Sundance The Steakhouse

Palo Alto, United States

3.9

Closed now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 650-321-6798
Website:
www.sundancethesteakhouse.com
Address:
1921 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA, 94306
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.5 miCalifornia Avenue
0.8 miMarguerite - Y Route To Tresidder Union Arrillaga Alumni Center
0.8 miStanford
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Accepts Apple Pay
No
Good For
Dinner
Parking
Private Lot
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
No
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Classy
Noise Level
Average
Good For Dancing
No
Alcohol
Full Bar
Happy Hour
Yes
Best Nights
Thu, Fri, Sat
Coat Check
No
Smoking
No
Outdoor Seating
No
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
Yes
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
No
Has Pool Table
No

Today

Today 11:30 am – 2:00 pm
5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Palo Alto) 22:33 Monday, 23 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 11:30 am – 2:00 pm
5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Tuesday 11:30 am – 2:00 pm
5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Wednesday 11:30 am – 2:00 pm
5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Thursday 11:30 am – 2:00 pm
5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Friday 11:30 am – 2:00 pm
5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Saturday 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Sunday 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Beef and martinis have never gone out of style in this Palo Alto institution. The atmosphere is very clubby with fireplaces, dark wood, sports memorabilia and plush leather booths tucked into the many nooks throughout the dinning room. Famous for their slow-​roasted prime rib, they also offer fresh seafood, jumbo lobster tail, shellfish & of course their aged USDA prime graded steaks. The 23 oz. Prime Bone-​In Ribeye Steak is the «Boss’ Favorite» and a close second is the Double Cut Prime Filet Mignon. There is a martini lounge and extensive award winning wine list making this steakhouse one of the best on the Peninsula.

Recent Awards & Accolades include The Palo Alto Weekly’s Reader’s Poll for ‘Best Place for Steak’ for the past 15 years along with the Wine Spectator’s ‘Award of Excellence’ since 1992. Sundance has been also featured in serveral publications including Gentry Magazine, South Bay Accent, The Wave & Discover Magazine.

History

Established in 1974.

Since it opened its doors in December of 1974, Sundance has been one of Palo Alto’s top dining destinations. Earning critical acclaim for both its classic steakhouse cuisine as well as its extensive wine list, Sundance The Steakhouse is well-​known among food and wine connoisseurs who welcome a comfortable yet elegant dining experience, punctuated by friendly, professional service and exceptional food. Located across from Stanford University, Sundance The Steakhouse occupies a historical building that has been transformed into a candlelit mahogany dining room that resembles a turn of the century mountain lodge. The walls are adorned with original antiques that bear a sports motif. The soft indirect lighting coupled with candle sconces and alabaster chandeliers create an intimate setting for one of the best dining atmospheres in the Bay Area.

Meet the Business Owner

Galen F.

Business Owner

Galen began his career at Sundance during the Winter of 1992 after a brief stint working as a CPA for Ernst & Young. Starting from the ground up, Galen moved from Assistant Manger to Managing Partner in five years, taking the reigns from his Father. During this time period Galen successfully re branded the restaurant as ‘The Steakhouse” with an updated menu, extensive wine list & upscale décor. The restaurant has enjoyed years of prosperity during Galen’s tenure even with the ups and downs of the economy. Sundance today continues to shine due to the commitment and passion of Galen & his staff.

Galen is supported by his brother & business partner Aron along with his manager Rico & executive chef Alfredo. Collectively they bring over 60 years of managing skill to provide you and your guests a memorable dining experience.

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20 reviews of Sundance The Steakhouse

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Place rating: 3
Fairfield, CA
I’ve been here the past two days with two different results. Yesterday with my 14 yr old son was very good. We were seated in the dining room which looks old school NY steak house. I ordered a bottle of wine for me (I took Über) and it was automatically decanted by the waiter. Nice touch. Food was very good. Both got the prime rib.
I came back by myself since kid was at football camp. Different experience. I say at the tables near the bar got the Warrior game. I ordered the same wine and the waitress brought out a glass and decanter. 9 minutes later she brought out the wine. She never pouted my wine ever. I had to wait ten minutes for her yo ask if I want dessert. DO NOT SIT IN THE BAR IF U WANT ANY GOOD SERVICE.
Place rating: 5
Palo Alto, CA
Steak is always divine.
Loaded baked potatoes oh my!
Desserts yum… dark wood ambiance, very classy, fab bar, old school elegance but still hip.
Place rating: 4
Redwood City, CA
Water: Surprisingly very clean and refreshing. It had no bad after taste and just tasted like pure water. (Prob because it was 90 degrees outside and I was just thirsty af) 7.5÷10
Food: I was expecting this palace to be an only good at steak kinda place but the oyster shooters were actually very very good. You can definitely taste the freshness. They claimed that these oysters never touched the bottom of the sea floor so they are cleaner and the taste proves just that. The calamari appetizer was pretty standard, similar to cheesecake factory’s which is a good thing. The steak (bone in rib eye ~$ 70 18oz) was simply amazing. Super juicy thick cute nice hot delish with v flavorrrr. Wasn’t anything mind blowing but a solid 8⁄10.
Overall: –1 star for the waiter we had. He suggested wine probably at least 10 ten times during our stay at the restaurant while we kept saying no after the first time and continually suggested us get more and more and more food. When the last members of our party arrived, we could tell he was pissed and rushed them to order because «We’re closing in 2 minutes so I need the order now» when it reality it was 15 minutes. Then later on after the main course was finishing up he said «I don’t want to rush you guys but would you guys like any dessert?» (This was probably 20 minutes after closing)… We said no and he ended up asking if we wanted desserts or wine a few more times. Very pushy waiter that honestly ruined the experience.
Place rating: 1
Daly City, CA
Came here tonight for my bday dinner. Never been here before. I came here because they are known for there prime rib. The waitress who was actually really nice told me they ran out of prime rib. SMH. It was only 8pm on a Tuesday. How TF are you going to run out of prime rib when your a prime rib restaurant. UNREAL! I just ended up leaving and going to another place back in San Mateo. This happen to me last year on my bday at another restaurant. So unfortunate that it happen to me again!
Place rating: 5
Menlo Park, CA
Awesome steak, awesome other foods!
Dark and cool bar area.
Great staff! Love one of the managers.
Even used them for catering at our venture capital firm!
Highly recommend
Place rating: 4
Orinda, CA
Review #100 — 2016
Showed up around 1:30 for a belated birthday lunch with my ex boss in December. We used to work in Oakland, but then he decided to venture off and get a new job in Palo Alto after I left the company.
The place wasn’t too busy even though it was right around the holidays, which was nice since it took me an hour to get there and I was starving.
Our waiter brought us some water and bread to start off while we looked over our menus. However, I already knew what I wanted before I even showed up since I was the one who decided on Sundance after reading all the great reviews about their prime ribs.
We both decided on the prime rib in a medium rare and it came out pretty quickly. Our prime ribs were cooked to perfection. I have to admit that their prime rib is pretty darn tasty, but I didn’t really care for the veggies or mashed potatoes. I mean, steamed veggies are so boring. I wish they would add some flavor to them. But then again, I guess the fact that I’m not a health freak just makes it that much harder to find a restaurant that serves delicious veggies.
If it weren’t out of my way or if I had a good reason to make the drive, I would definitely come back for the prime rib…
Place rating: 4
Seattle, WA
I came here three times, but last was probably 20 years ago. Clearly, it is good enough to exist for so long.
The vodka martini was very well made. We had prime rib of different cuts and a surf-​and-​turf of Scallop and prime rib. All were delicious, as expected. Waiter was friendly, attentive, and not too much.
Mud Pie was very good. Apple Pie was interesting in the sense that the crust was very flaky, tasty never-​the-​less.
Place rating: 3
Marina del Rey, CA
Not bad.
House of Prime Rib is definitely better in taste and quantity.
But if you can’t make it to the SF and don’t want to deal with the wait at House of Prime Rib then this isn’t a bad option.
I don’t know of I’d come back though. Not sure if it warrants a second visit.
Place rating: 4
San Jose, CA
Came two days ago for a special dinner with my boyfriend and we enjoyed it.
Walking in, it’s pretty dark inside. I’m not very fond of dark places, but it was a nice intimate feel for what we were going for. On the way to our table I felt like I was going on a trip, so many turns and areas passed by I was afraid to go look for the bathroom thinking I was going to get lost lol. There was different seating areas which I liked a lot. We got sat down and was attended by our server right away. Enjoyed sparkling water with bread and butter and oil and balsamic with a glass of wine as well. The bread was my favorite. I love to eat bread more so when it’s delicious. It was nice and warm and the crust was so crunchy I loved it. I had to stop myself before I ate the whole thing and would be left with no more room to eat my dinner.
For our starters I got the clam chowder and my boyfriend got the strawberry arugula salad. Both were delicious. The clam chowder tasted as if I was in San Francisco at the warf. Brought many good memories to me. Really enjoyed it, almost even asked for another cup of it. The salad was very fresh and refreshing to your palate. I’m not too crazy on arugula but my boyfriend was in heaven with it.
I ordered the petite prime rib with garlic mashed potatoes. Just delicious. I love my meat medium rare/​closer to rare and it came out perfect! Just the way I like it. Wish I had more room to eat more but I was glad I was able to take it home to enjoy more later.
My boyfriend ordered the New York steak and it was mouth watering. I really love when it was had a charred flavor from the grill. And with the dipping sauce that was given made it more mouth watering.
I was so stuffed but the time we were done. Our server then came by and asked us if we wanted desert and of course I said YES! As full as I can be I always have room for desert!
I ordered for desert the Ghirardelli Sundae with coffee ice cream. Sooo good. I did not want to to end or even share for that matter. My boyfriend ordered the white chocolate crème brûlée which was fenom. I like eating crème brûlée with ice cream so my boyfriend and I would get a little crème brûlée and some of my sundae on the spoon and eat it. Omg it was heaven. Such a good combo together. Ultimately my favorite. I was beyond satisfied. Plus besides getting desert our serve sang to us a cute little song. It was a sweet gesture and made the night more special.
The only thing I did not like was that the lights kept getting dimmed. It was already dark and it was getting close to eating in the dark. But besides that we enjoyed every minute of the night. Will be coming back again!
Place rating: 5
San Jose, CA
We came here for a 8 pm reservation and we were seated almost immediately. Our waiter was fantastic and very conversational. He warned us that they kitchen was running low on prime ribs (which is the main reason why we came), and if we wanted some, we should order soon. We ordered 3 prime ribs and 2 filet minon. We didn’t order any appetizers so we waited anxiously for our steaks to come out.
Our kind waiter brought us out complimentary lobster bisque and clam chowder and assured us our steaks were coming soon.
Clam chowder was nice and creamy. The lobster bisque was truly delicious and had a decent amount of lobster chunks.
I ordered the prime rib medium and if was cooked perfectly. Not bloody but a perfect shade of pink. The meat was so tender. It just melts in your mouth. The mashed potatoes were probably my favorite part-​highly addictive and perfect texture. The broccoli and carrots were nice and buttery. They complemented the dish well.
The restaurant is awfully dark so its hard to take nice pictures. However, we had a truly great experience here and we will definitely be back to celebrate more special occasions here. Service is great and the wait for the prime rib is worth it!
Place rating: 4
East Palo Alto, CA
SUNSET DINNER REVIEW (5−6pm or til 7pm)
Overall:
We wanted to try the happy hours but the kids can only eat at the bar tables and there were no openings. We were ‘suggested’ to dine instead.
Services: Great services. Our server is very friendly.
Food/​drinks:
— Kids — Prawn/​Fries. The prawns were very tasty (~$ 13)
— Kids — Pasta — Nothing special. ;) just pasta (~$ 8 – 9)
— Prime ribs — Nice and juicy w creamy spinach. Even the leftover was delicious the next day (~$ 28). Clam chowder is very good and tasty.
— Swordfish — 2 thin fillets w creamy spinach. The fish was salted and grilled with a side creamy dipping sauce. A little salty for me (~$ 28)
Décor: Fancy but dark (like any steakhouse). Make a reservation.
Kids friendly: They do have coloring menu but it is a fancy place. So the kids need to behave. :)
Gluten Free/​Sensitivity: Nothing is labeled as GF. Use your judgement.
Place rating: 4
Mountain View, CA
We came here as a party of six on a Thursday night. It was packed, glad we had a reservation for 8pm. We were seated at the very end around even bigger groups. It was very loud and there was very cold air blowing in the back. After mentioning that they turned down the air conditioning and it was much better. Also once the big group left it was not as loud anymore.
But now the food. The warm bread they serve up front is soooo good. We also got a cup of chowder since the entrée would take a while. Since I don’t like creamy soups I only tried a little, it was good (maybe not as hot as I would have liked).
Once the filet mignon was served on very hot plates and cooked to perfection, I was a very happy person. The meat tasted great and the veggies were crunchy and very tasty.
All in all I would give 5 stars for the food and 3 stars for the ambience. Next time if we are a smaller group and get one of the booths, this could become a five star review.
Place rating: 4
Fremont, CA
Good place to go to impress your date. I got the filet mignon for a birthday outing. I prefer a steakier steak, actually, but it was a decent filet mignon. You are pretty close to other tables – not the typical huge steakhouse with giant booths. For dessert, we had crème brulee, which was excellent. A really fancy Palo Alto place by the University. I’m usually not this fancy. It feels like the place you should dress up for. :-)
Place rating: 3
Walled Lake, MI
Here for a business dinner. Staff very helpful and nice. I had the bone in ribeye and not impressed at all. Very tough. Has a lot of flavor but this to me was not a prim cut. Everyone else loved there meal. Lot of sea bass, filet and prim rib. Lots of wine choices. My potato was almost un eatable. Drowning in butter and sour cream. Also they did not bring me bacon bits for the potato. So way over rated
Place rating: 4
Los Altos, CA
We have been to Sundance a few times… The last time was on a Wednesday and we needed reservations!
I have tried their prime rib and the bone in Ribeye… Both have been great, but I think my favorite is the bone in Ribeye… It is a perfectly seasoned, extremely tender cut of meat. It must be enjoyed medium rare to really bring out the steak’s flavor.
Great service (I would expect no less) and a dressy, but comfortable, atmosphere. Book in advance if you want to get in between 6 to 8.
Place rating: 5
Atherton, CA
This place has been around for forever and it’s because it is SO good. Pricy but that goes with the steak restaurant vibe in general. There were 7 of us here for my cousin’s birthday and everything went smoothly. The staff was kind, the bread was warm and everything tasted good. Most everyone had beef except for me, opting for the teriyaki chicken which I loved. The serving of vegetables was fresh and delicious, my only problem being that they were a little too peppery for my taste.
We shared the crab cakes which were wonderful!
All of the desserts were fantastic– the mud pie is enough for everyone to have a few bites and there is a reason that it is legendary here!
Place rating: 4
Los Gatos, CA
100th Review!
Now the review part!
My brother made a reservation the day of my Dad’s birthday for 4 and was able to get it for 8:15. When we got there, they seated us within 5 minutes. We started off with some drinks. I ordered the Famous Lemon Drop and it was pretty good (wasn’t strong at all though). We had the calamari as an appetizer and that was pretty delicious. About 30 minutes after we had ordered our prime rib (what we came there for!), the server comes back and says they ran out/​cut off the servers from getting any. We were soooo sad because that was the only reason why we went in the first place :(but as a consolation, the waiter gave us FREE CUPS OF LOBSTER BISQUE woohooooo! The lobster bisque was literally the best part of the meal. You MUST order it when you go there. I ended up ordering the Australian Lobster Tail (because of my love of Australia) and it came with its own candle for the melted butter. It was VERY GOOD and they de-​shell it for you so you don’t have to yourself. Then came dessert, the best entertainment in town. We told the server it was my Dad’s birthday so he gave us free mud pie! It was a very large slice too and it was enough to split amongst the four of us. BUT the best part of the night was when the server came to sing happy birthday. He was maybe 50? but he sang like an old song from Saturday Night Live or something like that BY HIMSELF. Most restaurants, they get all the servers to come to your table and they just sing you happy birthday. Here, he sang BY HIMSELF some other birthday song. It was SO CUTE!!!
Overall, I definitely HAVE TO come back for the prime rib. The service was excellent! The food was delish! I can’t wait to be back.
Place rating: 4
San Mateo, CA
The food here was great — there was so much on the menu from the appetizers, to the cut of meat, and the seafood options, I was overwhelmed!
My first disappointment of the night came when I didn’t see the small text under the lobster bisque which said this was only available thurs-​sun. I was a little disappointed. Luckily there were plenty of other good options.
The Tuna Sashimi was delicious — they were not stingy with the portions of the meat or fish. The price is a little steep, but for the quality and quantity of the food we got, I was pretty pleased. The tuna was thinly sliced and had some kind of sear on the edges… I’m not sure if they had a spice rub on the outside but it had a distinct smoky flavor that I am not used to.
The real stand-​out was the dessert. They had a special butterscotch crème brûlée on the menu and it was definitely worth it. It added a buttery sweetness that made the crème brûlée even better than normal!
Would come back again!
Place rating: 4
Fremont, CA
Came here for my anniversary dinner and was happy with the food. We ordered a scallops dish to start off with and wow it was delicious. The sauce they used was creamy and it paired with the seared scallops perfectly. The scallops were extremely tender and delicious. If only they would give more than just 3 at a time.
For the main course I ordered a shrimp and pasta dish. I think it was the jumbo shrimp linguine. Man it was delicious. They give you a huge portion of shrimp, and it’s perfectly seasoned and cooked. I fell in love with this pasta dish.
My boyfriend ordered the prime rib and I had a bite of it and it was also pretty good.
Service was fast and sweet, our waitress was funny and easy to talk to. If you look at the decorations around the restaurant it’s pretty cool too.
My only complaint was that this restaurant is quite noisy and a little too dim. I couldn’t see the menu clearly in that light so the waitress offered me this cute little flashlight to help me out. haha
The service here is nice, definitely a good place to go to for a fancy dinner, as long as you don’t mind straining to hear your date a little bit.
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
Sundance was one of the best steakhouses south of SF. It was always consistently good on the steaks! I had their prime rib and it was succulent, juicy, tender and cooked to perfection! The filet mignon skewers were a hearty portion and was lean and tender. I had the bone-​in ribeye before and it was also very very well cooked.
The appetizers was a bit disappointing. The batter on the tempura mushrooms was too thick. The Japanese definitely prepared it better. I tasted grinds of sand in the sea scallops. The mudpie for dessert was to die for! More ice cream than cake. It’s a MUST GET!
Ambience is traditional old school dimmed steakhouse (DIMMED being the operative word), attracting more of an older crowd. Parking can be difficult because not that big and street parking is difficult.