This place was super trendy and modern overall - loved how spacious it was as well as the intimate vibes - but overall food just fell a little short for me. This was also a pre-covid experience to note***My friends and I had reservations so we were seated relatively quickly, menu had variety of options - mainly based around new american fare. Service was def. very nice and quick overall, our waitress checked on us appropriately and made suggestions as well. Let's dig in:(1) Crispy Brussels - this was fair, the texture was perfectly crispy but wasn't so sure of the sauce/seasoning it was a little too salty for me.(2) Crab & Artichoke dip - the dip was good but not amazing, generous portion of crab on top and def. cheesy but I think it needed some peppers or spice to it. Also I do love Taro chips but didn't think it went with this dip at all - should have been regular chips or baguettes.(3) Mushroom Risotto - this was good, taste was nice and mushrooms were perfectly cooked. Texture wasn't as creamy as I'm used to for risotto but still OK. (4) Beef Short Ribs - this was also OK, the meat was cooked very tender but overall taste was pretty standard and one tone. Mashed potatoes were OK as well, nothing special. Green beans and wonton chips added a texture to it but nothing special in flavor.
Brian A.
A real loss to the San Mateo dining scene! Sorry to see the recent news about the shutdown. Vault was always a great choice, whether dinner or just crab cakes and a drink, and our kids loved the kids' night and sundaes. Thanks for all the good memories!
Michael Scott
Such a great place with wonderful service and food
Corey Stanley
Incredible food tonight as our first night out at a restaurant. The Crab Risotto was off the charts !!
Gary W.
A good solid meal every time. Menu selection is diverse enough that everyone usually can find something interesting. Good service and nice presentation of food. Currently outside dining, so depending on the time of day, dress accordingly to prepare for the weather temps.
Corey Driscoll Stanley
Awesome service and food tonight !!
Corey S.
Had dinner here in our first might out to a restaurant since the COVID shelter in place happened. Food was amazing !! Crab Risotto was off the charts good !! Everyone very friendly and service was amazing.
Claire J.
Came here in January with few friends. Reservation was easy and when we arrived, we were seated right away. Food: Tuna tower: it was bland. Expected more flavors but nah. calamari: Decent one short ribs: nice presentation, good portion, taste was good. Not the best I've had but good. Nice to have this place in downtown San Mateo.
Julianne K.
Seriously the best delivery I have had during the Coronavirus period! The fried chicken, salmon and macaroni were to die for. Quick delivery and really excellent food!
Louise C.
I decided that I wasn't cooking for Mother's Day. So, I went on Vault 164's website and was delighted to see that their takeout was available for Sunday. I ordered the fried chicken dinner, the flat iron steak dinner, crab cakes, the tuna tower, a Manhattan and a bottle of Sonoma Curtrer Chardonnay. It was so easy! The food was ready at my selected time for pickup and it was delicious. No difference than if I was eating in the restaurant. The fried chicken was moist and crunchy. Yummm. Also, they had a huge discount on the featured wines and bubbly. I am certain to be ordering from them again during this SIP time.
Incredible first time experience. We ordered online , which was extremely easy , I sure can't wait to dine in the vault the next time, what an atmosphere. I had no problem with the online menu and everything was easy to ask questions on , the hostess knows her stuff, I started easy and do recommend The fried chicken dinner, it was just yummy. Also we had the crab cakes and yes, just delicious ( great dip also). See you next time online , thank you :)
Lawrence Su
Decent place to go out and at at. There are a number of unique dishes on the menu that certainly is worth a try. For those who are fans of impossible meat, this restaurant has a couple of dishes that uses that well. Slightly disappointed in the Ginger Braised Short Ribs because it was bit too chewy and the flavor was a bit bland, didn't penetrate the meat fully to give it a full marinated feel. I also wasn't digging the sauce, but the place is still good.
K B.
Downtown San Mateo needs a place like this since Ellsworth closed down. Good decent-end American grill house amidst a tsunami of recent hot pots, ramen houses, etc (all fine and dandy but Vault provides some much needed diversity). Cozy bar area with a cozier corner at the corner of the place. White cheddar burger - yep, Buffalo Cauliflower - yep
Ward Dougherty
Good food, poor service. This is a very nice restaurant in Burlingame. Parking is limited to street parking or a parking garage down the block. There is a bar on the left as you enter and tables and booths in front and to the left. The décor is nice and we sat at a booth. The food was good and came in a reasonable amount of time. The only challenge we had was that the waiter took a long time to come by our table. He came by our table only 3 times and the last time I had to go ask for him to come to give us a check after waiting for over 20 minutes. The food was good but the service was not.
Matthew M.
Wow what a huge disappointment this place was. Based on the previous reviews and menu it seemed like the place to go in downtown San Mateo. If you are going to just have drinks and maybe an app it doesn't hurt to check out, but dinner overall is just terrible. I ordered the diver scallops with butternut squash risotto. The scallops were awful, super fishy and not cooked correctly, the risotto equally as bad. Service was very slow and the server seemed like he would rather have been somewhere else. I did like the lychee martini but that was just not enough to save the experience. If you check in the restaurant will provide you a free Brussels sprout chips dish which is pretty good, unfortunately I was still charged for this after looking at the bill. Because my server was so slow I decided not to deal with the extra charge and left. I definitely will not be back.
This place was super trendy and modern overall - loved how spacious it was as well as the intimate vibes - but overall food just fell a little short for me. This was also a pre-covid experience to note***My friends and I had reservations so we were seated relatively quickly, menu had variety of options - mainly based around new american fare. Service was def. very nice and quick overall, our waitress checked on us appropriately and made suggestions as well. Let's dig in:(1) Crispy Brussels - this was fair, the texture was perfectly crispy but wasn't so sure of the sauce/seasoning it was a little too salty for me.(2) Crab & Artichoke dip - the dip was good but not amazing, generous portion of crab on top and def. cheesy but I think it needed some peppers or spice to it. Also I do love Taro chips but didn't think it went with this dip at all - should have been regular chips or baguettes.(3) Mushroom Risotto - this was good, taste was nice and mushrooms were perfectly cooked. Texture wasn't as creamy as I'm used to for risotto but still OK. (4) Beef Short Ribs - this was also OK, the meat was cooked very tender but overall taste was pretty standard and one tone. Mashed potatoes were OK as well, nothing special. Green beans and wonton chips added a texture to it but nothing special in flavor.
A real loss to the San Mateo dining scene! Sorry to see the recent news about the shutdown. Vault was always a great choice, whether dinner or just crab cakes and a drink, and our kids loved the kids' night and sundaes. Thanks for all the good memories!
Such a great place with wonderful service and food
Incredible food tonight as our first night out at a restaurant. The Crab Risotto was off the charts !!
A good solid meal every time. Menu selection is diverse enough that everyone usually can find something interesting. Good service and nice presentation of food. Currently outside dining, so depending on the time of day, dress accordingly to prepare for the weather temps.
Awesome service and food tonight !!
Had dinner here in our first might out to a restaurant since the COVID shelter in place happened. Food was amazing !! Crab Risotto was off the charts good !! Everyone very friendly and service was amazing.
Came here in January with few friends. Reservation was easy and when we arrived, we were seated right away. Food: Tuna tower: it was bland. Expected more flavors but nah. calamari: Decent one short ribs: nice presentation, good portion, taste was good. Not the best I've had but good. Nice to have this place in downtown San Mateo.
Seriously the best delivery I have had during the Coronavirus period! The fried chicken, salmon and macaroni were to die for. Quick delivery and really excellent food!
I decided that I wasn't cooking for Mother's Day. So, I went on Vault 164's website and was delighted to see that their takeout was available for Sunday. I ordered the fried chicken dinner, the flat iron steak dinner, crab cakes, the tuna tower, a Manhattan and a bottle of Sonoma Curtrer Chardonnay. It was so easy! The food was ready at my selected time for pickup and it was delicious. No difference than if I was eating in the restaurant. The fried chicken was moist and crunchy. Yummm. Also, they had a huge discount on the featured wines and bubbly. I am certain to be ordering from them again during this SIP time.
Restaurantji Recommends
Incredible first time experience. We ordered online , which was extremely easy , I sure can't wait to dine in the vault the next time, what an atmosphere. I had no problem with the online menu and everything was easy to ask questions on , the hostess knows her stuff, I started easy and do recommend The fried chicken dinner, it was just yummy. Also we had the crab cakes and yes, just delicious ( great dip also). See you next time online , thank you :)
Decent place to go out and at at. There are a number of unique dishes on the menu that certainly is worth a try. For those who are fans of impossible meat, this restaurant has a couple of dishes that uses that well. Slightly disappointed in the Ginger Braised Short Ribs because it was bit too chewy and the flavor was a bit bland, didn't penetrate the meat fully to give it a full marinated feel. I also wasn't digging the sauce, but the place is still good.
Downtown San Mateo needs a place like this since Ellsworth closed down. Good decent-end American grill house amidst a tsunami of recent hot pots, ramen houses, etc (all fine and dandy but Vault provides some much needed diversity). Cozy bar area with a cozier corner at the corner of the place. White cheddar burger - yep, Buffalo Cauliflower - yep
Good food, poor service. This is a very nice restaurant in Burlingame. Parking is limited to street parking or a parking garage down the block. There is a bar on the left as you enter and tables and booths in front and to the left. The décor is nice and we sat at a booth. The food was good and came in a reasonable amount of time. The only challenge we had was that the waiter took a long time to come by our table. He came by our table only 3 times and the last time I had to go ask for him to come to give us a check after waiting for over 20 minutes. The food was good but the service was not.
Wow what a huge disappointment this place was. Based on the previous reviews and menu it seemed like the place to go in downtown San Mateo. If you are going to just have drinks and maybe an app it doesn't hurt to check out, but dinner overall is just terrible. I ordered the diver scallops with butternut squash risotto. The scallops were awful, super fishy and not cooked correctly, the risotto equally as bad. Service was very slow and the server seemed like he would rather have been somewhere else. I did like the lychee martini but that was just not enough to save the experience. If you check in the restaurant will provide you a free Brussels sprout chips dish which is pretty good, unfortunately I was still charged for this after looking at the bill. Because my server was so slow I decided not to deal with the extra charge and left. I definitely will not be back.