This place is really excellent and seems very authentic. Some of my favorites are the amazing numbing beef, pork with bamboo shoots, their chow meins and spicy chili tofu. I know other things are great on the menu because people have told me and I need to try more of them - it's been so hard to get away from my favorites which are addicting! And the owner is just a great guy and extremely generous with his portions. Excellent food and value! read more

First time here and enjoyed all of the food. I don't think they have an ice machine cause only lukewarm water was given. All of the dishes ordered had good portions and flavors. Reasonable prices and a lot of items on the menu. The service sucks but food is good. Street parking only read more

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Came for lunch as a party 2. Not a lot of people dining in. There were only 3 other tables. - Green onion pancake - Pan-fried Chinese chives box - Hunan shredded pork in spicy sauce - Kung Pao chicken & rice in a bamboo basket (served with an egg roll and hot & sour soup) - Fried rice cake w/ ji cai & pork I didn't care for the green onion pancake or the chives box. The green onion pancake was deep fried, so it lacked the flaky texture I expected. I was disappointed. The crust of the chives box was similar to the green onion pancake (seemed deep fried rather than pan-fried). The filling was tasty although I wish there was more. I really like their Hunan shredded pork and their fried rice cake. Those are my go-to dishes. Food arrived quickly. Plenty of leftovers for dinner. $25 minimum to use credit card. read more

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Came here with some friends after a morning walk. Wanted to try some sour pickle fish soup thst I had seen in NY but didn't have a chance to try. The place looks tiny on the outside but has a decent amount of seating. It's kind of your hole in the wall greasy spoon type of place but the people are nice and the portions are good! We had XLB, a sour pickled fish soup and a rice cake with pork and sour pickles. Okay, sour pickles sound gross but really, it's kinda sweet and the hubs loves it but never knows how to order it when we go out. XLB 5/5: Okay, this could be my go to XLB spot but it's not as close as I like. The dumplings were juicy and perfect pop in your mouth size. Can't beat the 7.95 price for 8! Fish soup with chopped pickled greens casserole 5/5: A large portion of soup and lots of pieces of fish. The tanginess of the pickled mustard is a surprisingly good kick. Nice and warm on a cold day. Rice noodles with pork and pickled greens 4/5: Not my favorite dish but done well with the rice noodles nice and chewy. Plenty of sliced pork and good amount of the picked greens. Overall a great hidden spot to get some good home cooking. The reason it's 4 stars is cuz of the greasy hole in the wall feel but hey, if it keeps the prices down then I'm fine with in. I plan to come back with the hubs to check out more of their menu! read more

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One of my favorite spots in San Mateo. Walnut shrimp is the best, even though they're known for noodles. They are on vacation for this summer, opening back up on 8/1/2026. read more

Noodle Shop - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

LOVED IT! This is that little hole in the wall place you bring the family from out of town too. Every dish we ordered did not disappoint! The Honey Walnut Prawns, I could have eat 4 pounds of it! The chow mein, was what I have been missing. The quality of chow mein has dropped off in the bay area. They do close between 3-5pm and we walked in at 2:50pm. The waiter sat us said "order fast kitchen closing". He could have easily had us come back later. The food came out fast and just amazing. SO GOOD! We will return and soon! A must try! Hope this review convinces you. read more

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I tried food at catered event. ORDER (not paid by me but I tried this food) -Salt Pepper Filet -Vegetable Egg Rolls -Sesame Ball -Fortune Cookies -Pot Stickers -Vegetable Bun STARS (stand out qualities) -All dishes above (except for vegetable bun) were solid good and tasty -Catering came with utensils and fortune cookie STAIRS (areas of growth) -Vegetable buns seemed a little dry; I think it was only one vegetable I will want to try the restaurant someday! read more

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Have been coming here regularly and it never disappoints Our go to dishes: Hunan tofu - soft tofu in savory black bean sauce Fresh chili fish - tender fish filet in not too spicy fresh chili sauce Other highlights: Noodles of any kind - these are thick and taste handmade. Soup broths are not great and I like to doctor it up with white pepper and chili sauce, but noodles are bomb. read more

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Customer service was amazing! I felt so welcomed here and not uncomfortable. We randomly stumbled upon this place after getting manicures down the street. Food was really great too! This place is a simple old school chinese place that focuses on its food. It was very clean. Out server was an older gentleman and he was very helpful and nice. He checked up on us throughout our meal multiple times to ask if everything was OK. We ordered the spicy beef noodle soup, which was outstanding. And also another type of soup and some spicy chicken wings. Everything was really good. And I look forward to returning once again read more

Noodle Shop - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Family style mom and pop's Chinese restaurant. Bring a big-ish party if you plan to order multiple dishes. Servings are pretty large and flavors are mostly on par. Food also comes out fast after ordering. We ordered too much but my palate was really happy with their tofu dish (forgot the name). The chicken wings were crispy but very dry. Honey walnut shrimp was decent. They didn't have salted fish fried rice so we went with the salted pork fried rice, which was just ok. Didn't get to try their noodles or maybe we got the chow fun with beef; regardless, try the tofu! read more

I always get the vinegar fish lunch from them. The second to last visit they forgot the complimentary soup. I told the gentleman who gave me my order today about it and without hesitation he gave me a second one to make up. It made my day because who says no to hot and sour soup? read more

The Noodle Shop has always been my neighborhood "go to" for simple tasty Chinese dishes. On my last visit, I noticed the quality had gone down. The green beans were stringy - had not been de-stringed - which means they are moving fast in the kitchen and skipping steps. The result was a chewy mass of yuck. I realize the restaurant has gone to a mostly Take Out model, left over from COVID, but I am hoping they can still keep their standards high. Will try one more time! read more

The food is not bad if you like spicy Chinese food. The restaurant use to tasted better, maybe new chef. We always order the shredded spicy pork with dry tofu, general chicken and beef noodle soup. You just can't go wrong with these 3 dishes. read more

This is a great Hunan restaurant. Favorites are yu shiang rou si (shredded pork with garlic sauce on the menu in English), twice cooked pork, Hunan garlic beef, shredded pork with preserved vegetables, shredded pork with bamboo shoots, sauteed fish fillet, and Hunan style tofu. The cucumber salad is also very good. We've eaten here and gotten food to go many times, and the food quality is very consistent. Prices are great, and servings are generous. Service is nice and friendly. They might try to give you a fork though! read more

Boyfriend and I are really glad that we found this place on Yelp. This seems like such a hidden gem! We wanted to get noodles for lunch, and this popped up in our search. This seemed like a really unassuming and humble little spot, and we were delighted at how delicious our order is. We got: Pan fried pork buns Honey walnut prawns Dan Dan noodles The food was fresh, hot, and authentic. The waitstaff spoke in Mandarin, so I got to practice my Chinese with them. Really great lunch for great value. We'll be back! read more

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We were introduced to Noodle Shop when our kids attended a "Chinese cooking summer camp" years ago. Since then it's been in our regular rotation. We love the fish with g'cai, salt pepper fish, beef chow fun and dumplings to name a few dishes. Oh and the sautéd (snow) pea sprout. Everything is always fresh and tasty. Ordering and service are quick and easy. read more

Yummy! Authentic Chinese food! The servers and owners are really nice and they always make everything fresh. It's tasty and delicious! Everything you want in a Chinese restaurant. Take out is great too! I love the bean curb with shredded pork with just the right amount of spice! read more

My local go to Asian food spot. Our order is pretty much the same thing every time we eat here. Fried pork buns, salt and pepper pork, combo fried rice, onion pancake, garlic pea shoots, beef broccoli and my favorite dish FISH IN TOMATO SAUCE!! Smacc City!!! Service is always great. Easy and Fast. Can get pretty packed and loud at times. But that's not a problem at all for us as we can match that same energy . read more

There is a soft spot for me when it comes to restaurants that are so focused on the food there is barely any investment in decor. Then you combine it with a taste that I haven't had in a while and the flood gates of nostalgia just overwhelms me. We came here after our first dinner just didn't hit the spot, I'm sad by the no msg sign in front but we sat down. This is just old Chinese restaurant service, taste, and feel. only thing missing was Chinese music playing and it would be perfect. read more

Love coming to Noodle Shop for casual dinners! All of their food is delicious. We've tried many different items across noodles, rice, dumplings, fish, etc. and everything is tasty. Highly recommend the Hunan stir fry noodles and the salted pork rice. Service is always very prompt and friendly. They've never been too packed when we've gone, and we've always been seated immediately. Food comes out quickly as well. Great, authentic, local spot. read more

Had a hankering for a bowl of noodle soup. Seeing a few friends' reviews from many years ago and appreciating the great noodle shops down the street, I assumed it would be top notch. I was disappointed in so many ways. Half of the restaurant is primarily the take out and delivery operation. Eat-in patrons are all escorted to the right side of the house. Menu was volumes thick which generally don't see as a good sign of things to come. Found the spicy beef noodle soup towards the back of the menu. When ordering, the waitstaff (the mom of the mom and pop operation?) seemed a bit surprised that a round eyed was order a spicy dish. Maybe it doesn't get ordered often these days? Bowl came and she brought a fork without asking me if I needed one. Are they just not used to non-Chinese in their establishment? Broth tasted rather heavy handed. Soup spoon was the smallest Asian soup spoons I have ever encountered. Lots of big chucks of beef, or so I thought. Turned out that half were other grizzle or fat with little meat attached. Spit it out and put much of to the side of a plate to keep the fork company. Noodles did however take fresh and nicely chewy. Ended up drinking little of the broth. Meh. read more

Was my go to place for lamb. But it put too much wrappings to make it tender. The dishes are a bit oil .

We ordered 2 pick up lunches October 15th 2024. One was a Beef noodles dish, and a chicken stir fry with veg. That afternoon, we both felt unwell. We had BAD food poisoning-- had to have Walgreens delivery for meds and pedialite. We missed our events we had come to town for. 3 days of hotel room Door Dash soup. Bad news. read more

Highly recommend the beef noodle soup and home style tofu. Portions are generous and ambiance is homey and chill. Service is good too. Would visit again! read more

Noodle Shop - spicy beef stew noodle soup (IG: @eatingsfrom) - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Noodle Shop -- how I love you so, especially since you're available on DoorDash now. Similar to Little Shanghai (that's also conveniently located on 25th Ave) - there are certain items at the Noodle Shop that I feel outshines them. For instance, their pig ears are actually pretty spicy. It's not just talk -- it's spice. And their rice cake dishes are much softer here which I love. Parking is all along the streets. My mom handles most of the ordering so I can't tell you too much, but just know that I would come here again solely for their pig ears, rice cake with preserved veggies and pork, and their chicken wings. read more

Noodle Shop - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

soupless soup dumplings as the title suggests, their soup dumpling were a bit disappointing. they were super small and contained very minimal soup. we also tried their dumplings which were decent. their dried sauteed beef was excellent however. tender with lots of flavor. gave us a ton of rice on the side too. prices were not bad and easy to find parking which was a plus. read more

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Super unassuming Chinese restaurant located on 25th and el Camino, but in my opinion a hidden gem of a restaurant serving up Chinese classics with your typical menu format. read more

Began going to this restaurant prior to Covid and continued to take out our meals. Love their beef stew, jicai with shredded pork, and fish and fungus in wine sauce. This restaurant has a large menu and recommend going with more people in order to try the other delicious dishes. read more

The best place for Chinese takeout. Food is delicious and really well packed. Plus it's reasonably priced.

Great value Cantonese/Taiwanese food. Went on a holiday weekend and wasn't too crowded. Was craving XLB which they have for around $8 for 8. As expected, not the best ever had with minimal to no soup but curbs the craving. Pan fried buns also good deal and satisfies craving. The pan fried-ness is scant. Also got beef chow fun which was pretty spot on with a lot of "wok hei". The ci cai nian gao (rice cakes) were also on par with others I've had. Overall would come again to get the noodle dishes and try the other entrées. Parking is also easy. read more

Noodle Shop - Pan fried buns - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Cozy food! Not spicy but maybe the staff thought we were too white to eat the food. We asked for everything spicy, including the shredded potatoes with the but I think they just gave us parboiled potatoes. read more

Noodle Shop - "Spicy" potato salad. 4. 涼拌土豆絲 / Shredded Potato Salad - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

Authentic Chinese food. They have dishes that are hard to find elsewhere.The Chili Chicken & fish are so good. The Hunan shredded pork is excellent. This place make it right! They look spicy but is not overwhelmingly spicy like others. Everything cooked perfectly. It's not over cooked at all. Overall taste very yummy. Highly recommend to Chinese food lovers. read more

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Not too expensive and the portions were great! A good place to go for Chinese food. Parking was also easy

Seafood Casserole: Fish, Shrimp, Scallops, Squid with Braised Tofu The Gravy was Excellent with Lots of Mushrooms, Carrots & Tender Greens . read more

Noodle Shop - Seafood Casserole w/Braised Tofu Entree: Shrimp,Fish, Scallops, Squid Mushrooms, Carrots, Tender Greens with Braised Tofu - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Ordered takeout from here for dinner tonight and was pleasantly surprised. Good prices, big portions and tasty food. We got the mandarin pork ribs which were super delicious. The orange beef wasn't as crispy as others I've had but still tasted good. The dry sautéed string beans were very good and so was the chili fish with tofu. They have a good deal of 3 dishes for about $33. read more

We've gone to the Noodle Shop for years but our schedules mean we haven't been eating out much at all since COVID. It was time to re-visit Noodle Shop. And we're so glad we did! We've always found authentic Chinese food -- not easy to find around here. Actually, we had started at Hillsdale Mall, at the Apple Store, and decided to look for dinner. Even though the mall has been nicely re-done, the choices weren't to our liking. We thought the Mexican restaurant sounded good, but it was full (and it's NOT small), and full of families with young children. (I love kids, but I don't want to get sick and they can be a bit like walking petri dishes. Plus, the noise.)l So, we realized we were close to 25th street and headed over to Noodle Shop. Thank goodness! Not packed and not noisy. In fact, they expanded their dining room, with the previous dining room now devoted to take-out. We were hungry -- and celebrating. So we ordered several dishes, and planned to continue feasting the next day. We enjoyed it all. Well-prepared and good ingredients. --Dry-cooked green beans (still a bit crunchy and very green) --Salt and Pepper Tofu (with a light batter -- crispy outside, HOT and creamy inside; thinly sliced onions, peppers scattered around) --Salt Egg Pumpkin (new to us...thin slices with extremely light "batter"? Delicious) --House Chow Mein (we asked for non-spicy, as we like to add that ourselves; by itself, so, pretty bland, but good noodles) --Fried Pork buns (tasted a bit like doughnuts, more of a desert to my tastebuds) read more

We've been coming here for years, consistently good to date. The portions are generous and the prices are very fair. The shredded pork with ji cai, and orange beef are our frequent picks. Yum. read more

We were staying the night at San Mateo and hunting for open restaurants for dinner on Christmas, when we discovered this restaurant. Despite its restaurant, this place has an amazing variety of non-noodle dishes. We ordered a double mushroom tofu dish, a spicy fish filet in bean sauce, and a sauteed large pea sprout dish (it is labeled as snow pea in the menu). We also ordered rice to accompany the meal and the portion provided in the bucket was more than generous. The food tastes quite authentic in my wife's and my opinion, and the prices are very good. My picky kids were quite happy with the meal and recommended top marks in rating this place. read more

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I don't really want to say this for fear of change, but...portions are quite generous and pricing is actually not bad for the area. We usually order to-go, and they always throw in a couple fortune cookies and a container of sliced oranges. The employees are also super nice here. They once mistakenly gave us an incorrect order and very were apologetic about it. They gave us a call after we had left to come back for the correct item and let us keep the wrong entree as well. I really wanted to like the veggie noodle soup, but the vegetables are always super mushy and overcooked by the time I get home. I've tried this many times in hopes that it was just a one-off. Maybe it's better for dine-in? However, the noodles are chewy and they pack the box to the brim. I'd probably get the chow mein to avoid the overcooked veggies! The homestyle tofu is one of my faves and so is the salted egg yolk eggplant dish. They line the takeout containers with foil to keep the food warm which is a great concept, but can be a hassle if you want to heat up food the next day. I suppose the solution is to just not have any leftovers or to transfer to food to another container. read more

This is by far one of the BEST RESTAURANTS in the Bay Area, but you have to know what to order. Years ago, a work friend introduced me to Noodle Shop, and at one point, I literally went there 4 times in one week. The dishes that you have to get include dry chili fish filet (best thing on earth and likely made with crack), cumin lamb, and mapo tofu. Every week now, I order that exact same meal, though sometimes I double the order of dry chili fish because it's that addictive. One time, I ordered the dry chili fish on my way home from work and was intending to have it for dinner, but I made the mistake of leaving it in the front passenger seat. After the long traffic jam, I noticed when I got home that all of the fish was gone and I was covered in chili. That's how good it is. I now know that you cannot have it within arm's distance if other members of your family want some too. It's unfortunate that Noodle Shop doesn't get the foot traffic that the other San Mateo restaurants in the downtown get because I can tell you that I've tried those other places, and they don't hold a candle to Noodle Shop. Every time there is a potluck, I just bring NS, and I win the meal. Right now, they're only doing take out, but I hope that we'll soon be able to dine-in again so that my friends and I can go back every month for our work reunions like we did before. I'm salivating and getting hungry now thinking about it. read more

Noodle Shop - Me and my love Dry Chili Fish! - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California