The Barrel Bistro And Wine Bar

This is the third time we visited this place - fantastic food with beautiful live music. We also appreciate the service from IBO

Everything is always great with the food and so many wine options. Good place to enjoy in group for meetings

the food is great and wine is good quality. And nice outdoor seating areas. Will come back later again.

8/8/23

Zach and I decided to go to The Barrel Bistro and Wine Bar for dinner one night. We initially made a reservation but when we got there, we realized it wasn't necessary since the restaurant wasn't that busy and we were seated right away.

Here's what we got:

1. Manila clams and Mediterranean mussels (appetizer to share)
2. Traditional seafood paella valencene (mine)
3. Lobster risotto (his)

First to come out was the clams and mussels. There's a good amount of clams and mussels and they give you bread also. I honestly thought the clams and mussels were a little bland to me, but Zach said they tasted fine. The broth it came in was good, but I think it needed some spice to kick up the flavors. Ten to 15 minutes later, the entrees came. The flavor profile of these were much more poignant. The rice was tender and creamy and my plate was covered in seafood. The lobster risotto was delicious as well.

It's a cute Italian spot for good food. I'd come back to try their wine flights next time.

I'm always passing by this place but haven't gone until I walked by a Friday evening and decided to try it out. I wish I could've sat in the outdoor patio as there was live music playing but it was just too cold.

I didn't have a reservation but they sat my party of 2 right as we walked in.
The noise level is quite loud so be aware of that. Looking at the menu, we saw that some dishes are catered for two people (example: meat platter for 2, appetizer sampler for 2) so we decided on the appetizer sampler.
The platter was nice. I liked the cheese and meats, and just about everything on it (naturally I'm not a fan of olives but that's ok) the spring rolls were so-so, nothing special. I would recommend just picking an appetizer that you know you'll like. For entrees we got the fusilli primavera pasta and mushroom risotto. Both were very good and flavorful, no surprises there.

Although we had a good time, the service was quite slow and they forgot to attend to some of our requests. The bar area was also looking quite full and one of the servers squeezed in a high chair to accommodate for a party of 1. However It was pretty cramped and they ended up sitting pretty close to my face. They didn't offer to move my table slightly over or anything, so basically if I turned my head to the left I would be looking at the other persons bottom.. so that was uncomfortable....

I am flabbergast how highly this business is rated. At best, this is a sports bar masquerading as a wine bar, it just happens to serve more wine and flat breads than beer and chicken wings on the menu (spoiler, it actually does serve fried chicken wings). If you are a wine enthusiast I strongly suggest you look elsewhere, and here's why:
1. They store their wine not in a cellar, but in the open room, some in contact with sunlight which ruins the wine.
2. The pairing suggestions were not great. I asked for a Tempranillo or similar to go with their paella (a common pairing in Spain), and what we got was drinkable but overall a bland combination. If a business advertises itself as a specialist in wine, it should spend more effort finding wines that match it's menu.
3. The atmosphere here is very loud, hence the sports bar comparison. Big screen TV's should not belong in a place like this and the interior design is echoey, making for a uncomfortable experience for date night. Not the intimate, chill wine bar experience people expect.
4. The food selections are distinctly American/continental, the kind you could find at any 3-star hotel restaurant. It has the variety, something for everyone, but that makes pairing wine that much harder and the cooks not able to specialize in making one really great cuisine. The paella for example was basically a seafood risotto; it was creamy instead of crispy. My date ordered the lobster risotto too and both our seafood dishes were overcooked and unremarkable.

I will say the wine bottle prices were fair and the service was good; they were attentive but not harassing.

PS. Notice in other 5-star reviews of this place people still have complaints (ie. under seasoned, overcooked, loud...) and yet they still give the highest rating. There could be a few reasons for this:
1. These people have poor taste
2. They are not being objective in their ranking system
3. The business is somehow paying for artificially inflated reviews
4. Yelp is weighting the reviews of 'elites' higher than 'normal' reviewers
When you look at other businesses there is not the same ratio of contradictions in what people write. In any scenario, this seems suspicious.

Came here for some wine and venting/therapy session with a friend on a Sunday evening. Parking was surprisingly easy for a late Sunday night right across the street in San Mateo.

We both already had dinner. I got a Pinot noir flight and my friend got white wine flight.

My Pinots were reasonably priced and the first came with a strong and sweet hit of cherry. Really enjoyed it. My friend enjoyed her white wine flight also.

Service was super friendly. I looked at the menu briefly and it looks quite good and fitting for children also. Thinking about having kiddos over one night would be nice.

Restaurant is nicely kept and it is quite cozy with a view over San Mateo downtown. Pretty solid place!

Service is friendly! The ambiance is nice and the wine shelf/wall is unique. Parking can be challenging as it is in the middle of a closed-off road. And if you've been to downtown San Mateo before, it's just always packed.
The menu is extensive, so you won't have a hard time finding something that tickles your fancy. The baked burrata is an amazing appetizer. It was warm and the bread was crispy but not so crispy that it hurt your teeth. All the dishes came out piping hot so you know there the food isn't just sitting under a lamp. The desserts were a cherry on top of a good meal.

Definitely would come here again for some good Italian food. One thing I do wish they served with the bread is either butter or olive oil and vinaigrette. other than that, everything was a delight!

Two of my colleagues from Human Resources were coming to town and wanted to take my teammates and me out to dinner following a few hours of working together. I was tasked with finding both a convenient place to meet and a restaurant for the five of us to dine at. I did some research and proposed The Barrel Bistro and Wine Bar, which was not far at all from the library, where we spent the afternoon. I made a reservation on OpenTable, but all that was available was outdoors, so I called the next day and asked if it was possible to sit inside. The person I spoke to was happy to accommodate. When we arrived, it was immediately clear that it was quite loud inside, so we opted to sit outside. It was not raining, and there were space heaters to keep us warm.

We ordered a bottle of white wine, two appetizers, five entrees and five desserts. I did not see the bill because the HR Director paid it, but it should have been around $300 not counting the wine, tax, and tip. I imagine it was well over $400 afterwards.

Pros:
1) Sitting outside was absolutely fine thanks to the heat lamps.
2) The entrees were generous portions. I took home leftovers, as did others.
3) My dessert -- the sticky toffee pudding -- was exceptional. All of the desserts were good, but mine took the cake, if you will.
4) Our waiter was great. I quietly let him know that we were celebrating my teammate's birthday, and he and some of his colleagues not only placed a candle in the birthday boy's cheesecake, they also sang happy birthday! (Since I did not see the bill, I do not know if his dessert was comped.) Our waiter was also happy also took a photo of our group and

Cons:
1) The baked burrata was not as good as expected. It was okay, but nothing special.
2) My entree should have been called seafood risotto rather than lobster risotto -- there was very little lobster in the dish. Like the baked burrata, it was fine, but the skewered salmon, prawns, and jumbo scallops were less flavorful than the lobster and made up the majority of the seafood.
3) For whatever reason, no one came around to offer parmesan cheese for the risotto.
4) The bathroom floor was very slippery. I do not know how often it is checked and cleaned.

My colleagues left very happy. I, on the other hand, was disappointed in my food up until dessert. I would give The Barrel Bistro and Wine Bar another chance, but I would order different appetizers and entrees -- and I might ask more questions about them in advance.

Fun wine cave atmosphere, attentive and friendly service, with totally delicious food! Our party of 6 tried five different entrees with hits reported for all! My gnocchi were dreamlike soft tender morsels swimming in one of the best Gorgonzola sauces I've tasted. The only drawback is location which is difficult for the disabled to access as they are on a pedestrian only street. The nearest parking garage (free after 6 pm) is 3-4 blocks away with a hike on irregular surfaces. Not the restaurants fault exactly but some will need the heads up before they can enjoy a wonderful dining experience. PS The wine list is huge with something for all tastes and budgets and makes the hike back to the car much easier.