The Refuge - San Mateo

4.6

122 Reviews

$30 and under

Gastro Pub

Make a reservation

2 people

Mar 18, 2025

7:00 p.m.

Booked 15 times today

Great for craft beers
Great for outdoor dining
Great for happy hour

As featured on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, The REFUGE specializes in hand-carved, ultra tender, boldly flavored navel pastrami which is sending shockwaves throughout the gastronomic consciousness of patrons who call it “the greatest this planet will see in some time.” The REFUGE boasts the world’s best Belgian and Craft Beer on draught (24 in San Mateo) in the Bay Area, with many more by bottle.

Since 2008, the REFUGE has been providing protection for many East Coast street food classics especially the hand-carved navel pastrami. But wait, just for good measure, we grind our own blend of hamburger on a daily basis as well as procure our own Ribeye Blend for our Authentic CheeseSteaks.

We also offer honest Old World wine, dazzling salads and eclectic appetizers. Casual connoisseurs unite! This place is the real deal. Whether it’s a quick lunch, a raging evening, a private event, take-out or delivery, the REFUGE experience is unlike any other place at any one time.

Additional information

Location
66 31st Ave, San Mateo, CA 94403-3404
Phone number
(650) 458-3044
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Gastro Pub, American, Deli
Hours of Operation
Mon–Sat 11:30 am–9:00 pm Sun 11:30 am–8:00 pm
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Public Lot
Payment Options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive Chef
Michael Greuel
Delivery & takeout
Order direct

Offers

REFUGE San Mateo Bi-Weekly Trivia Night!
Mar 24, 2025 only
Mon - 5:00 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.
Come join us Monday Night from 6pm-8pm for our Bi-weekly Trivia Night at REFUGE San Mateo in the Hillsdale Shopping Center! $30 voucher goes to the first place team!
REFUGE San Mateo Bi-Weekly Trivia Night!
Apr 7, 2025 only
Mon - 5:00 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.
Come join us Monday Night from 6pm-8pm for our Bi-weekly Trivia Night at REFUGE San Mateo in the Hillsdale Shopping Center! $30 voucher goes to the first place team!
REFUGE San Mateo Bi-Weekly Trivia Night!
Apr 21, 2025 only
Mon - 5:00 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.
Come join us Monday Night from 6pm-8pm for our Bi-weekly Trivia Night at REFUGE San Mateo in the Hillsdale Shopping Center! $30 voucher goes to the first place team!

What 122 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6

4.6 based on recent ratings

4.5Food
4.7Service
4.4Ambience
4.2Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

The Refuge in San Mateo offers a delightful dining experience with standout "best pastrami ever" sandwiches and a "great beer selection." Guests appreciate the "friendly and efficient" service, diverse menu options, and "great outdoor patio" seating. This spot is perfect for family gatherings, casual outings, and even trivia nights.

122 Reviews

M
Michael
San Francisco17 reviews
5.0
Dined today
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The corned Beef was prepared perfectly. Busy day, but servers were on top of it and did a great job.
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E
Evelyn VIP
San Francisco18 reviews
5.0
Dined today
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Enjoyed our corned beef platters and service was good
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J
Jim
San Francisco10 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 25, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
The Reuben is to die for. I’m a big fan of pastrami, so this is tailor-made for me!
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I
Isaac
San Francisco1 review
5.0
Dined on February 8, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Fantastic food, great drinks, super fast service! We drive from pretty far to come here.
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M
Marta VIP
San Francisco236 reviews
4.0
Dined on January 30, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Best pastrami Ruben in the Universe. Friendly, attentive waitstaff. Order the onion rings, you won't go wrong.
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A
Ann VIP
San Francisco21 reviews
5.0
Dined on January 30, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Always a wonderful experience at The Refuge. Great food and fantastic service. Great place to dine with family or fun date night. There is something for everyone on the menu. Great new beers and ciders on tap make each visit memorable. Highly recommend this restaurant.
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J
Judy
San Francisco23 reviews
5.0
Dined on January 15, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Great time! Thanks Refuge for sponsoring a fundraiser for our Temple. The service was very friendly and the menu had an even longer cocktail and beer list than the food menu. Hubs gave that a thumbs up. Way to go! Our pastrami Sammy’s were delicious, saved half for lunch. Will be going back soon.
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L
Lady
San Francisco10 reviews
5.0
Dined on January 8, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Thanks for hosting our lunch meeting today. Food was delicious!
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A
Adam
San Francisco5 reviews
2.0
Dined on January 5, 2025
1. Overall 2
2. Food 1
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 2
The photos were misleading since I was hoping to find a quiet and nice place for a date, and that had better food. Instead, the food was disappointing. The burger patty wasn't properly formed or properly cooked. Also, unless you're mixing steak meat with your patty, ground beef should never be raw in the middle. Burgers should be pink in the middle and or medium, not rare unless you're having a steak burger. Also, this place was too casual for going on a nice date. More like a loud sports bar that happened to be kind of empty. I won't go back here ever again. Burger was way over salted like someone spilled the bottle in the ground beef by accident. Fries were not tasty or properly crispy. Price for value didn't make much sense, but if you have poor taste or you don't care about quality, then you probably won't notice. I'll be amazed if this restaurant can keep its doors open for much longer serving lousy food like this. No complaints about the service. They were responsive and fairly quick, but in all fairness, the place was not busy at all. No need to make a reservation and I really don't understand why this place was even listed on Open Table to begin with. What a disgrace.
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t
thelma
San Francisco1 review
5.0
Dined on January 4, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great experience for a family gathering,, three generations coming together. We felt comfortable and well attended to. Refuge has the best pastrami in town as well as myriad of delectable choices for all ages
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FAQs

The Refuge - San Mateo offers delivery in partnership with Uber Eats. The Refuge - San Mateo also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (650) 458-3044.

The Refuge - San Mateo is rated 4.6 stars by 122 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Mar 18, 2025

7:00 p.m.

Booked 15 times today

66 31st Ave, San Mateo, CA 94403-3404

Additional information

Phone number
(650) 458-3044
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Gastro Pub, American, Deli
Hours of Operation
Mon–Sat 11:30 am–9:00 pm Sun 11:30 am–8:00 pm
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Public Lot
Payment Options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive Chef
Michael Greuel
Delivery & takeout
Order direct

The Refuge - San Mateo

Make a reservation

Additional information

Offers

REFUGE San Mateo Bi-Weekly Trivia Night!

REFUGE San Mateo Bi-Weekly Trivia Night!

REFUGE San Mateo Bi-Weekly Trivia Night!

Menu

What 122 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Review summary

FAQs

Does The Refuge - San Mateo offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is The Refuge - San Mateo restaurant rated?

Is The Refuge - San Mateo currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information