San Mateo

Restaurants, hotels, bars and wineries in San Mateo from the En Primeur Club guide.

CountryUnited States Locations42 Restaurants39 Hotels0 Bars6 Wineries0

Accolades in San Mateo

San Mateo’s one Michelin star in our guide belongs to Wakuriya, a modern kaiseki counter with prix fixe menus that change monthly around seasonal Japanese and Californian ingredients, a wine list, and a sake program. Downtown San Mateo has more venues in our guide than any other neighbourhood. Sushi Yoshizumi is a traditional Edomae omakase counter there, with a wine list, a sake program, and a Michelin Plate. Pausa, in downtown San Mateo, serves modern Italian a la carte and small plates with an extensive wine list. All Spice, in San Mateo, offers a tasting menu and prix fixe of Modern Californian cooking with Indian, Japanese, Norwegian, and Mediterranean influences, and a Michelin Plate. Citywide, three venues have exceptional wine programs, including Central Park Bistro in downtown and Espetus San Mateo.

Serious dining in San Mateo

These are the city’s most focused kitchens, including the Michelin-starred room and the omakase counters that define the upper end of the scene.

Wakuriya
A Michelin-starred modern kaiseki counter in San Mateo, Wakuriya runs a prix fixe format with monthly changing menus built around seasonal Japanese and Californian ingredients. The room is led by a single chef and pairs its measured pacing with a wine list and sake program.
Sushi Yoshizumi
This Downtown San Mateo omakase counter focuses on traditional Edomae technique, seasonal seafood, and a distraction-free sushi-ya experience. Its wine list and sake program sit alongside counter dining and omakase formats, with Michelin Plate recognition and consistent high placement in Opinionated About Dining.
All Spice
All Spice in San Mateo runs a tasting menu and a prix fixe, with a wine list, and corkage is allowed. The cooking is Modern Californian, with Indian, Japanese, Norwegian, and Mediterranean influences, and the restaurant holds a Michelin Plate.

Wine-led restaurants and bars

San Mateo has a small but useful group of places where the wine program is part of the point, especially in and around downtown.

Central Park Bistro
Central Park Bistro sits in downtown and serves contemporary American bistro cooking from an a la carte menu. Its exceptional wine program also includes a Wine Spectator award-winning wine list, an extensive wine list, and an intimate private wine cellar room.
B Street & Vine
B Street & Vine is a wine and cocktail bar in the Central San Mateo neighbourhood. The bar pours from a wine list. Bruschetta flights on the menu are paired with live jazz music, and the venue has a welcoming patio.
Bahche
Bahche in Hillsdale is an upscale mezze restaurant with a welcoming ambience, serving small plates and a la carte dishes. The cooking offers modern Greek and coastal Mediterranean flavours, and the restaurant’s wine program has an extensive wine list.

Planning FAQ

Which neighbourhood has the strongest concentration of serious dining?

Downtown San Mateo has the strongest concentration of venues in our guide, with 17, more than any other neighbourhood. The venues there include Sushi Yoshizumi, a traditional Edomae omakase counter with a Michelin Plate, ramen at Himawari and Taishoken Ramen, and Izakaya Ginji, which has a wine list.

How many Michelin-starred restaurants are in your San Mateo guide?

There is 1 Michelin-starred restaurant in our San Mateo guide. That restaurant is Wakuriya, and it also accounts for the city’s total of 1 Michelin star. The rest of the Michelin-recognised rooms in the guide are Plates or Bib Gourmand entries.

Where should I look for tasting menus and prix fixe dining?

Tasting menus and prix fixe dining in our guide are at Wakuriya, All Spice, Espetus San Mateo, and Sushi Yoshizumi. Wakuriya runs a prix fixe modern kaiseki menu. All Spice, in San Mateo, offers both a tasting menu and prix fixe. Espetus San Mateo, in San Mateo, serves a prix fixe Brazilian churrascaria. Sushi Yoshizumi, in Downtown San Mateo, serves traditional Edomae omakase.

Which places in the guide have the strongest wine programs?

Three places in our guide have exceptional wine programs. Two of them are Central Park Bistro, in downtown, and Espetus San Mateo, in San Mateo. Central Park Bistro has a Wine Spectator award-winning wine list and an extensive wine list. Espetus San Mateo has a wine cellar with over 120 selections.

By Emmett Haley · Updated October 8, 2026 · Editorial standards

San Mateo

Where to eat in San Mateo

Selected entries from the current guide for San Mateo.

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San Mateo, United States

Wakuriya

Wakuriya holds a Michelin star and a 2025 Opinionated About Dining ranking of #274 in North America, placing it among the Peninsula's most serious Japanese dining destinations. Chef Katsuhiro Yamasaki runs a kaiseki-influenced counter in San Mateo where pacing and presentation follow the measured logic of traditional Japanese meal structure. Dinner runs four evenings a week, Wednesday through Sunday, from a De Anza Boulevard address that rewards those who seek it out.

San Mateo

Serious dining in San Mateo

Wakuriya

Sushi Yoshizumi

All Spice

Wine-led restaurants and bars

Central Park Bistro

B Street & Vine

Bahche

Planning FAQ

Where to eat in San Mateo

Wakuriya

Sushi Yoshizumi

Pausa

All Spice

Kajiken

Avenida

B Street & Vine

Bahche

Central Park Bistro

Espetus San Mateo

Himawari

Hummus Mediterranean Kitchen

Izakaya Ginji

Jeffrey's Hamburgers

La Lanterna

Poke House

Ramen Dojo

Ramen Parlor

Santa Ramen

Sapore Express

Sapporo Rock & Roll Sushi

Where to stay in San Mateo

Where to go for a drink in San Mateo

Bel Mateo Bowl

Sushi Edomata

Which wineries to visit in San Mateo

Venue lists for San Mateo

Best-of lists

Nearby Destinations

San Francisco Area

Silicon Valley

Napa Valley