Came on a weekday night and was hesitant due to the mixed review but was glad to give this place a try! Place is clean, welcoming and is definitely a nice restaurant/pocha/bar add to the San Mateo DT area. It's not too loud to allow conversation. We got some appetizers like Korean fried chicken, soufflé steamed egg and for main entree the kimchi fried rice and pork ssam. It was all very delicious and fresh. The banchan was nice and the staff were attentive to replenish it and were nice to check on how our food were without interrupting all the time. I would recommend to give this place a try or chance for new business to grow! Would try and come again on a weekend to have a place to chill with friends with some nice soju!:) Add live karaoke and it will be so fun! read more

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This is one of the few places that's still open very late at night. I came here around 11PM wanting to look for some nice decent food as a midnight snack. They're a Korean pub/resturant, playing Korean music with the music MV playing on a big screen. Their service, was a little slow, they only had 2 waiters, while the resturant was full of people, with more people waiting. Their food was pretty decent, like standarized Korean food. The egg in the picture, was pretty good in my opinion. A small little place to grab food late night. read more

Chingu - Tapas Bars Near Me - San Mateo, California

Another Korean restaurant to rave over and it's so worth it. Chingu is one of the newest to grace downtown San Mateo and it's hard competition when you have Daeho nearby in a larger environment and a Yelp waitlist available, but Chingu offers a smaller space with K-Pop MVs being projected yet playing k-pop songs that do not match. Whatever, it's fine. I still saw BTS' Jin's face being projected in his new music video and the visuals during dinner was fantastic. My husband and I came by on a Friday night about 30 mins after opening and were able to snag a table before it got busy. It looks like a lot of people order the army stew here, but we instead opted for the corn cheese, kimchi fried rice, spicy pork belly, and bulgogi fries. The food came out a little slow at first, but they gave us banchan to snack on and it was good. Their non-alcoholic rice drink was also very good with the food and I'd highly recommend it. Service was on point - we never felt like we were forgotten or ignored. Overall, it was a very satisfying meal and I'd happily come back again when the occasion arises... just as long as my husband pays because Korean food isn't cheap. read more

Sweet and spicy chicken wings are SO good! Menu is a bit pricey but love the ambience and quick service.

The Sundubu jjigae was closer to water than soup. They gave us a raw egg presumably to crack in it but the soup came out too cold to feasibly cook it. The japchae was okay but the beef has a grainy texture to it. Interesting ambiance though. read more

Chingu - Sundubu Jjigae / 순두부찌개 - Tapas Bars Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Went here for dinner. Street Parking only. Service was good very attentive. It's a cozy spot to catch up with friends. I got the tofu soup and Bulgolgi fries. All was pretty good but didn't have much of a spicy kick. read more

Chingu - Tapas Bars Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I'm so glad San Mateo now has a Korean restaurant open late at night, whereas everything else closes before 9pm! Finally a late night go-to. When we came in it was fairly empty, it was only us and another couple eating the exact same order as us (lol). We ordered the corn cheese, rabokki w/ cheese, and sundubu. No alcohol as we were tired but would love to come back for drinks with friends. Everything was super affordable and came out quickly! The only real thing I would suggest working on is the service - if it was good I would have warranted a solid 5 stars. Like I said there were only two active tables the night we came but we could barely get ahold of our waitress, she was short and cute but very aloof. It took a long time for us to order and a long time for us to pay. But when we were leaving a nice guy with a mask on asked us if everything was okay and told us that he was grateful we came. That was the best part! read more

Chingu - Tteokbokki w/ ramen and cheese - Tapas Bars Near Me - San Mateo, California

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We loved the fried chicken gizzards, soy chicken wings. Korean style fries, grilled pork belly and the soju options are amazing! This is a great place for bar snacks and drinks. read more

Chingu - Tapas Bars Near Me - San Mateo, California

Tried Chingu in San Mateo on San Mateo Drive today. It has two high top tables that fit multiple people and a number of regular tables. Playing on a large screen was a Korean talent show. I was immediately impressed with the laughter and enjoyment of the people at the other tables. Chingu has a relaxed atmosphere. There is quite a variety to the menu including appetizers, soups and main courses. I tried the Tteokbboki. There were options to add ramen, rice, for a very small upcharge. Banchan was served when I sat down which included daikon, kimchi, broccoli and sprouts. It was delicious and I requested more daikon and received a generous portion. The Tteokbboki was fantastic. Definitely the best I have had. It was spicy but not to hot. The rice and fish cakes were perfectly cooked, the boiled egg was a wonderful addition to this dish. There were lots of little veggies, onions etc to scoop up with the rice cakes. It was a large portion that could be shared if your table is also getting an appetizer or other dishes. The staff were friendly and quick. I very much enjoyed meeting Aaron (sp?). He has a wonderful smile, was extremely helpful and very nice. He even gave me a quick Hangul lesson and answered a variety of random questions. It was very much appreciated. If you are looking for a comfortable, informal setting to laugh with your friends and enjoy a hearty and heartwarming Korean meal, try Chingu. It worth finding parking. read more

Chingu - Tteokbboki - Tapas Bars Near Me - San Mateo, California

Service was great, but the food was rather average for Korean bar snacks. We liked the Galbi and spicy pork, but nothing else stood out to us. The soju wall was pretty interesting though. Prices were slightly higher than normal but nothing extravagant either. There were about 6-8 tables inside and wasn't crowded on a Friday night. read more

This restaurant is great for a night of company. All the waiters/waitresses are accommodating and are the definition of amazing teamwork. They go the extra mile to make your experience wholesome. The food comes out promptly and drinks were always plentiful. If you want to have a great night with friends or even if you're alone, you'll feel like family here. Our server was Jeanine and she is one of the best servers I've had in a restaurant. She happily took care of any issues that we had with the food and made sure it was all enjoyable. read more

This was a great spot to feed a large group of 12 for $25 each including tax and tip! The food itself was delicious and we tried so many menu options by splitting everything family style. The space was filled with really cute decorations and I loved the Soju bottle wall that casted a light green glow. The only issues we ran into were slow service and they messed up our order. However, the food quality is worth the wait and the slight mishap. Still highly recommend eating here! read more

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The absolute best place to eat out in San Mateo! It's lively, delicious and the servers are super nice - we're vegetarian and always order the bibimbap veggie and the corn cheese with a side of sparkling Soju. Very few places remind me of my time back in Asia and this is one of them read more

3.5 stars Chingu is a new Korean soju bar also offering a diverse menu of classic Korean dishes and drinking food. We were started with complimentary banchans of kimchi, pickled daikon, and cooked spinach. From the tapas/anju menu, the Grilled Dried Squid plate came with three different kinds of pressed dried squid, served along with roasted seaweed, peanuts, and kewpie mayo for dipping. The squid was the perfect salty snack to go with drinks, and the mayo added a nice unctuous, umami flavor. The Steam Egg Soufflé was a gorgeously puffy, airy custard cooked in an iron bowl, and was by far the lightest, mildest dish we tried. The Bibimbap came with Wagyu beef, lettuce, shiitake mushrooms, pickled burdock, bean sprouts, carrots, chili sauce, and rice topped with a fried egg, all served in a stone pot, which gave the rice a nice crispy texture. While nicely presented, this was definitely the saltiest bibimbap I've ever had. Finally, the Grilled Pork Ssam was a platter of sliced fatty pork, melted cheese, kimchi, bean sprouts, and onions served on a hot plate. On the side came lettuce leaves, perilla leaves, raw garlic, and ssam sauce, which could be used for making wraps. The best parts of this dish were the fatty pork and the unctuous melted cheese, which got a nice crispy crust from the pan. Overall, the food here was good for pairing with drinks but was only decent as far as Korean food goes. The service wasn't particularly attentive, and the prices were on the expensive side, but eating here still made for a fun experience. read more

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Rather nondescript little Korean restaurant. Hard to tell from the outside what its all about or even if its open. I ordered the doenjang jjigae, miso tofu soup. Flavorful, but I wish it had more of a kick. Limited variety of banchan (three items), but at least there was no problem getting a second helping. read more

Chingu - Tapas Bars Near Me - San Mateo, California

I honestly don't try many korean spots in sf that rival tge korean spots in LA, but this place is worth the mention! Their bulgogi stew, soondubu, and seafood pancake is gas! They also open late; until 12 sometimes and they play awesome korean musoc videos. It's hard to find places that open that late here as well. Give it a try and you won't be sorry! Also, Edward and Alice are so attentive and friendly, it's hard not to like this place! read more

Great new addition to downtown San Mateo. Chingu is a tiny Korean soju/bar bites spot. Came here on Thursday night with a friend and there was no wait. Ordered their Korean fried chicken (KFC), corn cheese and tofu soup. KFC was well fried and well seasoned. Corn cheese was a sizable portion and we didn't finish all of it but how can you not like corn and cheese? Tofu soup was okay not amazing but it's good enough to hit the spot. We didn't end up ordering any drinks but I think it would be a fun spot to come with friends for casual drinks. Just make sure you come early as the restaurant is small and driving by these days seems there's always a sizable wait now. Note: You get a slight discount if you pay with cash! read more

First time coming here, and we were not disappointed! The host and waitress were both very friendly. I loved the atmosphere when you walk in. It's very welcoming. Food and service were great. Can't wait to come back and party harder. read more

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Really enjoyed the vibe at Chingu, from the bottle shelves to the K-pop TV. The food we ordered didn't turn out to be very impressive. The Japchae was quite greasy and the rice noodles were all broken short. Tteokbokki was unnaturally spicy. Fried chicken wings were too saucy. We visit on a Saturday night and everyone here seems to be having a great time. We might come another time to try some other menu items. read more

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Wasn't able to take a picture of the dishes we ordered. RECOMMENDING TO EVERYONE! This is the most authentic Korean spot nationwide!! 11/10 food quality! read more

Not the best experience to start off with but luckily it was saved by some pretty good food. We showed up right at their listed opening time but the restaurant wasn't actually opened. We called and asked if they were open right now and they said yes even though they weren't. We ended up waiting about 15 minutes past their opening time until we eventually got in. We were served pretty quickly and our mood was lifted after seeing how good the food looked. The fries used in the bulgogi fries were very fresh and crunchy and mixed super well with the soft bulgogi that was topped with sauces that complemented the dish nicely. Very flavorful and a great side for the main dish we had which was the pork belly ssam. It was actually my first time trying this and I was pleasantly surprised. Such a fun way to consume food especially with all the delicious toppings that came on the hot plate. Everything worked so well together with the pork belly being at the center of it all. I absolutely love cheese and I thought it was great that both dishes incorporated fresh melted cheese. Overall, would suggest going here, just not right at opening which is what brought my rating down. The food is very solid though and wouldn't mind having it again. read more

Chingu - pork ssam - Tapas Bars Near Me - San Mateo, California

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The best late night spot in San Mateo (which is lacking) and the best pocha in the bay area! Me and my chingu come here all the time to drink and to eat their bomb food. The service is always great and the owners are so nice. The place is a bit small so sometimes the wait can be long but it's worth it! read more

Chingu - Tapas Bars Near Me - San Mateo, California

Not a good place to order takeout from! We originally wanted to dine in but saw there was a wait and decided we could order takeout. When we placed the order it was originally a 20 or so min wait. However it shortly updated to be 45 mins. 45 mins later I come into the store and no one acknowledged me for a good few minutes. There was only one server working the floor and it seemed she was too busy with the dine in customers to acknowledge anyone waiting to be seated or picking up an order. Definitely is much understaffed. Waited for 1 hr and still did not get my order. Finally the staff acknowledged me and apparently my order was ready for a while (it was already getting cold when I picked it up, definitely was not hot anymore) but no one was there to even pay attention to me in the first place to even ask what I was here for. Will definitely not be coming back. read more

Chingu is a solid place to go get Korean food in the San Mateo area. Came around 7 pm on a weekday and there were still many tables open. Their banchan is a bit limited but still delicious. Seafood soondubu is solid and steamed egg was yummy as well (be careful, it's hot). There is a parking garage or you can also find street parking in the area. Staff is friendly and gave us food in a timely manner. Stopping by again when I have Korean food cravings in the area! read more

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My bf and I came around 11:30 PM and we were seated immediately. The restaurant is pretty small inside and was quite loud with very big tables and loud music in the back. The interior is really cool though with all the soju bottles on the wall. We ordered the bulgogi fries, doenjang soup, and fish cake soup. The bulgogi fries came out really hot and were crispy. However, I think it was a bit too sweet for me and I wish it had more of a savory flavor to it. As for the soups, the fish cake soup was definitely the star for me. The fish cakes were nice and bouncy and it came with a really nice sauce to dip it in. The soup was also very comforting since it was a cold day. As for the doenjang soup, this was good but was a bit too spicy for my taste buds. It did come with lots of meat and tofu in it which I appreciated. Overall, I think this a nice late-night Korean spot to go to and have drinks and food with friends! I will definitely be coming back to try some of the other stuff on the menu. read more

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I stumbled across this place on Yelp, and decided to try it for dinner. My family sampled the Korean fried chicken wings, ttoekboki and grilled wagyu ssam. We're lucky we came in while we did because we were seated right away, but a line soon formed. - We ordered the half and half for the wings, since my daughter can't handle spice. 3 wings were honey soy sauce flavored and 3 wings were sweet and spicy. The wings had a nice crust and were well seasoned. Served with a side of pickled daikon. I highly recommend! (9/10) - The grilled wagyu ssam was served on a huge iron platter. It came with grilled onions, cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, melted cheese, lettuce and perilla leaves as well as garlic slices and house made ssam sauce to make your own lettuce wraps. While the beef was nicely cooked, it lacked flavor. It definitely needed the ssam sauce. It was fun to make your own wraps and eat with your hands though. I probably wouldn't order this again. Perhaps try the pork belly ssam instead. (7/10) - The ttoekboki took a long time to come out and was the last dish to arrive. It was full of fishcake and very spicy. The rice cakes were nicely cooked and chewy. (8/10) Service was fine overall. There was only one server and one backwaiter for a place that was packed. I think there was a mixup with our order since the server brought an order of perilla pancakes to us, but I informed him that we didn't order this. Perhaps that is why the ttoekboki came at the end of our meal. I'd go back though...Korean food is a welcome addition to the peninsula!!! read more

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Korean bar food? Yes please! Service was great, everyone super nice and helpful. Because they're still getting settled, food took a bit. But worth the wait. I only got one bite of the fries because my daughter kept it all for herself. The Wagyu ssam was amazing. I would order that again!!! We also had the steam egg which was really good. I need to go back with a bigger group to try more things!!! read more

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Best item on the menu was the fried chicken. I preferred the honey over spicy flavor. Army stew was pretty good too but pricey for what you get. Everything else was ok. 3 star mostly because the beef quality was pretty bad. Definitely don't order the wagyu ssam and kimchi fried rice was also mediocre. Wagyu was lacking in flavor and pretty tough meat to chew. Only two servers at the restaurant so service wasn't the best (for example they forgot one of our drink orders). But it seems like they are still figuring out the rhythm of operating and hopefully that will get better soon. read more

New korean food restaurant at San Mateo downtown. We arrived before they opened. We got seated right away. It is interesting that it looks like they only have 2 copies of menus, and it is rotated among tables. We took photos of the menu. Menu is simple, and the dishes are similar dishes you find at korean restaurants. There was only one person taking the order. We placed our order, and the server didn't write it down and just memorized it. We ordered steam egg, bimbimbap, and kimchi tofu soup. The egg came in a reasonable time. It was good, but it looks like it is not as soft as it should be. The bancan is ok. They are not that special. We waited a while for our other orders. The bimbimbap is yummy. The kimchi tofu soup is good. It is not spicy. Overall, we enjoyed our dinner, but service needs to be improved. It seems the kitchen was overwhelmed. For our bimbimbap and tofu soup, we waited for more than an hour. One thing that we noticed on the bill is that there is around $2 additional service charge. read more

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Chingu means friends in Korean! Months ago, my chingu called me on Friday night and told me she walked by a restaurant named Chingu. Most importantly they serve soju and Korean food. Without hesitation, we met up and walked in the restaurant. It is a great spot with good vibes and kpop music! My favorite dishes are steamed eggs, cheese & corn, army stew and fried chicken original. They have Jinro zero sugar too! Since then this place has been our favorite place to hang out. The owners are very friendly and good people! We love Chingu!! read more

Chingu - Soju wall - Tapas Bars Near Me - San Mateo, California

Ordered Kimchi Jjigae and bibimbap last night, and got food poisoning from them. I've been puking and having diarrhea with an intense stomach ache all morning. Not sure what it was but the meat in the bibimbap was so tough that I couldn't chew through them and kimchi jjigae tasted off. read more

Good food, good people & know hospitality business well. Nice and warm welcoming place to hangout. We will be back shortly. read more

Chingu is a newer spot in San Mateo with a nice atmosphere, but the food and experience didn't quite measure up. Food service was very slow, which may be due to the small kitchen relative to the number of seats. We ordered fried chicken, chicken skin, mandu, grilled pork, and the seafood tofu jjigae. The chicken and pork were pretty good, but the jjigae was lukewarm when it arrived, so we didn't end up using the raw egg it came with. While it included a decent amount of seafood, the broth was bland and lacked any flavor. The rice was also a letdown -- crunchy and tasted like it had been sitting out for a long time Given the portion sizes, the prices felt steep. Overall, the meal was just okay, and I probably won't be returning anytime soon. read more

Very impressed with my steamed egg dish Everything was made perfectly! Complimentary broccoli/tofu, Kim Chee, and bean sprouts. Nice atmosphere and Friendly service! Highly recommend sitting behind wall when entering the restaurant (if available) it was cold when the door swung open for each customer. Korean chicken was my least favorite. My Husband ordered the ... that was heated by stove and done well but could've used more meat for the price. All in all a good experience read more

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Extremely loud, almost impossible to have a conversation. Hard surfaces and a very noisy group was all it took in such a small venue. Food was good, but it took a long time to receive. They may have been short handed. read more

Probably my favorite spot in San Mateo. Fortunately it's open late, but it's not a classic "late night spot" in that it is incredibly good and shouldn't be reserved for late nights. Everything is so delicious, and portions are sizeable. The space is casual and hip, and highly recommend bringing your friends or a group here so you can order more items! read more

Super slow place. We waited for more than an hour and by the time we received food it was too late to enjoy.

The food here is so good. We always go crazy when we order here. Last time, we got the bulgogi fries and crispy chicken skin to start. I like the bulgogi fries, but they go heavy on the sauce. We also ordered the bibimbap, kimchi fried rice and some grilled pork dish. The food here is always good and so are the drinks. The service can be a little rushed, but other than that this place is really good. read more

We arrived 5 minutes before Chingu opened on Friday night. There were 6 parties already lined up before us. Once the restaurant opened, they seated the first 4 parties, though there were open tables still available. Then the next groups were seated 15 minutes later, which included my party. Understandable, since they're still in soft opening mode and the kitchen is still getting into the groove of things. Inside, the vibe is high energy with k-pop playing and a video projector of music videos. As for the food, we ordered the Korean Fried Chicken; half sweet & spicy and half honey soy. The honey soy was far more dry than the sweet and spicy, which the latter was slightly better. The Grilled Wagyu Ssam was a disappointment, it was overcooked and dry. In addition, the amount of meat provided was not as expected for $47, and not nearly the amount pictured in other Yelp posts. A quarter of the large plate was meat, another quarter cheese, and other half vegetables. The cheese was difficult to scoop up because it was clumped together pretty well. The side of ssam, lettuce and perilla leaves was fresh and plentiful. Perhaps there are other items that would have pleased my palate better, that I missed out on. The banchan tasted fine, but the quantity could have been more for two people. Though you can get more if requested. Service was friendly and attentive, which I did appreciate given they're just getting started. I am truly routing for Chingu to succeed as the number of Korean restaurants in downtown San Mateo is quite few compared to other cuisines. Service 5/5 Atmosphere 4/5 Food 3/5 read more

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A small place with a big idea. Chingu is still in its soft opening state when I went. It has a cool entrance view with all of the soju bottles stacked and one huge TV playing kpop songs. Narrow and small but it has potential. Ambiance is loud when you come at night on a weekend. We got a table right away and checked out their 2-3 page menu. The food: Corn Cheese - really good and cheesy! They do not skimp out on the portions here and the flavors hit just right. Grilled Pork Belly Ssam - This is their unique style of a dish. It was really good and provided a good portion for two people. They do give you two types of leaf wraps to wrap it around the assorted accompaniment of food, one of which was not to my liking but the lettuce wrap was nice. I will say that I knew how the other tasted but it just isn't my preferred taste. The pork was well marinated and the cheese pull was Instagram worthy. The Service: They only had one person running around and getting everything for everyone. Felt bad tbh but he tried his best. We always did have to call for his help or else we wouldn't of have been able to request the things we did. I also wanted to mention that even though I arrived around 9 PM, the empty seated tables still had so many dishes from the previous clients. Just an additional note to our waiter needing extra help. Overall: Chingu has good food and ambiance for what you would expect from a late night Saturday weekend, but the service needed assistance and seeing those dirty plates did not help. I would come back once they work out their kinks. Also, $3 for just a bowl of rice is too much for any place. Did not know this until the bill came. read more

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