If you are looking for a spot that carries the "Shanghai native" approved restaurant, this is one of it. I've visited many times, and the consistency of the authentic flavors keeps me coming back. The menu is a deep dive into Shanghainese classics. My personal recommendations: ​The Staples: You can't go wrong with the Xiao Long Bao, Stir-Fry Rice Cakes, and the Sweet Spare Ribs. The Spicy Pickled Stomach and the Small Shrimp are favorites of mine. Their Cold Noodles and Yellow Croaker are excellent representations of the cuisine. ​If you visit during the week, check out their lunch specials. ​Service & Timing The kitchen is generally quite efficient. While a few specific items might take a bit longer to prep, most dishes arrive at the table surprisingly fast. Just be prepared for a crowd--it gets very busy during the lunch rush! ​There is a small, limited parking lot behind the restaurant, but it fills up fast. ​If there is an event at the San Mateo Event Center, street parking becomes very challenging. Plan to arrive a few minutes early or visit on a non-event day to save yourself the headache. Whether you're a fan of traditional Shanghai comfort food or just looking for a solid Chinese lunch, this place is a must-visit. It's officially approved by my friends from Shanghai, which is the highest praise a restaurant can get! read more

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Prices have definitely gone up, but portions are still solid and the food was tasty overall. However, the service felt very rushed and a bit stressful. We were approached almost immediately after sitting down, and even after asking for a few minutes to look at the menu, the waiter kept coming back quickly, which made the experience feel pressured. We ordered pan fried buns and stir fried string beans, plus complimentary peanuts that were a nice touch. The waiter also recommended a "Chinese broccoli with beef" that wasn't on the menu, which felt a bit unusual. The restaurant was quite crowded with very close seating, so the ambience felt lively but cramped. Overall, good food, but the rushed service and tight seating affected the experience. :( read more

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Little Shanghai Restaurant makes the best Shanghai style chow mein! This is also known as Shanghai fried noodles at other places. I've ordered the noodles several times for take out and have eaten at the restaurant once. Having it fresh is the best, but sometimes take out is my only option. The dish is so flavorful with a generous amount of pork and veggies. You have to try the Shanghai fried pork buns! They're amazing, but definitely made to be enjoyed 'dine-in' or else you lose that crispy fried crust if you take them to-go. The meat inside is so juicy when they're fresh. As an appetizer, the pig's ear with five spice was my favorite. They also give you a small tray of peanuts if you dine-in. The restaurant itself is quite small but the tables are spaced out enough where you don't feel like you're right next to the other parties. The service is consistently sharp, and there is a genuine sense of gratitude for your business every time you walk through the door, even when I'm just picking up a to-go order. I definitely want to try more of their Shanghai Dim Sum the next time I stop by. read more

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Little Shanghai is one of the few Shanghainese restaurants that has been around for over 20 years in the Bay Area. It's a well known eatery amongst the Shanghainese community. Have to say, it's been a while since we came and it was great to see they still have the traditional Shanghai dishes. We ordered mostly typical Shanghainese dishes, smoked fish, jellied pork, kai fu, fried pork rice cakes, pigs ear, shredded smoked tofu and pancake rolls. My favorite dish was the pigs ear, which had a nice al dente texture. But the rice cake and smoked tofu tasted a little bland. Overall, food was decent. Parking is pretty easy on the streets and they have a small carpark at the back. A unisex restroom is accessed by going outside near the carpark. Staff were friendly and welcoming. Definitely a great place to experience authentic Shanghainese food. read more

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We had spare rib rice noodles, pot stickers, fried buns, XBs, sticky rice rolls, and some fried rice. All good, I'll be going back. The rice noodles were especially tasty. Lots of flavor in all the dishes. read more

Really small restaurant but has overall solid food with some standout dishes! I typically come here for the weekend Shanghai dim sum, which is good. However, my most recent visit was for a weekday dinner. Service was great, although we initially were only the 3rd table in the restaurant at 7pm on a Wednesday. It quickly got almost 60% filled by 8pm. Service could be spotty during the weekend dim sum rush. Parking is also tough in the area, so please allow extra time especially on weekends. There are 3-4 parking spots right in front of the restaurant in their small lot. As for the food, we got a variety, like the XLB, green beans, general Cho's chicken, pork knuckle, hot & sour soup, Shanghai chow mein, and green onion pancake. All were good and solid, but the standout/must get in my opinion is the pork knuckle. The meat was fall off the bone, and the overall dish was very large. It reminded me of a well-cooked braised beef, as the dish has a dark soy sauce all over it. Mixing the pork with some fried rice or chow mein and green beans was a great combo. read more

Little Shanghai Restaurant - Pork Knuckles In Soy Sauce (eaten) - Shanghainese Near Me - San Mateo, California

Made reservation prior in the week and still made my party wait for almost 40 min. No explanation nor apologies. One of the server really pushing for the crab dish while I kept telling them no. Food is decent. read more

this is not the most fancy place, not the best service, sometimes good sometimes not If you don't speak cantonese, you know how it is. but that's not the point. When you open your mouth and eat .. that moment defines it all. We frequent this restaurant. whether it's part of 2 , party of 10 , or take out orders. You will go once and it will be your go to place. There is not much choice in Norcal of asian restaurants and price and quality is really all over the place. The point is this place does not pretend to be fancy. and strive for high reviews. It's not about that. It's about comfort, it's about honest genuine good food. It's not even about service. it's hit or miss. depends on people's moods to be honest. From the chairs , carpet and decor you will feel that you were k tranported back into the 80's again and can hear the canto pop music playing in the background. Parking of course is not good, but how can you be a chinese restaurant and not have bad parking! read more

Little Shanghai Restaurant - these are amazing, delicious . be sure to eat it the "RIGHT" way! hold it vertically carefully take small bite, suck out all the soup.,eat - Shanghainese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Meet an old friend here. Food is not bad. The vegetable rice is soft and delicious. Leek sprout pork is my favorite. Service is slow.

Really enjoy my meals here as there's a wide variety of dishes and service is always friendly and attentive. The duck soup and the jellyfish appetizer are personal standouts, but I've not had a bad dish. The duck soup is milky and complex in flavor, and well worth the price point--portions here are generous. The atmosphere is bustling without being crazily loud. Looking forward to my next visit. read more

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Came with my father in law whose family is from Shanghai and he's a Shanghainese food connoisseur. We had forgotten that we tried this place about 15 years ago and it was a semblance of what Shanghainese cuisine is supposed to taste like. Kao Fu - skip. Not authentic and sickening sweet Pan fried buns - skip. Meat filling was mushy and broke apart and wasn't well seasoned. The skin was a yeasted dough and fluffy and thick. Smoked fish - super dry and not tender at all Bean curd in with chicken ham and shrimp - too much starch, bean curd strips was very hard and chewy, almost like they dried out/got stale Rice cakes with Ji cai and pork - only good dish of everything we ordered Vegetable Rice with salted pork - clearly they took shortcuts and this was just plain steamed rice mixed with lard, salted pork bits, and minced bok choy that was extremely bitter. There was no crust on the rice and it came out 5 mins after it was ordered. Clearly not cooked the traditional way. Avoid. Any self respecting Shanghainese person wouldn't eat here a second time. read more

If you want some good, fairly priced Shanghainese food, this is the place to go. I love getting the rice rolls as they are a great breakfast dish that is both sweet and savory. For $6, it's reasonably priced as well. The Chinese donut ($5) is also a good breakfast dish when it comes hot out and fresh. The beef tendon noodle soup ($14.95) is probably one of my faves and it's for such a good price! The beef is very soft and tender and the bowl is a big amount that can easily fill up two people, if not to share for the table. My family enjoyed the siu mai as it's sweet and a bit difficult to make. We enjoyed the other dishes we ordered and the staff were great in letting us add in more items as time went on. Come here for some good food and it won't break your wallet too. read more

Little Shanghai Restaurant - Menu - Shanghainese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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The is the best Chinese food I've had in the entire bay area - swift, hot, light and delicious. Our server was engaging and funny and took wonderful care of our party. He was excellent at guiding more delicate members to less spicy options which still were flavorful and satisfying. 10 out of 10 would recommend, and will come back! read more

Little Shanghai Restaurant - Delicious steaming white tea and a menu for delicious Chinese food - Shanghainese Near Me - San Mateo, California

This is a great restaurant choice if you want authentic Shanghaiese food. There are not many good Shanghaiese food choices in bayarea. And this place is one of them. I like to go there once every couple months. Don't expect much for the decor and the service, I go there just for the food :-) read more

A local favorite - decent Shanghai food, close to where I live. (And somehow, even when I didn't live in San Mateo yet, I had visited a few times by happenstance). Most items are good. I like their braised tofu (kaofu) appetizer, their lionshead meatball (they have 3 different kinds, one of which requires preorder), and their seaweed fried fish filet. I also really love their seaweed peanuts, which is complimentary to the table only at dinner! They also sell zongzi and shanghainese styl meat mooncakes normally, but also if in case anyone is wondering for the Dragon Boat festival as well as Mid Autumn Festival. read more

Service is so amazing. Every single worker was so nice and friendly, noticeably accommodating each table with care and positive attitude. Food was alright! Noodles were chewy but lacked a bit of flavor. XLB & Pan fried dumplings also lacked flavor. Rice roll - the Chinese donut was soggy and usually the ones I've had are crispy. Wine chicken 10/10! I feel like if we tried the more traditional dishes they could be better than the ones we ordered read more

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Came here with my family and we had such a great experience. My aunt ordered so I'm not sure exactly what dishes we got but we had rice cakes, meatballs, shrimp, dumplings, pork broth soup, fish, and pork belly. Everything was delicious! I loved the soy sauce on the pork and how fresh everything tasted. The dumplings weren't too hot and they were stuffed with filling. The rice cakes were a bit chewy but still tasty. I would come here again! read more

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Our new favorite spot for weekend brunch. We always see a huge crowd in front and a full parking lot in the back so we decided to give it a try. It's definitely packed during lunchtime on the weekends since they have special menu items only available during that time. Their menu is huge with anything from clay pots, noodles, rice cakes, fried fish, lions head meat balls, and dimsum. We've been twice now and have gotten the savory soy milk soup twice (only available weekends), the pan fried pork buns, glutinous rice sui mai, Shanghai rice cakes, steamed rice with preserved pork and veggie clay pot, XLB, spicy wontons, green onion pancake, the savory rice roll, and the most unique thing the puff pastry bun with radish cake inside. The radish cake buns and savory soy milk are must try's imo. I could finish an entire bowl on my own. And it's only $5! Service is wonderful too. Once seated, the wait staff is super friendly, attentive, and even helped us pack up all of our leftovers at the end. Come early when they open if you don't want to wait! read more

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This restaurant is easy to miss and gives a hole-in-the-wall type of place. They serve delicious Chinese food that's fairly priced. The service of the place is okay. This experience is purely based on the food, which comes out at a reasonable time. I recommend trying this place if you prefer food over service/experience. read more

I love the food. Portions are extremely small and hardly any meat in the dishes. So sad.

Little Shanghai Restaurant is my faveee spot for Shanghainese food in the Bay. Every time I've been, they're always packed. And the food always hits. The Shanghai style salted pork and veg rice in a clay pot is the besttt. Nice salty flavor which seeps into the rice and the perfect crisp on the edge from the clay pot. It is so yummy. I also rlly like the braised meatballs. Part of it might be I just love the name for Shanghainese braised meatballs. In Chinese, it literally translates to lion head, which just sounds so cool lol I also first heard the name in a drama as a kid so there might be a nostalgia factor there. Anyways, the meatballs here have a great consistency and texture. They are nice and soft but not too soft and have a great flavor. I also like how they come with some veg. I think they usually come with Shanghai bokchoy, but maybe they ran out today, so they came with spinach, which was still good. Nicely blanched and not over cooked. Their xiao long bao are pretty standard and not a huge standout. The meat filling is good and there is a good amount of savory soup in each dumping. However, the skin of the dumpling is a bit thicker than I prefer. Still, it does the trick when I'm craving xlb and also want other Shanghainese dishes. read more

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The food! Any one craves the real traditional Shanghai dishes, this is the place to go, period. read more

Little Shanghai Restaurant - Chicken wonton soup with baby boy choy - Shanghainese Near Me - San Mateo, California

I have been to this place for over 10 years, however, the service and food quality had dropped about a year ago. One time, I pointed out a small bug in the aged duck soup to the staff when the staff was cleaning my table. I tried to comfort him and said I actually like the food most of the time here as an old customer. To my surprise, he just left the table and took a walk around the room. He then came back and resumed cleaning the table without even an apology. The other time, I had lunch with several friends there. The staffs were impatient as we chatted for a little longer after lunch there and they refused to provide one more small box for takeout. It's disappointing to see a good restaurant has changed. read more

I should have listened to the most recent one-star review and stayed away, but I ate here 15 years ago and decided to take a trip down memory lane. Shrimp with walnuts: tasteless. String beans: mushy. Pan fried Bao: no soup, no flavor, and spongy dough. Bamboo shoots: so bad I don't think even a panda would want them. read more

Little Shanghai Restaurant was chosen as the location for our group lunch while we were recently visiting relatives in the Bay Area. It's a mom-and-pop type of place in San Mateo that was pretty busy when we arrived. There was sufficient seating in the dining area for about 50 customers. Nearby parking was all curbside which made it challenging since we were unfamiliar with the area and had to park further away and then walk over. The offerings were vast for a small kitchen. It wasn't purely Shanghainese cuisine, however with a ten-page menu, you could easily find items to fit your palate. I did notice the unique title on one page that was unfamiliar to me. Jiang Nan Reminiscent Dishes was the English translation. Since my cousin picked this place, we also let her do the ordering for our party of eight. We ended up with the following... * Shanghai Style Rice Cake with Beef * Pan Fried Noodles with Shrimp * Sweet & Sour Spare Ribs Shanghai Style * Pig's Ear with Five-Spice Sauce * Pig's Kidney Flowers with Soy Sauce * Pig's Stomach Strips in Sesame Sauce * Cabbage and Diced Pork Noodle Soup * Pork and Cabbage Dumplings * Spicy Wontons * Xiao Long Bao The three pig organ dishes were certainly more exotic and not appetizers I would have selected. The wontons looked spicy, but the heat factor did not match the fiery appearance. It was a tie between the pan fried noodles and the noodle soup for my favorite dish of the meal. What impressed me was how quickly the cooks prepared the items. The servers brought them to our table in a rapid fashion. I think we ordered too much although I believe taking home plenty of leftovers was part of the plan. For the quality of food we ate, the prices were very reasonable, hence a four star rating. read more

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Food is deliciously sacred (x Xiao Long Bao (8), Shanghai Style Rice Cake, & Shanghai Style Chow Mein as well as Sweet Soybeans Milk with (X2) Chinese Donut per appetizer starter with Shanghai style pork buns (6) ^-^ read more

Little Shanghai Restaurant - Sweet Soybeans Milk - Shanghainese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Some of the best Shanghai cuisine in the U.S. in a low key restaurant. Will definitely go again. read more

Little Shanghai Restaurant - Fried Sauteed Eel Shanghai Style - Shanghainese Near Me - San Mateo, California

My fiancé and I have been eyeing this restaurant for some time (3+ years...). We'd always drive by, see it full of diners and give it the old, "we should try this place some time!". I'm happy to report that "some time" finally happened yesterday night and we we're glad we finally gave it a shot! While busy, street parking is pretty easy to find. The waitstaff were very friendly and after a short wait, we were seated. Normally, I wouldn't be one to say anything about roasted/salted peanuts that occasionally show up as a complimentary Chinese dinner appetizer, but these peanuts - of all things - were exceptional! They were served in a really unique seaweed salted seasoning/rub. I've never considered asking for seconds on peanuts but yesterday would've been the time had I been slightly more shameless. We ordered the five spice pig ear, Shanghai rice cakes, green onion pancake and soup dumpling/xiao long bao. Thinly sliced and packed with flavor, the pig ear was definitely the best dish. While the rice cake was a nice compliment to the meal, I thought it was a bit bland. The green onion pancake was a bit doughy and perhaps under but that's exactly how I like it (possible unpopular opinion).as for the soup dumplings, I thought they were decent. Served fresh with nice soupy/juicy bites. We plan to come back some time and try the salted pork clay pot rice and the Shanghai spare ribs! read more

Little Shanghai Restaurant - Shanghainese Near Me - San Mateo, California

My friend came here before and recommended this place to try again. We got different dishes than what he had last time to branch out a bit more. Shanghai Fried Pork Buns ($10.95): Unfortunately, these were pretty disappointing :( The dough is thick and soaks up a lot of the soup and the meat was a bit flavorless. They did achieve a crispy bottom though. I would stick to iShanghai or Dumpling Home if I was craving these in the Bay. Spare Sweet And Sour Spareribs Shanghai Style ($11.95): These were pretty solid! Tender and good flavor. I will say they were a bit sweeter than I would've preferred. Shanghai Style Rice Cake ($13.95): This was my favorite dish that I had for the meal. Super authentic tasting and it had just the right amount of flavor without being too salty. Overall, the atmosphere is cozy and the service is busy, but still very accommodating. There are definitely other Shanghai / Chinese restaurants in the area that serve comparable food, but I would still come back to try more items! read more

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Fast-paced restaurant with delicious Shanghai food. I would highly recommend their dessert of Mini Sesame Dumplings in Rice Wine Sauce (酒釀). For entrees, #703: Gi Chai w/Bamboo Shoots is my favorite vegetable dish while #301: Sweet & Sour Spare Ribs Shanghai Style. Their dim sum is on the more expensive side, and I found one of their classics #9: Shanghai Fried Pork Buns to not be the most flavorful. The restaurant has a small interior with a low ceiling. There are limited parking spots by the side. The staff are very friendly and speak both English and Chinese. read more

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We have been going to Little Shanghai for years. Always good food and friendly service.

The prices have gone up considerably over the years, but this is still the place for Shanghai food. It's loud and don't expect good service. But if you like Shanghai food, I don't know a better spot. I find that people order a ton of items here, whereas I tend to stick with the dim sum options. It feels like it's closed pretty often for random vacations or something. It always seems like business is good and the spot is crowded when it's open, so hopefully this spot isn't going anywhere. read more

Little Shanghai Restaurant - Menu - Shanghainese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Best Chinese restaurant in the Peninsula. The food is so good and I highly recommend this place to all!

We just had a great dinner at Little Shanghai. We've actually been coming to this restaurant for 15 years but somehow the chef changed or something around 2022. We tried it a few more times and we didn't think the food was as good as it had been. Well tonight it was really good. We had Shanghai style noodles with pork and spinach. So so delicious. The green onion pancakes were the best we've had ever! Wor wonton soup was really good with delicious wonton, shrimp, chicken and pork. Also had yummy sweet and sour chicken. The service was really good. We haven't eaten inside the restaurant since the beginning of 2020. The restaurant looks really fresh and clean. We will definitely be back soon. read more

It feels like small family restaurant owned. Ambiance is decent and clean. Service is nice, Asian hospitality. Food is very close taste like food in Shanghai China. Most of their customers are repeated clients. My only problems are only provide few parking space in front of their restaurant. Which is not good for tourists. Location also weird spot. Overall is pleasant to try, if you like Shanghai Chinese food. read more

Little Shanghai Restaurant - Shrimp , Egg , & Chive Dumpling, Sweet Rice Siu Mai, Braised Bamboo Shoots - Shanghainese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Authentic shanghai restaurant to cure hometown craving! Food is definitely five star as long as you know a few dishes to avoid. I've been three times so far and all the appetizers, soup and stir fly we've tried are delicious! I'll stay away from pan fried dumpling and Shanghai noodle as there are so many better dishes to order at this place. The price is also reasonable. The interior is mediocre but the floor is not sticky :) If you dine in, don't expect quality services. They were too busy (short of staff) to be friendly and quick to request. Just adjust your expectations before come - you're here for the great shanghai food at reasonable price, not the service. read more

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Love little Shanghai! The food is so comforting! We love the pork and vegetables rice, tofu skin with bamboo skin and pork, green onion pancakes and Shanghai noodles. read more

Authentic Shanghai's food. My family comes here for big and small celebrations because it never disappoints. We always ordered the same dishes however this time we tried a number of different items and they were delicious as well. The service: can be brusque when it's very busy but like everything else, when you show respect and understanding to others they reciprocate. I find the waiters were always nice even the seemingly stern lady owner. She was so kind to offer us a desert for we have a 90 year birthday girl among us. Prices very reasonable. Food are always good. read more

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For more than 15 years, Little Shanghai has been a popular staple for Shanghainese food in the San Mateo community. But despite this, I haven't enjoyed their food since the pandemic. With that being said, I dropped by on a Wednesday night around 6:30PM to see if the experience still matches my memory from pre-pandemic. Arriving at the restaurant, parking in the adjacent area was scarce. But despite the amount of cars, there were some open spots closer to the residential areas on the side streets. Entering in, the only tables open were for parties of 5 or more. But because there wasn't a wait on this weeknight, the staff did not mind seating me at one of those tables. Upon being seated, a server brought over a menu, a pot of tea, and a small plate of dried peanuts. The menu had a large variety of dishes to try. But for this visit, I first decided on an order of Pork Kidney Flowers with Soy Sauce (豬腰花) for $11.95. The price might seem to be a little high, especially since many of the entree items begin at 13-14 dollars. But don't let that price scare you! The portion of kidney alone was enough for a single meal. On top of this, each piece is thick and has a lump sum of green onion pieces to go with it. Because of this, the price to portion ratio was very good! For second, I ordered a plate of Shanghai Style Shrimp (水晶蝦) for $18.95. Again, a plate of shrimp for $19 dollars might appear to be on the more pricey side for most people. However, the quantity of shrimp given easily makes the extra expenditure worth it. The plate I received had more than 35 individual pieces; just know that the shrimp on this plate are on the smaller side. Last, I chose a bowl of Beef Brisket Noodle Soup (牛腩麵) for $13.95. Compared to the majority of items on the menu, the noodle soups at Little Shanghai usually give the same portion or more for a slightly cheaper price. And thankfully, the portion is still as large as it was 5 years ago! My bowl came with 8-9 large chunks of brisket, a small serving of what tasted like spinach, and a large portion of wheat noodles. With many other kinds of Asian noodle soups in the area costing around the same price (ramen, pho, udon, etc.), I was particularly happy as the portion from this bowl alone was filling for 2 people. From looking at these three dishes, the price to portion was very good! To make the matter of the meal even better, every item had unique and tasty flavors! Starting with the kidneys, the highlight was the rich and savory sauce. Although the dish is served cold, the sauce maintained its texture and added a layer of thickness. The pieces of kidney were also chewy but not rubbery which made them very easy to eat. As for the shrimp, the outer coat tasted similar to corn starch and created a light. Each piece of shrimp tasted just a tad savory, allowing the texture to really shine. Even if you wanted to add more flavor, the provided vinegar gave a tangy sour profile to the food. And for last, the beef brisket noodle soup was very tasty! The broth tasted like a beef stock with an added sweet soy sauce; definitely a refreshing taste on a cold day. The noodles had a good consistency to them which allowed each noodle to be pulled easily and bitten into with very little effort. For each piece of brisket, the meat broke apart into strands and had a light red color inside which was more than likely from the braising process. And though it was a tad firm, it was the most filling part of the bowl. Looking back on the taste of all the dishes, the food was delicious with little to no issues! There is a reason why Little Shanghai has been serving Shanghainese food in San Mateo for over 15 years. The quality of Chinese food they serve is one of the best in the area, their dishes have held true to their origins, the portion sizes can appeal to those with different appetites, and the prices are comparable to many other places nearby. Because of these, Little Shanghai is easily a 5 star restaurant. They do tend to go on vacation quite frequently so definitely call in advance to make sure they're open. Otherwise, Little Shanghai is definitely a must-try for those looking for great Shanghainese cuisine. read more

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Mom and pop Shanghai cuisine. You don't see these kind of restaurants survive the post pandemic dining scene. Food is properly seasoned and good portion size. Service is personable just efficient enough to get you taken cared for. I live an hour away, if I ever am in the area this is a must stop! We see so much Sichuan style restaurants, so this is a great opportunity to reflect on a different regional style of food. read more