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Pausa Bar & Cookery, San Mateo, CA
Pausa Bar & Cookery, San Mateo, CA
Pausa Bar & Cookery, San Mateo, CA
Pausa Bar & Cookery, San Mateo, CA
Pausa Bar & Cookery, San Mateo, CA
Award-winning

Pausa Bar & Cookery

4.7
4.7
1908 Reviews
$31 to $50
Italian
223 E 4th Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401

Make a booking

2 people
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
7:00 pm
Booked 62 times today

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Lively
  • Hot spot
Pausa, a bar and cookery in San Mateo, calls for guests to take a recess from life and enjoy a dining experience that transports them to a place of leisure. With a strong focus on modern Italian, our menu will consist of house-made pasta, wood-fired pizza, wood-fired grill, and house-cured meats. Our friendly and knowledgeable team will ensure your pause is a memorable one.

We are now taking reservations for our patio tables, bar, and indoor tables. As we practice social distancing with our new limited floor plan, we ask that you and your guests limit your dining to 2 hours to accommodate all reservations.

When checking table availability, if outdoor seating is not an option to select, then your reservation will be for an indoor table as the outdoor may be booked.

Thank you for understanding.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Farm-to-table, Contemporary Italian
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Mon–Thu 4:30 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–9:30 pm Sun 4:00 pm–8:30 pm
  • Phone number
    (650) 375-0818
  • Website
    http://www.pausasanmateo.com/
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Executive Chef
    Andrea Giuliani
  • Private party facilities
    Bolle Room: Outfitted with elegant drapes and a skylight, the Bolle Room is a great destination for memorable events Chef's Table: Enjoy our Chef's Table with a front-row view of our open kitchen and dough room. Set in the heart of our restaurant, your dinner will be unlike any in recent memory.
  • Location
    223 E 4th Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401
  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2023
    2. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2022
  • Area
    San Mateo
  • Parking details
    Public Parking
  • Entertainment
    Enjoy Pausa's full menu in our bar or dining room until midnight on Thursdays through Saturdays. Book a private dinner or cocktail reception in our 'Bolle Room' for late night parties.
  • Additional
    Banquet, Chef's Table, Corkage Fee, Delivery, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeaway, Wheelchair Access

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Menu

Pausa Bar & Cookery's menu was last updated 2022-02-02.

View menu on restaurant's website

What 1,908 people are saying

Pausa Bar & Cookery reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.3Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

  • Peninsula

    Hot spot

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Pausa Bar & Cookery in San Mateo delights with its "amazing food" and "fantastic service." Known for its "delicious charcuterie" and "incredible pizzas," it offers a vibrant atmosphere perfect for special occasions. Guests appreciate the "attentive staff" and "unique Italian dishes," making it a "favorite neighborhood spot."
1,908 Reviews

  1. Karen

    San Francisco3 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    We thoroughly enjoyed our first visit to Pausa with friends who arrived from the East Coast. Our table was mid restaurant and thus perhaps noisier than an outside seating, but we fearer getting cold and we planned to linger. We all had different pastas. My risotto was just super with the crispy artichoke bits a wonderful addition. Comments from all similarly happy and plates all cleaned. Our shared romaine salad had a surprise of a small stone fragment. Fortunately my husband got the piece and did not break a tooth on it. It looked like a pottery fragment but was not from the pottery holding the dish. I was surprised that no compensation for this faux pas and no chef out to apologize transpired though our waiter was directly informed. This definitely was below Michelin expectations. We pointed this out to the waiter who was appropriately apologetic. He (David) was an excellent, attentive and well informed waiter! The tiramisu was very tasty and definitely different than usual. We found the sponge slightly drier which was their goal with the crunchy hazelnut layer. The conversation was flowing steadily and I would be happy to return in future.

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  2. Kirk VIP

    San Francisco4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food. David was very helpful with his information and suggestions. Ambiance always a plus!

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  3. Lori VIP

    San Francisco2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Really enjoyed the charcuterie trays. All their food is made inhouse. The salamis, pasta, pizza dough, etc. Excellent food and service.

    Is this helpful?

  4. Stephen VIP

    San Francisco74 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food is all made in house. The deli meats and cheeses are delicious. The waitress was informative and efficient. The wait staff was very attentive to remove the used dishes and cutlery,

    Is this helpful?

  5. Megan VIP

    San Francisco5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Fun birthday celebration! Delicious food and great vibe!

    Is this helpful?

  6. Jennifer

    San Francisco2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Pausa has the best pizzas, but also really wonderful charcuterie and entrees. Oh it’s all good! Pausa is one of my favorite restaurants in San Mateo!

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  7. Arlene

    San Francisco4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 7 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    From the hostess to the waiter to the rest of the staff, we had a wonderful experience. The food was awesome. They were very attentive and I will definitely go back. I recommend Plaza a bar and cookery to everyone and of course my favorite was the mortadella that they make there

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  8. William

    Chicago1 review

    4.0

    Dined on 4 April 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Wait staff were excellent! We shared a 2 salumi/ 2 cheese board and it was excellent. The cured prosciutto was great! One of us had a mint, lamb rage pasta and again it was unique and tasty and we would order it again. We also had a pizza and it was okay. The dough had a very good texture and flavor, but it was soggy in the middle. Had the Italian doughnuts for dessert and loved them.

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  9. Jeff VIP

    San Francisco19 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 3 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Great place. Waitstaff was awesome. We were outside and it was very cold need more heaters. Food was really nice. Would recommend.

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  10. Kelley

    New York City4 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on 2 April 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    We were disappointed with our overall experience.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Pausa Bar & Cookery offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (650) 375-0818.

Pausa Bar & Cookery is rated 4.7 stars by 1908 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. San Francisco Bay Area
  4. Peninsula
  5. San Mateo

Make a booking

Booked 62 times today
Google Map for Pausa Bar & Cookery

223 E 4th Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401

Additional information

  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2023
    2. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2022
  • Area
    San Mateo
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Mon–Thu 4:30 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–9:30 pm Sun 4:00 pm–8:30 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Farm-to-table, Contemporary Italian
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Public Parking
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Andrea Giuliani
  • Entertainment
    Enjoy Pausa's full menu in our bar or dining room until midnight on Thursdays through Saturdays. Book a private dinner or cocktail reception in our 'Bolle Room' for late night parties.
  • Additional
    Banquet, Chef's Table, Corkage Fee, Delivery, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeaway, Wheelchair Access
  • Website
    http://www.pausasanmateo.com/
  • Phone number
    (650) 375-0818
  • Private party facilities
    Bolle Room: Outfitted with elegant drapes and a skylight, the Bolle Room is a great destination for memorable events Chef's Table: Enjoy our Chef's Table with a front-row view of our open kitchen and dough room. Set in the heart of our restaurant, your dinner will be unlike any in recent memory.

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