A must-try! The fried mochi balls were light and delicious!…read moreI also loved the black sesame dessert soup here. Bonus: excellent service! They were extremely kind and patient with the little old lady behind me in line.

I've been a regular customer here and was surprised by how this situation was handled. I ordered a…read moredrink with a topping substitution I've done before, and the staff member immediately framed it as me trying to get free boba, which wasn't the case at all. If there's a different or more proper way to order, that should be explained, not assumed. The interaction felt unnecessarily accusatory and dismissive. I ended up asking for a refund. Customer communication really matters, especially with repeat customers.

Got four different flavors and each one tasted very fresh. The quality was consistent across all of…read morethem. Would definitely come again.

Consistently refreshing and light. Their coconut ice bomb…read moreis delicious with a delicate coconut taste, coconut flakes and crystal boba. If you like taro, sub the crystal boba for the taro balls. Sooo good! If you like mango, any mango drink/dessert is a good choice. Ask for a free sample, to get your taste buds ready. Join their rewards program. If you like less sweetened items, Tong Sui is your spot!

The fried intestines appetizers here are the only fried intestines I've ever liked. They're crispy…read moreon the outside but soft on the inside, and extremely snackable. I love the night market decor too, especially the outdoor buildings facade. It's such a fun treat to look at the signs and the fake shops while you wait for your food.

Came here for late night dessert after having dinner at a nearby restaurant. It was a little…read morequieter in comparison to the other areas near it, being located just across the street from the parking garage. There was ample seating inside, with the tables being organized by rows (along with the tables within the same rows all being connected to each other). Service was also friendly from what I could recall. We decided to get the Super Mango, which was really good and unafraid to shy away from its mango flavor. I also recalled there being some aloe jelly inside, which made for a pleasant texture. Overall, a nice experience. I wouldn't mind returning to this place if I happen to end up in San Mateo again.

Randomly stumbled on this bakery- got a pork sung roll w/ scallion and cheese (another customer got…read more6+ of this so we thought it was worth trying!), packaged thin almond cookies, purple yam roll. Would get the almond cookies and pork sung roll again and try other items! Very very busy bakery!

Quality/Quantity - What a cool discovery. Interesting pastries…read more We just had dinner at Mala Town Express and came here for dessert. Great selection and fully stocked and CRAZY busy! See all my pictures. I want to try so many things!! Just means I have to keep coming back! Some pastries I have never seen nor tried before. I'm excited. Ambiance - Small local business. Small seating area. One line to pay, not very user friendly, but probably because of this location being so small and you being so busy. Open 6 days a week from 10am to 9pm; closed on Mondays. Limited street parking but we parked blocks away; good thing we like to walk. Service - Self service. Price - Reasonable price, especially for the quality and selection. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 2022.

Delicious. Not too sweet and the flavor is fresh. A lot of toppings can be chosen and I will…read morerecommend milk tea flavor.

The best warm snack! I'm not an ice cream person, but I always stop here for the taiyaki. The…read morenutella and cheddar fillings are the perfect sweet and salty combo. Crispy, fresh, and delicious every time This location is a big, popular spot, but keep in mind there are no chairs, just standing tables!

Ambiance: A small cookie shop located on one of the side…read morestreets in Downtown San Mateo. The shop has a small seating area upon walking in with mainly a counter and the cookies on display for you to pick what you would like to refer. Wait time: Practically no wait time waiting in line or for cookies after placing your order. Service: The workers were nice and greeted upon entry and were quick to put the order together. Order via worker standing behind the counter. Cookies: The 66% chocolate chip had big chunks of chocolate which the bitterness helped balance the cookie. The cookies n cream was a little sweet for me but had again pieces of Oreos inside with a nice texture. The chocolate peanut butter again had both chocolate and creamy peanut butter which didn't leave the mouth dry. The honey comb was a unique and different taste with the honeycomb providing a less common sweetness but can be overpowering. The toffee cookie had bits of toffee which again provided texture without being overly sweet. The oatmeal chocolate walnut cookie was my second favorite after the 66% dark cocoa due to the oatmeal again balancing the sweetness of the chocolate with the saltiness of the walnuts. Overall would recommend for a solid cookie with a fair price and the day olds were also extremely cheap for a better quality than you could get at other places.

Dangerously good--this place easily lives up to the hype. Every cookie hits that perfect balance:…read morenot overly sweet, incredibly soft with just the right chew, and layered with flavor that keeps you reaching for another. You can tell they're made fresh with attention to detail. The shop itself is super cute and inviting, and the staff adds to the experience--friendly, efficient, and happy to help if you're deciding between flavors. Love that they box everything up nicely too, which makes it great for sharing...or not. Fair warning: self-control goes out the window here. One cookie is not enough--you'll convince yourself you're "just trying a few" and somehow walk out with a dozen (plus one for the car). A dangerously addictive spot I'd 100% come back to.

LOCATION IS CLOSED as of 2/2/2026…read more Really enjoyed the popping chestnut topping here. Worker said place is being "rebranded."

Heeretea is located in downtown San Mateo. Parking is either street parking or there is a parking…read moregarage nearby. There is a kiosk for ordering right when you enter. The interior is modern and narrow with a good amount of seating. Not much service, as there was only one employee working on a semi-busy weekend evening. I wanted a jasmine or at least a green tea based milk tea, but they did not have one. I ended up ordering their Black Milk Tea with boba. It also came with a small cloth boba carrier, which was pretty cool. Overall, the drink tasted okay for a regular milk tea, but not exactly what I was looking for.

I stopped by on a weekday afternoon. The place was not busy. I went for 2 scoops of ice cream -…read moregansito and oreo. Both were good. I think their fruit bowls were the best. I should have went for one. Ice cream flavors were limited.

Super yummy mangonada! The flavor was perfectly balanced .. sweet, tangy, and just the right amount…read moreof chili and chamoy without being overpowering. The mango tasted fresh, and the texture was spot on with plenty of juicy fruit pieces throughout. Service was also super fast and friendly!

Delicious cream puff, perfect for a mid afternoon snack. I usually get the vanilla custard filling…read morebut decided to give ube a try this time. It was good, but the ube flavor wasn't too strong. It still tasted like purple vanilla custard filling. I got mine to go but they do have a couple of tables for you to enjoy the dessert in store.

This Beard Papa's is located in downtown San Mateo. Parking is either street parking or there is a…read moreparking garage around the corner. Only one employee working for a semi-busy weekend evening, so it took awhile to order and get my cream puffs. I ordered a couple of their cream puffs with green tea filling in a green tea eclair shell. The cream puffs tasted a bit old like it has been sitting out for a long time. The shell tasted hard like a rock and the green tea filling tasted a a bit off compared to their other locations - it was super bitter as well.

This time we got some fruit teas and they were so good not overly sweet, and you can actually taste…read morethe tea (which I love). My friend got a fruit tea, and I tried the Toffee Matcha... omg, so thick, creamy, and just really satisfying. Service was also super sweet, the cashier guy was really friendly and helpful, which made the whole experience even better. Simple, solid, and always hits. Will definitely keep coming back

I went in on a workday after work and it wasn't busy, my wife and I shared a mango sticky rice…read moredrink, and we didn't really like it. It felt literally like rice milk and mango juice, very underwhelming. It could have been my fault for not reading the description but I assumed it would have more components to it. In a world with Molly tea and chi cha San Chen I feel like this drink does not meet expectations...