37 Best Chinese Restaurants in San Mateo

“Giving 5 stars for their free drink.

ordered the duck and mushroom soup, pan fried buns, and their combo D which included wonton soup and noodles with peanut sauce

duck and mushroom soup was the worst thing we ordered. $10 for a tiny pot the height of a toilet paper roll, but narrower and with thick walls. would recommend to those who like stringy and still half dried mushrooms.

the pan fried buns were good, though they were on the oilier side. very fragrant, and tasted delicious with their vinegar.

the wonton soup was the best out of everything ordered and tasted quite delicious, but the wontons themselves were low quality—they were small, which is fine, but the filling tasted like fish balls and not actual meat.

the noodles were a bit disappointing. they were soggy and the sauce was probably something you could make at home with peanut butter, soy sauce, and sesame oil. their menu says that the pictures are for reference only, and that's very true. the noodles looked completely different from the picture on their menu, whether it was portion size, color, or even noodle shape.

they had complimentary side dishes and the spicy tofu skin was great. nobody told us they were available, though, and we found out when we were going to use the restroom.

true rating is overall 3 stars, not great or incredibly authentic, but also not the worst“

“Omg this might be the best chinese skewer place in the Bay. The flavor is amazing and the decor is so on point too. I love the veggie skewer options they have (must get a-choy and chives) and the meat skewers are tender too. I really wished they had a fried rice addition since that would go so well with the skewers.

I would recommend you join the waitlist before coming in person since it’s usually really busy. I would come back here many times!!“

“After my friend took me here, I came back the very next day and bring my other friends. It's a hidden authentic chinese restaurant. Food is very good. Price is very fair or even on the cheaper side. Dish portion is big.. The parking is a little bit not easy during busy hours. Only one lady serves the tables. She was quite busy.
Very happy knowing this place and will be back.“

“Mala Town was absolutely amazing. The selection felt incredibly authentic—just like the mala tang I’ve had in China—and it honestly brought me back home. The service was outstanding, and the staff created such a warm, friendly atmosphere. I ordered the signature bone broth, and it was savory, rich, and full of flavor. I would highly recommend this spot to anyone craving a true mala tang experience.“

“We enjoyed the green peppercorn fish. It was pretty sour. If you order large they let you pick four additional side items like tofu, cabbage, mushrooms, or noodles. I wouldn't recommend that you get the barbecue as the barbecue meat didn't look the same as in the photos. I think Tai-Er, which is down the street, is better quality but this is a good place for a quick bite.“

“Has been the dumpling spot for us going on two years now. We come here about one a month-ish but LOVE this place. One time my boyfriend and I ate 50 soup dumplings between the two of us. It was amazing.
Another time, we were coming back from half Moon Bay and decided to give the frozen dumplings a try. The guy who’s always there (don’t know his name sorry!) gave us directions on how to do it and even gave us some paper to line the pan with so they wouldn’t stick. We super enjoyed them at home! On our visit to go pick up the frozen dumplings, we met a man there who says that he’s from Napa and stops by whenever he’s in the area. (Wow!)

Our faves are: Pork Soup dumplings, Pork chive, and Chicken Corn dumplings 🥟
Thank you for all the yummy dumplings!
-Nina & Camden“

“They're serving up some extremely solid & completely delicious Lunch Specials at this homey Chinese Bistro in No. San Mateo. They kick things with a superb Hot & Sour Soup that's chock of mushrooms, tofu, bamboo shoots, etc. I had their Mongolian Beef w/ fried rice; a gigantic platter of extremely delicious and tender beef in a knock-out sauce with plenty of onions & scallions. Service is outstanding; welcoming, efficient and super friendly. This place is a keeper !! Bravo HWB !!“

“Absolutely loved this place! The food is outstanding — fresh, flavorful, and clearly made with care. The restaurant is spotless, and the ambiance is just perfect: calm, comfortable, and really inviting. It's the kind of spot where you can actually relax and enjoy a meal without the noise and chaos you find elsewhere.
What really sets it apart is the ordering experience — you order right from your phone, which is both seamless and genuinely fun. It feels modern without being gimmicky. Highly recommend to anyone looking for great food in a clean, peaceful setting. Will definitely be back!“

“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.“

“A family run Hunan spot tucked by the Crystal Springs center, cooking the regional menu rather than the Americanized one. The Mongolian chicken and the curry beef are the orders, both under fifteen dollars. Note the hours, closed Saturdays and Sunday evenings only. Thank you for keeping the home style going. Five stars.“

“This is a good old Cantonese place. It has been my family go to back in the days. Now a day, they don't have that much business. We do stop by ever so often to get our OG food fixes in. Some of their servers is a bit rude, but don't mind them. This is just how they work.“

“Came here for dinner and ordered the special for two. We were seated right away, which is always a great start. The service stood out—our hostess was incredibly friendly and attentive, checking in on us throughout the meal.

Food came out quickly. The soup wasn’t quite my personal style, but the entrees more than made up for it—everything tasted fresh, well-cooked, and flavorful, and the meat was especially tender.

Overall, a really pleasant experience with warm service and solid dishes. Would definitely come back!“

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

“I absolutely love Ping’s Bistro! I’ve been to a lot of Chinese restaurants, and this place has some of the best dishes I’ve ever had. The cauliflower is incredibly flavorful and perfectly cooked—it has the perfect balance of crispiness and seasoning. My favorite dish, though, is the mushroom and ham. It is honestly the best I’ve ever had in my life. The flavors are rich, comforting, and cooked to perfection.

The food tastes fresh, the portions are generous, and every dish we’ve tried has been consistently delicious. The staff is also friendly and welcoming, making the whole dining experience even better. If you’re looking for authentic, high-quality Chinese food, I highly recommend giving Ping’s Bistro a try. I’ll definitely be coming back again and again!“

“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 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍“

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

“Shanghainese cooking on East 3rd in San Mateo, small and family run. The pan fried pork buns are the order, and the spicy wontons and the dan dan noodles back them up. The chilled cucumber with chili oil is a good starter while you wait. Split hours, lunch until three then dinner from five, and closed Tuesdays. No alcohol. Thank you for the cooking. Five stars.“

“太棒了，肉品沒吃多少，倒是吃了好幾磅的櫻桃🍒“

“Wow this might have been the most affordable hot pot place of all time. Big selection of meats and veggies, but the sauce station is lacking my favorite condiments which lowkey threw off my bowl but that’s just personal preference.“

“Bao Express is such a great addition to Park Place in San Mateo. The food tastes fresh, flavorful, and surprisingly authentic for a quick-service spot. I especially liked the dim sum options and how easy it was to try a variety of items without spending too much.

The ordering process is simple and efficient, and the food came out quickly while still tasting freshly made. The dim sum boxes are a really nice idea if you want a little bit of everything. The mapo tofu, mongolian beef, salt & pepper pork chop, and dumplings were standout dishes for me.

The restaurant itself is casual and clean, making it perfect for a quick lunch, takeout dinner, or satisfying a dim sum craving without driving far. Definitely worth checking out if you’re in the San Mateo area.“

“I ordered take out from the website but the restaurant didn’t get the order. They were able to make to food with 20 minutes. The food was pretty good. The salty fish chicken fried rice was good quality. Portion is just right. The restaurant was quite empty, I think they need to do more promotions to attract new customers. I would definitely order takeout from them again and hope the quality will stay consistent.“

“food place for family and hang out“

“Great little post-airport find!

Our friends picked this place and we dropped in for a late night quick bite after their long flight, and it turned out to be a really good choice.

The Brussels sprouts were tasty, though a little heavy on the fried onions.

We had a small mix-up on our side with the Manchurian and realized it was chicken, not gobi. No fault of the restaurant!

My favorite was the pan-fried paneer momos—really good. Our friends enjoyed the chicken momos, and we also tried the black salt soda, with the black salt on the side first just to experiment ;)

Small, cozy place, friendly service, and perfect for a quick bite after an airport pickup. Would definitely come back!“

“We got the classic AYCE and went two rounds. Technically three, but we only ordered dessert on the third round. Our server, Stanley, patiently explained the ordering process as it was our first time there. Another server, Fish, checked in on us multiple times. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. I saw employees talking to several customers as if they were regulars. We will definitely be back.“

“Great food, the people are very nice!“

“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“

“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....“

“Ordered DoorDash . The beef soup was good . Lots of mushrooms and beef . Basil spicy chicken was also great and tasty . Pork work string beans was good . Quantity is also good and pricing is comparably cheaper to other places . We ate it few times . Overall great - will order again .“

“Been wanting to try this Sichuan restaurant off of El Camino Real in San Mateo. Tried the beef noodle soup and some stir-fried dishes, and the flavors were authentic and tasty. Only complaint is there was too much noodles in the beef noodle soup. Good place for a quiet lunch. Fast and efficient service. Might be difficult to find parking on the busy El Camino Real, so look for spots on the nearby side roads.“

“Fresh mango, strawberry and other real fruit in their desserts.

They make their own herbal grass jelly. It's so much better than what comes out of a can. Great dessert shop. They have shaved ice dessert with mochi, hot black sesame, and red bean desserts too

The fried mochi balls are so good and waffles too“

“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 😂“

“Great place for Cantonese style desserts later at night. Good selection of hot and cold sweets. Egg waffle a little expensive but flavor is great (not too sweet) and has good texture. Would recommend the Super Mango (mango ice cream, mango slush, and mango bits). Would give it more stars except entrees are pricey imo considering the comfort style/snack style foods.“

“I had eaten at this Peking-style cuisine before when I was in the Bay Area, and this time I came back after they had moved to a bigger location. The owner is quite young, but you can tell he really cares about the food and the customers. He was very patient and explained the dishes to us in detail.

What impressed me most is that the food feels very authentic. The owner told us that his father started cooking at a very young age in China, and many of the dishes here are based on his father’s long-time recipes and experience. You can really taste that kind of traditional Beijing flavor.

Their smoked chicken is definitely one of the signature dishes. It is not something you can easily find at many other restaurants, and it was very well done, flavorful but not too salty. The owner said they specially source smaller young chickens from a farm for this dish, and it is a recipe his father has been making for many years. I highly recommend trying it.

The pork trotters were also excellent — fresh, tender, and not overly salty. The lamb dishes and other Beijing-style dishes were very solid as well. Overall, I feel like this is the kind of place where it is hard to order wrong if you like authentic northern Chinese or Beijing food.

The location is not super obvious from the outside, but they have parking in the lot, so that makes things much easier. It also feels like many customers are regulars who already know this place.“

“I was hesitant to try because of the reviews, but it’s actually so good! I will be coming back. If you like soup, the original pork bone soup is amazing! The golden hot and sour soup makes the ingredients delicious but the soup itself is not really for eating directly. The restaurant interior is bright and clean, but nothing fancy. Be expected to seat yourself and order through the QR code on your table. Honestly really good for a casual weekday meal“

“My favorite style of food growing up is Hong Kong cafe style, so to have Inshou close to home is a treat! A regular order is the baked spaghetti bolognese and brick toast (with condensed milk and peanut butter). Topping it off with a HK milk tea makes it perfect! The staff are super friendly and they remember us, and we’ve hardly ever had to wait for a table. Service is fast as well.“

“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!!“

“Fresh authentic Cantonese food. Always come back to here when we crave BBQ pork, porridge, traditional Cantonese rice dishes. Affordable, but that would mean service would take some time. I would call at least 45 minutes in advance to order takeout because it can get busy sometimes. They have fresh fish on the menu even, and weekday specials like pineapple buns.
Great spot for gluten free and dairy free options with all the porridge and rice dishes.“