A must-try! The fried mochi balls were light and delicious!…read moreI also loved the black sesame dessert soup here. Bonus: excellent service! They were extremely kind and patient with the little old lady behind me in line.

Too thick! Fruits are too big to fit through straw for drinking. Boba is too firm…read more Service was a kiosk. Staff just shouts out number. Lots of customers. Hot inside. There is seating but most people are ordering to go.

Delicious and refreshing dairy free desserts! I especially like their served in glass jars to have…read moreless plastic.

I ordered the mango mochi and strawberry matcha, and both were delicious! The mango mochi had that…read moreperfect chewy mochi texture, and the mango itself tasted super fresh and flavorful. The strawberry matcha was also really nice -- not overpowering, but still flavorful and well-balanced. I also appreciated that it wasn't too heavy or filling, especially after a big dinner nearby. Each comes in a glass container you can take home, which I love -- such a nice touch and perfect for enjoying later too.

The fried intestines appetizers here are the only fried intestines I've ever liked. They're crispy…read moreon the outside but soft on the inside, and extremely snackable. I love the night market decor too, especially the outdoor buildings facade. It's such a fun treat to look at the signs and the fake shops while you wait for your food.

Came here for late night dessert after having dinner at a nearby restaurant. It was a little…read morequieter in comparison to the other areas near it, being located just across the street from the parking garage. There was ample seating inside, with the tables being organized by rows (along with the tables within the same rows all being connected to each other). Service was also friendly from what I could recall. We decided to get the Super Mango, which was really good and unafraid to shy away from its mango flavor. I also recalled there being some aloe jelly inside, which made for a pleasant texture. Overall, a nice experience. I wouldn't mind returning to this place if I happen to end up in San Mateo again.

I cannot rave more about this pastry shop! My friend introduced me to this bakery and it's been my…read moreto-go for all things pastries and cakes. The prices are so reasonable and the shop itself is so beautifully designed and has limited seating. Their egg tarts are amazing and one of my favs is the snowy top bun. The taro bun is aesthetically pleasing and delicious and I can't forget their pineapple buns. The cakes are so pretty and it's nice that they have an online system to take orders now. From time to time, they have promotions with their gift cards. Right now for mother's day, they have a buy $50, get $55 or $100, get $115.

Randomly stumbled on this bakery- got a pork sung roll w/ scallion and cheese (another customer got…read more6+ of this so we thought it was worth trying!), packaged thin almond cookies, purple yam roll. Would get the almond cookies and pork sung roll again and try other items! Very very busy bakery!

The best warm snack! I'm not an ice cream person, but I always stop here for the taiyaki. The…read morenutella and cheddar fillings are the perfect sweet and salty combo. Crispy, fresh, and delicious every time This location is a big, popular spot, but keep in mind there are no chairs, just standing tables!

Soft serve: 4/5 Service: 3/5…read moreAmbiance: 3/5 Portion to Price: 3/5 Overall: A very good option if you want a sweet treat in the area. The extended review... Soft serve: Cookies and Cream Taiyaki - 4/5 - I'll say that it's a very tasty softserve. There are also good seasonal flavors that make an appearance throughout the year. Service: 3/5 - Standard service. Ambiance: 3/5 - There are a few bar tops but no seats inside. Portion to Price: 3/5 - Pricing is standard fare.

First time trying this out, my friends told me these cookies are delicious... well they were right,…read morethe cookies were so good! This shop is small, the service was great and I liked how they also write down on their menu if they are low on cookies and how many are left. They also have a small oven where you can WARM UP YOUR COOKIE(S)! Such a great idea, highly recommend checking this place out for their cookies.

Ambiance: A small cookie shop located on one of the side…read morestreets in Downtown San Mateo. The shop has a small seating area upon walking in with mainly a counter and the cookies on display for you to pick what you would like to refer. Wait time: Practically no wait time waiting in line or for cookies after placing your order. Service: The workers were nice and greeted upon entry and were quick to put the order together. Order via worker standing behind the counter. Cookies: The 66% chocolate chip had big chunks of chocolate which the bitterness helped balance the cookie. The cookies n cream was a little sweet for me but had again pieces of Oreos inside with a nice texture. The chocolate peanut butter again had both chocolate and creamy peanut butter which didn't leave the mouth dry. The honey comb was a unique and different taste with the honeycomb providing a less common sweetness but can be overpowering. The toffee cookie had bits of toffee which again provided texture without being overly sweet. The oatmeal chocolate walnut cookie was my second favorite after the 66% dark cocoa due to the oatmeal again balancing the sweetness of the chocolate with the saltiness of the walnuts. Overall would recommend for a solid cookie with a fair price and the day olds were also extremely cheap for a better quality than you could get at other places.

LOCATION IS CLOSED as of 2/2/2026…read more Really enjoyed the popping chestnut topping here. Worker said place is being "rebranded."

Heeretea is located in downtown San Mateo. Parking is either street parking or there is a parking…read moregarage nearby. There is a kiosk for ordering right when you enter. The interior is modern and narrow with a good amount of seating. Not much service, as there was only one employee working on a semi-busy weekend evening. I wanted a jasmine or at least a green tea based milk tea, but they did not have one. I ended up ordering their Black Milk Tea with boba. It also came with a small cloth boba carrier, which was pretty cool. Overall, the drink tasted okay for a regular milk tea, but not exactly what I was looking for.

Made a call in order and arrived with order ready for pick up. Tried the Pambazo and wow it was…read moredelicious! Filled with potatoes mixed with chorizo and creamy with the sour cream and cheese. The lettuce gives it some freshness as this is a heavy torta. Then tried the tosti esquite and it was also delicious! It also has cut up cucumber in there which was unexpected but added some freshness to it as well. I just wish there was more added sour cream to the corn dish but other than 10/10! Will definitely return for the Pambazo! There's plenty of seating indoors and none outdoors. This place is close to downtown San Mateo where the food life is 10/10.

I stopped by on a weekday afternoon. The place was not busy. I went for 2 scoops of ice cream -…read moregansito and oreo. Both were good. I think their fruit bowls were the best. I should have went for one. Ice cream flavors were limited.

The very first time I ever tried Beard Papa's, over a decade ago when the one by the Metreon in SF…read morefirst opened, I wasn't exactly blown away by the experience. Granted, my friends probably hyped it up a bit too much while we were waiting in line (I think it was already their second or third time going), but, regardless, I thought it was just okay. Fast forward all of these years later and I have to say - whether it's because my tastes have changed or because I found a flavor that I really liked, this place is so much better than I remember! With so many boba joints and dessert shops nearby, it's pretty easy to overlook Beard Papa's. Being located on the edge of downtown/3rd Ave certainly doesn't help, but, for something quick and convenient (and different), they're a decent option. While the menu may not look all that extensive, it has a fair amount to offer when you consider how you can mix and match your choice from their near dozen cream puffs/eclairs and handful of cream fillings. Add to that the occasional seasonal/featured flavors they'll have and their assortment of lava cakes and cheesecakes and there's plenty to choose from! -- ST. VALENTINE'S RASPBERRY ECLAIR - Raspberry Cream Custard-filled Eclair with White Chocolate Coating and Raspberry Frosting This was a seasonal offering (admittedly, an older one), but if they ever added this to their regular menu, I'd easily get this again. Surprisingly, this actually wasn't super sweet and I loved how well the raspberry and white chocolate flavors complemented each other. -- GREENT TEA ECLAIR WITH VANILLA CUSTARD FILLING Not nearly as good as the St Valentine's Eclair, but way better than the original Vanilla Cream Puff I had before. The frosting had a strong hit of green tea to it, and the custard was fine, but, this time, the cream puff felt a little stale/dry-ish. While I definitely enjoyed Beard Papa's cream puffs/eclairs more than I did before, I can't say I've loved everything about this location. Mainly, the service here has been a little uneven - the first time we stopped in, the guy behind the counter looked really annoyed with having to help us and seemed like he was dying for us to leave (FWIW, we walked in almost an hour before they closed). Our last visit, though, the workers were friendly and super fast, as they handed us our eclair before we could even finish paying. Even though my opinion of Beard Papa's has definitely improved, since I never really crave cream puffs/eclairs and limit my sweets to the occasional scoop(s) of ice cream or milk tea, I can't say Beard Papa's is on the verge of getting into my regular dessert rotation. However, given how much I enjoyed their St. Valentine's Raspberry Eclair, I'm definitely more open to coming back than ever before if/when should the desire come along, especially since they don't have those same long lines anymore! THREE AND A HALF STARS rounded up for now.

This Beard Papa's is located in downtown San Mateo. Parking is either street parking or there is a…read moreparking garage around the corner. Only one employee working for a semi-busy weekend evening, so it took awhile to order and get my cream puffs. I ordered a couple of their cream puffs with green tea filling in a green tea eclair shell. The cream puffs tasted a bit old like it has been sitting out for a long time. The shell tasted hard like a rock and the green tea filling tasted a a bit off compared to their other locations - it was super bitter as well.

This time we got some fruit teas and they were so good not overly sweet, and you can actually taste…read morethe tea (which I love). My friend got a fruit tea, and I tried the Toffee Matcha... omg, so thick, creamy, and just really satisfying. Service was also super sweet, the cashier guy was really friendly and helpful, which made the whole experience even better. Simple, solid, and always hits. Will definitely keep coming back

I went in on a workday after work and it wasn't busy, my wife and I shared a mango sticky rice…read moredrink, and we didn't really like it. It felt literally like rice milk and mango juice, very underwhelming. It could have been my fault for not reading the description but I assumed it would have more components to it. In a world with Molly tea and chi cha San Chen I feel like this drink does not meet expectations...