Because it's a chain, people tend to write 1 star reviews to complain about a franchised location rather than for the experience. Parking is always tough at night around this area, and the wait time was a good 20min. I saw people cutting the self order kiosk to pay in cash, which I thought was pretty unfair, given the kiosk line was pretty long... I came to try their limited time Osmanthus Tofu, and I have been craving it ever since. Coming in at just shy of $11, they give a good amount of tofu and cocout pudding/tofu. You can taste the osmanthus, and it wasn't too overwhelming nor sweet. This dessert style always invokes a sense of nostalgia for the motherland... The place is pretty big and customers enter and exit at a steady pace so I feel like there's always a spot available. Inside was clean and well lit. Good experience overall except for people cutting the longer kiosk line to pay with cash. read more

Still a very popular Asian dessert place in San Mateo that's opened until pretty late. The menu is quite extensive so if you get a bit of analysis paralysis, I recommend looking at it ahead of time. Not a place to come if you're on a diet (many items are 1000+ calories) Lots of different options and this time with a grass jelly combo and strawberry smoothie. Both tasty, but certainly calorific. The biggest drawback is the lengthy wait . They really have to work on their operations, because even after 5 years of being open, it still can take 30min for them to get your order ready. They also need a way for people to know when there order is ready as currently, they just yell out your number. read more

Meet Fresh - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

Shaved ice here never disappoints! Service sometimes takes a while and they are understaffed but it never stops me from coming back specifically for this read more

Meet Fresh - Large Pudding and Q Mochi Milk Shaved Ice - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

A very tasty Taiwanese dessert chain. My mom loves this place since it reminds her of home, so it is always a go to place for us when she visits. We usually get the signature grass jelly dessert, and I also like the almond drink. The place gets bad reviews because the service is very slow, but as long as you're ready to wait at least 30-45 minutes for your dessert, then you will enjoy yourself. read more

Meet Fresh - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

2nd time here. I wasn't impressed the first time or the 2nd time around. On both occasions there has been only one operating kiosk to order at. Not an actual person taking orders at the counter. This makes for a long line of people ordering. Ordering is pretty simple however. You find a table and wait for your number to be called. We did not hear the person putting the orders on the counter calling out order numbers. A while had gone by and we walked to the counter where we then told our order had been ready for a while. No number printed with the order so its difficult to check what orders they are. We entered our phone number to be notified but never got a text. The desserts were good but nothing amazing. Several people just lingering after finishing makes it hard to find a place to sit. Afterwards, one must bus your own things and sort out items at waste bins. I dont see the point in tipping for this sort of self service. Ordering over an app and taking to go may be a better option. read more

dessert hit as usual. however this meet fresh is below expectations in terms of ambiance vibe etc read more

Meet Fresh - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

No complaints on the dessert! Everything was delicious and came out in a timely manner. 4 stars instead of 5 stars because ordering is a little bit of a hassle. There's only 1 computer to order on and no human cashier so the line can get long. read more

Meet Fresh - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

I specifically paid more money for the add Taro Ball, but they didn't add it. It was so disappointed and I ordered 2 of them. They mess up the order and didn't pay attention what the customer wants. Horrible. Won't come back. read more

Meet Fresh - I specifically paid more money for the add Taro Ball, but they didn't add it. Horrible. - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Not sure why Meet Fresh has such bad reviews; other than the rather slow service, everything was fairly respectable as a dessert place. Lots of tables, self serve utensils and water, and a kiosk (as well as in-person and takeout stations) to help you order quickly. Desserts are on the sweet side. You can order hot or cold drinks or jelly-themed treats with dumplings, boba, mochi, red beans, or whatever accoutrements you'd like to add (for an additional cost). My favorite is their icy grass jelly signature dessert, which is usually enough for two people. read more

Meet Fresh - Icy Grass Jelly Signature with added 2 Pieces Sesame Rice Balls and Crystal Mochi Set - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

I got the icy taro signature. It had boba, fresh taro, taro paste and potaro balls with sesame seed inside. The potaro balls were my favorite! It was chewy and sweet and nutty inside. It was refreshing on a hot day. It would be nice if there was more than one kiosk to order at. There's a lot of seating inside and even a machine to buy artificial nails. read more

Meet Fresh - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

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The desserts and teas are very good. The service is generally very friendly. There's lots of seating most of the day but gets crowded with the after dinner crowd after 6pm. Busy most of the day, all day when the weather is hot. The bathrooms are a challenge. Not well maintained and the motion sensor gives you 5 minutes in the stall, but can't tell when someones in the stall... read more

Came by after dinner in downtown San Mateo. The place was not too busy. We had their black sugar boba shaved which came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and pudding jello. It was huge! And 4 of us shared this along with another grass jelly dessert. The flavors were good but the ice quality was not as smooth as I've had in Asia. Ambience is nice- plenty of seating and great place to catch up with friends over dessert read more

Meet Fresh - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

This review is for their bubble tea only. I surprisingly liked their bubble milk teas quite a bit. Their app only has 100% sugar and 50% sugar though. I do think 50% is quite sweet already but if you mix it properly and perhaps make the ice melt a bit it is a little better. Boba was chewy. I thought the jasmine milk tea was overall not bad. They also have a rewards program. When I signed up they gave me 50 points which was $1 off. The order took a little while to get out but there were a lot of people ahead of me though. read more

The place has lots of seats but the servers are slow af. Took us 50 minutes to get our order.

Not a fan. Unlike other Yelpers, I do not have a problem with the app. I don't use food apps. I DO have a problem with the desserts. The two I had just did not taste all that great. The bubble teas could be all right though. The overwhelming majority of bubble tea places are excellent And the top tier are really outstanding. If I had to come here, I would go liquid - Because what they offer in the solid department is no thrills. read more

WHEN: Sat @7:30pm The setup is you order first, then you sit down. You'll be ordering from either a tablet or a person, and the line moves quite slowly because it may be challenging for some folks to use the tablet...or they just can't decide what to order since it's such an extensive menu! So many options and even I was overwhelmed. But since I waited in line for such a long time, it gave me time to finally decide on: ICY GRASS JELLY - $10.25 Taro Balls, Grass Jelly Shaved Ice, Grass Jelly. They will give you a single coffee creamer to pour on top. I wanted some ALMOND JELLY added for an additional $1.25. I'm glad I was given the option to have less ice than usual. This really hit the spot and I enjoyed everything about this subtly sweet refreshing dessert! This place seems to be quite popular for large groups. There are outlets for students or anyone to come stay to work/study. They leave out all the items you need to take leftovers home, as well as a sink to wash your hands with napkins. I really liked it here and would definitely come back! read more

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This review is for our experience on 4/12 only. We've been to several Meet Fresh locations including in Bay Area and San Diego, and this is the only time we left feeling really disappointed. We ordered the pistachio shaved ice since it was a new item they were promoting. On the large screen the promotion advertised $5 off (will be printed on receipt) with any pistachio line purchase. Our receipt didn't have any code to use for a future purchase so we asked one of the sales associates, who reread their promotion screen, was visibly confused, so called his manager. Long story short, the manager claimed that because we paid for our order with some reward points, we weren't eligible for the promotion since we can't combine offers. This logic sounded flawed since the $5 would've been used for a future purchase, not combined with our current order. However the place was busy and we didn't want to harass the poor sales associate so we didn't push the issue further. I know that Meet Fresh's promotions don't apply to all their locations, but if that were the case here then just say they made a mistake, take down that screen, and maybe apologize or compensate for your error instead of gaslighting the customer! The ultimate insult was that the pistachio shaved ice was awful. It came in a bowl instead of a large plate like their classic shaved ice flavors, so there was not nearly enough ice for the amount of pistachio cream. It was nauseatingly sweet. There's also no option to change the sweetness level like there is with other flavors. I would NOT order again. I'm pretty disappointed with this experience, since we were at the same location just two nights prior and enjoyed the desserts (Ube bowl and mango shaved ice). The mangos were on the sour side but I prefer that to artificial sweetness. Meet Fresh had been a reliable dessert spot until now. They should improve their customer service to stay competitive with the many other Asian dessert options nearby. read more

Meet Fresh - Mango shaved ice Ube bowl - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

Oh, my God, I can't imagine that I ordered food in the store and waited for an hour. My meal was not ready. Oh, my God.

Came here with a group of friends and ordered their Signature hot grass jelly soup with no boba with the middle aged lady taking orders. When I got my order it had boba. Showed the young lady that worked there my receipt that showed no boba. She went and explained to the same middle aged lady that took my order that I wanted a replacement. The middle aged lady said out loud that I was wasting food. What?! I paid for item, the receipt confirmed my order without boba, I asked politely to have it corrected, and you give this type of attitude? Good bye Meet Fresh. read more

After our dinner, we ended up here for dessert as it was a while ago since our last visit. The place is spacious. The challenge is to pick out one or two dishes from a big menu. We were curious about the potaro balls, so we ended up getting Q Mochi Milk Shaved Ice. With a small price difference of $1 between medium and large, we chose large to maximize the experience. The ice wasn't smooth and evenly flavorful. There were so many mochi. We got filled up quickly. It was good but not that good. I will come back once in a very long time. read more

Meet Fresh - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

The owner got so cheap they turned off the AC in the middle of the summer and when I asked them to turn it on, they gave me such attitude. I mean like me and my parents can't even breathe inside the place. We eventually had to move out to sit at Peet's from across. How ridiculous is that. Mind you it's mid Summer and super warm out too. read more

Food takes forever, whether it's busy or empty. Inefficient system overall. Had to ask them to cancel my order after waiting over 30 minutes for one dessert... Save your time and go buy dessert somewhere else. read more

Quick dessert stop after dinner. I opted for the Double Taro Signature - Taro Balls, Taro Paste, Ice Cream, Grass Jelly Shaved Ice, & Grass Jelly. *Includes 1 complimentary coffee creamer but you have to ask for it upon ordering - drizzle on top of the taro & grass jelly to give it a dirty boba flavor. Dinnertime vibe is loud with kids everywhere but happy to say Service is fast and easy. read more

Meet Fresh - Double taro signature - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

It's been weeks and I'm still haunted by the ai music being played. I don't think I could ever go back. I think I lost a year off my life listening to that. No wonder the workers had their AirPods in because if I was subject to listening to this shit for 8 hours, I'd be clinically insane. read more

Shameless management tried to distort the truth. There was nothing to do with the 25-cent bag. The staff never provided this option or mentioned it in the whole conversation. Additionally, my wife brought 2 drinks; should it come with a cup holder by default in a decent drink store? read more

I came back and the grass jelly dessert was really good and things seem to flow smoother now .. read more

Meet Fresh - Photo booth - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

The service at this location was just ok. Cashier was not helpful whatsoever. I wasn't sure what to order. Choose this black sugar boba shaved ice because I saw someone eating it. Portion was huge and it was tasty & refreshing. I thought it was pretty expensive considering it was a dessert. Asked for a to go container and was told it would be a .75 cent charge. I thought that was pretty ridiculous considering what I already paid for it. read more

Meet Fresh - Black sugar boba shaved ice cream - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

Good product, miserable experience. Be prepared for a long wait for your food, even when it's not busy. Lots of people dig in for the long haul. Books, phones, etc. read more

My family and I came in at 10:19 PM on a Friday night. The place was pretty packed however I was excited to try it out! BUT Why didn't I look at Yelp first?! Now, the place gave a fun vibe and the kitchen was busy. They have a self- order kiosk. I ordered a pistachio chocolate shaved ice and a boba drink. My cousin also ordered the pistachio chocolate shaved ice. I'm not usually confrontational, however, our order took forever! We see customers who have ordered after us, get their order before us. We asked if we could get our order to-go instead but even with that request, our order wasn't ready until 10:58 PM. Might I add it was only the boba that was ready and they also ran out of boba so it was replaced with lychee jelly. My cousin got her shaved ice first and we asked for a bag. The employee says we need to pay $0.25. I said for a bag? I've been waiting for over 40 minutes and I have to pay for a bag? So he gave me the bag and said it's SF's law. I see an employee leave and another employee on their phone. As I was ready to just ask for my money back and also said they should compensate us for our time, my shaved ice was finally ready! They also gave us free mochi after stating how unsatisfied I was with their service. We arrived back to the place we were staying (which was about 10 minutes away) and our shaved ice was completely melted. There wasn't enough toppings as it looked on the picture. I sipped my shaved ice and shared the toppings which left me even more unsatisfied with this place. I will not be coming back. Not worth my time and money. Please do better with efficiency and customer service. read more

I don't understand all the bad reviews and people hating on Meet Fresh. Sure it's a chain, and service is pretty impersonal, and this place gets hella crowded on hot summer days. But as a Taiwanese-American who LOVES Taiwanese desserts, like shaved ice drizzled with condensed milk, grass jelly, sweet potato balls, taro balls, ai-yu jelly, this is my favorite go-to dessert place in downtown San Mateo! You just order at a digital kiosk, enter your phone number, and get a text when your order is ready. Sometimes it takes a while for the dessert to come out. I have waited 20 minutes for my dessert, which can be a bit annoying. This location is huge, and even in such a large location, this place gets really packed during the summer when people come for shaved ice to escape the heat. The downside is that parking in downtown San Mateo can be tricky, expensive, and hard to find. Would definitely come back here if I can. read more

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This is my first review and sadly it is a negative review. I used to order hot grass jelly with taro. This made my day, but it has gone downhill the last two times I had come. 1) There is and has been only one kiosk machine to order. Why can't they put more kiosks? Sometimes the line is HUGEeeee! And customers take their time making a selection. 2) The QR code to order online is dumb. It takes you to the Meet Fresh app. I already have a ton of apps and don't need another one just to order Meet Fresh. 3) This last one broke the camel's back. I ordered two HOT grass jelly to go. Several minutes later my number is called. Here you go said the staff. I look at the two HOT grass jelly containers, and asked for a bag. The staff said, that will be $0.25. Seriously. How bad are your current finances Meet Fresh? You used to give bags with to go orders. Why don't you increase your menu $0.25, so it includes the bag. Anyway, I am done with Meet Fresh. I get my desserts from Sweet Moment. They have multiple kiosks and give you bag(s) at no additional cost. Maybe is already included in the price, but at least they do not ask for $0.25 so one can carry their HOT desserts on a bag. And that's all folks. read more

Very disappointing visit today. We probably got ONE whole strawberry on our $15 shaved iced. Taste was standard, but this is just wrong. How could they serve this? The tofu in the tofu fa was good, but no sweetness whatsoever. Purple rice was ok. Good portion. read more

Meet Fresh - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

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The desserts are amazing, but however amazing they are won't make up for the awful service. Tried ordering today: The service is horrible, there's one machine to order food for and their website wasn't working. The employees refuse to serve you because they're understaffed despite having tons of customers and good business-/so there's a huge wait. The ambiance is nice, I guess, but it's hard to enjoy when you're spending your time in line. read more

We ordered a bowl of the signature hot red bean soup, but the filling inside the rice balls was cold. I mentioned it to the front desk staff, but he didn't respond at all. I'm really disappointed with both the service and the food quality. read more

Really nice dessert spot to go after dinner if you're eating out in San Mateo. We went on a Thursday night around 8:30pm and the line to order was pretty long. It was a slow process cause there is only one electronic kiosk to order from. We got the Signature Grass Jelly, Boba Caramel Pudding and Original Egg Waffle. Everything was super yummy but the egg waffle was a little bland. There's plenty of self seating available but the wait for the food after ordering is also pretty long so a lot of people are just waiting at the tables. read more

Meet Fresh - Icy Grass Jelly Signature and Boba Caramel Pudding - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Came here after dinner for some dessert because it was one of the few places to sit down. Rice Ball Tofu Pudding - rice balls were soft and chewy. The tofu was silky and smooth. The dessert was very subtle in sweetness. Double Taro Signature - the grass jelly was good and the taro balls were chewy but a bit hard. The taro was very cold and hard. I wish I asked them for another scoop of ice cream instead. The bed of grass jelly shaved ice was very artificial tasting. read more

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Great for icy desserts on a hot day, order for here is much larger than to-go. Icy grass jelly is so refreshing and their taro balls and boba are great. $10 and enough to share for 3 people. Their new item passion fruit sorbet base (just the sorbet) for $5.50 is tart and good, with real passion fruit seeds. Pineapple sorbet is too sweet for us. Friendly staff, they are popular and drinks and desserts are made to order so wait a while. Use this link to order ahead: https://www.spoonityorder.com/ordering/restaurant/menu?restaurant_uid=97e85905-7fa1-4823-afdc-8e55df91a3a5 read more

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It's meetfresh! A classic chain, with pretty consistent yummy desserts in my opinion. This one is larger and has lots of seating inside. You order through a tablet and food comes out quickly. - shaved ice with warm taro, ice cream, pudding, red bean, boba, mochi, taro balls. so many toppings so man textures! the icey part could've used a tad more condensed milk but overall a good treat to share :) read more

Meet Fresh - shaved ice, taro, ice cream, pudding, red bean, boba, mochi - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

Food and service are as normal as most of the time. But the ambiance...... just take a look of what I took, I don't have to explain more Definitely not a place you wanna eat with read more

Meet Fresh - Ants - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

My signature grass jelly came out like this. Isn't it "amazing" lol Looks nothing likes what shows on the menu picture read more

Meet Fresh - Signature grass jelly - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California