Zen Noodle - San Mateo

This restaurant is a reliable Shanghainese spot. It's strange that they don't offer xiao long bao, but they have Shanghai fried noodles, Shanghai rice cakes, string beans, beef pancakes, spicy wontons, and Shanghai juicy buns. Overall, the food was good, with the spicy wontons standing out. While it may not be the best Shanghai food I've ever had, it's a solid choice on the peninsula. The decor is a bit odd, resembling a converted deli. I assume most people order takeout. However, the service was decent and the server was friendly. I would definitely revisit this restaurant.

The exterior of the restaurant may not be very appealing, but the interior is just like any other Chinese restaurant. However, the focus is on the food! We ordered a lot of dishes, despite having just eaten at another restaurant. We spent $120 on two dinners, including some spicy dishes. I particularly enjoyed the Spicy Dan Dan noodles, Beef Wrap Taco, and their dumplings. The food was delicious and left a fiery sensation in my mouth. My girlfriend plans on bringing her mom to this restaurant, which is a testament to how good it is!

This place is yummy!Love their pan fried dumplings. The quality is always good. Be careful with squirting soup everywhere.Try their braised beef noodle soup. It's so savory and the beef is so tender. This is a comforting soup. Definitely try it! They have great noodles and green beans. Check out their other dishes.

Haven't been to this place for a while. I think our last visit is pre-Covid!! Craving for the pan fried buns this evening. Looked up on Yelp and glad to see they are still around. Got there around 7:30pm on a Wed night. We saw another dine-in couple and a family of four just left the Resturant. Many walk-In to place their to-go orders. They seems to be quite busy. We ordered beef wraps, wontons soup and pan fried buns, of course. We had to wait for a while as they are busy making to-go orders. I will pass on the beef wraps as it's lukewarm. The wrap seems to be deep fried as it's quite brown, but it is room temperature to the touch which is odd. The beef is unusually saucy. I do agree it's very flavorful. But I am sorry to say lukewarm food is a major no no for me. Wonton soup is surprisingly delicious! It's simple basic wonton soup. Nothing fancy. However, we both enjoy it very much. I will absolutely order this again!Pan fried buns are as good as I remember. Buns are fluffy and it's bottom is crunchy. Meat fillings is flavorful and juicy. Will order this again for sure. Why not 5 stars? The shop is not as clean as it should be. The chopsticks are a bit sticky. I rinse the chopsticks and wipe down the plates with the glass of water they serve. Understand it's a mom and pop shop. I do wish their utensils look a bit more proper next time.

The dumplings at this restaurant are delicious and juicy! I highly recommend coming back. The staff is friendly and warm-hearted. Overall, the food gets a perfect 5 out of 5 rating.