Community Corner
🌱 Patch AM: Why a Menlo Park spot is shaping 2026’s hottest Indian food trend
Spotted on the Menlo Park calendar: AutoVino Hosts Cars & Cabernet Toys for Tots Drive
Morning Menlo Park! We've got the scoop on the latest happenings in town. Read on to get looped in. ☀️
In today's newsletter:
- Why a Menlo Park spot is shaping 2026’s hottest Indian food trend
- How is Menlo Park’s Cheeky Monkey staying busy despite economic headwinds?
- How a Menlo Park federal campus fit into a chaotic selloff
Also on today's calendar: AutoVino Hosts Cars & Cabernet Toys for Tots Drive and 9 more events.
Find out what's happening in Menlo Park-Athertonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Find out what's happening in Menlo Park-Athertonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
- Saturday: Occasional rain and drizzle, with a high of 61 and low of 55 degrees.
- Sunday: Periods of rain, temps: high: 60, low: 54.
- Monday: Periods of rain, with a high of 58 and low of 53 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
• What's coming onto menus in 2026 (restaurantbusinessonline.com) — A Menlo Park restaurant, Eylan, is singled out as a national example of “next‑gen Indian” cuisine, blending local ingredients with wood‑fired Cal‑Indian dishes. The piece surveys 2026 menu trends, from fiber‑rich foods and texture‑driven desserts to banana drinks, cinnamon‑forward pastries, and deeper regional Indian flavors that could inspire new concepts around town. 
• This time of year, independent game, toy stores show economic resilience (almanacnews.com) — Menlo Park’s Cheeky Monkey toy store is navigating tariffs, tech layoffs, and shifting spending habits while still drawing families hunting for safe, educational toys. Paired with Palo Alto’s Gamelandia, the story shows how two independent game and toy shops are using community-focused experiences and carefully chosen products to stay resilient against e-commerce giants and economic uncertainty.
• Inside A 'Chaotic' Year For The Federal Office Portfolio (bisnow.com) — Menlo Park gets a brief mention as the former U.S. Geological Survey campus there was finally sold this year as part of a broader federal effort to shed underused buildings. The story details a tumultuous year of reversals, leadership turnover, and slow-moving plans as the Trump administration tries to shrink and reorganize the federal government’s massive office footprint nationwide.
📸 Around Menlo Park
Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!
🗓 Upcoming Events in Menlo Park
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
★ Featured events ★
- AutoVino Hosts Cars & Cabernet Toys for Tots Drive
380 Industrial Rd, San Carlos
11:30 am - LIT BY THE BAY - NYE Celebration & Dance Party
Hyatt Centric Mountain View, 409 San Antonio Rd, Mountain View
7:30 pm - Crossing Over with Psychic Medium John Edward live in San Francisco, CA!
The Westin San Francisco Airport, 1 Old Bayshore Hwy, Millbrae
7:00 pm
Sunday December 21
Wednesday December 31
Friday January 9
Want to see your event featured? Click here!
Other local events
- Terrapin Family Band
The Guild Theatre , 949 El Camino Real , Menlo Park
7:00 pm - It's Sew Easy: Gift Bags
Atherton Library , 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane , Atherton
12:00 pm - “Furry Friend Under the Tree” Paint & Sip: Barebottle Brewing Co. Menlo Park
Barebottle Brewing Company - Menlo Park , 550 Oak Grove Ave Suite B , Menlo Park
5:00 pm - STEAM Team: Bath Bombs
Atherton Library , 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane , Atherton
4:00 pm - 3D Printing for Families
Atherton Library , 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane , Atherton
5:30 pm - Pajama Storytime With Stay and Play: Blanket Forts!
Atherton Library , 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane , Atherton
10:30 am - Open Lab: Drop In Memory Lab
Atherton Library , 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane , Atherton
1:00 pm - Crafternoon: Spirograph Art
Atherton Makerspace , 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane , Atherton
4:00 pm - Beach Break Film Festival
1167 Main St , Half Moon Bay
3:30 pm
Saturday December 20
Sunday December 21
Monday December 22
Tuesday December 23
Sunday December 28
📣 Menlo Park Shout Outs!
Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Menlo Park PatchAM possible:
- Samaritan House — (650) 347-3648
Fighting Poverty. Lifting Lives - Atherton Inn Bed & Breakfast — (650) 474-2777
Luxury five room boutique hotel w/FULL breakfast - Amara — (650) 486-1703
A California cuisine restaurant with mediterranean leaning. - The Harker School — (408) 345-9200
Magic Happens at Harker - Cool Aid Air Conditioning and Refrigeration — (800) 266-5243
Voted Best HVAC & Refrigeration Company in the Bay Area
Click here to show your appreciation! 💚
Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.
💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- Hi neighbors,
I’m urgently looking for my lost gray tabby cat in Menlo Park. • six months old • Gray with darker stripes • Very friendly but may be scared and… (Nextdoor Coleman Place) - Hats off to Palo Alto DPW sewer and drain guys.
Excellent action over and above the call of duty. I posted about sewage sludge popping up out of a sewer access plate at 350 University Ave. Palo… (Nextdoor Sharon Heights)
- Allied Universal posted a job opening for Security Officer - Unarmed Government Patrol Driver in Menlo Park. Apply here.
- Bayside Solutions, Inc. posted a job opening for Assembler I in Menlo Park. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Menlo Park here.
🗞 Nearby News
East Palo Alto
- East Palo Alto hires company for 24-hour parking enforcement (paloaltoonline.com)
- Our picks to ring in 2026: New Year's Eve parties, performances and deluxe dinners around the Peninsula (paloaltoonline.com)
- From the coast's tide pools to the Peninsula's marshlands, king tides reveal how wildlife adapt to extreme conditions (paloaltoonline.com)
Stanford
- Bio-partisanship and Leadership at Launch of Congressional Biotechnology Caucus (hoover.org)
- A Look Back at 2025 (stanford.edu)
- For $18 an Hour Stanford's AI Agent Bested Most Human Pen Testers in Study (securityboulevard.com)
Palo Alto
Ok Menlo Park! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I dreamed I was swimming in a pool of orange soda, but it was just a Fanta-sea.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!
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