Best restaurants near me in San Mateo, CA

962 restaurants available nearby

A photo of Pausa Bar & Cookery restaurant

1. Pausa Bar & Cookery

4.7

Exceptional(1806)

Price: Expensive

• Italian • San Mateo

Booked 61 times today

Pausa, a bar and cookery in San Mateo, calls for guests to take a recess from life and enjoy a dining experience that transports them to a place of leisure. With a strong focus on modern Italian, our menu will consist of house-made pasta, wood-fired pizza, wood-fired grill, and house-cured meats. Our friendly and knowledgeable team will ensure your pause is a memorable one.We are now taking reservations for our patio tables, bar, and indoor tables. As we practice social distancing with our new limited floor plan, we ask that you and your guests limit your dining to 2 hours to accommodate all reservations.When checking table availability, if outdoor seating is not an option to select, then your reservation will be for an indoor table as the outdoor may be booked. Thank you for understanding.

A photo of Vespucci Ristorante Italiano restaurant

2. Vespucci Ristorante Italiano

4.9

Exceptional(840)

Price: Expensive

• Italian • San Mateo

Booked 2 times today

Please consider:*Kitchen closes at 8:30pm, we place last order at 8:15pm and we don’t accept any reservation after 8:00pm*Being a small restaurant, it is crucial for us to know in advance if the number of guests in your party changes, or you want to change the time, or you are planning to not come at all. Please avoid to just not show up, but kindly call to inform us, it will be much appreciated. If we don’t hear from you, we will re-assign the table after 15 minutes. If you need to increase the number of guests on a reservation made through Open Table, please call the restaurant.*We don’t take groups larger than 10 people on Fridays and Saturdays. *About birthday celebrations : we don’t have a free dessert policy, if you order one from our dessert chart, we will bring it to the table with the candle. You can also bring your own cake, our cutting fee is $3 per person.*Corkage fee is $25 per bottle.*We don't longer offer outdoor seating, only indoor dining and take out.

A photo of Central Park Bistro restaurant

3. Central Park Bistro

4.7

Exceptional(1683)

Price: Expensive

• American • San Mateo

Booked 12 times today

Central Park Bistro is a 100 seat contemporary restaurant in downtown San Mateo featuring fresh seasonal American cuisine by Chef Ricardo Garcia, in the $15-$45 range. We offer a carefully chosen eclectic Wine Spectator award-winning wine list. Central Park Bistro is an affordable sophisticated, fun dining experience. Relax and unwind with a house specialty cocktail at our wonderful Martini Bar. We also have several intimate private dining rooms perfect for that corporate presentation business meeting, wedding rehearsal dinner, retirement/anniversary dinner, or any special function you may have in mind. Check out our private wine cellar room which seats up to 8 people for that extra special dining experience.For reservations larger than 12 or for private functions please contact the restaurant directly.

4. Izakaya Ginji

4.8

Exceptional(231)

Price: Expensive

• Japanese • San Mateo

Booked 18 times today

Izakaya Ginji, located in downtown San Mateo, is a Japanese gastropub specializing in Yakitori and tapas style dishes. Izakaya Ginji also has a vast selection of rare Sake and unique Beers. For Japanese spirits, the restaurant also offers a variety of Shochu.We have 10minutes grace period. Please call us if you are running later than 10 minutes after your reservation time.Due to limited seating, dining is limited to 2hours until further notice.Please be sure to include your children or your service animal as a head count for accurate reservation!Also, we are now taking reservations for our INDOOR TABLE ONLY. ***We will NOT accommodate any requests for outdoor patio seating. Reservations are strictly for INDOOR ONLY*** We will be NOT allowing any outside food and drinks. We look forward to providing you with an authentic Japanese dining experience .

A photo of The Barrel Bistro & Wine Bar restaurant

5. The Barrel Bistro & Wine Bar

4.8

Exceptional(358)

Price: Moderate

• French American • San Mateo

Booked 22 times today

The Barrel Bistro and Wine Bar welcomes everyone with selective wines selection and many pairings superbly with a wide variety of cuisine. With selective cheeses and charcutiers, hundreds of different wines, seafood,and meats.The Barrel Bistro&Wine Bar attracts colleagues for a drink after work, business dinners, a quick bite or drink before a show, late night revelers, families for Sunday brunch and more.

6. Avenida

4.6

Exceptional(270)

Price: Expensive

• Filipino • San Mateo

Booked 18 times today

Avenida Modern Filipino Restaurant and Bar was inspired by the dynamic lifestyle of Avenida Rizal, one of the main thoroughfares in the Old Manila during the pre and post World War II era. It was named after the Philippine National Hero, Jose Rizal.For decades, Avenida Rizal was a melting pot as well as the mecca for entertainment and dining in the Philippines.Being the center of Old Manila’s social life, Avenida Rizal was also famous for its Art Deco as well as its theaters and opera house where performing arts lovers came to watch zarzuelas, vaudeville acts and stage plays. The theaters were designed by very well respected architects who were later honored as National Artists.Avenida Restaurant would like to pay homage to the glory days of the Old Manila.

A photo of Amour Amour Wine Bar & Tapas restaurant

7. Amour Amour Wine Bar & Tapas

4.7

Exceptional(111)

Price: Moderate

• Tapas / Small Plates • San Mateo

Booked 3 times today

Amour Amour celebrates the relaxed lifestyle, where small plates, good drinks and a tranquil atmosphere are all part of the experience. Guests can start with the sachet de prosciutto wrapped with goat cheese, fig jam, almonds and herbes de Provence for an introduction to Amour Amour’s culinary style. Popular hot tapas options include the pork and beef Spanish meatballs in a sauce consisting of tomato, nutmeg and paprika, as well as the organic kabocha squash with bacon and honey butter. The roasted patatas bravas with spicy tomato aioli is another favorite. Amour Amour’s cold tapas plates, such as the Oregano octopus, capers , or the organic kale with avocado and lemon vinaigrette, are flavorful and refreshing ,Spanish Sea food Paella . For a sweet bite, enjoy the tropical coconut panna cotta with mango puree. Be sure to wash your meal down with a house-made sangria.

8. Porterhouse

4.7

Exceptional(1640)

Price: Expensive

• Steakhouse • San Mateo

Booked 26 times today

The renowned art of dry aging finally arrives in San Mateo, as our new dry aging window is now completed. We are proud to be the only restaurant on the Peninsula (In between San Francisco & San Jose) to have an in-house dry aging facility. Our new menu featuring these marvelous cuts of beef is now available.To accompany your steak, our Wine List celebrates the acclaimed wines of Napa Valley, Willamette Valley, France and Italy. In addition to our steak and chop offerings, our Chef provides for a daily selection of fresh fish and seafood.Whether you are having a romantic dinner, entertaining some friends and family, having a business meeting, or hosting a private party, we will provide you with the ideal setting for your next outing.*Please note that we have re-located 2 blocks away to 164 S B Street, San Mateo, CA 94401

9. Sapore Express

4.4

Awesome(12)

Price: Moderate

• Italian • San Mateo

Booked 5 times today

Sapore Italiano opened on Burlingame Avenue, Ca in 2001 and has been a family favorite for over 19 years. Home-made pasta in rich sauces made with the finest quality ingredients has made Sapore Italiano a success and now we bring you a fast, casual dining experience with the same taste and quality Sapore is known for. Sapore Express offers the best of what our flagship restaurant has to offer in a casual dining experience that is fast-paced. At Sapore Express, you won’t sacrifice quality for price and you won’t have to choose between taste and time. Ciao-- and see you at Sapore Express in San Mateo!

A photo of Pacific Catch San Mateo restaurant

10. Pacific Catch San Mateo

4.5

Awesome(1422)

Price: Moderate

• Seafood • San Mateo

Booked 19 times today

Pacific Catch is a WestCoast Fish House dedicated to delivering high quality sustainable seafood with a unique perspective. From the day we opened we've been mindful about where our ingredients come from and how to bring to life the vibrant flavors and feeling of the Pacific. It's our commitment to our guests to keep things interesting, innovative, wholesome and thoughtfully sourced. That's why we've formalized our relationship with the Monterey Bay Seafood Aquarium's Seafood Watch, James Beard Foundation's Smart Catch and the Surfrider Foundation by becoming a partner and bringing on a director of sustainability to help steward these efforts.We will be following the most stringent protocols on cleaning, sanitization, social distancing, and protections for employee health including temperature taking and the use of protective masks and gloves.