Cetrella Anchors Los Altos’ State Street Market with Capri-Inspired Mediterranean-Coastal Dining

On a clear evening in downtown Los Altos, the Spanish-tiled Paseo outside Cetrella fills with the low murmur of conversation under an umbrella sky. Warm light spills from the open garage doors of the main dining room, where a large mural of coastal redwoods anchors a room painted in tones of sand, sea, and verdure. A few steps away, an underground staircase leads to The Grotto, the restaurant’s speakeasy. This is not a single dining room but a campus of experiences, and it has become the anchor restaurant at State Street Market.

Cetrella serves Mediterranean-Rim, California Coastal cuisine inspired by the Isle of Capri. Named for Capri’s panoramic Cetrella valley, whose farallon views echo the Bay Area coastline, the restaurant has been a Peninsula presence since 2001, when it opened in Half Moon Bay. A Los Altos location followed in 2015 and eventually became the sole restaurant. In late 2023, Managing Partner M’hamed Bahet relocated it a few blocks to 160 State Street, taking over the space previously occupied by Traci Des Jardins’ short-lived El Alto and establishing Cetrella as the premier full-service restaurant within the food hall complex designed by Gensler Architects.

The current setting expands what the restaurant can offer. The main dining room uses a coastal-forest palette and opens directly onto the tiled Paseo for outdoor seating. Adjacent is a teaching kitchen. Below ground, The Grotto operates with its own menu of craft cocktails, mocktails, wine, beer, and small bites, open later than the dining room on most nights. Private dining ranges from intimate gatherings to full buyouts of the dining room, Paseo, or speakeasy. The overall atmosphere is described by the restaurant as casual elegant, with a smart-casual dress code. It is refined enough for celebrations yet relaxed enough for a weeknight dinner.

Executive Chef Amol Thanky leads the kitchen. He brings more than 16 years of experience, including training at Le Cordon Bleu in Austin, Italian cooking at Siena Ristorante Toscana, work across casual and fine-dining kitchens at Scottsdale’s five-star Desert Ridge, and time as a lead cook at San Francisco’s Michelin-starred Gary Danko. The menu rotates seasonally and emphasizes housemade pastas, sustainably sourced seafood, poultry, lamb, steaks, and a range of vegetarian and vegan options. Bahet, who also serves as wine director, curates a thoughtfully selected list that supports both à la carte dining and occasional wine-dinner programs.

On a recent visit, the table shared the fritto misto, crab cakes, and Tuscan kale salad to start. The fritto misto offered a crisp, lightly battered mix of seafood and vegetables with a bright dipping sauce, while the crab cakes were well-bound and flavorful without excess filler. The Tuscan kale salad provided a fresh, peppery counterpoint with its pecorino and vinaigrette. For mains, the braised short ribs were deeply savory and tender, and the lamb shank arrived with classic Mediterranean accompaniments. The clear standout was the whole branzino. It was cleanly cooked, with moist flesh, crisp skin, and a simple yet precise preparation that let the fish’s natural flavor come through, finished with almond romesco, herbal oil, and grilled lemon.

Diners and media have long noted the consistency. The restaurant has appeared in Gourmet, Modern Luxury Silicon Valley, Sunset, the San Jose Mercury News, and other local outlets. OpenTable ratings hover around 4.7 from hundreds of verified reviews, with particularly strong marks for food and ambiance. Reviewers frequently mention the wine list, attentive service, and the restaurant’s suitability for special occasions, date nights, and group meals. It is regularly described as a neighborhood gem that draws Silicon Valley diners seeking accessible fine dining rather than formality for its own sake.

Lunch runs Tuesday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Dinner service is Tuesday through Sunday, generally from 5:00 p.m., with slightly later closing times on Fridays and Saturdays. The Grotto speakeasy extends later on most evenings. Reservations are recommended and available through the restaurant’s website or OpenTable. Public parking is located behind the restaurant via Third and Fourth Streets. Private dining and catering inquiries are handled directly with the team.

More than two decades after its coastal debut, Cetrella has settled into its role as the full-service heart of State Street Market. The combination of Capri-rooted flavors, a multi-level campus of dining and drinking spaces, and a veteran kitchen and ownership team continues to give Los Altos and the wider Peninsula a reliable destination for seasonal Mediterranean-coastal cooking.

Cetrella

160 State Street, Los Altos, CA 94022

(650) 948-0400

cetrella.com