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Max Rouccoule, co-owner of Pastis, brings out lunch to diners in the restaurant on April 17, 2012. Photo by Veronica Weber.
Palo Alto’s Pastis Bistro, a California Avenue staple of casual French cuisine, closed Oct. 10.
Supplies and items from the restaurant are now being sold on Facebook Marketplace.
Pastis, located at 447 California Ave., was first owned by Bernard Cartal and his nephew, Max Roucoule. By April 2020, it was owned by Serkan Karabacak, who also owned Palo Alto restaurants Cafe Brioche and Tuba.
At the time, he was holding on to all of the approximately 35 staff members he employed at his five restaurants (including two in San Francisco) while serving donated meals to around 120 seniors at Palo Alto’s Stevenson House.
None of those three restaurants – Pastis, Cafe Brioche or Tuba – is open today.
The frisée aux lardons at Pastis features frisée with pancetta, poached egg, and shallot dressing. Photo by Veronica Weber.
Pastis first opened in late 2011, taking over the spot that Joanie’s Cafe had previously occupied.
The restaurant offered “possibly the most authentic casual French restaurant experience in the area,” according to Palo Alto Weekly food critic Dale Bentson in a 2012 review.
“Pastis is a vibrant addition to the California Avenue corridor. It’s French all right, from the waitstaff to the decor. And the food is bistro-worthy: tasty, filling and well-prepared, with prices that don’t offend,” Bentson wrote.
Pastis is the latest restaurant to shutter on California Avenue, with eateries including The Counter, Subway and Antonio’s Nut House shutting down during the pandemic. One longtime business owner told the Palo Alto Weekly last fall that she hadn’t seen such a spate of vacancies in nearly 30 years of operating in the district.
This story will be updated when more information is available.