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Capellini
3.7692/5 (24 reviews)

310 Baldwin Ave
San Mateo, CA 94401
(650) 348-2296

Category: Italian

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24 Reviews
REVIEW #1
Avg. Entree: $15-20
Rating: 		November 26, 2005
0 of 2 people found this review helpful
Have dined here twice now. Tonight we ordered the La Caprese appetizer which is fresh mozzarella, basil, and oven roasted tomatoe drizzled in olive oil and baslamic vinegar. Sounded great but tasted horrilbe! Nothing about this should had been bad, but the olive oil was clearly not extra virgin and was very very pungent and bitter and ruined the entire flavor. This dish was $9.50. For dinner I ordered the pesto rigatoni which was very flavorful, but not worth what it cost. The servings was about 75% less then what would normally fill me (and I really do not need a lot to fill me so...) Hubby ordered the salmon which was verr high priced even for the area but was good tasting. My mother ordered a calzone which she liked, but hubby & I have had many calzones in the San Mateo, and Half Moon Bay regions and this was by far the tiniest one we have seen for the most $$. Service was very good and atmosphere while cramped was very nice and dim. We may go back someday as it's a decent semi-dressy italian restanrant for the area. Has better vegetarian options then Mezza Luna in El Granada and much less high end then Ristorante Portofino in Pacifica which is my all time Fav! Just be careful what you order as much it the menu is far over priced for what you get.

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REVIEW #2
Avg. Entree: $10-15
Rating: 		February 23, 2005
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Dined here tonight w/ my hubby based on the good reviews here. Was told the night before when I called that reservations were not needed since it was a Wed night for 2 people. We showed up at opening and were maybe one of 3 people waiting to be seated and waited at the bar till the hostess was ready to seat. We ordered some drinks and waited. 12 or so min went by and we're wondering what's going on. Hubby gets up to ask the new gal at the hostess stand what's the hold up and she says " Oh, do you want to be seated now?" DUH! So we wait a few more min and finally the original hostess we dealt w/ comes over and asks if we would like a table now. Don't know where any of the confusion came from as we were clear the second we walked in we were there to eat now and was told that we'd be seated in a minute. Anyhow, we were brought upstairs and our waitress came pretty promptly to see if we were ready to order and tell us the specials. There was one vegetarian special I could have and it happened to be one of my favorites (yet difficult to find at an Italian restaurant & I usually have to special order it ) which was Gnocchi in Gorgonzola cream sauce. I was debating tho still and needed like one more minute to decide. She said she'd be right back. 15 min later!!!!!!!!!! She finally comes back into the area and we had to basically flag her down w/ all our might to get her to take our order! She clearly spaced our existence all together. Luckily my gnocchi and my hubbies salmon dish didn't take too long and we got our dishes w/ in 15 min. The oddest gnocchi I have ever seen! I'm used to the standard small potato dumplings which have the texture of pasta and their idea of gnocchi was 3 very large meatball sized/shaped mashed potato balls sitting in a cream sauce (barely tasted like Gorgonzola) It was good, but not gnocchi and I would't order again because it didn't cure my gnocchi or Gorgonzola craving at all. My hubbies Salmon dish was good he said, but not worth ordering again and far too pricey for what he got served. He and I need to give it another try though to see if service is usually this slow or if this was a unique circumstance and order different dishes to know if this place is really worth adding to our go back again list. Ambiance was warm and yuppie chic. Was nice being able to sit above as it's like a balcony which overlooked the restaurant and bar below.

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REVIEW #3
Avg. Entree: $15-20
Rating: 		May 6, 2002
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
On a Thursday night, 4 of us had a wonderful dinner. Salad, entree, wine, dessert, and expresso cost just under $50 per person, including

tip. Food was excellent, service a trifle slow but acceptable. They were half empty when we arrived for a 6:30 reservation, so we were seated

immediately. It filled up by 7:30, and was a bit noisy but fun.

We shared tastes all around, and I thought the pear salad, risoto with smoked duck breast, and bread pudding were the best! The wine list is a little pricey, but the 2000 Talley Arroyo Grande

Chardonnay at $40 was superb!

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REVIEW #4 David O.
Avg. Entree: $15-20
Rating: 		March 7, 2002
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
With an interior designed by Pat Kuleto and a kitchen from heaven, this is a place that knows how to cook and create some very interesting dishes. From what some of the other reviewers have said, reservations are the hot ticket here. I've eaten here three times, lunch twice and dinner once and have never experienced anything but wonderful service and great food. I doubt that the weekends are a great time to schedule a dinner here, as the place gets crowded early and stays that way all night long. Just the same, this is a very nice location, with a willing staff and a winner menu...

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REVIEW #5 Jerry M.
Avg. Entree: $15-20
Rating: 		June 8, 2001
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Very good food and service. Specially recommend fried calamari and veal dishes.
Good wine list. Place can be noisy and crowded suggest reservations. Good wine list waitstaff can be helpful in making suggestions.t



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REVIEW #6 Jerry M.
Avg. Entree: $15-20
Rating: 		June 8, 2001
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Best Italian restaurant in the area. Crowded and a bit noisey.

Nevertheless, the quality and quantity of food makes up for all slight inconveniences. Strongly recommend!

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REVIEW #7 Deb L.
Avg. Entree: $10-15
Rating: 		June 13, 2000
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
I just happened to be driving around downtown San Mateo and ran across this place. I guess I was lucky and came on a slower Wednesday evening, since I was able to be seated right away without reservations. The food is good, not great. The waiter was great, very personable and funny. He was able to remember who had what dish even after the person I was with changed seats. The place seemed a bit noisy, it was difficult to have a normal conversation across the table and the parking isn't great in the area. They do have valet parking, which I took advantage of.

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REVIEW #8 alice L.
Avg. Entree: $15-20
Rating: 		March 24, 2000
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Next time you visit there, make sure you make reservation, or you should expect a wait time of 40 minutes or more. Try the capaccio & fried calamari for appetizers. Their veal dish & creamy garlic sauce in the Linguini & clams are my favorite dishes. Save some room for dessert, they have pretty good choices.

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REVIEW #9 Mary Ann S.
Avg. Entree: $15-20
Rating: 		February 18, 2000
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
The food was great, good presentation, hospitable waiters, etc. However, the wait for a table was too long; unfortunately, there is little room in the waiting area for customers. We made a reservation for 7:15p.m. on a Friday evening and weren't seated until 8:20 p.m. Our order wasn't taken until 8:40p.m. and we were served our main course at 9:15 p.m. (The reason I have this info. is because we were timing it after our extensive wait period.) I write this to let others know that the food is very good and worth the wait but you must be willing to be patient. It's not a place to dine if your schedule doesn't permit a long long wait and you're famished. However, my husband doesn't feel it was worth a two-hour wait period for any meal; however, we enjoyed the time visiting with our family.

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REVIEW #10
Avg. Entree: $10-15
Rating: 		October 9, 1999
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
It was just ok. When my date called to make reservations, the hostess was rushy and discourteous, interrupting him before he could ask what the dress code was. He had to call back again to ask. We had reservations at 8pm, but we were not seated until 8:45pm. The hostess came up to us once to tell us just 2 more minutes, it was more like a half an hour. Then we were ignored until it was time to be seated. Of course, for most people it wouldn't matter as much since they have a full bar, but my date and I are underage so we just stood around until we could be seated. The food was average, but they do give good portion sizes for the price that you pay. Our server was very kind and courteous, until we paid for our dinner with a gift certificate. He seemed to change into a different person, barely saying "Thank you, good-bye." We still left him a tip in cash, but I wouldn't recommend Capellini if you are looking for a quiet or romantic night.

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REVIEW #11 Stanley R.
Avg. Entree: $10-15
Rating: 		June 18, 1998
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Discourteous wait staff and mediocre food at high prices for the Peninsula combine to make this a truly disappointing experience. For better food at much better prices, try Giorgios, located next door.

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REVIEW #12
Avg. Entree: $10-15
Rating: 		May 17, 1998
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Capellini's has all of the qualities of a big city bistro, with small town friendliness and attention to detail. The menu is classic Italian, nothing exotic or wildly creative. We enjoyed every bite of every course. There were many more things on the menu that we would have gladly sampled. We had the house (butter lettuce) and ceasar salads, a pizza and the grilled halibut special. The dishes we had were as close to perfect in all regards (food quality, preparation and presentation) as we've had in "5 star" restaurants. The service reflected a well seasoned (please excuse the pun) and hard working wait staff. Every element of the evening's experience was like a well choreographed audience in the round play. We knew that we were being attended to by many, but they were not intrusive, flawlessly timed every step of the meal and seemed to anticapte our every need. Cappelinnis decor is Kuletto classic. Soft light, warm hues, lots beautiful wood and lush upholstery offer very comfortable seating. We'd heard that the dining room could be noisy. We were on the ground floor, opposite the bar by the kitchen on a very busy Saturday night. It is not an intimate, soft wisphering kind of place, however were very comfortable being among other diners carrying on a leisure conversation. Cappelinnis is place we'd return to when we return to the San Francisco peninsula.

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REVIEW #13
Avg. Entree: $20-30
Rating: 		May 8, 1998
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
This is a really fancy restaurant. The service is nice and the pasta dishes are tastefull. The mushroons are the best appetizer: soft and juicy. I enjoy my spaghetti, it was delicious.

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REVIEW #14
Avg. Entree: $20-30
Rating: 		January 14, 1998
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Yes, again: this is my husband's and my favorite San Mateo restaurant. We have probably been about a dozen times. We love to start with the butter lettuce salad. Aren't you getting a little sick of the bitter baby lettuce trend? Mounds of melt-in-your-mouth lettuce dressed in a well balanced herb vinagrette. I have tried several pasta entrees, and always been happy. My husband sticks with the tortellini verdi.

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REVIEW #15
Avg. Entree: $10-15
Rating: 		November 17, 1997
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Eat here pretty regularly and I cannot recall when I had a poor meal or poor service. Weekend evenings are alway busy, revervations are a must (if you don't mind waiting upwards to an hour.) But, with a great bar and lots of fun people watching or conversing, it can go by quickly. Menu is fairly static but nightly specials help change the pace. Lots of great pasta dishes and several good chicken and veal dishes. Good wine list and pricing is fair. Gotta try the fried calamari. May be the best on the Peninsula! (It is a lot to eat so plan accordingly.) Dress is nice casual and above, but most dress will work. Nice counter seating, overlooking a very busy grill line.

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REVIEW #16
Avg. Entree: $10-15
Rating: 		May 8, 1997
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Probably the best Italian in the area. Try the roasted chicken and mushroom polenta.

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REVIEW #17 Nicole S.
Avg. Entree: $10-15
Rating: 		January 20, 1997
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
I've never had calamari so perfect! Not in the least bit rubbery. The pesto ravioli was excellent! Great food at a very reasonable price.

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REVIEW #18 tom H.
Avg. Entree: $20-30
Rating: 		December 3, 1996
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
If you don't get the picture by now, I can't convince you to go. It's our favorite - period. Carpaccico and Bruchetta are the best anywhere. Just try to avoid one of the little tables by the front window where you'll be on top of your neighbor.

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REVIEW #19 Eiji H.
Avg. Entree: $10-15
Rating: 		November 5, 1996
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Great Italian/pasta restaurant. The mood and decor was great. The service was excellent and very attentive. I didn't have to ask for anything for wave my hand for service. The food was very good. I had the clam linguine with tomato sauce which was spicy with a distinct flavor. This is definitely the place to take your first date for a romantic evening, or for a big night with visiting relatives or parents.

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REVIEW #20
Avg. Entree: $10-15
Rating: 		August 6, 1996
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Very pretty restaurant. Good place to take a date! Food is good, and the prices are okay considering how fancy it looks.

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