This chain hasn't gone the way of larger Italian chains like o Garden. While being a chain my 3 visits here has been good and the food fresh tasty unlike others. Nothing to write home about but the garlic rolls are fresh hot and garlicky. Pasta is dry pasta standard for most chains. Pizza meh on par with chain. read more

Made a reservation 2 hours before, walked in and there was a group waiting before us. They got seated (don't know how long they were there) but it was another 10 minutes until we got acknowledged. Was asked how many, replied, and never got seated. Walked right out. Horrible service and totally understaffed. FITFO management read more

This place landed a prime spot on a corner of b street so plenty of foot traffic for them. Nice big windows, a full bar, and a pretty upscale set up. We were seated quickly and given menus. Kids were given their menus without any crayons until we asked. Menus nor monthly specials were explained to us. Small plates were also missed when the appetizer was served. We ordered the bruschetta to start which was slightly different from your traditional bruschetta. I ordered an Italian soda flavored with blood orange syrup which was new to me and I liked it! I ordered penne bolognese which was baked but the sauce was watery. The kids mac and cheese wasn't the best. The salad my mom ordered had waaay too many toppings in it. Although the service was friendly, they weren't very attentive. Too bad this place can't get a better rating since it's location can do so much for them.. read more

One word....Piadine! Enough said. What a concept...salad on top of a pizza crust. This location is larger than the one in Santa Clara. And, it's more on the classier side. Teresa took really good care of us. Oh, get their garlic rolls as an appetizer! read more

Came for outdoor dining. Loved that it was as contact-less as possible. We ordered and paid at the counter, sat down, then the food was brought to us when ready. Other than that, there was no contact. I ordered the Roasted Salmon pasta and it was delicious. Portion is perfect, leaves room for an appetizer or desert. Zero complaints. read more

We waited for over 15 minutes just be seated and there were more servers than customers. they could've at least sat us down. After they sat us down, they did not offer us drinks at all. We had to ask another server who walked by for water. Our server was 1 of the twin girls who work there. Her service improved as the night went on. The food was okay but definitely over rated in my opinion. The Service was a 1 star and food was a 2 star for the price of everything. read more

Overall this was a pleasant experience. The thing I LOVED the most was that the food was served HOT! Especially on a cold evening. Everything we had was steaming hot. We started with the garlic rolls - HOT - and minestrone soup- HOT. The rolls were good with herbs and a delicious crust. The minestrone was not noodle-y enough and I thought it had a vinegar-y flavor so I didn't enjoy it as much as my wife. Then we each had the spaghetti and meatballs - Hot - and delicious! Very cheesy tasting and a huge serving. We didn't have any drinks so with tax and tip it was about $65. read more

Came here on a whim looking for a place to have lunch. Saw they had a great deal for lunch with a choice of an appetizer and entree or two appetizers for $11 from a list of dishes. Great deal! One of the entrees alone regularly priced was $13. I also ordered a glass of red sangria which the waitress recommended over the white sangria. It was not very good but I've had worse so I added club soda for some carbonation and drank it anyways. The staff were all great! Friendly, attentive and helpful. We also noticed on the table a flyer for free garlic rolls for signing up on the app thanx. They ask for credit card but only to collect rewards and don't charge you anything. As for the food, I was pleasantly surprised. I figured it would be like an Olive Garden type of restaurant with bland food and huge portions. The portions were perfect, not too much or too little. We tried the Mediterranean salad which was good, not hard to get wrong. The garlic bread rolls were also very good, they came warm with olive oil, basil and either marinara or ranch for dipping. We opted for marinara. That was my second favorite dish. My first favorite was the cheese ravioli with marinara sauce! And then the two topping pizza we ordered was okay, nothing to be amazed by but not bad Not sure if I would come back other than for the lunch special (mon-Friday until 4pm I believe) or the other specials they have on different days which include kid eat free, half off bottle of wine and a couple others that I don't remember which falls on which day read more

Tomatina - Red sangria $6.25 not my favorite but not horrible either - Italian Near Me - San Mateo, California

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The crew at this establishment was beyond exceptional. Especially Keeñy and the manager Susan. They treated us wonderfully. Absolute wonderful staff. I would and will recommend dinning at Tomatina in downtown San Mateo to anyone. read more

Food is very delicious will order again and fast service . Pasta portions are big and the salad goes well with the pasta . The wait time for to go order is very quick . read more

So glad to hear from corporate, I hated to think they didn't care. Will be giving Tomatina another try, really missing their pizza!

I have been coming to Tomatina since it opened. Great location in downtown San Mateo and food is excellent. General Manager Randale and staff are fantastic. Feel safe eating there since pandemic. Very enjoyable live music has been added recently on Fridays and some Saturdays. Added benefit if you happen to hear Randale singing about the restaurant he is the best. Vicki C read more

We were really disappointed last night. We had a reservation for 6:00, and were really looking forward to dinner at one of our favorites. We arrived just before six to find numerous groups of people queue up outside, waiting to get seated. Many of them also had reservations, and had already been waiting for over 15 minutes just to get seated. Turns out Tomatina, for whatever reason was severely understaffed. I think they only had two people working the front and the dining room. Anyway we waited about 15 minutes to see if there was going to be any progress in getting all of us seated. There was no progress so we left and ate somewhere else. I hope this experience was only an anomaly, and not a normal occurrence. It would be a shame. Tomatina has been one of our favorites for many years. read more

Used to be a good place for family gathering but the menu selection is getting fewer and the food quality is going downhill. The pasta sauce is watery and the lemonade is bland. I wonder if there is a management change. read more

This place in one word: slow. Everything took forever- getting seated, ordering our food, getting our food, asking for more utensils, paying the bill- we were there for far longer than we expected. The food itself was okay. Not bad, but nothing special. I was personally really surprised because I had expected better. My family loves the one in Sunnyvale. The food and service there is outstanding and it's our go-to place after playing baseball/softball games or tournaments at the Twin Creeks sports complex nearby. We were so excited to hear that one of our favorites was opening nearby, so we tried it out about a month or two after the opening. Maybe it wasn't was good, just because it had only recently opened. Overall, it was a disappointment. Hopefully it'll get better over time. read more

We do not live in the area but did visit them a few years back and were quite happy with the experience - happen to be in the area and decided to go back - glad we did ! - everything (salad, pizza, wine and service) was wonderful - to top it off Andrea, service manager, could not be more attentive and pleasant - together she and the delicious dessert were "Icing On The Cake" ! read more

Not really impressed, I had a veggy pizza ( garden) too salty and too heavy for my taste. I was thirsty all the afternoon...my friend had the chicken piadina, it was dry and the pieces of chicken were very few. The service on the other side was very friendly and efficient, the guys were attentive and kind. Not planning to go back... read more

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Very good food and service here on a slow Sunday night. They should be busier, as the entrees and sauces are all made from scratch. Delicious. read more

A girlfriend and I stopped by Tomatina in San Mateo to have a nice lunch after attending the San Mateo Harvest Festival. I enjoy the food, which has greatly improved over the last couple of years. While service at some of the Tomatinas is sometimes slow, we received EXCELLENT service from Suzanne Tetens. Suzanne was very pleasant and patient, and extremely helpful in instructing how to scan and order from the online menu; she was quick to offer refills; and she was familiar with the menu. The service we received has been the best I have received from any server or manager in a very long time. I plan to frequent Tomatinas in the future and have purchased gift cards to share with others. read more

I was wrong. We gave this another try; it was so freaking good, went back, and then again, and again ... and haven't stopped. Their spaghetti and meatballs is better than most versions of this dish at "higher end" Italian places. Their caesar salad has the perfect balance of tangy, anchovy, creamy with fresh crisp lettuce. Just lovely. We've loved their pizzas as well. The people are always incredibly accommodating and friendly, the ambience is fantastic, not too loud with big beautiful booths with polished wood. We also get take out quite a bit, and woe that we're not in their delivery zone for Doordash. Their price point is solid, especially for their generous portion sizes. I'm sorry I was such a snob with my previous review. read more

Service was very helpful and had recommendations for me when I went I couldn't decide what to get. lovely place to have a lunch!!

Wonderful happy hour, first time here but much more to come. Pleasant place and servers with great food.

First time ordering and trying this place. Ordered through doordash. The spaghetti and meatballs was very good yet they forgot the Parmesan cheese I requested. The cheese ravioli was ok yet not as good as the spaghetti and meatballs. The garlic rolls are good a little less garlic would be great. If you are undecided on what to order I'd definitely recommend the Spaghetti and Meatballs. I also checked yelp and order the spaghetti and meatballs upon reading the good reviews. read more

This place is ok. Choices are very limited. No steak, limited side options, minimal substitutions, not a huge variety of options on the menu (comparatively to other Italian restaurants). I guess best known for the pizza which haven't eaten. I've had a calzone, which was mediocre for the price and the middle was soggy. The second time I had a salad which was fresh and enjoyable and no complaints. Also had the cauliflower broccoli appetizer which was forgettable. I wouldn't get it again. Tried the garlic rolls. Yummy but too rich so felt not so great after eating them. The wait staff is always quite nice and attentive so that's a nice thing about this place. There's always a seat available and it's clean and fresh inside. With so many choices in San Mateo, this wouldn't be my recommendation, but if someone in my party wanted to go, I wouldn't nix it. read more

I love this place for lunch. I order the mixta salad with shrimp. We always order the garlic breads as well. Make sure you top your piece with garlic and oil in the bowl. The management is better than the waiting staff they seem to help a lot if someone is in the weeds. read more

Preordered online mid-afternoon and ended up waited over 70 minutes past my 6pm pick up window. Others in San Mateo were over 1.5 hours! Not how I planned to spend Mother's Day... read more

A decent Italian food place in San Mateo downtown, their pastas are great and I love the calzones as well, the food portions are more than usual and the interior design is perfect for a date or family gathering, so I'd recommend this place; to make it 5 Star they only need to improve their food quality and presentation a bit more read more

Tomatina - Italian Near Me - San Mateo, California

Nasty place on earth ! not sanitary me and my whole family got food poisoning from here . There food is contaminated and there dirty chefs who aren't even Italians think there working in a farm somewhere . DO NOT COME HERE read more

This is my favorite Italian place in the bay area. I have been going to this place for already 3 years. We lived in Oakland for a while and they also located in Alameda, so it was close to us. And every time when we did shopping at Walnut Creek plaza it was our go to place! I was really surprised to find out that they also do their business in San Mateo. I went their and was satisfied again) Price: very very affordable. They have bunch of promotion , like free 4 pieces of Garlic Rolls or family pack just for $40 ( plenty food for 4-6 people). 5 star out of 5. Food: delicious! My fav is bruschetta, Caesar sals ( amazing dressing) and all kind of pastas they have! 5 star out of 5. Service: Moderate,I'd say it is 3/4 star out of 5. read more

What happened to Tomatina? Watery tomato sauce and dry meatballs, the spaghetti tasted nothing like it has in the past. Tiny, half teaspoon plastic containers with parmesan cheese doled out by the number of people at the table and an ounce of tomato sauce to accompany 8 leaden garlic rolls. The quality/quantity has been seriously diminished. Won't be back. read more

Overall rating 2.5 stars Nice ambiance, came here for an early dinner, but took too long to get attention of hostess. Even with a pretty empty restaurant she sat us all the way in the back by the kitchen. Not the best start. Food is pretty generic Italian food. Decided to try special, which I immediately regretted upon seeing how tiny the portion was. In the end, my evaluation is the food was ok, the service was ok and our experience was, you guessed it , just ok. If I had the choice probably not a place we'd return, but if you're craving Italian this place is......, OK. read more

Solid experience. Went to another Italian restaurant close by and it was so LOUD plus we had to Google half the ingredients. I like bougie restaurants but we just wanted simple. Tomatinas was just that. We had spaghetti and meatballs, baked rigatoni and chicken fettuccine Alfredo. All were solid choices. It's not fancy but was very laid back which was exactly what we needed. read more

First of all the staff here are A1! They know exactly what they're doing and do one hell of a job at it. I was looking for a place to have my small wedding lunch in, the manager Randell answered and connected me to Mara who is in charge of all their catering events. She made it so easy for me, got to come in the next day to see the place and taste some food for the menu and fell in love with everything. The food is BOMB! My sisters and I got to decorate just a little the night before the wedding and Mara and the crew took care of everything else making sure the food was ready once guests arrived. For a COVID wedding, I'd say everything was perfect. Still an intimate wedding reception/lunch in and Tomatina made it happen. Don't sleep on this place! They're the best! read more

Not coming back again. Came at 5:10 and it took awhile to get the waitress to order. Then the food took forever. Probably about 30 mins before we got the food when the place was pretty empty. Pizza was hard and chewy. Reminded me of cafeteria pizza. read more

Nobody answers the phone. They give you a rude face when paying with a promo code. Understaffed clearly. It's like a task when I order food here read more

Ceasar salad romaine lettuce was wilted and brown on the edges Spaghetti and meatballs - lacked any flavor and tasted like chef boyardee just the marinara sauce Stomach was upset immediately right after Ridonks read more

Let me start by saying I'm not a foodie, but love a great meal. My wife, 3 kids and myself headed over for dinner after a long shopping trip. Not wanting to cook, I remembered that kids eat free on Thursdays so we headed over to Tomatina. The lasagna was delicious and my wife's fettuccine was equally as good. But the reason I'm writing the review has less to do with the food and more by the impressive service by our waiter Samuel. He was hard working and polite. Overworked to say the least. Even with his many responsibilities, his attitude or work ethic never wavered. When I told his manager Ethan about the great job Samuel was doing, Ethan responded with the same graciousness. So I would like to thank you both for making our family dinner a great time and we will see you guys again soon. read more

I visited Tomatina this past weekend. Their Italian inspired dishes are very tasty. I had their famous Garlic Rolls and I highly recommend. Easily the best item on their menu. I tried their season special of Chicken Cavatelli. It was bland and needs some flavoring up. The minestrone soup had too much acid and tasted a bit sour . The Baked Penne Bolognese was quite cheesy ( a good thing) and I consider one of the better dishes. Service was ok but nothing to shout about. I would recommend this restaurant as a lunch spot. read more

Had a charming lunch here today. Excellent food, very fresh and tasty. The total highlight of the trip though was our wonderful wait-person, Suzanne. She anticipated all our needs, helped us make a good selection, was totally responsive when we needed something, and really went the extra mile to provide us with first class/world class service. Just a delightful person! read more

Food is always great. For a large family we also appreciate the family meal. Particularly with the Chicken Alfredo. Besides a variety of pastas to choose from it also includes salad and their special garlic rolls. It's sure to please kids and adults. You can't go wrong with it. As we continue with the Shelter In Place, we are grateful they are open for take out and you have the option to order ahead and choose your pick up time. read more