A classic Belmont establishment. This place was the first recommendation given to me. I've celebrated birthdays here with my dearest friends and took my closest family to this wonderful restaurant. You will be missed.
Ray L.
I've been here a while back before quarantine, and I don't remember what I got, but I remember the service being good. This time, I got the beef noodle soup and the spicy pork ear. The noodle soup was very flavorful. I was quite satisfied with the portion size and the meat/veggie to noodle ratio. Spinach really adds to it.There is outdoor seating, wasn't too busy when I was there on Saturday for lunch. They also take cash and Venmo.
Natalie L.
Solid Taiwanese food. Whenever the Taiwanese in laws are in the neighborhood we bring them here. I was devastated they were closed for a period of time when Covid first hit, but thrilled to know they are doing take out.My husband always wants Canbowan and they didn't fail with their takeout. I love their cucumber salad, sour cabbage with marble beef and their beef noodle soup.
Suzi Z.
Really yummy! Visiting family in San Mateo, and so far very impressed with the food in this area. The fried rice was delicious and the pork belly and rice bowl was very flavorful. The pig ear was good but I prefer when it is kind of crunchy and sliced thicker. This one is really soft all the way through. But that's just personally preference. Very cool to see Cambodian cuisine. All in all a very satisfying meal.
Derek L.
It's difficult to find authentic Taiwanese food in the Bay Area as the Taiwanese first gen immigrants are retiring and no one is continuing the business. We're seeing a lot of influx of mainland Chinese in the Bay Area and subsequently growth in the number of restaurants catering to their palates. So, when I saw a highly reviewed Taiwanese restaurant in the Peninsula, it was worth a try.The restaurant is inside a former inn or motel of sorts. Inside, they've decorated it tastefully with midcentury modern dining chairs and nice splashes of red color. The restaurant actually is named CamboWan because it serves Cambodian and Taiwanese food. I didn't opt for any Cambodian dishes because as someone who's culturally Taiwanese, I wanted to just test the restaurant out with some classic dishes. The spread was a pork chop rice and some fried stinky tofu. Tofu was large in quantity but mild for my tastes. The pork chop rice was okay, a little salty and the fried pork chop was a bit oily for my taste. Overall, I think it's decent, but not special. I'd like to try some of the Cambodian dishes the next time I'm here. Also the hallways have some funny signs that Chinese readers can understand. The cartoon drawings on the signs are also delightful.
Kimberly C.
Amazing kid staff and really good food! Their special cambowan spicy fish is amazing, the spicy tofu, mapo tofu, basil eggplant tofu and my sister loves the beef noodle soup.
Naomi Hsu
Their Taiwanese Style Beef Noodle Soup and Garlic A-Choy are absolute perfection and make me return again and again.
Wendy H.
I was craving Taiwanese food around San Mateo, and when I searched up places on yelp, this restaurant popped up! There was plenty of parking when I arrived, but the actual restaurant is tucked in the front of the street and kind of hidden so it took me a few minutes to find it since there were quite a few stores close to the parking lot. The interior was really cozy, and I immediately chose the pork belly rice bowl because I saw good reviews, and I was especially craving this dish since I came back from Taiwan a few months ago. As expected, the pork belly was really chewy and soft, and there was ample sauce that covered the rice. They give you a good amount of food for the price, at the end of the meal I was really full. Next time I want to try the beef noodle soup which is one of my other favorite Taiwanese dishes.
Orpha Chang
All the dishes tended to taste the same. They use spicy oil on the dishes I ordered and overpowered any other flavor that might have been in the dish.
Laurie W.
came here for a group lunch and was seated in a semi private space. Service was pretty on point and we had time to look over the menu before our server came back. She was kind enough to let us alter some of the menu items (i really wanted the beef noodle soup but i love glass noodles, Im sure she thought i was weird) i ordered Beef noodles soup Pig's Ear The pigs ears was surprisingly really good to me, theres flavors and its chewy with a crunch. Sliced thin so you're not chewing forever BUT it was a bit long for my liking. It is extremely garlicky which i really really liked. Its a pretty decent size portion too, we had 4 people total annd didnt finish it all The beef noodle soup is a bit sweet inn the soup, not super beefy broth but mild? It is also a big helpinng of a bowl so share you if you must. The glass noodles were totally not the norm but it was so good, soakign up the flavor of the soup. Yummm.... the beef i thought was okay, not bad, but not buttery soft either Will definitely come back!
Disappointing dinner last night. Food was lukewarm, some dishes were missing, plates were not clean, and things were brusquely dropped at the table. Maybe try the bowling alley instead, I heard that place is a ball.
Stacey T.
Let me start off by saying I LOVE GLASS NOODLES and they make one of the best ones here!!! Came here for lunch over the weekend with some friends, got here right when they opened so we didn't have to wait as the line did get pretty long when we left. It was also a cool thing that they have a small parking lot as you pull into the restaurant so you didn't have to just look for parking on the main street or outside where the plaza was. Once you walk inside, the space is a tad different from your usual Asian restaurant, it looked a little like a living space with small little breakout rooms all around. We were seated in a room where there was only two tables inside (which was fine for us as it felt like it was a semi private room), totally cool but also will need to get-up to wave the wait staff down if you needed anything. We ordered the Fried Fish Cake, Spicy Pig Ears, Taiwanese Style Beef Noodle Soup, Spicy Pig Feet Dry Noodle and Pub Street Noodle. Both the beef noodles and pub street noodles were replaced with glass noodles, and the two different style came out pretty damn good (even though one's in soup and one's in stir fry). The pig ears were spicy with a lot of garlic, it was crunchy and chewy, it was great. The fish cake was a bit oily, we had to blot some of the excess oils out, probably will pass next time we come. Definitely a place I would come back for, the portion was big and the price was decent. Flavors were great and service was also friendly.
Alex Chu
Solid Cambodian/Taiwanese food option. I'm a big fan of their Mapo tofu and their bean curd and shredded pork (with a little spice added to it).
Tasha H.
This place looks like a converted residence, with dining areas split into a few room. They have good service and a big menu of lots of typical Asian options. We enjoyed the dishes that we tried. Pub street noodles are basic, but good texture. Eggplant is super flavorful - definitely need rice to eat with this. Portions are definitely for sharing. We will be back to try more!
Mandi W
I've wanted to try this place for awhile now, and while they're less than a mile away from me, I really don't know why I haven't come sooner...
A classic Belmont establishment. This place was the first recommendation given to me. I've celebrated birthdays here with my dearest friends and took my closest family to this wonderful restaurant. You will be missed.
I've been here a while back before quarantine, and I don't remember what I got, but I remember the service being good. This time, I got the beef noodle soup and the spicy pork ear. The noodle soup was very flavorful. I was quite satisfied with the portion size and the meat/veggie to noodle ratio. Spinach really adds to it.There is outdoor seating, wasn't too busy when I was there on Saturday for lunch. They also take cash and Venmo.
Solid Taiwanese food. Whenever the Taiwanese in laws are in the neighborhood we bring them here. I was devastated they were closed for a period of time when Covid first hit, but thrilled to know they are doing take out.My husband always wants Canbowan and they didn't fail with their takeout. I love their cucumber salad, sour cabbage with marble beef and their beef noodle soup.
Really yummy! Visiting family in San Mateo, and so far very impressed with the food in this area. The fried rice was delicious and the pork belly and rice bowl was very flavorful. The pig ear was good but I prefer when it is kind of crunchy and sliced thicker. This one is really soft all the way through. But that's just personally preference. Very cool to see Cambodian cuisine. All in all a very satisfying meal.
It's difficult to find authentic Taiwanese food in the Bay Area as the Taiwanese first gen immigrants are retiring and no one is continuing the business. We're seeing a lot of influx of mainland Chinese in the Bay Area and subsequently growth in the number of restaurants catering to their palates. So, when I saw a highly reviewed Taiwanese restaurant in the Peninsula, it was worth a try.The restaurant is inside a former inn or motel of sorts. Inside, they've decorated it tastefully with midcentury modern dining chairs and nice splashes of red color. The restaurant actually is named CamboWan because it serves Cambodian and Taiwanese food. I didn't opt for any Cambodian dishes because as someone who's culturally Taiwanese, I wanted to just test the restaurant out with some classic dishes. The spread was a pork chop rice and some fried stinky tofu. Tofu was large in quantity but mild for my tastes. The pork chop rice was okay, a little salty and the fried pork chop was a bit oily for my taste. Overall, I think it's decent, but not special. I'd like to try some of the Cambodian dishes the next time I'm here. Also the hallways have some funny signs that Chinese readers can understand. The cartoon drawings on the signs are also delightful.
Amazing kid staff and really good food! Their special cambowan spicy fish is amazing, the spicy tofu, mapo tofu, basil eggplant tofu and my sister loves the beef noodle soup.
Their Taiwanese Style Beef Noodle Soup and Garlic A-Choy are absolute perfection and make me return again and again.
I was craving Taiwanese food around San Mateo, and when I searched up places on yelp, this restaurant popped up! There was plenty of parking when I arrived, but the actual restaurant is tucked in the front of the street and kind of hidden so it took me a few minutes to find it since there were quite a few stores close to the parking lot. The interior was really cozy, and I immediately chose the pork belly rice bowl because I saw good reviews, and I was especially craving this dish since I came back from Taiwan a few months ago. As expected, the pork belly was really chewy and soft, and there was ample sauce that covered the rice. They give you a good amount of food for the price, at the end of the meal I was really full. Next time I want to try the beef noodle soup which is one of my other favorite Taiwanese dishes.
All the dishes tended to taste the same. They use spicy oil on the dishes I ordered and overpowered any other flavor that might have been in the dish.
came here for a group lunch and was seated in a semi private space. Service was pretty on point and we had time to look over the menu before our server came back. She was kind enough to let us alter some of the menu items (i really wanted the beef noodle soup but i love glass noodles, Im sure she thought i was weird) i ordered Beef noodles soup Pig's Ear The pigs ears was surprisingly really good to me, theres flavors and its chewy with a crunch. Sliced thin so you're not chewing forever BUT it was a bit long for my liking. It is extremely garlicky which i really really liked. Its a pretty decent size portion too, we had 4 people total annd didnt finish it all The beef noodle soup is a bit sweet inn the soup, not super beefy broth but mild? It is also a big helpinng of a bowl so share you if you must. The glass noodles were totally not the norm but it was so good, soakign up the flavor of the soup. Yummm.... the beef i thought was okay, not bad, but not buttery soft either Will definitely come back!
Restaurantji Recommends
Disappointing dinner last night. Food was lukewarm, some dishes were missing, plates were not clean, and things were brusquely dropped at the table. Maybe try the bowling alley instead, I heard that place is a ball.
Let me start off by saying I LOVE GLASS NOODLES and they make one of the best ones here!!! Came here for lunch over the weekend with some friends, got here right when they opened so we didn't have to wait as the line did get pretty long when we left. It was also a cool thing that they have a small parking lot as you pull into the restaurant so you didn't have to just look for parking on the main street or outside where the plaza was. Once you walk inside, the space is a tad different from your usual Asian restaurant, it looked a little like a living space with small little breakout rooms all around. We were seated in a room where there was only two tables inside (which was fine for us as it felt like it was a semi private room), totally cool but also will need to get-up to wave the wait staff down if you needed anything. We ordered the Fried Fish Cake, Spicy Pig Ears, Taiwanese Style Beef Noodle Soup, Spicy Pig Feet Dry Noodle and Pub Street Noodle. Both the beef noodles and pub street noodles were replaced with glass noodles, and the two different style came out pretty damn good (even though one's in soup and one's in stir fry). The pig ears were spicy with a lot of garlic, it was crunchy and chewy, it was great. The fish cake was a bit oily, we had to blot some of the excess oils out, probably will pass next time we come. Definitely a place I would come back for, the portion was big and the price was decent. Flavors were great and service was also friendly.
Solid Cambodian/Taiwanese food option. I'm a big fan of their Mapo tofu and their bean curd and shredded pork (with a little spice added to it).
This place looks like a converted residence, with dining areas split into a few room. They have good service and a big menu of lots of typical Asian options. We enjoyed the dishes that we tried. Pub street noodles are basic, but good texture. Eggplant is super flavorful - definitely need rice to eat with this. Portions are definitely for sharing. We will be back to try more!
I've wanted to try this place for awhile now, and while they're less than a mile away from me, I really don't know why I haven't come sooner...