After dinner we wanted a place to stop for dessert. This place is a bit small and cramped. The host was nice and wiped down the tables for us but we ended up just ordering for Togo. The tables were a little too close for my preference. I had an egg puff and forgot to take a photo since it was fresh out of the waffle maker. It was light and airy and perfectly cooked. My friend got the mango dessert which looked really good. I would come back to try something else. read more

The vibe does feel like a squeezed busy Hong Kong local dessert place. Apparently many Cantonese-speaking OG guests come quite often. Food was sketchy, so was the dessert. The crepe has too much ice cream and only one or two pieces of fruit. You can have better instant noodles than what they offer. And the waiters were reluctant to give us (2 ppl) a four ppl table, trying to save room for potential future guests. The place wasn't even half full at that point. read more

Was in the area with my boyfriend and we were craving some dessert after eating dinner. We stumbled upon this place and saw that they had crepes on their menu, funny because my boyfriend wanted crepes! We were about to drive all the way to SF for some crepes lol. Anyways! We were seated and greeted right away. Our server was very sweet and friendly. She was also very attentive! We both got a crepe and shared a Hong Kong style milk tea. I ordered a strawberry, nutella, & ice cream crepe topped with whipped cream. My boyfriend got the same thing and added bananas. The crepes came out pretty quickly and were super fresh. The crepes were soooooo delicious. I love when theyre soft anf spongy like. I dont like when crepes are too crunchy so this was perfect. They werent stingy on the toppings either! Every bite was amazing. The milk tea wasnt too sweet and was refreshing. Cant wait to come back and try out more things! read more

Super nice staff. This was my second visit because I've been craving the almond tea with sesame rice balls. It's not the same anywhere else! Perfect flavor, consistency and temperature read more

S/O to Jamie C. for showing me this hidden gem in San Mateo! Parking: super close to the theatre, and a parking garage. Street parking is abundant too! Menu: very extensive and I couldn't really tell what was going on. Crepes, shaved ice, hot desserts, fried chicken...huh? Organization: Confusing to be seated! You write your name and wait to be called...but everyone is cramped inside waiting for their names. They don't go down the list- they call out the name based on availability. What if I wasn't there when they called me?? There should be a better system. Order system: Now this is creative! They place a little machine on the table that has buttons for "order, refill, check". That's efficient! Anyhow, I came here for one thing in mind: the Taichi sesame/almond pudding dessert! +1 Cute design! So picture worthy. -1 I wish the black sesame flavor was more abrupt- it tasted like the black sesame powder that you just add hot water to. -1 Same goes with almond- it tasted really bland. -1 Pretty pricey....$7 for this small bowl? Pros: +1 Great ambiance! I love the feel. Brings you back to the cross-section of China/HK's revolutionary era. +1 Very family friendly! Everyone of all ages can come here. Cons: -1 Ehhh for prices. There's a lot of stuff here that is wayyy too overpriced. Crepes with melted chocolate chips? Hmm...I'm sure I can make this at home myself. Overall, this spot has a lot of potential but I think it needs to focus a bit more on what they offer, and up the quality. Maybe it's just me, but I wish they would focus solely on classic Asian/HK desserts to uphold the interior design. read more

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3 stars considering there are not that many Chinese focused dessert places in San Mateo. Overall their desserts were just average. The tapioca drinks were watered down. The tapioca pearls were soggy. The egg puff tasted off. I enjoyed their ginger egg white, that was solid. read more

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Dessert Republic has a great variety of desserts to choose from and drinks as well. However, the prices for these items are pretty expensive for the portion size given. I was also very disappointed with my drink because they didn't even fill the drink up to the top of the cup. See the picture for the evidence. There was also quite a bit of ice in it as well. However, the potted plant dessert had an interesting twist to it. They added some pop rocks and it included 4 different layers in it which was pretty cool. Everything in the pot was edible and this dessert is something that you can share with friends. read more

Dessert Republic - Peach Green/Black Tea too much ice and didn't even fill it to the top :( - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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There nothing fancy here. Just a small painted wall to make it feel like a Hong Kong food court. The desserts and food look nothing special. It's just okay. I won't go out my way for this food. read more

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Their food are amazing however we have to wait too long for our food even though they was not busy at all

Their dessert is getting worse. We ordered 4 cold fruit desserts and 2 warm desserts. The warm ones were fine. However, all the cold ones tasted so bad and the fruit was nearly rotten read more

Forget Rhythm Nation.... this is Dessert Republic! ...and you can call me Miss Jackson if you're nasty... http://bit.ly/2gRZ3I1 Five, four, three, two, one! With chocolate on the side To make my waist so wide Let's gorge together To add a chin or three... Join bellies in protest To caloric injustice A generation full of tubbos Come forth with me... Fatties of the world today Are we eating our way to a shorter life? We are a part of a Dessert Republic! Bulimics of the world unite We can get double scoops half-price We are a part of a Dessert Republic! So I passed this place a while ago when I parked in that fakakta parking lot across the alley. I said to myself that I'd like to come back when all the Asian youth were in school where they should be, so I could get a chance at a table. Well, after a visit to Ramen Parlor, I suggested to Jamie W. that maybe we could get something sweet afterward. Sure enough, it was around 8PM, and only half the tables were occupied. Lucky us. We liked the bright, faux-Hong Kong-style interior with murals that made us think we just got off the Star Ferry from Kowloon. The dessert selection is pretty intense, and that's only one side of the menu. We didn't bother looking at the savory side since we had bellies full of ramen. Jamie decided to go a little more traditional than me and ordered the $6.95 Banana Crepe, quite a sizable serving with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream inside a buckwheat crepe slathered in nutella and covered with banana slices and whipped cream (photo: http://bit.ly/2gXGt0b). I kept stealing spoonfuls of the ice cream scraped with the nutella, and it was pretty tasty. I went horticulturally bold and ordered the $9.99 Tiramisu Pot, which was not Italian marijuana as I was hoping but literally a tiramisu in a flower pot with the "topsoil" actually ground chocolate cookie crumbs (photo: http://bit.ly/2fRtMI0). The plant was a sprig of mint with candy pebbles. The tiramisu itself was delish, quite mousse-like, but I was choking a bit on the "dusty" topsoil. Still, the novelty of the creation won me over, as did the couple who run the place, especially the wife who took great pride in their shop down to her British mailbox. Of course, she should because it is a Dessert Republic... Eat it people, eat it different Eat it if you want a happy belly life Eat it people, eat it different Eat it if you want a happy belly life Everybody eat it Fatties of the world unite Are we eating our way to a shorter life We are a part of a Dessert Republic! Bulimics of the world unite Strength in numbers We can get double scoops half-price One time We are a part of a Dessert Republic! FOOD - 4 stars...creative twists on Hong Kong-style treats...tiramisu in a flower pot? AMBIANCE - 4 stars...loving the Hong Kong state of mind in here SERVICE - 4 stars...owners are really working it in here TOTAL - 4 stars...we are a part of a Dessert Republic! read more

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If you're looking for a HK dessert spot in the SM area, this should be your go-to. Must've walked by this place dozens of times without realizing what it was. It wasn't until I was in search of a good HK dessert meal, that led me to Dessert Republic. Stopped by on a Saturday night around 8pm to a packed house. About three groups ahead of us, but it looked like a wave of tables were about to head out, so wait wasn't too bad. A glance at their menu and Yelp photos had me wanting to try some of their bizarre desserts (flower pot, etc) but I refrained. Ended up the fried calamari and fresh almond paste with sesame rice balls. Was craving the savory and sweet, and both dishes filled that need! The waitstaff is a bit all over the place. Hard to flag them down at times, but they seemed to be hustling. Can't fault them for that. Just saying they could've done it with a little more perk in their step. Welp, 4 stars. read more

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What we ordered: *spicy popcorn chicken *tiramisu pot *iced Milk tea My thoughts? I thoroughly enjoyed the outdoor dining experience. Quite honestly, there are only about 2-3 tables outside which seat about 2 per table (so don't expect enough tables to suit a group setting). It's kind of a cool location because they're facing the parking garage which is GREAT exposure for them cause it's hard to avoid. They're definitely a trendy spot! Cool indoor decor fashioned to make it feel like you're 'outdoor' in Hong Kong. Ceiling is painted with a blue sky, carnival lights hung across the room -- very creative! What's also creative are their desserts. Cheesecake made to look like a bowl of Udon. Jello made to look like a plate of sashimi. Tiramisu served in a pot to look like a plant! Awesome! The tiramisu, as far as flavor, was 'ok'. I could have done without the pop rocks that were mixed in with the crumbled oreo cookie on top. It really killed the texture for me. When you think tiramisu you don't expect 'popping' and 'crackling' sensations when you're trying to enjoy the creaminess of the mascarpone cheese and a moist cake (aka, lady fingers) that are generously drenched with espresso. Next time, "hold on the Pop Rocks, please." My fiancé didn't like the spicy popcorn chicken which he described as 'dry' & 'tough' and the milk tea, I guess 'hong kong style' is really sweet. The boba itself was rather sugary. Reminded me more of the Sago from the Philippines. Sago is a dessert served with boba and tofu. Very sweet but good. I wasn't expected that same sweetness with our Milk tea. Thank you, dessert republic. You were the perfect ending to our date night. I appreciated the creativity/presentation of your tiramisu. But ... read more

Dessert Republic - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Want to pretend to be eating in HK while waiting for your movie to start? Well, come on down here...if you can find a parking space that is. This small café next to the movie theater is a cute pit stop amongst all the hub bub of the San Mateo restaurants. The décor is painted with the façade of outdoor shop fronts of HK. (think of a Las Vegas hotel such as NY NY or Paris with their fake blue sky and walls made to look like vintage foreign locales). This place has done a good job of making it feel special in the same way. It adds to your eating experience. I'd say this is a good stopping place midday / afternoon for some snacks or cool drinks. And you'll definitely need one as this place easily overheats and the ventilation / air circulation is not very good. But if you come on an average temp day then you'll be sipping comfortably on your lemonade! read more

The first time we ended up at Dessert Republic, we crashed a badminton tournament after party because The Attic ran out of dessert....at 8 pm. Over the weekend, we ended up at Dessert Republic once again because Under Attic (The Attic's bar) stopped serving cocktails after 10 pm. WTF, what kinda "cocktail bar" does that?! Well, if I can't drink my calories, I might as well eat them. Something I do very well as you can see. Me: "Can we just get my Tang Yuen?" Mr. NSS: "Your what?" Me: "You know, those Chinese sesame ball dumplings." Mr. NSS: "Gawd, you're so Chinesey." Me: "Hey, I'm not the one who competed in math tournaments AND won ok?" I popped a seam in my spanx when I found out about that one. Haaa haaa. Dessert Republic is your typical HK Cafe with a menu as long my boring, long-winded reviews. There's over 200 items ranging from garlic fries, shrimp dumplings, curry rice and spaghetti to crepes, steamed puddings, fruits, sago, glutinous rice balls and boba drinks. For HK Cafe standards, the prices are kinda of high and the portions are small. The good thing is they now accept CC's! Who doesn't love a pair of squishy balls in their mouth? So I ordered my go to of glutinous rice balls filled with black sesame (tang yuen) but in an almond milk concoction. Ehhh, what did you think I meant? This dessert was sweet and satisfying and the glutinous rice had a nice toothsome chew but $5.99 for three small balls was expensive: http://bit.ly/RkdSFl. In SF, I usually get bigger balls at an HK cafe for $3.99-$4.50. Mr. NSS ordered fries which was $4.75 for a fist full. What is this, a gastropub? He enjoyed it enough to order a second round though. Our waitress was really nice and didn't mind that we got too button happy with the service button. Food service was kind of slow though. They weren't busy (just 2 other tables who were finishing up) yet it took over 15 minutes for our order. The awkward entertainment of the night was the couple seated next to us who were fighting. Poor girl had her head down crying while dude c-o-n-t-i-n-u-e-d to face shovel his dessert like it ain't no thang. Jerk. You can do better, boo boo.Trust me, I did. read more

Dessert Republic - Almond "Tea" w/ black sesame dumplings (it's almond milk not tea) | $5.99 - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

So here's how it went down. I had 10 minutes to spare before getting picked up at the Caltrain station. Decided to check out Dessert Republic since I've seen it in passing but never had time. I was the only customer since they just opened for the evening. Perfect. Scanned the menu and ordered something fast and simple. Crepe with nutella and vanilla ice cream. As I put my change away, another customer came in and ordered food to go. Sat down and studied the fake facades that mimicked Chinese shops in the olden days. Pawn shop, tea shop, rice shop. My crepe was taking too long of a while, so I got up and checked. Just then the cook came out and gave the other customer his orders. A bag filled with takeout boxes. What the heck. My crepe was sitting on the crepe maker unattended. At that point, my ride had already called twice and I was tempted to ask for my money back. But the lady reappeared and finished my crepe. Small dab of nutella, tiny scoop of ice cream and half can of whipped cream. Plastic wrap around the crepe then into the paper cone. The crepe was small and disappeared into the cone. And why the plastic wrap?! It made the crepe soggy and mushy and difficult to eat. Also, because of the plastic wrap, there were pockets of melted ice cream that oozed out when I tried to pull the crepe out of the cone. So much for a quick snack. 15 minutes for a tiny, soggy, got-all-over-my-clothes crepe! Grr! read more

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It is great place for desert! It's convenient and very safe environment!!! It's super recommended for my friends! read more

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Pretty good dessert place in downtown san mateo! The decorations inside is quite nice--it's nice to see how much work they put into making their dreams come true. The placed seems to be run by relatively young folks, who don't have much experience (they had a lot of customers waiting outside, but didn't come to get our order for 20 min after we sat down--seems like it would make sense for them to get turnover going as fast as possible?). Anyways, the quality of the food is pretty good--the tofu fa is ok. The place also seemed like it's family owned, and even though they are not very business savvy it seems like they actually care about making their customers happy. All in all, a pretty decent dessert place. read more

Dessert Republic - Inside - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Nice ambiance, but the food was not that good. The lighting was dim. The service was fast and efficient. The interior has Hong Kong decors. read more

Dessert Republic - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Had the egg puffs 雞蛋仔, willow dew/ mango sago dessert 楊枝甘露, strawberry crepe with strawberry ice cream, and green wonder (honeydew freeze, honeydew, kiwi, aloe jelly, and green tea ice cream). I would probably order everything again except the green wonder. Just personal preference since the freeze was just a little to much for me. The green tea ice cream and fruits were great though. Still slightly overpriced for the quantity, but seems more acceptable in this economy read more

Dessert Republic - Egg puff 雞蛋仔 Willow dew/ mango sago dessert 楊枝甘露 - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I wanted to take my friend Kristi to try this place out. I've been here once before and it was a good experience. What was memorable? Not their food or drinks, but their ordering system with buttons. Haha, joking? Not really. I remembered what I ordered last time. I ended up ordering it this time as well plus more. First thing I noticed is that the place actually has a weird smell. Something indistinguishable. I couldn't place it yet I didn't like it. Anyhow, you get used to it after a while. The table was sticky. :( I just asked the guy to clean it for me. My friend was intrigued by the buttons for service. Buttons stated as order, water, bill, service, and cancel. We could press any of them and the noise will overtake this shop. The sound? Gets quite annoying after a while, but cool concept. What's it sound like? When you step inside 7-11. Haha! Order: Hong Kong Milk Tea (Iced) $3.00 Hong Kong Milk Tea (Hot) $2.50 Egg Puff $3.25 Steamed Rice Roll $4.75 Almond Egg White & Milk Pudding $5.99 The egg puffs actually taste like fortune cookie, but it's more or a snack you'd eat while watching a movie. My hot Hong Kong milk tea was as I remembered strong tasting of flavor. Can't really describe it, it's not a coffee taste though. The steamed rice roll was what I got last time. I remembered it being super good, but it was pretty greasy. It had a side of hoisin and sriracha sauce.. just a blob of both on the wax paper. Best for me was the almond egg white and milk tea. Different and savoring taste. It actually reminded me of flan. Total came out to $21.20. Cheap and okay. I'd come back just to show people the buttons! read more

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This place is great for dessert after dinner! It does get busy though especially on a Friday and Saturday night. I've been here twice, and both times I had to wait about 15-20 minutes. You can dine in, but you would have to put your name on the list. And you can dine out as well! My favorite is the tiramisu flower plot! It looks like a real plant haha. But the tiramisu itself tastes really great. My boyfriend really likes their eggette with condense milk. It comes out really crispy! read more

Dessert Republic - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

This place is sooooo cute!! I love the decor inside! Somehow it reminds me of Hong Kong and I've only been there once in my life. First time here and we ordered the egg puff, spicy popcorn chicken and boba milk tea and all three items were so freaking good! The egg puff was perfectly crispy, the spicy popcorn chicken was not overly oily and it was seasoned really well! The boba milk tea's sweetness and tea level ratio was perfect. I probably wouldn't order the boba in the milk tea in the future because their boba didn't taste fresh... This is my first time at a restaurant that uses a buzzer system to get the attention of a server. There's basically a buzzer button for ordering, service, water refill and paying your bill! I do wish they would open earlier and not so freaking late! What if I want their egg puffs in the afternoon?!?! I'll be lucked out! Regardless, I'll love to come here again when I'm in San Mateo! read more

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The concept of the service is interesting. There's a a "control center" provided on the table where you can press a button that will alert the table needs water, the bill, the waiter, etc. The place was pretty packed but that's cause the area is limited for late night eats. Service wasn't bad, food was nothing special, atmosphere was ok. I wouldn't write this place off, but it wouldn't be the first place I'd go too if I had a sweets cravings. Save time and get yourself a pint of ice cream from your local grocery store! read more

Dessert Republic - Fried banana with ice cream - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

I really appreciate the look, feel and atmosphere of the place. Props of a HK mailbox and signage makes me feel decades in the past in HK in a desert spot in Mongkok! Cute place and large selection of good simple to complex Asian deserts sure to satisfy children, teens, and extended families and elders! read more

Came by for dessert the other night. Over the last coupe of years, I've noticed downtown San Mateo has grown drastically in the number of decent restaurants...much better than the South Bay! Dessert Republic has always been in a questionable location...it's located behind the main strip, in an alley between a parking garage... Ordered the Coconut Milk Sago with Grapefruit and Mango and it was very mediocre. The mango wasn't ripe and the grapefruit was too sour. Net net, the dessert at Cooking Papa is much better...much much better... Service was okay. The button system at the table was odd. I also like how they try to be high tech by accepting credit card payments via iPad?!? read more

Dessert Republic - Willow Dew - $5.25 - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

You went to Banana Republic last November on Black Friday. You emptied your wallet over their 50% off sale, where you bought a shirt and two pairs of socks. Now you're broke and you're stuck eating ramen and cardboard. Now it's the summer and your friends are traveling all over the world. They're posting about the delicious McDonalds Big Macs they had in France, Burger King Whoppers they had in Japan, and Taco Bell they had in Mexico. You know what? You can have plenty of fun on a budget too. You're taking a trip to Hong Kong, visiting the little-known town of San Mateo. Only the locals know about it, and there you'll find authentic foods and desserts. There you can find delicious bowls of black sesame soup, with little black sesame dumplings. You can also find almond flavored egg custard, which tastes mostly like steamed egg with a hint of almond and sweetness. Both desserts are very slightly sweetened and full of flavor, and most importantly won't put you at risk of diabetes, unlike most desserts that your friends have been eating while they're flying everywhere in first class. read more

Dessert Republic - Black sesame soup, looks like paint but tastes better - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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A nice location near the movie theater. Fun, Disney theme park like decor. The lady there recommended their crepe, which was decent but not special. Puffs were ok. I've got to visit there a few more times before making the final judgement. read more

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This is probably my favorite dessert place in the San Mateo area. I admit, it's kind of sketchy because it's located next to the movie theater parking lot in the alley way but this is definitely a hidden jewel in downtown San Mateo. Walking in, the floor is concrete and the walls are painted so that it feels like you are in a Chinese food street. Most people know this place for their good service by way of their buzzers which has a button you can press for instant service for water, ordering, service, or check. I usually order the Green Wonder (green tea ice cream, honeydew, aloe, ice, kiwi) and I finish it completely satisfied and craving more! I used to go here all the time with an ex boyfriend and he was obsessed with green tea and craved green tea milkshakes which was not on the menu but they were nice and said they'd whip one up for him with no problem. Really random but sometimes a balloon man pops by so I guess it's good for kids if they ever want an animal balloon. Can't wait to come here again soon! I've been here multiple times and every time is the same consistent experience with great service and delicious dessert. read more

Dessert Republic - Banana Crepe w/ Green tea ice cream - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

Last night first time with hubby dined outdoors in the alley. We saw the waiter spray and clean our table, spray and wipe the bottle of hand sanitizer on the table. We ordered black sesame paste dessert and super mango dessert. It hit the spot. The waiter is always nice. We felt safe in the outdoor setting. read more

Dessert Republic - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

Best Hong Kong Milk Tea I've had, which includes in my trips to socal and in the bay area. It was the right amount of sweet and packed the strong black tea flavor I was looking for. Garlic noodle was tasty too! read more

I think it's cute how they decorated the interior of the cafe. The ceiling is painted with clouds (kinda like what you would see at The Venetian) and they re-created the Hong Kong street scene. I also love the big red British Mail box outside. I like that they serve a variety of things, not just dessert. When I go, I usually get the Hong Kong Style Milk Tea or the Mixed Coffee with Milk Tea. I also like getting their Ham & Egg Sandwic,h. For their specialty food, I've tried the Egg Puff, Curry Fishball, Red Bean Cup Pudding, Fried Spicy Chicken, and Fried Calamari. They're all pretty tasty. I would order the Red Bean Cup Pudding more often, but it's too expensive and not worth it for one little cup pudding. The sesame and white sesame paste fluctuate. Sometimes they make it good, and sometimes they don't. It's not very consistent. It's a cool place to hang out and grab a bite if you're not extremely hungry. **UPDATE as of 4/4/2013** The dessert and drinks have gone down heel. If I could give it 0 Stars, I would. We ordered the HK Milk Tea Iced and HK Milk Tea (hot), Black Sesame Paste Star with Egg White Custard, and a mango dessert. The Iced HK Milk Tea was disgusting. It felt like they poured in a whole lot of sugar and diluted it with water. The Hot Milk Tea tasted instant. The Black Sesame Paste Star with Egg White Custard was very watery. The only item that tasted okay was the mango dessert. I will not be returning. read more

Steamed egg custards need a little more flavor, esp priced around $8 per. Somewhat cute place with small vignettes of a residential street in Asia. Egg waffle good, strawberry milk tea with tapioca good. read more

Dessert Republic - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

Probably the worst dessert/snack place I've ever been to. Ordered a few snack, two entree, and some drinks. Sweetness of drinks was all over the place. Some drinks have no flavor at all and some drink straight up taste like sugar water. The snack size is incredibly small. Popcorn chicken costs about 9 bucks and had at most 10 pieces of chicken. Now comes the worst part, two entree. One was chicken and pork with teriyaki sauce. Sauce was overly sweet and the quality of meat was just so bad. The second entree was pork chop and rice noodles. Pork chop first came raw and when asked to refund, we were told that they can't refund us so we either order something else and they make us new one. The rice noodles tasted just like instant noodles we can make at home. Also, it took around 40mins to prepare our food. overall, extremely bad experience ! read more

It's this cute little cafe that when you walk in = it literally is a mock representation of a little chinese town. It was cool, it was good, the novelty of it was nice, but not something I'll desperately want to eat again. So what my friend and I had: Green Wonder ($5) - it's basically a honeydew slush with aloe inside, balls of fruit dumped out into a bowl with green tea ice creaml. I feel like I would have enjoyed this slush much more if it were in a cup and i had a big boba straw. Maybe I'll ring the cool little bell next time and ask. No joke, here there's a bell at the table you press and the server magically appears. Pink Lady is the same variation except it is based on a watermelon slush with strawberry ice cream. complete with aloe inside as well. ($5) Egg Puff - i liked it - not too sweet, more on the crunchy side with the gooey inside. I think if SF were a bit on the hotter side I would appreciate a place like this more. But overall, it's an interesting thing to try and say you've tried this kind of dessert, but I wouldn't rush back in. read more

Dessert Republic - How you get the attention of the staff - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I guess this is the one place where you should not judge a book by its cover... I've passed by this multiple times upon visiting San Mateo and yet I never bothered to go in 'cause I always thought this place looked just a tad bit old and iffy... However, my boyfriend and I.. well... I wanted a crepe after eating ramen for dinner so I looked up crepes on Yelp and this place popped up. I was still sort of iffy, but I saw my friend Coco's review and decided to take her advice. LOL. The place was sort of deserted when we came in. There was only one other couple sitting down, but they looked like they were ready to go at any moment. Service was also sort of quiet and dead looking, but I guess that's how it is when business is a little slow... The cool thing about this place is that they have buttons on each table to help signal to the waiter what you want like water or the bill. My boyfriend had fun pressing the buttons, but it is a little loud. They have a pretty decent size menu for this place, but my main focus was crepes so that's the only section I really paid attention to. The full house crepe is pretty much the same size as all the other crepes, but with a variety of fruits instead of just one kind so I opted for that. My boyfriend ended up getting the banana Nutella crepe and both were pretty good with vanilla ice cream. It started getting busy around the time we were done so I was happy about that since the waiters just looked so bored. My boyfriend and I paid and left and we'll probably end up coming back because my friend Coco got some recommendations for this place, haha. read more

Dessert Republic - Full house crepe - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

Came here for dessert after dinner and got the full house crepe - really delicious and not too heavy! It wasn't overly sweet either. The folks helping us were also very kind :) My reason for 4 stars instead of 5 - I wish the crepe had a littleee more fruit. read more

Nice little Hong Kong style dessert place. Our server was quite friendly which I wouldn't usually expect from a place like this. I like that the tables have buttons that you can press for service - when you want water, to order, the bill, etc. Eliminates any unnecessary hovering and/or trying to flag someone down to get your check. The black sticky rice with coconut milk was good but didn't blow my mind. It wasn't super sweet. The mango pudding comes in two Hello Kitty shapes. Cute. Very sweet. And has a condensed milk-like sauce to drizzle over the pudding to taste. Portions here seem to be pretty small, but I guess that's okay for a dessert place because the prices aren't outrageous either. Gets pretty busy after dinner time. A line has formed by around 8 or 9 on Saturday night - probably because this is the type of place where people tend to come socialize and linger for a while after finishing eating. Oh, and I didn't realize this before, but they also have savory/meal food! I wanted to try the food but I had already eaten nearby at Little China Kitchen. Had I known I would have just eaten here- the options are far more appealing to me. I love Asian style spaghetti and I saw it on the menu here. read more

Dessert Republic - Black sticky rice with coconut milk - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

I came here for the strawberry crepe that comes with nutella.. it felt like a bare minimum crepe. There was barely any nutella inside and it was only spread on one side of the crepe. The strawberries were okay but there also were not a lot of it. It was a small crepe and it didn't completely satisfy me unfortunately. The place does have a cool way to order and get servers attention though. There are buttons you can press that alert them if you want "water, bill, order" etc. At first we waited for a few minutes not knowing the process. I do like this and think think it's a pretty innovative idea! If they were to make the crepes a little less sad, it would be very promising to come back, especially because they are open late! read more

Hard to justify the price for what you get -- we had the egg puff which was nice but fairly expensive (plus you can't wait inside if you get "take out", even if there are plenty of open tables -- we would would have been happy to eat there had we known the wait time and/or "wait in the cold" policy.) read more