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San Mateo, CA

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Porterhouse

3.8 (861 reviews)
Ultra High-EndSteakhouses, Seafood, Lounges
Closed • 4:30 pm - 9:00 PM
Updated over 3 months ago

Porterhouse Photos

Business Info

PORTERHOUSE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Classy
Moderate noise
Happy hour specials
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Porterhouse

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Reviews With Photos

Banana Bread Pudding
Maria S.

I brought the family here for Father's Day since the guest of honor wanted steak. I loved the old school movie pictures as I used to watch old b&w for fun when I was a kid (loved Bogart!). We were quickly seated by the hostess upon arrival. It was a packed house so tables were quite tight that night. I had a light appetite and went with the small filet which was a perfect size for me. The kids ordered the porterhouse and the pappadelle. We also ordered some crab cakes and the scallop special for appetizers. Everything tasted good, though I would have liked more than two garlic shrimp as an add on. The only thing I wish was different was that our server forgot to give us a heads up about the soufflé for dessert which is a favorite of mine. We weren't able to order it since we didn't order it ahead and they were so busy. She did feel bad about that though. No harm no foul. While I'm not eating as much red meat as I used to, I wouldn't mind dropping in here again. It's a nice place and I can see the owner enjoys his repeat customers the way he chats with them.

Porterhouse Sliders (3)
Patrick G.

In town for work and this place was highly recommended. Glad I went! Megan at the bar was super nice and makes great cocktails. The ambiance is great and the food/drinks & service was excellent.

Hope D.

I had a decent experience here, definitely have had better. It's not a fancy restaurant, you can dress up or dress down. The service was mediocre nothing crazy. We ordered the caesar salad and cowboy ribeye. The salad's presentation was beautiful, decent salad. The cowboy ribeye wasn't anything fancy, just regular. However, the little baked potato and honey glazed carrots were delicious! The cake was okay too, could've been without it. I won't be back.

Christine K.

Spontaneously came here on a Saturday night, was able to get a reservation for 8:30pm on OpenTable. I had never heard of this place before, but I'm always up for trying a new steak spot! The ambiance is low lit and romantic. There's Audrey Hepburn posters throughout the restaurant, my fave had to be the Marilyn Monroe ones though! Tables are spaced fairly far apart for privacy. The restaurant was clean, modern, but still had some old time charm. We started with a glass of wine and a cocktail with the apple salad. The salad was delicious and refreshing. My cocktail was delicious and strong! For our main, we shared the porterhouse which was 30oz. of steak total. This was the perfect serving amount for two people honestly. I had no idea we would be served two different cuts, so we were super happy about that. The steak was absolutely phenomenal. It was served with a baked potato and veggies on the side, which was also delicious. The owner was walking around and chatting with guests (including us) and it felt like such a personal touch to the experience. The wait staff also took time to chat with us and talk food and wine with us! Overall, this was an amazing dining experience. From the service to food, I will 100% be back and recommend this to anyone in search of a good steak in San Mateo!

Flambé
Amrita P.

Old Hollywood ambiance with Humphrey Bogart movie posters around the seating area. Food and drinks were delicious. Service was great and the flambé was a treat. Will definitely visit again.

Anna N.

Came here to celebrate our anniversary last month I got the Cowboy which is a 18oz prime rib and he got a Porterhouse which is a 20oz. It comes with some vegetables and a baked potato situation. We ordered a Beets Salad and the Wild Mushroom, supppper good! Service was great and our waitress was really kind & helpful ~

Crème Brûlée
Brock P.

Food, service, attention to detail, ambiance. Amazing restaurant. The food was excellent, and just delicious excellent prepared to perfection. I have gotten away from my earlier carnivore days but have really been feeling the need for some protein. I have been really craving beef. Not only did they have beef but Escargot and table side crepe Suzette's. Had a special occasions coming so I booked a reservation. It was a perfect evening. I am already looking forward to my next visit and I just got home

18 OZ Dry-Aged Cowboy
Crystal D.

We made reservations for Valentine's Day dinner at Porterhouse and overall had a great experience. It was pretty obvious the restaurant had added extra seating to accommodate the holiday crowd, so the space felt a bit crammed and walking room was limited. That said, it didn't take away from the evening. The service was immaculate. Our waitress was extremely kind, attentive, and made us feel well taken care of throughout the night. As for the food, the truffle mac and cheese was a pleasant surprise and ended up being the star of the show. The glazed carrots were delicious, and the twice-baked potatoes were perfectly executed. While the cook on our steaks was spot-on, we did feel they were slightly over-seasoned. Still, it wasn't enough to overshadow the overall experience. We would definitely come back and look forward to trying more from the menu.

Crab cakes
Nancy J.

I came here for a work related presentation in a separate room and the staff is very organized in remembering who ordered what. The food was good I got the 8oz filet and it was tasty. The restaurant looked cozy and people enjoying, also outdoor seating is an option

Jacob C.

We tried their iconic porterhouse steak. It was very flavorful and juicy, but my only complaint with this steak as well as the other steaks that my party got was that they were all overcooked we ordered medium rare for our steaks, and I'd say we got a medium at best Porterhouse staff treated my party very well and even gave my dog a bowl of water, which we really appreciated.

Heirloom tomato salad with burrata cheese, balsamic vinegar and pesto. I could have eaten 10 plates of this!

My parents were celebrating their 51st anniversary and my dad's one request was "I want a fancy steak". I'm not much of a red meat eater but I have been wanting to check this place out since The Vault closed. As soon as you walk in, you're immediately greeted with a large refrigerator of their in-house, dry-aged steaks, so my mouth was watering before I even sat down! The place has a casual ambiance so you can dress up or down if preferred, but the staff dresses up as I would expect from a nice steakhouse. We started off with an heirloom tomato salad with burrata cheese, balsamic drizzled on top, and pesto. For 3 of us it was kind of a small plate but delicious and refreshing. For main courses, mom and I ordered the porterhouse for 2, which included tender New York strip and melt-in-your mouth filet mignon. Dad had a combo lamb chops with filet mignon, and proclaimed it was the best he ever had! I'm not sure what type of salt they use, but it has some amazing type of seasoning in it that they used to season their steaks and broccoli with. If anyone has any idea of what kind of salt they use, please let me know! The carrots were also perfectly cooked (not too crunchy but not mushy) and I could taste a hint of brown sugar and butter. I don't love carrots but I could seriously eat those all day. We ended the night with a molten chocolate lava cake and peach sorbet(on the house!). Cake was ok but the sorbet was flavorful and tasted homemade. Overall an amazing experience and my parents enjoyed themselves. Would definitely come back here again!

4oz filet with Béarnaise sauce and twice baked potato.
Janice P.

We went for a late mother's day dinner this past Saturday. Zella, who is amazing, was able to fit us in even though it was a last minute request and was ver accommodating to our requests. When we arrived there was a bit of a wait, however the staff was very friendly and did their best to get us in as quickly as possible. I ordered the 4oz filet with Béarnaise sauce and my boyfriend got the NY strip, and even though it wasn't cooked as medium rare as we would have liked (bordering on rare), it was still delicious. The twice baked potato was a huge favorite. Everyone else around us who ordered the steak got their temperatures correct. The restaurant was very clean and romantic. We would definitely come back to order the Banana's foster as they cook it table side.

Truffled Mac and Cheese
Maggie W.

Had a really excellent experience at Porterhouse in regards to the quality of service and dishes we ordered! I randomly walked in from downtown San Mateo and immediately was seated at a table for two on a weekday night. We ordered the steak tartare, 20 oz porterhouse, Kansas City steak, truffle mac & cheese. Both steaks were done medium rare. A fresh bread basket came out prior to our dishes, The steak tartare was excellent, I was initially apprehensive due to other reviews but this is my favorite part of the meal solely because I could eat a decent portion of it and not get tired of the taste since it's so layered with various acidic flavors. Our server mixed it up while making small talk with us, and my initial impression was that this was a very lemony steak tartare! I enjoyed eating it without the crostini, opting to butter the crostini and eat tartare by the spoonful. However, my boyfriend insists that the crostini and tartare are best enjoyed together due to the combination of texture. The porterhouse was my boyfriend's favorite part of the meal- it was really delicious and had an excellent sear. Each bite was so tender and filling. The Kansas City steak was also delicious, but I preferred the porterhouse to it. Our server informed us that if we wanted to split the steaks, we should inform her next time so that they are able to slice and plate them properly for us- this was so sweet of her! Pairing our orders with the mac and cheese and the baked potato for carbs definitely helped to not get tired of the steak. The mac and cheese was yummy and had a fragrant aroma to it because of the truffle, the pot was decently sized as well. I was ambivalent about the vegetables they provided since I found bok choy to be an interesting choice to be paired with steak?

APPLE SALAD

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Reviews are mixed. Many highlight the attentive and friendly service, inviting ambiance, and well-prepared steaks.

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Porterhouse Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Porterhouse

Do they serve prime ribs?

Fridays & Saturdays mostly

Do they serve beef wellington?

Yes, they serve Beef Wellington as a special, not in their menu.

Do they still have Happy hour M-F 5-6pm?

Happy hour is 4:30 to 6pm Monday thru Friday

Have you moved to a different location this year (2023)? Thanks

Yes they moved to a better and nicer location not far away. Just 3 blocks away close to the parking structure.

Does the outside patio have cover or heat lamps?

They have heat lamps

How much is the corkage fee? Thank you!

Corkage is $40/bottle with a two bottle limit.

View All 7 Questions

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Porterhouse - steak - Updated October 2026

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