fostercityFUN

Best Food & Coffee

Here are some of the better places around Foster City to grab a bite to eat. The restaurants are on top … coffee and bars are at the bottom. For more details click the links below or our Restaurants Map.

  • The Corner Bakery, Metro Center
    Excellent sandwiches and breakfasts.
  • Fast Food Chain Stores, Foster City Blvd / Metro City Blvd, Foster City CA
    This is a fast food area, just off Hwy 92, where the major chains are located including Taco Bell, McDonalds, IHOP, Pizza Hut and Carls Jr.  The Sandwich Monkey and Penelope’s Coffee & Tea are on Triton Drive behind the fast food restaurants.
  • The Sandwich Monkey
    A good, clean, fast sandwich shop back behind the fast food chain stores on Triton Drive. They also serve fresh salads. Open 7 days/week.
  • Ike’s Lair
    We like Ike’s sandwiches. Open weekdays only, Mon-Fri 10 am-4 pm, in an office building.
  • Speciality’s Cafe & Bakery, north corner of Shell Blvd/E Hillsdale Blvd.
    Haven’t been here but like their other locations. Weekdays only, Mon-Fri 7 am-5 pm
  • Snack Food Chain Stores, Shell / Metro City Blvd
  • Several snack food chain stores are located here, just across from Costco. E.g., Starbucks, Jamba Juice and Noahs Bagels.
  • Five Guys Burgers, Metro Center
    Popular chain store coming soon.
  • Whole Foods Market
    Expensive but they have excellent hot take-out foods.  There are  tables, outside & inside,  in front of the store.
  • Chalet Ticino – Charter Square Shopping Center.  A nice little Swiss-Italian restaurant for lunch or dinner.
  • Tokies Sushi Restaurant
    – Charter Square Shopping Center.  A well regarded sushi restaurant.  Has been around for decades.
  • Waterfront Pizza 969 D Edgewater Blvd, Foster City, CA
    Good pizza and middle-eastern (but not Greek) food. Has a very pleasant waterfront deck but it is all too often packed with hookah smokers. Wait for the front deck is 1-2 hours on a busy Sunday afternoon.
  • Hot Wok Cafe  2960 S. Norfolk St, San Mateo
    Very popular for Chinese take out food, especially at lunch.
  • Tai Wu Mr Fongs Restaurant
    Perhaps the most popular Chinese restaurant in town.
  • ABC Seafood Restaurant 973 E Hillsdale Blvd, Foster City CA
    A popular seafood & dim sum restaurant though not our favorite.
  • Rickshaw Corner Restaurant and Cooking Papa Restaurant, Edgewater Place
    Two Chinese restaurants locals like … Rickshaw for value priced takeout and Cooking Papa for sit down dining on the lagoon.
  • The Habit Burger
    A good basic burger. Looks like the trendy places without the trendy prices or crowds.
  • BJs Brewhouse
    For about $10 you can get an excellent burger with all the trimmings. Where it gets expensive, of course, is all the fancy drinks. This restaurant is also one of the better sports bars near Foster City (note: there are not many).
  • Red Robin
    Red Robin, next door to BJs, has a similar burger menu but is not as popular or entertaining. Friends recommend the Cobb salad and bottomless fries. Check it out if BJs is too crowded for you.
  • The Clubhouse Bistro, Crowne Plaza Hotel
    An OK hotel restaurant-bar. Live dancing Fridays & Saturdays.
  • The Fish Market  San Mateo
    Nice location with a water front view. Good fish, ciappino and decor. Top of the Fish Market upstairs is basically the same but somewhat pricier.
  • Heidi’s Pies Restaurant  San Mateo
    An older landmark restaurant open 24 hrs/day.
  • Century Centre Cafe
    Open week days only (Mon-Fri, 6 am-4 pm). A decent office building cafe.
  • Taco’s Peralta Food Truck  342 E Hillsdale Blvd /Saratoga Dr, San Mateo CA
    Good cheap quick Mexican food to go. Nasty decor 🙂 but we like their burritos the best.
  • Taqueria De Amigos 2974 South Norfolk St / Hillsdale Blvd, San Mateo, CA
    Reasonable burritos and prices

Coffee & Tea (click links below or restaurant map)

  • Penelope’s Coffee & Tea  3 Plaza View Lane / Triton Dr, Foster City
    We recommend this nice new independent shop. Good coffee, helpful service. Open 7 days/week.  Beside pour over coffee (several blends) and expresso coffee they also sell Greek coffee.
  • Peet’s Coffee
    We like Peet’s better than Starbucks even though this Peet’s is a short drive away in San Mateo.
  • Starbuck’s Coffee
    Nice patio. Standard Starbucks.
  • Tpumps, Metro Center
    A very popular bubble tea shop which moved here from downtown San Mateo.
  • Chatime, Edgewater Place Shopping Center, Foster City
    Popular chain store for bubble milk tea, smoothies and coffee.
  • Boba Tea  2986 S Norfolk St / Hillsdale Blvd
    A popular but well-hidden place to get milk tea.

Sports Bars

Foster City is much more oriented towards physical recreation and families than to night life; it’s certainly no San Francisco.  but you can catch a game if you like.  The bars below are all nearby but in San Mateo.

  • BJs Brewhouse, 2206 Bridgepoint Parkway, San Mateo – Has an active sports bar area within this big busy restaurant. The bar crowd is largely under 30 years of age. There is often a wait for a food table but you can just walk into the bar.
  • Red Robin
    Red Robin, next door to BJs, has a similar burger menu but is not as popular or entertaining. Friends recommend the Cobb salad and bottomless fries. Check it out if BJs is too crowded for you.
  • The Clubhouse Bistro, Crowne Plaza Hotel
    An OK hotel restaurant-bar. Live dancing Fridays & Saturdays.
  • Bucky’s Cocktail Lounge, 101 South Blvd, San Mateo
    Classic hidden dive bar off El Camino north of Highway 92.  Pleasant low-key older crowd.  No food.

Related Pages:

close
Facebook Icon