This is a small Chinese restaurant with only a few tables inside. The menu offers a good variety of dishes, and the portion sizes are reasonable for the prices. The four of us ordered five dishes: eggplant, string beans, beef stew, sticky rice, and salt and pepper pork ribs. The eggplant was the standout dish, although it was quite oily. Unfortunately, the string beans were undercooked, the beef stew was dry, and the salt and pepper pork ribs were extremely overcooked and dry, we each took one bite and couldn't finish them. The sticky rice had a nice chewy texture, but it tasted burnt, as shown in the photo. Overall, we're glad we gave this place a try, but the dishes we ordered didn't meet our expectations. Maybe their chow mein or chow fun is better, but we didn't have a chance to try those. The service was okay. read more

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This place has been around forever. I used to come here alot and thought to give it a try again after a couple of decades later..lol It still runs like a mom and pop shop (only reason for giving it a 3 star vs. 2). Staff was friendly and the price was beyond reasonable. However, taste and quality were definitely more aligned to "home cooking" if you know what I mean. ;p Overall, everything tasted REALLY bland and lacked flavors. 1. Skip the congee- tasted like plain water boiled with cooked rice (yuck). 2. The pork chop was dried and lacked flavors. It was overcooked because it was cut toooo thin 3. The stuffed chicken wing was bland, but the sauce kinda made up for it 4. The bitter melon beef was surprisingly delicious. It got "wok hei" which i didn't taste from the other dishes 5. The yee mein noodle tasted REALLY bland. I wonder if it was the same sous chef that made the congee. I don't think I will be coming back anytime soon. read more

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Returned back here with a party of 7 and ordered the set menu and it was great! It seems like this small mom and pop restaurant can do no wrong. So we ordered from the fixed menu which had yummy: mixed Seadfood tofu soup Sticky rice stuff chicken wings (6) Stirred fried spicy clams with xo sauce Hunan crispy chicken Beef spare ribs with wine sauce Garlic peas sprouts Steamed Fresh Tilapia Steamed tofu on lotus leaf Yang zhou fried rice Everyone enjoyed this meal, no complaints and we all went home happy and wonder when our next trip here will be. :) read more

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Food: it's always good here and we love the crispy smelt fish! Service: the staff are always nice here (shout out to Elvis the owner), ambiance: cool . I like the videos on the tv screen they play. My baby was enjoying the cat videos! read more

Quick bite to eat on El Camino. We ordered the 3 dish meal special which came with a tasty homemade soup. The fried chicken wings had 10 crispy pieces and sweet and sour pork was fresh. The braised tofu & vegetables dish was also authentic without too much gravy. Portions were enough to make our party full. Parking was tough as their side of El Camino had a 20 min parking limit. But overall it was worthwhile to try. I'd gladly return again to try their other dishes when I'm in the area. read more

Silver Lake Seafood Restaurant - Spicy salt chicken wings - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I was introduced to this place by a friend and enjoyed it a lot! Lots of leftovers and I always leave satisfied/full. Nothing too special about the place or location, but convenient enough as it's close to the 92 and plenty of street parking out front. read more

Love this place! I've tried a lot of dishes. I like their hot clay dishes and their noodles. Try their beef and tomato fried noodles. We got their soft egg and shrimp noodles which was so flavorful and delicious. Also the green beans and cashew chicken. They give you soup to start. I really enjoyed how fresh everything tasted. Staff are nice too and it's a family feel to this place. read more

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Always such a pleasure to dine here. I've been coming since I was 7 and the food quality is always incredible. The prices are very affordable for a family and they have all sorts of options to satisfy any palette, whether you're looking for soup, spicy, or traditional Chinese cuisine. The best dish is their deep fried da long li I would recommend doing their combo meals of 3 or 4 items on the menu which comes with soup. While prices have increased due to COVID, the quality of food remains the same. Some of my favorite dishes are their Salt & Pepper Spareribs, Snow Pea Leaves, and Rock Cod w/Garlic Clay Pot. Note that parking can be hard as there is no designated parking lot, so one will need to park along El Camino Real, which can be difficult around prime dining times. read more

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Went for the first time in a while, still same old familiar environment. New menu though. Rice porridge was mediocre but got a chow fun which was still pretty good for the price. read more

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Busy place but the food was great and I felt the family atmosphere. If I lived there, I'd be a regular.

Updating my old review from 4 to 5 stars: Great Southern Chinese food at a good price here. It was closed for the last couple months, but it has reopened. I recommend getting the three item combo with jian kung spareribs, rock cod clay pot, and crispy fried chicken wings or salt and pepper squid. If you want to try something more out there, ask for the deep-fried flounder. 3 item combo comes with free soup, and at dinner, a dessert as well. Not as cheap as when I was a kid, but still one of the best deals around. 2025, and inflation is about to get way worse. I wanna give this place 5 stars now because of the lunch I just got (pictured) for 15$, including tip. Eggs are expensive these days and I thoroughly enjoyed my pile of gooey noodles. Can't go wrong with free soup either read more

Silver Lake Seafood Restaurant - Satay shrimp egg chow fun - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

Usually, we dine in, but lately, my family and I have been doing takeout here, and we really like it! The food comes out hot and still tastes great once we bring it home. We ordered Chinese broccoli, rock cod with garlic clay pot, and spicy ma po tofu. All of these dishes were delicious. Plus, each order comes with a complimentary soup on the side! The food arrives quickly, and the staff is always super friendly. The restaurant i side is also nice and with a very homey feel. So whether you're looking to dine in or take out, I'd highly recommend this place if you're craving good Chinese food! read more

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One of my go to Chinese lunch places. Funky kind of hole in the feel but consistent good food. Not the cleanest restaurant, and the bathrooms are frightful but do the job. On to the food, my favorite is the Mapo tofu. I usually ask them to make it mildly spicy and add cabbage and bean spouts ($2.00 more). It is my absolute favorite over rice. The sauce is tangy, sweet, mildly hot, and works great with the dish. Some of the other dishes I have tried are very good, large portions and flavorful are lobster shrimp, sweet sour pork and twice cooked pork. Over a nice luncheon place that is consistently good. The waiters take time to listen to your order and will try to accommodate special requests. Sometimes parking can be tough but worth it. read more

Went here for early Mother's Day dinner. Not sure how it got such a high rating. The food was just ok. Hot and sour soup didn't taste right. Clams with black bean sauce the clams were sandy and sauce was very light. read more

This has been my go-to place for more than a month now. I like the 3 dish combo or 4 dish combo deals. For 3 dish; faves are rock cod w/ garlic claypot; salt n pepper prawns or boiled prawns and usually rotate between jian kung spareribs, salted egg n pork steamed pancake For 4 dish; faves are clams w/ black bean sauce, steamed to w/ dry scallops, and rotate between braised fish with dry bean curd, steamed oysters, beef tendon, and clams in broth This is a solid restaurant with consistent quality, and price that is unbeatable!! read more

Silver Lake Seafood Restaurant - 3 dish combo - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

My favorite fried chicken wings in San Mateo, so crispy and garlicky... Can't miss. We have ordered from the walls and all their menus. Our mainstays are: Crispy Fried Chicken Wings Rod Cod with Garlic Claypot Jian Kung Spare Ribs String Beans with Shredded Pork All available on their 3-item menu, which comes with rice and yummy house soup. These items are much better eaten in the restaurant, but their decor is classic Chinese ghetto. See u there! read more

Silver Lake Seafood Restaurant - Rock Cod with Garlic Claypot (Entrees Combination) - our favorite!!! - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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The Best Good food and professional service I love this restaurant more then others Good services Very nice environment read more

Dinner here never disappoints - Prawns with Glazed Walnuts - 5/5 - Sweet & Sour Pork with Pineapple & Lychee 10/5 (I think I will order 2 orders next time as my kids finished this plate in a blink of an eye) - 3 cups chicken - 5/5. First time ordering this and it's very yummy - string beans - 4/5. It is still a very good dish. We always finished their free soup. It's just so comforting to have a satisfying meal. We always eat at the restaurant as I think most dishes do not taste as good if it sits in a takeout box for a while (e.g. sweet & sour pork - it will no longer be crunchy and became doughy). The restaurant is not a fancy one, but it is clean and homey. 5/5 in my book! Will be back for sure!! read more

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3.5 stars. We have been coming here off and on with friends whenever we have get-togethers and are in San Mateo. Simple decor, yet worn and preserved to the 70s style - hole in the wall restaurant with good cantonese food. They do have a back room to accommodate a large part of 30+. The restaurant is on ECR and only has street parking. There is no parking lot. It was busy on a Sunday night. The service is friendly, polite, and helpful. They can get overwhelmed for one person working the front, as a host, a waitress, a cashier, a busboy, answering phones, etc. She was constantly hustling her tail off. But, she still had a friendly demeanor when talking with her customers. I appreciate that as I've been in her shoes before. Daily Soup: Simple, bone broth soup, with traditional herbal ingredients of roots and other things. Sautéed Clams in black bean sauce - Good, clean, not as salty and flavorful as other places. You could taste the clams. Peasprouts with garlic - needed a bit of salt, but it was healthier. The portion was good, and they didn't gouge you like other places do. A plus. Whole Dungeoness Crab with ginger and green onions - live tank in the back of the dining area. Nicely cooked, and they even breaded the crab butter in flour and fried it. Beef Stew Clay Pot - lightly seasoned, not overly flavorful/salty like other places. The ratio of tendons to meat was more. My kind of dish! Napa cabbage was at the bottom. Steamed Rice - served in a container. You hardly see this anymore since other restaurants charge you for individual bowls. The prices are very reasonable. They have a 3 dish, plus daily soup for $30. Some people in my group said the food, "it lacked some flavor," yet others said, "it was less salty, less flavorful, but probably healthier!" Overall, it was good. read more

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We liked the food and the price :-) The service is OK. They only have 2 servers so it gets busy. Parking is a little hard on the busy El Camino. read more

Good food and affordable prices. There is no parking lot so you have to park on the street. read more

This is really close to our place. Went here for my birthday and because I was craving for chinese food. 1. Walnut shrimp was out of this world. My husband couldn't stop eating it I almost think we're competing to see who eats more! Lol 2. House special dried noodles: this. Was. Amazing!!! You have to order this. Although the guy who took our order ended up giving us seafood dried noodles, we actually ended up loving it so much. 3. Braised tofu with enoki mushroom and dried scallops: this was ok, it wasn't exactly what is in my mind when I ordered but at the end, it became my comfort food. We got some broth on the house and it was also flavorful. Love this place! read more

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I think this is one of the cheapest chinese restaurants you can find in the peninsula area. I know the price has risen, but 3 items for $30 is a bargain. It is run by a family. I have been here many times before the pandemic, but this is the first time I visited again after the pandemic. It hasn't changed since my last visit. Interior was the same. Service is ok as a regular restaurant. The food is good, and the portion is generous for $10. The food was read quickly. They have a combo of 3 itmes and four items if I am not mistaken and there are many item to choose from the menu. You got complimentary soup, which is ok. If you are in the area, you can give it a try. read more

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Parking is a PAIN in the butt here; that's the only downside to this place. Overall its a classic Cantonese joint that's been in the Bay Area as long as I can remember. Their food is homey and delicious. We tend to stay away from the chicken dishes as they're made with bone in chicken and tends to have bone shards. Anything salt and pepper here is delicious; we always get the salt and pepper eggplant (not sure if its listed on the menu) Eggplant clay pot Seafood claypot Yee mein Mushroom and bamboo pith over mustard read more

I gotta say parking here was so pretty tough, but the food made it all worth it. My family ordered a bunch of dishes to share. I can hardly remember the name of these dishes, but they were all delicious. The steamed fish was perfectly seasoned and so moist. The honey walnut prawns was one of the best I had ever tried. The meat platter was the best item here. Service was also friendly and super fast. I'll definitely come back here more often. read more

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Tastes like authentic Chinese cuisine, huge servings per plate and price is just right.

It's been 25+ years. Owners have changed several times, but price is only like what it was 10 years ago! I couldn't believe they were still doing 3 dishes for $30. Food is still mostly the same, typical Cantonese style dishes; even clientele is still pretty much the same, retirees or drop-in (or laborers?); but still of good quality and prices are amazing. read more

+++ FOOD +++ \\ Complimentary Soup I don't know what this soup is called but ITS SO GOOD. It is a brown broth that has wintermelon, carrots, and flavors of my childhood. So simple. PLEASE PLEASE DM me if you know what this is called. \\ Steamed Pork Patty with Salted Fish This was so tender and juicy and creamy and smooth. Literally melt in your mouth. We came to this restaurant JUST FOR THIS because its SO HARD TO FIND. \\ Fillet of Rock Cod in Black Bean Sauce This came with green bell peppers. The fillet was cooked well and so tender. You can taste the black bean sauce. FLAVORFUL. +++ SERVICE +++ Fast service, offered to refill our free soup. Checked in on us often. Super nice! +++ AMBIANCE +++ HOLE IN THE WALL MOM AND POP, AUTHENTIC Y'ALL. It has the name of dishes written beautifully (and vertically!) in Chinese calligraphy in little yellow banners. THIS PLACE LEGIT. +++ OVERALL +++ I WILL DEFINITELY BE BACK. I wish I was in this area more often. This was pretty cheap. Free soup. Just the soup alone made this worth it! SO GOOD. Come here for the NO FRILLS, REMINDS YOU OF YOUR MAMA, AUTHENTIC CHINESE HOMESTYLE COOKING. read more

Oh I am so sad. We wanted this to be our new Chinese restaurant since Oceanic has gone downhill and Cheung Himg tastes great but ALWAYS makes me incredibly sick (just me, not my kids or husband - so they go when I'm elsewhere) - but the food here was mediocre at best. So sad. We ordered what almost everyone recommended - salt and pepper spareribs. We also ordered crispy fried chicken, tomato beef chow mein, rock cod in black bean sauce, and broccoli in oyster sauce. The broccoli was cooked to perfection and tasted great. Too bad I can easily make this at home. The crispy fried chicken tastes fine but no longer crispy. In their defense, this order was takeout. The tomato beef chow mein was pretty tasty The rock cod was fried fish and then put in black bean sauce - the fish prefried was a drag - much better without pre fried. Free soup. Don't get me started. Woman didn't even know what the nights soup was. Should have ordered something specific. Ends up the free soup was basically maybe chicken broth with random greens in it - maybe baby pea sprouts? Again, no flavor. Soooo sad. The saddest part was the salt and pepper spareribs. It didn't taste like...anything. It was a little tough to chew and had zero flavor. I was so disappointed. Everyone on here raves about them. We just stared at each other with sad faces. Ah well. Maybe we will revisit in person and see how it goes. But we will not get takeout from here again. 3 stars for being edible. read more

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Love the great comfort food we get regularly. We have a set order of Salt & Pepper Rock Cod, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Black Pepper Beef, Spinach with minced Pork, Tofu with dried Scallops, Mince Beef Soup (aka Westlake Soup) or the best Fried Wonton Seafood Soup. You can't go wrong with this family run restaurant. Our go-to for a great meal. Highly recommended, the restaurant is not large but I've been able to get a table with a minimal wait. read more

We are regular take out customers but had the opportunity for a dine in visit. The food is great comfort food. The service is always great. The staff is limited but everyone helps out and is friendly and helpful. We really love the fried wonton with seafood soup. We shared but I can eat a bowl by myself, it's so delicious! The Salt & Pepper Rock Cod is another favorite dish. You can't go wrong doing take out or dine in. read more

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A hole-in-wall Chinese place on ECR at 2291 S ECR in San Mateo. Differentiating from another restaurant that's also nearby called Silver House. Silver Lake Seafood (SLS) is the ubiquitous Cantonese restaurant where you come for good, homey comfort food that Mom cooked back in the day. There are special Chinese calligraphy menus on the wall, in addition to a set lunch menu with plates, set dinner menus and a separate small Ala carte menu. I might be able to get by ordering but lucky for me I was with a group who ordered easily in Cantonese. We ordered off the set dinner menu between two Columns. Waitstaff was nice and helpful with the menu. Once we ordered, the food came out fairly quick and hot. Orders was preceded by a hot, pork house soup of the day. Reminded me of Mom's soup! Ordered: * Seafood vermicelli soup chock full of clams, squid, scallops & head-shell prawns. This was very good, clean tasting, fresh seafood in a light broth. * Sautéed green beans w/bits of pork, garlic. Really good but I love any greens sautéed with garlic! * Steamed ground pork patty with salted egg. Granted this was not a duck egg but it was nevertheless great and evoked, again, memories of Mom's cooking...mmm * Noh Mai fon (NMF) - different from the sticky rice served at dim sum wrapped in lotus leaf. NMF is usually served at special occasion dinners which we had at home for Thanksgiving or a Christmas. This NMF was generously studded with Chinese sausage, char sui, chicken. It may not have all the fixings in a homemade dish but the flavors were all there and this is probably the best NMF I've had in a restaurant. Definitely order this! I usually ask for no MSG whenever I'm in a Chinese restaurant and did not do so because I forgot and was enjoying the company so much. Lucky for me no MSG flush! SLS has a definite place of my go-to hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurants. Note they are closed on Tuesdays. They do close between lunch & dinner service. Dishes like minced beef with egg white soup, spareribs w/black bean sauce, oysters w/black bean sauce, rock cod fish anything, braised tofu w/dry scallops & enoki mushrooms, steamed chicken & lop cheung (dried Chinese sausage) in lotus leaf, etc. all look really really good. I will be back to try the rest of the menu! read more

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The set meals are a great value. All the dishes were very good and big portioned. Service can be a bit slow since there's usually only one wait staff. No parking lot but can usually find close by street parking on El Camino. read more

Happy that this restaurant has reopened. Tried 3 for $30 menu and it was as good as i remember it: Salt and pepper ribs was crisp and tender to the bite. The steamed chicken (thigh meat) in lotus leaf delicious albeit with bones on some of the pieces. Stir-fried green beans had good crunch and not over-cooked. Lobster fried noodles (a la carte for $25 per lb) was well-executed, noodles crisp, good gravy but seemed slightly greasy. Very polite service. read more

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Okay food quality is NOT outstanding, but omg they have a 3-entree combo for $30 which can easily easily food a family of 4. It's certainly way better and cheaper than Panda Express. We picked the pork belly, fried garlic ribs, rod cod clay pot. Fried garlic ribs is a must if I go back, pork belly is good but of course belly has a lot of fat, rock cod clay pot which was fish plus tofu was just okay to me but I think a lot of other folks liked it. Next time I will probably try the green beans. Their fried garlic ribs is a must! read more

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This is a review for a DoorDash order. Had several items. Egg rolls 1/5- These were basically inedible. They were totally mushy and tasteless. Delivery is always a challenge on these but these were mush. My Shu Pork 1/5. Totally tasteless and could not find the pork. Walnut prawns 3-4/5 This was the best item. OK, not great. The batter came off all the prawns. Taste was good, but the prawns need to hold together. So taste was a 4, batter was a 1-2. Pork chow Mein 1/5- Dry , dry, dry. I've never had noodles that were this dry. They were not really edible. Pork was tough and sparse. Pot stickers- I am not a pot sticker person, my wife loves them. She had one and did not touch the rest, in fact immediately put them in the garbage. Not sure why this restaurant has such high reviews, but we will not be back. Everything was just blah, no bright tastes, or spice. Not for us, most of the food was recycled. read more

Located in San Mateo I was determined yet super surprised when we tried this establishment out. Tryna figure out the lake and the house I thought I been here initially but quickly realized this was my first time here as I got inside. Overall, there is a couple working in here that works hard , but the service was below average. Drinks came out but no cups and the door should have been open when it closed. Also the chef cooking 5/10 please change its holding you back,. On door dash yet no Uber eats read more

Silver Lake Seafood Restaurant - Claypot tofu - Chinese Near Me - San Mateo, California

4 dish special takeout is easy no brainer for nights you don't want to cook. Authentic Cantonese food! Beef curry, beef tendon in stew, spare-ribs with bitter melon, hk style spare-ribs, Chinese broccoli are among our favorite selections. read more

Good food and good price. We ordered 5 dishes and the price including tips is only $88.

Very disappointed. We were excited to try a new place based on good reviews but none of the dishes we got were good.  The chicken sticky rice had undeclared shrimp in it, which I am allergic to. The shrimp were so small I didn't realize it until I'd eaten it, and got sick. The chicken dishes had bones in the chunks of chicken. The potstickers were burnt on the outside and cold on the inside. The hot and sour soup was factors more spicy than any I've ever had before; rather than adding flavor to the soup, they just added chili sauce. The sweet and sour pork was mostly onions and not much pork. read more