This was my first time trying Peruvian food and I was absolutely amazed…read more I started off with the Bomba Del Amor cocktail. It was delicious and not too sweet, still being able to taste a little liquor; I like when cocktails are a balance of sweetness and liquor. Not to mention the presentation was great. My mom and I then shared the ceviche mixta; it was a mix of white fish, shrimp and octopus. I only ate the white fish because I'm picky, but it tasted great in the soy/ginger sauce. The taro chips were a perfect addition to the dish. I then had the Caribbean Mule cocktail. I am also a big fan of that one! I'm so glad I got to try two different house cocktails. And finally, the Lomo Saltado. I could not get enough of this dish. The meat was perfectly tender, and the sauce was so good I had to eat it with the rice too. I don't usually like french fries that are too large and potato-y, but these fries were the perfect balance. I am very impressed and will definitely be returning. Thank you to our server Carlos for making sure our experience was perfect!

I would say overall this place is 4.5/5…read more Ambiance 3/5 Open seating and lots of tables but just like everyone else has said, it is noisy in restaurant so you have to actively listen and tall louder than normal Service 5/5 Gonzalo was our server and he was very good. Friendly and provided suggestions for all of us Food 4/5 Their version of paella was pretty good. My wife had the seafood version because she doesn't eat meat I had their Lomo Saltado which was good. Meat was cooked just right Forgot the name but it was an appetizer with chicken but the chicken was a little over cooked.

Awesome San'wiches, delicious Sauces, great Beer, superb staff :)…read more Tray the Guantanamo Sauce!!!

Parking could be a little tough if you're visiting during busy hours, but I arrived during a…read morenon-busy time and was seated right away. My coworker and I had just gotten off a long flight and decided to give this place a try, and it definitely did not disappoint! The food was authentic, flavorful, and absolutely delicious. I had the Ropa Vieja, and it was so good! Definitely recommend giving this place a try, especially if you're looking for authentic, delicious food.

I absolutely loved the lomo saltado! 10/10! I will be back for more! Thank you Emelina!read more

Very disappointed with the anticuchos…read more I'm Peruvian and grew up eating anticuchos, so I know how they are traditionally prepared and what they should taste and feel like. When I ordered them, they specifically asked me how well-done I wanted them, and I requested medium-well. Unfortunately, what I received was extremely hard, overcooked, and heavily seasoned. It did not have the grilled flavor or texture I would expect from properly prepared anticuchos. If the restaurant does not grill their anticuchos, I really believe that should be disclosed when ordering, especially when you're being asked how you want them cooked. At $17, this was absolutely not worth it. I honestly felt misled by the dish. I'm leaving this review because I would hate for someone else to spend $17 expecting traditional Peruvian anticuchos and have the same experience. I would personally recommend skipping the anticuchos and ordering something else.

24k burrito was gas... It def wasn't a typical burrito! rice was replaced w tater tots but so yum…read more Loved the garlic prawn! Quesabirria was yummy! loved all the fillings. Not the absolute best one l've had but still good taquitos were delicious!!! Chicken inside was so tender Guac was yummy! Wish it was a bit chunkier but that's just personal preference. The chips were rly good. Horchata was def my fav drink! Sooo good and I feel like alot of places make it so grainy Service was fantastic and great open space.

A little overhyped or maybe it's because I didn't want to spend $17.95 for the 24K California…read moreBurrito? Still, I think it's a solid spot for burritos and birria. I recommend ordering online because it's a literally a hole in the wall spot. There's no seating, so it's basically a grab and go type of place. I got the Suavecitto Burrito with Al Pastor and it made for a delicious meal. It's a pretty hefty burrito, so you'll definitely be stuffed if you eat it in one sitting. I also tried some of my friends' quesabirrias and they were pretty good as well. I would come back and maybe I'll try the 24K California Burrito if someone is willing to split it with me!

Everything was so yummy! We tried the pupusas, corn tamales, and ensalada de fruta drink, and…read moreeverything was absolutely delicious. The pupusas were fresh and flavorful, the corn tamales were so good, and the fruit salad drink was the perfect sweet drink. You can really taste the love and care that goes into the food. Definitely recommend La Piñata!

This was one of the first restaurants my family and I started coming to when we first moved to San…read moreMateo, CA. If you're Honduran, Salvadoran, or Mexican, you know about La Piñata! The best pupusas in San Mateo County IMO. We typically take it to go because the restaurant is always so jammed packed with customers. I highly recommend this place if you're looking for the real deal Salvadoran food!

Visited Chico Marx for dinner with a friend while I was staying in a nearby hotel before an early…read moreflight out of SFO. It was initially hard to find a restaurant in this area -- as many seemed to be food trucks, or close early, and/or were difficult to access from the hotel/pharma block. Fortunately, this establishment was conveniently situated in a nearby office building. I was hesitant but, upon entering, the mixture of lighting, live plants, leather seating, and a giant tile mosaic brightened the space alongside appropriately friendly staff. It'd be hard to believe anything could brighten up a cold grey cement building but they did a great job and making the space feel wildly inviting, lively, and even cozy! The dining experience was slow paced and very European, which I appreciated. I felt like we were able to enjoy our meal without being rushed along. We started off with the braised beef empanadas that we ate too quickly for me to photograph! They had a light tender puff pastry exterior filled with juicy braised beef that was perfectly accented by the bright chimichurri (that we generously spooned inside with the beef). Next, we had the Lomo saltado and the lentil and cod entrees. The tender juicy Lomo had a nice balance of fresh veggies along with the beef, potatoes, and rice! The cod was perfectly pan-seared with a crisp, well-seasoned exterior, hey smooth buttery interior atop fragrant green lentils, tender potatoes, and greens. The pickled onions and grilled Lemon, were the perfect garnish. This was served with a hearty grilled whole grain bread lightly drizzled with extra virgin olive oil which was a really nice balance to soak up the soupy bits of bright citrus, earthy lentils, buttery fish, and tangy pickled onions! (This was a great twist on a classic Spanish dish that is traditionally made with lentils and salt cod) I was craving a sweet treat, so we also ordered the chocolate mousse which was made with honey and chipotle and topped with fresh mint and sliced strawberries! This was not too heavy, like some mousse can be -- it was a nice, light, whipped, chocolate treat to wrap up the meal. Don't be scared away by the business park location... This place is a real gem full of modern interpretations of various Latin-American favorites.

Service was disjointed and pushy throughout the casual Friday lunch. Menu was very unclear about…read moreallergies and contents - "short rib" everything thought it was beef but ended up being pork. Our waiter took our order piecemeal (first order of just water), prioritized other tables seated after us, and pushed aggressively for extra dishes while ignoring specific requests - never received hot pepper or sauce request. Mains took over an hour to arrive. The food itself was a mix of highs and lows. The pan-seared fish with lentils looked great, but the portion was small and so heavily over-salted that it left us parched long after leaving. Desserts were equally hit or miss. The chocolate mousse was exceptional, rich and creamy without being overpowering, while the churros were terrible, resembling dry, oil-soaked breadsticks paired with an overly sweet chocolate sauce. Poor pacing and inattentive service make this hard to recommend.

While I'm not a pupusa snob, I do know what's good and what isn't growing up in the mission (SF)…read moremost of my life and visiting El Salvador every other year I've learned to detect my ideal taste and this spot does not disappoint! Ordered 2 pupusas (Revueltas) with the curtido and the salsa. These were really tasty and would come back in the near future. Place across the street is also known for their pupusas but have not been great the last couple visits of mine. Which led me to today's new adventure. Highly recommend! One of the few places you can get 2 pupusas and a drink for around $10. As fas as dining in, the vibe is definitely El Salvador.

So disappointing. I was really looking for some pupusas and was excited for this small little…read morebusiness. Both pupusas were burnt. The beans were more sauce than beans. Told me 25 mins for the order. The pupusas were greasy and gross

I've known about this place since their Menlo Park days, having attended one of their cooking…read moreclasses back then. It's been a pleasure to see them continue their tradition here in Belmont. The atmosphere is intimate and cozy, which makes it perfect for a nice dinner. What impresses me most is the quality of their food--it's consistently excellent, and honestly, every dish I've ordered has been a delight. Considering the high standard of both the cuisine and the service, it's also very reasonably priced. It's a wonderful local gem, and I'm always happy to come back.

Food is great here (and probably one of the few places to get authentic ish tapas around here). And…read moredrinks are decent (with some caveats). Now that that's out of the way: they charge a huge service fee (it says on the menu it's 20% but mine was higher than that). And then you get taxed on the service fee when you wouldn't be on a tip -- in other words they are making you pay their taxes. It's just cheap, cheating behavior and can't support that regardless of the quality of the food. And it's very noticeable that the service is slow / doesn't really care what you think. That made a lot more sense in retrospect when I saw the huge service charge.

Been coming to Espetus for years and usually for a special occasion…read more This time, no reason other than we were in the Bay Area and decided to come here since it's been awhile. We made reservations for 7 pm for a Saturday night, checked in at 6:45 pm and were immediately seated. Service is exceptional and the meats came in soon as I put the green bar on the table. Compared to other Brazilian steak places I've been to including the ones in Rio De Janeiro, Espetus is up there. Meats were good.. some more flavorful than others. The one i especially liked was the pork belly so recommend you try it. All the other beef's can sometimes be hard to recall when you get so many on the plate. Soda was about $5.50 for a small bottle so not worth getting. Overall, great experience. My wife enjoyed sharing photos to her insta from here.

I went to Espetus for lunch. The salad bar was good and had rice, beans, feiodada, cheese, salami,…read moresalads. It also had lasagna roll, French firs, fried banana, polenta etc. There were not a lot of meats going around. We had the top sirloin and pineapple a lot but did have to ask for other items. Lunch ended and we did not see much other meats. They brought out chicken wings that we asked for a Parmesan pork. We also saw chicken hearts but that's about it and did not get to try the other meats. The employees were nice and friendly so it's only 3 stars for the meats as sometimes the table was skipped or items just stayed in the back. I have been there many times in both San Francisco and San Mateo for at least 14 years. The ambiance was nice and I lights the lights. The bathroom toilets were mostly dirty and clogged though.

I recently had some pastries and bread from Backhaus delivered to me via 4 hour express air mail…read more Also known as my wife flying some back for me on a recent business trip to Burlingame. I can't really say anything about the atmosphere or service since I didn't physically visit this store. What I can say, though, is that Backhaus serves some stellar baked goods from everything I was able to try. Kouign Amann ($6) - This pastry has a nice tighter brioche-like crumb, clearly constructed without trying to be a croissant like so many other bakeries. There's an excellent thin sugar glaze melted on the bottom. It almost shatters like glass and is not too sweet. Sugar soaks into a pocket on the interior, creating a sweet, soft, almost pudding-like texture. (5/5) Almond Croissant ($7.75) - Really open lamination, airy and chewy. Cut in half and slathered with a dark brown colored almond frangipane. It's by far the darkest rendition I've seen and seems to have higher moisture content than most, so it soaks into the croissant, creating a soggy texture. It's also not strongly almond in flavor for some reason. The sliced almond on top powers the pastry far more than the filling. The croissant is good but definitely not my favorite. (4/5) Croissant Loaf ($22) - At first I thought this croissant loaf was really expensive, but I think it's well worth the price. Firstly, it's quite long. I didn't measure it, but I'd guess it's baked in one of the larger pullman loaf pans, probably at least 16 inches. The interior, while not having as large honeycomb air pockets as a normal croissant, still flake apart easily into layers. The loaf is compressed a bit from being baked in the pan, rather than having the freedom to openly rise. It's deliciously buttery inside, while the exterior is a dark golden brown that flakes apart. Unfortunately they bag the loaf up, so the exterior flakiness softens due to the moisture trapped in the plastic. It's still an excellent croissant loaf and it works wonderfully in sandwiches, as French Toast, and eaten just by itself. (5/5) I wish Backhaus had been open back when I lived in the Bay. I will definitely visit in person next time I fly down.

Wow what a find! We arrived and the line was out the door 15 min after they opened (a good sign)…read more All of their pastries looked so good, we asked the woman working which were top sellers and she recommended any croissant or scone. We chose the blueberry oatmeal scone, which was delicious, tasted almost like a cookie. Also got the raspberry coffee cake which was not my favorite as the raspberry was pretty strong and overshadowed the coffee cake. Finally got the breakfast sandwich which was my favorite item. To drink we all got cardamom lattes, hot. For some reason the drinks came out extremely hot, like I couldn't even pick up my mug without burning my fingers. After it cooled down for 10 minutes, it was really good but perhaps the baristas need to adjust their milk frothing temperature? The space is really cool, they have an upstairs section and if you sit by the window you get a nice view of the outside. They do not have outlets, so it's not designed to sit at all day and study.