i usually get paik's noodle to-go from their location inside h mart, so it was really nice to…read morefinally sit down and dine in! honestly, it was so much better fresh in the restaurant! the jajangmyeon was exactly what i pictured, the noodles had the perfect chewiness and paired so well with the savory, flavorful black bean sauce. we also got to try the jjampong with pork, and it had the perfect amount of spiciness. the seafood was surprisingly fresh and not fishy at all. the shrimp was especially good, i honestly want to say it might have been my favorite. crispy on the outside, soft and flavorful on the inside. definitely the kind of bite that makes you crave more! the food came out so quickly and the portions are definitely reasonable! this meal fed 3 people! i would come again!

First time trying Paik's during lunch. Plenty of tables open when we arrived around noon on a…read moreFriday. Started with the fried dumplings. Arrived hot and crispy - good starter. Ordered the Meat Jajangmyeon which was plenty for us to share and it came with quite a bit of meat. Also ordered lemon chicken. Altgough it's covered in the lemon sauce and the flavor was good, I think I was hoping the chicken would come out a bit crispier. A bit too soggy for my taste. Overall, I'd give them another try.

Pork XLB - 6/5 Pork and cabbage dumplings- 6/5…read moreBeijing gravy egg/mushroom noodles - 3/5 Great xlb and dumplings!! Good service and ambiance! I had ordered a dry noodle but it came out with a lot of gravy. Otherwise, overall great! Will visit again!

Came on a Friday in the early evening and this place was completely empty except for one patron,…read morewhich made me nervous that the food wasn't going to be great. Glad that that wasn't the case! Ordered xiao long bao, fried tofu, sheng jian bao, Beijing potstickers, pea shoots, and green curry with rice. - Xiao long bao: quite tasty and probably my favorite in this area. The soup inside was really sweet and savory and there was a lot of it. Meat was tender and the flavor was spot on. The skin was nice and thin, but with enough elasticity that it didn't tear when the dumplings were still hot out of the steamer and being picked up with chopsticks. I wish they would steam on napa cabbage instead of the foil cups though. Towards the end, the dough was trying to stick and that's no bueno. Also, wouldn't cabbage be cheaper? - Fried tofu: favorite dish of the night, surprisingly. Super crispy coating, and the soy sauce they serve it with has enough salt and flavor to really make it shine! Will order this again and again. - Sheng jian bao: I have serious doubts that these are made in-house (though they might be?). They looked like the frozen ones that every restaurant with sheng jian bao on the menu seems to be serving nowadays. Not that they're bad. In fact, they're pretty good, with a good amount of soup inside, but the dough was a little tough. - Beijing potstickers: like regular potstickers, only less good. Didn't like the dough on these, but they were super juicy! Wish I'd known that before I bit into mine and all the juice came shooting out of the opposite end. Don't be like me, eat this with the butt end in your spoon to catch all the liquid. - Pea shoots: I spit out half of these onto my plate because they were so tough that I couldn't chew the woody stems. I haaaaaaate when restaurants do this - the people preparing the food know what a tender pea shoot feels like. If they're not good, don't serve them to customers. It was like $17 for a plate of greens that were almost inedible, and super unenjoyable to eat. Aside from the poor quality of the veggies themselves, the way they prepared them was perfect, and the flavor was so good. Made me sad that I could barely eat them. - Green curry: ok, but not great. There wasn't enough flavor and there was too much heat. I expect Thai curry to be spicy, but not marking this on the menu for someone who is just trying this for the first time feels like a mistake. Also, not letting someone choose their level of spice also feels like a mistake. Speaking to the menu, there are things about it that make it hard to order. Basically, everything is in English, which is fine, but there are dishes that are translated or simplified that make it hard to know what's what. "Pork buns" are sheng jian bao. I wouldn't have known that if I hadn't asked, and to me and most people I know, a pork bun is just another simplified name for a char siu bao. The only reason why I knew they had sheng jiang bao on the menu was because of the photos on Yelp. Maybe just calling it sheng jiang bao or "pan fried dumplings" would be more helpful. Photos or a brief description (or Chinese characters, for those who can read them) would have been even more helpful. Other notes: the waitstaff is friendly enough, and the kitchen is efficient. Wish they had ice water here. Water is served in carafes that appear to get reused without first being washed, with a sprig of some kind of green thing inside. It goes from the kitchen tap into their fridge to cool a bit before being served, but there is no ice. A water filter on that tap would go a long way to make the water taste more palatable. Not sure what the green thing was, but it didn't impart any appreciable flavor. Will ask for ice next time and hope that it's available because at least if the water were actually cold, it would mask the tap flavor. We'll be back to try other things on the menu, and to order the XLB and fried tofu again, but with tempered expectations.

This place is consistently good and always has at least a couple people waiting outside of the door…read moreif not more. If you feel like a nice warm hug for your tummy, then get the Langzhou hand pulled noodles. The clear broth and light spice is so comforting for your stomach and it doesn't feel too heavy. You can choose your noodle thickness based on your preference. I typically go for the small rounds while my boyfriend gets the belt noodles - the complete opposite from each other! You can get out of there less than $20 a person, which is so rare in downtown San Mateo. Quick and easy meal for lunch or dinner.

Heard good things about out this noodle spot. Came around 11:30am and got seated right away. Around…read more12pm there was a line and the restaurant was filled. Ordered the chili oil noodles with beef. I was surprised it was not spicy at all. I even added the chili oil on the table and it didn't make a difference. The noodles were perfectly chewy. Just wish it was spicy!

I've come here twice now and I didn't realize I never left a review the first time I came! So now I…read morefeel I have even more to say how you much gotta come to Kajiken! Both times I've come I hadn't had to wait very long and our second time was with a large group including kids. Our server was great in helping us preorder before we could get seated and we only waited 15 minutes. We all ordered the same things: half of us ordered the original aburasoba and the other half ordered the homura aburasoba and the food came out quickly. They kindly gave us little bowls for the kiddos and forks and all the kids loved the noodles and the adults shared a large pitcher of beer. All in all, best aburasoba and one of my favorite spots in San Mateo!

Overall: 4.1/5 [dine in]…read more There was a line on Friday night but it moved fast. The seating inside is pretty tight so your table is basically an inch from the next one, almost like a communal dining experience. Nikumori Aburasoba ($18.50): Spicy pork, pork slices, green onion, and ajitama. The spicy ground pork was delicious and they were generous with the thin pork slices, though those weren't as good as the ground pork. The ajitama was perfectly jammy. The aburasoba flavors were okay but less flavorful than mazesoba, which I now know I prefer. Wagyu Roast Beef Aburasoba ($25.50) + Chashu ($1.75) + Spicy Minced Pork ($3.95) + Ajitama ($2.50): Wagyu roast beef, crispy onions, green onions, butter onion sauce, yogurt sauce, and raw egg yolk. The chashu was average but the wagyu roast beef was thin and incredibly tender. The yogurt sauce and raw egg yolk made this one pretty creamy which I actually liked more than the Nikumori. Ume ($1.50): Did not like this at all. Hard pass.

A hidden gem for HK food in the peninsula! Very authentic HK…read moremilk tea which is hard to find in the area. It has really good balance between the tea and the evaporated milk. They also provide less sweet option which is great for people who enjoy the tea favor more. The curry beef brisket is highly recommended, it has very deep spice profile and slight kick of heat. It tastes very similar to the good ones you can find in HK. Another recommended dish is their rice rolls, the sauce is spot on and has the perfect ratio of the sesame sauce and the sweet sauce. We have been to the cafe twice and usually order through DoorDash. The service was good when we were there, and the quality of food does not drop when we DoorDash.

If you come here, you HAVE to order the Hong Kong French Toast! It's easily one of the best I've…read moreever had--golden, crispy, buttery, and perfectly cooked. The café has such a warm and charming atmosphere, and the staff are genuinely kind and welcoming. Great food, great service, and a place that makes you want to stay a little longer. Highly recommend!

Going to update my review here since I've now been here ~10 times. Let me say this place is an EASY…read morefive stars but since I've been a lot of times I have noticed some things that could be better. That said, I'll talk about the good things first. Pretty much everything on the menu is good here. If there's something that sounds interesting, get it. If you've been curious about spaghetti dishes at southern Chinese restaurants, get one. The General's Chicken is actually insanely good here, like the best lunch special I know anywhere, and it's General's Chicken. Hainan chicken, salt and pepper spare ribs, rice clay pots, eggplant dishes, and even Chinese curry are items I commonly see ordered around me. The tofu seafood claypot is fantastic. Pretty sure they have Peking spareribs and they were great iirc. The chow fun dishes are only good, not super exceptional, you rarely see people order them. Alright the few things I've noticed that could be improved have all happened when I come closer to closing than opening. I've had a couple times where the tea kettle was still soapy, so the tea tasted awful. Their kettles keep the tea piping hot for the whole meal, so maybe that makes them hard to clean. But I've also had the tea come not very hot. They don't like giving you water and tea, some Chinese service lol. And for some reason, the food has also been a bit worse when I came later too Space is small and it can be crowded, especially on weekends. Come early for the best experience

We came to Blue Sky last night just for the salt and pepper spare ribs and pork chop, which are…read moreusually the dishes we crave. We also decided to try a couple of things we had never ordered before after seeing other tables enjoy them. The beef chow fun looked amazing when we saw someone else order it, so we gave it a try. Unfortunately, it was a bit disappointing. The noodles were on the dry side and lacked the flavorful wok hei and savory taste that I usually look for in a good beef chow fun. It was just missing that something special. We also ordered the Chinese chicken salad because we wanted something lighter to balance out the meal. I was expecting the traditional shredded chicken with lettuce, but instead it came with thin tortilla-style chips underneath. That really changed the whole feel of the dish for me. I was hoping for a refreshing salad, but the chips made it feel more greasy, and the mustard oil dressing was not really my preference. The chicken was also a little dry. I probably would not order this again. The good news is the salt and pepper spare ribs were still delicious, just like we expected. They remain one of our favorites here. Overall, I would stick with the dishes we already know and love and skip the beef chow fun and chicken salad next time.

Hunan Mifen is another good spot worth trying if you love authentic Asian cuisine…read more I don't eat spicy food so I was happy that they have some dishes that is not spicy, I love the flavor of their broth, tasty not salty and it has a balance. I love that they have variety of appetizers and side dishes. Price is very reasonable for a freshly cook dishes. I would give them two thumbs up

Had low expectations coming here and was pleasantly surprised!…read more Food: T-he braised beef noodles were amazing. Noodles were chewier than most beef noodle soups I've had and the beef pieces were very tender and soft. The soup wasn't too spicy by itself and had alot of depth and flavor. -Pro-tip: There is a little self-serve station near the kitchen where you can get add'l condiments like cilantro, green onion, chili, and pickled daikon. SCORE. Add in the cilantro/green onion for a flavor explosion. -Ordered one of the combo noodles + 2 sides. For my sides, I got a blanched bok choy and a fried gyoza. The bok choy was needed to help cut the spiciness of the soup and to add veggies b/c without it, you'd just be having carbs, beef, and soup. Gyoza was a win too. Service: FAST and friendly, just how I like my non-fine dining restaurant experiences. You scan a QR code at the table and then choose an english/chinese option. If you have questions, you can ask the staff, but there isn't a TON of options to choose from, so make it easy on yourself and order a noodle soup. Ambiance: Ample seating at 1:30pm on a Sunday. Didn't have to wait, which was a big plus as all the other restaurants in San Mateo over near 3rd/4th and B street were packed. Overall: Highly recommend and would come again. This might be my favorite niu rou mian spot!

I came here with 2 of my coworkers on a Saturday around noon time and there was a long line. We had…read moreto put our name down and were finally given a table after waiting for maybe 45 minutes. It wasn't that bad of a wait though as we were entertained by the dog groomers next door. We ordered a beef noodle soup, potato and beef dry noodle, wonton soup, beef pancake rolls, and spicy wontons. It was so much food that we didn't take part in their extra noodles after finishing the bowl. My favorite had to be the braised beef stew as the soup was hearty, the beef was tender, and the noodles were very firm and bouncy. The beef pancake rolls were a very close second, though there wasn't anything different that they added compared to other places. The rest of the dishes were pretty good though I would definitely pass on the wonton soup next time as the soup just tasted like dried seaweed (something I don't like). Overall a really nice place to share dishes with your friends and family.

You know a place is good when your Asian mom eats here and goes, "... I think your dad will enjoy…read morethis" because there's no one pickier than your mom or your dad. On a weekday afternoon, we were seated promptly and I let my mom handle the ordering. 25th Avenue can be quite busy if you're here during the lunch rush or the weekends so just be aware, but there are no meters to pay which is great. They utilize Yelp waitlist so you can put your name on the list and go around the area (there's a Goodwill nearby) if you need to kill time and you'll get a text message when you're next. Overall, the food was good and the portions were reasonably priced. The highlight is the unlimited noodles which my dad can appreciate. There's not much service interaction, but the food comes out quick and you'll leave happy.

Love the San Mateo location. It feels so spacious and fancy! And the kids meal comes with a toy…read morefrom a ball machine. The katsu curry was the highlight. The nabeyaki udon broth is a little too sweet for my taste. We'll be back for the pork katsu and curry!!!!!

Had lunch here last week and I would say it's hands down best udon in Bay Area!…read more Ordered their rice bowl with mini udon and enquired if veg or seafood based broth option was available..and yes they do have veg with fish paste and it was delicious. I also got their spicy garlic edamame which hit the right notes! Also the rice bowl came with the shrimp n veg tempura which was just yummy! Great pleasant service and a clean nice interiors and I believe they have recently opened this location (perhaps a year or so). The udon itself is nice and thick fresh handmade sanuki style noodles. Tip: try asking for spicy garlic sauce on side and mix with udon or with rice...kicks up the taste immensely. The sake based cocktails looked appealing...didn't try them, perhaps next visit. Definitely one of my fav spots locally.

One of my favorite spots in San Mateo. Walnut shrimp is the best, even though they're known for…read morenoodles. They are on vacation for this summer, opening back up on 8/1/2026.

Came for lunch as a party 2. Not a lot of people dining in. There were only 3 other tables…read more - Green onion pancake - Pan-fried Chinese chives box - Hunan shredded pork in spicy sauce - Kung Pao chicken & rice in a bamboo basket (served with an egg roll and hot & sour soup) - Fried rice cake w/ ji cai & pork I didn't care for the green onion pancake or the chives box. The green onion pancake was deep fried, so it lacked the flaky texture I expected. I was disappointed. The crust of the chives box was similar to the green onion pancake (seemed deep fried rather than pan-fried). The filling was tasty although I wish there was more. I really like their Hunan shredded pork and their fried rice cake. Those are my go-to dishes. Food arrived quickly. Plenty of leftovers for dinner. $25 minimum to use credit card.