Top Southeast Asian Restaurant in San Mateo
Thai Nakorn Restaurant
464 San Mateo Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066, United States
Overall very satisfied with quality/price of food. Friendly service too :)Update July 2018:Maybe I caught the server on a bad day, but the service was quite appalling. We walked in for lunch on a weekend. We were seated promptly to a table without utensils; but soon after, the waiter brought utensils and the menu along. So far, so good....We waited a while for the waiter to come by, but they never did. I tried to get waiters attention by raising my hand and all that but they still didnt come - presumably busy with other tasks?But then I saw them chatting it up with one of the tables - wth? We were waiting for a good 15 minutes at this point, but they didnt seem to care that we were waiting to get *any* service.I lost my appetite/interest in dining here, so we just picked up our bags and left. Its really unfortunate since I remembered I enjoyed their food in the past, but I dont think Ill be coming by again.
Saigon City Restaurant
418 E 3rd Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401, United States
This is literally the worst Vietnamese restaurant Ive been to so no idea why people call it authentic, which unfortunately tricked me into trying it. Ill talk about food first and then about service. For food, they seem to only use white meat on pho ga (chicken rice noodle) and I absolutely wouldnt call that authentic and the meat is tasteless. For pho rieu, the taste is horrendous compared to Pho Kim Long because the flavor is too light to blend well with the crab meat and the shrimps are not fresh. The worst is my egg noodle signature soup which is so bad that I stopped after 2 bites. I ate all the fish cakes because thats all thats edible even though they are only so-so in flavors. The fried shrimp and pork egg rolls are definitely not even freshly fried but instead reheated so they are hard and the skins are too thick. They are also understaffed so it takes a while to seat you and not very welcoming but thats expected in an Asian restaurant so I didnt take any stars off because of it. Its definitely possible that I ordered all the wrong things but they did call the egg noodle their signature noodle soup.
Thonglor Thai Bistro
173 E 4th Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401, United States
Wanted to try something new and we were in the area, the restaurant was not busy and we sat outside, the outside sitting is very nice with a roof and blinds that can be rolled up, I did not want to sit more inside the patio becasue it was warm so the woman that helped us raised the side blinds to let some fresh air in.We ordered the fresh spring rolls which were rolled really tightly which is very good becasue when I took a bite, they stayed rolled, their peanut sauce had some kick to it and it was delicious. I ordered cucumber salad which had vinegar kick to it and it was refreshing but I thought it was tiny for $3.50. I also ordered the spicy eggplant w tofu and it was cooked perfectly, the eggplant was soft but did not fall apart and the sauce was a beautiful addition to the dish. Both the spring rolls and the spicy eggplant had fried tofu and I wished that it was fresh tofu instead.The woman that was our server was super sweet and attentive, we chatted for little bit about my hydro flask as well and I showed her pictures of different designs.We had a very plesant lunch.CC accepted.
Top other services in San Mateo:
A One Kitchen & Bar
677 San Mateo Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066, United States
What a wonderful find here in San Bruno. Service was excellent and food was wonderful. A mix of Southeast Asian cuisine - from Malaysian to Thai to Chinese - this restaurant a little bit of everything. Start off with a soup - their wonton soup is hearty and full of umami. Follow with some black pepper beef - tender and full of vitality. We had the garlic crab like others - definitely worth it - be ready to get your hands dirty - dont worry they provide enough towels for you. Dont forget to finish off with some mango sticky rice. Highly recommended.
Besans Market & Restaurant
480 San Mateo Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066, United States
I have been shopping at this store for years, it has passed through 3 owners from when I moved to the area but the current owner is the best. They are incredibly freindly to me, even sharing treats from behind the counter that someones wife brought in. They are always helping me diligently with picking out the best spices for whatever I am cooking and explaing to me which cut of meat I need. Mostly I am impressed with how kind and respectful they are to me. It is a place I go to stock up on lebne, halal meat, dried goods and have a lovely chat about life. Oh yeah, and you can not beat the prices.
Rin-Tei
104 S El Camino Real, San Mateo, CA 94401, United States
Love this restaurant. They serve really good fusion food (southeast Asian / Japanese), in a modern clean and elegant setting. Shocked that there aren’t lines out the door for this place. One of my favorites in San Mateo.
Foreigner Cafe
60 E 3rd Ave Ste 108, San Mateo, CA 94401, United States
My review of Foreigner is sooooo overdue. I work from home so Im constantly bouncing around all sorts of coffee shops. However, as of late I only go to Foreigner! Really, Im there like twice a week sometimes. Ive had to force myself to go other places because I feel bad for my old go-to spots. The seating options (indoor/outdoor, and the outdoor table is great for standing), the service, and the food are all better than what Ive had at other places around San Mateo.The first time I visited, I was immediately in love with the display case of their food items. It. Is. Gorgeous. Now that Im a regular, I hear people commenting on it all the time. People bring their friends and say, See! I told you it was beautiful!The food is DELICIOUS. It isnt the cheapest youll find downtown, but the quality is worth it. Plus, I love that, even though they are small, they still have table service where they bring your drinks and dishes out to you. The serving sizes are just right - the salads and sandwiches are huge and Im always stuffed afterwards (but I continue to devour the entire plate each time I order). The ingredients are SO fresh and honestly theres a little bit of everything on their menu, so youre bound to find something even for a picky eater.Things Ive tried:Turmeric latte -- it was smaller than I expected, but PACKED with flavorLecso with a poached egg -- the first thing I ever tried and LOVED. Its a savory stew with vegetables and sausage. The portion looks small, but trust me once you start dipping the beautifully crunchy slices of bread in the stew youll be stuffed. When they first opened, the egg was an extra $2 so Im pumped it now comes with the stewChicken, Bacon, Avocado sandwich -- UGH YUM. This is by far the most filling thing Ive had. The sprinkle of cheese on top of the bread...be still, my heartArcadian chicken salad -- Their salad bowls are pieces of art. Really, check out my pictures. Microgreens are sprinkled atop a bed of mixed greens thats filled with avocado, tomatoes, onions, and blackened chicken.Tea -- this is what I get when I come. They have a solid selection; some places downtown (Kaffeehaus) have more options, but sometimes its too much. Mint is my favorite so farSidenote: Their chicken is seriously so flavorful! You wont get bland, dry chicken here. Its almost blackened, seasoned beautifully, and spicy. So, so good.The inside decor is interesting and comfortable. Its a rustic modern, with unique lighting fixtures and all sorts of plants scattered around. The chairs are all totally random, so a part of my visit is scoping out the most comfortable looking seat. Whoever designed the interior knew exactly what they were doing and did a brilliant job.Finally, the service is impeccable. I think Ann is the owner? Or Anna? Embarrassingly, I cant remember her name and I keep forgetting to ask her. Anyway, you can tell she cares for her customers because shes always running around, asking if everything is going well and offering up small talk. She clearly knows her regulars as she always greets them, sometimes by name, and welcomes them back. It seems like shes the one that keeps the place running smoothly. You might come across Kelly, one of the baristas who always offers up a smile and easy conversation. Sam is a charismatic cashier/server who knows how to turn on the charm for his customers, young or old, men or women. Everyone who works there is super sweet and they all seem to work well together.I never went to the cafe that was there before Foreigner, but from walking by it was ALWAYS empty; nothing like the crowd Foreigner attracts. I cant recommend this place enough! Grab some friends or hangout there alone, either way you wont be disappointed with your experience.