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The Barrel Bistro & Wine Bar, San Mateo, CA

The Barrel Bistro & Wine Bar

4.4
4.4
408 Reviews
$30 and under
French American
246 S B St, San Mateo, CA 94401-4018

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 15 times today

About this restaurant

  • Neighborhood gem
  • Good for special occasions
  • Charming
The Barrel Bistro and Wine Bar welcomes everyone with selective wines selection and many pairings superbly with a wide variety of cuisine. With selective cheeses and charcutiers, hundreds of different wines, seafood,
and meats.The Barrel Bistro&Wine Bar attracts colleagues for a drink after work, business dinners, a quick bite or drink before a show, late night revelers, families for Sunday brunch and more.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    French American, Spanish, Wine Bar
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Daily 11:00 am–3:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu, Sun 3:00 pm–9:30 pm Fri, Sat 3:00 pm–10:30 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Executive chef
    Edwin Steve
  • Neighborhood
    San Mateo
  • Parking details
    None
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Entertainment, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Non-Smoking, Outdoor Firepit, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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What 408 people are saying

The Barrel Bistro & Wine Bar reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.4
4.4 based on recent ratings
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.3Ambience
  • 4.1Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Barrel Bistro & Wine Bar is lauded for its "elegant and cozy ambiance" and "super sophisticated" menu, featuring standout dishes like pan-seared Chilean sea bass. Diners applaud the "fantastic food" and "wonderful service," with a "great wine selection." However, be aware of "overbooking" on busy nights.

408 Reviews
  1. John

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined on April 11, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I recently visited the barrel bistro wine bar and it was truly enjoyable experience the ambiance is both elegant and cozy with dim lighting and carefully chosen music that adds a special touch to the atmosphere

    Is this helpful?

  2. Jose francisco

    Unspecified1 review

    5.0

    Dined on April 10, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excelente ambiente, el servicio estuvo increíble, las personas muy amables, y la comida deliciosa sin duda volvería al restaurante una y otra vez

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  3. Ibo

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined on April 6, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Its been a while since I’ve not been in the barrel bistro. Today I made a quick reservation on my day off and I greeted by warming employees when I show up. They seated me in a nice spot and informed me about the entire menu changes. The food on the menu was absolutely super sophisticated. I tried their new pan seared Chilean seabass which felt me in France. The taste was super good with purple cauliflower. Thank you so very much for your hospitality and complimentary dessert. I’ll will see you guys very soon!

    Is this helpful?

  4. Sheila VIP

    Acapulco2 reviews

    1.0

    Dined on April 4, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    I dined here this week as well and was wondering why the place looked emptier than the week before. We sat outside when we received the menu, I noticed the drink menu was the same, but the menu had changed. I didn't see any of the items I had the week before. So we proceeded to order a couple of drinks and the cheese and meat charcuterie for 2. The presentation, the amount of cheese and meat was ridiculous. The week before the presentation was beautiful. Also the cheese was nothing related to the cuisine. My fiance ordered one more drink. We decided we were not having dinner here. Three drinks and cheese and meat, final bill a little over $100. Sorry not coming back.

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  5. Tessa

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined on April 3, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It was so great! Great service and great food! And the chef came out to say Hi.

    Is this helpful?

  6. Lars VIP

    San Francisco3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 28, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Another great experience at The Barrel. Good food and Good service. Between the seven of us we had multiple dishes and everything was delicious.

    Is this helpful?

  7. Janet VIP

    San Francisco9 reviews

    1.0

    Dined on March 28, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 2
    I brought guests to the restaurant last night chosen for the food and past experience. After ordering cocktails I was stunned to see that the whole menu had been changed. Although the "old" menu is still posted on their website , OpenTable and Yelp, the menu they presented was 100% different. A different style of cuisine, limited choices and very pricey . Although my guests and I were very disappointed and not at all what we were looking to enjoy, I felt embarrassed to walk out. At the very least post a new menu or notice there had been a major change. Not a mention from the server until we asked her about it. I thought this was very misleading, I do hope the restaurant reaches out to me or posts a response. I can't imagine that other people in the restaurant weren't thinking the same thing.

    1 person found this helpful

  8. Lynn

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined on March 25, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Great menu selections, lots of variety. Wait staff was very helpful and knowledgeable. We will definitely return!

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  9. jamie VIP

    San Francisco18 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 20, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Walked by this restaurant on a rainy evening and saw that it was packed so I knew I had to make a reservation to go tory it out- restaurant is beautifully decorated (focused on wine) and super comfortable seating- tables, bar, outdoor. Made a reservation via Open Table. Immediately greeted and we sat at the bar per request, even though my reservation was for a table. Quickly greeted by Cleo - really outstanding in both wine knowledge and service. Got fantastic food recommendations - I am a pescatarian, and there were so many options. Ordered tuna appetizer, lobster risotto and the bread pudding. The wine selection was outstanding, and I personally thought that the bottles were reasonably priced. As a studying/student sommelier I recognized about half of the [well respected] wine manufacturers; ordered a wine flight, and purchase a bottle. I don’t live in the area, but will absolutely make the drive to go back to the Barrel Bistro & Wine Bar!

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  10. Stephanie VIP

    San Francisco20 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 15, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Daniela was an amazing waitress! We had a fabulous dinner. Food was delicious.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

The Barrel Bistro & Wine Bar does offer delivery in partnership with Uber Eats. The Barrel Bistro & Wine Bar also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (650) 445-7250.

The Barrel Bistro & Wine Bar is rated 4.4 stars by 408 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. San Francisco Bay Area
  4. Peninsula
  5. San Mateo

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 15 times today
Google Map for The Barrel Bistro & Wine Bar

246 S B St, San Mateo, CA 94401-4018

Additional information

  • Neighborhood
    San Mateo
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Daily 11:00 am–3:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu, Sun 3:00 pm–9:30 pm Fri, Sat 3:00 pm–10:30 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    French American, Spanish, Wine Bar
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    None
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Edwin Steve
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Entertainment, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Non-Smoking, Outdoor Firepit, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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