British Bankers Club

British Bankers Club Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant: The landmark building housing British Bankers Club was built in 1922; it was first a bank before later becoming Menlo Park's city hall, police department, jail and public library. It then emerged as a restaurant and bar known locally as the BBC. The original restaurant closed for several years before the current owners took over the space and invested significantly in upgrading the facility and revamping the culinary offerings entirely. The new BBC has little to share with the old, except for the façade. Three floors of dining, one of which is an expansive rooftop with table service and its own full bar, provide room for groups of various sizes, and all are crowded on extended (Thursday through Sunday) weekend nights.

Likes: The polished and open atmosphere of the main room and the rooftop bar and seating. The availability of oysters.
Dislikes: The somewhat erratic service, particularly at night, and the modest rotation of menu items over time.

Food & Drinks: A rotation of seasonal oysters by the half dozen is something few eateries on the peninsula offer, and BBC's are fresh with optimal salinity. Ricotta gnocchi is a not-too-dense, pleasant pasta dish. We suggest a lobster roll or braised lamb belly pita for lunch, while dinner has a sizeable, if rather traditional, set of choices from roasted scallops to grilled lamb chops and baked lemon and herb chicken breast, and the slightly more adventurous hibiscus-brined pork porterhouse. When busy, as with weekend evenings, service can be variable and the bar selections, at least with whiskeys, are somewhat limited for a modern day bar-centric venue. But the experience at BBC makes it worthy of adding to the list of destinations for date-night or dinner with friends for locals, or a stop for visitors.