Recommended 12 Dinner Spots Near San Mateo, California

Cerise Bennett My first time at an experience like this. It was truly delicious and memorable. The side bar has lots of wonderful things for a seafood lover like me (baked salmon, paella, Cured salmon) supplemented by the shrimp on skewers. This is the card I made as thanks to the friends who invited us. ❤️

Munsia Ahmed Our first time dining in. Before we used to get taken outs. And we loved the friendly service. Shout out to our server Barry! We ordered the Happy hour nachos, Early Bird dinner: steak, blackened catfish and salmon and kids burger, and creme brulee. Everything was delicious although I would recommend the vegetable medley to have more flavors with herbs. For the price, its a great place to have dinner with the family.

Kris Clemente Apple Fritter is a lovely little restaurant serving delightful pastries and delicious hardy lunch options with flair. I loved their Old Fashioned doughnuts and was pleasantly surprised by their delicious Maple Bacon Bar pastry. The Truffle Burger and Garlic Parmesan Fries were amazing. The meat was juicy and seasoned well and the fries were crisp and full of flavor. The atmosphere is generally a busy one and parking is frequently difficult, with a small lot and frequent coming and goings of both patrons and food delivery services making their stops. The collections of toys and art on the walls frames an interesting environment and adds to the eclectic and intimate atmosphere. Music is gentle, agreeable, and features indi artists. Service is prompt, accurate and above all friendly and warm. Enjoy the unique art on each of the numbers as you wait. The greenery of both the inside and outside plants provides moments of respite and calm. Outdoor seating is generally more plentiful than that of indoors. There is generally a line to this culinary commune, but it is a well worthwhile wait to experience this cozy escape.

3dogs1monkey On July 4th on the way back to Fremont from Purisima Creek Trail, Halfmoon Bay, we decided to try the $13 menu from this restaurant since we did try it last time were there. We got to be seated right away, there are quite a few people on Friday. Our young server were quite pleasant and attentive. We ordered the California Pizza on flat bread which we liked last time. My wife tried the southern fried chicken and I wanted the soups and salads. My wife like the pizza very much and the fried chicken, she said it was so moist and tender unlike any other fried chicken breast dry and tastless. I had a taste and it was very good, the corn and the mash potatoes were very tasty. My caesar salad was cold and seasoning to my liking, the chicken tortilla soup is flavorful just like the soups in good restaurants in Chihuahua and Guadalajara I used to eat. I tried the clam chowder and I was glad it wasnt thick, or watery and rich like some other restaurant. Its just right with some tabasco. There are plenty of clams meat and little pieces of potato. The dessert chocolate chip ice cream on some cake that I can never remember the name was very nice. All included. After a nice hiking on beautiful trail of Purisima, this meal really hit our spot and the prices were amazing. The mobil pay is quite convenient and quick. This is the first time I’ve been in one of these BJ restaurants. This restaurant is in a big shopping center with plenty of places to park. The place is very nice and clean inside, all tables are far from each others so we can chat away without anyone noticing LOL. The menu is quite excellent with many things to choose from and the prices are quite reasonable, no wonder some restaurants are always busy. Monday through Friday they have special menu with dessert included which is excellent. I ordered Jambalaya, my wife ordered the seared ahi salad. We ordered the flat bread California pizza as appetizers to try and it’s so tasty and light. The Jambalaya wasn’t runny with sauce, different but extremely delicious since I’ve tried many places and I love this dish. I liked this one here a lot. My wife’s salad was so good that she ate it all and didn’t let me try any. My other family members other different dishes and they all liked it. The signature dessert here was quite excellent. I’m going to try the soup and salad all you can eat. The soup and salad looked so tempting. Definitely will try BJ again with other dishes. The young lady server was so pleasant, attentive and fast with everything.

Pinhwa Su Had such a great time at Prime BBQ in San Mateo! We ordered the veggie fried rice, cucumber salad, mentaiko stir-fried udon with shrimp, vermicelli scallop with garlic, grilled oyster with garlic, and a bunch of skewers - shishito pepper, wagyu steak with uni, beef tongue, and chicken meatball. We also tried the Thai tea (with the cutest bear on top ) and a bottle of Kubota “Senjyu.” Everything was tasty, but my absolute favorite was the mentaiko udon, the beef tongue skewers, and the chicken meatball. Also, don’t miss their $2 lunch specials (Fri–Sun) for oysters, abalone, and scallops. Super cute space with Labubu decor and a big sake selection.

EMT Garry Great place to grab a beer. They have a wide variety of choices. I like coming here for the sours. It’s a great place on a nice day. You can order off your phone with a QR code. They have some covered seating but the rest are outside. Food is pretty good as well but wouldn’t come there just for it. They have bathrooms there as well. Fun place to hang out and grab a drink.

BKK 2 SF Pacific Catch in San Mateo is a fantastic spot for a relaxed and satisfying lunch. I ordered the Mixed Catch, Wagyu Cheeseburger, and the small West Coast Salmon Bowl. Every dish was fresh, flavorful, and perfectly portioned. The seafood was grilled just right, the burger was juicy and rich, and the salmon bowl was light but filling. What made the experience even better was the excellent service—staff were polite, cheerful, and genuinely friendly. The atmosphere is clean and casual, making it a great place to grab a quality meal without the fuss. Highly recommend this location!

Neal Great dim sum, def a premium price but its worth it for the service and variety. Decor is fun, and make sure to get a tea to wash everything down with! Highly recommend the lobster hargow and dumplings, can skip the cauliflower.

Wenny Ong After trying quite a number of ramen places in the peninsula, I feel like Taishoken should be having higher stars. We ordered both the tsukemen and ramen and both were great. Eggs cooked perfectly and the broth is simple yet flavorful.

Rouhan Michelle Shao Delicious and authentic Italian food. The charcuterie boards, margherita pizza, two pastas (one with bone marrow, another spinach), and steak were all perfection! Thank you to Andrea and the rest of the incredible team!

Carol D We’ve been here once previously and wanted to try it out again for a date night and we were not disappointed! First of all parking was ample in their parking lot or you can park on El Camino. We went on a Friday night at around 5:30 and they were pretty busy inside and with plenty of take out orders. However we were seated right away. Server was friendly and gave us time to look over menu. We ordered fried pickles with a dipping sauce as an appetizer and they were yummy. We leisurely ate them enjoying the tangy flavor. Shortly after we finished our burger and chicken club came out. Really good flavor! Of course fries were crunchy and tasty too! Spent about 50 minutes there and during that time constant flow of customers from couples all ages to families with children! Fun evening! Personable, helpful, and conscientious staff too! Definitely would return! Check them out!

Moises Bucio *"An authentic and delicious Korean BBQ experience"* I just visited this Korean BBQ restaurant and it was amazing! The food was authentic and delicious, with a variety of options for all tastes. The service was friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere was cozy and lively. I loved the quality of the meat, which was tender and juicy. The side dishes were fresh and flavorful, and the homemade soy sauce was a special touch. *Best:* - Authentic and delicious food - Friendly and attentive service