cafe kazka is such a hidden gem in foster city! my friend and I came to check it out for lunch…read moreafter hearing it was a hong kong-style cafe, and were not disappointed at all. first, the cafe is so cute and also spotless- I could've stayed all day just reading or doing work. there was lots of outdoor seating overlooking the water which was so nice! I got an iced HK style coffee + milk tea which I've never had before but was so delicious. I'd definitely come back to try the other fruity drinks too! we ordered the tom yum noodles, preserved vegetables & pork noodle soup, salt & pepper fries, and the HK style french toast with peanut butter. the french toast was our favorite- it was fluffy and chewy and was just like the HK classic. the noodle dishes were both so hearty and flavorful too, and the portions were a good size. it did take a bit long for everything to come out, but it did seem like there was only one person working and she was very kind and accommodating when we had questions about our order. we didn't mind at all, especially sitting outside and enjoying the view! overall, I'll for sure be back for the drinks and to try some other HK style street food.

This was my first time trying Cafe Kazka, and unfortunately, I was very disappointed. The…read morerestaurant seemed seriously understaffed and very disorganized. I ordered the lemongrass pork jaw rice. There were only about six pieces of meat, and the lemongrass was chopped into very tiny pieces and mixed into the sauce. The problem was that the lemongrass was extremely tough, almost like small pieces of tree branches, and impossible to chew. I had to spit them out, but because they were chopped so finely and mixed throughout the sauce and meat, it was very difficult to eat. If this is how they prepare the dish, they should reconsider the way they cook and serve lemongrass dishes--or consider removing this dish from the menu. I also waited about 30 minutes for my food. After such a long wait, I expected the food to at least arrive hot, but it was already cold. It seemed like the food had been sitting in the kitchen for a while because there weren't enough staff to bring it out to customers. The table service and cleanliness were also disappointing. There were no staff available to clean the tables, and I actually saw customers moving previous customers' dirty plates to one side and wiping the table themselves. Our table was also extremely sticky. The restaurant really needs to review its food delivery process. Instead of having staff run around the dining area trying to find the right table number, they could simply have customers pick up their food using an order number. This would probably make the process much faster and more organized. Overall, the food was just so-so, the service was slow, and the whole restaurant felt very unorganized. Unfortunately, I will not be coming back.

This is my go-to boba spot in San Mateo/Foster City! I…read moreencourage yall to try the cheese foam! I know it sounds weird but it gives an interesting tang to your normal boba. I find their flavor to be richer and less "watered down" than other boba shops. Service is always quick here :) [this review was made in connection with a Toast promotion]

We ordered the boba milk tea & the boba milk tea puff with less sweetness, but it still felt very…read moresweet. Service was fine, there was only two people working at the time and they were doing their best. Our stomach unfortunately started hurting afterwards and not sure if it was from the milk. Dont be discouraged reading this review, maybe just get something different. There's only a few tables inside if you wanted to sit and chill there. There's a large free parking lot too.

We come here every Tuesday for their free size upgrade promo! Soft, chewy boba and great selection…read moreof fruit flavors for your drink. You have an option to essentially create your own drink - choose your flavors, choose tea, sweetness level, and topping! Line goes by super quick and there isn't much space to wait inside. Sometimes the drinks are hit or miss because we've been trying out new flavors every week. However, you can always ask the staff to make any adjustments if you're unsatisfied. Our favs are: Mango, raspberry, pineapple green milk tea Rose, peach, strawberry green milk tea

The Thai Tea Bobba drink that I ordered as "Normal Sweet" was WAY TOO sweet!!…read more Also, the drink made me sick! I'll never go there again. The drink likely contained sulfite preservatives that I'm allergic to!!!

I haven't had Jamba Juice for years. We were waiting for our food elsewhere and decided to grab a…read moredrink. I ordered the white gummy and my husband the watermelon lemonade. They were both so good! We went back 3 more times that week! Can get expensive quick though at $20 for 2 small smoothies, but man they were good!

There were three employees but it took them almost five minutes to take my order. They were talking…read moreto each other and I was the only customer in there. Mega Mango - my drink wasn't filled to the top :( for a smoothie at that price point, I expected it to be filled closer to the top. The smoothie was also a little watery than the usual mega mango.

I had a very nice first time experience at Sidewalk Juice in San Mateo…read more I was in the area on a warm day, and I was looking for a cold refreshing snack. I was thinking about acai bowls, and the Yelp search engine pointed me to Sidewalk Juice. It's a clean, modern place, located near South Delaware St & Franklin Parkway. They offer fresh juices, smoothies, acai bowls, and toast. I ordered the Tropic Bowl, and added granola and peanut butter. Staff was really nice, and they got the orders out quickly. The place is really clean. There's a bar-like counter along the window with stools. Also lots of tables outside, as well as benches with shade. It's a nice spot to take a break. My Tropic Bowl was very good! They served it in a square plastic dish-like bowl. Much different than the typical bowls other places use. I like the presentation of the acai bowl. The fruit is neatly laid out, along with the crunchy granola. The creamy peanut butter was there, but the pineapple overpowered it's flavor. The acai base was cold, but not icy. I like their acai bowl, I'm bookmarking this place! I found free 2-hour parking along the curb 1/2 block away.

Nobody does better avocado toasts than sidewalk juice, hands down! Always so beautiful…read more I love all their juices too. Sweet greens is my go to. The Millbrae location has amazing sandwiches, it'll be awesome to see San Mateo hopefully one day offer even more good stuff and expand menu!

This is my go-to breakfast spot whenever I'm visiting my dad. I always end up getting the açaí…read morebowl--it's super fresh and really hits the spot in the morning. One of my dad's favorite places too, so it's become a bit of a tradition for us. I usually swap the açaí base for vanilla, which I love. The women working the morning shift are always so friendly and welcoming. It's a great start to the day every time.

AMBIANCE: Very small location with limited seating (3 seats). More of a grab and go type of place…read more Wanted to try samples of the juice, but the sample cups outside looked dirty/used? FOOD: Definitely more of an expensive place for acai bowls. My friend got their smaller soft-serve style version ($8) and the inside was unfortunately hallow. I got their original acai bowl ($14). The acai base was very flavorful and tasty, with a good texture. The toppings were good as well (loved the granola). However, is this place worth the price? Honestly no; you can get similar tasting acai bowls elsewhere for closer to $10. SERVICE: It seems like they only have 1-2 people working, however, there wasn't a long wait. The staff seemed neutral (not rude, but not super friendly) and the place was clean.

Livin Sweet is my favorite discovery this year! I love their flavors -- esp all the drinks with…read morefresh fruit/produce and spices. I'm a sweet tooth but my middle-aged gut needs to avoid excess sugars/flour and dairy so their menu options are perfect. So far, my picky gut has been very happy with Mangonada, Green Smoothie, and Michelagua. Some people need bubble tea regularly, I need their Michelagua whenever I'm passing Belmont!! The staff are very friendly and patient as I'm still learning the menu and want to try everything. I walk out looking like I have a family to feed, meanwhile I'm solo tasting my way through the menu The decor is cute and the store always looks neat. Street parking in this area is always a crap shoot (not their fault), but there is a public parking lot across the street (on the corner of 6th & Emmett). I'm a fan and will be coming here like I have a gym membership. See you there!

Was in Belmont for dinner and we craved something sweet, we looked on yelp and spotted this spot…read more Plenty of parking available around the area. Cute ice cream shop in Belmont. When we walked in, we were greeted right away. Customer service is great, you can sample the ice creams. Different flavors than other ice cream shops, but BETTER. They had rice pudding, queso, eggnog, strawberry to name a few. The hubby decided to have the queso ice cream in a cup and I had the creminieve, it was fresh strawberries with 2 scoops of ice cream (you can choose what flavor ice cream, but I think it's best with the strawberry ice cream) and topped with cream, it was DELICIOUS I finished the whole thing! They also had dessert waffles available. Cute ice cream shop, friendly service, and delicious desserts. Definitely a must when you're in the area!

The Brown sugar Boba was amazing Fast service and amazing…read morestaff. It also such a cute place. I love the name and I love clean the establishment was

The strawberry matcha I got was incredibly chalky. However,…read morethe peach oolong drink was good! Would not recommend the matcha. Service was fast though!!

Miso caramel never had anything like it, i'm shocked and…read moreimpressed and very down to get this again or try other things on the menu also the Miso caramel didn't overpower the coffee taste at All which is imo rare? Pandan Matcha! this is the strongest pandan flavor i've had in a while and it was really good!! it did overpower the matcha flavor but I didn't mind because I like pandan and this was really good and not superrrrr artificial or sweet like other places. If you are looking for a strong matcha taste, this drink might not be for you tho service was great and speedy considering how long the line was (30min before closing too wow) I also loved the decor and I think this would be a great place to work: there's wifi, some seating and power sockets

4/5 Kaizen Coffee…read moredefinitely lives up to the hype when it comes to their pour over. The space is clean, modern, and aesthetically nice, but it is pretty small and not really the type of café I would hang out at for hours. It reminded me more of a busy boba shop where you grab your drink and go. We came around 1 PM and waited about 10 minutes. They only allow around six people to queue inside, so there was a pretty steady line of people waiting outside. This place gets BUSY. We tried the black sesame iced latte and a single origin pour over. The pour over was easily a 10/10 for me. I love light roasts that are super fruit forward, bright, and almost tea like, and this was exactly that. The barista was also incredibly friendly and even shared his recipe with me, which I really appreciated. The black sesame latte was one of the drinks we kept seeing on social media, so obviously we had to try it. Unfortunately, it was not our favorite. The black sesame tasted pretty grainy and bitter, which clashed with the sweetness of the coffee rather than complementing it. I would probably give that drink a 3/5. One thing I really liked is their whole bean selection. They had a ton of freshly roasted coffee available, including beans from Hydrangea and Black & White. Overall, Kaizen gets a 4/5 from me. The pour over alone is enough to bring me back, but I was expecting a little more from their black sesame iced latte

Whole Foods are different everywhere. This Whole Foods has a very large selection of product that's…read morerotated frequently. They also have a good fish and meat department. I love the staff at this. They work well together and despite the tremendous crowds, you can often find a crew member willing to help! I also Here are some of my favorite staff: Miguel is friendly and efficient! He helped me with any problems I had and helped me with any items at ease. Juan is a welcoming and patient administrator! He would help me figure out how to change my method of payment and look for products and give me an update on the next shipment. Gary is so sweet and observant. I often have to check with the staff to help keep a cart of my product at the front and Gary would always look out for me. He even helped me put some perishables into a cooling bag because he didn't want my produce from another grocery to go bad while I shopped here. David is a helpful and efficient produce manager. He often helps me check on the availability of produces in the back and lets me know the status of the next shipment if possible! Fernando is a lovely and friendly fishmonger. He would answer all of my questions and help me get the freshest catch and ask about my day every time we meet. Edgar is a very kind and helpful fishmonger! He helped me with several of my requests to get frozen items in the back and he cuts extremely nice pieces of fish so that it's well trimmed and not broken in pieces. Denzel has a bright smile and knows his fish! He would help me search for the best fish and help me check what's in the back for me. He's very nice and friendly. Ray is a wonderful butcher who is very patient and welcoming. He also taught me the next best thing when certain items are out of stock. Walter - After I walked back and forth in the aisle, he checked in and offered to help me. I showed him a photo of the item and he checked aisle where just to find it. He was very helpful and friendly! There is also this one gentleman who is meticulous with the stacking of egg cartons, milk cartons and drinks! He doesn't have a clear name on his tag but I appreciate his attention to detail for the products! B or Brianna - She's a great fishmonger! She's professionally and definitely knows her stuff. She helped me cut a beautiful piece of fish and pack up nice crabs on my last visit. (There's a few more members that I'll include next time!) My only concern at this location is the sandwich department that is often unavailable due to technical difficulties and the lack of a coffee/smoothie bar that is common at other Whole Foods!

I love Whole Foods. This location is decent and there's always parking available. If there aren't…read moreany spots in the lot, you just drive underground, and voila! So much space! I can usually find what I need and there's generally a good selection of items (both essential and just for fun). Staff have always been pleasant and helpful in the few instances I've requested assistance. I don't love how high the shelves are at times, primarily in the dairy section, but it is what it is. Fortunately I don't need items that high up frequently!