Miss Shang-San Mateo - San Mateo (CA)

4 /5 Tyrone C: I came here with someone else who wanted to try the beef noodle soup. As a white guy, I am a bit pickier with some foods, but found one item that looked really good… the rice noodles topped with sour beans and minced pork. I enjoyed that and my friend said they enjoyed the beef noodle soup. But after trying my dish, they said they liked mine more. The service was very quick and the wait was very short, so that’s a big plus. There was plenty of space and tables inside. Parking can be tricky outside if you come during a busy time.

4 /5 Leah: We happened to be in San Mateo and decided to try this newly opened spot, 小香融合料理. The restaurant used to be a rice noodle shop, but now features a completely new menu focused on Yunnan-style cuisine. There were two of us, and we ordered four dishes: 人生鸡饭, 冷吃麻辣掌中宝, 碧翠响螺片, and 番茄酸汤手打肉丸. 人生鸡饭 is definitely the viral must-order here. The chicken was very tender, the rice was fragrant, and perfectly seasoned.The portion is huge—honestly, I think it would be ideal for 3–4 people to share. Very satisfying and well executed. Both 冷吃麻辣掌中宝 and 碧翠响螺片 are cold dishes. Between the two, I personally preferred the 掌中宝. The chili oil and dried chilies were extremely aromatic, though the portion was on the smaller side. The 响螺片 had a nice texture and beautiful presentation, with a moderate portion but a relatively higher price. If choosing just one, I’d recommend the 掌中宝. 番茄酸汤手打肉丸 was my second favorite dish overall. If you like meatballs and tomato-based flavors, don’t miss this one. It paired really well with the chicken rice. The only downside was that the soup portion was quite small—I guess the focus is really on the meatballs themselves. Service was attentive and well-paced. A 15% service charge is automatically included, so there’s no need to leave additional tips. In terms of value, for two people, the cost-performance feels a bit lower, mainly because some dishes (like the chicken rice) are too large to finish. However, for 3–4 people, the value would be much better. Overall, this is a restaurant worth trying, especially if you enjoy Yunnan flavors and are dining with a group.

5 /5 Lo: Tried this place on the weekend and it was packed during lunch time. We got the combo set and added another appetizer and extra fried egg and bocchoy for two people. The combo was larger than expected, the appetizer was big. They gave a lot of beef and it was fun putting together our rice noodles. The fried fish appetizer was delicious, I preferred that over the fried pork. The service was really good!

5 /5 cav kat: Most food are spicy and good spicy. The portions were quite big. Lots of mushroom in many dishes which we loved it. The michi dessert was a plus star.

1 /5 Lisa L: I’m sorry to give a 1 star review, but I was really disappointed to see that my favorite mifen noodle soup place completely changed their menu and removed all the mifen from their menu. I wish they would have kept at least one mifen dish along with their new menu. After speaking with the staff it sounds like the restaurant is still under the same ownership (hence why all the old mifen reviews were retained) but that they did an entire rebrand. Honestly I was a very happy customer before with the old menu and came here often with my family who felt the mifen and other rice bowl dishes were so delicious and unmatched compared to others in the area. Unfortunately I will be looking for mifen elsewhere now as the current menu isn’t as appealing to me. I would happily return if the old menu or mifen options were brought back! Please consider bringing them back!