Allied Arts Guild

75 Arbor Rd./Cambridge Ave., (650) 322-2405. Shops: M-Sat 10-5; tours available. Free.

entrance to Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, California

Part of the vast Rancho de las Pulgas Spanish land grant dating back to the late 1700s, the attractive Allied Arts Guild is an oasis is located amid a quiet residential neighborhood. The complex houses a village of artisan work spaces and shops in Spanish Colonial hacienda-style buildings. All are open for viewing and browsing. Peaceful, well-groomed gardens designed after the Alhambra Gardens in Granada, Spain, cover the 3.5-acre grounds and are a delight to stroll through. Some of the complex’s profits help support the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.

courtyard garden and fountain at Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, California

shop at Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, California

workshop at Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, California

Housed in a former weaving studio, the cafe here was opened by the Palo Alto Auxiliary of Children’s Hospital at Stanford in 1932. In those days guild members prepared food in their homes and transported it to the premises for serving. The cafe has gone through many incarnations since then, and is currently a woman-owned and -operated business known as Cafe Wisteria. Volunteers no longer engage in the former tradition of preparing three-course luncheons, changing the menu each day, and selling the recipes to raise funds. Now a professional chef prepares a contemporary menu. In warm weather, a large patio is available for outdoor dining and provides a special opportunity to enjoy the Blue Garden and its blue Nile lilies, hydrangeas, and bubbling blue-tiled fountain. Also known as the Garden of Delight, it was designed by Thomas Church.

shop at Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, California

apricot rose in garden at Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, California

During the holidays, visiting artisans are sometimes on hand with yet more enticing goods. On a recent visit I came across La Toya Butler purveying an ornament-making kit for children. She also had some of her hand-made candles available.