The Village Bakery and Cafe @ Woodside

First morning in Palo Alto, Darling and I drove up to Woodside Village to one of her favourite cafe.

The Village Bakery is in the small, bucolic town of Woodside. The restaurant is located in a nondescript brown strip mall between a tennis shop and another restaurant. The classy dining room is very nice inside – there are both booths, tables and bar seating, as well as a spacious outdoor patio.

Shakshouka

poached eggs, moroccan-spiced tomato sauce, toasted levain

Shakshouka is an easy, healthy meal in Israel and other parts of the Middle East and North Africa. It’s a simple combination of simmering tomatoes, onions, garlic, spices and gently poached eggs. Everyone is affected by inflation but village bakery has taken it to another level with their customers. The shakshouka at $25 is one of the most expensive shakshouka I have eaten.

The first time I had shakshuka was years ago on a trip to Tel Aviv on a work trip. It was available for our breakfast buffet. I remember instantly loving the meal and the simple yet bold flavours and spices. Came with a slice of pain au levain, or sourdough bread, that was toasted on both side with olive oil and cut into two halves. You can ask for more toasts, it was a very good bread that came from the bakery.

Baby Kale and Quinoa

haas avocado, cucumbers, sultanas, cilantro-lime vinaigrette

This Kale and Quinoa Salad is a really tasty salad that just happens to star two super foods – kale and quinoa. Fresh herbs, avocado, cucumbers and California raisins plus a beautiful lemon dressing makes this salad so tasty. Darling added a slice of roasted chicken breast to add more proteins to complete the meal.

Darling ordered a side of applewood-smoked streaky bacon, which was really delicious. After the bacon finished curing, it was smoked with applewood for that mild smokey flavour.

I added a piece of fried chicken to my shakshuka. It was not KFC, but it was juicier and crispier than Colonel’s original recipe chicken. You can also order a fried chicken family meal that comes with one eight-piece bucket of fried chicken (two breasts (halved), two legs, two thighs), creamy coleslaw, mac ‘n’ cheese, and two cheddar-chive biscuits.

Charming place to have some good American comfort food and sit outdoor at the patio, with nice background music. The service is a bit slow (I think the business is understaffed) and parking can be a challenge, since the parking lot is always busy. I recommend making the reservation in advance, since the place is very popular.

The Village Bakery and Cafe at Woodside
3052 Woodside Road, Woodside, CA 94062, USA
Tel : +1 (650) 851 5555 (Reservations)

Visited Apr 2025