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San Mateo: The Best Small Town for Food

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I love living in the East Bay, but I also love to explore!  This is a new series for food that’s worth a trip – across the bay or across the country.

Did you know that Rand McNally recently named San Mateo the Best Small Town for Food?  Me neither, but they beat all the small towns in the United States!  Impressive, right?  I was invited to go on a food crawl with some other writers through the downtown area, so the restaurants could show off what they have to offer.  I actually lived in San Mateo for a year before I moved to Oakland in 2005, so it was interesting to see how it’s changed since then.

photo: Christina Mitchell

photo: Christina Mitchell

We started at Mortar & Pestle, which is the bar behind Curry Up Now.  They served interesting cocktails and Indian-inspired snacks.  This would be a good place to watch a game.

photo: Christina Mitchell

photo: Christina Mitchell

Then, we walked to Osteria Coppa and had a beautiful Beef and Veal Agnolotti that was obviously handmade with a lot of care.  This restaurant would be perfect for a date night, especially with a movie theater around the corner.

photo: Christina Mitchell

photo: Christina Mitchell

I really liked the casual vibe at 31st Union.  Named after California (which was apparently the 31st state), the dishes were made with local ingredients and they kind of had a twist.  This would be a great place for dinner with a group of friends.

Christina Mitchell

Christina Mitchell

Christina is the founder of East Bay Dish. Her writing has also been featured in East Bay Express, Berkeleyside, Oakland Magazine and Edible East Bay.
Christina Mitchell

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