My criteria for stars: wait time, cleanliness, noise level, service, food quality I met a girlfriend here for dinner tonight around 5:00. Very easy parking. Greeted by a man seated behind the desk and seated immediately. Zero wait. There was only one other table with guests, so it was early and plenty of room. 1 star. I have been going here for about 15 years, but only have Doordash or takeout. Decided to dine in for a change. While the interior could use a bit of an update, it is very clean. Spotless table, clean chairs and condiment/sauce caddy fully stocked and clean. Being almost the only patrons, we were the only noise, so earn 1 star for cleanliness and pleasant noise level. Our waiter, the same man who greeted us upon entering also took our order. While they do not offer wine, they do have beer and soda. I opted for an ice cold can of Coke. Came with a cup with ice. We started with pot sticker appetizer. Took the suggestion of the other patron to do sweet and sour, so we opted for shrimp. Did the dry braised beef and chicken fried rice. IMO the pot stickers are out of this world. Very crispy bottom, perfect dumpling thickness, not too doughy. Classic filling. I could eat a bucket full of them, honestly. So so good. The sweet and sour shrimp also good. Bell pepper, sliced carrot, onion, pineapple and breaded shrimp drenched in sweet and sour sauce. I could not stop eating it. My friend always gets the dry braised beef and swears it is very tender with tons of flavor. Said the fried rice was ok, chicken was a little dry. Overall a very tasty meal. I would go for the pot stickers alone. Earn two stars for the food quality. I highly recommend trying Hot Wok Cafe in San Mateo, even if its just for takeout. We must support our local businesses so they dont become a boba place or a chain. There is something to be said for a mom and pop place still on business. Please, please go to Hot Wok Cafe in Marina Plaza on Norfolk in San Mateo and grab some pot stickers!!! read more

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I don't understand the low reviews for this place! Sure it's not the best Chinese food, nor is it the healthiest, but if you are craving some quick, affordable comfort Chinese food, then this place is for you. I've only ordered takeout from this place so I can't comment on the service, but I haven't had a bad experience yet. I like the lunch specials, which feel like a slight step up from Panda Express. And you're supporting a local business. I like that you can choose from white rice, egg rice (my personal fave), or chow mein. You can order ahead online to save some time. We really like their walnut shrimp. It might be the best in the area! I'm looking forward to trying the rest of their menu! read more

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I have been coming here with my family for many years, since high school. This small family owned business has been one of my fav Chinese restaurants. It may be far from me. But they have fast service, delicious plates, and friendly staff. Their daughter still remembers me from a job I've previously worked at. We usually always order seafood fried rice and salt n pepper pork chops. This is one of my favorite places to get seafood fried rice. This place is my number one place to go for seafood fried rice. The portions here are super huge for the price feeds three people in my opinion well at least for us. We always share and it's always more than enough. Sometimes we're able to feed four people. I highly definitely recommend if you are looking for authentic delicious Chinese food. This is your place. read more

Hot Wok Cafe - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I'm ogiving them two stars and not one because the soup was OK but this place is gross. They sent me a bunch of minced chicken and was supposed to be combination fried rice. It was nothing but little nuggets of fried chicken bits. I don't know food was so weird and it was $50 for three meals on DoorDash SMH. read more

Hot Wok Cafe - Supposed to be combo fried rice and black bean chicken lol like wow I stopped eating it was gross - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

I ordered the fried rice (combo, shrimp, beef and chicken) and the chicken lo mein on Uber Eats. The fried rice literally only had 2 pieces of shrimp. I opted to pay more for diversity but guess it doesn't matter. Besides that, it was tasty and good and so was the chow mein. Just wish there was more shrimp or else I would have just got chicken fried rice for less of the price read more

This is my go to Chinese restaurant in the entire Bay Area. I love the owners. I am a regular. When they hear my voice they already know what I want. I have been patronizing this place since 2015 and I still haven't found another Chinese restaurant who makes better fried rice and their Szechuan tofu or salt and pepper tofu, or western style broccoli, are top items on the menu. I haven't sat down to eat there since pre pandemic, but the inside is quaint. read more

Solid value here. Weekday lunch specials are $12.95 with a bi selection. They start you out with a nice nourishing bowl of sweet n sour soup. I had the shrimp and snow pea for lunch; its a good amount and you can share. The shrimps were plump and tastey. Crispy snow peas. Good rice. Solid. Customer service: a ok. To save time, your lunch special comes in a handy to-go tray. read more

It was my first time here . I ordered beef chow mein and it was not very good I believe you get what you pay for read more

I ordered Beef and Broccoli from here on Doordash and there was literally only broccoli and very little meat. the ratio was like 90% broccoli and 10 % meat. Super disappointing as i've heard good things about this place. I will not be ordering from here anymore. read more

Hot Wok Cafe is what this place is all about. Your food is cooked in a HOT Wok. I know this because I walked in the wrong door, and found myself at the takeout counter. The man asked me what I'd like to order, and it was like ordering directly from the kitchen! I ordered the General's Chicken and a side of white rice. Food was ready in about 5-mins, it was cool to watch him cook. From the kitchen, to the takeout tray, bag it and there you go! Doesn't get any hotter and fresher than that! How was the General's Chicken? Tender small pieces of chicken, battered, fried, and coated in a not-to-sweet sauce. Chicken wasn't dry or chewy. Cooked just right, not overcooked. It went well with a couple scoops of rice. I think next time I'll order from the menu. A good first experience here. Hot Wok Cafe is located in the Marina Plaza Shopping Center. free parking read more

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I'm writing this review as a reminder to myself vs for anyone else lol. This place is just so bad. Maybe the cooks were off this day or I ordered the wrong things but it was all subpar on such a high level. I generally order the same three dishes at Chinese places, with additional items added randomly so of course I ordered those three here too: 1. Fried pork chops 2. Salt and pepper fish fillets 3. Sauteed green beans or something similar The meat for the pork chops were the worst cut I've ever experience. Then the breading was super floury in taste and way too thick. The flour taste was then increased by how much salt they added to it. Did I also mention it was then overcooked so much that it was basically impossible to chew? It was literally a tire. The fish fillets followed the pork chops exactly. Not only overcooked but they had such small pieces of fish that I think there was more breading to fish ratio. Finally the green beans. So overly saucy and salty and overcooked. There's a theme if you haven't noticed yet. Overall the food was inedible and this is my reminder to never come back. read more

i highly recommend the green onion beef, the chicken with vegetables, and the yang chow fried rice. so delicious!

Always delish! You cannot go wrong with the potstickers, house special fried rice, broccoli beef (so tender and absolutely delish) but my favorite is the walnut shrimp!!!! SOOOOOO GOOD!!! read more

Came here yesterday as we by accident mistook it for Hot Wok Bistro which is by far the best Chinese food I've had. But this place, Hot Wok Cafe, with a name that's hella similar is the worst Chinese food I've had. Weird huh? One name on either ends of a Chinese food spectrum. We ordered Mongolian beef & vegetable fried rice = worst $36 I don't in a restaurant. The meat I wasn't even sure was meat and the rice was stale as stale can be... hella hard. Won't eat here agaaaaaaaain. Thankfully we didn't get upset stomached, but I was waiting for it. There was something weird we noticed and want to know if others have noticed it or were we hallucinating. The waitress who took our order, her mouth would open to talk, she wouldn't move it but full sentences words was coming out, like there was someone in her mouth doing the talking. The weirdest thing. I thought I was hallucinating and later when I was talking about it with my husband he said he thought he saw that too but thought he was tired. I need a third opinion! But my suggestion wouldn't be to eat here... just go in and ask some questions. read more

Excellent food. The quality and quantity was very good. I also loved the service. Lots of vegetarian choices! My favorite was Kung Pao tofu, eggplant in hot garlic sauce & chowmein - these were the best I've ever had read more

I personally know the family that owns this restaurant. I maybe a little biased, but I've always loved their food. Their Singapore Rice Stick Noodles awesome. read more

This is a solid Chinese fast food place that will leave you pretty satisfied. I ordered the scrambled egg with shrimp lunch special (side of chow mein) through DoorDash. The food came pretty quickly and was still warm to the touch. The scrambled egg was still moist, which is a great sign as some places over cooked them to the point that it's dry. The shrimp was crunchy and flavorful... and there was a good portion of shrimp too. The chow mein was a little bland, but the eggs and shrimp were salty enough that it balanced everything out. This entire meal was under $12 through DoorDash (not including driver tip) and they gave me enough food to make 2 meals out of it. Overall... satisfying for both lunch and dinner and some good Chinese fast food. read more

Hot Wok Cafe - Scrambled Egg with Shrimp - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

The Food is absolutely phenomenal to start with. so tasty especially the Chicken Fried Rice. It was our first time here and definitely will be coming back. my husband loved his General Chicken and of course i loved my Seafood and Vegetables. On top of the already delicious food they prepped and cooked, just add a little bit of their chili sauce which i suspect housemade, made the food tastes even better. Hot and sour soup was also tasty. Customer service 5 stars Parking 5 stars Food 5 stars Cleanliness 5 stars Price 5 stars read more

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Love their hot n sour soup! (Veg no egg no chicken broth). They also have really good mapo Tofu and dried fried string beans. I dinged a star because service is subpar and the main guy is super rude and unfriendly. But I'll come back for the food. read more

tl;dr Solid Chinese restaurant with good portions that will leave you satisfied. Located in the strip mall next to Marina Supermarket, there's a separate entrance for take out and DoorDash deliveries from sit-down. Food was ready in about 10min from ordering. We ordered the lemon chicken, Peking pork chops and Beef pan-fried noodles. Flavors for all of them were super flavorful and portions were large. The meat was tender. I wished there was a bit more beef in the noodle dish, but otherwise no complaints! Plenty of parking nearby. Will definitely come back! read more

Hot Wok Cafe - Peking Style Porkchops, Lemon Chicken, Beef Pan Fried Noodles - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

My family and I have been guests of Hot Wok Cafe for several years now. The plates never disappoint! You can really taste the authenticity.

Ordered DoorDash from here and it was decent but inconsistent. The Shrimp Chow Fun was a bit oily and needed salt and the Mongolian Beef was overly spiced with too much onion (as in 75% onion). Both were short on their respective proteins and the Mongolian Beef was very spicy even though we requested mild. The Hot and Sour Soup was good though .... And the Kung Pao Chicken had a ton of chicken. Nothing was too gloppy or saucey, which seems to be common elsewhere and that was nice. I think we would order again but maybe try a few different dishes. I think it may be a matter of seeing what dishes are hit or miss, depending on your personal preference. read more

Ordered Singaporean rice stick noodle on the phone and I was charged for Singaporean rice stick noodle + combination. I explained I only wanted Singaporean rice stick noodle. And the lady repeated 3 times and showed me what it looked like as if she was insisting I should be accepting the order. Horrible attitude. read more

Hot Wok Cafe - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

Authentic Chinese food in San Mateo FINALLY!! I adore this place. It's a good ol' no bullshit Chinese restaurant. Every item has been a hit so far in terms of authenticity and it truly is Chinese comfort food. My go to for lunch as well. Such generous portions for $11!! read more

Great food. Friendly service. Good prices! We have been going to this place for over 15 years and it's still just as good!

The mapo tofu is just tofu and 6 tiny pieces of carrots with a dash -read: a DASH- of sauce, don't expect meat. It's the worst. This is a reminder to myself to never come here again. read more

This is one of the best Spots! Super fresh food and always delicious I usually come for lunch and get the spicy Eggplant in garlic sauce or the Mongolian beef with rice. The price is pretty reasonable and the owner is very friendly. I love this restaurant! read more

We have been guests/fans of Hot Walk Cafe for at least 25 years. Even after some of us have moved away from the Bay Area/out of state all together we still make a stop when we are in town and often discuss how good their food is. We love Hot Wok and Andy! read more

I have order food here multiple times, unfortunately never dinning, however this food is good, great portions, pork fried rice was surprisingly good ( it didn't look as good ) but the taste oh yummy as everything else..except for the Mongolian beef it was a bit too dry but overall people def try this place !! read more

Hot Wok Cafe - Chow Mein Orange Chicken Mongolian Beef Fried Rice - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Amazing staff and food. Will be back again with family and friends. The shrimp is good but the chowmein is amazing

Recently ordered beef chow fun, no taste at all. The beef is too thick and chewy, the noodles have no taste at all and it's too greasy. No eco-friendly plastic and it's a small mom and pop shop inside a strip mall. Ordered the meal on the app and it gives you multiple selections on how you want to order. Some give you the option to order ahead and pay at the store and some allow you to order and pay online. read more

I just had an order delivered from Hot Wok. this was by far the worst Chinese food I have ever had. I ordered Walnut prawns. The prawns tasted fishy and the walnuts were not glazed at all. The MU shu chicken was made with cut up precooked chicken and rewarmed with the veggies. I hate rewarmed poultry. Even the steamed rice was dried out. Avoid this restaurant. read more

This place is AMAZING. My favorite Chinese food around. The owner is very kind and wonderful to talk to as well :) Delicious food with amazing portion sizes. read more

Family friendly, great customer service, and great food! Recommended for something quick to go or even sit down with the family for dinner.

Ordered via doordash and it came very quickly! I had the combination chow mein and while the texture was perfect the noodles were slightly lacking in flavor. However the meat was all VERY tasty! If you're looking for a local place that hits the spot, this is it. read more

What a disappointment! Nothing tonight was great. The pork fried rice was made with rancid oil which permeated it with this rather unpleasant off-taste. Just enough to make me close the lid and toss it. The Kung Pao shrimp was NOT kung pao - the shrimp were fried with their large tails still on (maybe a preference for some) and was devoid of a single vegetable (I had asked for no "green peppers" but come-on...) it was almost without any sauce, it looked more like tasteless salt and pepper shrimp dish. Lastly, the chicken and pan fried noodles were delivered in one package. Fine when dining inside, but the crisp noodles and vegetables came not so crisp, rather soggy. I missed my crunch. I hate to see this happen read more

I never write reviews. However, I do find it imperative that this needs to be addressed because of sanitary conditions and I wish I could give 0 stars. I ordered the wonton soup off of DoorDash, which obviously came in a to go container they use for the soups. I found MULTIPLE BUGS inside of this container on the rim. There could have been plenty more at the bottom of the soup. I have uploaded multiple pictures of what these bugs looked like. This is unacceptable and absolutely disgusting. Wonton Soup read more

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Ordered takeout here and it was really tasty and reasonably priced! Dishes come out hot and fresh. The chicken fried rice has great wok flavor and the peppered beef was delicious. If it were a little less salty it'd be perfect. read more

Ordered here for lunch today and the food was inedible. Chinese chicken salad came with soy sauce for dressing. The soup was just broth that tasted like water and the pot stickers were still frozen in the middle and at a cost of $50. Steer clear. read more

The take-out counter is kind of exciting, since you get to watch the cooking in the X billion BTU wok grills. I miss seeing that cooking! The other great advantage: Quick. This was important with the presidential debate about to begin! Also, very reasonable prices. The Chinese Chicken Salad was fine, if uninspired. Lettuce was crisp/fresh, chicken good and plentiful, dressing standard (good). But not of any special interest. The beef in Beef and Brocolli was a bit chewy, but the sauce tasty. The broccoli was cooked enough . . . + a minute or two. read more

Hot Wok Cafe - Chinese chicken salad - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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