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About Chef Zhao Kitchen
Chef Zhao Kitchen is a Shanghainese restaurant in Suite 120 at 2180 West Bayshore Road, in the Edgewood Plaza shopping center. The restaurant's own site calls it the Embarcadero shopping plaza. It held its grand opening on May 27, 2016. Its ordering page describes it as serving Palo Alto since that year. Its specialty is the cooking of Shanghai, with Southern Chinese dishes alongside.
The restaurant is named for its executive chef, Zhao Jun, who has about 30 years in the restaurant business. According to the restaurant, he owned two restaurants in Shanghai before moving to California. His family's Bay Area restaurants include Hometown Favorite in Fremont, opened in 2003, Shanghai Delight in Milpitas in 2006, Little Potato in Union City in 2008 and Shanghai Garden in Cupertino in 2011. When the Palo Alto restaurant opened, Palo Alto Online reported that Zhao's wife, Hong Xia, said many Shanghai Garden customers lived in the Palo Alto area and had asked for a closer location.
What Shanghainese cooking means here
The restaurant's website explains the style. Shanghainese cuisine, also called Hu cuisine, borrows from the neighboring provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Dishes are often red and glossy from soy sauce, with sugar and soy sauce as the key seasonings. Cooks use baking, stewing, braising, steaming and deep-frying. In practice that means a menu weighted toward braises, steamed dishes and dumplings.
What is on the menu
The online menu is long and organized by type. Dim sum and appetizers feature the pan-fried pork bun, sold six to an order, along with xiao long bao, the soup dumplings Shanghai is known for. The restaurant's own site also names steamed pork buns and a fish gluten dish. Dong Po pork is one of the featured dishes on both the website and the ordering page. Seafood runs to dishes such as steamed fresh river eel with black bean sauce. The pork section includes sweet and sour pork ribs.
Other sections cover cold appetizers, soups, a Chef Zhao stir-fry special list, chicken, beef, fresh vegetables, handmade noodles and rice cakes, chow mein and fried rice, rice bowls and desserts. A daily special menu and a lunch special menu change the options by day and time. The restaurant also serves beer and wine. It sells frozen goods to cook at home as well. Some items sell out, so check the online menu for what is available.
Groups, catering and private rooms
Chef Zhao Kitchen is set up for groups. Its website lists three private dining rooms for small events, each with a custom menu option. It also offers business catering and party trays. The online ordering page includes a separate catering menu. That makes it a practical choice for a family celebration or an office lunch order.
How to order
You can dine in, call the restaurant or order pickup online through its Toast page, which says orders placed there are commission free. Gift cards are also sold through Toast. The ordering page notes a credit card surcharge. The restaurant is closed on Monday. From Tuesday through Sunday it serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 9 p.m., with a break in the afternoon.
The format has shifted since the restaurant opened. Palo Alto Online's 2016 report described lunch bento boxes, a hot bar of prepared foods, dim sum and a weekend brunch with Chinese fried dough twisters and sticky rice rolls. Today's online menu centers on a lunch special list and the full dinner menu. Ask the staff what is being served on the day you visit if you are hoping for a particular item.
Tips for visiting
Plan around the afternoon break if you are arriving after a morning outing. Ordering a mix of dumplings and braised dishes to share lets a table try more of the menu. Our Midtown and Edgewood Plaza shopping guide covers what else is in the center. For more Chinese, Japanese and other Asian restaurants in town, see our Asian food guide. Our food and drink guide has the wider picture.
Location and getting there
Chef Zhao Kitchen is at 2180 West Bayshore Road, Suite 120, Palo Alto, CA 94303, in the Midtown area of Palo Alto. Our Midtown guide covers what else is around.
The nearest train stop is the California Avenue Caltrain station, about 1.6 miles away. That is roughly a 40 minute walk or a short bike ride.
Parking: street spaces or a small lot nearby; check posted limits.
Hours
| Monday | Closed |
|---|---|
| Tuesday to Sunday | 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. |
Hours from the business's own website, checked October 29, 2026.
What is nearby
- Orangetheory Fitness, studio or gym, under 0.1 mi
- Starbucks West Bayshore Road, cafe, under 0.1 mi
- The Market at Edgewood, food shop, under 0.1 mi
- Shell, Embarcadero Road, service business, under 0.1 mi
- Palo Alto Main Post Office, service business, 0.3 mi
- Greer Park, 0.6 mi
- Rinconada Library, 0.7 mi
- Eleanor Pardee Park, 0.9 mi
Other restaurants nearby: Sancho's Taqueria (1.0 mi); Kirk's Steakburgers (1.0 mi); Indochine (1.1 mi); Round Table Pizza (1.1 mi). Browse the full restaurants list.
Before you go
- Popular dinner spots in Palo Alto fill up on Friday and Saturday nights, so book ahead where the restaurant takes reservations.
- Many kitchens close earlier than in big cities. Plan to order by about 9 p.m. on weeknights unless the posted hours say otherwise.
- If you have allergies or dietary needs, call ahead or check the current menu on the restaurant's website.
About this listing
Checked October 29, 2026 against Chef Zhao Kitchen official website; Chef Zhao Kitchen online ordering; Palo Alto Online on the 2016 opening. How our listings work. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Chef Zhao Kitchen in Palo Alto?
Chef Zhao Kitchen is at 2180 West Bayshore Road, Suite 120, Palo Alto, CA 94303, in the Midtown area. The nearest Caltrain stop is the California Avenue Caltrain station, about 1.6 miles away.
What kind of food does Chef Zhao Kitchen serve?
Chef Zhao Kitchen specializes in Shanghainese cooking, also called Hu cuisine, along with Southern Chinese dishes. The menu includes pan-fried pork buns, xiao long bao soup dumplings, Dong Po pork and seafood dishes such as steamed river eel.
Does Chef Zhao Kitchen have private dining?
Yes. The restaurant's website says it has three private dining rooms for small events, with custom menus. It also offers business catering and party trays.
Can I order Chef Zhao Kitchen online?
Yes. The restaurant takes pickup orders through its Toast ordering page, which lists the full menu along with a catering menu and frozen goods.
What are Chef Zhao Kitchen's hours?
Monday: Closed; Tuesday to Sunday: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m..