Central Park Bistro

3.5 stars, but I’ll round up because I’ve had a couple of different experiences last year and this year.
Judging the food alone, I think this is one of the nicer finer-​dining experiences that can be found in San Mateo. The ambiance is fancy-​casual, eg, dimly lit and intimate, some people dressed up for business and others dressed a little more casually, with a couple of televisions by the bar area near the door. The food is delicious, the portions are just right, and the prices are very reasonable. They also have a great selection of appetizers, various protein options (chicken, steak, fish), pasta, and pizza, with a healthy selection of desserts as well.
The part that is less consistent about Central Park Bistro is the service. I first went to Central Park Bistro in 2014 and had many positive experiences. The service was always great — the wait staff was kind and playful, and very attentive. I came here for a variety of reasons from trips with girlfriends, to birthdays, and even a business dinner. On all occasions, service and food were spot on.
During my most recent trip however, the service was not the same. The wait staff was on and off — there was something that just felt off about their interaction. Certainly less warm than before so I am assuming they have turned over some of their staff over the last year.
Regardless, still a gem in downtown San Mateo with good food, reasonable prices, and never a wait!

After having Viognier during my previous trip to the area, we wanted to try some place new and Central Park Bistro had good reviews. The ambiance is great and there is an outdoor patio. We had food and wine. The food was subpar and the wine wasn’t aerated. The service was also poor — we really struggled to get the attention of the servers, even though our party kept ordering food and wine.

Came here for a work gathering with some executives and it was superb! Classy ambiance and really nice customer service!

Overpriced place with arrogant service. The server dropped a glass of water on my dad’s pants. The water ruined the cell phone and dress pants while we are celebrating mother’s day and my dad’s birthday. No applology at all. The manager was more arrogant than the server. A great place to ruin any celebration.

5 stars for the food, 3.5 /​4 for service. Came for lunch on a Thursday afternoon. It’s very pretty inside but it was a nice day so we sat outside. The servers could have been a little more attentive but they did bring me a hot wet napkin when I spilled some food on my pants. They were very friendly though. The food was amazing. Skirt steak was awesome and the dessert was incredible. Will definitely return.

This is a lovely lunch spot. We ordered the meatballs and the duck ragout. The service was fast, and the food was delicious. I highly recommend.

Everything was excellent: wine recommendations (try the Russian River Pinot), Caesar salad, petrale sole, bread pudding, even the espresso. Very good service. Reasonable prices. Entertaining company at the bar. Ask about the bar menu. I’ll be back!

My husband and i stumbled upon this place and have now become regulars. The food is outstanding. Perfect size portions, beautifully presented. The service is superb. The atmosphere is inviting… nice ambiance w no pretensions. Love every dish i’ve tried and i plan to do a full menu crawl. It’s that good. Try the spaghetti and meatballs. WOW

I have been mulling over writing a review for this establishment for a few months now. I wanted to make sure it was thoughtful and not emotion-​driven, after a truly horrible experience I had with their private event manager.
I would like to mention that I plan corporate meals very often for my job, usually at least one or two a month, from simple business lunches, to many full buyouts of multiple Michelin starred restaurants all over the Bay Area. Nearly all of the time it is very simple to coordinate with the restaurant, even when I have multiple complications like dozens of guests with varying dietary restrictions, bringing in outside AV vendors, making sure place cards are set, only serving a particular kind of wine in order to not offend certain clients, making sure certain words do not appear in a menu because of (very, very) particular clients, etc. I don’t want to sound pretentious, but I want to make clear that I deal with private event managers all the time with great success.
Never in my career have I been treated so rudely and difficultly by a restaurant «professional.» I had planned a simple dinner for 10 as a favor to a friend. I had a bad feeling off the bat when the private event manager insisted I provide a credit card number to him over the phone before he had even sent me the terms of the private dining event agreement. We were in a pinch with time, so I went ahead and made a booking with only a few days to spare.
I don’t want to go into the many, many ways in which he mishandled my event and treated me so poorly, but I will simply say that I have never, ever felt so strongly against a venue. When I tried to coordinate a simple menu request («Please have these two appetizers fired up and ready when our guests are seated.») he threw a fit, tried to change the terms of my contract, insisted on charging me four times the cost of a menu item, and screamed at me on the phone and called me names after I pointed out the multiple ways he was going against our initial agreement. All of this happened within an hour of our reservation.
In the end, I didn’t bring my group to the restaurant because I was so appalled at the way I was treated even prior to stepping foot inside the restaurant, that we risked forfeiting the deposit rather than eating here and giving them any of our business. I had to weigh the shame of looking very unprofessional to the group by insisting on changing our private dining plans at the last minute against a possible horrible dining experience and the mistreatment of not just myself, but the people for whom I was planning this dinner. I went with the former and felt awful about the last minute scramble with the group. Luckily, it all worked out well as Osteria Coppa was able to accommodate us at the last second (literally, I might add) and we had a lovely evening with them down the street.
I would confidently bring my family, friends, and corporate clients to a Pizza Hut rather than here, knowing that the group would definitely be treated with more respect.
If you are considering planning a private event here, do yourself and your guests a huge favor and find another restaurant.

My husband, myself and a friend had lunch here today and was the most delightful meal. From the Calamari to the Pizza to the Caesar Salad it was wonderful. Highly recommend.
Calamari breaded to perfection. The Pizza was wonderful and the Chicken Caesar salad is the best.

Fantastic Food! Had dinner tonight at Central Park Bistro tonight. The organic tomato soup was wonderful, The soup was made with no cream, but with chicken stock. The soup was very fresh. My friend ordered the baby back ribs. The meat fell off the bone and the flavor was outstanding. I had the salmon pizza. It was superb!
The bread pudding is hands down the best I have ever eaten. It is very moist and light. The flavors are superb.
I love this restaurant!!! Besides the superb food, the waiters are friendly and attentive. The silverware and china are simply, but contemporary. I look forward to my next dining experience at Central Park Bistro.

* DISCLAIMER: I felt bad for not dressing as nice as I should have but when I was waiting in line to use the restroom, I saw a woman who clearly just got off work from the hospital (she was wearing her scrubs) so it made me feel better about how I was dressed (no shade to hospital workers! I have a family full of healthcare professionals, so more power to you! Especially your benefits!)
WHY WE WENT HERE:
— holiday work dinner
THE LOOK (FROM THE OUTSIDE):
— when walking toward this place after parking in the parking garage, I actually missed it!
— from the outside it doesn’t look like anything special, so I feel one can easily underestimate that it really isn’t a casual place to dine
THE LOOK (FROM THE INSIDE):
— VERY white tablecloth type of place; most people dressed to the nines from what I saw; even the servers looked more professional than me!
— there are 2 enclosed rooms toward the back left where you can host your own private party separate from the normal hustle and bustle of the restaurant
— the room we were in had a circular table which made the room a little cozier nd we were surrounded by wine (don’t go thinking you can just snag a bottle or two because there are cameras in there) which was a cool experience
— my only criticism to the room we were in was that because we had one of our party seated nearby the door and would almost get hit each time the door was opened; if the door was hinged opposite to what it currently is I think it would make a world of difference
THE MENU (DINNER):
— starter
— salad
— pasta
— entrée
— wine & fountain
WHAT WE ORDERED + THE TASTE (I can’t specifically speak for everyone, but here’s what I remember):
— complimentary bread: warm, fresh out the oven, and perfect with butter
— steak tartare: this was my first experience tasting it and it was interesting to say the least; well seasoned but not my cup of tea (just because of the texture) but it was tasty though
— Mediterranean spiced meatballs: VERY good! I wish the serving wasn’t so small though
— butter lettuce: I chose this because I didn’t want to be basic by going for the organic mixed greens or Caesar; this was interesting and tangy, but not really my cup of tea either
— pomegranate glazed grilled two Australian lamb chops: if ever I find lamb on the menu I ALWAYS get it; this did NOT disappoint
— wine: we had two bottles of red (I believe one was chosen by my boss and the other suggested by the restaurant owner); unfortunately I forget what they were and the year, but both went very well with my meal
CUSTOMER SERVICE:
— superb
BATHROOMS:
— single person restrooms located at the back
— they’re very clean but waiting in line can be a bit awkward

Walked into this place randomly on New Years. A bit pricey so heads up if your looking to dine on a budget, however the taste and quality is worth it. For the big eaters, potions are small so another heads up when considering this restaurant. Overall great place to dine at, very intimate setting, the service is great and the food is to as well. Definitely will be going back.

Delicious and creative menu.
We got the crab cakes, oven roasted prawns, roasted lamb pizza –must try if you like pesto and lamb, and steak.
Everything was delicious. I really enjoyed the lamb pizza the most. I really like pizza, pesto, and lamb, so it was a great combination.
Definitely a fan of the food, but not the service. Our waiter was slow and I can see him constantly on his iPad in the back.

High quality place. Everything fresh. Great service. The owner greeted and came to our table a multiple times.

Food was alright here. I didn’t get any ringing endorsements from any of my dining companions, but most things were just fine, save for the T-​bone steak special, which I’ll get to below.
We had a 7:30 PM reservation and we were seated right away as there were only a couple of other tables occupied. Our orders were taken promptly and everyone who ordered meat requested a medium rare (this will be important later).
As noted above, most everyone was fine with their food, though nothing was extraordinary or special in any way. The thing that was especially unspecial was the, well, special T-​bone steak. I wish I could tell you I was exaggerating when I say this was BY FAR the thinnest steak I’ve ever seen, or expect to see, in my life. There is no way to really cook a steak this THIN and keep it mid-​rare in the middle and get color on the surface of the steak. They did take the T-​bone back and replaced it with the subsequently requested scallops dish.
Other than that snafu, everything else was fine. My burger was actually cooked to mid-​rare exceptionally well. Waters were kept filled.
The food here was okay but I’m not clamoring to come back.

If you crave great American/​Mediterranean food, this is the place. I come here on Saturdays because there is a lack of good, white table cloth style restaurants you can sit down and have a leisurely afternoon lunch without all the hustle and bustle of some of the crowded places in San Mateo. This time I brought my own bottle of wine.
The food is excellent and they hit all the bases. Great apps, salads, mains, even pizza and the service is outstanding. I highly recommend eating here, you won’t be disappointed.

Met two other friends for dinner last night. The gentleman who greeted us was nice and very welcoming.
–I have to say our waiter was cold and mechanical. No warmth whatsoever. He seemed annoyed when we were not ready to give him our order. He also reached across us to pick up things as opposed to walking to the other side and not reach across us. We couldn’t believe how bad he was.
–To be honest, the food was disappointing too. I had Petrole Sole with creamy leek sauce, on potatoes and spinach. It was bland and tasteless. The fish texture was mushy. One friend ordered the Duck Ragout Pasta and enjoyed it. My other friend ordered the Scallops with squid ink risotto which had a beautiful presentation, but he really didn’t like it that much.
I have to say we will never be back. They have been around a long time so they must be doing something right. Maybe we were on an off night?

finding street parking and entering… greeted at the entrance and taken to a table… first impressions great… friendly staff and checking on us throughout… great hot soft bread with soft herb butter delicious… taking a simple hamburger medium rare $ 16…toppings plentiful and cheese melting… burger cooked exact… heaping basket of perfect fries… medium-​rare new york with garlic fries and brocolinni $ 34…smothered flavorful steak cooked to exact medium-​rare as requested… garlic fries even better and garlicky… finger licking good… small side of brocolinni perfect and seasoned perfect… water filled promptly and frequently… excellent food, excellent staff and good atmosphere… perfect burger and perfect steak meal roughly $ 65 total after tax and tip…

Came by for dinner the other night after making a reservation via OpenTable. Table was ready upon arrival and the restaurant was ~40% full on a weeknight. The restaurant tries to be somewhat upscale but the interior is rather noisy.
Started off with the complimentary bread that was quite tasty, especially with the flavored butter.
Moved on to the MeatBalls which were okay.
The Crab Cakes were mediocre as they weren’t super duper fresh, they were presented over a bed of mangos?
The Skirt Steak dish came out slightly unseasoned. Requested medium rare and it came out so. The mashed potatoes and asparagus were good side dishes though.
Crème Brulee was okay.
Service by the waiter was attentive, although he may have come by a few too many times?!?
…I also think they forgot to add the latte to the bill…
~$ 76/​head after tax and tip for dinner.