Pausa Bar & Cookery

Came to celebrate a birthday and had a really enjoyable experience. Service was impeccable! Our server was very attentive, friendly, and paid attention to our needs. Food was delicious and beautifully plated. The bolognese was so good we ordered two of them!Birthday boy even got a small complimentary piece of cake at the end. I would definitely come back again.

This might be my 10th time coming back here. We started with a couple of drinks, then small bites, then dinner date, then Chinese New Year celebration… This place keeps leveling up. Every time there is something new. The menu is creative, thoughtful, and beautifully presented as always. Highly recommend the the pistachio cake with cranberry sauce. And the signature grilled bone marrow totally lived up to the hype (rich, indulgent, and perfect with bread). Crafted cocktails are super creative and delicious, and the service is genuinely attentive — our server walked us through every dish and checked in on our drinks. Pausa has officially become one of our go-to spots in downtown San Mateo. You really can’t go wrong here. Oh if anything, I’d highly recommend you make a reservation this place is ALWAYS packed.

Went after a few years here, this place used to be something different! Being a vegetarian Our previous experience had a chef visit us and give us custom recommendations on what they can do for us since most of the menu is not vegetarian friendly! This was not the case this time. We went there to celebrate our anniversary but feel let down. Drinks were great though. The pizza was better, but the rigatoni pasta was too sour

We had dinner at Pausa last night and the food was outstanding. Our server went above and beyond to make recommendations from the menu based on our preferences. He arranged a few menu items into “courses” for us, which turned our dinner into a culinary experience! We enjoyed a white pizza, a red sauce pizza, the 48-hour braised lamb, and the chestnut risotto. The cocktails and desserts were delicious as well. The warm ricotta doughnuts and Pausa cake (pictured) were the perfect way to end our amazing meal. Can’t wait to go back!

Came here for a big group dinner and overall really enjoyed the experience. Felt like the appetizers were excellent, and surprisingly the pasta and entrees were good not mind blowing. Ok value for money. Overall, solid for San Mateo but didn’t meet expectations