Cocktail bars in Palo Alto

Palo Alto's cocktail scene is small and spread out, but it is bigger than the town's early bedtime suggests. A cocktail bar from the team behind the city's Michelin-starred restaurant opened on California Avenue in 2025. Downtown has two agave-focused bars a block apart, a Cuban rum bar has poured mojitos on Cal Ave since 1997 and a Burmese restaurant mixes tiki drinks. Several Indian and Southeast Asian restaurants run spice-driven cocktail lists that are as considered as their food.

This page sorts the options by style. Our bars, wine and beer guide covers pubs and the overall scene and our wine bars guide covers wine. Every bar named was confirmed through its own website or a verified page in our business directory in October 2026.

Cocktails by style

Modern craft cocktails

Bar Underdog, 299 California Avenue

Bar Underdog opened on September 18, 2025. It comes from Dennis Kelly and Anthony Secviar, the Master Sommelier and chef behind Protégé down the street. The drinks program was developed over about a year by Dani Heinonen, a longtime member of the Protégé team. Some cocktails are clarified in a culinary centrifuge and the sodas are made in house. The October 2026 menu splits into house cocktails, traditionals, highballs, spirit-free drinks, sake and beer. House drinks lean on Asian ingredients such as calamansi, mugi shochu and umeboshi. Snacks have a Japanese slant. There are no reservations, a weekday happy hour opens the night and the bar is closed Sunday and Monday.

Sekoya, 417 California Avenue

Sekoya is a restaurant and cocktail lounge named for the redwoods. Its bar program is seasonal throughout, from herbs simmered and steeped for house syrups to hand-picked garnishes. The wine list favors high-elevation wineries. An early-evening happy hour called Amber Hour runs before 6 p.m. Sekoya is closed on Sundays.

BarZola, 585 Bryant Street

BarZola is the bar side of the French bistro Zola. It pours a seasonal cocktail list, wines by the glass and beer, with dinner from the Zola kitchen. The bar opens at 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and stays open past the kitchen.

Mezcal and tequila

San Agus, 115 Hamilton Avenue

San Agus Cocina Urbana & Cocktails is part of La Viga Culinary Group from Redwood City. The bar pours seasonal craft cocktails and a deep list of artisan mezcal and tequila. House drinks include La Furia Roja, Los Cafeteros and the Cantarito, a citrus and tequila drink traditionally served in a clay cup. Los Charrúas is the zero-proof cocktail. Mexico City street food comes out of the kitchen and a weekday happy hour runs in the afternoon.

Reposado, 236 Hamilton Avenue

Reposado organizes its tequila list by age, from blanco through reposado and añejo to extra añejo, plus mezcal from Oaxaca. Agave tasting flights come in introduction, featured and premium tiers, a good way to learn the differences. Signature drinks include a Cadillac Margarita, a Reposado Old Fashioned and the Mula Oaxaqueña. Mocktails are on the list too. Happy hour runs in the bar on weekday afternoons.

Rum and tiki

La Bodeguita del Medio, 463 South California Avenue

La Bodeguita del Medio is a Cuban-inspired restaurant and rum bar that has been on California Avenue since 1997. The list starts with the mojito and runs through Cuban classics such as the Cuba Libre, El Presidente, the Nacional and a Hemingway cocktail. A lounge called the Divan is set aside for sipping aged rum. Its Cuban Social Hours run from noon to 5 p.m. The bar is closed Sunday and Monday.

Coconuts, 642 Ramona Street

Coconuts Caribbean Restaurant & Bar runs a rum bar with handcrafted cocktails made with fresh fruit and house infusions, along with a range of Caribbean rums and beers. Reggae and calypso on the sound system set the mood.

Rangoon Ruby, 445 Emerson Street

Rangoon Ruby is a Burmese restaurant whose bar mixes tiki-style cocktails. The restaurant suggests its namesake Rangoon Ruby drink for first-time guests. Pair it with tea leaf salad at the bar.

Spice, tea and Asian flavors

• Rooh, 473 University Ave. A progressive Indian restaurant and cocktail bar. When it opened in 2020, its cocktails were organized around the six tastes of Ayurveda, with ingredients such as turmeric and smoked pineapple.
• Khazana, 339 University Ave. A contemporary Indian restaurant with a full bar pouring signature cocktails, classics and seasonal Indian-inspired drinks.
• INDO Restaurant & Lounge, 3295 El Camino Real. Owner Bryan Lew shapes the craft cocktail list. There is a lounge, a patio and a weekday happy hour. House sodas include lemongrass mint and ginger.
• Tai Pan, 560 Waverley St. The Cantonese restaurant's cocktail list goes under the name Lunar Bar. Its website has not been updated recently, so call ahead to confirm hours.

Late nights and the rooftop

NOLA at 535 Ramona Street is a New Orleans-style restaurant with a cocktail list that leans South. Its bar stays open until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and until 11 p.m. on most weeknights. It is closed Mondays and does not take reservations except for private parties.

President's Terrace is the rooftop bar at the Graduate by Hilton hotel, 488 University Avenue, the former Hotel President. It looks west toward the Santa Cruz Mountains, which makes it a good sunset stop.

Spirit-free drinks

Many bars now list drinks without alcohol. Options include the spirit-free section at Bar Underdog, Los Charrúas and aguas frescas at San Agus, mocktails such as the Mucho Loco Tamarindo at Reposado and INDO's house sodas. You can also ask the bartender for something off-menu. Many will build a drink from fresh juice, syrups and soda.

Two short cocktail walks

1. California Avenue. Start with happy hour at Bar Underdog, walk up the avenue to Sekoya for a seasonal drink, then finish with aged rum at La Bodeguita del Medio. All three are within a few blocks of the California Avenue Caltrain station. See our California Avenue guide.
2. Downtown. Begin with an agave flight at Reposado, walk a block to San Agus, then head to Ramona Street for NOLA or Coconuts. End with a nightcap at BarZola on Bryant Street. See our downtown guide.

Happy hours, ID and getting home

• Happy hours cluster between 3 and 6 p.m. La Bodeguita's starts at noon. Bar Underdog's runs on weekdays only.
• Bring ID. Bartenders in California check it routinely, whatever your age looks like.
• Closing times run early. Most cocktail bars close between 9 and 11 p.m., with Bar Underdog and NOLA open later on weekends.
• Getting home. Both Caltrain stations are walkable from these bars, but late trains are less frequent. Check the schedule in our Caltrain guide or book a room within walking distance. Our downtown hotels guide lists options.

Frequently asked questions