Chinese Restaurants in San Mateo

“On a Tuesday night 7pm, there is still 15 minute wait. This place is popular. You order off a QR code and the system supports multi user ordering for the same table. The skewers are tasty. I wish the skewers are spicier so next time I will put in an extra request. You get a birthday gift bag if you show your ID on the day of your birthday!“

“Panda Express inside Hillsdale mall. Arrived around 11:20 am on a Friday.Got 2 meals. Pretty fast service. Generous portions. They were low on orange chicken. I was politely asked if I could wait 2 minutes for fresh. No problem. New dish seared steak and shrimp is really good.“

“Vegetable fried dumplings, soy sauce noodles, and green onion pancakes were all incredibly good. Staff was supremely helpful, kind, and personable. Highly recommend!“

“Town of Dumpling – San Mateo
I’ve lived in San Mateo my whole life and somehow never tried Town of Dumpling until now — no idea how I missed it, but I’m really glad I finally went. The food was seriously delicious. The soup dumplings especially were a standout — super flavorful, juicy, and perfectly done. You could tell everything was made fresh and with care.

Prices were totally fair too, which was a nice surprise given how high quality everything was. It’s just one of those spots that does great food without trying too hard to be “trendy.”

Definitely coming back. Can’t believe I slept on this place for so long.“

“Have you ever had Fujian cuisine before? Now you can at Taste of Shaxian in San Mateo! All of the dishes were very simple, but surprised us with a lot of flavor! Whether you're a fan of dumplings or not, this place has good ones and a bunch of other must-try dishes all priced very reasonably. For 2 people, we ordered just enough to be comfortably full.

* Shaxian Wonton Soup
* Soup Dumplings Combo
* Spicy Cold Noodles (highly recommend!)
* Braised Chicken (bone in) Clay Pot w/ Rice (highly recommend!)“

“Food is very fresh. You take a large bowl and fill it up with fresh ingredients. Take it to the counter to get it weighed, and then they cook it for you. Pick your soup base. Definitely a very good concept 👌. Love the fresh ingredients. Definitely a good place for lunch or dinner.“

“How I just LOVED this restaurant. Me and some family members went here after a boring fishing trip and it made my day! The rice was perfectly cooked, the dishes had large portions enough for the three of us, and the pot stickers were cooked to perfection. The service was great, it was fast and easy! I don't have much more to say about it! The atmosphere had that wonderful Chinese restaurant feel to it with wonderful smells wafting through the air along with the friendly waiters always making you smile.“

“Food came out hot and fast. Enjoyed the pick 4 item meal. Cantonese Chicken, ribs, green beans and shrimp were great

The two people working there were so efficient!

Kids enjoyed the cute animal videos playing. Very family and group friendly“

“Food was delicious 😋 I gave it a 2 because my Kung po chicken was in much needed of more chicken. All I could taste was chestnuts, zucchini, bell peppers and sauce. Flavor was there tho... I'll still be a regular here, best chinese spot.“

“The food are fresh and amazing!! My wife from Taiwan loves it. She finally found a Chinese restaurant in the US that impressed her. The taste and quality are that of premium more expensive restaurants. Props to the cook. We couldn't wait to eat it while charging our vehicle nearby.“

“look for the 3 item specials but also the cho chow mein, Mongolian beef and beef noodle soup are all really good. fast service and friendly.“

“quite good and competitive price. Missing Taiwan a lot!!“

“All the food we ordered was so good. The variety menu was kind of impressive, and we loved that 😉 it's not Japanese but more Chinese. Order can made my own devices which is easy!

My understanding is that they are not accepting reservations, but I found a waiting machine when you arrived. It's better to get earlier to check on your waiting list if you want to secure your table. No outside tables for dogs too.
The place was already very crowded - about to be full at 6pm on Friday night.
The customer service level was very good, and the staff was friendly and nice.

I agree that some other people said the food was too salty, and it was indeed too salty. I hope they can put more spices on the table and customize it themselves.
I love the dessert there! They do cook and serve very fresh 😉“

“Superb Shanghainese cuisine with modern twist. For instance, chilled cucumber with chili oil. Tang Yuan in micro size. All very good, reasonable portions, and not salty or greasy. Went there for dinner on Wed and returned for lunch the next day!“

“I've been coming here for almost twenty years and they never disappoint. The staff are super friendly and the food is delicious. It's a relatively unknown little place, but by far my favorite in San Mateo. I recommend anything on their menu, but I personally LOVE their chow mein and sizzling rice soup.“

“Great food, the people are very nice!“

“Chef Zhao stands out for serving one of the most delicious and truly traditional Kung Pao chicken dishes around—perfectly balanced with spice, sweetness, and that signature wok aroma that many other places miss. 🐔🌶️ The soft tofu and crab meat is also a highlight, with a smooth, delicate texture and rich seafood flavor that’s both unique and satisfying. 🦀🍳 A must-try for fans of authentic Chinese flavors! 😋🥢

Plenty of free street parking behind the restaurant.“

“They only take cash which is a personal grievance of mine but the food definitely makes it worth it. Their beef curry particularly

Parking: Shared lot with the seven eleven that has a good number of spots especially since there usually won't be too many people in the restaurant“

“Delicious and comforting noodle soup. If you don't know what to order, get the original soup. If you come during lunch, the lunch special is a good deal. It's exactly the same, but cheaper and it comes with a side. Some places will have smaller portions for their lunch deals, but this place does not. We ordered a soup separately to test and it turned out I could have saved three bucks and got a free side.“

“We had six people and ordered 8 dishes. It was so scrumptious that I forgot to photograph after the first dish. We had Chilli beef, Sea Bass tofu soup, braised pork feet, Yun-nan Noodles, baked fish, stir fry lettuce hearts, stir fry Chinese squash, and wild mushrooms clay pot rice. Perfect combination of meat and veggies.“

“太棒了，肉品沒吃多少，倒是吃了好幾磅的櫻桃🍒“

“One of our favorite places for the last 17 years, small family owned and operated, the salt and pepper wings and great, the won ton soup, the cream cheese won tons, and the fried banana with whatever ice cream they have are some of my family favorites....“

“Food is super fast, just like Hong Kong. The Portuguese fish baked rice is really good. They call it Lisbon fish rice here. We also ordered ox tongue spaghetti, the sauce is just okay, it was supposed to be tomato sauce but it was more like a gravy. I've had better of this one.

If you're craving Hong Kong food, this is a decent choice. There aren't that many on the peninsula.

The service is so fast that they were literally taking the plate out from under me while I was still trying to finish the last bite. At least they didn't pull the spoon out of my hand 😂“

“Having enjoyed their dishes many times for months, It’s beyond “Very Satisfying”! Excellent, delicious food! Quality well maintained although it is a hard time under C-19. Hygiene suggestions n requests well followed! Thanks 🙏 Customer Service outstanding! Highly recommended 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍“

“Usually they are fairly on top of things, but this restaurant has always had something good. It seemed rushed packaging of our food & yep, 1 of the top lids wasn't snapped down properly. & sauce was pooling at bottom of bag.

Parking: Restaurant is on El Camino. But it's a really sharp right. & an immediate sharp Rt to free parking Behind building. Or of u luck out & get parking!

Dietary restrictions: Just let them know. So far they've been very accommodating. They'll do it; just ask!“

“food place for family and hang out“

“Classic Chinese hot pot restaurant, located in the heart of downtown San Mateo. Wide selection of thinly sliced meats, fresh veggies, seafood, noodles, and soup bases to choose from. The AYCE is a very good deal for large parties, especially if you have hungry teenagers to feed. Friendly and efficient staff. Plenty of street parking and several nearby parking lots.“

“Great food!! Lots of options for vegetarians. Staff is so friendly and helpful. Favorite Chinese restaurant in foster city. They even have a section for take out. The food is served in take out containers which is a win for me as they fill it up and it’s easy for leftovers. You must try if you are in the mood for good Chinese food!!“

“A momo-centric review. We tried three of their chicken momos - Steamed, Jhol, and Chilli. The momos are delicious and generously filled for the stuffing. Tad bit expensive when compared to Everest Momo.

Outdoor seating is awesome for your four legged friend. Will come back again.“

“Cute little shop, super decorated with murals with HK streets vibes. Super long, authentic Chinese menu for both dessert and street eats like noodles and rice platters. Also has basic american dessert like cheesecake. Got their grass jelly fruit bowl, a bit small for 2 to share but the others like banana split or sweet crepe is a lot.

Kid-friendliness: Dessert“

“We met friends and 6 of us shared family style meal. My favorites were fried rice with salted fish and chicken, Buddha's delight and combination chow mein. The other items were fine but I like more sauce to noodles especially chow fun. Service was nice and efficient. The pork belly took a while to cook, I think I like a thinner cut but that is my preference. It was flavorful and had nice texture.“

“Wanted to try something new and checked out this restaurant for northern Chinese cuisine. We got the scallion pancake with beef, jianbing with fried dough, and mayonnaise shrimp. The scallion pancake with beef was really good with the sauce and the cucumbers, the mayo shrimp had too much flour but the pieces of shrimp were very large, the jianbing was good but the fried dough was so large that it filled us up fast. The staff was super nice, the portions were very big but the flavors could be better.“

“Great little dessert shop with a good mix and variety of desserts. We’ve gotten both the custom hand made ice cream bowls as well as the snowflake with ice cream. We’ve gotten both highly recommend the snowflake bowl with mango ice cream and fruit. We added grass jelly as well. Orders and payment are through three machines by the front door. Pretty easy though the choices are a bit overwhelming!! Highly recommended.“