Good Eats close to San Mateo Event Center?

[calalilly]

Hi All,

I'm going to an event at the San Mateo Event Center next Saturday. I've never been and am not too familiar with the area. Can you recommend a restaurant to go to with the following:

- full bar with good cocktails
- open late (around midnight)
- good for groups
- casual
- less than $30 for entrees
- preferably not a chain

Open to all cusine types if it fits the above.

Thanks!

[alina555]

Izakaya Mai fits your bill, with the exception of the full bar w/cocktails....but if your group could make do with sake, beer, and wine, you could have some good food there. They are open until midnight (along with a few other Japanese restaurants in downtown SM).

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Izakaya Mai Restaurant
212 2nd Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401

[bbulkow]

Himawari!

Supposedly, ABC Bakery Cafe is open until 3am.

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Himawari
202 2nd Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401

[Eugene Park]

I know you said you'd prefer to stay away from chains, but BJ's Brewhouse by the Bridgepointe shopping center hits all your other marks. To me, they're a cut above other chains.

And having recently moved from San Mateo after living there for 5 years, there really isn't much else nearby to consider.

[carfeng]

This may be a little too casual for your needs (and certainly not a culinary destination), but the Swingin Door is a British pub opened late and situated close to the event center. It serves pub fare (notably pretty decent fish and chips), beers on draft, full bar. Not a lot of places in San Mateo are open very late...

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Swingin Door Pub
106 E 25th Ave, San Mateo, CA 94403

[calalilly]

Yes, we will have a car. We will be coming from the Oakland area so I guess places along the way by 92 and 101 would work. There's a group of us going so thought a place close by after the event where we could hang out would be ideal.

Thanks for the suggestions!

[artemis]

Will you have a car? I live in the area and almost nothing around here is open past 10, let alone still serving food at midnight. The first place that springs to my mind is Kingfish. The food is pretty good (we like the skillet mussels and french dip sandwich), and there's a full bar, but I very much doubt it's open that late.