Main Street Cafe and Books

Nice and quiet and good to get some work done. The internet was down and the coffee was awful.

I am shocked (well, maybe not) that Main Street Café is closing, per the Daily News article.
Sergey et al probably are at it again.
I do all of my shopping in Los Altos, schlepping from Palo Alto. I can shop for clothes, food, housewares, pedicure, shoes, greeting cards, gifts, PO, etc. etc. And, I can find parking. Try all that in downtown Palo Alto. And, forget Mountain View.
MSC has great sandwiches/​soups and a warm, inviting atmosphere. It’s a meeting place. Look at the groups in there stuffing envelopes, or whatever. It’s more than just a place to eat.
People have smiles on their faces; they’re engaged in conversations with friends. It’s a «go to» destination for many people, usually on the far side of fifty.
I love sitting on the patio with the dog, sipping a huge lemonade and a sandwich.
Just where the heck am I and others supposed to go? Mug some coffee drinker at Starbucks’ way-​too-​small room so that I can have his/​her seat… or the sweet little lady and her friends eating at Le Boulangerie? Main Street Café has «American» comfort food and its cheap. Los Altos loses. I also patronize Japanese and Middle Eastern restaurants and, of course, the LA Grill. But, Los Altos needs a MSC.
Wanna bet that a glitzy new restaurant surfaces there? Who else? Another University Avenue in the making. Or, Castro Street.

One sip of the mocha left a taste in my mouth hard to shake. Dumped it in the trash can outside. Worker was too busy on the phone and telling customers they were about to close to give our order any attention.

I try to come here every time my job brings me to the area. Always greeted with a warm and friendly smile. Work requires me to travel a lot, and this place is my oasis in a sterile world of corporate sameness.
The menu is imaginative without being pretentious. The food is fresh and tasty, the coffee hot and flavorsome.
Outstanding food, friendly people in a cozy atmosphere and a refreshingly low noise level. Love this place!
Jim

i like places that provide a casual bite and books and magazines. this place is relaxing and friendly.

Just had a meeting here today and the service was very slow and the food mediocre. Went to use the bathroom only to find no toilet paper or paper towels. I told a worker and she just said «ok» in an annoyed tone. I won’t be returning.

Been coming here for years and I can’t understand the mediocre reviews other people have posted. So, I thought it was time I posted my opinion. This is probably one of the friendliest, down the earth place to come for a casual lunch in Los Altos. Soups are always good, sandwiches are filling and delicious and the coffee is excellent. Great for lunch with friends, as it’s so pleasant to have a conversation without shouting above the noise like in a lot of other restaurants.
There’s a dining area in back where groups seem to meet, have lunch and hang around. They also sell books and art work here. There’s always an interesting display of art for sale hanging up on the walls all around the restaurant.
It can get busy at times for lunch, as it seems to be popular with the locals, but I never had any problems with quick service and attentiveness.

Love this place. Breakfast sandwiches to die for and the strawberry smoothie is fab! Been living in Los Altos for over 12 years and just dropped in and to my surprise it is my fave breakfast place in Los Altos. I’m a serious foodie. Try it; you will enjoy it! Sandy

Two stars because it is a pleasant place to sit and visit. Serve yourself coffee is $ 2.35 out of thermos. Watery and tasteless. Plain, fresh pressed hot coffee costs less at Starbucks! Go anyplace else for coffee.
I met a friend here for coffee and a snack. Her breakfast burrito was served in 10 minutes. After an additional 30 minutes I went to the cash register and was told there was a problem with the waffle iron. It would be served soon. No apology. Since my friend was happy here, I waited after a total of 50 minutes, I was served the driest heaviest waffle I have ever had. A few bites was enough.
This $ 7.75 brick was served with a small cup of whipped cream that had separated. The top was almost solid and the bottom was water. When I saw this, my stomach flip flopped. I put the fork down and left the rest.
It was almost empty and the table by the window was lovely. Service is incredibly slow and impolite. Really, since they were having a problem, why not come over to the table and apologize and then offer something else? They are advised to take this item off the menu and get rid of broken waffle iron. Okay, that problem is now resolved.
I do not recommend. These people should be ashamed to serve such mediocre food and coffee… my stomach is still flip flopping.

Favorite place to have lunch in Los Altos. i’ve had a number of their sandwiches and they are always fresh and delicious. Included chiciken breast, turkey, and pastrami. Desserts look good but haven’t had them. They carry Preston’s Candy which is excellent. Soups are also very very good. Haven’t had the gouda one, but others rave about it. Friends and I have had lobster bisque and ham split pea. Both of which were delicious.

I just want to say to R. S and Liz B we were there inside Main Street Café and we had a hot coco and some food it was very good. The service was nice and felt like it was a family owned café. Very nice people who wanted to make the parade a special time for my daughter who wanted to see the parade. Like the others that came to her café to get something to enjoy.
The outside patio was being used by the Rotary Club for there event so that they could sit and watch the parade and one other table was being used for a family that ordered food from the café.
Before the parade we were told to eat inside and when the parade started we could take the chairs and sit outside to watch) But you and your family and friends were rude to put out your stuff right in the entry way where it was hard for people to get by and she kindly asked you to leave where you answered rudely with «Why don’t you just call the cops!» You really didn’t give anyone any other choice! Seriously you should be ashamed of the way you acted in front of your kids and the people that were having dinner there.
The owner is a very nice lady who is there for her customers. She is kind and even gave me a sample of her soups. The other workers seemed like they enjoy working for her. Next time maybe you should think before you act. Because you were way out of line. I really doubt your kids even noticed what was going on because they were so embarrassed by the way there parents were acting! Maybe you should try eating there when you plan to block there entry way so that customers could not get in!!! I just want to apologize to the owner for the way you acted!!!

Saddened that such an unrelenting harsh attitude was taken (by the manager) and not a more welcoming atmosphere to GAIN more traffic and customers.
Group could have patronized there… however as all UnilocalERs know and many of the reviews reflect, It takes more than food for people to dine at a restaurant. Went and ate across street and ate at SPOT Pizza where we where served Huge meal with a smile. Where possible, like to support «local business owners»… but it’s a two way street…

This place was fantastic! It looks standard and not very exciting from the outside, but I’m glad I gave it a shot.
I was immediately greeted very warmly by the woman behind the counter. I ordered a mixed green salad with avocado and chicken, at it was delicious! Exactly what I wanted– the size of the salad was very generous, the cherry tomatoes and cucumbers were crisp and fresh, there was a LOT of avocado (usually places skimp!) and the chicken was moist and hot off the grill. I was extremely pleased, and I would have the exact same salad all over again.
I’ll definitely be back soon!

I saw the outside of the café and book store walking in Downtown Los Altos. I peaked inside and saw the café and books. I thought the café is a restaurant where you read books with your meal. I was incorrect. The café sells books.
We ate at the café for the first time. The café serves coffee, sandwiches, salads, soups, and bakery goods. The restaurant is clean, quiet, and cozy. I enjoyed the main clock the chimes at the top of the hour. If you like to relax, the café is a good place.
Both of us ordered sandwiches that tasted good and were packed with food. I ordered the turkey and my gf ordered the pita. My croissant was big and fluffy. Water is self-​serve. There is a pitcher and glasses on a table opposite the cashier.

Had a nice walk around downtown and had a small lunch here. Cute place and nice outdoor seating which was perfect for our dog and enjoying the winter sun.
Service is friendly and prompt. Food offerings are not extensive but have just the right amount of variety. We settled for two half sandwich half soup. Sandwiches are not big but very tasty and both soups of the day were good!
If I’m ever in the area I wouldn’t mind coming back =)

For a local place, indeed I’m a fan. Does it have super stellar food, no. Does it have heart warming delicious soups & good wholesome sandwiches, yes. And, that’s why I’m a fan. 4 stars are given for a variety of reasons & it’s too bad there isn’t a category separate for this type of restaurant versus your more upscale/​typical restaurants. So, in terms of being a fan: I am!
My friend & I regularly meet here for a 2+ hour lunch & are always quite content with a soup/​sandwich combo + a wonderful desert. It’s tried & true, the ambiance is casual & friendly. The ice tea is quite nice… so, it’s a local place, very casual ala «Cheers» without the bar (altho they do serve wine) & a bookstore to boot. Totally love the unique «coocoo clock»!

I work next door in the Masonic building and I came here for lunch on my first day in the office with my new coworker and supporting volunteers.
She mentioned to me that the sandwiches and soups were good, but everything else was MEH. I stuck to her advice: I ordered Tuna Sandwich ($ 8−9ish) on toasted sliced white. NO JOKE. but do they put a lot of tuna. It was super filling.
NOTE: if you get a croissant as a bread, your sandwich will be REALLY large, enough to share with someone!
After work, I went back in for an afternoon sweet delight: apple slipper. Not bad, its not overly sweet and still very fresh. But I must say, its really pricey ($ 3ish).

This is definitely a very unique café. It’s a very causal setting with a good amount of tables for seating, a small section of books and magazines, and a little «chat room» in the back.
My fiancé and I came in for a late lunch, and needless to say, it wasn’t crowded at all. I was staring at their «Today’s special» that listed all their soups on a chalkboard and couldn’t make up my mind as to what to get. A kind waitress came over and asked us if we wanted samples of the soup, and of course we did not decline. We sampled their roasted red pepper and gouda, crab bisque, chicken tortilla and chili soups. Just by reading the names, I initially wanted the crab bisque, but after sampling the soups, I was completely drawn to the roasted red pepper and gouda. The flavor was very rich and tasty. $ 10 ish? for the combo.
With that said, I ordered a half sandwich, half soup combo. I can’t remember the name of my sandwich, but it was chicken on focaccia bread, with lettuce, tomatoes, pesto and cheese. I thought the sandwich was good, nothing outstanding, but the soup again was delicious. It got a bit heavy towards the end, but still good nonetheless.
As we were sitting there eating, I was people watching as usual and was excited to see that the waitresses addressed some of the regulars that walked in by their names and knew what they wanted to order. I love little towns like that and because of the intimacy, uniqueness of café, and food, I am giving it 4 stars!

This was my first trip to Los Altos. And it couldn’t have been on a better day. Is it always so warm and sunny here? If so, Main Street Café is the place to be, due to its central location and outdoor patio.
Note: I only stopped in for a quick meeting the other day, but loved what they had to offer. Thanks to my +1 for finding the spot — she’s lived in the area for quite awhile and knew about this little coffee shop/​book store.
Food reviews are mixed and I cannot confirm or deny those claims. What I do know is that they have Wifi and plenty of seating indoors and outdoors for those who want to bring a laptop or just meet someone for coffee. Parking nearby is free (up to 2 hours) and ample. With all the cute little shops within walking distance, I’m sure this block gets busy on weekends! Will have to come back and find out :)

Came here today for coffee because I wanted to try something other than Starbucks and was also hoping to pick up a book as a saw this was a bookstore as well (It was kind of disappointing to find that they only had about 5 books on each of their couple shelves, so it’s not exactly a book shop).
I was impressed by the atmosphere of the coffee house. It seemed like a nice place to meet up with a few friends and talk, thought it did get a little loud when I was there. It was kind of cute seeing little old ladies sharing some drinks and little slices of cake. Which brings me to another thing, they’re cakes look really delicious but I have yet to try them so I’ll save that for an update review if I get the chance to it.
It was alright but I would say a pretty nice meetup if your in Downtown Los Altos.