The hook
The wildly kitschy Woodside diner where some of Silicon Valley's biggest deals got signed over pancakes, under a Soviet spacesuit and a giant Statue of Liberty arm.
01Why it's worth it
Buck's looks like a themed steakhouse that lost its mind: the walls and ceiling are crammed with a Soviet cosmonaut suit, a Statue of Liberty torch, taxidermy, model rockets, and decades of oddball collectibles. But the real reason it's legendary is that this unassuming diner in horse-country Woodside became an informal boardroom for venture capital, the founding of Hotmail, early PayPal and Tesla conversations, and countless napkin deals happened in these booths, because the money lives in these hills. The food is honest, hearty American breakfast, nothing more. You come for the collision: a goofy roadside diner that quietly helped bankroll the modern internet, with better pancakes than the story deserves.
02How to experience it
It's on Woodside Road, an easy stop before or after a ride into the hills. Come hungry for breakfast, take your time reading the walls, and enjoy that the eccentric clutter and the world-changing deals share the same room.