Wanted Pho kinda late, 9pm, and when looking around this place was open late. Stopped by, as expected seated right away as only a few people in the restaurant at that time. Waitress was great, right away brought a cup of water with extra bottle table side for refills. Already knew I wanted pho, but still looked at the menu, everything looked good, if i didn't have my heart set on Pho already would of been a hard decision to make. Ordered the Beef Pho, braised oxtail broth was delicious with shredded oxtail throughout the broth. Came with the typical, bean sprouts, lime wedge, jalapeno slices and fresh basil. Added some of everything. Didn't get a picture when my food first came out as I forgot and was hungry, but remembered when 2/3 through. Can't wait to be back in the area to try some of the other menu items. Would recommend if your looking for some food Asian fusion food.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lily Huang
So delicious. The restaurant is very cozy and nice. The owner was so kind to us even though there was a bit of a wait. We ordered the kra pao with beef, beef pho, and tom yum soup. All three were very delicious, full of flavor but different. It was also my friend’s birthday and we didn’t tell them but I guess they overheard and surprised us with a candle. So sweet!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alex Kwok
This is a very mom-and-pop place off of downtown San Mateo. Parking is pretty easy there, but there's always the 2nd and El Camino Parking Garage diagonal from the restaurant. We showed up at around 2:30pm on Saturday, worried that they wouldn't take us. However, they graciously let us sit down if we were finished by 3:00pm (closing time for lunch), which we were fine with.
We got the Chicken Rice ($18) and the seasonal Cold Sesame TanTan Pho ($23). The Chicken Rice was delicious, different than the normal Hainiese style we're used to, but the standout was the Cold Sesame TanTan Pho. The noodles were very springy and I loved the additional crunch of the garlic chips. I definitely would go back just for that dish alone (they will have it till roughly end of this month or early September).
The portions aren't massive, but it feels just right if you're not trying to overtly stuff yourself. The place itself was small, had a few tables and bar counter seating, just like you would find in Japan. It was very clean and the service was great. Would recommend.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Diego Castillo
Food portioned can be a tat small for the price. my braised beef plate was great, the green curry was a little too runny, and the chicken was dark meat that felt a little overcooked. Desserts, I believe they just ran out of energy to create something that will match their menu.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Dharma M
Very nice japanese, Thai and Vietnamese fusion restaurant. I have been planning to visit since it opened couple years a a go. It is small restaurant with table and counter top bar seating. The menu is simple and it changes frequently. Looks like lunch menu is different than dinner menu. You order at the front and pay first. We ordered Chicken rice, Thai fried chicken, and seafood Khao Yum lettuce wrap. All are yummy. I love the light taste of all of the dishes. Will visit again to try others dishes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Theo Walton
The food was mid to bad, we got a pho and a beef dish thing (the one that costs $42) and the beef was basically dry and had no flavor, like it was boiled in water
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Jeff Flowers
Great neighborhood gem! Can’t say enough about this place. Very laid back, great weight staff and the food is wonderful. Can’t miss!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Anisha Gartia
Great little place that we found by accident on the way back from SFO. Menu is diverse with thai and other asian items. I had the Vegan Kra Pao and Chili Cauliflower. The cauliflower was fantastic highly recommend it. Soft enough to remove rawness but well tossed with fantastic spices. Vegan kra pao tofu was good too. It could have used more vegetables. I was slightly disappointed in the limited vegetarian options. However the server was thoughtful and pointed to us that vegan kra pao comes with sea weed. Calming yet upbeat jazz music, clean and good find. Will definitely stop by here if we're in the area.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Ron Lui
Stopped in for dinner the other day. I have been wanting to try this for a while now, finally got the chance and it didn't disappoint. The place was about half full when we arrived, but not a big place. We sat at the bar cause we didn't have reservations. After looking over the menu and chef specials we ordered pho and I got the chef special beef stew with miso and Thai iced tea. The Thai tea was good and stronger than most places. Food came out fairly quick, everything looked good. My friend and sister got the wagyu pho which they both enjoyed. The beef stew was so tender and rich but it was delicious. Nice friendly staff and great service. I tried the pho and it was very good, they use a slightly thicker noodle that doesn't seem to get soggy. Hopefully be back soon to try some other dishes, that basil beef is calling my name.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chester Law
Authentic quality for Japanese fusion food. The food is delicious and complex, but not spicy, which would be good for people who would like to give Thai food a try, but worried about the spiciness.
I personally recommend the Thai fried chicken. The batter and the chicken are both well seasoned, and the chicken is juicy. Mostly because they used dark meat.
The other dish that I recommend would be the Tom Yum Noodle soup. It is tart and sour, minus the spicy. Even people who cannot eat spicy has not problem finishing it.
They seems to be very busy in lunch time, so recommend reserving a table or come in earlier.
It was busy, be seated only if whole party there. Service was great. Noodle was very good. Liked Soup too. It opens late so work for us. Will be back again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joyce Lam
This is a very nice, relaxing place for lunch. The Thai chicken appetizer was great. Chicken rice was good but the chicken was a lil dry. Tom yum noodles were great.
This place has a really nice ambience. Paired with the big drinks menu, I can see this as a nice place to hang out with friends.
Service was fantastic.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Angelica Le
Rating: 3.4/5 [dine in]
We had a party of six, and the staff catered to our table very well. The space is a bit small, but we didn't feel cramped and were seated at a table by the window and front door. Prices are steep, and the food took a while to come out. After trying a good portion of the menu, I wouldn't recommend Rin-Tei unless you're ordering very specific dishes.
Roast Beef Carpaccio ($28): House-made sous vide roast beef with red onion, cilantro, and green onion, served with chopped wasabi and citrus soy sauce. This was the only chef's special, so we ordered it for the table. Unfortunately, it looked much better than it tasted. The beef was dry and didn't soak up the citrus soy sauce.
Garlic Shrimp ($22): Crispy shrimp tossed in garlic butter. I usually don't like shrimp with shells, but I enjoyed this more than expected. It had great flavor and was a generous portion.
Thai Fried Chicken ($12): Garlic and fish sauce-marinated fried chicken. It looked and tasted like Japanese chicken karaage. The chunks were a good size, but the Thai flavors didn't really come through.
Japanese Style Roast Pork ($28): Sous vide roast pork served with tortilla chips, papaya, cucumber, and radish sprouts, alongside a sweet bean and honey sauce. The pork was even drier than the roast beef carpaccio and pretty bland. The sauce helped make it more bearable, but I couldn't eat more than one slice. The concept also didn't feel well thought out.
Rin-Tei Flight ($17): A tasting flight of IPPIN Junmai Daiginjo, Akaoni Wheat, and Uji Green Tea Umeshu plum wine. The first two were too strong for me, but the plum wine was sweet and divine.
Rin-Tei Hot Pot with Cod in Creamy Soy Milk-Citrus Soy Sauce ($30) + Rice Noodles ($3): Braised cod with white radish, bamboo shoots, cabbage, mushrooms, green onion, seaweed, ginger, cilantro, and yuzu citrus. My mom felt there wasn't much cod, so she didn't think it was worth the price. However, the portion of rice noodles was generous--enough for two people to share.
Tom Yum Noodles with Shrimp ($25): Rice noodles in a spicy & sour infused soup with Thai herbs, shrimps, sh balls, crushed almonds, shimeji mushrooms, & cilantro. I didn't get to try this, but my dad said it was good and filling.
Basil Tofu ($18): Crispy tofu wok-tossed with garlic, chili pepper, and basil in seasoned soy sauce, topped with crispy basil. The flavors and texture were nice, but not remarkable enough to justify the price. That said, it was one of the better dishes of the night.
Clay Pot Caramelized Cod ($28): Cod with onion, garlic, chili pepper, and rock sugar [winter limited edition]. The cod wasn't caramelized--it was sitting in a wet broth, with caramelized onions placed on top. The flavors were subtle rather than umami/rich, and the portion was small.
Creamy Soy Milk Pho with Mushroom & Chicken ($25): Rice noodles in a chicken broth-based soy milk, with mushrooms and chicken sautéed in butter and soy sauce [winter limited edition]. This was the dish I came for, and it ended up being the best of the night. The portion was large, the broth was delicious and creamy, and the ingredients came together beautifully.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Creamy Soy Milk Pho with Mushrooms and Chicken
Nataliia Haivoronska
Very clean, amazing service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alex Riley
Hidden gem
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Thai Fried Chicken, Croquette, Calamari, Creamy Soy Milk Pho with Mushrooms and Chicken, Octopus Carpaccio, Creamy Soy Milk Pho with Men Tai
Wanted Pho kinda late, 9pm, and when looking around this place was open late. Stopped by, as expected seated right away as only a few people in the restaurant at that time. Waitress was great, right away brought a cup of water with extra bottle table side for refills. Already knew I wanted pho, but still looked at the menu, everything looked good, if i didn't have my heart set on Pho already would of been a hard decision to make. Ordered the Beef Pho, braised oxtail broth was delicious with shredded oxtail throughout the broth. Came with the typical, bean sprouts, lime wedge, jalapeno slices and fresh basil. Added some of everything. Didn't get a picture when my food first came out as I forgot and was hungry, but remembered when 2/3 through. Can't wait to be back in the area to try some of the other menu items. Would recommend if your looking for some food Asian fusion food.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
So delicious. The restaurant is very cozy and nice. The owner was so kind to us even though there was a bit of a wait. We ordered the kra pao with beef, beef pho, and tom yum soup. All three were very delicious, full of flavor but different. It was also my friend’s birthday and we didn’t tell them but I guess they overheard and surprised us with a candle. So sweet!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is a very mom-and-pop place off of downtown San Mateo. Parking is pretty easy there, but there's always the 2nd and El Camino Parking Garage diagonal from the restaurant. We showed up at around 2:30pm on Saturday, worried that they wouldn't take us. However, they graciously let us sit down if we were finished by 3:00pm (closing time for lunch), which we were fine with.
We got the Chicken Rice ($18) and the seasonal Cold Sesame TanTan Pho ($23). The Chicken Rice was delicious, different than the normal Hainiese style we're used to, but the standout was the Cold Sesame TanTan Pho. The noodles were very springy and I loved the additional crunch of the garlic chips. I definitely would go back just for that dish alone (they will have it till roughly end of this month or early September).
The portions aren't massive, but it feels just right if you're not trying to overtly stuff yourself. The place itself was small, had a few tables and bar counter seating, just like you would find in Japan. It was very clean and the service was great. Would recommend.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food portioned can be a tat small for the price. my braised beef plate was great, the green curry was a little too runny, and the chicken was dark meat that felt a little overcooked. Desserts, I believe they just ran out of energy to create something that will match their menu.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Very nice japanese, Thai and Vietnamese fusion restaurant. I have been planning to visit since it opened couple years a a go. It is small restaurant with table and counter top bar seating. The menu is simple and it changes frequently. Looks like lunch menu is different than dinner menu. You order at the front and pay first.
We ordered Chicken rice, Thai fried chicken, and seafood Khao Yum lettuce wrap. All are yummy. I love the light taste of all of the dishes. Will visit again to try others dishes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
The food was mid to bad, we got a pho and a beef dish thing (the one that costs $42) and the beef was basically dry and had no flavor, like it was boiled in water
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Great neighborhood gem! Can’t say enough about this place. Very laid back, great weight staff and the food is wonderful. Can’t miss!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great little place that we found by accident on the way back from SFO.
Menu is diverse with thai and other asian items. I had the Vegan Kra Pao and Chili Cauliflower. The cauliflower was fantastic highly recommend it. Soft enough to remove rawness but well tossed with fantastic spices.
Vegan kra pao tofu was good too. It could have used more vegetables.
I was slightly disappointed in the limited vegetarian options. However the server was thoughtful and pointed to us that vegan kra pao comes with sea weed.
Calming yet upbeat jazz music, clean and good find. Will definitely stop by here if we're in the area.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Stopped in for dinner the other day. I have been wanting to try this for a while now, finally got the chance and it didn't disappoint. The place was about half full when we arrived, but not a big place. We sat at the bar cause we didn't have reservations. After looking over the menu and chef specials we ordered pho and I got the chef special beef stew with miso and Thai iced tea. The Thai tea was good and stronger than most places. Food came out fairly quick, everything looked good. My friend and sister got the wagyu pho which they both enjoyed. The beef stew was so tender and rich but it was delicious. Nice friendly staff and great service. I tried the pho and it was very good, they use a slightly thicker noodle that doesn't seem to get soggy. Hopefully be back soon to try some other dishes, that basil beef is calling my name.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Authentic quality for Japanese fusion food. The food is delicious and complex, but not spicy, which would be good for people who would like to give Thai food a try, but worried about the spiciness.
I personally recommend the Thai fried chicken. The batter and the chicken are both well seasoned, and the chicken is juicy. Mostly because they used dark meat.
The other dish that I recommend would be the Tom Yum Noodle soup. It is tart and sour, minus the spicy. Even people who cannot eat spicy has not problem finishing it.
They seems to be very busy in lunch time, so recommend reserving a table or come in earlier.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Thai Fried Chicken
Restaurantji Recommends
It was busy, be seated only if whole party there. Service was great. Noodle was very good. Liked Soup too. It opens late so work for us. Will be back again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is a very nice, relaxing place for lunch. The Thai chicken appetizer was great. Chicken rice was good but the chicken was a lil dry. Tom yum noodles were great.
This place has a really nice ambience. Paired with the big drinks menu, I can see this as a nice place to hang out with friends.
Service was fantastic.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Rating: 3.4/5 [dine in]
We had a party of six, and the staff catered to our table very well. The space is a bit small, but we didn't feel cramped and were seated at a table by the window and front door. Prices are steep, and the food took a while to come out. After trying a good portion of the menu, I wouldn't recommend Rin-Tei unless you're ordering very specific dishes.
Roast Beef Carpaccio ($28): House-made sous vide roast beef with red onion, cilantro, and green onion, served with chopped wasabi and citrus soy sauce. This was the only chef's special, so we ordered it for the table. Unfortunately, it looked much better than it tasted. The beef was dry and didn't soak up the citrus soy sauce.
Garlic Shrimp ($22): Crispy shrimp tossed in garlic butter. I usually don't like shrimp with shells, but I enjoyed this more than expected. It had great flavor and was a generous portion.
Thai Fried Chicken ($12): Garlic and fish sauce-marinated fried chicken. It looked and tasted like Japanese chicken karaage. The chunks were a good size, but the Thai flavors didn't really come through.
Japanese Style Roast Pork ($28): Sous vide roast pork served with tortilla chips, papaya, cucumber, and radish sprouts, alongside a sweet bean and honey sauce. The pork was even drier than the roast beef carpaccio and pretty bland. The sauce helped make it more bearable, but I couldn't eat more than one slice. The concept also didn't feel well thought out.
Rin-Tei Flight ($17): A tasting flight of IPPIN Junmai Daiginjo, Akaoni Wheat, and Uji Green Tea Umeshu plum wine. The first two were too strong for me, but the plum wine was sweet and divine.
Rin-Tei Hot Pot with Cod in Creamy Soy Milk-Citrus Soy Sauce ($30) + Rice Noodles ($3): Braised cod with white radish, bamboo shoots, cabbage, mushrooms, green onion, seaweed, ginger, cilantro, and yuzu citrus. My mom felt there wasn't much cod, so she didn't think it was worth the price. However, the portion of rice noodles was generous--enough for two people to share.
Tom Yum Noodles with Shrimp ($25): Rice noodles in a spicy & sour infused soup with Thai herbs, shrimps, sh balls, crushed almonds, shimeji mushrooms, & cilantro. I didn't get to try this, but my dad said it was good and filling.
Basil Tofu ($18): Crispy tofu wok-tossed with garlic, chili pepper, and basil in seasoned soy sauce, topped with crispy basil. The flavors and texture were nice, but not remarkable enough to justify the price. That said, it was one of the better dishes of the night.
Clay Pot Caramelized Cod ($28): Cod with onion, garlic, chili pepper, and rock sugar [winter limited edition]. The cod wasn't caramelized--it was sitting in a wet broth, with caramelized onions placed on top. The flavors were subtle rather than umami/rich, and the portion was small.
Creamy Soy Milk Pho with Mushroom & Chicken ($25): Rice noodles in a chicken broth-based soy milk, with mushrooms and chicken sautéed in butter and soy sauce [winter limited edition]. This was the dish I came for, and it ended up being the best of the night. The portion was large, the broth was delicious and creamy, and the ingredients came together beautifully.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Creamy Soy Milk Pho with Mushrooms and Chicken
Very clean, amazing service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hidden gem
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Thai Fried Chicken, Croquette, Calamari, Creamy Soy Milk Pho with Mushrooms and Chicken, Octopus Carpaccio, Creamy Soy Milk Pho with Men Tai
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