I hadn't been to Central Park Bistro in years, so we decided to stop in for a late lunch. We arrived around 1:30 p.m. and were promptly greeted and seated. The restaurant has since been updated and now has a fresh, cozy atmosphere--perfect for a relaxing afternoon lunch or a dinner get-together. We were informed that the kitchen would be closing at 2 p.m., so we ordered the wild mushroom pizza, butter lettuce salad, and cream of asparagus soup. The soup was warm but seemed diluted and wasn't as rich or creamy as expected. The mushroom pizza was flavorful, although the crust was a little soft and droopy. Our waiter was attentive and welcoming. Most importantly, we never felt rushed, even after the restaurant closed for lunch to prepare for dinner. The thoughtful service and comfortable atmosphere made the visit enjoyable. Hopefully to be back to try the dinner menu. read more

Central Park Bistro - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

Pretty quiet for a Saturday night dinner! Started off with the meatball appetizer -- thought these were gonna be massive but they were standard size comes with 4. Did the job cuz I was originally gonna get spaghetti and meatballs. I ordered a filet mignon which was unevenly cooked -- some parts were medium and the others were medium rare. Nothing amazing about the steak either, wouldn't pay $50 for this. I did have a few bites of the duck ragout and THAT was incredible. Would've gotten that instead of the steak. The star of the show (and the only reason why this review is a 4 and not a 3) is the toffee bread pudding. We ordered one for my mom's bday and it was so good we ordered a second one. Tore that thang uppppp. Would come back just for dessert. read more

Central Park Bistro - 8oz Grilled Filet Mignon- - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

We had such a wonderful experience at Central Park Bistro! The restaurant was very clean and hygienic, and the atmosphere was warm, elegant, and welcoming. The food was absolutely delicious, and the desserts were incredible. Everything we tried was prepared beautifully. A special thank you to Erkal for taking such great care of us and making our evening even more enjoyable. We would also like to thank Hasan, Mehmet, and the rest of the team, including everyone working behind the scenes. Great food, great atmosphere, and an amazing team. We will definitely be back! read more

Central Park Bistro - Key Lime Pie - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

The food was incredible. I recommend the ribs and lamb chops. For dessert, get the bread pudding. It's so flavorful with the caramel sauce. The service was great and quick. We ordered and in under 10 minutes, it was here. The ambiance was great. It was fancy but fine for kids. 10/10 would highly recommend! read more

Central Park Bistro - The bar area and the main room. - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

We had the private party at this restaurant for a family birthday. We rented the private room. The owner, Georgio was great, he was very accommodating and made sure that everything went well. Food was good, my favorite was the shrimp appetizer and lamb entre. We brought our cake so I cannot comment on the desserts. Service was very friendly and timely. read more

Downtown San Mateo is rife with fast food, coffee, smoothies and ethnic eateries. It is a pleasure to come to Central Park Bistro, with its welcoming staff, lovely bar and interesting menu. Every time I go there I'm delighted by the menu. Wood fired pizzas, lots of fresh seasonal vegetables and interesting pairings. The butter lettuce salad with pomegranate seeds and blood oranges was perfectly dressed. My halibut was perfectly prepared with cauliflower, artichokes and finely shredded fennel. It was an innovative and beautifully presented dish. My husband's ribs were a huge portion with delicious honey soaked cornbread. Our vegetarian daughter loved her risotto. For me, it's the best place in San Mateo. read more

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The food was delicious, the location was exclusive, the atmosphere comfortable, and the music soft and relaxing. The service was very friendly, and the drinks were excellent. read more

Central Park Bistro - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

Just got home from eating there with a buddy of mine. We both had the Fillet Mignon. Even through we ordered it medium well, it was tender and tasty. Classy joint with a polite and professional staff. Will come back! read more

Absolutely delicious food! The ambiance of this restaurant is great - it was perfect for lunch but it also has beautiful setups for cozy dinners. I had the smoked salmon pizza which was phenomenal and apparently has been on the menu forever. I can see why! My husband had the meat pizza and the tomato sauce was out of this world good! The wood fired oven is amazing and you can see it from the main floor. Menu has a ton of variety and I want to try more. Great service and very friendly staff! Will definitely be back. read more

Food is always delish! We've come here four times now. Here's what we got and our thoughts. I will say: great food and even better service. You will NEVER wait for anything. Potato leek soup - amazing Meatballs - not dry; I'm a meatball SNOB and these are soft, juicy and perfectly flavorful Salmon pizza - love the shaved potato (it reminds me of food in barcelona) Filet Mignon - my husband gets this every time and every single time it's perfectly cooked. Skirt steak - perfectly cooked, sliced nicely and the mashed potato is delish! Charcuterie board - they customize it, and it's perfect portions. Halibut - well, it tastes like Chilean seabass with the flakey-ness of Halibut. So buttery and soft in the center with a perfect sear outside. The artichokes and cauliflower were perfectly cooked as well. For dessert: we've had the chocolate lava cake which was super rich, beignets which were pillowy soft and not too sweet unless you add tons of caramel, affogato is delectable, toffee bread pudding is exactly from London- sweet and sticky. The only thing I've ever had that I disliked was the artichoke beignets but I've had virtually everything else on the menu and it's all a win. The servers are attentive and the owner, Giorgio, is fantastic. See you next Saturday! read more

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What a great spot! service was great. food great and prices very reasonable! our party had the spaghetti, black pepper fettuccine, chicken marsala and the steak. All were excellent! parking was easily found. what a gem! read more

Great upscale modern new american dining. Portion sizes were very much in line with the prices. Food was tasty and cooked well. There is plenty of seating and can accommodate larger groups. read more

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Happy birthday Alex! We came here on a Saturday afternoon for lunch. Strangely we were the only party here this whole time. Our food came pretty quickly after we ordered. So hard to choose! Everything on the menu looks delicious. +1 service was great! Came to refill our waters regularly +1 food came out quick! +1 good portion sizes! Only keeping it a 4 stars because the appetizers I was not too impressed. Calamari was cold and too salty, poke was not bad but the chips to poke ratio was quite stingy lol Allen and I got the paella and lobster pasta, and both were so filling. Lunch has lunch combos too. Overall, I would come here again for a fancy occasion. I can see the vibes being nice at night time! read more

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I remember coming here a couple years ago and the pasta was amazing!! I asked them to take the meatballs out since I'm vegetarian, and it has been amazing so far. Would come back again read more

Came here for Mother's Day brunch and the restaurant was surprisingly only half full. First off the ambiance was extremely nice and definitely on the luxury side. It's a little bit small however, which is why I'm a little surprised it was only about half full on a day where most people want to go out. Right out of the gate, the service was fantastic. All the staff seemed happy to be there (which let's be real I don't think anyone ever wants to work). They were very attentive to my mom, which is an obvious thing they should be doing on Mother's Day. To put it in perspective, I went to a sushi restaurant with my mom the same evening and no one said Happy Mother's Day, but all the staff at Central Park Bistro did. Mother's Day brunch was a set course meal. First dish was croissants and mini donuts. For the mains, we ordered a grilled salmon salad, an eggs/sausage/mushroom/spinach dish, lamp chops, and a beef short rib pasta. All of it was extremely flavorful and well done. Then dessert was a chocolate cake or bread pudding with vanilla ice cream. The whole meal was incredible. I would highly recommend this place to anyone hands down. read more

Love the food, unreliable when ordering from DoorDash -- We've enjoyed dining in and getting take out, particularly for the Crab Cakes, Red Wine Braided Octopus, Grilled Australian Lamb Chops, Tagliatelle, and Veal Ossobuco Ravioli. I dined in for a group dinner and shared a bunch of starters and entrees which was also fun. Pre-Covid, they also had a really good burger with fries but the source seems to have changed. We got a Door Dash delivery today and unfortunately instead of 2 Braised Octopus, we only got 1 while being charged for 2. The annoyance is that Door Dash won't give you a full refund. Just a warning if you're ordering 2 items of the same thing -- suggest picking up yourself. Parking in that area can be a pain during prime meal time, but there is a 20 min spot on the same block that often opens up. Cheers! read more

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Had dinner there yesterday the Filet Mignon was very good! The service and was also on point.

Everything, cleanliness and hospitality of all the staff...the foods are awesome. The facility really decent place. My mojito really refreshing read more

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Tonight we spontaneously dropped by our favorite spot -- Central Park -- and it was absolutely packed. The only available seats were at the bar, but the amazing team who takes care of the restaurant quickly arranged a table for us (I truly appreciate your care for your guests -- it doesn't go unnoticed!). Dinner was absolutely delicious. The meatballs were insanely good -- hands down the best I've had in America so far. The food came out fast, drinks were always refilled, and the staff was impressively organized. Truly the best! The atmosphere, the service, the food -- everything was just perfect. Feeling so grateful to my friends for this beautiful evening in such great company. read more

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Good food. Good ambience. Cocktail was yummy. Food was good portion. Excellence service. I would come back again. read more

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have I become a curmudgeon? after no reviews for quite some time my last one's have been so critical! we came for lunch today because we were in the neighborhood for some other business this was our old stomping ground before Covid changed everything up. this area has totally revived since then. each of us ordered the grilled chicken sandwich, with a side of the marinated cucumber salad. I asked for mine without goat cheese because, well, I don't like goat cheese. I bet if you weighed the combined amount of chicken from both of our sandwiches, which by the way cost like $26 each, it would have come in an about 4 oz.! I was excited that they had a side of marinated cucumber salad, but it had no salt, no acid.... No flavor at all. The cucs were beautifully sliced and fresh as was the red onion. Service was ok, a bit uneven. we will not go back. read more

I wasn't too impressed with this place and can now see why it was empty on a weekend night. The service was good though. The food was not. There's something missing. I got the ribs but it was missing a complex taste profile. I had high hopes for this place. If you're in a last minute crunch, this place works, otherwise I would skip the food. The workers are kind here though. read more

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Food is really mediocre. Small portions. $46 for a 5 piece of skirt steak? The meat is so chewy! My friend ordered lamb, it was well cooked and taste good but it's only 3 pieces, with some arugula and a few cherry tomatoes on top. It's not a substantial size, so my friend finished everything rather quickly. As an entree, I believe they can offer a little more. The total bill was $136 for two entrees. I consider this pretty expensive for just two entrees. read more

Central Park Bistro - Lamb chop - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Wow! This place is 100% fire. Every. Single. Thing. Is a slam dunk. The inside cozy and comfy, warm amber lighting an oasis of civilized welcoming. Each person here excels at welcoming and customer service as friendly and warm, friendly, sweet, genuinely sincerely attentive and generous, the spirit of giving in each gesture. It was my husband's birthday, noted at my OT reservation page, and though I didn't ask for a candle, not only did they bring out a dessert with a candle, they gathered around our table and sang Happy Birthday ... I. Mean. Seriously?? We were soooo touched and moved and grateful. All this largesse on top of the spectacular stellar food. I'd been here with a friend for lunch, and my second visit was dinner with my husband. Each dish was excellent, pristine ingredients with incomparable cooking technique and everything banging with flavor. Soup of the day onion soup, most of like a mini French onion version and another day it was lentil--robust; artichoke beignets, oozy and delicious; grilled salmon--tender and melt in your mouth; a gorgonzola lettuce salad with restrained scattered cheese with perfect ration of ingredients; red wine grilled octopus, everything you'd want in a braised dish; Apple cabbage slaw--oh man, this sounds like not a big deal, but it was a highlight: tart but not overly, crunchy with barely any dressy (not at all gloppy), making me wonder why I never buy Napa cabbage with fresh apples, sliced medium, not diced; potato crusted sea bass, so freaking good like eating hash browns and finding a hidden fish treat in the middle lol :-) ; chocolate cake with the molten center, which my husband loved with gelato; vegan banana cake, insanely good I'd never guess that it was vegan, think an elevated banana bread. The food here SINGS! If his/her food is any indicator, the chef is not shy :-) The prices are way reasonable. Parking can be tough depending on when you go, but there's lots around in the area. This is currently my favorite place in this area ... I wish only that they were open for lunch or brunch on the weekends. I love this restaurant so much, words cannot do it justice. Every time, when we leave, we feel LOVED. Nuff said. read more

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Last Thursday, I came here with my coworkers to have a team lunch. I ordered linguine pasta, and the pasta was Al Dante and flavorful. The plate has full of lobster meat and zucchini. The staffs were friendly, but we waited for a while to place our order. The restaurant location is quite close to the parking garage or street parking. read more

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I went to this restaurant for a family function. I was pleasantly surprised by the food quality. The service was great too. The decor of this place was modern and chic. I give it 4 star only because of the portion was too small for the price they charged. read more

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Friendly staff. Nice ambiance. Delicious food. The caesar salad was great and the filet mignon was tender and seasoned well. Came for a 90th birthday and we would come again for another special event read more

Really like this place. Menu is traditional Bistro, but elegant. Staff is top notch. Dishes always prepared well. Atmosphere is welcoming and noise level engaging but not loud. Had many pleasant and tasty dinners and always leave content and vowing to return. Thank you! read more

Amazing service, food, and ambience! I came with my mom for dinner on a Thursday evening. We were greeted by Diana, who was also our server -- hands down the best service you can find in the Bay Area. We ordered the linguine, the crab cakes, and the halibut -- everything was absolutely delicious. Mehmet was also incredibly friendly and welcoming, as was the entire team. Highly, highly recommend! read more

We came as a party of 6 for a birthday dinner and found nearby parking in the downtown San mateo area. The first thing I noticed was the clean and sophisticated decor and lighting, second to none in the area. Things were kinda empty when we got there so had to reserve my expectations. We started with duck rolls and lamb rib tips which were a great start. Rolls were kinda small but satisfying and the lamb was very meaty and amazing pesto sauce came with it for good contrast. I then ordered the scallops and saffron risotto that would take all of your troubles away for the moment. Not the biggest portion but just enough if you enjoy multiple courses like I do. Speaking of that.. the dessert we ordered was the perfect finishing touch for the night. From peach champagne ice cream to lava cake and creme Brule, all of the desserts check out just fine. My compliments to the chef.. All of that sounds exquisite and it was but the experience isn't for everyday dining for most people. Lol it put a nice dent in our wallet but I would do it again 10x over as well as recommend you do the same. Lastly I'd like to mention the service was fantastic and although our table was the only one where the people looked different, we were given the exact same superb treatment. With that said I need to double back on what I said earlier about it being empty. Around the time our food came out the entire place filled up quick in what would seem like regulars. A very senior crowd I would describe it but it took nothing away from the ambiance. Ideal place to dine if you ask me.. Sidenote: the bar area was very eye catching with some decent cocktails and beers read more

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This place has been here for years and I have always wanted to try it. We were able to score a table for Mother's Day. They requested a confirmation through the Open Table app, then by text, and then they wanted a phone confirmation. I found it a bit excessive. I ordered the scallops over risotto. The scallops were cooked perfectly. I was impressed the food I ate was very good. My husband had seafood pasta and mentioned that the lobster did not taste fresh (as did other reviews). The service was great! Our wait staff was very attentive and friendly. This bistro is upscale and so are the prices which was to be expected. Parking can be difficult, but not impossible, as this is in the downtown area. This is the perfect place for a date night!! read more

Central Park Bistro - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

The staff was super nice, but the food was barely average. We came here for dinner after seeing it on Yelp. I'm not sure if the people rating this place 5 stars are deprived or if the cooks happened to do a bad job on everything we ordered. - crab cakes: $20 for two, and they tasted like reheated frozen crab cakes - baby back ribs: kind of dry and I didn't finish them because they were so bland even though I was hungry - halibut: this replaced the sea bass on the menu. This place charging $40 for this is a literal scam because it was overcooked and also bland read more

Central Park Bistro - Baby Back Ribs - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I met a few friends here for dinner. Enjoyed the outdoor seating. We order a few app, the calamari and the tuna roll and both were delicious. My daughter and niece shared the spaghetti and meatballs which they both finished the plate. I ordered the steak tartare and Cesar salad and I was happy with my choices. My friend ordered the ravioli and the Chilean sea bass and both were extremely delicious. Only thing I was disappointed on was asking For your complimentary bread for the table. We asked for it and the waiter just forgot. Other than that we were pleased with how dinner came out. read more

Central Park Bistro - Cesar Salad - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I always walk by this restaurant, but never had the chance to try it. My wife and I were treating a friend out to dinner for her birthday and found Central Park Bistro had last-minute reservations. We were seated in a very comfortable booth in the back of the restaurant. Our friend was late, so we ordered some cocktails, and appetizers to snack on while we wait. The waiter actually let us put in our entire order before our friend arrived, and he would send the check into the kitchen when we were done with appetizers. The service here is impeccable. Our waiter entertained us while we waited for our friend, and checked on us often. I always like to order extra entrees and appetizers so that we can sample more food. After I ordered 3 appetizers, 3 appetizers, a pizza, and 4 entrees, our waiter stopped me and said "too much." Hahaha. A waiter has never stopped me and told me I'm ordering too much food before. I took his suggestion and canceled the pizza for now, and we can come back and order it after our entrees if we're still hungry. Ultimately we did order the pizza too, and it was delicious. The octopus salad featured a lot of tender warm octopus. You should eat this while it's still warm for the best flavor. It's complimented well with all the fresh herbs and veggies. The beef tartare was another good appetizer; it was well seasoned with nice acidity. The order of crab cakes comes two per order, but the waiter had them cut in half for us so we don't have to fight over it. All the proteins were excellent; cooked to a perfect medium rare as requested, and super tender. The halibut was moist and flakey. Nothing disappointed. The food quality for the dishes we ordered was really good. Everything was well seasoned, with good textures, and flavors. With the level of service and food that we had, I'm surprised that this was not fine dining. I'm going to add this restaurant to my regular rotation! read more

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First off the inside staff as well as the female bartender are wearing their masks BELOW their chin which is dangerous because of Covid and how stuffy indoors is. They should pull up their masks, especially when they're talking and shouting out table orders for drinks. Both the indoor wait staff had their masks down and the outdoor waiter for 3 of the tables outside kept pulling his down when he got outside. We sat outside and they did not seem to be interested in serving any of the outside tables. The table next to ours said they had been waiting for 20 minutes. Because it was so cold, we asked for a heat lamp but the guy said it was too heavy to move , we just had appetizers. We were freezing!!! The steak tartar was good but had way too much Dijon mustard and the calamari was a bit bland but the fried onions on top were great. We asked for a dessert menu several times but they never brought one so we didn't try their dessert. They really need to mask up and keep everyone safe! read more

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I decided to take my wife out to dinner on a Tuesday night. I've been wanting to try out Central Park Bistro and I was not disappointed! They seated us as a walk-in even though we had no reservations. The entire service was fast, friendly and efficient. They use multiple servers per table to get stuff done and I appreciate that. They are friendly, welcoming and are there to serve. For appetizer, we ordered the fried calamari. I have attached a photo to my review. Not only was it tasty, it was very generous in serving size! The dipping sauces are a nice touch. Bread & butter was served shortly after we were seated. My wife and I both ordered the burger. You can immediately tell it is high quality beef. They cooked the meat exactly how we wanted; medium for the wife, well-done for me. Comes with a side order of French fries. We had a very pleasant overall experience at Central Park Bistro. I highly recommend you come here. They have lots of indoor & outdoor seating. The staff is friendly and they offer a full service bar as well. read more

Central Park Bistro - Burger & Fries. - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

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This was delicious. I had my first ever steak tartare and it did not disappoint. The service was so amazing that when we ate the last crostini for the tartare, they immediately brought us more. Most places you have to wait and ask and the staff was very in tune to when we needed anything. The scallops were divine and I didn't really want to share a bite but I'm glad I did because the halibut was equally as delicious. Hard to pick a favorite really. This was a beautiful restaurant with amazing food and wonderful service. read more

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Excellent service. Have dined here on several occasions & never been disappointed with quality of food.

Went for my birthday light dinner. Classic setting for fine dining. Everything was perfect. Highly recommend the crab cakes. So delicious! read more

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I came here for a graduation dinner back in May after getting turned away by a different restaurant and was blown away by the food and service at Central Park Bistro. We returned for a special occasion dinner and I was amazed yet again by this place. We were sat at a small table near the entrance and the inside of the restaurant is just as brilliant as the food and the staff. We ordered calamari as an appetizer, duck ragout and grilled skirt steak as the entrees, and the bread pudding for desert. Every single thing we ate was incredible and nothing like I've ever had before, the quality of every item on the menu is exquisite. To top everything off the staff are so nice, helpful, and at times almost too professional, they're amazing at what they do and the service they provide. I told my date we should start coming here at least once a month because it's so damn good and I love the small changes to the menu the make by taking older stuff off and putting newer dishes on. read more

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