Patio Dining Available
Wine
food, steak
The Barrel
food
food, dessert
burger, food, burgers
Brunch Spread
Mimosa Flights
Wine
tacos, food
food
Spanish Churros
Part of the wine wall
Mango Panna Cotta
Manila Clams and Mediterranean Mussels
Chocolate Lava Cake
Smoked Salmon Flat Bread + Red wines. Pretty presentations. IG@loveplaypeace
Wine wall
Short ribs
Insider restaurant
Chocolate lava cake with salted caramel ice cream
Manhattan on the rock
Brian K.
Jan 31, 2025
Excellent Service from Clio and Fet. We enjoyed Cocktails, Appetizers, Margherita Pizzas. Wonderful atmosphere, delicious dinners.
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Ashley N.
Feb 2, 2025
food: gooddrinks: even better (espresso martini, passion fruit martini, lychee martini, lemon drop YUM) elizabeth: great service!!
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Leatricia N.
Feb 26, 2025
Went to The Barrel and Bistro Wine Bar for the first time with my bestie, and wow--I'm already planning my next visit!First things first: the espresso martini? TO DIEEEEE FOR. Seriously, I couldn't get enough and wanted to keep going back for more. Smooth, perfectly balanced, and just the right kick--easily one of the best espresso martinis I've had. I really liked how there was mini toasted marshmallows as a garnish. Cute and tasty! For food, we shared a few dishes, and everything was delicious. The Fusilli Primavera was packed with flavor, with perfectly cooked pasta and a variety of veggies (artichoke, mushrooms, peas, and zucchini) smothered in a creamy pesto sauce. The caesar salad with grilled chicken was fresh, had generous portions, and was great for sharing. We also got half a dozen raw oysters, which were fresh and briny--exactly what you want in a good oyster. Paired with some Tabasco, cocktail sauce, mignonette sauce, and a squeeze of lemon. The perfect combination. Also would like to make an honorable mention our lovely waitress, Gigi who took such great care of us tonight! She was so attentive and sweet. I was also glad that she was honest with how much food to get. I came in hungryyyy and wanted to order the whole menu, however the 4 items we got was the perfect amount. I wanted to add on truffle fries, tuna tar tar, brussels sprouts, a whole steak, etc. but I knew my best friend and I wouldn't have been able to finish everything. Another reason to make me want to come back to try more and new items! Portions were big, service was great, and we left absolutely stuffed and happy. Definitely a spot I'll be coming back to!
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Kelsey S.
Feb 20, 2025
I don't remember how I found this place, but I wanted to go somewhere new for my birthday, and decided to try this place. I booked a reservation on yelp for 7pm on a Thursday, but my fiance and I took Caltrain and ended up getting here a bit early. The woman who greeted us had no problem seating us and took us to a table by the expo window. The downtown area was pretty quiet, but this place was PACKED. All of the workers were moving quickly, navigating through the tables, and it was a bit loud from all the guests and workers. Despite the noise and sheer number of people packed into this place, it was still a pleasant evening. The workers are quick, efficient, and super friendly. Since I was by the expo window and bar, I was watching all of the servers run back and forth. All of the servers worked together to make this an amazing experience. They helped each other serve food, run drinks, and clean tables. Our server was also super pleasant and attentive. As for the food and drinks, it was all AMAZING. We started off the night with the berry mojito and the passion fruit martini. My fiance actually ordered the berry mojito, but it was sooo good I had to steal it. Both drinks were refreshing. The berry mojito was on the sweeter side, but it tasted like it had real fruit juice in it. The passion fruit was tangy, but had a nice sugar rim to balance it out.For appetizers, we ordered the sautéed prawns and they were in some sort of lemon butter sauce. They were creamy, rich, and lemony. The shrimp was cooked perfectly and tasted great with the bread. I told my fiance I could eat a whole plate of these. My fiance and I also decided to get the meat sampler which was an amazing idea. All of the meat was cooked perfectly. They also gave us three different sauces to dip the meat into and each one was amazing. I liked the chipotle aioli and lemon herb sauce. My fiance liked the teriyaki sauce, which was good, but definitely a light flavor. The asparagus was perfectly seasoned and cooked. The potatoes were good, but nothing special. Lastly, we got the chocolate lava cake, which was light, fluffy, and perfectly sweet. It was served with a coffee ice cream and whipped cream. My fiance also ordered an espresso martini, which looked great, but tasted even more amazing.The only let down was that they forgot it was my birthday ha ha. I put it down in the reservation, but they seemed to have forgot. They sang to quite a few other parties, but not me. Oh well, I still loved this place. Also, if you're looking for a quiet, intimate dinner, don't come here... but if you're looking for a pretty perfect dining experience, you should come here because the food is all amazing!!
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Vi Y.
Feb 5, 2025
We sent our corporate team here for a dinner after a long meeting and they loved it. I'm based out of Las Vegas and the meeting was in San Mateo, so I was a bit apprehensive when booking from just Yelp reviews. Apo was super helpful in responding to my late night requests and made me feel like they really care about their customers and business. The team sent me notes today that it was a great restaurant choice. I love any restaurant that makes me look good to my team! Can't wait to visit the area so I can try the food for myself.
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David K.
Jan 28, 2025
The Barrel Bistro and Wine Bar has a gorgeously contemporary interior lined on both sides with shelves and shelves of wine bottles. The food menu offers an eclectic mix of Mediterranean and American-inspired dishes with elegant plating and fresh ingredients. The Barrel Sampler Plate came with a huge variety of appetizers including prosciutto slices, provolone wedges, olives, calamari, spring rolls, bruschetta topped with chopped tomatoes, and crab cakes, all served with three different dipping sauces. My favorite component (of the platter and the entire meal) was definitely the crab cakes, which had a crispy exterior and seafoody interior!We continued with the Spanish Octopus, a grilled tentacle served over arugula; the Beef Carpaccio, thin slices of beef topped with arugula, Parmesan, and onion rings; and the Smoked Salmon Flatbread, a toasted flatbread topped with Norwegian smoked salmon, creme fraiche, arugula, and capers. The Little Gem Salad came with candied pecans, orange wedges, cherry tomatoes, sliced radishes, cucumbers, crumbled feta, and Green Goddess dressing, and I added a grilled salmon fillet, which was disappointingly dry. Finally, the Chicken Parmesan was a thinly pounded, breaded chicken breast fillet topped with marinara sauce and melted provolone cheese. Overall, each dish here was tasty in its own way without being overcomplicated, and the attentive service and romantic atmosphere made this a great restaurant for an elevated meal.
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Lita S.
Mar 1, 2025
Wow, what great food! The waiter, Ibo, was a really fantastic waiter. He was so attentive even though it was so very busy. We had a party of 4. We started outside. The heaters were great for the chilly air. However it started to rain and they quickly switched us to inside. They were absolutely wonderful! We started with the 3 cheese charcuterie Baird. So wonderful 4 pieces of each cheese which was perfect the jams and olive compote really added to it along with the strawberries and blueberries. I had the fusilli primavera with gluten free pasta. It was so good. Also we had the chicken Parmesan, mushroom risotto and the seafood linguini. All of it was fabulous! This was a great place to eat. It was pretty full of people and a bit loud but everyone seemed to be having a great time. If we come back we hope we can sit outside if it doesn't rain! Thanks again to Ibo for being such a great waiter and making this a time to remember!
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Jeff T.
Dec 26, 2024
Barrel Bistro was a great choice for our small start-up's holiday luncheon (16 people). The tables were set up when we arrived, while the food and drink choices for both the appetizers and main menu items appeared promptly and together which is tough to do for a large party and a hallmark of a well run backend. Most importantly, everything tasted excellent!I ordered the skirt steak while others at my table had Lobster Risotto, Seafood linguini and the hamburger sliders. That's a wide range of choices so we were joking about who would have "order envy", wishing they had chosen someone else's menu item rather than their own. No one did - all items looked and tasted on point.For appetizers we ordered a cheese sampler (good, but didn't stand out) and an excellent Chorizo Shortbread that disappeared quickly. Wines by the glass and beers arrived with this first round.The wine list was excellent with some affordable choices along with higher end choices that had higher end prices (Side note, it may be a while before I drink Silver Oak, Deep Cliff, or Caymus again! I loved it when they were lesser known and at the upper end of affordable). The wait staff was professional and attentive without being intrusive. Barrel Bistro was a great choice for us and would also be an excellent choice for anyone else that wants something special for lunch or dinner in downtown San Mateo. Five stars!
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Nancy C.
Nov 24, 2024
Quick take: fun place to hang outShowed up on a Tuesday night and the place was busy. Good sign. Guessing there were apartilllles going on.Love that they have mocktails that are not on the regular menu. We ordered the 5 item charcuterie board and bruschetta. Food was just okay. This spot is fun for hanging out. Nice lively ambiance.Service was very good. Very friendly staff. Thank you.
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Sashi ..
Feb 16, 2025
Fethi's drinks are amazing!! We solely came for the espresso martinis and waked out with having drank two of them. Highly recommend anyone and everyone who loves a place with amazing food, drinks, and attentive service.
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