During this time of social isolation and quarantine, distancing oneself from others has become an epitome of change that we all face. And while we must follow public health guidelines and adapt to safety measures, there is still one thing that can return a sense of normalcy to our lives: food. Whether food has been your favorite pastime or not, we can all agree that all businesses alike — especially local restaurants — are taking a hard hit from the pandemic, as businesses had to close shop for a while. Now, as we progress through the stages of returning back to some form of normal, restaurants are opening their doors again — safely, of course. Here are a few local restaurants around Stanford University that are open now for delivery and takeout. This article is part of a series of restaurant reviews.

Ettan

Ettan, an Indian restaurant in Palo Alto, was founded earlier this year in February after nearly two years of careful consideration and preparation. Ayesha Thapar, the owner, is new to the restaurant scene. Before opening Ettan, she worked in a variety of industries such as real estate and fashion.

“I’ve been running my own businesses since I was 24. There was a certain comfort level in the notion of having a vision and being able to execute on it even though it was essentially a new space.”

The pandemic was particularly hard on Ettan, as it had only been open for a few weeks before they had to shut down. In order to transition into a new way of working, Ettan delivered food to local health workers and first responders, before opening up delivery services.

“We decided to join some other restaurants in meal donations to frontline responders in hospitals and specifically at Stanford. So we decided to reach out to some of the community and see if they were willing to make donations so that we could donate meals to a Stanford hospital.”

Once Ettan was ready to open, the restaurant adapted to new changes and made sure to follow the county’s safety guidelines as well as implemented some more of their own. According to Thapar, every worker is tested for COVID-19, everyone wears masks, tables are wiped down after and in-between service and social distancing is maintained.

Blend Eatery

Blend Eatery, located in the Engineering Quad on campus, offers a blend of Chinese and Filipino food, a choice that was influenced by the upbringing and family roots of sibling co-owners, Marc and Jeeryn Dang.

Marc and Jeeryn were born to a Chinese mother and a Chinese-Filipino father. Jeeryn explained their roots, writing that “the food that we were brought up with was just as mixed. Chinese recipes often had a Filipino twist with the ingredients that were available, and adaptations that were made over time.”

Growing up, Jeeryn noted that she and her siblings assisted her parents in running their restaurant, Magic Wok, in Sunnyvale. She elaborated on her role, writing that “as we got older, we would help in the kitchen to prep food, take orders and oftentimes deliver food too.” 

Blend Eatery is still open, though operating with fewer hours. In addition, masks are essential to entry, only three customers are allowed inside and everyone must distance themselves from others in the store.

Contact Elizabeth Wilson at elwilson ‘at’ s.sfusd.edu.