilocal lead us to Turn Bar and Grill. Turn is shiny and new with windows all the way around on two sides for excellent people watching, which in Los Altos can be interesting.
There is ample off-​street parking in a public lot behind Turn.
We both ordered the Turn Turkey Club with classic house made potato chips. The sandwich was anything but ordinary, from the bread to the dressings and turkey, the Club did not disappoint. The chips were large thin cut picture-​perfect accoutrement. Picture-​perfect does not always do the trick, they must be hot and crisp to meet the standard of excellence. Well? Yes, not only were they hot and crisp the chips were delicious along with being an ample portion. Speaking of portion size, the Club was so large half went home with each of us.
The French waitress was attentive, knew the specials well and appears to be happy and enjoying her job.
The décor is shinny and new with soft warm colors, perfect for a cool rainy day.
There is a three sided bar and a sign out front to join them for Happy Hour. This could be a sign Turn will be competition for the already crowded hot spot in the Village of Los Altos. Could this be their — wait for it — turn?

Call me old-​fashioned, but when I order a glass of wine ($ 8 Syrah) off your menu, and you come back to me to tell me you just ran out and ask what else I’d like, the classy thing to do would be to offer me an equivalent wine at the same price as the glass I ordered which you were out of! (High class would be to comp that glass of wine for the inconvenience, but I’m not looking for free).
On Tuesday night, I met a friend at Turn for a glass of wine at the bar. After waiting a long time (10 minutes — it was busy and there was only one working the bar) for the bartender to come over to us, I ordered an $ 8 glass of Syrah. I selected the $ 8 glass with cost in mind. This was one of the lower cost wines, and that’s what I wanted. I’m not fancy about wine.
So, the bartender takes my order then returns a short while later to tell me they just ran out of the Syrah. I say, ok, I’ll have a Pinot Noir. She rattles off three labels and I tell her that I don’t need anything high end, so she says ok, the Testarossa. Fine, though I had no idea the cost, but I told her I did not want high end.
She goes to fetch me a glass and I turn to my friend and say, «If she’s a good bartender, she’ll charge me $ 8 for the wine… or comp it.» Afterall, I really just wanted the $ 8 Syrah. It’s their fault they ran out!
The Testarossa Pinot was lovely, but sure enough, when the bill came, she charged me the price — $ 16! I’m not one to make a stink, so I paid the bill and gave her a decent tip, even though I was fuming!
It was almost like the old bait-​and-​switch trick. Pretty disappointing!
As for the food: the truffled fries were tasty, though where’s the ketchup? The brussel sprouts, my favorite veggie of all time, were nothing to write home (or Unilocal) about.
Turn looks classy from the outside, but on the inside it’s kinda like a used car salesman. (Bait-​and switch, get it?)
If you’re considering Turn, I suggest you turn elsewhere.

********************** 1462 *********************
Met my client here to go over some event planning, Turn Bar & Grill is an upscale restaurant for downtown Los Altos, but laid back, that offered great steaks, burgers and pizza.
— Grilled Baby Lamb Chops Caramelized Sherry Shallots, Chimichurri, delicious.
— Short Rib Sliders on a 9-​grain Bun with Fennel Slaw, Smoked Paprika Aioli & Pickled Vegetables, tasty.
— Pizza — TURN Bacon, Tomato, Spinach, Roasted Garlic, Mozzarella — they got something to do with their signature BACON, try this Pizza!
— House-​Made Kennebec Potato Chips Lemon Aioli, Avocado Picante, very good, CHECK IN with Unilocal, to get it comp.
Happy Hour menu is awesome from 5 – 7 PM weekdays. Sit at the bar to watch the game, cool bartenders, good service.

OMG!!! Excellent food and wonderful service. This place just opened in July and I’ve eaten there at least 5 times already. Turn Bar and Grill is an American Comfort Food Restaurant with an emphasis on quality and amazing flavor. I’m a foodie, so I always look for restaurants that serve quality food with lots of flavor at a reasonable price. This place definitely fits the bill…
My first meal was the fried chicken, what an amazing twist on an old favorite and just so darn good!!! The next time I went there, I had the Turn Mac & Cheese w/​Gorgonzola, Aged White Cheddar, Chicken, Mushrooms & Bacon; I could have never imagined Mac & Chesses could taste so good, unbelievable! And ye’all have to try The Pizza’s, they are off the hook. We had the truffled shoestring fries w/​chives and Parmesan and spicy noodle salad. All of them are my favorites now. Last night I had the Prosciutto pizza, wow! The great thing about Turn Bar & Grill is that it is not a chain, the restaurant is family owned and the people who work there are extremely friendly and the service is always first rate. I constantly recommend this place to everyone but call to make reservations because the place is packed.

Came downtown for the light the night walk and festivities. Thankfully we had a reservation here as it was pretty full.
We started with the calmari and had to order 2 more because our table obviously loved it.
I had the braised short ribs and it fell apart with my fork. Lots of beefy goodness.
The kale salad was easily splittable and the shrimps were delicious.
Overall a great meal with prompt and attentive service.

Sooo i decided to try out this place, not really sure why… I walk in and sit down ar the corner of the bar, it’s not packed by any stretch of the imagination. Two bartenders standing at the other end of the bar scanning all of the patrons but it seems they skip over me each time. They come down and take the plates of the folks i’m sitting next to but still won’t look at me. They go back to the end of the bar and i stare at one of them until she looks at me and i raise my finger. She comes down and takes my drink order which was a top-​shelf margarita. They bring it back, it tasted like water. I decided to order the bone-​in ribeye cooked medium. They bring it out and it was near raw but edible. I wasnt in the mood to send it back, i was hungry.
So, will i be coming back? Nope, food, drinks and service sucked.
Saddening… But this banana cream pie and margarita i’m enjoying at Los Altos Grill while i write this is Fantastic!

We’re delighted an exciting new restaurant has been added to downtown Los Altos’ already wonderful lineup of dining options, and we’d been looking forward to giving it a «turn!»
We visited on a recent weeknight, our hostess and server were very nice and welcoming, and we took a table on the sidewalk (the seats inside the restaurant & bar were already full at 6:30pm),
For dinner we ordered an app, two entrees, and glass of wine. The app –homemade potato chips with a garlic aioli– was fine: chips are like a fresh batch of Lay’s (nothing wrong with that!) though the aioli was so thick and ‘meh’ in flavor that it wasn’t much of an addition. Our entrees of short ribs and a pork chop were beautifully garnished and plated w/​perfectly cooked veggie sides, though everything was surprisingly tepid in temp and the meats were over-​cooked and a more than a bit dry despite the sauces, and awesome bacon mashed potato accompaniment. The flavor of the entrees was quite good, though the semi-​warm temp and the overly dry texture of both proteins was a disappointment. I’m hoping this was just an off night for the kitchen, and we haven’t decided if we’ll be back especially with so many other really good, dependable dining options within a couple of blocks.

First dining experience was in June; solo at the bar and I had a great time. The bartenders were efficient, engaged and fun, the drinks well made and the food well prepared. It was easy to ignore the din of the crowd around me… I wasn’t talking to anyone.
Lamb chops well seasoned, perfectly cooked and nicely presented. Served with two types of onions (shoe string and roasted).
Bone marrow was a little cool but not congealing, would have preferred it to be hotter. Served with 3 types of toppings (olive, marmalade, cranberry) and nicely presented.
The second visit was last week with my wife in the dining room. Unfortunately this trip was less enjoyable. When you arrive and check in there is no place to stand out of the way while you wait to be seated. It was odd standing in the main walk way dancing out of everyone’s way. The previously mentioned din of the crowd was present, intrusive and actually became the center of our struggling conversation. This unfortunately set the paradigm for the entire dining experience.
Ahi Poke was OK but a little uninspired.
Bone marrow was once again warm but certainly not hot. The pita chips were roasted to the point of shattering into tiny bits when bitten.
Spicy noodles w/​chicken were nicely presented and tasty.
Fried Chicken was perfectly cooked and juicy, the portion was large (1 breast, 1 thigh and 1 leg) served with mashed potatoes and a red gravy that reminded me of the gravy I would get on toast in the military (Shit on a Shingle). I would order without the gravy in the future.
So in closing… attentive but green staff, great bar atmosphere and for now OK food. Prices are Los Altos acceptable but those prices demand execution. I would love to see rotating specials to keep my interest and better coordination between floor and kitchen staff to deliver hot food. Also some time and creativity to muffle the din would go a long long way. Turn Bar and Grill has the location, the décor and the bones to do well but will need to step up their game if they are going to succeed. Los Altos is notorious for blindingly fast restaurant turn over.
Cheers!

Let me give you a little background… I am a foodie. I love every type of food and I can cook every type of food… and cook it well! We eat out often and I feel the need to share my feedback because I don’t believe that any family should waste their hard earned money at this restaurant.
My husband and I and two kids had dinner here tonight. We ordered 2 appetizers: The chips and the sliders. The chips came in a small bowl and were gone in seconds… tasty but definitely not worth $ 8. We also ordered the Short Rib sliders… they were tasty but they only gave us 2 small ones and they were not worth $ 16!
We ordered 3 Pizzas: the Margarita, the Fig and Pork Belly and the Sausage. The Fig and Pork belly was delivered burnt beyond recognition! Seriously, who is in that kitchen cooking pizza and who is Expediting? The crust was black! The Margarita pizza was soggy in the middle! The Sausage pizza was burnt on the bottom and slightly around the edges. The size of the pizza’s are disgraceful. They measure the same size as a servers tray (a small cocktail tray) and they charge around $ 18 which is outrageous. It’s a small pizza!
It’s clear that everyone in town crowded this place when it opened. When we arrived this evening, a Friday evening, it was empty… at 5:30pm! When we left at 6:30pm they had a dozen people sitting at the bar and 4 tables in the dining room. This is a sign that no one will return after their first experience. No repeat customers spell disaster for this place.
The management staff needs to open their eyes and hold themselves accountable for an over-​priced menu and terrible food. In the restaurant business, you need to offer great food that is properly prepared, priced accordingly with a wait staff that is intelligent and can communicate clearly. They have failed!
Perhaps they will recognize their failure and correct it before they have to close their doors for good! Hire a great Chef, hire wait staff that can communicate with the patrons and price your food appropriately!
We will never return!

This was quiet disappointing! We couldn’t get a reservation from Los Altos Grill, so we thought we might as well try this new restaurant. They are at the PRIME location of downtown Los Altos. The décor and decoration is very similar to Los Altos Grill with a center bar and bar stool seatings in the middle of the restaurant. We came on a Friday night and it wasn’t even that busy.
4 of us ordered a bunch of appetizers to share. We had:
Calamari — it was soggy, i liked it that way, but not everyone.
Ahi poke — it was very blend, and it really didn’t have much soy sauce or flavor to it.
Burrato with roasted pear tomatoes — it was good, however how can you mess up with the cheese that was pre made?
Spicy Noodle salad — it was good.
Niman Ranch Beef Burger (to share) — it was average, nothing special.
Deserts —
Chocolate tart — it was ok, average. Can’t really mess up chocolate
Cheesecake — it was by far the smallest and the worst cheesecake we had ever had! It was pyramid shape, measured 2 inches by 2 inches around. It tasted like freezer burned that was defrosted. The server brought another one, and second one was worst.
Fruit tart with puff pastry on top along with vanilla ice cream — it was not very flavorful, as if sugar was missing. Surprised on the dessert, at least for sure we know the cheesecake was not made in house and if it had, shame on them for freezing it and not making it fresh daily!
We each had a drink, our bill was over $ 200! Absolutely not worth the price for what you get.
This is a restaurant in downtown Los Altos, the food was less than average and the dessert was horrible! Not sure how they are going to survive. How can you have less than average food at a prime location in this neighborhood?
Sad to say, at 9:30pm, we walked down the block to Los Altos Grill and have another meal, just cannot leave this bad taste before the night end! Los Altos Grill was amazing! We did ended the night well…

Turn Bar and Grill is a bistro that combines a bar with a full-​service restaurant.
It’s a pretty large restaurant with a big central bar area and some adjoining areas with tables. Clean, attractive, comfortable décor, would be suitable for a nice date or a business meeting. However, it’s pretty noisy. We were there for a late lunch. It was not very busy and the bar was empty. I would not want to carry on a discussion on a Friday night.
Service was excellent: prompt, attentive, and courteous.
The food was good with large portions. Prices are appropriate for portion size and quality.
We had a roasted bone marrow appetizer that was well prepared, with three large marrow bones, sawed in half lengthwise, for easy access. It was served with fruit compotes.
Our second appetizer was a vary large portion of fried calamari. Well made, light and crispy.
I had braised short ribs which were served with roasted vegetables, fried onions, and blue cheese. It was disappointing. Flavor was good but it was too firm. I took the leftovers home and braised it another 45 minutes and it was then perfect. The roasted vegetables were very good and the chunks of blue cheese were a great addition. Portion size was excellent.

Dined here with a large group of friends/​coworkers this evening and it was a great experience! First of all, the style of the restaurant was very sophisticated and upscale with great ambience. There was a large full bar in the center with TV’s all around but still kept its chic appearance. The dining areas were comfy and cozy with simple and clean seating. We are told there will soon be outdoor seating which would make it even more awesome!
They had a small but decent wine list. I had a glass of the Greenlip Sauvignon Blanc which happened to be on tap and I’m just a sucker for wine on tap. Many of us ordered wine but a few of us ordered their special cocktail of the evening which was the Prickly Pear margarita. I did have a taste of it and it was delicious without being too sweet nor too strong. The spa water cocktail was also tasty and refreshing!
We ordered all our food family style because there was so much we wanted to taste. We started off with a few appetizers which included the calamari, lamb chops, truffle fries, sliders, and kenebec potato chips. Each were delicious but I’m partial to anything with truffle in it so the fries did not disappoint! We had a few salads which I can’t remember the names of all of them but the baby kale salad and spicy chicken noodles were my favorite!
The entrees we tasted included three different pizzas, one of them had truffles and artichokes and again, was my personal favorite. We also had short ribs, fried chicken, and their Truffle Mac and Cheese which had chicken and bacon– which you might guess, was my absolute favorite dish of the evening.
Then came dessert… We had a chocolate cake with ganache, a berry cobbler with ice cream, cheesecake and fruity sorbet. All very yummy and the cobbler was my favorite!
The service was extremely efficient and timely. They had great attitudes and we even met the owners of the restaurant who were extremely friendly and hospitable.
I’d definitely recommend this new restaurant and will be coming back again soon! There are a few items on the menu I still would like to try and can’t wait to take some of my other friends to eat here!

Great new addition to Downtown Los Altos, but there’s still A LOT of kinks that need to be worked out including service (as far as wait service) as well as customer service. My family and I went a few weeks ago to celebrate my sister’s birthday.
We had an early reservation at 5pm for our party of seven (5 adults and 2 children), and we were given the comfortable corner booth. The hostess seated us, and we waited more than 10 minutes without a server introducing themselves or asking if we would like any drinks (or water) brought to the table. We finally had to wave a hostess over to ask us who would be our server. She brought a server over who then said, one second please; he then had a quiet conversation with another server who used a menu as a shield to hide their conversation (while standing no more than 6 feet from our table at the POS display) before he came back at our table to say, «He will be your server,» pointing to the other server he had spoken to. In fact, it was obviously that neither of them wanted to service our table and they had to draw strings for it.
Before our food was served, a female server came over, introduced herself and said, «I will be your server for the rest of the evening; the previous server was just filling in for me.» She seemed rushed and stressed as it appeared she may have arrived late for work. Our interaction with the waitress the rest of the evening was brief at best and there was minimal attention given to our table. When she did show up, she was friendly, if that counts for anything.
The food was delicious; we ordered the grilled baby lamb chop small plate, the short rib sliders small plate, the burrata cheese small plate, a Margherita pizza, the vegetable lasagna entrée, the Turn fried chicken, and the braised short ribs appetizer.
My sister was so unhappy that she wrote into the restaurant immediately, and received a quick response from the restaurant’s GM, which was great. They said that they’d send her a gift card, to encourage her to return to the restaurant, which was a nice gesture. However, two weeks later, my sister has yet to receive the gift card. So my sister went into the restaurant just to check with management to see if she was indeed going to get one. Then she was told that gift cards were just issued this week, and that they’d put it in the mail within the next few days. Still a great gesture, but from a good customer service standpoint, why offer something that’s not quite available yet? Isn’t there other ways to express the same or at least up front say, we’ll put something in the mail within the month? I guess there’s not a nicer way of saying such a thing. From a seat where in a Corporate setting that is prized on excellent customer service, I would be as transparent as possible to customers so that they’re not left hanging. Maybe Turn isn’t looking to have that standard of excellence.

We really enjoyed our visit last week. I guess Los Altos has been dying for a good restaurant, the joint was jumping! So glad we had a reservation for our party of 12.
Not only were we well tended to but the food was fantastic! Beside the short rib I also nibbled at some fried calamari, which was also perfect. Everyone was very happy with their meals.
A fun, lively place with sports on the telly and awesome food, what more could you want?

It’s weird to see the old AG Ferrari space as a new resto now? That corner of main street is now a competitor to Los Altos grill. After 9pm your choices in Los Altos are mighty slim so it’s good to see at least one later night choice for food. Large bar, open kitchen and several dining areas surrounding. We were told 30 min wait at 915pm but it ended up being only 8min. Guess they were being conservative. The space is obviously brand spanking new as it’s a completely new buildout.
Shirt rib sliders, beef bone marrow, lamb chops, rib eye+spinach, fried chicken+bacon mashed potatoes, and pork chops made our dinner. The line is really fast and our food came out pretty quickly. For the most part the food was well seasoned and cooked well. The weird exception was the fired chicken. Almost no seasoning. The breast piece was cooked well but the thigh and drumstick were definitely under. The cheesecake and crumble desserts were solid. Portion sizes are decently large though the prices reflect it. Service is friendly though a bit hesitant and choppy at times. You could tell theyve not been open long. I think it has good potential and i welcome the variety and ability to eat at my European style hours.