Top 15 Affordable Restaurants in San Mateo, CA

TK Always good brunches in this light filled restaurant. Tall windows connects you to the outdoor. The wait staff is friendly and helpful. One of the few breakfast spots around town. Big menu to choose from. Street parking is quite easy. Fully accessible entrance. Long wait on the weekends though, but well worth it.

Rita Omg! Im so full and the food is bomb. Perfect place for all ages. $40 all you can eat.

Monty Griswald Delicious pizza, good portion sizes, great atmosphere, and well staffed. Only can be loud sometimes due to the train. Usually easy parking. I love the mushroom pizza with honey and chicken parm.

Tim Filipino gf took me here to try my 2nd Filipino restaurant ever. I usually prefer hole in the walls over elevated places, but its Filipino approved (also saw many other Filipinos there). Made a reservation the day of, but it was actually not needed. Lots of empty tables when we arrived just fore 1pm on a Saturday and we were seated right away. They have both indoor and outdoor seating (with heat lamps). Parking is mostly paid (street and garage), but you can walk a few blocks west for free parking as well They started us off with some complimentary chicharrone and we ordered the sugba kilaw $20, chicken inasal $16, beef shank kaldereta $24, bangus sisig $17, garlic rice $4.75, halo halo milky ice $14. I liked how all of the food came in small or large portions, allowing you to try a variety. We ordered all small portions. All the food was good. Prices seemed fair for the quality and portions. The kaldereta and sisig were my favorites. Food came out pretty quickly. Service was decent. Clean, large sized restaurant. They have a full bar as well. I would go back and try more dishes or hit up their daily HH from 4-6:30pm

Gabriel Rodriguez Sherash offered impeccable service at our power hour lunchtime, Friday afternoon. The photo you see was a completed service after only 27 minutes from him taking our order. Our chef Brian came from the other Benihana locations (we recognized him from our past trips) and cooked up our food to perfection. I would highly recommend for a lunch break!

Christopher Chung Though mild, flavors are agreeable and tastes are somewhat elevated. * Beef Pancake Roll harkens very much of fusion, a flaky Chinese burrito. * Spicy Beef Shank makes for a fragrant appetizer, though the spice level and Sichuan peppercorn could have been increased by three notches at least. Same can be said of the Dan Dan Noodles. * Dumplings and Xia Long Bao (soup dumplings) are true winners. Try the pan-fried Q-BAO, bringing together the very best of a crispy potsticker crunch, soft chewy steamed bun with a mouth-watering flavorful broth upon first bite. Stylish and sleek interior makes for a good dining option with family, friends or a date.

HJ I found authentic sushiya in Bay area! I went here for the first time and I enjoyed my dinner. They have great selections day by day with special fishes that I’ve never tried before. Everything were very fresh and price were reasonable. I will definitely come back later to try different seasonal fishes.

Miss Vonnie’s Class Earlier this week on Sunday, I was craving some Korean fried Chicken, which I never had before. I did a search on Google and came across Bonchon in San Mateo. The first experience I had, I was not happy with my order because it was not accurate. I ordered an 8 piece, but only received a 4 piece and because it’s through a 3rd party nothing could be done. I decided on Monday I would order this time directly from the restaurant. Everything worked out, and I have to tell you even though my order was not right the first time? This did not take away from the quality of the food. I ordered the drumsticks extra crunch? No sauce, and the first time I ordered with fried rice, both were excellent. The seasoning, it was rich with flavor, and I have absolutely no complaints. The second time on Monday I ordered the same chicken a 4 piece, the corn with the mayonnaise, cheese and red pepper flakes, with a side of steamed rice. Everything was just perfect. I’m not kidding you it’s taking everything in me to control myself from ordering more today, and it’s just Tuesday. It’s just that good! Whoever the chefs are, you can taste the love in their cooking, it’s not just thrown together. There is Love in their food, and know this because my Mom’s food is just the same. Every bite is good. I don’t say these things lightly when it comes to restaurants. There’s not too many that impress me like this. All I can say is keep the love in your food, and don’t change the quality even if you have a million customers, don’t change your food. 5/5 for me, it’s a must try if you love fried chicken or Korean food. I don’t have pictures this time, maybe next time if I can upload I will. The chicken is so crunchy that even when it’s cold it’s still good and crunchy and not soggy. That is when you know food is good, when it gets cold and it’s just as good. Thank you so much for listening.

rr1995 We were transported to Shinjuku! The food was absolutely amazing , everything we ordered was tasty. Service was fantastic. Would definitely come back again. We tried the spicy miso ramen and spicy garlic tonkutsu ramen, both were tasty.

uossɐlɔ lǝıuɐp Overall, the food was very good! The texture of the falafel, spanakopita, and grilled fish was excellent. I feel like the presentation/special something was missing relative to other medditarranean places of a similar price--youll notice all 4 dishes we ordered were simply garnished with arugula and a sauce container. This place is brand new so the service is understandably a work in progress. Great atmosphere and decent drinks (no liquor license).

Kevin Nguyen Great place for momos. Also one of the very few places in the bay that opens late. Food was delicious and staff is very sweet

Angel Velarde Came in for the first time and ordered two sandwiches. One, the Pastrami, the other roast beef, both with cheddar and everything on it. The habanero sauce is fire. The ravioli plates. All looked amazing. I gotta go back for some of that action. This might be my new favorite spot.

Adam Kaplan Everything was better than good. The hostess gave us an enthusiastic welcome and sat us earlier than our reservation time which was great. Our server was hilarious, the rest of the staff was on so top of things. The food was so good I was kinda sad when I finished it all bc there was no more left.

Tee Ponsukcharoen Solid Italian restaurant in the Peninsula Area. The staff is kind and attentive. We love the warm and soft bread with the tomato based dip. The burrata and tomato is good, a bit too simple in my opinion, but it is not bad. The dishes we enjoyed the most are the pasta. It is freshly made, noodle perfectly cooked, with the sauce packed with flavors. Both beef and lamb sauces are delicious. The chicken scalloped is good but it is nothing compared to the pasta. So definitely get the pasta if you need to pick just one. If you are craving for authentic pasta, this place is right for you.

Faiza Defosset I really love this restaurant, not only for their live music and belly dance, but also for the amazing food. I wish this restaurant was closer to where I live, but it’s worth the drive. I love going here for their beautiful dance parties, live music and food. When I go there, I feel like I’ve been transported into a different time, which I love. I highly recommend this restaurant if you want an authentic Middle Eastern restaurant, with delicious food and a beautiful atmosphere and ambience .