
Paul Martin's America
101 Hillsdale Shopping Ctr, San Mateo, CA 94403
About Paul Martin's America - steak house in San Mateo, California
Stylish, eco-minded local chain serving seasonal American fare, craft beers & artisanal cocktails.
Customer Review Summary
Reviews of Paul Martin's America reflect mixed experiences. One reviewer found the food disappointing, with undercooked fries, sad calamari, and flavorless seafood pasta, ultimately rating the restaurant a C-. Contrastingly, another customer enjoyed the inviting atmosphere, friendly service, and overall wonderful food and drinks. Some patrons appreciated the decent food and pricing, noting a casual upscale vibe but highlighted inconsistencies in ingredient quality. A visit during a busy Friday evening yielded positive impressions, with delicious food, friendly service, and reasonable costs for a date night. The spacious setting and happy hour menu received praise, especially for items like Buffalo cauliflower bites, but a few dishes were considered bland. Another review expressed dissatisfaction with overcooked and poorly prepared dishes, despite complimenting the service. A Thanksgiving dinner experience was notably positive, featuring timely service and good food at a reasonable price, prompting the customer to express intentions to return.
Key Features
Service options
- Outdoor seating
- Curbside pickup
- No-contact delivery
- Delivery
- Takeout
- Dine-in
Highlights
- Fast service
- Great beer selection
- Great cocktails
- Great dessert
- Great wine list
Popular for
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Solo dining
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible entrance
- Wheelchair accessible parking lot
- Wheelchair accessible restroom
- Wheelchair accessible seating
Offerings
- Alcohol
- Beer
- Cocktails
- Coffee
- Comfort food
- Happy hour drinks
- Happy hour food
- Hard liquor
- Small plates
- Vegetarian options
- Wine
Dining options
- Brunch
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Dessert
- Seating
Amenities
- Bar onsite
- Restroom
- Wi-Fi
Atmosphere
- Casual
- Cozy
- Trendy
- Upscale
Crowd
- Family-friendly
- Groups
- Tourists
Planning
- Dinner reservations recommended
- Accepts reservations
Payments
- Credit cards
- Debit cards
- NFC mobile payments
Children
- Good for kids
- High chairs
- Kids' menu
Parking
- Free parking garage
- Free parking lot
- Free street parking
Customer Reviews
Rating Distribution
Marcela Ma
3 stars because I expected more out of this place. Atmosphere is chill, service was outstanding now the food 🤦♀️ fries-basic but no it definitely needed a little more time in the fryer, calamari I wanted to cry- not airy light batter this was sad!!! The seafood pasta…. I didn’t see sauce, lack in flavor a very disappointed dish, biscuit save yourself the trouble go to red lobster instead, chicken tenders-that thing was so thin I didn’t even know what to call it-not a tender, the burger I didn’t try but I was told it was good 👍 so that saved the day. Dessert.. chocolate cake Was not tasty I mean they could’ve at least added some fresh whip to that thing. All in all I would give this place a C- and that’s being generous and I will not come back.. this is not my first experience there. If you want some more than just mediocre food go somewhere else!
Jessie Bushong
We found this place randomly and were happy we tried it. It had an inviting outside patio visible from the street. When we went in, we found the place casual but classy and well-appointed. Service was friendly and attentive. Food and drinks were wonderful!
Wook Chung
Decent food for a decent price. Obviously they strive to be the casual upscale positioning and many of their dishes have the flair of an upscale restaurant. The cracks in the armor show in areas like the quality of the lettuce or the grade of the steak. Yes, the food is put together with care and the best it could be. But with limited freshness and quality of the ingredients, there is a limit. But again, it's all about the overall package. You have good, lively atmosphere with good brews, cocktails. And overall your party will have a good time.
James Patterson
Fantastic time! We arrived at 6pm on a Friday and the place was empty (see pics). When we walked by around 8-8:30, it was packed. Food was delicious (little cold, but we were outside), solid portions, service was super awesome and friendly (every single person), and it was very reasonably priced for this area. 2 dinners, 2 soft drinks, an appetizer, and a dessert came out to $75 before tip. Definitely recommend if looking for a fun and affordable date night.
Zeke Lyles
On the corner of the mall. Very spacious area with indoor and outdoor seating. Happy hour is now until 7pm. One of the best happy hour menus we have come across. Tried several items my favorite being the Buffalo cauliflower bites and the Deviled Eggs. The sammon sandwich was nice in size and fulfilling. The meatball was dry and bland. Ordered the Rasberry martini and the Old fashion and of course a few Side Cars. The house happy hour drinks are artful and hit the spot. We will return. It does start to fill up fast around 6pm. I say check it out.
Diana Guerrero
I love sitting at the bar here. It’s a great spot with friendly staff. The menu could use a little work. They change it up periodically which I understand some restaurants do to keep things interesting but many times now, they’ve removed things that were great and replaced them with kind of bland dishes.
Susie Villanueva
FOOD WAS SO TRASH & OVERPRICED. Couldn’t get the right meat Temp, it was well done the first time and tough. Second time it was Medium Rare bloody af instead of Medium. Spinach artichoke dip was a literal soup texture, Mac and Cheese has no flavor. Asparagus are cooked with Tomatoes and they’re sweet, weird combination if you ask me. Calamari were just soaked in oil, not crispy at all, Same with the sweet potato fries just soggy and oily. $200 and ate nothing cause it was too disgusting. Only good thing was the Server, left the place and went to In N Out instead.
John Ou
went here for thanksgiving dinner. seated immediately. the menu was smaller but ticked all the boxes for anyone wanting either a traditional thanksgiving turkey dinner or their more popular offerings. we opted for ribeye and chicken parmesan as our entrees and house salad and butternut squash soup as appetizers/starters. excellent service, prompt. the food was great. reasonably priced--we got out of there at around $167 before tip. would definitely return.
Location
Contact Information
Hours of Operation
Price Range
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