Neal's Coffee Shop in San Mateo

First time here. We sat outside d/t having our pets. Food was good and it tasted fresh. I deducted 1 star for charging $1 for a side of dried up salsa.

Been on a hit and miss for good breakfast diners! Walked into Neals Coffee Shop in San Mateo, and got a home run this morning! Cute, clean, and friendly restaurant in Chrystal Springs Center! Carol, waitress friendly and attentive made our breakfast pleasant! Big hardy and plentiful, cooked to perfection. Check it out, my wife and I will be going back again! Extensive menu, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

Food is good. Good portions.

Delicious breakfast, outdoors with our dog.

Total diner/coffee shop experience. Friendly and attentive staff. Theres always someone eyeballing your table keeping drinks topped off or making sure youre not missing something. Consistent food choices, healthy portions. Parking is a bit challenging at times but its located in a supermarket plaza so you may need a short walk once parked. I dont drink coffee so cannot comment. I do see a lot of pre-order take out happening during visits. Decent breakfast here. Selection is great. Other shops nearby so handy if youre running errands and want a quick bite as well. Clean restrooms.

food ok... Consistent... Better than the IHOP in Belmont!

Was not expecting a full on dinner experience. Was pleasantly surprised. Great food, good service.

I had a Tri-Tip Taco Salad and it was really good. Lots of fresh ingredients and plenty of meat. The server was really nice as well. I loved the patio seating and nice surroundings.

Just tried them out this morning and it was nothing to write home about.Mental note to everyone, especially myself… NEVER order breakfast food for togo. You’ll regret it. Especially when you get home and see there’s no butter on your already cold bread, they forgot to include syrup for your pancakes and the cheese is all cold in the omelette, as were at Neal’s.Not sure if I’d recommend this place as I didn’t have a good experience… but the people are friendly.

Good options of food and a nice sitting area.

Absolutely fantastic food! We had to wait a bit, but it was 100% worth it.

We ordered fish tacos, hot chocolate, pan cakes and waffles.The Fish tacos was bland. The fish was not cooked properly.The pan cakes were ok. The waffles were not great too. The waitress were too busy to even recommend something for us. We came in hungry and left hungry. This place is not for us.The hot chocolate was just water. I did not pay $3+ for chocolate water. I couldnt drink and i asked for a carry-on cup and I was told that i will be charged 50c for that. This was the tipping point.

They make my customized crepe for me…thank you guys for taking care of me! And the food tasted great!

I discovered this nice stop on the drive down 280 and enjoyed a solid, but basic, breakfast. There was lots of seating (a bit too much for the size of the space), the staff was friendly, and prices were a bit higher than the menus online. My breakfast was good and my tea was strong, Ill be back.

Nice clean place. Super friendly staff. I dont like any of their egg dishes(overcookednor their coffee(weak and lukewarmtheyre all really pretty bad. But their Swedish pancakes with the berry butter are out if this world: Delish !

Nice looking place and the Monte Cristo was good. The beef dip however was skimpy and some kind of cheap lunch meat. It had a weird tooth. My fries were not cooked and raw in the middle. Would I go back? Prob not. Coffee was thin and tasted cheap. Lots of seniors enjoying Sunday morning.

Great food, quick service , kind and competent people. Large menu selection

At every new diner I go to I always order the country fried steak. It comes with eggs, potatoes, and of course the country fried steak. The eggs were cooked the way I like them. I opted out of the potatoes and had asked for a banana. I also got crepes instead of pancakes. The crepes came fresh and warm. It was delicious. I added my banana on the crepe and they said I could have asked for bananas in the crepe. Wonderful! The country fried steak was a decent portion. The breading/crust was crunchy and light. It was not greasy nor did they reuse oil to cook it. It was one of the best I have ever had.If you are also looking for atmosphere. Its very quiet and calming. I went around 10am. Very quaint.

Excellent service. Reasonably priced. Country fried steak was prepared perfectly. But on another visit, their fried chicken lacked flavor. (No I dont have Coronavirus lol). A half chicken was fried perfectly, and had perfectly crisp breading but,,, there was zero flavor. No salt, no pepper, no herbs, spices, or whatnot. I think the cook just forgot to put it in the flour that morning before frying. The waffle was fine however.

Neals Coffee Shop is a great, and rare place, for American food. It is reminiscent of my favorite food from the 70s. Portions are quite sizeable, especially on the Dinner or Senior Entree Items. The food is fresh and tasty, and I enjoy the nice drive there from Menlo Park. Additionally, the Staff are courteous and pleasant. Try it, and enjoy!

What a find! Some of the most delicious, filling, and well priced food in San Mateo! Alex and June are wonderful servers and are always considering and making customers feel at home! Thank you for such good service!

We really like the place. A traditional diner with lots of options. Staffs are attentive. Food is great and lots of healthy options.

Been walking here daily for8 years from my condo across street. For breakfast will get eggs,, sausages, pancakes; the usual and a cup of coffee to wake me up!. for lunch I’ve fallen love with their country fried steak!! Yum👍! Although I’m Chinese American, Neal’s food reminds me of good ol American food that I was used to eating growing up in Minneapolis, Minnesota! Don’t get me wrong, still love Chinese food, and I’m proud to be Chinese, but there’s way more Chinese restaurants in Millbrae than American. So thank God that we have traditional good ol American restaurant, Neal’s! I’m blessed because it’s right across the street. Thanks Neil’s for the great service/food for all these years!

Great diner with all your classics. Theres more seating here than at the Burlingame location. Staff is friendly and our food always comes out quick. I really enjoy their breakfasts and they make a good liver n onion 😋

Great food at great prices. Theres something on the menu for everyone and youll never leave hungry.

Take out order : a steak omelette. It was ok but not flavors not even salt or pepper and the 🥩 was not a tri-tip . Price is rightNote : try use some red peppers to get some color at least

The menu and service were beyond our expectations. I really liked the environment of this spot. Extraordinary restaurant to take the family out for dinner.

Food was edible..but barely. Not much flavor at all on the burger. Fries and slaw was pedestrian..coffee strong. Prices reasonable for what you get. Not a memorable culinary event here folks. ...it wont kill you.

Great people, great food, great service, I always look forward to my next trip to Neals.Pro tip; you can substitute toast for pancakes with your omelette

Consistently good food and service, but even with air conditioner, they had door open and the place was swarmed by flies;a onstant battle. The flies were on unoccupied table utensils and condiments. Gross.

Just bad cooking all the way around. My first visit I had a burger which appeared to be a Costco frozen patty. I decided to give them another chance and was served parboiled pork chops and bland watery gravy. I wont be back.

Great little breakfast lunch place with great comfort food with a Mexican bent. Chorizo scramble is fantastic, as are their fish tacos (done with grilled trout instead of cod, so awesome – much more healthy and better tasting.Home made salsa and their black bean side is off the hook. Perfectly spiced, savory and flavorful. Great sandwiches and decent kids menu. Prices are mid range (but cheap for CA folks who are used to Bay Area price gouging. 🙄but entirely worth the price. Portions are ample and filling, without being Cheesecake Factory obscene.Staff is friendly and attentive, and very willing to accommodate if you have dietary needs or requests (that you cant find on the pretty large menu selection – its really comprehensive!Bright, naturally lit space, and not too terribly loud (but can get that way when they are slammed, just fyi if you really prefer quiet places). We take our kids here after Japanese school and it always kicks off a lovely afternoon. Highly recommend.

What a wonderful little comfort food place. They arent just coffee and have a full menu. Very friendly. I was thirst and ordered a root beer. I said big root beer. They brought it in one of the metal cups they use for blending milk shakes. It was the biggest cup they had.Entrees are around $15 plus or minus and include soup or salad and a dessert. Sr menu is a few bucks cheaper.Both my wife and I are glad we found it, and will go back.

Good place to have brunch in San Mateo. Easy and convenientparking. The menu has a lot of dishes to choose from. You have the typical brunch omelette, burgers, sandwiches, salads, etc. The service was very attentive, and the prices are fair. There was not waiting when we were there, in a Saturday afternoon.

A nice place to enjoy a great breakfast. It was delicious differently we will come back.

Neals knows what it is: a coffee shop. Food is good, generous portions, satisfying but not "foodie" quality. Great for breakfast in the late afternoon, good burgers,nice staff. Straight forward, no pretence, good basic meals.

If you wish for comfort foods, then this spot is for you. All of the typical American “dinner” items are available. The omelettes are all good. I have tried their vegetarian omelette and it has a decent amount of veggies. The sides are ample with choices of potatoes and pancakes. The sandwiches are well made but could use a little something to kick them up a notch or two. I have taken away one star because of the coffee. The coffee, perhaps is of a lower quality or not brewed properly. It always tastes sort of flat or slightly pungent. Maybe it’s just me. Otherwise I like this spot for a relaxed meal and the service is fast, efficient and friendly.

Cockroach nightmare: We live close to Neal’s and so, at the end of this summer, our family decided that we would support our local diner by having breakfast here every Saturday. We have had breakfast here for the last month. It’s never been anything spectacular but it was good enough and our girls liked it. Unfortunately, everything changed today. Our girls ordered a chocolate milk and their regular breakfast of pancakes and eggs. We were almost done with breakfast when my oldest daughter, who was drinking her milk, felt something in her mouth as she sipped from her straw. She took out what was in her mouth and it was a small cockroach!!! When she saw it she threw it on the plate and started spitting like crazy (see attached picture to see what was in her mouth). I still can’t get over the thought that my daughter basically drank her whole milk and that had probably been sitting in there from the beginning. The waiter was very apologetic and took the plate away immediately. Unfortunately management was no where to be found, and while we got half the meal off, I think that’s definitely not enough. Our family, my daughter specially, will have that memory for the rest of her life and if we were different type of people, we could escalate this even more. Needless to say, we will never be going back there and if you go, I’d say check your food and drinks before you start eating!

Expected a wait, but there was no wait at 11am on Saturday. Service was prompt and food was yummy. I had the Bens Special -- $12 for an omelette (3 eggs scrambled with italian sausage & spinach), hash browns, and 2 pancakes -- which I would consider it a good value (around this area).

I have one thing to say about this place. Get the steak sandwich. Or anything with steak for that matter. Of course this place has a very extensive menu complete with low cal options and vegetarian meals. And nothing is salted for the cholesterol fearing folk. But seriously. Steak. Cows BEG to taken here so their sacrifice is worthy.

$8.45 Breakfast Specials, Monday to Friday, 6am to 11am (except holidays). Great for breakfast or brunch. Most tables are inside, but a few tables are outside on the side.

We stopped at this quaint little cafe for a late dinner. The single hostess/waitress stayed quite busy the whole time, but managed to be personable and efficient. The food was tolerable and generous.

Good coffee, friendly service, delicious hash brown, but mediocre food. French dip consisted of one medium-thick slice of industrial roast beef drearily between slice of soft bun and already made consomme. Patty melt had processed swiss cheese and drab of sauerkraut. French fries were thick and tasteless. Ingredients are not really restaurant made, but maybe the breakfasts are their signature dishes? Plenty of customers who are obviously hungry!

Very nice atmosphere. Lots of tables. Plating is very good (chef Gordon Ramsay would like.). Excellent service. Quiet, even with a lot of customers there.

Our go-to breakfast spot. Food is really really good. Can even get pancakes instead of toast as your side! Diner-like feel. Very solid overall.

I drive to San Mateo once a month, across the bridge, just to eat here. The service is fantastic - the food is simply amazing! The omelets re moist not watery. The coffee is always hot and ready, and they know when to refill as well. Simply amazing! Love this place!

This place is my favorite coffee shop! They make great breakfast and a very good lunch and dinner also. Their prices are low and the quality is high. And to top it off the service is top rate. I dont think many places deserve a five star rating but Neal"s definitely earns one!

This place is good. They have outside seating the staff are friendly and polite. They have a good breakfast selection and their portions are big

As much as life throws at me, I admit that I enjoy the simple things in life and Neals is one of them. Another simplicity I appreciate is a brunch. It combines my favorite meals of the day -- breakfast --lunch-- with dranks, which is another activity that I happen to love.As far as breakfast foods go, there isnt necessarily one that I like more than others, but if I absolutely had to choose a favorite it would probably be Eggs Benedict or good ol fashion pancakes. Blueberry silver dollar pancakes were on my radar that day and the great thing about silver dollar pancakes is that you can have 5-6 of them not really feel like a pig in the process of scarfing them down. Do you want to know something better than mini sized pancakes? Mini sized pancakes in the shape of Mickey Mouse. They told me since it was my first time I had the pleasure in devouring mouse shaped pancakes. Im pretty sure by the look of the Yelp photos that they do this to every order but who cares you made me feel special. Keep the compliments coming and Ill make it rain more then Miley Cyrus at a strip club. OK I over exaggerated that but with service on top of their game they deserve it!Sure the food may not be Instagram worthy and the ingredients arent imported from Portugal served upon golden encrusted plates and silverware but if you want something that fills you up without breaking your wallet Neals definitely does the job.

This place is owned by the same folks as the one in Burlingame. The food and service is equally good, though this one is a little cleaner. I like the open kitchen layout since you can see how they cook things up. Their breakfast is the best in the mid peninsula area in my opinion. Everything is delicious. I ordered the corned beef hash and i dont think Ive had it better anywhere else. We used to go to Bucks at Woodside, and in comparison with Neals it is so overrated and overpriced. Neals= good food, good service, good value. Highly recommended.