Best Fine Dining Restaurants in San Mateo

Delicious food and chill vibe. Ambiance and overall experience was great as always.

We are new to the area and we found this restaurant on OpenTable. It was my husband's birthday and I wanted a place that was quiet, great food & wine and service. The Iron Gate far exceeded our expectations and we will definitely be back. Our waiter, Stamos, was fantastic! His recommendations were spot on. We had escargot to start. It was delicious and perfectly cooked. We then had their signature salad which was prepared table side. I don't think I've ever had a better salad. For our main course, we had the Iron Gate version of lamb (there was also a New Zealand rack option) and the veal parmigiana. Both dishes were perfectly cooked and just phenomenal. For dessert, we had the grand mariner souffle and it was incredible. One of the best things about the restaurant was watching all of the flambe dishes. The servers were just so precise and you could tell they are passionate about giving each diner an experience.

Loved the food, service and ambiance. All the extra up charges for certain items was excessive!! We don’t mind paying $125 for a prefix dinner but so many if the choices had add on up charge.

The restaurant’s ambiance is that of a classy restaurant. The upstairs has a bar area that has a great view of the bay. The bar itself is very upscale and elegant. The downstairs dining room is elegant and inviting. Glass windows from floor to ceiling allow great natural light. The food was very good. The poke bowl was fresh and had a nice combination of tuna and fresh veggies on a bed of rice. Try their homemade hot sauce with it. The Caesar salad was fresh with anchovies included. The salmon was added to the Caesar and was cooked very well. Not dry, as it can be. Overall, a great spot for lunch. They’re open Tuedays and Thursdays for happy hour 3-7, however, not for dinner. Probably as it is in a business district.