Highly Recommended 11 Dinner Restaurants 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.

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!

Judy Margaret Chen Good experience. We purchased tickets at the second row last minutes, but were still able to enjoy the movie. Great chair recliner. My husband said he could have slept on it. They also serve and deliver food and drinks in the theater, but it would take some time. Nevertheless, we really enjoyed our movie night out.

JessicaAnn Orr This was a great place! We loved it very much. We are from out of the area and enjoyed this cozy little café. It is so clean and the restrooms are beautiful. The inside is welcoming and the staff is simply amazing. I cannot recommend this place enough. Please go and then go again! Because youll want more. Thank you for a great adventure. My husband and I appreciated your hospitality and the meal was more than we could have ever dreamed of.

Anna C I was so happy to learn that Sushi Sam‘s had been resurrected, and dare I say the new location is even more dynamic and interactive due to the large sushi counter where you can watch the chefs. For my money, this is one of the very best sushi places in the US. The service and quality of ingredients remains outstanding. Mid-range prices for top notch sushi. I highly suggest either the omakase or getting the seasonal nigiri based on the waiter’s recommendations. The handrolls, particularly the chili dog, Sam‘s special, and anything with their creamy crab salad is also worth ordering. Maki rolls are also good as are the appetizers, but I believe the skills of the chefs really shine in the nigiri. I had such a good meal during my visit that I officially joined the super fan club and bought a t shirt. I highly recommend this place if you love traditional sushi! Highly suggest calling to reserve. I managed to snag a seat at the bar as a solo diner mid-week.