Where to eat in San Mateo

Downtown San Mateo is where many Palo Alto residents go when they want a big choice of restaurants without driving to San Francisco. The core is compact. B Street runs north to south through the middle, Third and Fourth avenues cross it and the Caltrain station sits a block away. Within that grid you can eat ramen for lunch, buy fresh ravioli for later and finish with a Brazilian grill dinner without moving the car.

The Downtown San Mateo Association says the district has more than 100 restaurants. Its June 2026 restaurant guide runs from boba and bakeries to steakhouses. We could not check them all, so this page names only places we confirmed on their own websites in late October 2026. Descriptions stay factual: what each place serves and where it is. For the rest of the city, including Central Park and Hillsdale, see our San Mateo town guide.

How downtown dining is laid out

Think of downtown as three overlapping zones. B Street is the spine, lined with casual counters, taquerias and a few sit-down rooms. Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue run east to west and hold most of the Japanese restaurants, dessert shops and bakeries. South B Street, past Fifth Avenue, has a handful of older family businesses and the churrascaria.

In 2021 the city voted to create a permanent pedestrian area on B Street between First and Third avenues, so part of the street works as an outdoor dining room. The rest of downtown is ordinary city blocks with metered parking and public garages. Everything on this page is within about a ten-minute walk of the station.

Ramen and Japanese food

San Mateo's reputation rests on its Japanese restaurants. The cluster around Third and Fourth avenues is the place to start.

Taishoken

Taishoken at 47 East Fourth Avenue is a branch of a Tokyo ramen house known for tsukemen, thick noodles served with a separate dipping broth. The company also runs shops in San Francisco and Milpitas. Its website lists the San Mateo shop as closed on Mondays and open for a short lunch window and a longer dinner service on other days. Expect a line at peak times.

HiroNori Craft Ramen

HiroNori Craft Ramen lists San Mateo among its California locations. The downtown association places it at 211 East Third Avenue. The chain started in Southern California and focuses on rich pork and chicken broths. It also has a Cupertino shop. Our ramen guide covers bowls closer to Palo Alto.

Tokie's and Hotaru

Tokie's at 34 East Fourth Avenue is a Japanese restaurant and bar with separate dinner, sushi and drink menus. Its website lists dinner from Tuesday to Sunday and closed Mondays. Around the corner, Hotaru at 33 East Third Avenue serves both lunch and dinner, with sushi and side orders on its menu pages. Its site lists lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 5:30 p.m., with an earlier close on Sundays. For more on Japanese cooking near home, see our Japanese food guide.

Casual meals and takeout

Pancho Villa Taqueria

Pancho Villa Taqueria at 365 South B Street says it has served Mexican food since 1985, when the business began in San Francisco. Burritos, tacos and plates come off a counter. The website highlights a large selection of aguas frescas. It lists hours of 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, which makes it one of the easier options for a late lunch.

Amici's East Coast Pizzeria

Amici's East Coast Pizzeria lists a San Mateo restaurant at 69 East Third Avenue. The Bay Area chain bakes thin New York style pies in brick ovens and also sells half-baked pizzas to finish at home. Families who know the Menlo Park branch will recognize the menu. Our pizza guide lists styles closer to Palo Alto.

The Ravioli House

The Ravioli House at 505 South B Street calls itself San Mateo's Italian deli and ravioli factory. It makes fresh ravioli, pasta and sauces to take home and builds deli sandwiches at the counter. The website lists Monday to Saturday hours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., phone-in pickup orders and no delivery, so plan a midday stop rather than an evening one.

Sit-down dinners

Pausa Bar & Cookery

Pausa Bar & Cookery at 223 East Fourth Avenue is an Italian restaurant that takes reservations and lists group dining and online orders on its website. In late October 2026 the site gave dinner hours starting at 4:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 4 p.m. on weekends, with service ending between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. depending on the night. It works for a date or a small celebration.

Espetus Churrascaria

Espetus Churrascaria at 710 South B Street serves Brazilian rodizio, where servers carve grilled meats at the table until you signal that you are done. The company also runs restaurants in San Francisco and Concord. Its San Mateo page lists weekday lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., weekend lunch from noon to 3 p.m. and dinner most nights. It is a good fit for groups and big appetites. Our steakhouse guide covers meat-focused dinners in Palo Alto.

Coffee and bakeries

Backhaus runs its flagship bakery at 32 Third Avenue plus an outpost in Burlingame. It bakes bread and pastries daily and serves counter-service brunch. The website lists Tuesday to Sunday hours from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed Mondays. Go early on weekends for the full pastry case.

Philz Coffee lists a downtown San Mateo store at 113 South B Street and a second one inside Hillsdale Shopping Center. Each cup is brewed to order, a style Palo Alto readers know from the Forest Avenue shop. For more choices near home, see our Palo Alto coffee guide.

Eating with kids

Downtown San Mateo works well with children if you pick counter service. Pancho Villa, Amici's and the bakeries all move quickly. The dessert shops on Third Avenue make an easy last stop. Central Park is a few blocks west along Fifth Avenue, so you can pair lunch with the playground, the miniature train or the Japanese Tea Garden. Evening ramen lines can be long, which is hard with small children, so try ramen at lunch instead.

Planning your visit

• Take the train. The San Mateo station is at the edge of downtown. Our Caltrain guide covers tickets and timetables. Check the last convenient train home before a late dinner.
• Park once. If you drive, use one of the downtown garages and walk. The pedestrian block of B Street is closed to cars.
• Mind Mondays. Several restaurants on this page close on Mondays or open only for dinner. Check before you go.
• Book weekends. Pausa and Espetus take reservations. Ramen shops mostly do not, so expect to wait.
• Stay over if needed. San Mateo has many hotels near Highway 101 and Highway 92. You can compare San Mateo hotels if you plan a long evening.

Openings, closings and checking ahead

Downtown San Mateo turns over fast. The downtown association updates its restaurant list throughout the year and says its online search is more current than the printed guide. While checking for this page we found one well-known dim sum restaurant's website replaced by an "in progress" notice, so we left it out until its status is clear. A few habits help:

1. Open the restaurant's own website or ordering page on the day you go.
2. Look for holiday closures in November and December, when many small places post shorter hours.
3. Pick a backup on the same block. Downtown almost always has another option a few doors away.

Frequently asked questions