Sky Lounge

This is the cutest bar in San Mateo located across Malatang x Molly tea. Accessible parking lot and…read morestreet parking nearby. We made a reservation since we were celebrating our engagement, and were seated inside quickly. This place gets bustling as the night goes by so probably not the best for those hard of hearing. The drinks were great! I did end up liking the angry bird as well as the fogbird sour I ordered. Beautiful selection of alcohols behind the bar. We ordered the cheese and charcuterie board that came with a lot more than we thought $31 would get us. A lovely assortment of deli, honey, cheese, olives, and mustard + pita. We also got the Parmesan fries (10/10). My only complaint is that I wish there were more food items. Like this would be an amazing place if I could get a full meal not just light bites but that's a personal preference. Our server was very attentive, friendly and helpful with the menu. We would 100% come back.

Great place for drinks and food Great atmosphere and chill…read morevibe Friendly service Highly recommend

Nice interior.

Happy hour drinks

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Paloma

Mortar & Pestle Bar

4.2(434 reviews)

Damn, this place is good. Very solid cocktails, but come during happy hour for $11 a cocktail- it's…read morealmost unbeatable. Lee's a really good bartender who made great drinks and service was good.

Location is great. Interior is cool. Bartender was friendly and working hard…read more Drinks -tho based on creative ideas, were simple, uninspiring and overpriced. Music was so outdated that I became uncomfortable listening to music I associate with boring frat bros of yore.

Bar

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Mango Sangria

The Barrel Bistro And Wine Bar

4.6(1.2k reviews)

0.1 mi

Luxury

Locally owned & operated

Decided to try this place out for a dinner outing with family and was pleasantly surprised by the…read moreexcellent food and wine selection. Our waitress Daniela was extremely friendly and attentive. Service was excellent and food came out quickly. We chose to sit outside and would certainly come back again!

Daniela was incredibly kind and made our experience even more enjoyable. I highly recommend this…read moreplace. Don't miss trying the caipirinha; it's absolutely delicious! I give it a solid 10 out of 10.

The best Brunch menu in San Mateo

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Our newest breakfast menu

Vinyl Room

4.0(523 reviews)

1.5 mi

Great experience at the Vinyl room! Our bartender Naun was incredible and very attentive. The…read moredrinks he made were delicious, and the vibes and music were amazing. Would definitely come back

It's my first time at the Vinyl Room but definitely not my last. From the ambiance, the drinks, the…read morestaff, the service, all so great. Special shoutout to Thiago for the top tier service! Thank you so much!

Cocktails stirred slow. Records played all the way through.

Needle Drop. Full tracks. No rush. Let it play.

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Our main bar -- where the records spin and the night begins.

Barrelhouse Burlingame

Had a great time with Fiona, she was very knowledgeable and friendly. 10/10 service will come back!read more

Fiona helped us out and gave me a perfect drink recommendation. 10/10 service, would highly…read morerecommend

Empanadas time

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Bucky's Cocktail Lounge

4.4(89 reviews)

0.9 mi

•$

Do you like a dive bar? Do you like to watch the game…read morewithout others blocking the TV? Do you like to find a seat at the bar or near it? Do you like when your shoes don't stick to the floor bc it's actually clean? How about bartenders being friendly and responsive - like that? I do. That's why I keep coming back to bucks. I love the comfort in here. It's never so packed I can't move. It's not so empty I feel weird. I do wish the second room had a pool table and there was food here (pizza, wings, dive bar food) or even a taco truck outside. Otherwise I could easily be here more often. Lol... my liver said that's a bad idea anyways. Im also 99% of the way towards buying a neon sign reading "i don't give a buck" to hang next to the deer head. Tho... my husband has run this past the owner and he didnt seem enthused lol. See you soon, Bucky's!

I am torn with this review because I used to go here when Kelly owned this place and it was super…read morenostalgic with its old school vibes and it was just cool!! And now it's still super cool but now it's all new and still a nice place to go to and super friendly service. But if I had a choice i would most definitely want the old school place back lol

Bar area

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B Street & Vine

4.1(2k reviews)

This is AMAZING place to have small bites or lunch with drinks & unwind. The service is great &…read moreservers are welcoming & friendly. The outside patio is calming on a beautiful day & you can now bring your dog to chill with you. There are always friendly people at the bar area as well. I always look forward to bringing my friends & family there. It's great for a family outing as well as a mom's night out.

B Street and Vine secretly hosts San Mateo's finest happy hour, with a vast selection of delicious…read morewines and a full bar discounted every Tuesday through Saturday between 3pm and 6pm, along with even more drink specials on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It's a welcoming, chill space with tons of seating and a covered, dog-friendly patio. It's the perfect place to meet up with friends after work, curl up with a good book, or even host a corporate event. The staff is friendly and attentive, and Alan, the bartender, is a friendly, experienced leader. The kitchen whips up a wide variety of fresh salads, paninis (my favorites are the meatloaf, roast beef, caprese, thai chicken, and autostrada), wraps, and house-made desserts. The grilled cheese, mini paninis, and soups are fantastic happy hour snacks, too. Independently-owned businesses are becoming increasingly scarce of late, so come here to support a great local bar!

Indoor

Autostrada Panini | @whaevaeats

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Bruschetta | @whaevaeats

A2 Wine Bar

4.8(34 reviews)

They have live music on a Friday night and we happened to just walk by and decided to try one of…read moretheir wine flights. Owners were really nice and a totally different vibe compared to all the other places in DTSM. Great place to relax and get a NY ambiance.

Totally unacceptable to charge me $20 for Chianti at a private event (a school parent night) and…read moreserve it in a plastic cup. When I asked for a wine glass, the server said "we are worried glasses will break." This was a school parent night. If you are worried glasses will break, then be in another business. I will never come here again, and neither should you. Beyond that, wine list was pedestrian and charcuterie unimpressive. Foghorn and other places are 100x better.

Love the wine glasses

White wine classic flight

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Pausa Bar & Cookery

4.2(1k reviews)

0.1 mi

•$$$

As someone who doesn't like pizza, I actually enjoyed pausa. The pizzas aren't your standard greasy…read morecardboard pies, but actually have good texture and tastes fresh. We ordered the primavera ($34) to split and it came topped with mozzarella, pesto, ricotta, english peas, fava beans, and spring onions. They also offer chili flakes or this amazing chili oil if you want a splash of heat. It seemed like most tables ordered the margherita, so will have to come by to give it a try.

Our dining experience was not necessarily negative, but it did not live up to the expectations that…read morePausa should have. All in all there were a couple main issues: reservations and special requests that were made for group dining several weeks before hand and confirmed were not honored and , several dishes were "just alright," and the kitchen had "lost" several tickets so items were not delivered and had to be reordered. As we sampled multiple of the Entrees, the only star of the evening was the Mezzi Rigatoni which did make the rounds of the table for everyone to try. This was juxtaposed to other dishes that should have been standout, such as the duck breast or pappardelle to be lackluster in comparison. Dessert was the same, with only the Bombolini a winner. The Tiramisu and Panna Cotta came in at the 5/10 and neither lived up to their name and would be better enjoyed if you were not predisposed to expecting a specific dessert. The Chocolate Trifle was a complete miss. I can see what the aim was but the foam did not work. With that all being said, the seating was aesthetic and the cocktails and wine that were offered were quite good- kudos to the bartender

Great ambiance

Pizza Margherita

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Valentine's day complimentary

Gao Viet Kitchen & Bar - San Mateo

4.0(2.2k reviews)

0.0 mi

Generous portions, meat cooked to perfection, and the broth was on point…read more Got the Bo Tai Chanh (beef carpaccio) which is one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes and Gao did not disappoint. Must order. Wanted to try every pho on the menu but will have to save it for subsequent trips. Will definitely be coming back plenty of times.

Was missing Vietnam after recent trip there and my local Vietnamese friend decided to take us here…read more This did not disappoint. One of the better Vietnamese food I have had state side. Fairly authentic. Lots of Vietnamese family dinning here as well. Service was really quick as well. They do have a time limit, which I found kind of weird . But given how busy this place is I get it.