Chopstix & Taiwanese Bentos

5 stars for their fried chicken cutlet! Found this place because I was searching for Shihlin Taiwanese Street Snacks. I think this used to be Shihlin but to be honest, the fried chicken cutlet tastes exactly the same. For $11, you get a pretty decedent sized cutlet and you can ask them to fully cut it for you so it's easier to snack on. The one cutlet is enough to share if you're just looking for a savory snack. I like the mala spice best, it's a little extra spicy. The only thing that would make this even better is a really good sauce to dip it in. Surprisingly, the popcorn chicken was not as great as the cutlet. Not sure what it is, but the first time we went, we got both. The second time, we ended up just getting the cutlet.The shop is small so it's easy to miss if you're driving by. It's in downtown San Mateo though, so it's likely that you might just be walking by. Park on the street or in the nearby garage and walk up to the shop.

Fried chicken bento is great! I always choose the vegetable of the day instead of the broccoli, and usually it's bokchoy w mushrooms. One bento is enough for my husband and I to share if we are not too hungry. Pro tip - you can add more seasoning yourself at the store. I usually pile on all the seasonings. Skip - definitely skip the discounted milk tea they offer w the bento. It's watery and not even worth it at the discounted price

Solid quick lunch spot. They have a variety of different Taiwanese hot snacks. A popular item seems to be the popcorn chicken.Their bento box comes with a small amount of Lu rou fan, veggies, corn, one whole egg, and fried tofu. We tried their Grilled eel andThree cup basil chicken. Both were solid. next time I would try their popcorn chicken.Can add drink for $2.50. Tried their peach green tea, which was fine, but I wouldn't come here specifically for their drinks.

I love the idea of bento boxes so I can try a little bit of everything. My fried chicken bento came with rice with some pork on top, egg, some sort of sausage, veggies and pickles. I wish I ate it right away so it would be crispy, but I waited until I got home and it got a little soggy. Will have to try fresh next time!

3.5 starsChopstix offers Taiwanese bentos and street food in a casual, self-service setting. The Braised Chicken Cutlet Bento featured a breaded cutlet made of boneless chicken thighs. Interestingly, the cutlet was deep-fried and then braised in a savory soy sauce, which made the breading slimy and not crispy. Not sure why anyone would prepare a breaded cutlet this way. The bento also came with garlicky Chinese greens, broccoli with carrots, corn, fried tofu, and a soy sauce egg. I also tried the Three Cup Shrimp, made with shrimp and chopped oyster mushrooms in a sauce of rice wine, soy sauce, and sesame oil. At the counter were several powdered seasonings including spicy, mala, pepper salt, curry, seaweed, and plum. Along with the bentos, I got a cup of Classic Milk Tea with boba, which was disappointingly watery and flavorless. Overall, this restaurant made for an affordable, casual place for a meal, snack, or drink, though the offerings left something to be desired.

Came here again with group for dinner. They were running a promotion of spending x amount to get a free takoyaki dish. We shuffled the seating a bit to make a big enough table for our group of 5 and it was a bit of a tight fit. The takoyaki dish came out first with 6 pieces. It was hot and delicious with a decent seasoning of bonito and nori flakes. Ordering was easy and the wait wasn't too bad. Food was good as usual with the fried stuff coming out perfectly. The vegetables were under seasoned and sort of sad. We could tell they were canned or ready made as they came out cold or warm with a dull taste. Other than that, it's a great place for a meal when hungry. We cleaned up our table and threw our trash away before we left. Make sure you do this instead of leaving your trash around. This is more of a fast food setup than a restaurant.

Food - many types of bentos for everyone! We got popcorn chicken and chicken cutlet bentos. The breading is the same, extremely flavorful. If you like spice, definitely choose chili spice but if you don't, do not. There is so much protein added to each bento on top of your protein choice, including 1 egg, tofu, and a meat gravy over the rice. Service - you don't really talk to anyone since there are ordering kiosks. Ambiance - plenty of seats, super loud music. Nice if you are loud, but if you are soft spoken like me, take out might be the best way. :)

I knew this place through the name Shilin. After its rebranding, I'm glad the taste is the same. We ordered one Matcha Fresh Milk and one Popcorn Chicken. Their popcorn chicken was unbeatable. The matcha fresh milk was also very good. At least, I thought it was real matcha flavor.Next time, I will try other dishes when we go picnic

The food tasted amazing and there was such a variety of options from bento boxes to boba!

Picked up a 3 cup mushroom bento from here earlier today. My first time there and the staff was very friendly and helpful - and explained what 3 cup means in Taiwanese food.Big portions and very tasty. I substituted extra tofu instead of the egg to make it vegan.