Thanks for listening! Â big improvements to the wines by the glass! Â The food has always been good and it has maintained its high quaility, while ever changing and staying "fresh." Â Great job. Â this is a model for others in the area.
Great place, great staff, great wine, great food, great owners.
Perhaps the gastropub, Peninsula approach to Italian locandas, American tapas/American izakaya concepts are somehow lost on me, but I walked out somewhat understanding what 31st Union is trying to achieve within their limitations, while can't help feel that what they are doing doesn't quite work for me. Despite the facts, this place is easily a huge hit with the locals who probably aren't terribly into the rest of the culinary landscape that is littered with craptacular ramen, sushi, and mediocre Chinese offerings all around with a little fusion and confusion in between.
On certain days (they are closed on Mondays), you can attempt to waltz in here only to be SOL'd with a packed house, but I was able to score a seat as a walk-in on Tuesday.
The menu layout is fairly simple...appetizers, salumi, cheese, rotating specials of the day, salads, soup, entrees (adequately sized almost Italian style like primi piatti and secondi so you end up ordering multiple courses to fill up), and dessert.
High ceilings, wood walls, and once people start talking the decibel levels skyrocket, much like a typical dim sum restaurant.
Nothing really grabbed me from the menu, not even the pork belly tacos... but seeing cheese and salumi/charcuterie, it seemed like an easy way to ooze into the evening.
Charcuterie: 2 choices for $9, or 4 for $15.
Mortadella, Columbus, SF - pretty good and very tasty pistachio flavors
Nostrano, Fra Mani, Berkeley, indeed having a sweet accent to it
Artisanal Cheese, 3 choices for $15, or 5 for $22
Went with:
Estero Gold, Valley Ford Cheese (cow)
Truffle Tremor, Cypress Grove (sheep)
Carmody, Bellwether Farms (cow)
Cheese and salumi's were boarded separately, with flatbread on the side. The cheese board included a small portion of honey, raw walnuts, green apple slices. Quite decent portion wise....but flavor profiles were not quite my style.
The salumi board was nicely arranged, and included some olives, flatbread, mustard.
It was actually more fun to mix and match things up...or take a piece of cheese with either flatbread or the house supplied Acme, dip of honey with the sheep milk cheese, spread of mustard, a salumi, and eat it all together. The entire packaging was otherwise pleasant....but I think 31st Union could have done more with this...
perhaps sourcing different cheese, and salumi cuts. The no brainer here would be to upgrade to Cowgirl Creamery cheese, and salumi from Boccalone. Or to kick it up a notch, consider investing in additional work to make it more unique, and house curing it (like Osteria Coppa, even though I'm not a fan overall of the food there), versus outsourcing.
The half lemonade half iced tea (aka "Arnold Palmer") drink lacked the crucial black tea flavor, and thus the balance. Not something I would order again.
After those items, I picked the entrée of "meatballs" (the Tuesday dinner special) which came as three sliders with arugula, and a spicy sauce. When this arrived at the table, it lacked presentation and appeared a tad messy. Taste wise was ok, but I would have preferred it to be stewed or simmered/braised in marinara, or if not marinara, a more robust seasoning (salt and pepper would be just fine, with some herbs). At $11, whether this was lamb meatballs or not, just didn't quite hit the spot with me.
The target demographic for 31st Union seems quite apparent.... the young hip Asian American TPump ramen bobahead jive ass roll ice cream dessert eating crowd, probably won't come flocking here and perhaps stay within the confines of Attic for upscale fusion, but the families, Housewives of San Mateo County, and 30 to 40+ somethings, or those on a date who don't mind the occasional beer and wine, might enjoy it here a bit more.
Was able to grab a plate of tacos from their booth while @ San Mateo's Music in the Park.
I had never heard of the place until I saw their tent @ Central Park.... so while I was a little hesitant to order from them, I did so anyways. Â The big letters "Locally Sourced" pulled me in.... and I sure am glad.
Shared the tacos with my son and sis. Â We loved everything about it. Â I can honestly say I have never had a taco taste sooo dayum good.
Hopefully I can try their actual restaurant soon....
I really like this place; it's the kind of food that I aspire to make at home - if only I had more time and patience. Have been here a couple of times and ordered a bunch of different things - this is a good place to bring a few friends so that you get to try a little bit of everything. Everything is local and seasonal; dishes are nicely prepared and plated.
Favorites so far: fish and chips (their fries are great), hanger steak, quinoa salad, and ice cream sandwich. They have one dish on a weekly rotation so I have to remember to not come here on Saturday next time.
The place is unpretentious and welcoming. Small place with a seating at about 50. The menu consists of small plate comfort food. They are located on the corner of S. Ellsworth and Baldwin in San Mateo, across the street from Trag's Market and walking distance from San Mateo Caltrain.
It is cozy, great ambient, seating at the bar and a community table at the right as you entered the restaurant. We were not immediately greeted as the hostess was probably busy discussing their duties for the evening. Â Once we were seated after 10 minutes we had to flag down the busboy for a menu.
Our waitress proceeds to greet other tables next to us and they came after us. She finally came to our table and asked if we are ready to order. I looked at her puzzled as she didn't ask if we like to order our drinks. We had Pork Belly Taco, Pastrami Sliders and Fish & Chips. They were a little salty but tasty.
Overall experience was disappointing but, the owner who delivered our food was very personable and welcoming.
Yummy happy hour food. Â Sister and I stopped by after she picked me up from a 10pm flight into SFO and we were not disappointed. Â Great ambiance - low lighting, exposed bulbs and wood grain everywhere, not to mention friendly bar service. Â The cocktail I got was really interesting and flavorful - can't remember the name of it but I think it had gin, grapefruit, and some kind of herbal liqueur in it. Â As for food, the poutine was tasty and filling - the Canadians were on to something when they put gravy, steak, and fancy cheese in their fries. Â We also shared the fish and chips which were very good - batter wasn't too light or too heavy, and we were happy with the portion size. Â Filling, even though it looked small.
Review Source:I have to say, this place has a long way to go if they want to come close to the places in SF. Â Their prices don't match up with their food. Â The idea behind the restaurant is a great one, but they have yet to deliver the whole package. Â
Some places to improve on-
Some menu items lack flare and taste. Â Every menu item should be a hit.
Prices should reflect what you are selling, not what you eventually want to sell.
Drinks should be a little cheaper. Â Remember you are in San Mateo.
The bartenders should be a little more gracious. Â You may be a hipster, but you are not in SF. Â You are still in San Mateo and here you just come off rude.
Bottom line- This place is trying to be something it's really not. Â I hope the owner can get the place to it's true vision. Â Every time a place like this pops up in the Peninsula I cross my fingers. Â I always hope we will get a true, hip, farm-to-table eatery, that can mimic SF's creations. Â DAMN YOU SAN FRANCISCO, you have ruined me!
Will definitely try it again in a few months.
Early dinner on a Sunday, eight of us shared a bunch of items:
- Crispy pig ears with spicy aioli
- Short rib poutine with gravy & cheese curds
- Baby golden beets & frisée salad with fingerling potato, six-minute egg & almonds
- Quinoa & arugula salad with roasted carrots, fennel & lemon vinaigrette
- Roasted King salmon over gypsy peppers, toy box squash & avocado
- Pastrami sliders with caraway-scented onions
- Grilled Niman Ranch steak with a side of broccoli rabe
- Ricotta gnocchi mix with English peas, radish & pea shoots
- Homemade tagliatelle pasta with summer squash
- Pork belly tacos topped with radicchio slaw, drizzled with harissa sauce
- Lagunitas IPA beer battered fish & Chips, served with caper aioli
- Strawberry rhubarb shortcake
My favourites were the quinoa salad, beet salad & king salmon.
So excited the Peninsula finally has an establishment like 31st union; great beer selection, great wine selection, open kitchen, rustic decor & most importantly excellent innovative yet simple food made from fresh local ingredients. What I love most about this place, it's 10min from home and it feels like I'm dining in the city. I ordered their daily soup made with summer squash, special homemade pasta also summer squash and their pastrami sliders. Everything was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Downtown San Mateo does not have enough nice bars to go to for nice beer/wine selection with friends. So I'm thrilled that we have 31st union now. And I'm sad I missed out on their pot pies, waiters said it is discontinued. Tear :'(
Review Source:An innovative menu, beautifully prepared and plated. Not pretentious, but truly
the work of a thoughtful chef, with a kitchen that knows what they are doing.
Excellent, professional service by a welcoming staff. Moderate prices, too.
Definitely one of the Top 5 restaurants between San Francisco and Palo Alto.
Tom E.
What a great dinner! Â The ambiance was super, the food was fantastic and the service was great! Â All plates were small plates, and everything we had we loved. Â We had:
French fries with gravy and pastrami - WOW that was good
Beet salad
salad with blue cheese
Pastrami sliders
Pork Belly Tacos
Mac and Cheese
Skirt steak
Gnocchi
Everything was delicious and it was the perfect amount of food for 4 people. Â We particularly liked the fact that it was from farm to table. Â
I will definitely be back again in the near future!
I love this comfortable, casual, small-plate restaurant, and I love their commitment to quality, local, sustainable, seasonal food.
I've been to 31st Union several times since they opened, so have had a chance to see their menu evolve throughout the year, from spring lamb to winter potpies. Even the "standby" sliders and mini tacos change with the seasons. The flavors in the food are well-balanced and seasonings are used judiciously. I know judicious may seem like a negative word, but the quality of the ingredients really shines, and over-seasoning would be a crime. It's nice to bite into a carrot and taste a carrot at its prime, gently enhanced by complementary flavors, instead of tasting mostly the spices that are there to hide the fact that the carrot's best days are behind it.
The floor staff are welcoming, efficient and attentive, and water is on the table almost immediately upon sitting. Even on the night I walked in to get an order to go, they sat me down at the bar and brought me water while I waited.
An improvement: Â when they first opened, it was quite noisy. They have since added acoustic paneling, which has enormously improved the noise level. It's very much appreciated by this gal whose ability to distinguish conversation from background noise is diminishing.
Small quaint local fresh food eatery.
Menu changes based on availability of fresh items, good selection of wine, brews and cocktails.
A little spendy for small plates, but prepared nicely and delicious... Best fish and chips i've had in a while (superbly crunchy batter, moist succulent fish). Â Delicious cheese plate, tasty wings.
Great friendly service. Â Return trip definitely a must!
31st Union has a special every night of the week and Friday night is burger night. This was hands down one of the BEST burgers I've ever had. Yummy from the first bite to the last made from Niman Ranch beef. They also have a happy hour which are few and far between these days. Service, exceptional! Good times.
Review Source:Yum - its like Martin's West, but smaller and in San Mateo. Everything is a little smaller, the restaurant size, the dishes, the menu, the cocktail list. But everything is quality and delicious. So far I have tried:
Pork Tacos
Thursday Squid Special
Lamb Sliders
Soup of the Day
Quinoa Salad
Crispy Pig Ears
All were delicious.. I love those Crispy Pig Ears.... Some might thing this is a little too exotic, but Chinese people pretty much eat everything. Don't knock it until you try it.
Great addition to downtown San Mateo. Just wish it was bigger and had a larger bar area.
Came here for a office lunch.. loved the place. My impression - very San Francisco feel but minus the crowds.
Service was excellent. We shared the grilled cheese, asparagus, fries as appetizers.. never had grilled cheese as an appetizer.. was not a fan personally but others in my group did.. Â the fries and asparagus were delicious.
I had the quinoa salad - very flavorful.
Overall - small menu but delicious food.
Came here for a coworker's engagement party - it was a  perfect casual but upscale atmosphere for such an event.  We had a long table that we were able to reserve for about 12 of us. Â
We tried the pork belly tacos, lamb sliders, asparagus, and some chicken wings. Â Variety of food options available... Â The food was good, but would come here more for the atmosphere and wine.
I have to say, I was very disappointed in the service here. We pointed to the happy hour menu (during the HH time) and ordered 2 glasses of tap wine and fish & chips from it. We enjoyed our meal (the food is good) and when we got the bill, nothing was at HH price. When we asked about it, they said our wines weren't the "select" tap wine and the HH fish & chips only come with 1 piece of fish, not 3 like in our order. There are a few things wrong with this:
First, when we point to the HH menu, we expect HH prices. Don't serve us something that we didn't order.
Second, 1 piece of fish in the HH order? Are you kidding me?! Not worth $5. Plus, we don't work there, so how the heck would we know that our 3-piece fish & chips wasn't the stingy HH portion?
Third, explain to us what the "select" wine is, so we know whether or not we're ordering it, especially if we say we want HH.
Fourth, if we tell you at the end that we weren't properly educated about the HH menu and were essentially tricked (believe me, I used to be a waitress, I know when I'm being tricked), then take care of it. Instead we got a condescending tone and only a few bucks off our fish & chips order (still not at the HH price), all while we were trying to be shoved out when we still hadn't finished our overpriced wine!
I won't be coming back. There are plenty of other good restaurants out there with great food & excellent service at those same prices.
Went here for the first time on a Friday after work for drinks and appetizers...the liquor menu is really nice and had many brands that none of us had heard of...we were really pleased with the gin selection and the cocktail menu was creative without being showy. I especially loved the Yerba Buena lavender gimlet! Very delicate and clean. We also tried the gold rush and the Devil's slide martini.....both very good. Small bites were good too, nothing mind-blowing. My only complaints are that it would've nice to know where the local booze is from and that there could be more variety with the small bites. Oscar, our server, was great! We will go back...
Review Source:With a simple and quiet Valentine's Day in mind, the fiancé took me to 31st Union for dinner. We didn't want to have to travel into the city during the weekday so we opted for somewhere more convenient.
We arrived at the restaurant at 6:30pm, with no reservation, because the host told my fiancé we don't need one; however when we arrived, we did have to wait, an expected 45 minutes, so we sat at the bar and grabbed a cocktail. Within 20 minutes time, we were taken to our seat. We browsed through the menu, and I liked that it wasn't overwhelming. We enjoyed some complimentary bread, and set forth in ordering the following:
* House Cut Fries, Herbs, Sea Salt ($5) - Delicious. Must have.
* Charcuterie Board (2/$9) - Toscano, Fra Mani, Berkeley (full flavor) & Nostrano, Fra Mani, Berkeley (sweet & mild) : It came with pita chips and a sauce and it was great together. Love the flavoring of the meats
* Slow Roasted Lamb Sliders, Mint Parsley Pesto ($11) - Now I am not normally a fan of lamb and I don't know why I agreed to this order but I like sliders, and I'm so glad I tried it. The lamb was juicy and tender, with the perfect amount of season; not to mention it went perfectly with our fries! The order came with 3 sliders, a good 1 1/2 each for the fiancé and I but I wanted to put in another order! I didn't because we still had our next order coming up ..
* Grilled Niman Hanger Steak, Roasted Sunchokes, Maitake Mushrooms, Jus ($15) - Steak was cooked to a nice medium rare; meat was juicy and tender and my favorite vegetable pairing with steaks are mushrooms. Just perfect. We were drooling for more after we cleaned our plate. The portion is on the lighter side, but it was perfect for the amount of food we had already ordered.
This meal was one of the most satisfying and filling I've had. I've passed by this restaurant plenty of times and never thought twice about looking into it but I'm so glad we discovered it. I also like that you can decide to dress up and have a nice romantic meal or keep it casual with friends and simply enjoy great cheese, meats, and produce. It's like my own hidden treasure :)
31st Union, I can't wait to come back, look for me!
A decent execution of the gastropub concept down to the details: chalkboard wall, simple wood backed menus, artisan water bottles, organic and local flair "just so you can be sure"... etc. Â If it's a new concept to you, it could be delightful.
Ever since seeing what the French are doing, and the exhausted creative chefs who are bucking the need to play within Michelin rules and tablecloths, I've been really excited for and welcomed the gastro pub concept. Â I am not sure if it is the small plates aren't executed with enough creativity or flavor to stand up to the small portion, or it just feels like they sampled all the Bay Area gastropubs and copied the concept, but something is slightly uninspired here. They are all kind servers, interested management (bravo engaging online)... but it was "just fine". Â Lamb sliders were okay, fries were okay, overdressed salad ehhh, fish and chips okay. Â It was okay.
I am sure this will improve, though. San Mateo is becoming a fairly robust dining scene, and this is a new option amid a sea of restaurants -it's good to stand out, and the community will welcome it. Â It might be played out in the city, but it might be the first well executed gastropub in the peninsula / south bay? Â Not sure....
It will simply end up being the dedication and ingenuity of the chef to explore within the confines of this simple product delivery concept. Â As long as they're passionate for creativity and exploration (the genesis of the gastropub movement), they'll be all right.
Have my son on Spring break and I had to bring him to my favorite place! I had the toasted cheese and bacon sandwich along with a cup of Creamed asparagus and mint soup (unbelievably fresh, light, and tasty!), and he had the Meat Sandwich (braised beef) and some fresh cut fries...and we shared the icecream sandwich (secret stash normally for dinner dessert)...He absolutely LOVED it, just as his mom. He said the sandwich was crunchy but tender and full of flavor.
Again, GREAT service and funny because my server rounded up my change to the nearest dollar! So, I got back a dollar instead of .50.....! Â
Thanks again for another AWESOME lunch and look forward to seeing my friends at 31st Union next week~
You know what I hate more than a "hip" restaurant with mediocre food and disappointing drinks? Unscrupulous waiters! I matched up my receipt against my credit card statement, they added an additional $4 to their tip to a total of 26%! They probably thought people don't check these kinds of things.
Can you really trust this restaurant's food and do you really want to give them business when their staff is this unprofessional and conniving? Think twice before you choose to give them business again.
I have been dying to try this place and it did not disappoint. Â (Well actually just slightly, there were amazing pictures of pocket pies and duck tacos on yelp, neither which was on the menu.)
We had the grilled cheese with tomato jam, 5 stars for the grilled cheese, it was amazing! Â I am neutral on the tomato jam. Â We also had their special for the night hamburger and fries. Â It's rare that I take a bite and think OMG, it was one good burger! Â Had an amazing flavor and I liked the freshly cut fries. Â
Service was good, prices are reasonable, parking is tough in downtown, but it is worth the walk.
My boyfriend and I popped in for after dinner drinks.
They have an excellent wine selection for all of my fellow wine snobs out there. Don't worry though, there are delicious beers on tap and their speciality cocktails are AMAZEBALLS.
We failed to try the food, but look forward to dinner there in the future. Side note: servers and bartenders were friendly and knowledgable. Need you ask for more??
I love that all the food comes from California. The atmosphere is warm and comfy. I think the barstools are a bit uncomfortable--hard and no place to put your feet.
Service has always been good--
I love the drink list is larger than the menu! Â The chicken pot pie is great, rutabaga nice!
My friend and I saw great Yelp reviews for this place, so we decided to check it out. We came just as it opened at 5pm, so we were seated immediately with only one other table occupied. 5-6:30pm on Tuesday-Friday is Happy Hour, yay!
The Yerba Buena Lavender Gimlet -- whoaaaaa, strong drink...I felt like I was drinking straight up vodka! It's not a bad thing since you're getting a good amount of alcohol, but I'm not a big drinker...I'm the girl that drinks the fruity cocktails, haha. I asked the waitress for some juice and she offered to take it back to adjust it; that didn't really do much. Oh well, I just didn't finish it all.
+Happy Hour menu: fish and chips -- it only came with one piece of fish, but it was delicious! Tender fish that wasn't greasy or over-battered. I loved the chips (aka fries...Brits call them chips; the table next to us had to clarify with the waitress, lol!).
+Albacore Tuna Tartare -- yummy...for $8 it was pretty small, but it was a delightful appetizer.
+Mary's Chicken Pot Pie -- wow, this was the shocker. It was delicious! I haven't been a huge fan of pot pies, but this one took me by surprise. The veggies on the side were delicious as well.
+/- Grilled Niman Hangar Steak -- our steak was overcooked! Gahhhh, it was supposed to be medium and it was almost well done. The creamed chard and fingerling potatoes were good though.
I'd love to come back again. The interior it really interesting...wood with a large map of California on the wall. I like their concept -- everything is locally sourced!
I wanted to give 31st Union another star, maybe even another half star. Â The basic concept of the restaurant is something that San Mateo sorely lacks. Â A new American restaurant that does classic favorites well. Â We came early in time to catch the last bit of happy hour. Â We ordered the happy hour fish & chips, grilled cheese with tomato jam, and a charcuterie plate of a couple salamis. Â
All the dishes were solid. Â The beer battered fish had a very light batter, but was literally a tiny piece of fish. Â The fries were delicious and a tasted like a large cut version of in-n-out fries. Â The grilled cheese came with a tomato jam that had a slight kick to it. Â The drink selection is quite extensive. Â I had a manhattan which was good but wished they had brandied cherries instead (pet peeve).
To get full, we ordered a side of roasted brussels sprouts, a beet salad, and a burger to share. Â The beet salad was probably the highlight accompanied by a tasty horseradish creme fraiche. Â The brussels sprouts could've used more roasting or straight frying to match the great brussels sprouts dishes you get all over the city these days. Â It was also the smallest plate of food ever. Â I think they could do well with charging another couple bucks and making the plate less sad. Â The burger was fine but nothing special that I would make a trip for. Â
All in all, we had a couple drinks, a couple small plates and happy hour items, and the bill came out to $100 with tip. Â It really didn't seem we ate or drank all that much, so the final total was a bit surprising. Â We really wanted to like 31st Union a bit more so that it could be a regular comfort food type spot for us in San Mateo, but I think the portions and value and small plates format might need to be tweaked a bit for us to be frequent customers.
31st Union seems to be reaching for too many concepts, and not really nailing the execution of any of them, yet.
Is it a more rustic and casual take on CA cuisine than other similar San Mateo restaurants? Maybe, but then why do people need to drop $40 per person, at happy hour, for a comparable dinner? That doesn't feel casual to me. Perhaps this is due to the admirable local sourcing?
Is it an artisan eatery, where small plates are presented so that your taste buds can enjoy a few interesting, powerful, inventive and/or refined bites, and not waste time  masticating large portions? That's a great approach, if most of the dishes deliver a great experience, and you are ready to open up your wallet a bit more. So let's see:
salad: overdressed. greens were in unusually large pieces, and awkward to eat. cheese flavor could not compete with the dressing, and was hardly noticeable. Nothing inventive or memorable here
hangar steak: I hoped for a focus on flavor and execution, since the plate sounded pretty ho hum otherwise. The chard did have great flavor, but the steak and potatoes were ho hum in terms of flavor and texture. No doubt I sound like a huge complainer here... but I feel  like I dropped enough cash on dinner to be allowed to compare with experiences elsewhere.
gnocchi: The first bite was amazing. This is exactly what I'm looking for in a small plate. I had gnocchi that had a nice crisp brown to one side, and a great kick of sharp cheese. The second bite was what you would expect from gnocchi, soft texture, and not a ton of flavor. One bite was enough.
bread pudding: crunchy, caramelized, not dominated by any one flavor... paired with vanilla ice cream and coffee, this was a great way to finish dinner, except that I felt like I had only had appetizers...
Why did I expect it to be casual? Walking up to the place, the decor outside and in has a sort of  casual, thrown together look. The wall next to the door, and the wall behind the counter are both cluttered with knick knacks . Then there are the arrows stuck in the CA map facing the door (pointing out sources of ingredients), and yard sticks nailed to the wall in the corner. However, there is also a sterile, empty feel to the restaurant that deflates any attempts at a rustic feel. The overhead lights are numerous and intense.  The wall with the CA map is mostly barren. The dominant colors inside are brown and gray.
The servers were helpful and attentive. They seem to be trying hard, and may be adjusting to the fairly new environment.
If you read all this, wow! I hope it was helpful, or at least a distraction. Anyways, I love that we have so many wonderful restaurants in San Mateo that we can be so picky. I hope that 31st Union clarifies what they'd like people to expect, and delivers it.
Reading about all the great reviews about this place, I was excited to go to this place for dinner.
Did they live up to the HYPE??? NOT ALL........
Food ordered for three, lets start with appetizers:
Pork belly sliders- dry, tasted more like a piece of fried pork instead of a thick slice of bacon melting in your mouth.
Brussel sprouts- 5 half pieces in a small plate.. REALLY????? Are you kidding me with the portions???? I just went recently to WAYFARE TAVERN and I ordered a side of Brussel Sprouts and it was a large potion, enough to serve 4 people for $8 dollars.
Beet salad- Never arrived. Â They first gave us a different salad and we told them this is not we ordered . After which our server, Jaime, did not bother to check if we got our salad or not. Â Poor communication between servers here since they did not even tell Jaime that she served us the wrong salad.
For dinner to share among three people:
Niman Ranch steak- probably the best dish for the night. I have had better ones, but this might be the MOST DECENT dish for the night, I must say.
Gnocchi- DO NOT BOTHER TO ORDER. Tasted like right out of a can. Oh wait , Chef Boyardee might be better.
Oxtail Tacos- ahhh, nothing special. Honestly the taco places around the area, taste way better than this.
And lastly dessert:
Bread pudding with ice cream- NEVER CAME!!!
Oh wait- one more thing to note, our BREAD never came too.The tables around us got bread and butter, well how about us???
To Jaime: Thank for paying attention to us and our orders. :(
That was three orders that never came... Really????
TIP: Portions are small, pricey, slow service and sucky at it... DON'T BOTHER COMING HERE. Wasted our time, money , saliva and taste buds.
Food was okay here. My friends came down from the city and I thought 31st Union would be a treat.
Brussel Sprouts = there must have been 4 total on the plate. But chopped up, there were 9 or 10 slices. Tiny plate of food by any standard.
Oxtail Tacos = for a full meaty taco, you should just go down the street to any of the 10 tacorias. If blindfolded, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference. This one just looks more dainty and sweeter.
Pork Belly Slider = tastes like tiny slices of pork chop to me. No fatty pork belly goodness at all. I would call these pork chop sliders.
Hanger Steak = I think this was the best dish of the night. Cooked perfectly medium rare just like we ordered.
Gnocchi = Could really skip this one. Reminds me of the type of toasted ravioli one would get at Olive Garden.
If for the food alone, 3 stars. But our service lost any other stars left.
1) Â We ordered the roasted beet salad. Instead, they brought another salad on their menu. When we told them we didn't order that, they took it away and forgot about the beet salad. Towards the end of the meal, I mentioned it to our server, who seemed unaware and apologized. Nice guy... no problem.
2) Towards the end of our meal, we noticed every table got bread and butter, but for some reason it was never offered to our table. Mentioned it to our server, he apologized with a smile. Strike 2.
3) He suggested the Bread Pudding for dessert and we order it... waited... and waited... and waited. I saw other orders of Bread Pudding all go by. After a considerable amount of time I walked up to him and asked for the check. He actually remembered to ask if we got our Bread Pudding. No I said, and we're fed up anyhow. He once again apologized and said there was some problem with their printer. I certainly didn't see this problem with any other tables around us. Strike 3!
The whole experience was disappointing and extremely frustrating. If I went to work and didn't do my job, but apologized all day, I wouldn't have a job to go back to. The slow service was a waste of my time and a waste of money.
It's nice to have something like this in San Mateo, but I agree that the portions are a bit skimpy for the prices on most things. Â But, beer and wine (on tap!) aren't a bad deal. Â This place's strength is the menu, which is is fun and inventive.
We ordered pretty much everything. Â My favorite was the oxtail tacos. Â Oxtail is very meaty and packs a big punch, and it was complemented by the sweet, tangy celery root. Â My next favorite was the Lagunitas IPA fish & chips. Â Perfection, and kudos to them for using craft beer--and a good one at that--for the beer batter. Â The housemade Gnocchi was good, too.
This place has a lot of good bites, but it isn't a great place to go if you're terribly hungry.
Note the portions here are very small.
Housemade Bellwether Ricotta Gnocchi, Maitake Mushrooms, Butternut Squash ($11) - 6 gnocchi, 2 maitake, and 2 belgian endives on top of butternut squash puree. Some pea shoots on the side. they sear the gnocchi a bit which is a nice touch, but the ricotta they use is no good. I think it's from cow as opposed to from sheep. It's not creamy, but moist and bland. Can't taste any sweetness. I guess the sweetness from the butternut squash puree is supposed to make up for not using quality ricotta, except it didn't. Wouldn't order this again. It's a disgrace to what ricotta gnocchi should taste like.
UPDATE: restaurant told me they use Cow Girl Creamery Ricotta, which is sheep ricotta. I guess the ricotta was just cooked strangely.
Ox Tail Tacos,Celery Root Slaw,Pickled Red Onion ($11) - 3 mini soft-shell tacos. Each taco will take you maximum 3 bites to eat. ~half a tbsp of oxtail on each one, topped with some cilantro, sliced celery root, and sliced pickled red onions. Don't think I've ever had ox tail, but it tastes just like beef part you'd use for stews, except much finer.
The ox tail was not bad. I think they put too much celery root/pickled onion on the tacos. I could barely taste the oxtail... I liked this dish more than the gnocchi, but there was still nothing special. If you've never had celery root before, it tastes like celery but texture is more like a radish.
Mediocre place. Might visit again during happy hour and update.
As a recent transplant to San Mateo, I am delighted to discover this little beauty is just a hop, a skip, and a jump from my front door. Wine on tap? Don't mind if I do. It's more sustainable that way? Why, I'll have another, thank you.
Mostly small plates and 'snacks' comprise the menu; I sampled Brussels sprouts in a tangy vinaigrette with bacon (BACON!), spicy something or rather wings, and the daily special: MEATBALLS. Stick a fork in me, I'm done. I love it. Oooo, oooo, ooo, and the lady next to me had an ice cream sandwich with pumpkin ice cream and a gingerbread cookie. Swoon.
The space is small and has the industrial/rustic thing going on. It is quite loud, but how can one NOT be jovial eating meatballs and mini pot pie!? With a hook to hang your purse on?
I say 31st Union is worth a jaunt even if it's not in your backyard (NIYBY?). I, personally, will be hopping, skipping, and jumping my way back very soon.
I am so happy to have been able to try 31st Union finally with awesome CM Abby S.! I have been told of this place for a long time now but have never had a chance to come visit until recently when Abby invited me to check out all the new cool hip things of the Peninsula.
We came here for dinner on a Sunday evening and the place packed up quickly after around 5/6 pm. We got a number of small dishes, and these were "American" tapas! I guess the concept is strange to me since tapas clearly refers to a specific kind of food and when you think tapas, rich Spanish cultures come to mind ... regardless this place was delicious.
I don't recall every plate now since it's been a while, but I do remember that they're very committed to local sourcing. All of their ingredients on their menu come to them from somewhere in California and they can probably tell you exactly where. There's a nice map of CA there essentially with all these arrows pointing at places where they source their ingredients from. I even got a nice schooling lesson from Abby that CA was the 31st state to join the union, hence 31st Union!
This is a really cute spot to grab a glass of wine and relax with a girlfriend, or an intimate dinner for a first date. Highly recommended!
I have now been here a number of times and eaten just about everything on the menu.
I love coming here for a number of reasons -- the friendly vibe being at the top of the list. A place doesn't become your "regular place" without the social aspect being a major point of appeal -- and I find that here. Very comfortable and cool-but-casual.
I love the food (duh). My current go-to's are the Golden State Spicy Wings and the charcuterie plate. I also tried out the ricotta gnocchi and I -- a non-gnocchi fan -- really enjoyed it!
Super beers and wines on the list, PLUS some really good cocktails (even a couple "skinny" ones!)
I love how responsive they are to customer requests. Case in point, 1: They now have a root beer float on the menu! Case in point, 2: they made the wings spicier.
I love that they use Romolo's ice cream in the ice-cream sandwich.
Sadly, they no longer open at 4 on weekdays. Oh well, good things come to those who wait. A whole hour.
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