Restaurants in San Mateo

There's no one way to create the perfect hot dog, at least not at Fletch's. Sure, their cooks start with the basic Chicago-style toppings—mustard, relish, onions, tomatoes, pickle, sport peppers, and celery salt—but that's only the foundation. From there, they can add a dollop of chili, sprinkle on cheese, or twist the hot dog like a balloon animal. They top beef, turkey, chicken, or veggie burger patties with your choice of condiments, and, upon customer request, they make cream puffs for dessert. Fletch's menu includes meals for dine-in, delivery, or catering.

Singaporean cuisine claims a diverse culinary genealogy. With influences from China, Malay, and India, it's no wonder Shiok! Singapore Kitchen's menu boasts dishes ranging from beef samosas and chicken satay to Singapore pepper crab and vermicelli noodles tossed with curry. This history and tradition is embodied by the restaurant’s name: exclamations of the Singaporean term “shiok!” can often be heard ringing around the table at the conclusion of an enjoyable meal.

Sink into soft cushions beneath honeycomb chandeliers as you slip into the Sunday morning feastival. Menu selections include a prawn salad with chicories and tangerines ($15) or house-made brioche french toast with spiced apples and maple syrup fraiche ($11). Well past noon, gingerly ease into the day as you would with a too-warm hot tub with a sparkling pinot noir ($5) and goat cheese semifreddo with melon granite and peppercorn meringue ($9). Nectar Wine Lounge carries more than 600 bottles of wine, along with standard brunch sips such as mimosas ($7). Eating, sipping, and socializing all take place within a cozy, coolly lit lounge atmosphere with a drizzling of natural light from an overhead skylight.

Once a bootleggers' haven frequented by the sister of Al Capone, today Cameron's Inn & Restaurant celebrates its 100-year history with old-fashioned hospitality and eclectic vintage décor. The restaurant harks back to English pub traditions with Inglenook-style seating crafted from old church pews and a menu that includes bangers and mash, shepherd's pie, and burgers flame-grilled over fragments of Big Ben. Near the bar, which touts 18 beers on tap and more than 60 bottled ales, walls are stacked to the ceiling with more than 2,000 beer cans, which owner Cameron Palmer began collecting at age 10. A functioning fireplace and five big-screen TVs cast a warm glow across the dining room, whose stage hosts occasional live music, karaoke contests, and shadow-puppet beauty pageants. Overnight guests snooze soundly within the rustic timber-lined walls of the inn’s three rooms, or at an RV park and campground near scenic ocean cliffs.

At La Costanera, Peruvian-born Chef Carlos Altamirano adds contemporary twists to traditional South American dishes that earned the restaurant a 2012 Michelin Star. A variety of ceviches whet appetites amidst a dining room that the San Francisco Chronicle called "breathtaking by day and almost mystical at night," filled with the soft sound of the surf. Free-range chicken and slow-cooked pork shoulder thrive beneath what a reviewer for the Pacifica Tribune applauds as "dramatic presentation.” Imported Peruvian beers and pisco cocktails clink to toast potatoes reclaiming exoticness by arriving in shades of purple and green, and even simple favorites take on the gleeful elegance of a solid-teak waterslide with the aid of truffle oil or saffron. La Costanera’s 10,000-square-foot space opens onto an open-air patio and glass-enclosed rooms. Windowpanes soaring from floor to ceiling arch high overhead, admitting cascades of sunlight as diners gaze out and give each rolling wave a name and backstory.

Marqs' modest menu of globally influenced plates offers small plates such as oyster shooters with tropical salsa ($7), filet wellington rolls in a truffle mushroom sauce ($15), and seared scallops with crispy pancetta and saffron risotto ($10). Entrees include pasta surf and turf with filet mignon, sautéed mushrooms, and lobster macaroni ($33). Marqs' chicken potpies, which are made in-house, are pillowy bites of steamy comfort ($14). In addition to getting you a complimentary glass of house wine or a draft beer, this Groupon can be used toward drinks at Marqs' full-service bar (though you must purchase at least one food item).