On one side of the store is a cute bakery and coffee spot. The pastries are nut and fruit based. I…read moretried the Baklava with Pistachio, yet I really wanted one of each! My $4 piece baklava piece was only 1"x1.5", but the flavor was rich and full of the flavor of honey and pistachios. It may have been the best ever! The server was helpful in showing me items from the market on the other side of the space. I asked her many questions about the Kadaifi. I dreamed up a dessert invention inspired by Dubai Chocolate which I want to realize. She brought out her boss who was kind and able to explain the process of cooking the Kadaifi. Two thumbs up at Grand Bazaar Grocery and Bakery. I'll let you know how it comes out!

Another local gem in downtown San Carlos! This place adds so much charm not only to downtown but to…read morethe community! I love seeing people enjoy tea/coffee & treats outside the bazaar with friends and family. And finally we gave it a try! The people who work there are all SO friendly. They were so welcoming and the man (maybe the owner?) who helped us with the treats/tea was especially kind & helpful! We sat outside an enjoyed a Turkish delight, kataifi, and chocolate baklava with tea (we paid for a small and he gave us a large since he saw we were sharing)! Everything was so yummy and we will definitely be back and tell all of our friends! Also the produce and meat are decently priced so I'll be back to get those!

Play on words, get it, to crush the olives for olive oil?…read more Anyways, that's as much mansplaining as I'm going to do. I really like this place a lot for it's wide variety of olive oil, friendly service, and fresh pasta and sauces. I can't tell which olive oil to buy for cooking versus a salad dressing because I'm ignorant, that's why I like coming here because it takes the guess work out of everything. Anyways, step up your olive oil game, grab some easy to cook pasta and sauce and feel like you know what you're doing in no time, even if you don't.

I swung by to grab some of garlic artichoke bread of they carry at their new location. Looks like…read morethey have some more new items like frozen empanadas 4 for $20. I'll have to try the beef ones next time. The section with tea is new to me too. I like that they carry local items like the biscotti and local honey. This is a great shop to put together a edible gift. I like their small bottles of truffle oil for my eggs/ pasta, to make my mayo yummy or add into popcorn. Great shop to have in the neighborhood!!!

Nice market with a fantastic deli and the best chicken pot pie already made and ready to eat…read more They have a salad and soup bar Employees are nice and helpful Has its own parking lot

I love Bianchini's! Great selection and quality of produce, fresh meats/seafood/cheeses/eggs/baked…read moregoods, packaged goods and flowers. All the staff are helpful and knowledgeable. l don't know them personally but I'm a fan of each person for different reasons. One time I was buying persimmons that were kind of pricey... and the cashier paused to let me know the cost. It was expensive but I really wanted them so I nodded for them to cross the scanner but I appreciated him pointing it out because I hadn't looked at the price tag! The store is always fresh and clean, as is the parking lot. I appreciate that they have ample parking and you can enter/exit from 3 different streets. Other helpful features: * They have plastic bag recycling outside, and other machines inside that I haven't used (locker, CRV bottle recycling, maybe a coin counter?). * They are open throughout the year with the exception of just Christmas Day. Bless them for being open on the eves and New Year's Day! * If you shop here regularly, be on the look out for their annual Cyber Monday Gift Card sale (pay $75 for a $100 gift card). * On Fridays, there is a van that sharpens knives while you shop! I highly recommend them!

Unique store with items like pomegranate and date molasses, stuffed grape leaves, tangy middle…read moreeastern yoghurt, saffron ice cream, dried beans. Don't know why I don't see more chefs shopping there. Middle Eastern flat breads, fresh feta cheese, spices and more. Helpful staff.

was truly shocked to see the the lady open the car trunk and take out unpackaged, unwrapped bread…read moredirectly from it. How can they place long flatbread loaves like that in a car trunk? The trunk is one of the dirtiest and least hygienic places possible.

Go Calling All Chocolate Lovers…read more... THIS is Chocolate Heaven. You MUST come here! It's definitely made the women in my life happy.

I get my favorite chocolates at the San Mateo Farmers Market at the College of San Mateo, on…read moreSaturday mornings. I love getting the best or my very favorite Hot Chocolate. It reminds me of getting Hot Chocolate when I was vacationing in Mexico City The little chocolate bars are perfect gift options for dinner parties or wine get together. The marshmallow in dark chocolate is my favorite and I pick up one more often than I should but I can't control my chocolate cravings. So thank you very much. Hoping you discover Go To Chocolate as it was recommended to me by a friend. Again, I will thank him very much, too.

We just discovered this place driving home from Hillsdale Mall and stopped in on a whim. We're so…read moreglad we did, and we will be back regularly! The owners are incredibly nice and helpful, their prices are very reasonable, the store is spotlessly clean, and they stock an amazing amount of European and Middle Eastern goodies that are hard to find elsewhere. Our favorite finds today were Danish feta, German spaetzle, Russian mayo, halloumi cheese, a huge loofah, and frozen sesame puff pastry. We also picked up a couple of staples such as honey and tahini. Stop in and say hello to them. Feel free to ask questions or let them guide your shopping experience and make suggestions. They're very attentive to their customers. Support local grocers!

Cool little grocery store in San Mateo. I found this via Too Good to Go but did walk around a…read morelittle bit before I picked up my bag. The snacks were past expiration date but they disclosed that in the description. The snacks were all really yummy though and they tasted fine since they were chocolate based mostly. They have a lot of international foods and ingredients here like saffron water, tahini, pierogies, etc. I don't cook a lot but can see myself picking up some ingredients here if I cooked more! The owner (?) seemed nice!

Have consistently love the quality of the food and the service…read more My favorite go to dish is Beef Tendon Soup Noodles The ambience is very interesting because of the great mall murals depicting Hong Kong.

It's great to see that they have a restaurant is now located on El Camino--growing from their…read morelocation on Laurel Avenue. I still remember their early start at the food hall in San Mateo. It's so good to find really delicious Hong Kong comfort food outside of San Francisco. I keep coming back because it tastes delicious--it does check the "comfort food" checkbox for me & my taste. The menu has a lot of choices--HK style breakfast, BBQ lunch combos (& lunch combos in general), afternoon tea time snacks (cha-chaan teng). Anytime is the right time to visit for me--breakfast, lunch or dinner. Definitely worth checking out! NOTE: No cash is accepted--card only.

I've only been once so far for a drink, but I'll be back to try the food. Service was awesome;…read moreCasey was super helpful. I could tell that even though the entire staff was busy, they were very attentive and quick to help. The kitchen was kind of slammed when I came in, so I didn't order any food, but the beer was great, and the atmosphere was very friendly. They also had a trivia night going on, which definitely added some fun to the ambience. If you want a down-to-earth hang-out spot on Laurel, this is a great option!

We were here Saturday night and really enjoyed our experience. The storefront is spacious, lots of…read morecafeteria-style seating and big floor-to-ceiling windows, modern and clean looking. It was close to closing but the guy at the bar was super chill and patient and gave us great recommendations. We did a flight and had a few samples as well - the standouts were the Pesky Penguin (berry cider-y brew) and the Solemn Penance (West Coast dipa). Price was reasonable (however, cans to-go are quite expensive). Overall, enjoyed our trip here!

I stopped by Mints and Honey on a Friday for lunch and had a great experience. We were able to find…read morestreet parking nearby, and since there is no dedicated lot, it was nice that we did not have to pay. As soon as we walked in, we were warmly greeted and seated. The host was very friendly and explained that once we were ready to order, we could head to the register in the back. After placing our order for a group of four, our drinks arrived within just a few minutes. They looked exactly like the menu descriptions and tasted just as good. The food was fresh, hot, and clearly made with quality ingredients. We all especially loved the tomato soup. We also ordered a waffle to share as an appetizer, and it came topped with large, beautiful strawberries that tasted amazing. The portion size was generous. I ordered the Fresh Mozzarella sandwich on ciabatta bread and asked for it toasted, and it was phenomenal. I did not have very high expectations since this was a quick, last minute choice and we did not even check reviews beforehand, but I am so glad we gave it a try. The inside of the restaurant has a cute and colorful vibe, and everything felt clean and well kept. I will definitely be coming back to try more items on the menu

SO CLOSE TO A 5***** review had an employee not been so passive aggressive when bringing is the…read morelast in our order. The food and drinks 5 ***** for this type of brunchie place. My first time here but my girlfriend who was visiting from Texas has eaten here recently while flying through to see her brother. This place very close to SFO airport so a great place to have breakfast Brunch or Lunch before picking up or dropping off at SFO as only 12 to 15 min based on traffic. THE FOOD: Cortado 10/10, Ice Tea 9/10 Flat White 8/10 (from Australian in our foursome) Hot Chocolate 9/10 Mixed salad Amazing. Soft boiled eggs perfectly cooked and balsamic on point. They have great sourdough served with delicious jam. We also had the prosciutto fig and goat cheese which was 10/10 and our friend from Texas enjoyed her GF Sammie. Husband had the Tuna Melt which he said 9/10 only because of the bread, he said 10 if he's had it on the acme sourdough ;-) Next time... The Place: Great location with lots of parking but not this past Sunday as huge event in town but in general loads of street and lot parking near by. Quaint seating inside and outside seating on both sides of this corner location. You order inside and seating is first come first serve so I imagine depending on the time of day it could be hard for any groups over 4 Employee Interaction: Super until the last person we interacted with. You order inside and they bring stuff out as made which is just the nature of busy brunch place. For example we had food come out in staggered spurts which is what you expect so as a example our friend who ordered first (10 min before us ) got her fig Sammie first but we got half our drinks first. Our food was staggered over a 15 min period also very expected at this type of brunch place. The problem came when the lady would brought the last food item the GF item and she said hey are we missing anything and I said yes my cortado and friend who ordered 10 min before we did so half and hour ago said she never got her hot coco. She was Super polite and brought them pretty quickly . We said thanks for finding them for us and she lectured us on how busy they are etc etc and were like WHOA THERE we did not complain although my friend could have as he drink came after she had eaten and 30 min after she ordered and yet we never complained. My complaint is with this staff members attitude, and I "assume" it came from dealing with folks expecting the food or drinks to all come out at same time and thats not how these types of places work. WE GET THAT and again it would have been a 5 had we not been lectured after thanking her for hunting down our drinks ;-) Will I be back SURE the food was great