Cowper Inn: Palo Alto Can’t Stack Up
February 7, 2026
After wining and dining in LA, and lunch in Santa Barbara, Palo Alto left something to be desired. Maybe it was just a letdown after seeing what has become of the Georgian in Santa Monica. The Cowper Inn has shrunk, leaving no room for common areas, no chance to congregate with others (unless you opt to go say hi to Joji in person), no breakfast, and sadly no new room updates. I guess the NPS Cowper days are officially behind us.
I mean, this little room with its own entrance is nice enough (though too small to work in). And the shower is OK (though man was it too cold for the property this visit). But no common areas means too much time at the Blue Bottle. I am not a grad student.
But it is walkable to everywhere in Palo Alto. And the yard still has amazing trees.
One bonus was birthday dinner with Nikil.
.
Of course we sang!
Blue bottle good. Bistro Maxine about as shitty as it gets. BIML meetings were all excellent.
Anyway, silicon valley is falling behind. I guess everyone has moved into their compounds and left only Stanford students wondering where the hell everybody went.
Two showerheads and an empty bag of nostalgia for the Cowper Inn. It was great…long ago.
Back at the Cowper in Palo Alto
May 29, 2017
Yep, it’s silicon valley time and that means the Cowper Inn. This place is so much like home that we request rooms by number in a particular order. Fortunately, we usually end up in 31 (the NPS preferred room).
The flight out on Virgin America was great. Upgraded to first class and ended up with a row of my own. Virgin America makes you pay to upgrade no matter what, but that works for NPS!
It became a clear sunny day in Palo Alto. If you have not visited, Palo Alto is a great place to walk around, window shop, and spend way too much money on furniture. Last time NPS was in town, we accidentally discovered a store which has since managed to sell us multiple very expensive and very comfortable chairs. That would be rejuvenation.
Sequoia
In the yard
Nice room if you ignore the wallpaper
That ’80s kind of shower that your parents had
Through the looking glass
The living room and breakfast room is almost always unoccupied after morning.
Always fresh flowers
In other news, do not go to Roots and Rye which sucks in all possible ways. A waste of gas to get there. workaday: lazy prep, stale bread, uninteresting cocktails, terrible architecture, service that needs training.
Gotta say that @Eater is full of shit RE Silicon Valley. @rootsandrye is not worth visiting. JUST NOT GOOD
ignore https://t.co/ifDmWu23jR
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) May 30, 2017
Five nostalgic shower heads for the Cowper and its gorgeous yard.
NPS was coming to the Cowper Inn in Palo Alto, CA well before there was even an NPS. Over twenty years and two owners! An lo and behold, repairs are underway this trip with all newly refinished floors, a completely reworked kitchen, and lots of ongoing repair work to the outside shingles. Things are looking good!
We did (apparently) have some trouble securing room 31, but in the end it all worked out. 31 has a new lighter feel with the refinished floor.
And it also has the best shower in the place in a spacious bathroom.
The facelift looks great so far!
But it is not done yet.
In any case, after 20+ years of staying here, it really feels like home. Five showerheads for the Cowper and its new look.
Umami burger on University serves up a mean truffle burger and truffled fries. Just do it!
Tamarine remains an outstanding restaurant. Great wine list and fabulous food. They have been so good for so long, that they’re likely to remain good indefinitely.
Lure+Till has a pretty good bar (but not as good as they think they are) which can conjur up a CR2 if necessary. Their drinks run on the sweet side. Sadly, the whole shebang seems to be owned by Larry Ellison.
Joanie’s Cafe is a great breakfast place in Palo Alto. Surprisingly, NPS has only just discovered it.
If you’re stuck in Mt View, Doppio Zero is a very good pizza place. The only amusing aspect is the Spanish speaking staff who pretend they speak Italian. For a nightcap, the Eureka! bar has a great bourbon selection (Gearge T Stagg and William Larue Weller 2015 for example), but you have to ignore the TVs and the noise.
The @Eureka_MV bar has great bourbon if you can overlook the noise and the TVs pic.twitter.com/Ar0pLhfayD
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) May 12, 2016
Virgin America was packed to the gills and felt way too much like United. Hmm.
Cowper Inn in Palo Alto: Staying with Friends in Silicon Valley
January 14, 2015
At NPS, we have been staying at the Cowper Inn for twice as many years as this blog has existed. And it’s still great!
Fresh flowers at the Cowper Inn
Room 31 was recently updated with a new showerhead. As shower people, we approve. We also approve of the espresso machine in the breakfast room. If you are doing business in Silicon Valley, stay here.
Old school elegance at the Cowper Inn
New showerhead, makes the glass cube in 31 even better.
Room 31 at the Cowper Inn
Five showerheads for the Cowper Inn.
Dinner out at Tamarine was fantastic as usual. The Pho made with Kobe beef is outstanding. Add in some empress rice and maybe some banana beignets and you have a great meal. The bar program at Tamarine is back on track as well.
The new Italian place (run by Sicilians, so speak carefully) in Palo Alto is Arte Ristorante. Nice winelist. Decent Italian fare. Atmosphere was fine.
Drinks at Lure and Till were reasonable. They need to up their base liquor collection. Had a well crafted Sazarac (which would have benefitted from a better Rye and less absinthe). The Pisco Sour was properly made. Would love to see an even better cocktail joint in Palo Alto.
On to the Cowper Inn, Palo Alto, CA
August 28, 2014
The Cowper Inn on a late summer day
The Cowper is like an old friend. I’ve been coming here for longer than I care to remember. The best place to stay in Silicon Valley by far.
Though Joji is not around this time to say hello, I did get my new favorite room (31).
Room 31 at the Cowper Inn
The shower is not fancy, but it’s not plastic either.
And the bathroom is roomy.
The best part of the Cowper experience involves the common areas. A gorgeous craftsman living room and beautiful well kept grounds.
The Cowper Inn living room (where I am typing this)
Four showerheads for the Cowper Inn. Dinner at nearby Resposado involves a great tequila selection.
Cowper Inn Palo Alto: Home in Silicon Valley
June 5, 2013
This go ’round at the Cowper is much better than my previous visit. More time to relax; a better room (number 31); some time to visit with Joji.
Here is the spectacular mission style living room where breakfast is served every morning.
Cowper Inn breakfast room high style.
Room 31.
Room 31.
The non-plastic shower in 31 through a big mirror.
Cowper shower in 31 (needs a new showerhead).
A quest for mixology in Palo Alto was met with very limited success. Downtown has zero mixology as far as I can tell. There are some nice outdoor bars associate with restaurants, but you won’t find concoctions worth noting. Dinner nearby in Menlo Park at Flea Street Cafe was workaday and OK. Their bar makes drinks that are too sweet. Their approach to a Sazerac was interesting to say the least. After dinner we hit the Rosewood Sand Hill, which though very gorgeous has a remarkably mundane high end bar.
Four showerheads for the Cowper. All they need is a nearby bar that’s good.
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