I love kaizen I try to go once a week. I think because…read morethey measure everything it always comes out uniform and wonderful. Staff is friendly and vibes are good. The line is worth it.

I haven't spent too much time checking out the coffee scene in San Mateo, but this wasn't a bad…read moreshop to visit. To my surprise, Kaizen has a steady line out the door. They aren't a roaster. Instead, they'll carry different roasters so you'll have a variety of options to choose from. My eyebrows popped when I saw that they were serving beans from Glitch on their pour over option. For a staggering $14 a cup, you can enjoy beans from one of the hottest roasters in Tokyo right now. Not a bad option if you're nearby and need third wave coffee fix.

cafe kazka is such a hidden gem in foster city! my friend and I came to check it out for lunch…read moreafter hearing it was a hong kong-style cafe, and were not disappointed at all. first, the cafe is so cute and also spotless- I could've stayed all day just reading or doing work. there was lots of outdoor seating overlooking the water which was so nice! I got an iced HK style coffee + milk tea which I've never had before but was so delicious. I'd definitely come back to try the other fruity drinks too! we ordered the tom yum noodles, preserved vegetables & pork noodle soup, salt & pepper fries, and the HK style french toast with peanut butter. the french toast was our favorite- it was fluffy and chewy and was just like the HK classic. the noodle dishes were both so hearty and flavorful too, and the portions were a good size. it did take a bit long for everything to come out, but it did seem like there was only one person working and she was very kind and accommodating when we had questions about our order. we didn't mind at all, especially sitting outside and enjoying the view! overall, I'll for sure be back for the drinks and to try some other HK style street food.

We stopped by this cafe for breakfast a couple of days ago after a long walk around Foster City,…read moreand unfortunately, we left with very mixed feelings. We ordered two breakfasts, and I have absolutely no complaints about the food. Everything was fresh and tasty, with fresh vegetables and berries, and overall the breakfast itself was very enjoyable. The coffee, however, was a completely different story. It was honestly terrible. Both the cup and the coffee itself had a strong plastic smell and taste, which made it almost impossible to drink. I took one sip and couldn't finish it. Unfortunately, the coffee really ruined the overall breakfast experience for me. If you're going to serve coffee to customers, I really think the quality needs to be improved significantly, whether that means using better equipment, better cups, or having someone who actually knows how to prepare good coffee. Another downside was the lack of personal interaction. Almost everything is handled through an AI/self-service terminal, with very little communication with the staff. For a new cafe, I personally think that takes away a lot from the experience. Hospitality and human interaction still matter, especially in a place where people come to relax and enjoy breakfast. The food was good, but considering the coffee quality and the overall service experience, would I come back? Unfortunately, no.

Just had 2 lattes and egg omelet on my first visit here. The lattes were amazing. This is the only…read morecafe I have ever been to that offers a berry latte! I have heard about Penelope's previously and certainly was not disappointed. My food/drinks were prepared by a new employee, who was in training, and she did a great job. I believe they are very lucky to have this addition, I will be back!!' And good luck to the employee in training.

Penelope's Coffee & Tea is what happens when a neighborhood café decides that coffee should have a…read morepersonality. The atmosphere is effortlessly civilized: bright, relaxed, and sufficiently comfortable to encourage lingering without descending into the laptop-induced paralysis of so many contemporary cafés. The patio is particularly appealing, with sunlight, greenery, and the sort of unhurried ambiance that makes you suddenly believe you have nowhere else to be. The coffee is superb. Greek coffee is bold and concentrated, while the specialty drinks display an almost suspiciously effective command of sweetness, spice, and texture. The womelette, an omelet cooked in a waffle iron, is wonderfully absurd and genuinely delicious, which is a rare combination in breakfast cuisine. Service is warm and personal, and the staff contributes substantially to the café's neighborhood character. Prices are not bargain-basement, but they feel entirely defensible given the quality and portions. Penelope's isn't merely a coffee shop. It is a small, caffeinated argument for slowing down.

LOVE LOVE LOVE! Sama…read morehits the sweet spot of delicious drinks, good space to work, and decent surrounding parking options. The Rose Cardamom Honey Latte surprised me because I LOVED IT. It reminded me of a Vietnamese coffee in terms of coffee strength but balanced by sweetness. I was scared it would be too sweet or one flavor would be overpowered, but you can taste everything and the latte is very well balanced. My drink came out super fast after ordering at the register, and the decor is super aesthetic. Lots of good seating options and there are outlets for studying or working.

Sama Coffee Shop in San Mateo understands that a café can be more than a place to consume coffee;…read moreit can be an exercise in atmosphere and appetite. The room is quietly elegant, its Middle Eastern influences expressed through considered décor rather than theatrical excess. There is an appealing sense of decorum here; a place designed to encourage lingering rather than turnover. The coffee is similarly assured. Turkish coffee possesses the requisite depth and bitterness, while the rose-cardamom-honey latte introduces floral sweetness and spice with admirable restraint. The pastries and sweets--particularly the baklava and kunafeh--provide a luxurious counterpoint without descending entirely into confectionery excess. At roughly $10-$20 per person, Sama occupies a sensible price point for an experience that feels considerably more considered than the average neighborhood coffee shop. Sama is, ultimately, a café with a point of view and that is increasingly rare. The service was designed to provide you with a feeling that you're like a beloved family member. Eager to answer all questions asked and make you feel like you're at home.

I've been here a number of times, they're located in a business complex, but they're also open on…read morethe weekends so we pop in here and there for coffee or a snack. We've tried a good number of things on the menu and the main thing for me is that even though the prices are not steep, the food portions are quite small. Even the bagels are not standard-sized bagels, they're smaller and feel more like a mini bagel. Whenever I order any rice dish, I'm never full. Taste is average at best across everything I've tried. So even though it's not expensive, it doesn't feel quite worth it. The drinks are good, I've enjoyed most of what I've tried. The space is pretty big and open, good for working or hanging out and the staff is usually friendly. The only time I've had a negative experience with service was with the owner or manager (not sure), she was a bit rude and stand-offish.

Visit July 2026:…read more Hmmm....I really wanted to like this place more. It's cute. It's clean. They are friendly. It's a good vibe. But dang it....I paid nearly $11 for a Good Morning Burrito (ham, eggs, tots, a ton of cheese) that was only the length of my iPhone 14. Great taste but I was hungry still. Plus I wish it had come with some sort of salsa. There was a hot sauce bottle, bulk size, that was almost empty so I said meh. A homemade salsa would be a nice touch. My daughter got a vegetarian omlette which was basically a mushroom omlette. That seemed a good size but basic mushrooms and they had a side of spinach with some sort of dressing which I was sure was just mayo. There were a sad four tots on the side. She didn't like her matcha latte and my Vietnamese coffee lacked kick. They are well situated to serve the area and clearly have regular business. For that younger tech crowd across at Sony this seemed like a spot for them to pound away at their laptops while drinking boba and listening to lo-fi jazz.

In medieval Germany, Backhaus referred to a shared or communal village oven where residents brought…read moretheir dough to bake bread. Today it translates to "bakehouse" or "bakery." This place is always good, always busy, always quick. Maybe not "always" busy, but there always seems to be a line here in the morning. In our most recent visit, my wife and I got the last Olive Loaf left, and a Chocolate Hazelnut Croissant. Both were next next level. The Olive Loaf weighs as much as a football. Twenty two buckaroos. In our previous visit we got a different recommended loaf because the olive loaf was already sold out. So, you have to get here early if you have something specific you want.

My rating may not be accurate since I didn't actually order anything. Nothing looked appealing to…read moreme, so I just went in, took a look, took a few photos and went about my day. There's a couple areas to sit and the bakery items are all on display so it's easy to see what they have and don't. I liked the simplicity of the exterior design. No dogs, only service animals. Service felt a bit pushy for me to order & the other person standing at the cashier didn't seem too welcoming or friendly.

Blue Bottle Coffee in San Mateo deserves a special shoutout for the excellent service I received…read morefrom Cameron. He greeted me promptly in such a warm, friendly way and was genuinely helpful throughout the visit. It was honestly one of the best customer service encounters I've had anywhere recently, especially in a coffee shop. Great coffee is always appreciated, but great service like this really stands out. Cameron made the experience feel welcoming and memorable. Highly recommend this location, for both service and cleanliness/atmosphere.

Save yourself the headache and skip this spot on a Friday unless you're walking over from the…read morenearby offices. Parking: Absolute nightmare. Finding a spot anywhere near the building took forever. The Wait: Waited 15 minutes just to order, only to be told it would be another 15 to 20 minutes for the drinks to actually be made. The Vibe & Pace: I'm usually pretty patient with long lines, but watching the staff work was painful. Zero urgency, moving in slow motion while a huge crowd waited. You could literally feel the shared frustration in the room and everyone around me was checking their watches with the exact same annoyed expression. The coffee at Blue Bottle is always solid, but the bottlenecking from app/delivery orders combined with a staff that refuses to pick up the pace makes this location a skip. Definitely wouldn't go out of my way to come back here.

Super rich, creamy matcha! Definitely best matcha spot in…read moreBurlingame. Really happy they opened a new location closer to me since I used to go to the San Jose one. My go-to is their double matcha. Perfect balance of cream, matcha, and sweetness without being too heavy. Interior is clean and aesthetic. Drinks come out fast. They also have one self-order kisok to order from. Would definitely recommend trying if you like matcha! They have a wide selection.

First time trying Cere Tea! I ordered the osmanthus matcha latte to try. The matcha was full…read morebodied, pretty smooth, no astringent taste. I got 50% sweetness which makes the osmanthus taste pretty light, but I probably could've gone 75%. It was $8.10 for one drink, which is steep but seems to be the normal now at matcha shops, unfortunately :( It seems like the einspanners are the thing to get here. I do want to come back and try other flavors as well, everything sounds so good. Not a bad place to do some work. There's a long bench seating, 3 tables with one chair each, and a lounging area. They do have wifi as well, just ask for the password. Not that we're rating bathrooms, but as a person who likes to get work done in a cafe, their bathroom could use some work lol. Parking may or may not be easy, it's in downtown san mateo ish so street parking is your best bet!

The baked goods are chef's kiss. Crab cakes were AMAZING. As were the beef empanadas and guava…read morepastry. 100% positive experience.

$10.95 total: Guava Pastelito, Chocolate Croissant, and small House Drip Coffee. Overall, my…read morepalate was pleased, but not blown away... Guava Pastelito - The site promised a flaky pastry filled with sweet guava paste, offering a nice balance of fruity and buttery flavors. Here the guava flavor was a little subdued, so I think a more concentrated guava paste could be helpful. I also didn't get the buttery notes that are mentioned in the bakery's description. Chocolate Croissant - Described as a flaky, buttery pastry filled with rich, smooth chocolate. This item has two chocolate batons which ran through the center. While I missed the flaky, buttery crust and the delicate, airy layers that come from properly laminated dough, I was honestly okay with this. The chocolate is the center of attention. It felt more like a rich chocolate bar sandwich and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Warmed slightly it could have easily transformed into something even more indulgent. House Drip Coffee (sm) - Unfortunately, this was more watery flavored than coffee flavored. I appreciate that Olympus is a locally sourced brand, so kudos for supporting local. However, the Olympus site describes its house blend as having notes of cocoa, brown sugar, and toasted walnut, with a full-bodied and satisfying finish. I didn't get much of that. A stronger brew was needed so perhaps a little more coffee grounds in the mix would go a long way. A few additional thoughts: everything is made and baked in-house, with the exception of the doughnuts. Those are made by the same owner just at a different location. I like that there's an emphasis on making things fresh, keeping production, and products close to home. I will go deeper into their menu next time but as for this visit: Do I think there's going to be a line of people waiting outside before they open? No. Will I consider stopping here when another bakery I wanted to visit has a line? You bet. Did I enjoy my selections? Hell yeah! And will I go back? Absolutely.

Got the mocha with cinnamon maple twice this week and it's been delish! So nice to find a local…read moregood price, good crafted, good size latte local around here! Friendly staff and fast service, we got our drinks right away. Not as much of a stay and study place, but more of a stay and chat over a drink. Which is so nice and refreshing. Love that you can sit outside. 10/10 will come back! Mocha is delish Banana bread syrup is delish! Cinnamon maple syrup for the win!

We have been coming to this place for over a year, and their food was always good, coffee was…read moreflavorful. But today everything was awful, not sure what happened. Both of my wife and my coffee was watered down, and the acai bowl was not even cold, just like fruit soup. My bacon croissant doesn't even bacon. And the egg and sausage sandwich was not using baked roll they normally have but just an English muffin. Basically every single item was wrong or bad. But we were both too busy with our babies to ask and wait for replacement (they were busy). So my wife was trying to be nice to just tell them that their acai bowl was not frozen so they can check on their fridge. But then the server became defensive, without my wife finished telling them, they basically said that the timestamp showed that it was out a while. (We were just there for less than 30 mins, how can a frozen acai bowl turn into a bowl of soup unless we put them directly under summer sun. And obviously we didn't.) But they did offer to make a new one. Our babies were not as patient. So we decided to leave instead. I hope they do better next time, maybe the new manager. Not sure what happened today that has gone so wrong.