Central Park Bistro in San Mateo

Amazing paella. Good, easy, comfortable ambience perfect for business conversations.Absolutely loved the paella and lava cake.Service is exemplary and there’s plenty of seating. Limited seating outside but the inside opens up to the outside street well with natural lighting.Open kitchen so nice aromas waft over. Reasonable prices.Did I say the service was great?

Great service... I had the ribs and they were excellent

I only tried a few things but the food was above average. I sat at the bar. Service was excellent. Perhaps I ordered the wrong things but in an area with lots of competition, not sure how they get 5 stars.

Today was my first time at Central Park Bistro on Fourth Ave in San Mateo and the lamb chops were excellent. Wow! The chef prepared the lamb chops in an exquisite, tasty sauce. Included were small portions of chive potato cake, goat cheese, and cherry tomatoes. The sides were tasty, as well.Central Park Bistro has a few tables in front. The interior décor is pleasant, but I wish they had more light since my old eyes are not what they used to be, which makes reading the menu impossible without a flashlight/cell light.There is a lot of street level parking, but we must feed the meter. I wish San Mateo City would stop that.

Food is good. Recommendations were tasty 😋

My son yelped best lamb chops and we found ourselves at @centralparkcafe. My family members so enjoyed everything we ordered we haven’t stopped raving about the amazing delicious meal. As Arnold says ‘I will be back’😊

Only positive emotions. Incredibly tender meat, fresh bread, delicious beetroot sauce.Highly recommended!!And the most amazing service. Emir is the most valuable employee, such a good service from him, very attentive, every time with a smile, and interest. Thank you!!

Very professional service. Food is made with very fresh ingredients and they taste like theyve been prepared by real chefs. Very nice presentation. Portions are fairly small, allowing room for appetizer and dessert. Waiting time is a bit longer than average between courses, so its perfect for having a chill time or talk over a meal, not if one is starving for immediate food. Definitely returning.

The food and presentation was ok. Service was excellent. We had the beet salad, charcuterie, and octopus for lunch. We also had the cheese plate and cappuccino for dessert. The octopus was cooked well. The beet salad was a little over-dressed, but still tasty. We had a sage cheese on our dessert plate which was not our favorite. Our waiter was friendly, professional, and knowledgeable.

This was booked for a blind date - They did not bring me to the table where my date was sitting and instead had me wait at the bar for almost 10 minutes for no reason without offering water or any kind of beverage. When my date and I finally figured out we were waiting for each other (he could see me waiting at the bar and came overand sat down the staff was not attentive and took another 20+ minutes to take our order. They got my order wrong (I ordered a burger and they brought a steak sandwich?and then continued to not check on us so we had to flag someone down to ask for the bill. Food was mediocre which added insult to injury. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone for any reasons

One of best meals we have enjoyed on the peninsula in a long time. Excellent appetisers and perfectly prepared entrees. Great service to boot. Every one would return.Well, we must have hit an off night at central park bistro on a busy mothers day. I had made a fabulous brunch at home so we decided to go out for dinner to one of our favorite places. Usual chef must have been cooking at home for his Mother. Worst meal we have had here. Scallops cold and not flavorful. Duck ragot with pasta shells instead of handmade flat noodles and vinegary. Bummer. Service so-so.

The food was very good and the service was attentive.

Delicious food. Great staff. Am definitely going back.

Delicious ravioli and calamari. Great location in downtown San Mateo. We were able to sit outside and enjoy the weather. We thought it might be too noisy, but it was fine.

The food and the service was perfect! My new favorite in downtown San Mateo.

The food is so flavorful . Great meat. The most perfectly cooked soft bread in a bowl, amazing chefs, delicious cocktails. San Mateo gem

Popular among the professional set. Gets loud. Make advance reservations. Not much on social distanced tables but… it is what it is. Street parking spots but can fill up. Go early to find parking.

Everything we ordered was absolutely delicious and spot on. Service was great as well, such friendly and knowledgeable staff.Highly recommend.

Nice place.Very good food,but somewhat limited menu! Very attentive servers!Worth recommending!

Oh wow, the food is really delicious! The portions are small and they dont offer bread, but I still love this place!

I got the seasonal vegetables plate. The flavors were good and varied, but so much oil. I felt ill for days after. My meat eating companions seemed happy with their food.

Sad to post this… so disappointed on our scheduled reservation Sunday December 5th 2021 my mother in laws 90th Birthday to find out the special Wine room we requested a month ago was given away to another party !We had 8 family members to celebrate her special day & our table was in the comer next to a curtain.. we received a call saying that there was an error in reservation! Really?? ! HmmmWe won’t be going back ! ☹️

I dont know what to say but I loved it!!!Great food, excellent wines! Must try!

I was on the Peninsula yesterday to get some R and R. I found this lovely spot online and stopped in. The food was great and the service top notch. This is a keeper.

Highly recommend this place! Hot bread, delicious perfectly cooked seafood, great service, and a pretty restaurant. Will be back again!

After a long road trip with mediocre meals along the way, what a surprisingly pleasant experience!The octopus is amazing -- tender and tasty -- with a beautiful presentation. I also recommend the calamari with artichokes and onion rings.Gre

This review is about a month overdue. I had the privilege and pleasure of dining inside last month for my birthday celebration. The staff was very gracious, cordial, and attentive and followed all safety protocols. The food and service were impeccable. The calamari, filet mignon, and chocolate cake were outstanding. I also appreciated the complimentary desert for my special day. Thumbs way up

The Brie Cheese & Carmelized Filo Rolls were amazing!!

My friend and I ended up here after a sushi place we planned to eat was full. This place had indoor dining so we were thrilled bc it was cold af outside. The gentlemen who served us were attentive and kind. We really just wanted to hangout and just ordered the fried calamari and mainly drinks. The staff even sang happy birthday to me and brought out this to our table. A surprisingly sweet gesture that I didnt expect. Will come back to try the entrees someday!

The octopus is some of the best I have ever had. The gnocci made with squash just melts. The scallops and sea bass were fresh and so satisfying. The bar and wine offerings are a perfect match. The inside of the restaurant is cozy and romantic. The bread pudding is delicious. The service is professional and on point. Wonderful meal.

The outdoor dining area was quite cozy and quiet. Indoor dining was also available when we ate here. I got the Chicken Sandwich and it tasted really good.

Excellent service and wonderful food, as soon as possible I will be back.

Forgot to take photos...!! Argh. Well, the food was delicious — the artichoke app, salmon pizza & ribs were all amazing! Service was wonderful too... We’ll def be back!

Have been here twice for business dinners, and both were excellent experiences for all attendees.All the menu items are nicely done, staff is attentive and friendly, and the space is relaxing and enjoyable.

From the starters to the Seafood Linguine every item was delicious.

Great service, great food.got to try octopus as appetizers and rack of lamb is marvelous. Linguini with scallops and rock prawns is out of this world...Even their pizza is tasty too !!! Definitely going back to try other dishes...

My husband and I love this place! The food and friendly staff is consistently excellent! We dont eat here enough to be considered a regular, but we definitely do keep coming back again and again over other places in San Mateo..

My favorite location is in San Mateo. Theres also location in Burlingame and in San Carlos but it does not feel like a chain its.Food is wonderful and the service is very good. One of my personal favorites is the Lamb.My wife loves the filet mignon. Go check it out you will not be disappointed.

Wow! Had family birthday luncheon there today. Im a "picky person" and so is my wife. This was a very pleasant surprise as to just how good EVERYTHING was! The waiters were actually professional waiters - courteous, attentive, neat & well dressed [did I just say that? - Funny as how many places the waiters/waitresses looked like they slept in their clothes - sorry] and asked numerous times if everything was satisfactory - which it was & more. 11 of us and everyone said their lunch was very good. So - service way above average, food way above average and prices extremely reasonable. My wife is already thinking of rescheduling an upcoming luncheon to this wonderful & well run restaurant. Whoever the manager is he/she deserves a raise! Lol!... Try this place - you won;t be disappointed.

4.5 star we enjoyed the food here. Definitely will be back. The salads werent superb. The main were great. The dessert was excellent.

Starting with the atmosphere inside the restaurant I have to say there was plenty of different types of seating that allowed for comfortable conversation while still providing great service. The wine list is quite good and the prices are not ridiculous. The food is outstanding having tried several dishes there now it is consistent as well. Go there and you wont be disappointed.

Great variety and selection of wines. We had a "tapas" style dinner, and enjoyed a "louie salad", lobster/crab cakes, garlic tiger shrimp and seaweed wrapped ahi

The burger blew my mind! It was huge juicy had 2 patties cheese lettuce pickels onion and house sauce. I opted to add on the bacon but not the avocado and try it more traditional this time tho I would have liked an egg option as well. I also really liked the side of crispy onions(think green bean casserole topping but fresh and homemade). Possibly the bays best burger easily top 3 and great service. This is currently the best place iv been to in the marina area and highly recommend it.

I wish there were a better score range, Id really give this place a 4.5. The food was excellent. The only reason I dont give it a 5 is that the dishes were mostly conventional, though there was a little creative flair in each one. Well worth it.

Very disappointing. Place wasnt busy, but they seemed very disorganized. We ordered two burgers and a caesar salad with chicken and it took about 20 minutes before anything was delivered. Ironically the two burgers were delivered in the Caesar salad was not . Both burgers were finished before anyone even stopped at our table see how things were and so I asked about my salad . Our waiter just looked at me like I was asking a dumb question or something. Finally the manager came over say that they were having a little bit of a trouble with cooking the chicken... Oh please!

Experience at mothers day brunch: The Central Park Bistro has a great atmosphere, really nice decore, and a friendly and attentive staff. Cant really comment on their normal menu and pricing, as they were having a brunch special for mothers day that was fixed price for a 3 course meal.The selections we had were all quite good, with generous cuts for the prime rib, though the more "breakfast" bacon and eggs was just OK and not up to expected for the price. The prime rib was well worth it, though. I suspect the normal price is more reasonable for that one. Mom had a lobster salad dish that was lovely and delicious. The deserts we had were also quite nice.Overall a good experience and a place to go back to. There is a city lot directly behind the restaurant, though parking in this part of downtown San Mateo can be tight, or need a several block walk. Not actually a bad thing, given it is a nice part of town.

Went on Mothers Day with my wife and mother-in-law. The food was absolutely incredible, but the wait staff was very inattentive and pushy - they seemed really pressed to turn tables. Arrived at 1:30 (with reservationafter ordering/receiving food (food came rather quickly and was excellentwaiter only returned to drop off bill and collect plates about 20 minutes later - some dishes were still in progress. We were hurried out the door by 2:05p. Again, food was great - but not a good first impression from their service staff.

Love the food, delicious lamb chops- these are "lolipopped" so they arent huge. I cant eat large portions but if youre more hungry, order the offer of 4.The standard arrives with 2. The beet salad with goat cheese was so delicious and they have lovely coffee. Service is really good too. Enjoy a treat, check them out!

Great food, fantastic service. One of my favorite places in the Bay Area for lunch and dinner. Great for company dinners as well. Awesome wine selection and cocktails. The food is a great mix of French and Mediterranean cuisine, and depending on your selection can deliver both a comfort food as well as a fine dining experience. For example an elegant foie gras or lamb rack or a crispy wood oven baked wild mushroom pizza.

Cool and sophisticated setting. Great service, friendly. Tasty fillet of sole sandwich came with crispy, hot fries. Chicken sandwich was a pleasure. Delicious iced tea made just right for my southern tastes (but without the sugar). Definitely will return.