Pausa Bar & Cookery

Innovative menu, artfully presented, wonderful service. Superbly crafted cocktails!

Exceptional food and service, as always. The dining experience at Pausa, though recently adapted to comply with social distancing guidelines, is just as high quality as it was before.

I’ve been coming here for about 2 years now and when I heard they were going to reopen I immediately made a reservation. We were served by Carlos (amazing service) and ordered drinks and food and they were outstanding. Glad I came back and will continue to come back.

So great to be dining again at Pausa in San Mateo! The service was excellent as always, the food very good, the ambiance fun & energetic. The staff wore masks the entire time and offered to also wear gloves. The tables and seats were wiped down between parties and the area had a minimum 'empty' time to allow decontamination between parties. The restaurant was very clean and there was adequate space for social distancing with other parties and staff. We felt safe dining there.

I love Pausa. Elevated casual dining at its best! Service is always fantastic and tho it’s a little pricey I think it’s worth it!

We loved seeing everyone at Pausa again! We were at an outside table which was a bit noisy being on the street, which was not the fault of the restaurant. The 2 parking spots out front were labeled as no parking although people continued to pull up for pick up.
Overall great experience! Pausa is going above and beyond guidelines to ensure the safety of their staff and guests!

1st time there And I must say, I forgot how good the food was because the service was Outstanding!! Made another reservation for next week! So so good!!

Everything was phenomenal! Loved going back. The food and service were both outstanding.

It was great to eat at a restaurant again. Pausa was excellent always.

Delicious cocktails and food. Great service and ambiance

All other restaurants are adding more tables along the street.

The highest quality food and drinks in San Mateo and beyond.

The waiter was pleasant, informative and gave us great recommendations - everything was so delicious! The covid safety measures they took made us feel like we could have a safe dining experience. Great cocktails, too.

WE love Pausa! Food is always amazing and the service is always great!

The food is always exceptional at Pausa! We had great service as well.

Great San Mateo spot, awesome food and energetic scene.

This is one of the best restaurants I’ve enjoyed in a long long time. Everything was interesting and flavorful. Love the menu itself - it’s a great read!

Pausa always delivers. Love this place.

Dinner date with my girlfriend celebrating her birthday. The experience was fabulous. The service from Emmanuel was second to none. The new items were absolutely mouth watering and delicious. Definitely would go again.

The service was wonderful and Dan was very accommodating. Loved the food and presentation. Will definitely return.

Your wait staff are attentive, friendly and knowledgeable. Your food is always beautifully placed and tasty. I have always felt welcome in your restaurant. I ordered panini only twice in my many visits to your restaurants, and found both times the bread was too dry for my taste. I look forward to my next visit.

Love this restaurant. The food is so Good and the service is friendly and professional. I always enjoy coming to Pausa

Lunch was wonderful. Great menu with plenty of choices. Excellent service. Highly recommend Pausa!

The food was great as always and the service was good.

This was a lovely experience. We went for a friends night out. It would also be an adorable place for a date. I’ll loved their salami pizza. Everything we had there tasted great. I’ll take my boyfriend back there next.

Food is always amazing!

Pausa has some of the best Italian food I’ve had in the US.

Great place to meet up with friends. We always love the salumi boards, and cocktails/meals were great too.

I had no expectations as I had never been here before, but now that Kingfish has permanently closed this is my new favorite in San Mateo. Very tasty food and the prime rib was perfectly rare. Can’t wait to go back.

I love this swanky fun euro classy vibe and delicious creations. Pizza will never be the same!

Food, atmosphere, and service were all phenomenal. Perfect for date nights and special occasions. Try the Butcher’s Board!!

underwhelming food, overwhelming price

Perfect service and the food was nothing short of fantastic. This is exactly like kind of place downtown San Mateo needed. I'll be back.

I love pausa

Excellent, as always. I really enjoy Pausa every time I'm in the SFO area. Great for catching up with friends or a business meal.

This is my third or fourth visit to Pausa. Food was stellar as usual; host staff greeted warmly and the ambiance was very nice, loved the music playlist and the light. However, one area that missed the mark was service. Our waiter acted as if every moment of his job was a drag and he was exasperated with doing...anything. There was little to no initiative to say hello, take our order, help provide any suggestions or even provide the items we requested. He was quick to try to remove items from the table when we were not finished. Again, it just felt like he wanted to get people out so he could finish his shift. And this was at the top of lunch - not 2:30pm in the afternoon! Pausa - you are better than this.

It was okay- nothing special. I just think they are trying too hard to be like Che Fico in SF, iTalico in PA, and all of the new trendy Italian restaurants that are trying to offer house made salumi, house made pasta and pizzas. Flour and Water and Che Fico are better.

Food is delicious and service is outstanding.. Love this place

The service & food here is always top notch. The menu changes seasonally & never disappoints. Wine, food & ambience is the perfect setting for a casual night out or special occasion. If you haven’t tried out this spot be sure to add it to your list of must have’s in San Mateo.

Butternut squash flan and CA bass were fabulous!
Our attentive and knowledgeable waiter Carlos delivered a sublime dining experience.
It was delicious cuisine.