Sun of Wolf

About Sun of Wolf

Sun of Wolf is a Mexican restaurant and bar at 406 California Avenue, in the California Avenue business district of Palo Alto. It serves dinner from Wednesday through Saturday and brunch on weekends. Its venue listing describes a seasonal menu that draws on the flavors of Jalisco and Mexico City. The same listing cites a March 2024 guide to Palo Alto restaurants from The Infatuation that included Sun of Wolf.

The restaurant posts its current menus as PDFs on its website. At the time of our check, the dinner menu was labeled Summer 2026 and the brunch menu had been updated in 2025. Expect dishes to rotate as the seasons change.

What is on the dinner menu

The dinner menu is split into starters, tacos, soups and salads, mains and sides. A few examples from the summer menu give a sense of the style:

• Starters: guacamole with a huitlacoche tostada, empanadas with chipotle chicken tinga, queso fundido with Spanish chorizo, aguachile negro with lime-cured shrimp, crab cakes and hamachi tostadas.
• Tacos: wild mushroom and zucchini, roasted cauliflower with chile cascabel, pork carnitas and beer-battered lingcod.
• Soups and salads: sopa de tortilla, pozole verde with wild mushrooms and hominy or a Caesar with a pistachio and mint dressing.
• Mains: a chile relleno with shrimp and cheese, a mushroom enmolada with mole negro, a lasagna-style maja with chipotle and tomatillo salsa, red wine braised short rib, king salmon, a carnitas plate and a cast iron ribeye.

Sides include hand-cut fries, huitlacoche tortillas, refried beans and elote rice. The menu marks gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian dishes and notes which ones contain nuts. That makes it easier than usual to plan a meal around dietary needs, though you should still tell your server about allergies.

Weekend brunch

Brunch runs on Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The brunch menu, last updated in 2025, mixes sweet plates, egg dishes and lunch items. It lists mascarpone pancakes with pistachio butter and berries, brioche French toast with raspberry and green apple, chilaquiles in a chile de arbol and guajillo salsa with eggs on top and eggs over easy on huitlacoche tortillas. There is a breakfast burrito with bacon and potatoes, gulf shrimp in a flour tortilla, chicken mole with scrambled eggs, smoked wild salmon with potatoes and eggs and a mushroom omelette. Lunch-style dishes such as the Caesar, empanadas, flautas and the burger appear at brunch too.

Cocktails

The bar menu leans on agave spirits. Drinks named on the summer menu include a jalapeno tequila cocktail with cilantro and lime, a paloma, a mezcal drink with spiced pear and tamarind, a mezcal and bourbon cocktail with ginger and an old fashioned made with mezcal. There are also gin, rum and vodka cocktails and a sangria. If you prefer not to drink, ask what the bar can mix without alcohol.

Reservations and groups

The website has a reservations page. You can also call the restaurant at 650-325-8888. The menu notes that parties of six or more have a service charge added. For a bigger celebration, the restaurant's listing on The Vendry, a venue booking site, shows a full buyout option. Email the restaurant to ask about dates and menus.

Who Sun of Wolf suits

With a short dinner schedule and a cocktail list to match, Sun of Wolf suits a sit-down evening out more than a quick bite. It works for a date night, dinner with friends or a weekend brunch on California Avenue. The clear dietary labels help groups that include vegetarians, vegans or people avoiding gluten. Families can find simple choices such as the burger, flautas and fries.

Tips for visiting

Plan around the schedule. The restaurant is closed Monday and Tuesday. On weekdays it opens only for dinner. The California Avenue Caltrain station is a short walk away, which helps if you plan to order a second cocktail. On Sundays the farmers market fills the street, so brunch can be busy. See our California Avenue guide for the district and our Mexican and Latin American food guide for more options. Our brunch guide lists other weekend spots.

Location and getting there

Sun of Wolf is at 406 California Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, in the California Avenue area of Palo Alto. Our California Avenue guide covers what else is around.

The California Avenue Caltrain station is less than a quarter mile away, a walk of a few minutes.

Parking: street spaces and city garages with posted limits (see parking in Palo Alto).

Hours

Hours from the business's own website, checked October 30, 2026.

What is nearby

• The Cobblery, store, under 0.1 mi
• Summit Bicycles, studio or gym, under 0.1 mi
• Victoria Ballet, studio or gym, under 0.1 mi
• Massage Therapy Center, salon or spa, under 0.1 mi
• California Paint Company, store, under 0.1 mi
• Bowden Park, 0.3 mi
• College Terrace Library, 0.3 mi
• Peers Park, 0.4 mi

Other restaurants nearby: Palo Alto Sol (under 0.1 mi); La Bohème (under 0.1 mi); Sekoya (under 0.1 mi); Lotus Thai Bistro (under 0.1 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 30, 2026 against Sun of Wolf official website; Summer 2026 dinner menu; The Vendry venue listing. How our listings work. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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