Cute little gem in San Mateo downtown. We came here for a quiet dinner for my husband's birthday recently and had a wonderful time here. The ambiance is very homey with cute decorations, like eating at grandma's house. Food was delicious. The paella was yummy. I really like the octopus. It's a small restaurant with just a few staff but they are all so friendly and sweet. Highly recommend for date nights or small family gatherings! read more

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Pros: SUPER cute decor, amazing attentive service, some food was amazing (I'm sorry I can't remember the names of the dishes but one had prosciutto and goat cheese, HIGHLY RECOMMEND that one). Mids: the chocolate lava cake was alright. Not too sweet which we really enjoyed, but it was a little overdone on top which made it harder to eat, as it was a bit hard and crunchy. Cons: the kabocha squash was so hard and lacking flavor, we didn't finish it. The pesto pasta dish was also disappointing. The shrimp were very very overcooked and the pesto was bland. Overall, we may return for the couple of small bites we thought were amazing, but the service was where they really shined. read more

Amour Amour - Chocolate lava cake - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - San Mateo, California

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3 for Food, average and over priced 2 for ambiance - a lot of plastic and dried flowers catching dust 3 for service, they were very.nice and proffesional, but not very attentive. We went because it was supposed to be romantic. It was not. read more

San Mateo has so many little gold nugget restaurants, this was one of them. The moment you walk in, it felt cozy, the decor was major cute and the ambience was inviting. The ceilings are very high, so expect the conversation around you to be loud. Especially, when one is belting out laughter which clings into the air. It was my birthday dinner and I wanted tapas and GOOD glass of sangria. Found it! Here's what we orders. :) Squid ink seafood paella - takes 35 minutes to cook, so, get your order in quickly. It comes in a large pan with a thin layer of Arborio rice topped with shrimp, scallops, mussels and veggies. The black squid ink just made the paella tastes so good. And it came out HOT, which is how I like it. Even though I thought the shrimp was a tad overcooked, there was such a nice flavor to it. 4 STARS :) Patatas Bravas - tiny baked potatoes with a dollop of aioli sauce and marinara dipping sauce. It was HOT HOT HOT, beware and be careful. I loved it, how do they make the inside so creamy and dreamy? 4 STARS :) Garlic pesto linguine - There were 5 big shrimps with some really good pesto sauce and pasta. I'm inspired to make my own pesto sauce and recreate this one. I want to eat it daily! 5 STARS :) Red sangria - my favorite wine of all time and they made it so traditionally. The buzz factor was there, I was buzzed after drinking 1 glass. Buzz Buzz! 5 STARS Overall, the food and experience was really good. It looked like everyone dining there was having a great time as well. My only qualm are the tapas prices, when did sharable small dishes start costing so much! I guess this old geezer (that's me!) still reminisce the good old days when dining didn't cost so much $$$... read more

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Small, cute spot tucked away from the busy downtown San Mateo streets! Plenty of metered street parking. I had been here for Valentines Day a few years ago and remember it being good. Came here this time for a birthday dinner, we ordered quite a bit of food. Some highlights were: - Patatas Bravas (hot and delicious!) - Pulpo carpaccio - Seafood paella (bottom could've used a few more minutes to be crisper but flavor and seafood were great) - Sangria pitcher (great for sharing!) Unfortunately, the crostini left us a little underwhelmed as the baguette slices weren't toasted, and some toppings were better than others. The service was friendly and quick, the spot feels very quaint and great for date night. Would come back to try some some of their other tapas! read more

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Came for a birthday dinner on a Friday around 6:30 PM, definitely make a reservation because it's a small space! It's very cozy inside, but might be tough to fit large parties. We got quite a bit of food for the 4 of us and we left feeling full, we got: Octopus (4/5) - this is different than most other tapas places that have pulpo, the octopus here is very thinly sliced and drizzled with oil. The octopus was fresh, but I wish it was cut maybe a little thicker so you could have more of the texture and taste the octopus itself rather than just the olive oil Crostini sampler (2.5/5) - I liked some of the crostini better than others, the best were the white truffle and black truffle ones with burrata, the others were alright but not great. My biggest issue was that the bread was just slices of baguette and it didn't seem like they were toasted at all, so I wouldn't call them crostini Patatas bravas (5/5) - these were very good, they came out piping hot and I enjoyed the sauces it came with! Gnocchi (4.5/5) - I liked the sauce for this one, it was super flavorful. I didn't love the texture of the gnocchi itself, I think they were a little too crispy Scallops (3/5) - the scallops themselves were cooked well, I found the sauce to be too sweet though which covered up the taste of the scallops Seafood paella (4.5/5) - I liked the flavor of the paella, the lemon added a nice freshness to it, and the chorizo added a kick. I just wish the bottom was crispy, I think maybe it could've been cooked just a few more minutes Sangria (5/5) - their sangria is delicious! We got a pitcher and it was enough for about 6 good pours Overall I could give it closer to 3.75 stars, it's on the pricier side and while I liked some things, I was underwhelmed by others. I think it's a very cozy place though and would be nice for a date, I would come back for an occasion to try some of their other dishes. read more

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Such a quaint little shop with lots of decorations and things to see. I also liked how chill the restaurant was compared to hectic and busy downtown san mateo. I was actually able to have conversations while dining. They are a tapas restaurant so we tried 7 out of 8 tapas they offered. Octopus, shrimp, potatoes were the best. Pork belly was kind of Asian? It tasted like five spices lol Meatball was way too salty so I don't recommend. Gnocchi had a lot of herbs so i think some people might like it more than others. Their baked brie appetizer was on par! We enjoyed trying all the dishes, looking around their decorations, and being able to chat. Would definitely go back read more

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Team Dinner and it was amazing. Beautiful ambience cute quirky fun and romantic. Great service throughout the meal. Great food tapas and wine selection. Started with their sampler crostini. Which included everything from burrata with black truffle, to fig goat cheese n honey, smoked salmon, prosciutto, and other Great selections. 9.5-10 for a visually beautiful shareable plate my only complaint was the crostini while thin was a little hard to chew. Next we ordered the seafood paella (takes 30mins so order it ahead). This WAS A great paella the rice was cooked perfect with all yummy seafood salmon, mussels, octopus, clams... it came last to our other tapas but a perfect ending. 9/10 Highly recommend the Oregano Octopus 10/10. Thinly sliced Octopus with amazing olive oil Capers and herbs. One of the ppl first time having Octopus and she went for thirds. Patatas Brava - roasted potato with boiling and spicy tomato.. it wasn't spicy at all but the potatoes were very creamy. 8/10 Roasted salmon - amazing crispy and still moist with a yummy mash underneath. So good. 10/10 Garlic prawns - have to peel lol so I didn't eat any but my friends like it. Wine I had the vino verde Portugal.. slightly sweet very drinkable. Yum. My friends also ordered rhe albarino and pinot grigio which they all enjoyed. Great world selection of wines by the glass or bottle. Lots of fun to share food and enjoy with friends and colleagues or a romantic night out. Highly recommend. read more

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This is a charming and cozy tapas spot for a dinner with a small group of friends or date night. I'm so glad we found this place. We started with the OCTOPUS 10/10 and would highly recommend. Then came the SHRIMP again 10/10, delicious. For our mains, we shared one of the PASTA dishes that our waiter recommended and the EGGPLANT. Great service! It was our first time here and I'd love to come back to try more dishes on the menu. read more

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My first time at this restaurant and it exceeded my expectations. The place is very comfortable and the decor is quite unique. The service was very friendly, fast, and efficient. The food was delicious, and the sangria was my favorite! Highly recommended! read more

Amour Amour - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - San Mateo, California

This is a small, cute, and cozy Spanish tapas spot. The ambiance was nice, and the service was decent. We ordered the red sangria, crab crostini, black truffle mushroom crostini, and the vegetarian paella. The red sangria was just okay. The crostini bread tasted store-bought, and the portions were tiny--not particularly memorable in flavor either. As for the paella, be prepared to wait around 30-35 minutes. While it tasted good, the portion size was extremely small and definitely not worth the $43 price tag. Overall, this place is very expensive for what you get. It's not ideal if you're hungry or looking for a full meal. For the same price, you could easily enjoy a complete entrée elsewhere. We'd likely skip it next time, mainly due to the high cost and minimal portions read more

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Not at all a place for me. All four of us said the same thing. A bit pretentious and overly eclectic. Small plates from different Mediterranean fare, it's like a wine drinkers social heaven with plenty of conversation in the air. They do have quite a variety of several wines. The place does have a comfortable atmosphere. The staff is extremely friendly. Naturally, it's pricey, but I admit the food is very, very good! I could have eaten another order of Escargots De Bourgogne by myself. The same with Oregano Octopus. According to our friend Sebastian, the wine selections compliment the tapas they serve. Kudos. 02/25 read more

Amour Amour was okay. It's a great place for an intimate food night or just to hang out, but food wasn't the greatest in my opinion. It's a spanish and french wine bar & and they specialize in fusion tapas. The idea sounds really cool, and I love French food and tapas too. The ambiance is very nice. Well decorated and it has that authentic cozy setting you would feel as if you were eating in Europe. We started off with a few drinks, and what better way to start off then to grab a glass of wine. I forgot what mine was called but it was a white wine. It was a little dry but I liked it. We got 4 dishes after that. We got the Oregano Octopus, Spanish Seafood Paella, Cavatelli, and the Taste of Barcelona half board. The oregano octopus was probably our favorite. It had a really nice chewiness to it, the flavor was fragrant and vibrant, and presentation with the checkboard pattern was cool to see. The taste of barcelona was also a good starter, but it felt like a casual charcuterie board. The Cavaletti was a little disappointing. I felt like the pasta was really good, and the cheese had good quality to it, but I just couldn't wrap my head on the taste. It didn't have much flavor to it at all which was disappointing. The seafood paella was okay. I felt like it was a little too wet for a paella and I really wanted to like this too considering it was $45, but the quality and taste just wasn't there to back it up. It's okay taste-wise, but if want to come dine here on a special night, it's not bad; it's still good. The octopus was the favorite for us that night. read more

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Hands down for this wonderful hidden gem in San Mateo! The Atmosphere is very inviting, cozy and delightful, with friendly staff. The decor is beautifully done with a touch of spanish elegance. We decided to try a few tapas to satisfy our appetites, and we were blown away by the quality and flavor of every dish. The portions were small but perfectly satisfying, and each bite was a culinary masterpiece. The quail egg crostini was a standout, with the creamy yolk complementing the rich, buttery toast perfectly. The black truffle mushroom was another winner, with its earthy aroma and satisfying texture. Even the oregano octopus, while not as mind-blowing as the other dishes, was still delicious. This is the place to go! We can't wait to go back and try more of their delicious tapas. read more

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Another wonderful meal at our favorite neighborhood restaurant! Thank you for the wonderful service, fantastic food and great ambiance! read more

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Eclectic and cozy ambience, knowledgeable & very good service, delicious eats in just the right portions. Sangria was yummy too. read more

Amour Amour - From apps to dessert, each one was a winner - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - San Mateo, California

This is my wife's and I's favorite go-to restaurant. The paella, Bali hi ribs and the souffle for dessert are our favorites read more

Amour Amour - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - San Mateo, California

Was looking for a spot to date myself and I thought I have not gone to this spot for quite sometime so I decided to check out this place again. As expected like before, the place is pretty, I absolutely love its decors, it gives me the feels of being in Europe specifically Barcelona, Spain. it is also clean, smells nice and well maintained. The hosts and servers had the friendliest smiley face when I arrived and I was seated almost immediately eventhough it looked busy. I love the varieties of food items and wine selections on their menu. And I elected to try a few. They were all made fresh and it all tasted amazing. I thought they were all flavorful and delicious. The wine was refreshing and it was perfect with my meal. The tea was my absolute favorite paired with my dessert. I had a good time giving myself some love. I will definitely return. read more

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(Chris Helmsworth voiceover) The vibe is slice of Europe right here in San Mateo! Camila warmly greeted us! She is just super! David took our order. Great guy! Karla also served us! Super nice! The Oregano Octopus is a must! Capers. Lemon. Olive oil. Blanched to perfection! The Oregano is pure genius! Easily the most fantastic sushi grade octopus I've ever had! Gorgeously presented! Lime Beef. Remarkable! A hearty warm salad! Escargot. Wow! So fantastic! Chilean Sea Bass! Such fabulous texture! And I must mention the exemplary service! Camila is so attentive! In the middle of dinner, I dropped my knife. Before I could even ask for a replacement, Camila had one for me. Wow! The response time was at the speed of thought! So considerate! Ribs! Sweet and yummy! Star anise? Delish! Finger-licking good! Moscato sooo fab! But the pièce de résistance is the Poached Pear avec Vanilla Gelato! It will make you look up poached pear recipes! And you will fantasize about poaching every pear you see! The Poached Pear dessert easily ranks among the very best I've had in the Bay Area! Fresh strawberries, blue berries! Cinammon! Cloves. So delectable like your fave IG supermodel! My gosh, we'll definitely be back! What an epic meal at the most fab relaxed Euro place! The food, the ambiance, and the service are Michelin star worthy! Amour Amour is a super Yelp star establishment! Thanks Camila, David, and Karla! Would order everything again! Woohoo! read more

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Note: be patient with the food. It's a small kitchen and everything is crafted with care so it does take a while for the food to come out. Try to order your appetizers ASAP so you have something to hold you over while you wait for your main plates. I really enjoyed all of the food here. My husband and I had a date night and this was a great pick. When I have extra spending money again I will come back. All this food was $130 for 2 people. Hope that helps you decide. Highlight: THE SCALLOPS Also note: this place is small and VERY LOUD so be prepared for that. If you sit indoors when it's busy: Loud ; if you sit outside you have the train: LOUD! So if that is something that will bother you then maybe skip it. read more

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Wow it's small with warm decorations Wine Bar French-Spanish style really a hidden gem in San Mateo Downtown. We were there yesterday for my birthday party with my family first time but surprised because their menu was lots of interesting things needed to try so we ordered 3 pieces of Crostini, Taste of Barcelona, Oregano Octopus, Garlic Shrimps, Caprese Portobello Mushroom, Rack of Lambs, Spanish Paella and Cavatelli pasta, it were all good and yummy The services were nice Their wines selection was great too We're happy with our choice and be back read more

New to this place and already fell in love with the decor, very very pretty and full of atmosphere. Got a reservation for 2 and was immediately seated. The table was a little small tho, but never mind that. Rlly like how big the wine menu is, the only downside is it's kinda pricy for just a tiny glass of wine, rlly hope they can just give me a full glass.... the food was chefs kiss. Honestly other than the small portions, everything went very well. We ordered around 5-6 small dishes, and both just one glass of wine with tip is around $65 each. read more

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Upon entering, my friends and I thought this place was super cool! The decor seemed European-esque and the ambiance was very calming. We wanted to try an array of several different items and went with the Montadito Sardine- This was very good! The sardine was soft and wasn't fishy at all and the aroma was also very settling. The flavor was on point and had a very tamed umami flavor to it. Local Goat Cheese- This was good! I liked the combination of the fig jam, a sweet component, with the goat cheese, a savory, creamy component, and the two flavors meshed really well together. Paella - This was decent. Flavor was there, but it wasn't what I had anticipated. Patatas Bravas- Not bad! You can't ever go wrong with potatoes and the spicy tomato aioli wasn't overwhelmingly spicy. read more

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One of those places where the decor takes you to a different place & makes you forget where you are - that's if you sit inside. Outdoor seating is available, but because they are next to Caltrain, the train passes & it gets loud which can damper your dining experience. The service is super professional & they even switch plates for your entrees. The prices are higher than most especially for some tapas. While presentation was nice the portions are not reflective in the price. The small mango panna cotta is a prime example of this, pricing it at $15! It looks pretty though, doesn't it?! Because this place is at the edge of downtown & not in the middle, it's easier to find parking. It was an overall great dining experience, just at a pretty penny. Definitely come here when you got that guac money! read more

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It's quite a cute Spanish tapas restaurant that strives for an elevated and classy experience but ends up feeling more homey and overpriced instead. Local goat cheese: Get! Enjoyed this a lot. The balance of sweet, salty, creamy, and texture was a delight to start with. Anchovies Potatoes Artichoke hearts: Skip There wasn't much depth in most of these items and the flavor profiles weren't as composed as i would have hoped. Paella: Skip Accurately taking 40 minutes.... it did not accurately serve 4 people. It was still somewhat enjoyable but still not as fragrant as I would have hoped. Service: Great! Our servers were very attentive, polite, and friendly and I really appreciated that. Food: 5/10 Ambiance: 7/10 Service: 9/10 Value: 5/10 read more

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Came here to dine for 2 with our dog so we were seated outside. Service was very prompt despite being a small place. I would say the food tasted phenomenal. We ordered the truffle crostini and goat cheese crostini, both of which had so much flavor within each bite. Next came the Portobello Burrata dish which also had an explosion of flavor, definitely recommend for mushroom lovers. And then not pictured is the seared scallop dish with the most creamy yet refreshing lychee sauce, we were practically eating the sauce like soup it was so good. read more

Amour Amour - Portobello Buratta - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Absolutely unforgettable experience, with an exceptional taste and a wonderful atmosphere. Europe is impregnated in every single corner of the place. A place where the food feels like home and the people welcomes you like family. With its unique flavor and warm environment, Amour Amour became a must for future trips in the city of San Francisco. read more

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Went here with work colleagues for dinner and had an excellent experience. The overall setup was amazing and with well priced food, you couldn't ask for anything more! We ordered a couple of things which included Crostini's and Hot Tapas, and one cannot go wrong with the Black Truffle Mushroom Crostini - so yeah, I highly recommend getting that. Patatas Bravas ($15), slightly overpriced Roasted Brussels Sprouts ($18), and some excellent Shishito Pepper ($18) is a definite must order. I got the Gnocchi ($20) for mains and it was absolutely delicious. Service was excellent and food kept arriving within 20 minutes of our continuous ordering! read more

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Not a good enough place if you hungry and ready for dinner. Me and my wife came last night before mother's day. Service was nice though otherwise I would give just 2 stars. Crostini black truffle $8 and crostini white truffle $8 was a joke. Small piece of bread feels not from a real chef's hands but may just cut from Safeway. No color no taste. No salt at all. I have to ask for salt. Giving this dish to customer is a culinary cheating. I don't think they have a real chef in the kitchen. "Taste of Barcelona half" is so so. No taste of any kind. No fresh slice just a rough assembly. "Oregano octopus" has a little taste of a chef's work. Good flavor. But the octopus was over cooked. Need a little more salt and a little thicker cut for the texture. People eat octopus for texture. A chef needs to know this. Pork belly and garlic prawns all pre made. Pork belly need more seasoning to bring up the taste. Pork is over heated and heated. No more fresh taste. And the pork belly is cheap and not a good part for $25 and 4 pieces. The sauce in the plate is dry due to the over and over heating. Prawns taste good but for sure over cooked because it's pre made. And the sauce was dry to the bottom. They even gave us 2nd dish of prawns and I told them we had it already. They take it back after that dish on our table for about 5 minutes. I hope they will toss the dish not heat it again and serve another table. Plus tips total $150. Still hungry. Have to go to another restaurant and ordered another dish. They are no busy at a Friday night for a reason. Good service but if the food is not prepared with heart and worth $ no people will come back. read more

Ambiance and service was great but food we ordered were just alright. Wine selections are good and I liked the tapas style. We weren't that hungry so was perfect for drinks and a few bites. read more

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Food is mostly on hit. There was a few things we tried I think could be better accompanied. The service was available but not hovering too much. Just the right amount. The vibe inside is perfect, it's crowded but spacious, romantic and rowdy, great for a small company party or to pop the question. Will be back again but will do more digging on the menu and reviews before deciding. read more

Amour Amour - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - San Mateo, California

This was a big disappointment as we enjoyed it the first time several years ago. Sangria tasted like Costco Kirkland. The crab crostini tasted fishy (must be old). Chilean Seabass was dry and steak ok. $150 bill ! Not sure if I would go back again. read more

We keep coming because the service and food are always the same....EXCELLENT! Every time we have tried different items on their menu and we cannot decide which one we like the most! Place is very cute inside and it's perfect for every occasion! If you want to have a lovely evening with great ambiance, excellent service and formidable food, you have to try it! read more

Food is incredibly important well prepared and presently nicely. Service was outstanding with staff that are kind and provided a lasting impression on the experience. Definitely will be returning read more

We love love this place! So cozy, warm, and welcoming. And delicious tapas and mains to complement a full wine list. Our favorites are the charcuterie board, and the roasted kabocha squash with a sweet aromatic sauce with toasted pumpkin seeds (seriously don't skip over this dish, it's spectacular!). The owners always remember us and take great care to make our evenings memorable. read more

wonderful food and amazing service lamb chops were perfect. Ribs were amazing wonderful place. The ambience was amazing. Felt like we were in Europe. read more

I'm so glad to have found this very special place! When you enter Amour Amour, it's like you're walking into another place or time. It feels like a charming corner tapas bar in Spain with the decor, friendly staff and amazing aromas! It's small and bustling and they make you feel like family. The food was amazing too! It was so good I got too distracted to take all the needed photos. read more

We used to love this place, but our recent visit was a bit dissappointing. Is there a new management? We always get the squid ink paella and pulpo, but those were the biggest dip in quality and taste. The paella was not as flavorful, it was lacking variety of seafood and honestly the portion was really sad. I could swear the pan was smaller compared to our previous visits. And because it was so small, it was only able to hold 4 shrimps, 2 scallops and 4 mussels and a very small amount of rice. It did not have chorizo, fish, or clams, and not enough pimiento which would have greatly improved flavor. The shrimps were also over charred the heads shriveled. My daughter was so looking forward to ordering the pulpo. But rather than the whole tentacle, they came in maybe 12 very thin slices. I'm assuming this is another way to reduce portion size in a less obvious way. But it wasn't charred on a grill like it used to be. And when it's sliced paper thin, you get so much less of that unique tender texture pulpo is supposed to have. Ugh... We also ordered the sea bass, the Barcelona board, ribs and a few smaller things. They all held up. and the service is always really good so we think it still deserves a 3-star rating. But I just don't feel like I'm going to be as excited to come back... read more

Came back again with another friend. Ordered this mango dessert after their signature sangria. Came with this adorable presentation. And tastes really good too. I recommend this dessert. read more

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Food tastes great. Good date place. Service is excellent. However, food comes out very slow. so it's good if you have a good date :) read more

Amour Amour - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - San Mateo, California

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