Went to grab a drink with bf and a good friend on a Friday night (9pm) in the good Palo Alto. The decor is nice and understated but the place is so small! We came early enough to grab a table but later on in the night, there was just too much hovering to really enjoy the bar scene. There was a DJ that night and he actually did a good job with the tunes. In terms of service, the bartenders were good but when it came down to receiving our food, our waiters seemed to have forgotten that we need things like forks and napkins and plates. I ended up hunting one of them down.
Drinks were okay. The Moscow Mule was pretty cool looking with the copper mug but my friend complained that there was too much ice in the drink. The bf didn't like the fact that the beer list was really small. I had the spiked iced coffee and it was okay too-nothing completely noteworthy.
The jewel in all of this: THE DONUTS! They were so good! It was a mix between a donut and churro- light and airy but dusted with cinnamon sugar and there was honey and whipped cream on the side. We're still raving about these donuts so you should get them if you are there.
Otherwise, it was an okay place to grab a drink but I wouldn't say it was legit or particularly memorable.
Good quality selection of wine, beer, and liquor. Â I like the decor. Â The vibe is casual and inviting without it being too divey nor snooty. Scotty was very personable and clearly passionate about what he does. Â The Gosling ginger beer was really tasty and the Hahn Pinot Noir was smooth and memorable.
Review Source:I like Scotty's happy hour (4:30-6:30 on weekdays). Appetizers are half off and they have a select list of discounted wine, beer, and cocktails. I can't say I'm overwhelmingly impressed by their food, but with some cheap beer after work, I'll take it. I would recommend avoiding the ceviche (I like to think I tried it on an off night- it was more salsalike than anything else) and the bruschetta (if you're not particularly fond of onions). The buffalo wings are nothing to write home about, but not bad.
Review Source:People say to come here to have a decent conversation. It was busy on a Friday night, and at times they would put the music too loud, therefore, as usual, it's necessary to be seated pretty close to your company to talk. Additionally, it gets busy, but it's not as crowded as Old Pro or Nola's. Â Bartenders were friendly and served us in a reasonable amount of time. I felt that the crowd was a tad older than what you'd see at Old Pro, Nola's, and Patio, so come here if that's your thing.
Review Source:THEE most legit bar in the downtown. Â If you want to grab a real drink, Scotty's is the place
Food:
Delicious. Â I had one of the pizzas. Â Very good. Â They must use some good cheese or something, but what do I know about culinary stuff.
Drinks:
They defininetly dont water down their mixed drinks like The Patio and Old Pro. Â Again, this is the most legit bar in the downtown. Â I dont remember the name of the beer, but they have some great beers on tap. Â Real beer with real flavor.
Ambiance:
I've experienced it loud and packed, and i've experienced it more laid back, which I like. Â If you're looking for a real watering hole, hit up Scottys. Â If you want a packed and crowded bar/club where you can't even have a real conservation, hit up the Patio or Old Pro. Â
Stopping in there tonight for a beer.
Nifty little bar this is. We went to dinner for a friend's birthday and had a good time. While walking back to the cars somone mentioned "night cap"...so of course we had to have one.
The beer selection was pretty good and it was decorated nicely. Usually decor doesn't come into play when you just want a beer but with friends and especially when its a birthday girl, you want it to be slightly presentable.
They had a drink special, something like a mango margarita or something tropical that all the girls wanted to try. They were pricey and kinda small but the ladies liked em.
Its a good bar. Not amazing but I wouldn't snub it.
When I heard about Maddalena's being gone I was bummed. Â It was one of my favorite places to go back in the day. Â But as much as I do miss Maddalena's, I am so happy that Scotty's is there now. Â
From the skewers to the steak sandwich, tacos and the Moscow Mules to the always-perfect-fries.... I can't get enough. Â What makes it even better? Â Scotty and Stacie. Â Good, honest, stand-up people.
Awesome happy hour! I was there on a Thursday from around 6 - 8 (happy hour lasts until 6:30) and was super impressed to get $3 beers (Hoogaarden!) and half-off appetizers.
The place was surprisingly quiet for a Thursday after work, especially considering the local wine bars are always packed, but it was perfect for catching up with my friend.
The food we ordered was fine but not amazing. We ordered the nachos, which interestingly came with a lot of beans on them (not indicated in the menu) and buffalo chicken wings, which had very high quality chicken meat but the buffalo sauce was on the side as opposed to on them...
The service was pretty hands-off, but whenever we needed something, the waitress was there to get it for us.
In the end, the tab came to around $13 per person, which is awesome for Palo Alto. So I would definitely go back for happy hour!
Not a bad place for happy hour (430-630) in Palo Alto. Bottled beers are $3 (not Hoegaarden), and so are well drinks. Apps are 1/2 off... and the mini pizzas on the apps menu are actually not super mini. They might be about 12+ inches in diameter, so a pretty good happy hour deal especially for sharing a small bite. Cheesy garlic bread is pretty good also, but I didn't taste too much garlic in there. Not a huge space and it gets loud because of this. Overall, nothing spectacular but a pretty good option in the area with pretty cheap food/drink. Also, two TVs at the bar for keeping track of your favorite major sporting event.
Review Source:Stopped in here for a pre-dinner drink a few weeks ago.
Coincidentally, it was listed in the weekly Yelp newsletter a week later. It is NOT near the train station as it said!
It wasn't very busy, (which was a good thing, since there was only one bartender.)
I had a great dirty martini, and my husband had a well made cocktail too. Prices were reasonable for the area.
I wouldn't rush back here, but might stop in if i was nearby.
This is a review for their happy hour. I went here last night with a couple gfs and had a great time. The place isn't too big, but it does get crowded here and there.
Service: I'd give 5 stars for their service because the bartender was so friendly and attentive. Even though we had sat on the table away from the bar, he'd walk over to check on us every now and then to make sure we didn't need any more drinks or food.
Food: Appetizers were 50% off during happy hour. I tried the nachos, garlic cheese bread and buffalo chicken wings. I loved the wings. It was well cooked and served with blue cheese and buffalo sauce on the side.
Atmosphere: It was not too quiet, but just perfect for us girls to sit around for 4 hours just to catch up and talk.
If you want a chill place to go with some drinks and food, I'd recommend coming here.
Here for some drinks and snacks with a friend... Â Came in, seated ourselves, and waited patiently for someone to come around. Â Anyone would have been nice...
Finally a perky older gentleman came around with a bounce in his step. Â He was hell-bent on convincing us to try his specialty blueberry martini like he was part of some pyramid scheme. Â I Â acquiesced because I truly didn't care, and so did my friend. Â Plus, it made it him so darn happy we ordered it. Â We also ordered some of their home made donuts.
Blueberry martinis were oddly watery tasting.
Donuts were not at all cooked, and were still doughy on the insides. Â We ate a few trying to decide if it was good like a churro with a "doughy inside", or if it was straight up uncooked. Â Concluded it was more of the latter. Â
When my friend went to pay the bill with the perky gentleman, he seemed to have completely forgotten who we were, or what table we sat during that 25 minute span. Â Odd, considering the place is not that big.
This was a nice place to go with friends the  crowd was small( on a Wednesday) and place was not to loud (we could hear each other and were able to sit and chat).
There was only a bartender and initially we had to get up from our table and order drinks/App's but she got the signal and as more friends arrived came around to serve us and did a great job at it.
Appetizers were good and Yummy; but do not order the skirt steak, we ordered it Medium to all share and nibble at was well done and very hard! Prices were reasonable but there was only one beer available on draft.
I would come back but nothing screamed come back here again every week! So on to a new place to find for happy hour with the girls!
Kind of has gone downhill-- I've been here a few times. Â I love the ambiance and the chance to just have a place devoted to cocktails & snacks, but when you have the same person waiting tables, bussing tables, and working as the bartender in a place called a bar...it just doesn't work. Â
Drink selection is kinda short but nifty. Â Food menu has grown and includes lots of more upscale-type bar foods.
I wish Scotty's had a dedicated bartender, rather than one person trying to do everything. Â Then it'd be 4 stars. Â Maybe it was just an off day.
My local watering hole. Â I have been here since the first day they opened.
I think the staff is great and the happy hour is very reasonable. Â $3 for bottled beer or well drinks from 4:30 to 6:30. Â They also poor the drinks strong if you are into that type of thing ;)
I wish the place was open during lunch though because they have awesome food.
What: Chicken Wings, Sausage, Nachos, Garlic Cheese bread
When: Happy Hour
Food: 3 stars
Service: 5 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Price: 5 stars
Notable item: We ordered a lot and we were the only ones in the bar/restaurant at 5:30, so the service was outstanding. The prices during happy hour is unbeatable, we ordered 4 items and the total bill was $15. Definitely go with the Garlic Cheese bread, well worth it.
One of my favorite spots in Palo Alto. It's ideal for a small gathering of friends (or just one other) because it's small enough that you can have a conversation, but there's also plenty going on to keep it from getting boring. There seems to be a resident DJ on weekends who does a pretty good job considering the cramped space (literally at the bar) he's relegated to. This place is fine during the week, also -- just to grab a few drinks and catch up.
Bartenders are friendly and pricing is reasonable. The specialty drinks are decent, but I recommend a good ol' fashioned vodka tonic -- they make 'em strong here.
Been here twice. Â It's a chill place to head to when you're not feeling like paying for cover down the street (which is why we headed over here). Â For such a small place the tables are pretty spread out and you can usually find a seat.
We popped over here just to grab a few drinks and chat.  They've got a nice bar and a decent selection of alky.  The one thing that seemed off to me was the guy checking IDs at the door.  It seemed like maybe he was  bored, but he kept coming over to randomly take our empty bottles.  Overall not a bad place to chill out.
I gave this place 3 different solid attempts to like it. Â For one, Palo Alto needs another bar downtown. Â Additionally, I know all of the other bar owners in town and have heard that the guy who owns the this place is a nice guy. Â Hate to break it to you Scotty, this bar just doesn't have character and it lacks all the other things a bar can have to make up for lack of character. Â
The bar has an awkward lay out. Â The televisions are pointed in odd directions and the tall tables (I have the same ones in my house so I know how cheap they are) just don't seem like they optimize the space like the tall tables at Old Pro do. Â Other than the nice bar fixture itself, it seems and feels empty and cheap.
I ordered food and aside from the sauteed spinach, it was mediocre. Â The waiting service one time I went there for a meal was probably the worst experience I had in a year or two. Â The bar staff is a bit better. Â One of the bartenders was rude and the fact that this bar is a newbie they should know there is plenty of competition, I can go to the Nut house and get yelled at by my favorite firecracker bartender, Kelly, if I wanted an attitude. Â Â
Like I said, I tried to like this place and gave it numerous chances to no avail. Â I am not alone as I have heard the same thing from other Palo Alto barflies. Â It's a shame because the location is awesome and the concept of a small bar that serves good food and has TVs to watch sports that isn't the Rose, Rudy's, Nola, or the Pro (love them but you know....) sounded amazing to me. Â The last time we had a new bar pop up was that weird concept of a bar/ club called Melt that was just ridiculous. Â Maybe the owner will make some changes because I will gladly give it another shot.
Drinks - Greyhound - eh. It tasted a bit watered down. Â Vodka Gimlet - Decent.
Chicken Nachos - Superb. Â The cheese didn't harden too much even after it cooled down which made it enjoyable. Â Chicken was tender and grilled. Â
Bruschetta - Bread was too hard, the tomato topping was missing a certain freshness, perhaps missing a bit of lime or vinegar? 2 stars. Â My least favorite of the night.
Cheese Garlic Bread - SO good. Â Of course, almost anything with cheese usually is good. Â The marinara sauce went well with the bread that had crunchy edges with melted cheese and chilli oil spread on top. Â Yum!
Good service, food came out fairly quickly. Â Not too crowded, clean bar, non-sticky bar and tables. Definitely would recommend the place if you're in the area.
Scotty's is cool, it has a very laid back vibe to it. Good drinks and solid food. A great option to hang out with buddies and chat about the world and life!
Tried a Scotch called Lagavulin 16 which is new my favorite based on the recommendation of Scott (owner/bar tender). Â Scott seems like a nice guy, just wish he would smile a little more. ;-) The quesadilla, skewers and chicken nachos were good.
Don't forget to check out the ceiling when you are there!
Alright, this is one of those reviews where I need to kind of dissect everything to figure out the rating.
Drinks - stiff cocktails and they're down to make you some sort of weird concoctions with your favorite liquor. Scotty himself made me a super yummy spiked coffee drink once topped with lots of whip. It would be nice to get some beers on tap here, too.
Food - Lacking in this department for sure. Everything needs a little more spices and seasoning, the flavors are just pretty bland. The buffalo wings come as deep fried (not stated on the menu) chicken wings with hot sauce on the side and a little speck of blue cheese dressing. I prefer my buffalo wings to arrive drenched in sauce and with a lot of blue cheese dressing. Salads could use some more ingredients. The French onion soup is pretty good, but could use less sugar.
Ambience - the atmosphere in here is fun, there are a lot of regulars sitting right at the bar. Tables are available if you're in a bigger group and don't enjoy eating at the bar. A couple of TVs display the most important sports games and at night on the weekends they have a DJ spin some chill tracks for a few hours. Great for a mellow night of drinking with friends.
Overall a solid 3.5 stars, but rounding it down instead of up because the food needs some improvements.
We were looking for a place to chill and have a drink on Friday night; the first couple places we tried were packed, and then Scotty's came to mind. Â I've always walked by, but never stepped in the door. Â So we bellied up to the bar!
The fact that they don't have beer on tap kinda sucks, but their bottle selection is decent. Â Instead I felt a little daring and ordered something stronger than my usual fare; a Manhattan. Â
The bartender made a good strong drink, and I took my time with it. Â The atmosphere was lively, but not so much that you couldn't hear each other talk. Â I didn't realize they served food, and from what I saw it looked good.
We wanted to order another drink, and I thought the bartender knew this, but instead he almost just poured us another round of Manhattans. Â Thankfully I stopped him before he did, and we ordered a beer and a scotch. Â But I was a little thrown that he didn't outright ask us what we wanted.
I hear the happy hour is great here, so I might come back for that. Â But still, it was a nice chill place where I didn't feel rushed and wasn't crowded by a thousand people. Â Decent marks for ya, Scotty's.
Came here for with some friends for Happy Hour around 5:30pm, and it was pretty chill.
The appetizers are super cheap...50% OFF. I ordered the Tacos, and thought they were delicious. They aren't anything fancy, but was still good especially for $3.
If you're looking for a cheap place to go for Happy Hour in Downtown Palo Alto, I would highly recommend this place.
$3 Beers
$5 Wines
$5 Mojito
50% Off Appitizers
2 Televisions to watch sports
And tables to have good conversation with friends =)
I LOVE this place!! Â I like it because it's just a bar - no gimmicks, no bs, no cover, it's JUST a bar. Â I hate places that try to lure you in with random amenities - like bars that are really restaurants or bars that have covers or bars that have table service or bars that have a bull. Â No, Scotty's is just a bar, no pomp and circumstance.
The margaritas and cosmos are usually $5 and they're OK but the wine is good and they give big pours. Â Good crowd - there's often a golden retriever tied up outside. Â Friendly staff, not too noisy or obnoxious, just a bar. Â Love it.
Awesome neighborhood bar.
1. Bar - bartenders are awesome. Scotty mans the bar most of the time, and he is attentive, friendly, helpful, talkative (if you want to talk). The other bartenders are also great too. Minor caveat is that there's usually only one person at the bar, who is also de facto waiter/waitress and bus person, meaning service can sometimes be slow (but only when the place is packed). Drinks are poured well. Usually mixed drinks are heavier on the alcohol (but not unpleasant). Good selection of beers and wines too.
2. Food - I've had the pizza, bruschetta, and buffalo wings. We have made multiple trips for buffalo wings. Food is muy delicioso.
3. Ambiance - lots of seats at the bar. Multiple large screen tvs to watch the game. Smaller two- and four-tops, as well as tall booth tables. Easy to mix and match larger groups. On weeknights and weekend afternoons, this is a good neighborhood bar with old/new/retired/yuppie regulars. Even on the weekends, when places like Nola's and even Rose and Crown get slammed with douchebags, this place remains an oasis of normalcy and non-douchbaggery. Very laid back atmosphere.
This is my go-to spot whenever I'm in the palo alto. Please stay away if you're a douchebag...
This is a great bar in Palo Alto that doesn't require attitude (no wannabees putting on false airs), patience (there is no line to get in) or a lot of cash (no cover!)
The owner Scotty, is the bartender, and he goes solo, so the service can be a bit deliberate on a busy night, with also only one waitress. They do play some sounds and Scotty can make up virtually anything you want to down.
The decor looks pretty new, so perhaps the bar is too. Simple but elegant.
Great alternative to the overblown, over-rated, and over crowded college-aged yahoo's favorites next door or in the vicinity.
Great bar with GREATER food!
Everything, and I really mean everything on the menu is done perfectly. Simple food, but executed with extreme care. This is going to sound strange, but anyone who has eaten here will know what I mean. They have the art of frying food down to an art! I once asked Scott what the secret was and let's just say that they definitely pay attention to what they're doing back there.
It's a fairly small spot that can easily be overlooked but once you find it, you'll be back, I promise. It's a classy bar with its regulars and it doesn't usually get super packed. You'll enjoy sitting at the bar, but if you can't find a spot, there are usually plenty of tables nearby.
Buffalo wings are amazing here by the way, give them a shot. Also the french onion soup is super cheesy and super onion-y. Just usually isn't done like that anymore. Also have tried the skewer app, quesadillas, chicken sandwich, salmon, flank steak, burgers, pizza, etc...It really is ALL good.
Usually it's one person manning the entire bar area, but be patient and they'll get to you. They've got good eyes. Haha.
Scott and Stacey are super sweet and down to earth. You can't go wrong!
Heart!
I came here last night with our Meetup group, to have some food and a few drinks. Â The inside decor is pretty nice... dark lighting, slight swanky feeling, old world looking bar... very chill atmosphere. Â What you'd expect from a lounge, just missing some soft jazz or "easy listening techno" music playing in the background. Â Not too shabby of a beer selection - they had Racer 5 replacing Long Hammer IPA which was *very* nice, also had a Duvel and a Hoeegarten. Â
For food, I had the spaghetti & meatballs. Â It was $15!!! Â I was a little apprehensive about that but a few people had recommended it so, what the hell. Â The noodles were perfectly al dente, the tomato sauce was extremely fresh with a bit of a kick, the meatballs were just totally melt in your mouth (they made with Niman Ranch beef). Â Now, I will say that the meatballs could have used a tad more seasoning, and a purist may argue that a good meatball is a mixture of meat (say beef & pork, etc) but I was impressed. Â Was it worth the $15? Â Yeah, I'd say so... definitely fills you up. Â Will this place compete with the (lower priced and kick ass) Osteria around the corner? Â No way in hell.
Other people in our party tried the burger, the chicken sandwich, french onion soup, chili... everyone had no complaints. Â The french onion did look and smell very good.
Now, the best part. Â So first of all, the owner - Scott - is nice as anyone can be. Â A very top notch guy. Â In appreciation for all of us coming out he brought us free pizza (a veggie and a pepperoni) for us to try... as he believes he has a kick ass pizza and he would like more people to try it. Â The pizza I thought was very good. Â It's what you would expect to be for slightly upscale bar food. Â The toppings were just right on the pepperoni, and the pepperoni itself were to die for. Â The crust was very good, maybe a little too "doughy" for my tastes but I know some people like that. Â I'm just more of a crunch, thin-crust kinda guy.
AND... to top it off, he also brought out his dessert for the evening - sugar coated "beignets" (doughnuts) with a Chambord whipped cream!!! Â Holy crap, good stuff. Â These things just kicked Krispy Kreme's to the curb, with a face punch, and thrown down the storm drain with lighter fluid.
Two thumbs up from me!
PS... we mentioned to Scott that he needs a better sign out front as this place can be easily missed so he will be fixing that. Â Some of the tables also have bar stool-type seats (backless) which can be a bit uncomfortable to sit on. Â There are real chairs in the place though,
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