Enable JavaScript to run this app.
Skip to main content
OpenTable logo
Pausa Bar & Cookery, San Mateo, CA
Award-winning

Pausa Bar & Cookery

4.7 (1936)
$31 to $50
Italian
223 E 4th Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401

Make a reservation

2 people
8:30 PM
Booked 39 times today

About this restaurant

  • Lively
  • Neighborhood gem
  • Hot spot
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.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Farm-to-table, Contemporary Italian
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner Mon–Thu 4:30 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–9:30 pm Sun 4:00 pm–8:30 pm
  • Phone number
    (650) 375-0818
  • Website
    http://www.pausasanmateo.com/
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Executive chef
    Andrea Giuliani
  • Private party facilities
    Bolle Room: Outfitted with elegant drapes and a skylight, the Bolle Room is a great destination for memorable events Chef's Table: Enjoy our Chef's Table with a front-row view of our open kitchen and dough room. Set in the heart of our restaurant, your dinner will be unlike any in recent memory.
  • Location
    223 E 4th Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401
  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2023
    2. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2022
  • Neighborhood
    San Mateo
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Entertainment
    Enjoy Pausa's full menu in our bar or dining room until midnight on Thursdays through Saturdays. Book a private dinner or cocktail reception in our 'Bolle Room' for late night parties.
  • Additional
    Banquet, Chef's Table, Corkage Fee, Delivery, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access

Featured in

Menu

Pausa Bar & Cookery's menu was last updated on 2/2/2022.

View menu on restaurant's website

What 1,936 people are saying

Pausa Bar & Cookery reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.5Ambience
  • 4.2Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

  • Peninsula

    Hot spot

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Pausa Bar & Cookery offers a vibrant dining experience with "amazing food" and "outstanding service." The atmosphere is upscale yet fun, making it ideal for groups. Guests rave about the "excellent" wagyu steak and housemade charcuterie. Despite occasional noise and mixed reviews on certain dishes, it remains a "favorite" for many.
1,936 Reviews

  1. Michelle

    San Francisco Bay Area3 reviews

    3.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    Good food but uneven wait times. Last night, we waited 45 minutes between a drink and our salad. A table of 6 after us and we only 2 had their food before us and finished and we barely got our pizza and seafood entree. Food good but wait time at 6pm feels unreasonable.

    Is this helpful?

  2. eli VIP

    New York City19 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The charcuterie was amazing. They cure all meats on the premises. The server was great about helping us choose our selections. The drinks were delicious although slightly expensive. We had a terrific meal.

    Is this helpful?

  3. Alby VIP

    San Francisco Bay Area8 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing service from our waiter Jason. Incredible food and wine experience - so much on the menu to explore. A real celebration of creativity and food that is extremely well done. Among the best I’ve had in the Bay

    Is this helpful?

  4. david

    San Francisco Bay Area1 review

    4.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    Order the wagyu steak- excellent. Pizza a little too soft for my palate this time , not sure what they changed but was better on my last visits Wine list is better now

    Is this helpful?

  5. Jasmine

    San Francisco Bay Area1 review

    3.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    The pistachio pizza was kind of a fail. It was really sweet, big hard chunks of carrot, and the pizza was really sweet overall and not necessarily in a tasty way either. The ingredients in the melon salad were incredibly fresh, but the dish itself was a disappointment. The sauce was like a lemon bar but the ingredients together didn't really have a cohesive theme. The pasta was the only main dish that was appetizing. We got the truffle gnocchi which was tasty, but relatively dry and did not have much sauce on it. The focaccia bread was delicious, but overall a disappointing experience for the foods we ordered.

    Is this helpful?

  6. seikyee VIP

    San Francisco Bay Area7 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 23, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Very impressed with the place. Food was exquisite. Service attention without being overbearing. We had the pork main course - beautiful presentation. Wish the dessert menu would have more fruit items. Definitely going back.

    Is this helpful?

  7. Rai VIP

    San Francisco Bay Area4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 17, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was amazing but service was outstanding. Tim took really good care of us, didn’t rush us, was very present and kind - exactly what I love to see in a waiter. Will definitely be back.

    Is this helpful?

  8. Ange

    New York City5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 15, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The food and cocktails are always amazing, it's a more upscale ambiance but still fun and great for groups.

    Is this helpful?

  9. Will VIP

    San Francisco Bay Area21 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on June 14, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Nice place in san mateo. Bartenders were very nice.. meatballs were still raw and the pizza needed to be cooked longer. Overall, it was good.

    Is this helpful?

  10. Tanantorn

    New York City1 review

    4.0

    Dined on June 10, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Too loud. I always have to yell when I dine here. Having the speakers in the booth seat makes I harder to talk. I don’t go here very often because of the poor acoustics. Music too loud instead of it being ambient/background noise. Hard to have a conversation unless you sit next to them on the same side of the table.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Pausa Bar & Cookery offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (650) 375-0818.

Pausa Bar & Cookery is rated 4.7 stars by 1936 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. San Francisco Bay Area
  4. Peninsula
  5. San Mateo

Make a reservation

2 people
8:30 PM
Booked 39 times today
Google Map for Pausa Bar & Cookery

223 E 4th Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401

Additional information

  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2023
    2. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2022
  • Neighborhood
    San Mateo
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner Mon–Thu 4:30 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–9:30 pm Sun 4:00 pm–8:30 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Farm-to-table, Contemporary Italian
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Andrea Giuliani
  • Entertainment
    Enjoy Pausa's full menu in our bar or dining room until midnight on Thursdays through Saturdays. Book a private dinner or cocktail reception in our 'Bolle Room' for late night parties.
  • Additional
    Banquet, Chef's Table, Corkage Fee, Delivery, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access
  • Website
    http://www.pausasanmateo.com/
  • Phone number
    (650) 375-0818
  • Private party facilities
    Bolle Room: Outfitted with elegant drapes and a skylight, the Bolle Room is a great destination for memorable events Chef's Table: Enjoy our Chef's Table with a front-row view of our open kitchen and dough room. Set in the heart of our restaurant, your dinner will be unlike any in recent memory.

Featured in

Discover
OpenTable
  • About Us
  • Blog
  • Careers
  • Press
More
Our sites
Businesses
  • Restaurant Management Solutions
  • Restaurant Reservation Software
  • Restaurant Marketing Software
  • Restaurant Event Software
  • OpenTable For Restaurants
  • OpenTable For Restaurant Groups
  • Restaurant Resources
  • OpenTable Pricing & Plans
Join us on
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Cookie Preferences
Copyright © 2025 OpenTable, Inc. 1 Montgomery St Ste 500, San Francisco CA 94104 - All rights reserved.
OpenTable is part of Booking Holdings, the world leader in online travel and related services.
Booking Logo
Priceline Logo
KAYAK Logo
Agoda Logo
OpenTable Logo