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The Barrel Bistro & Wine Bar, San Mateo, CA

The Barrel Bistro & Wine Bar

4.3 (410)
$30 and under
French American
246 S B St, San Mateo, CA 94401-4018

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2 people
19:00
Booked 16 times today

About this restaurant

  • Neighbourhood 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 11:00–15:00 Dinner Mon–Thu, Sun 15:00–21:30 Fri, Sat 15:00–22:30
  • Phone number
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Executive Chef
    Edwin Steve
  • Area
    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, Takeaway, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 410 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

4.3
4.3 based on recent ratings
  • 4.3Food
  • 4.4Service
  • 4.3Ambience
  • 4Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Barrel Bistro & Wine Bar offers an "elegant and cozy" atmosphere with "great service" and a "fantastic wine selection." Diners praise the "sophisticated" menu, highlighting the pan-seared Chilean sea bass and lobster risotto. While some note occasional reservation issues, the "amazing food and service" make it a "favorite go-to restaurant."
410 Reviews
  1. Pamela VIP

    San Francisco10 reviews

    2.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    The new menu is very disappointing. I wilnot be going back.

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  2. Paul VIP

    San Francisco20 reviews

    2.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We have been to Barrel before several times and the food has been quite good. But the menu has changed slightly and unfortunately the food quality has unfortunately has taken a turn for the worse. The osso buco was a bit undercooked and not so tender as well as a bit bland. The risotto was quite good. The seafood pasta also was underwhelming and not very flavorful. Hopefully they will turn things around

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  3. John

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 11 April 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

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  4. Jose francisco

    Unspecified1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 10 April 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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  5. Ibo

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 6 April 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!

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  6. Sheila VIP

    Acapulco2 reviews

    1.0

    Dined on 4 April 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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  7. Tessa

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 3 April 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.

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  8. Lars VIP

    San Francisco3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 28 March 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.

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  9. Janet VIP

    San Francisco10 reviews

    1.0

    Dined on 28 March 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    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

  10. Lynn

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 25 March 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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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 4.3 stars by 410 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 booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 16 times today
Google Map for The Barrel Bistro & Wine Bar

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

Additional information

  • Area
    San Mateo
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Daily 11:00–15:00 Dinner Mon–Thu, Sun 15:00–21:30 Fri, Sat 15:00–22:30
  • 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, Takeaway, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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